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Barat: You're talking about yourself being one of the only one, in your position, taking radical political positions. When it comes to Palestine, you are very open about your support for a cultural boycott of Israel. People opposing this tactic say that culture should not be boycotted. What would you answer to that?
Waters: I would say that I understand their opinion. Everybody should have one. But I can't agree with them, I think that they are entirely wrong. The situation in Israel/Palestine, with the occupation, the ethnic cleansing and the systematic racist apartheid Israeli regime is unacceptable. So for an artist to go and play in a country that occupies other people's land and oppresses them the way Israel does, is plain wrong. They should say no. I would not have played for the Vichy government in occupied France in the Second World War, I would not have played in Berlin eitherduring this time. Many people did, back in the day. There were many people that pretended that the oppression of the Jews was not going on. From 1933 until 1946. So this is not a new scenario. Except that this time it's the Palestinian People being murdered. It's the duty of every thinking human being to ask: "What can I do?"
....This has been a very hard sell particularly where I live in the United States of America. The Jewish lobby is extraordinar[il]y powerful here and particularly in the industry that I work in, the music industry and in rock'n roll as they say. I promise you, naming no names, I've spoken to people who are terrifiedthat if they stand shoulder to shoulder with me they are going to get fucked. ...
More here
Aviv! "Hang on, that's $10 million", how could they offer it to me?! And I thought Shuki are you fucking deaf or just dumb?! I am part of the BDS movement, I'm not going anywhere in Israel, for any money, all I would be doing would be legitimizing the policies of the government. I have a confession to make to you. I did actually write to Cindy Lauper a couple of weeks ago. I did not make the letter public but I wrote her a letter because I know her a bit, she worked with me on the Wall in Berlin which is why I found it super difficult to understand that she is doing a gig in Tel Aviv on January the 4th, apparently, quite extraordinary, reprehensible in my view, but I don't know her personal story and people have to make up their own mind about these things. One can't get too personal about it...." [Emphasis added]


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Subpart V: Electric Power Generation
Subpart S: Electrical Safety
Cranes and Derricks
Confined spaces
Improved clarity — it is designed to be more easily understood by small construction employers who do not have separate safety staff.
Hazard assessment — it outlines a step-by-step approach for the employer to use when assessing confined spaces at the construction site.
Multiple employers — since most construction sites involve multiple employers, it addresses coordination and information sharing responsibilities with respect to the general contractor and the subcontractors.
Enhanced safety requirements for sewer-type spaces — for example, an early warning system to guard against upstream hazards headed downstream.
Hazard communication revisions
More regs

subset: commoncrawl


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Waupaca Foundry
Community - Jan 8, 2019
Lawrenceville Provides a Helping Hand This Holiday
Waupaca Foundry employees in Lawrenceville are taking over Santa's job this holiday season by working with Northern Tier Helping Hands to help provide holiday items to the less fortunate in Tioga, Potter and Bradford counties.
Ally Melby | Waupaca #community #donation #giving #lawrenceville
Waupaca Foundry
Community - Dec 19, 2017
Employee Wellness Takes a Charitable Turn | Waupaca Foundry
Employee wellness took a charitable turn in this season of giving at Waupaca Foundry. Employees logged steps in the Waupaca Gives Back Steps Challenge and the foundry in turn made donations to specific regional organizations. Waupaca Foundry is committed to creating a healthy workplace through programs that support individuals on the team and creating healthy communities by supporting local initiatives.
Waupaca Foundry #community #effingham #etowah #giving #lawrenceville #tellcity #waupaca
Waupaca Foundry
Iron Castings - May 15, 2017
Waupaca Foundry receives awards for casting, engineering
Iron casting supplier, Waupaca Foundry earned Best in Class for a ductile iron suspension casting converted from aluminum that achieved one of the Detroit Big Three's lightweighting objectives for a major automotive platform. "Our customers seek collaborative casting design and innovative materials solutions that add value to their products," says CEO Mike Nikolai. "These industry awards confirm that our teams are delivering consistent, top-tier quality and service that leads the industry."
Jessica Thiel | Insight Publications #afs #iron-casting #lawrenceville #wfnews
Waupaca Foundry
Community - Feb 21, 2017
Waupaca Foundry
Community - Aug 24, 2016
Foundry in a Box Sparks Interest in Manufacturing Jobs
When a young person says "I want to be a firefighter when I grow up," there's a clear visual image of that career. But when a young person is told "you could have a career as a quality engineer," there's no reference point. But Waupaca Foundry is working to change the image of tomorrow's industrial careers.
Kirk Kallio | Waupaca Foundry #community #etowah #foundry-in-a-box #K12 #lawrenceville #marinette #tellcity #waupaca
Waupaca Foundry
Iron Castings - Aug 8, 2016
Waupaca Foundry lightweight ductile iron knuckle increases suspension strength
The Honda Ridgeline receives a unibody revolution and its suspension components have been beefed up. Even its steering knuckle, made by Waupaca Foundry in Lawrenceville, Penn. is stronger than it's Honda Pilot counterpart, but nearly as light. The article nods to Hitachi Metals HNM Series high-strength ductile, which allows components to be lighter weight while also more durable. As a result of the redesigned knuckle, the Honda Ridgeline front and rear suspension is 17% and 31% stronger, respectively.
Car and Driver #lawrenceville #lightweighting #wfnews
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11 Jul The Seventh Month is Time for Nesting
Welcome to month seven, the start of your last trimester. I call this the phase of nesting, constipation and birth plans. This was a time when I felt a mild panic begin to bubble to the surface of my consciousness. Not so much about having a baby, but going into labour. I knew I wanted a natural birth and the closer I got to my due date, the more terrified I became. It wasn't really the pain that scared me, but rather not knowing exactly what would happen. What would it feel like when why water broke, how would I know when to go to the hospital, what would happen when I got there? All these questions kept me up at night. And in the midst of this mild panic, was this unexpected wonderful feeling, ah yes, nesting.
The nesting phase is kind of a mystery. No one really knows why being pregnant triggers this uncontrollable urge to organise and order your home. And whether you actually do it, or whether you just spend time on Pinterest looking at beautiful nursery's and organised pantries, it feels really great. When I think back to my last trimester I am reminded of a yearning for order, a tidy house, packing and re-packing my hospital bag for 3 months, obsessively washing baby clothes. I am not a terribly organised person by nature, so I really loved the feeling of being seriously organised.
Part of that hyper organised state meant that I approached my birth plan with clinical precision. I sat down with my doctor and spoke about all the options. I asked so many questions and presented him with so many worst-case scenarios. I had to know that regardless of the events of the day (or days as it turned out) my baby would be well taken care of. Here are a few things to ask your doctor and hospital when plotting your birth plan:
- What is your view on induction?
- What pain relief will I be offered and what are the side effects associated with each option?
- How often will my baby be monitored during labour?
- If I need an assisted birth, which do you use: vacuum or forceps?
- Are there any risk factors which could lead me to have an emergency c-section?
While planning your birth is important, I think it's equally important not to be too attached to your birth plan. Things happen, and plans change, and you need to be mentally prepared to be flexible on how you bring your child into this world. I really believe that there is no wrong way to give birth. Ultimately the only real plan is having a healthy mom and baby at the end of it all.
Speaking of baby, whoa, that little cherub is doing some serious growing right now and all that growth will do crazy things to your body. One of the worst third trimester symptoms (in my humble opinion) is chronic constipation. Girl, you need to find a way to manage this because walking around with a baby in your belly AND feeling constantly bloated is not fun. I found the easiest way to cope was to adjust my diet to include high fibre foods and yep, drink loads of water.


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Insurance Blockchain Startup B3i Raises $16 Million
Zurich-based Blockchain-based insurance B3i initiative raised $16 million last month
Zurich-based blockchain startup B3i Service AG has increased its capital by $16 million in February, according to recently published filings from the Swiss commercial register.
B3i Service AG — a blockchain initiative formed by "Blockchain Insurance Industry Initiative" B3i in 2018 and run by several international insurance companies including Munich Re and Swiss Re — has raised about $16 million, having maximized its capital to 22,475,945 Swiss francs ($22.6 million).
According to the filings, the company raised 8.27 million Swiss francs ($8.34 million) in the form of cash, while the remaining part of the sum, 7.9 million Swiss francs ($7.9 million) comes as converted debt.
The consortium purportedly intends to develop a blockchain trading platform for a value-added chain of the entire insurance industry, wherein B3i Services AG is set to implement the results in a functioning block-based trading system.
The blockchain space has witnessed the formation of other insurance-related consortia. In January, United States-based health insurance giant Aetna partnered with IBM to create a blockchain network tailored to the healthcare industry.
The project is set to streamline insurance claims processing and payments, as well as manage directories. Further members from the healthcare and technology sectors are reportedly expected to join the project in coming months, according to the statement.
Previously, enterprise software firm focused on distributed database technology, R3expanded its mandate to include insurance companies. Last December, 26 French finance and insurance companies and five major banks completed a Know Your Customer (KYC) test based on R3's Corda blockchain platform.


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ASUS ZenFone 2 with 4GB RAM to Arrive in India on 23rd April
Finally, ASUS has put an end to all the speculations about the release of its next flagship in India. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has sent out media invites for the launch of ZenFone 2, that will take place on April 23 in New Delhi. The smartphone was first showcased at the extravagant Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year.
As notified before, the device will launch in three variants in India. The dual-SIM handset stuffs 4G RAM, and unlike other handsets, ZenFone 2 offers an additional memory card support in spite of coming in three storage variants, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB.
The device flaunts an original ergonomic design and features a 5.5-inch Full HD (1280x1920p) IPS display with Gorilla Glass 3 coating. A 64-bit 2.3GHz Intel Atom processor Z3580 with PowerVR G6430 GPU is fitted to the device to give it a faster processing speed. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with custom Zen UI on top. The smartphone features a 13MP "Pixelmaster" rear camera along with a 5MP selfie snapper.
On the connectivity side, ZenFone 2 comes with 4G/LTE support that offers faster data speed, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The device comes with Dual Active mode that allows users to have two active phone lines at the same time.
ZenFone 2 equips a powerful battery of 3000mAh and comes in five different colour options: Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red and Ceramic White. Meanwhile, there is no information about its pricing. More details will be unveiled at the launch event itself. And as always, we'll be bringing you the latest updates.


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The race by companies to develop autonomous cars is making rivals out of old friends as is evident from the exit of Alphabet's senior executive David Drummond from the board of Uber Technologies.
Alphabet is an investor in Uber through its venture capital arm GV, and from all appearances will continue to stay so. But it had become increasingly evident that the ride-hailing company's efforts to build self-driving cars would put it in conflict with the aims of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which has been one of the pioneers in the development of these autonomous vehicles.
On Monday, Alphabet said Drummond, its senior vice president for corporate development, had recently quit the board of Uber. GV will continue to be an investor in the ride-hailing company.
"I recently stepped down from Uber's board given the overlap between the two companies," Drummond said in a statement issued on Monday. "GV remains an enthusiastic investor and Google will continue to partner with Uber," Drummond added. He wished Uber CEO Travis Kalanick all the best for the future.
The development comes ahead of tests of self-driving cars carrying ride-hailing passengers, planned by Uber later this month on the streets of Pittsburgh in the U.S. A number of car and component makers are developing technology for self-driving cars that they are targeting at ride-hailing companies, and there have been rumors that Google may also target this market.
Ford said this month that it intends to have a high-volume, fully autonomous vehicle in commercial operation in a ride hailing or sharing service by 2021. General Motors has also invested US$500 million in ride-hailing company Lyft in a deal that could see them jointly developing a network of on-demand autonomous cars. Earlier on Monday, The Information reported that Uber had shut out Drummond from attending board meetings, quoting three people briefed about the arrangement.
Google cars have self-driven over 1.5 million miles and are out on the streets of cities like Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas.


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In summary
It's stunning how many of California's children need mental health support they are entitled to, but do not receive it.
Lea este artículo en español.
By Lisa Pritzker, Special to CalMatters
Lisa Pritzker is the founder and chair of the LSP Family Foundation, which advances health, equity and prosperity, firstname.lastname@example.com.
Decades ago, as a hotline volunteer with Safe & Sound, I spoke with exhausted parents in crisis because there were no preventive supports to proactively alleviate their poverty and trauma.
As a volunteer for the Child and Adolescent Psych Services Department at San Francisco General Hospital, I witnessed traumatized children waiting for mental health visits in a cramped, dark waiting room next to adult patients in psychiatric distress. The physical setting did nothing to destigmatize mental health, nor encourage a welcoming experience.
While much of this is changing, the statistics remain alarming.
In our otherwise forward-focused state of California, the data are sobering. California Children's Trust reports that we rank 43rd in the nation in providing pediatric behavioral, social and developmental screenings. Just 35% of young Californians who report needing mental health services receive it, and only 5% of children on Medi-Cal access behavioral health support.
In our state, which is plagued by housing, food and employment insecurity, it's stunning to come to terms with how many children need — but do not receive — the mental health support they are entitled to and for which we pay federal taxes.
Systemic change requires ground-breaking collaboration. Finally, there may be hope. President Joe Biden's administration is directing resources into prevention and treatment for marginalized communities. From the White House to Sacramento, politicians are leading change, bolstered by policy advocates identifying the systemic bottlenecks, researchers proving scalable interventions and the public seeking a response to the mental health crisis among children and families. Science, policy, practice and leadership are converging.
The California Children's Trust recently shepherded a collaborative effort to reshape mental health support for marginalized children, making these services a strategy for combating the effects of racism and poverty. This resulted in Medi-Cal creating a new Family Therapy Benefit so families can obtain unlimited preventive therapy and maximizing funding for public health institutions and providers.
State Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who has dedicated her career to understanding the impact of toxic stress resulting from racism and poverty, is rolling out initiatives that address health disparities. UC San Francisco's Dr. Nicki Bush is researching the intergenerational transmission of risk and of resilience, identifying disease prevention strategies, protective factors and interventions that promote resilience within a family. Project Healthy Minds is destigmatizing mental health by engaging Hollywood celebrities in sharing their struggles and offering young people resources where they spend their time: online and at home.
All In For Kids, led by Futures Without Violence and generously supported by Genentech and Blue Shield of California, is funding new cooperative efforts that prevent and treat childhood trauma, a core source of mental anguish. And, finally, psychiatric care settings are changing, such as the Child, Teen and Family Center at the new Nancy Friend Pritzker building, created under the leadership of Dr. Matt State.
The evolution in the mental health field and political landscape offers a rare opportunity to make systemic change. We must act quickly to create an integrated, whole-family, preventive approach that recognizes that children live with grownups; to successfully treat a child, we must address the family's needs.
Successful interventions will be those that address the systemic inequities that create toxic stress, accompanying therapy with employment, housing and food assistance. Services should be trauma-informed, led by experts with close proximity to the communities served. They should be housed in institutions that families trust, such as schools, pediatric and primary medical care clinics, not in disparate offices scattered around communities. Philanthropy should generously and bravely invest in creative solutions.
Together, we can address this crisis. The health of California's youngest and most vulnerable residents depends on it, and in turn, the healthy development of our state and society depends on it.


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- Home
- Government/Departments
- Departments and Divisions
- Public Health
- Health Services Division
- Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
Women, Infants & Children (WIC)
Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a supplemental nutrition program that provides pregnant women, new mothers, infants and children up to their fifth birthday with health screening, risk assessment, nutrition education and counseling, breastfeeding promotion and referrals to health care. In addition, the service offers supplemental food at no cost to qualified participants.
Benefits of the Program
Experience shows that women who participate in the WIC Program have fewer low birth weight babies, experience fewer infant deaths, see the doctor earlier in pregnancy and eat healthier. The goal of the WIC program is to improve the health and nutrition of eligible women, infants and children.
Funding & Operations
The WIC program is funded and administered at the national level by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the state level, the program is operated by the Missouri Department of Health, Bureau of Nutrition Services and WIC. The St. Charles County Division of Health Services operates the program at the local level. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Further Information
Alternate forms of publications and further information may be obtained by contacting the:
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services
Bureau of Nutrition Services and WIC
P.O. Box 570
Jefferson City, Missouri 65102
Phone: 800-392-8209
Appointments & Enrollment
To enroll you and your family in WIC, staff must complete state and federal program information certification paperwork. You do not have to be a US citizen to participate in WIC, but everyone must re-apply for WIC after participating for 12 months. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Things to Bring
To help make the enrollment process as smooth as possible, please bring with you as much of the following information as possible:
- Person being certified - The pregnant woman or new mother, as well as the infants or children being certified, must come for the visit.
- Proof of legal name - For an infant, you may bring hospital discharge papers or nursery bracelet. You should provide birth certificates for children.
- Photo ID - Adults should present a photo identification, such as a driver's license.
- Proof of Missouri address - You should bring a utility bill, telephone bill or a government-issued letter addressed to you within the past 30 days.
- Medicaid (MOHealthNet) card - If you have this service, you should provide a Medicaid card for each person being certified.
- Proof of income - You should bring a pay stub, direct deposit slip, Social Security payment stub, etc. Your gross income must fall into the WIC eligibility guidelines.
- Child or infant's immunization records - Please bring all records you have of your child's immunization history.
Nondiscrimination Statement
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. View the complete statement.


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OPINION: Despite being ubiquitous in the public and private sectors, ''networking'' as a business or career-advancement strategy has largely escaped ethical scrutiny. Jonathan Schonsheck's essay ''Business friends'', which appeared over a decade ago, is a rare exception. Schonsheck was interested in whether networkers exploited one another as ''mere means'' or instruments. He therefore focused on whether the networker committed an injustice against the networkee. The objections that I raise to networking focus instead on whether the networker seeks to gain an illegitimate advantage over those outside of the network.
I am confining this discussion to career networking (rather than what is known as emotional networking, or plain old socialising). To be even more specific, I am focussed on networking aimed at increasing one's prospects of prevailing in a formal competitive selection process for a job in the future.
I have two, distinct, fairness-based arguments against career networking. The first accuses the networker of cultivating non-merit-based favour where merit is acknowledged to be the only legitimate consideration. On this view, the networker is trying to corrupt the selection process. The second argument, by contrast, accuses the networker of subverting the selection process through evasion, which is objectionable insofar as the selection process is morally just and gives all competing parties an equal opportunity to demonstrate their merit.
Either way, networking is an attempt to gain unfair advantage, and not the perfectly innocuous career-advancement strategy it is assumed to be.
Bribery, with a different currency
Let's begin with an uncontroversial assumption: jobs that are the objects of competition ought to be awarded on the basis of merit. That is, the job should go to whichever candidate is expected to fulfil its associated tasks most competently and efficiently - to be the most successful in the role and, thereby, to make the most valuable contributions to the organisation, all things considered. Typically, a number of factors will affect this equation: formal qualifications, experience, demonstrated work ethic, etc. Only such considerations, and only insofar as they are relevant to a candidate's suitability for the position he or she is competing for, may be taken into account.
Accordingly, an applicant should not be favoured or disfavoured because of considerations that have nothing to do with his or her relative merit. This is why we object to discrimination in employee selection; sex, racial identity, sexual preference, etc. have no bearing on a candidate's ability to do the job. It is also why we object to nepotism: favour based on family or friendship ties. The wrongness of paying bribes for jobs is also explained partly in these terms. When Andy bribes Barry to give him a job that many are competing for, Andy is trying to induce Barry to consider things other than merit when making a decision that ought to be based on merit alone. Whether or not the bribe succeeds, it is nevertheless an attempt to distort the meritocratic allocation of positions that justice demands, and this is why we object to it.
On one understanding of what networking is all about, it seems liable to a similar charge.
The ultimate goal of career networking is economic advantage. However, directly and overtly ''hunting'' this outcome - asking for jobs or references, proposing mutually beneficial exchanges, etc - is considered by most gurus to be a flawed strategy. ''Farming'' is the way to network ''like a pro'', according to Ivan Misner. The idea is to build a rapport with people who may be in a position to benefit your career in the future; to endear yourself to them and win their goodwill. These seeds will reap a bountiful harvest, so ''drop the gun, grab the plough'', Misner urges. Similar advice is found in Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, described by one admirer as ''the timeless bible of networking''.
The main purpose of networking, on this view, is the ingratiation of the networker to the networkee. The effective career networker makes himself known to, and liked by, potential employers, selection panellists, etc. If all goes according to plan, these people will take their fondness for the networker into account when making decisions that affect his/her career. That is precisely the point. If those decisions include the awarding of jobs that are the objects of competition, the networker will have successfully garnered non-merit-based favour. And even if his efforts fall flat or backfire, he has nevertheless attempted to gain non-merit-based favour.
This is what Andy tried to pull when he bribed Barry for a job, and we condemned him for it. So should we not also condemn the networker?
All I have suggested so far is that career bribery and career networking have something in common. Both the briber and the networker are trying to get an advantage based on something other than merit, in a process where merit ought to be the only consideration in play. But obviously there are a number of differences between networking and bribery, the most salient being that the briber is seeking advantage by conferring benefits upon the relevant decision-makers. He is trying to buy something that should not be bought and sold. Or, more generally, he is trying to turn something that should not be the object of self-interested exchange into exactly that. The networker, by contrast, is not offering anything to his audience in return for favourable treatment.
Yet the dissimilarity may be exaggerated. Carnegie's advice to networkers has one guiding principle: make your audience feel interesting, important and accomplished - they will love you for it. If this is the idea, then plausibly the networker is providing something to his audience that he hopes will be repaid with favourable treatment: he is paying a ''psychic income'', to use economic parlance. He is offering an ego boost and a sense of self-satisfaction. The only difference, then, may be that the networker appeals to psychological interests, while the briber appeals to material ones.
But, for the sake of discussion, let's concede that the networker is not offering any benefits in exchange for favourable treatment. In this case, we can say something about career bribery that we cannot say about networking: it tries to corrupt its target in the sense that it induces the target to abuse his/her position for personal gain.
I think that while this compounds the wrongness of bribery, it does not solely constitute it. It makes bribery worse, but it is not the only thing that makes bribery bad. To illustrate, consider the following, admittedly farfetched scenario. Andy is applying for a job at Barry's factory. Andy has heard through the grapevine that Barry has a reputation for being shamefully nepotistic. After a long night browsing the ancestry.com website, Andy finds that there is some genealogical link between himself and Barry. Andy prints off the evidence and brings it to the interview in the hope it may engage Barry's nepotistic leanings. In this scenario, Andy is scheming to gain a non-merit-based advantage over other applicants, but he is not offering anything tangible to Barry in exchange for this. Still, I think we would rightly regard Andy's behaviour as morally unsavoury. The mere fact that he is trying to distort the meritocratic allocation of jobs seems to be bad enough.
I think this is the main reason we object to bribes-for-jobs: it involves an attempt to gain non-merit-based advantage in a process where there ought not to be non-merit-based advantage. Granted, there are other morally obnoxious features of bribery which only intensify our disapproval, but the primary source of our disapproval is that bribery runs contrary to our meritocratic ideals. This being the case, should we not object to networking on the very same grounds?
The earwigging of staff selection
Perhaps everything I have said so far is based on a fundamental mischaracterisation of networking. Perhaps the networker, rather than trying to foster and benefit from non-merit-based favouritism, is simply trying to show that he/she is in fact meritorious.
Merit is a somewhat elusive concept that admits of narrower and broader conceptions, but I am using the term loosely to encompass those capacities and attributes that make someone capable of carrying out a particular job. Formal qualifications count, but (depending on the job) so might social and communication skills, confidence, assertiveness and so on. The effective networker, one might argue, is putting these skills on display. Should he thereby impress his audience and be selected for jobs ahead of other candidates in future selection processes, he has achieved this by proving his merit, rather than by inducing the audience to consider things other than merit when deciding who to employ.
But even this more charitable understanding of networking raises ethical concerns. In other, adversarial contexts where winning involves impressing or persuading judges, and there is a formal process that gives competing parties a structured setting within which to do this, a competitor who tries to win the judges over outside of the formal process is considered to be seeking unfair advantage.
Take, for example, a barrister who phones her presiding judge outside of formal legal proceedings to continue her advocacy for a client or to discuss the substance or merits of a case. This practice, known as ''earwigging'', is regarded as a serious breach of legal ethics - contempt of court, in fact. The earwig might not be trying to introduce dubious considerations into the judge's mind, but we object to her actions nevertheless. We object simply because she refuses to compete within the parameters of the formal process that has been established to regulate the contest. Take beauty pageants as another example. Each contestant is allocated a certain amount of time on-stage to show off her brains, grace, poise and bleeding heart. A contestant who contacts judges off-stage, in an attempt to impress them a supplementary demonstration of these qualities, is seeking an unfair advantage even in the absence of a formal ban of such conduct.
So what exactly is the problem with ''earwigging''? Fairness demands that both parties in a court case have an equal opportunity to persuade the jury and/or judges. The formal legal process is designed to ensure this equality of opportunity. The earwigging barrister, by advocating in private, before the trial has begun or after the strike of the gavel has indicated the end of session, is effectively trying to obtain more than an equal opportunity, and thus to consign the competition to less than an equal opportunity, which is unfair. In other words, the earwig impedes the ability of the formal process to deliver on its morally legitimate end of ensuring that both parties have an equal opportunity to make their case. She subverts the process by evading it.
Isn't networking to personnel selection what earwigging is to legal proceedings? Where a job is the object of competition, prevailing involves impressing a judge or judges. Typically, there is some formal process that gives competing parties a structured setting within which to do this. Usually it is the human resources division of the workplace advertising the position that devises and administers this process, and it is intended to ensure, among other things, fairness in personnel selection. This consists of a number of standards being met, one of most basic being the standard of consistency: all candidates are invited to submit the same application forms, sit the same tests, the same interview procedure of the same duration, and so on. The aim is to ensure that all applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their merit.
The networker refuses to confine his competitive efforts to this formal framework. His strategy is to begin impressing prospective employers and selection panellists in advance of the official contest - to win points with the judges before the opening bell. The question is: if we agree there is something wrong with earwigging, for the reasons spelled out above, why should this judgment not carry over to networking?
However we characterise it, career networking involves an attempt to gain illegitimate advantage over others in the job market. What makes the advantage illegitimate depends on which characterisation we run with.
If networking is about building personal relationships to improve one's prospects of beating out the competition, it is an attempt to cultivate non-merit-based favouritism and, to that extent, it shares one of the wrong-making features of bribery. On the other hand, if networking is more about demonstrating one's merit to prospective employers in advance of formal selection processes for particular jobs, it shares one of the wrong-making features of earwigging.
Either way, the networker denies his rival job-seekers something to which they are presumptively entitled. Either he denies their right not to be disadvantaged for reasons other than lack of relative merit, or he denies their right not to be disadvantaged by ex parte communications that take place outside of formal selection processes.
Dr Ned Dobos is a Lecturer in Applied Ethics at UNSW Canberra and an Adjunct Fellow at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics.
This extract of his speech delivered at the Centre first appeared in The Canberra Times.


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S89B - Custom Engraved Badge
This badge is custom engraved; the text shown is for example only. The center disk, finish, attachment and curve of the badge must also be selected.
Line 1: Deputy Sheriff
Line 2: Norfolk
Line 3: Sheriff's Dept
Line 4: Va
Please note: Custom engraved badges take approximately 4-6 weeks for delivery.
Item Features:
Dimensions : 2.25'' X 3.125''


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September 1, 2016
North Florida roofing contractor continues to expose workers
to dangerous fall hazards; faces $128K in penalties
Rogero & Williams Roofing Contractors cited for the fourth time in a year
Employer name: Rogero & Williams Roofing Contractors Inc.
Inspection site: 5185 Datil Pepper Road, St. Augustine, Florida 32086
Citations issued: OSHA issued citations to the employer on Aug. 23, 2016
Investigation findings: The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued citations to Rogero & Williams Roofing Contractors for one willful and one serious safety violation. Employees were performing re-roofing work on a residence without fall protection. The inspection fell under OSHA's Regional Emphasis Program on Falls in Construction.
The agency issued the willful citation for the employer's failure to protect workers with a fall protection system as they did residential construction at heights greater than 6 feet. The employer also failed to require workers to wear eye protection equipment, which led to the issuance of a serious violation.
Proposed penalties: $128,077
Quote: "No deadline is so urgent that Rogero & William's management cannot follow proper safety procedures to conduct their work in a safe manner," said Brian Sturtecky, OSHA's area director in Jacksonville. "After being cited for the fourth time in a year, this employer must take action and stop endangering the lives of workers by allowing them to work from elevated heights without fall protection."
The citations can be viewed at:
Based in Jacksonville, Rogero & Williams has 15 business days from receipt of its citations and proposed penalties to comply, request a conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
To ask questions; obtain compliance assistance; file a complaint or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's Jacksonville Area Office at 904-232-2895.
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Explore projects
Starfinder is an IDL code for the deep analysis of stellar fields, designed for Adaptive Optics well-sampled images, characterized by a complex and highly structured Point Spread Function.Topics: Adaptive Optics
Marco Stangalini / SSCGNU General Public License v3.0 only
The SHARK-VIS@LBT Simulation CodeTopics: High contras... LBT Adaptive Optics+ 1 moreUpdated
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Software Patch implements a method based on sectioning approach in deconvolution of space-variant astronomical images.
A computer code (procedure) written in Interactive Data Language (IDL, version 8.4) to compute the spectral line profile indicators used by Lanza et al. (2018, A&A in press) to study the radial velocity variations of planet-hosting sun-like stars.
The ASONG Data Analysis Software (DAS) is an high level IDL® code for Wavefront slopes computation and Wavefront reconstruction from pupil images. This software is not intended to control any hardware device. However, the code is transparent to the image input source, so it can accept as an input both stored images or images directly coming from the ASONG camera. This option would require to implement an additional coding level that is out of the scope of this software release.


text: Self-Tracking Entities with Validation and Tracking State Change Notification 18 May 2010 Diederik-Krols .NET 4.0, WPF, Entity Framework 4.0 This article explains how to extend Self-Tracking Entities (STE) from Entity Framework (EF) 4.0 with validation logic and (tracking) state change notification, with just minimal impact on the T4 files. We'll build a two-tier application that submits local changes in a WPF application via a WCF service to a database table. The STE are extended with validation logic that is reusable on client and server. The client is notified when the change tracker of an entity changes its state. The tracking state is displayed to the end user as an icon. Here's the client application in action: For more details on the foundations of building N-Tier apps with EF 4.0, please read Peter Himschoots article. Source Code For the fans of the source-code-first approach, here it is: U2UConsult.SelfTrackingEntities.Sample.zip (622,23 kb) The structure of the solution is as follows: Preparation Database table First you need a SQL Server table. The provided source code contains a script to generate a working copy of the SalesReason table in the AdventureWorks2008 sample database. This is its initial content: Data Access Layer When you have it, it's time to fire up Visual Studio.NET. Create a WCF web service project with an ADO.NET Entity Model. Add the SalesReason2 table to the model (I renamed the entity and entity set to SalesReason and SalesReasons respectively). While you're in the designer, generate the code for the ObjectContext and the Self-Tracking Entities (right click in the designer, select "Add Code Generation Item", select "ADO.NET Self-Tracking Entity Generator"). Add the canonical service methods to fetch the full list of SalesReasons, and to add, delete, and update an individual SalesReason. Here's an example (I personally like to combine Add and Update operations in a Save method): public List<SalesReason> GetSalesReasons() { using (AdventureWorks2008Entities model = new AdventureWorks2008Entities()) { List<SalesReason> result = new List<SalesReason>(); result.AddRange(model.SalesReasons); return result; } } public void DeleteSalesReason(SalesReason reason) { using (AdventureWorks2008Entities model = new AdventureWorks2008Entities()) { model.SalesReasons.Attach(reason); model.SalesReasons.DeleteObject(reason); model.SaveChanges(); } } public SalesReason SaveSalesReason(SalesReason reason) { using (AdventureWorks2008Entities model = new AdventureWorks2008Entities()) { reason.ModifiedDate = DateTime.Now; if (reason.ChangeTracker.State == ObjectState.Added) { model.SalesReasons.AddObject(reason); model.SaveChanges(); reason.AcceptChanges(); return reason; } else if (reason.ChangeTracker.State == ObjectState.Modified) { model.SalesReasons.ApplyChanges(reason); model.SaveChanges(); return reason; } else { return null; // or an exception } } } Self Tracking Entities Add a new class library to the project, call it STE. Drag the Model.tt T4 template from the DAL to the STE project. Add a reference to serialization in the STE project. Add a reference to the STE in the DAL project. Everything should compile again now. WPF Client Add a WPF application to the solution. In this client project, add a reference to the STE, and a service reference to the DAL. Add a ListBox and some buttons, with straightforward code behind: private void RefreshSalesReasons() { this.salesReasons = this.GetSalesReasons(); this.SalesReasonsListBox.ItemsSource = this.salesReasons; } private ObservableCollection<SalesReason> GetSalesReasons() { using (DAL.SalesReasonServiceClient client = new DAL.SalesReasonServiceClient()) { ObservableCollection<SalesReason> result = new ObservableCollection<SalesReason>(); foreach (var item in client.GetSalesReasons()) { result.Add(item); } return result; } } private void Update_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { SalesReason reason = this.SalesReasonsListBox.SelectedItem as SalesReason; if (reason != null) { reason.Name += " (updated)"; } } private void Insert_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { SalesReason reason = new SalesReason() { Name = "Inserted Reason", ReasonType = "Promotion" }; reason.MarkAsAdded(); this.salesReasons.Add(reason); this.SalesReasonsListBox.ScrollIntoView(reason); } private void Delete_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { SalesReason reason = this.SalesReasonsListBox.SelectedItem as SalesReason; if (reason != null) { reason.MarkAsDeleted(); } } private void Commit_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e) { using (DAL.SalesReasonServiceClient client = new DAL.SalesReasonServiceClient()) { foreach (var item in this.salesReasons) { switch (item.ChangeTracker.State) { case ObjectState.Unchanged: break; case ObjectState.Added: client.SaveSalesReason(item); break; case ObjectState.Modified: client.SaveSalesReason(item); break; case ObjectState.Deleted: client.DeleteSalesReason(item); break; default: break; } } this.RefreshSalesReasons(); } } Now you're ready to extend the STE with some extra functionality. Validation It's nice to have some business rules that may be checked on the client (to provide immediate feedback to the user) as well as on the server (to prevent corrupt data in the database). This can be accomplished by letting the self-tracking entities implement the IDataErrorInfo interface. This interface just contains an indexer (this[]) to validate an individual property, and an Error property that returns the validation state of the whole instance. Letting the STE implement this interface can be easily done by adding a partial class file. The following example lets the entity complain if its name gets shorter than 5 characters: public partial class SalesReason : IDataErrorInfo { public string Error { get { return this["Name"]; } } public string this[string columnName] { get { if (columnName == "Name") { if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(this.Name) || this.Name.Length < 5) { return "Name should have at least 5 characters."; } } return string.Empty; } } } If you add a data template to the XAML with ValidatesOnDataErrors=true in the binding, then the GUI will respond immediately if a business rule is broken. XAML: <TextBox Width="180" Margin="0 0 10 0"> <Binding Path="Name" Mode="TwoWay" UpdateSourceTrigger="PropertyChanged" NotifyOnSourceUpdated="True" NotifyOnTargetUpdated="True" ValidatesOnDataErrors="True" ValidatesOnExceptions="True"/> </TextBox> Result: The same rule can also be checked on the server side, to prevent persisting invalid data in the underlying table: public SalesReason SaveSalesReason(SalesReason reason) { if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(reason.Error)) { return null; // or an exception } ... Notification of Tracking State Change By default, an STE's tracking state can be fetched by instance.ChangeTracker.State. This is NOT a dependency property, and its setter doesn't call PropertyChanged. Clients can hook an event handler to the ObjectStateChanging event that is raised just before the state changes (there is no ObjectStateChanged event out of the box). You're free to register even handlers in your client, but then you need to continuously keep track of which change tracker belongs to which entity: assignment, lazy loading, and (de)serialization will make this a cumbersome and error prone endeavour. To me, it seems more logical that an entity would expose its state as a direct property, with change notification through INotifyPropertyChanged. This can be achieved -again- by adding a partial class file: public partial class SalesReason { private string trackingState; [DataMember] public string TrackingState { get { return this.trackingState; } set { if (this.trackingState != value) { this.trackingState = value; this.OnTrackingStateChanged(); } } } partial void SetTrackingState(string newTrackingState) { this.TrackingState = newTrackingState; } protected virtual void OnTrackingStateChanged() { if (_propertyChanged != null) { _propertyChanged(this, new PropertyChangedEventArgs("TrackingState")); } } } The only thing you need to do now, is to make sure that the SetTrackingState method is called at the right moment. The end of the HandleObjectStateChanging looks like a nice candidate. Unfortunately this requires a modification of the code that was generated by the T4 template. For performance reasons I used a partial method for this. This is the extract from the SalesReason.cs file: // This is a new definition partial void SetTrackingState(string trackingState); // private void HandleObjectStateChanging(object sender, ObjectStateChangingEventArgs e) { // this.SetTrackingState(e.NewState.ToString()); // This is a new line // if (e.NewState == ObjectState.Deleted) { ClearNavigationProperties(); } } Just modifiying the generated code is probably not good enough: if later on you need to update your STE (e.g. after adding a column to the underlying table), the modifications will get overriden again. So you might want to modify the source code of the T4 template (search for the HandleObjectStateChanding method and adapt the source code). Fortunately this is a no-brainer: most of the T4 template is just like a C# source code file, but without IntelliSense. The rest of the file looks more like classic ASP - ugh. Anyway, you end up with a TrackingStatus property to which you can bind user interface elements, wiith or without a converter in between. In the sample application I bound an image to the tracking state: <Image Source="{Binding Path=TrackingState, Converter={StaticResource ImageConverter}}" Width="24" Height="24" /> Here's how it looks like: In general, I think there are not enough partial methods defined and called in the Entity Framework T4 templates. To be frank: 'not enough' is an understatement: I didn't find a single partial method.


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Neither of these guys are likely to make the team given the Hornets' salary cap situation, but hey, we can still talk about them, right?
Earl Barron - I wonder if he walks around saying "I can't be out of Earl, I'm the Earl Barron!" Probably not, but maybe I will. Anyway, Barron struggled through an injury last season, and was pretty inconsistent both in scoring and rebounding. Pretty inefficient as well. He's had some NBA experience with the Miami Heat, and even started 15 games for them in 2007. He doesn't turn the ball over or foul all that much (at least in the NBA - his D-League numbers are a little higher), so that's a positive, but he'll likely need to show some improvement over last season to get another NBA look.
Larry Owens - Like Barron, Owens was a member of the Hornets' Summer League team this year, but unlike Barron he's a pretty efficient scorer. That's good, because as a power forward he doesn't rebound all that well. His three-point shot comes and goes; he made 41 percent of them in last year's EuroChallenge, but during his actual season in Belgium he shot only 18-110 from outside. And yes, you read that correctly. He shot 110 threes and made only 18 of them. And yet he still ended up making almost 54 percent of his total field goal attempts.


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After the news broke that she was pregnant, Kylie's fans went onto her social media pages and started to post their "congratulations," despite the reality star not officially confirming the news.
It comes after Kylie revealed she keeps a list of names for her "future kids" on her phone.
While Kylie has not yet commented on the widespread reports she is pregnant – she did appear to offer fans a first glimpse at her burgeoning baby bump. And this fan has come up with an explanation why it might be true that Kylie is really pregnant…. lol


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Chat Home
Welcome to Baseball Prospectus' Friday March 26, 2010 1:00 PM ET chat session with Jay Jaffe.
He hates to hit and run, so instead settle in for a big inning with BP's Jay Jaffe.
Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon and sorry for the delay, as it took me slightly longer than usual to navigate our chat setup. But I've got the Alex Chilton cranked up and I'm ready to go!
slim (Fairfield Cty): Jay, who are your pet players this year? Guys you expect to put themselves on the map or take an underrated step forward?
Jay Jaffe: You know, for some reason the team I always come back to for questions like this is the Reds. Not that I EXPECT their young guys to take a step forward so much as that I'm interested to see if they can. To see if pitchers like Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake or Aroldis Chapman can succeed in that ballpark, under Dusty. To see if Jay Bruce finally lives up to the hype, if Chris Dickerson can hold down a regular corner spot. I don't actually root for the Reds, but I've been intrigued by their collection of talent for years.
Jake (Chicago): Are you at all surprised that Texas decided on CJ Wilson in the rotation considering the other possibilities and leaving late inning duties to the oft-injured Frank Francisco, Netali Feliz who has never thrown in back-to-back games, and Darren Oliver coming off a career year at age 39?
Jay Jaffe: The Rangers have a ton of candidates for their rotation, many of which I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot clown pole (Brandon McCarthy and Matt Harrison come to mind). Because he's a lefty who can miss bats, Wilson is already much more interesting than those two, and worth taking a chance on. A for Feliz, his time will come, but he hasn't shown much in spring training (11.57 ERA), and he's not even 22 yet. I'm a bit more concerned about the Rangers' bullpen, but I do like Oliver, and think that perhaps some of those surplus arms can be useful down there.
Mike W (Chicago): How many starts do the Brewers give Suppan? Not that their alternatives are very attractive, but we know how this movie ends, right?
Jay Jaffe: It sounds as though the Brewers are closing in on the decision to make David Bush their #4 behind Gallardo, Wolf and Davis, which leaves Manny Parra, Chris Narveson and Suppan battling for one spot. Narveson made a good impression last year, and has further helped his cause this spring, while Parra seems to have really clicked with Rick Peterson and seems eager to mend his wayward ways. I don't think it's out of the question that the Brewers concede Suppan is a sunk cost and cut him by the end of the spring.
And a good riddance it will be.
Nick Stone (New York, NY): Assuming Hughes is healthy and effective as a starter, do you think the Yankees re-think the Joba rules idea when dealing with Hughes's innings count?
Jay Jaffe: Hey, Nick!
I can't possibly imagine the Yankees taking the same approach with Hughes that they took with Chamberlain, because that turned into an epic failure.
For one thing, it sounds as though Hughes will be on a longer leash, good for about 170 innings as opposed to 150, which would require less manipulation. For another, Hughes has always come off a more cerebral, better able to understand the organization's plans for him than Joba, who increasingly seems like the guy with the 10¢ head.
On the other hand, Hughes' reputation for fragility may make that upper bound a moot point, and it could be that he takes a midsummer vacation on the DL for even the slightest aches and pains.
Art Critic (Taking Advil):
Jay: Please tell me that there is a redisgn of the BP homepage coming soon. The design with the Blogs all tucked on the right side hurts my eyes.
Jay Jaffe: Yes. It's on the agenda. PECOTA has been priority one, but we'll soon be shifting resources in other directions to address various areas of need, including design.
Jake (Chicago): Follow up, Wilson - "he's a lefty who can miss bats." Sounds a lot like Derek Holland, another rotation candidate they passed on...
Jay Jaffe: Yes, but Wilson's 29 and has had success at the major league level. Holland is 23 and was beaten like a rented mule last year (6.12 ERA). The Rangers are contenders, and it may make more sense for Holland to hone his skills at Triple-A (where he has just four innings of experience) or in the bullpen.
SprungOnSports (Long Island): The Braves certainly have a superstar in the making in Jason Heyward, but what can Atlanta do at the major league level not to rush him? We saw Jordan Schaefer rushed, but Heyward is clearly further along at this point.
Jay Jaffe: I don't think the Braves have much to worry about, Heyward is clearly ready, and he's much more advanced at 20 years old than Schafer was at 22 last year. He controls the strike zone better and has much more power.
I think the one thing the Braves should and will do is keep him a bit lower in the batting order, sixth or seventh, until he gets going, so as not to put too much pressure on him. Probably should also give him the occasional break against lefties, though his minor league splits there have been plenty acceptable.
dangor (New York): Do you see any free agents with solid fantasy value out there? Jermaine Dye, Elijah Dukes, Pedro, am I forgetting somebody?
Jay Jaffe: John Smoltz, at least as a reliever, is somebody who can help if he's so inclined, though I guess he's content to go the broadcast route for the moment. A healthy Jarrod Washburn can certainly sponge up a useful number of innings. David Weathers is a handy reliever to have around even at his age. Carlos Delgado might still have something left once he recovers from hip surgery. Gary Sheffield is still a badass who can be a useful bench bat if so inclined, and Joe Crede can pick it at the hot corner if his back is right.
matt (hartford, ct): sign or the times or successful testing program? this is the first year i can remember that people are talking about who came into camp looking thinner rather than larger. is steroid testing working or are players spending more time watching their nutrition and health?
Jay Jaffe: I think the program has been largely successful, moreso as judged by the declining number of positives at the major league level than the anecdotal evidence. Sure, there may be another clear-type BALCO scandal lurking out there, but if the samples are being kept for future testing, the odds are in favor of the testers figuring the substances out sooner or later and bringing a good deal of pain and humiliation down on cheaters. And while some people lie awake at night worrying about the scourge of HGH, the evidence strongly suggest it doesn't have nearly the potential to help as the harder-core PEDs.
Mike W (Chicago): Padilla - big year for him? Easier league, great park, manager who is a calming influence (and if he acts up there, who will want to deal with him, which he knows).
Jay Jaffe: I think he'll be better than he was in Texas, but not as good as he was in LA at the end of last season, but yes, he's got a lot working in his favor that he didn't necessarily have in Texas. On the other hand, let's not forget that he had three weeks off between stints, which allowed him to restore a couple MPH to his fastball.
Timo (An hour north of Yankee Stadium): Crystal ball--i.e. wild guess--time. 10-15 years from now, what will we be saying about the careers of Joba and Hughes?
Jay Jaffe: Hey, Timo! Thanks for dropping by.
A decade from now, I think folks will be talking about how well Hughes adapted to the rotation thanks to that cutter he learned from Mariano Rivera, and how for awhile there, Chamberlain gave the Royals a decent 1-2 punch with Greinke before he got hurt and went south.
LJ (Bridgewater, NJ): Do you think teams will make more straight payout contracts like Joe Mauer's? i.e. fewer backloaded deals?
Jay Jaffe: Well, as I tried to show in today's piece on Mauer, it does make a certain sense to do exactly that, because the value of a win on the open market will reliably continue to rise, such that a player in the decline phase of his career will have to do less to justify his deal X years down the road than today.
That said, there are plenty of times where a backloaded deal makes sense. Teams don't sign players in a vacuum, and for budgetary reasons they need to stagger their big-dollar expenses. They may also be able to take advantage of the fact that they can fill needs from within down the road and jump out of the way of big balloon payments.
rawagman (Toronto): Jay - what would you think of tracking slugging percentage with PAs as the denominator instead of ABs?
Jay Jaffe: I never thought of it... except perhaps when I screwed up a spreadsheet. Not sure I really see the point, particularly since SLG as it's constructed does a decent job. Essentially you're penalizing a guy for drawing more walks, no?
Dan (Brooklyn): I like the line about Joba in K.C., but what's the series of events that you think lands him there? It's a little hard to imagine what K.C. has that Cashman would want/need. David DeJesus?
Jay Jaffe: Oh, I don't know. Maybe Cashman has a mancrush on Aaron Crow and is convinced that Mike Moustakas is the heir apparent to Derek Jeter after he tears up Double-A pitching this year while moving back to short. Plus he thinks that the George Brett statue would look great in his office.
mjk415 (elmhurst,ill): wher do you see sean rodriguez fitting in tampa?
Jay Jaffe: The Rays seem to be bursting at the seams with talent right now. Joe Maddon has some interesting options when it comes to where Ben Zobrist plays, and who that leaves in the mix. If Zobrist is a second baseman, Rodriguez and Reid Brignac probably compete for the final utility spot and the Matt Joyce/Gabe Kapler platoon goes off as planned. If Zobrist is a right fielder, Rodriguez has a shot at winning the second base job.
The fact that he can play the outfield as well as the other infield positions certainly works in his favor if he goes the utility route.
Oh, and an aside to a reader whom I'll leave unidentified: the surest way for me to ignore any question you ever ask in a chat until the end of time is to complain about the pace of things in my chat. I'm not Keith Law firing off two-syllable answers, though I'll gladly give you one: GET BENT.
tommybones (brooklyn): Having now had the chance to see Strasburg pitch to major league hitters, what is your impression of him?
Jay Jaffe: He's all that and a bag of chips. I was particularly impressed with how well he's handled the spotlight given the pressure and attention. And while we shouldn't put too much stock into the strikeout to walk ratio (12/1) and groundball to flyball ratio (14/1 on outs) bode very well for the future. He's going to be a monster.
Jasper the cat (Twin Cities): Your thoughts on how Target Field will play this season are...
Jay Jaffe: My guess is that it will play as a pitcher's park given the likelihood of cooler weather, and looking at the dimensions (339-377-411-403-365-328) makes me think it could be the AL's answer to Petco.
AlexBelth (Bronx): Jay, have you read the new Willie Mays biography? I'm eager to read that side-by-side with Howard Bryant's forthcoming Hank Aarron bio. Will you be checking either or both out? Any other baseball books you eager to read this spring?
Jay Jaffe: Hey Alex! I haven't read the Mays book yet, but I'm dying to; it's been sitting in my reading pile for weeks now. I'm torn about the Aaron book, though. On the one hand I think he's the more interesting and complicated character of the two, but on the other hand I think I already know that. And while I really liked Bryant's book on steroids, his subsequent columns on that subject have been so insufferable I'm not sure I'm willing to dive into that in the context of the longtime record holder. Hell, Aaron himself seems to have better perspective on that subject these days.
Lipmanpike (VT): No question, just a thanks for chating. I read all the BP chats but have never written in, just wanted to say thanks, they are always great
Jay Jaffe: Thanks, man, that's appreciated.
And a perfect opening to finish answering Alex's question above - I really want to read the Dirk Hayhurst book, and Emma Span's 90% of the Game is Half Mental because both look to be good for laughs. I like what I've seen from Hayhurst, and Emma's stuff at Bronx Banter and her own blog (Eephus Pitch) has consistently been entertaining. Plus she's a friend, and I root for my friends to do well in this racket (and any other one).
tommybones (brooklyn): Wouldn't it make sense for the Twins to deal blocked prospects like Wilson Ramos or Revere/Hicks for Heath Bell? Since Bell would be under control for 2011, they could then flip him for OTHER prospects which fill a need? A win/win, no? Bell covers for Nathan for a year, then turns into prospects who can fill an immediate need (i.e third base). Thoughts?
Jay Jaffe: It sounds as though the Padres are asking for an arm, two legs and a lung for Bell right now, and I think it's unconscionable to think of trading away five-star prospect like Revere - and more - for a closer. The Twins would be better off dealing for one of the guys who draws the short straw in Toronto if they feel like they need to go outside the organization ASAP.
Keith Law (oh, I don't know): Heyyy! GET BENT yourself!
[didn't know you didn't like me; :-((( ]
Jay Jaffe: Hey, I love reading Keith Law like I love Fresca. But after nine years in this racket it's painfully apparent to me that I don't have the same skill set as Keith. So rather than try to compete on that level of punchiness, I tend to approach these chats a bit more methodically.
Cory (LA): Is Russell Martin just done? Are speedy catchers just always prey to Sick Boy's theory of acting from Trainspotting?
Jay Jaffe: I'm reasonably optimistic, particularly given that he's back to playing ball and won't miss Opening Day due to the groin problem.
You know, for all of the flaws he showed last year, Martin was still the most valuable catcher in the NL this side of Brian McCann and Yadier Molina according to WARP.
All that said, I don't get Trainspotting reference. How does Sean Connery's career fit into all of this?
tommybones (brooklyn): Fresca sucks, dude.
Jay Jaffe: Simpsons reference fail. $5.
bigrick0016 (Cleveland): Some forecasting systems, and some forecasters, see a potential for averageness out of the Tribe. What am I missing?
Jay Jaffe: Well, maybe Carmona's actually back - he's looked great this spring, and every inning he throws is one less that the poundable lefties who don't miss bats like Sowers, Laffey and Huff don't throw. Sizemore will be healthy, LaPorta will be around all year, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin Soo Choo are for real, and Carlos Santana could be along this summer. That's a whole bag of interesting stuff there, and while there are no guarantees everything pans out, I'd at least buy a ticket to watch.
mhixpgh (Pittsburgh): Watcha listening to this afternoon while chatting?
Jay Jaffe: I had Alex Chilton's Bach's Bottom playing earlier, but then the phone rang and I went without tunes for about half an hour. Now I'm onto Gene Clark's No Other. I guess it's dead cult artists day at Jaffe Central.
Ragnhild (Snake Pit): Am I wrong to be a little bit excited about what Conor Jackson's 2010 might be?
Jay Jaffe: No, I don't think so. His bat is a bit light for a corner position, but apparently the Snakes are giving consideration to using him as a leadoff hitter, which is an excellent use of his skills (.370ish OBP, good baserunner, 18/22 lifetime in steals). The D-Backs have been OBP challenged atop their lineup for a long time and they could use such a change.
Mike W (Chicago): Is ANYONE going to give up much for Bell? It seems like most (ok, many) front offices are now smart enough to (a) not overvalue closers and (b) know they can often 'find' them in-house. Also (c), lots of people look good pitching in Petco.
Jay Jaffe: i think right now the Pads are trying to take advantage of the fact that no other closers are on the market, so they feel like they can keep the price high. But yes, I do suspect that as with several other areas, the tide is turning and many teams realize they don't have to pay $8-10 million a year for a closer. They're made, not born.
You'd think the Indians would be one of those teams, but Kerry Wood and his bum wing say hi.
JG Ballard (Vermillion Sands): Do you enjoy day games?
Jay Jaffe: Sure do. One reason why I've had the Hit List on Fridays of late is that Thursday is a getaway day and there are a lot of day games, which I could at least listen to or watch on my iPhone while plugging away. Now I've got the full-bore MLB.tv (sweet $20 promotion fell into my lap last week via friends in the twitsphere), it's going to get even better.
Plus, you know, going to day games is pretty cool, too. Baseball under the sun, so long as it's not 100 degrees, is a good thing.
matthartman11 (Rockville): Hey Jay, how would you rank the following young pitchers in terms of 2010 production: Hanson, Kershaw, Brett Anderson, Gallardo?
Jay Jaffe: Kershaw, Hanson, Gallardo, Anderson, I think, though you could reverse the four of them and I wouldn't crack a sweat arguing. People sweat Kershaw's walk rate but his numbers after introducing the slider in June of last year were insane (I wrote about them recently - shouldn't be too hard to find).
Trey (San Diego): Where is Chris Coghlan going to play most of his games in the Majors? Think he moves to the infield when the Marlins inevitably fall out of the race and deal Dan Uggla?
Jay Jaffe: While an Uggla deal which restores him to second base is an intriguing and legitimate possibility, nobody loved Coghlan's D at the keystone before, and it's only going to get tougher for him to move back the more time passes. I suspect his long-term future is in the outfield, and hope for his sake he can maintain last year's breakout level.
SC (Minneapolis): I'm wondering if anyone has looked at the results when HOF pitchers faced HOF batters. Obviously there are some sample size concerns, but it does seem that there should be enough matchups with data to produce at least significant data, if not meaningful. Are you aware of anything like this. More broadly, do you think this would tell us anything about the eternal "good pitching vs. good hitting" debate?
Jay Jaffe: Russell Carleton says he did something on what happens when All-Stars face each other when he was writing for the StatSpeak blog, which has vanished: "The result was something like league average OBP, with a big spike in HR and K.... go figure," he says.
Eric Seidman did something for BP last summer on a similar note (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=9079) which said that elite pitchers tended to reduce the OPSes of elite hitters by about 100 points in such matchups.
Having not read Russell's piece and having mostly forgotten Eric's - I'm not going to slow this chat to a crawl by reading it now - I'm unsure how much we can extrapolate into that time-honored debate.
JG Ballard (Vermillion Sands): Which baseball annoucers are your favorites?
I enjoy the rapport between Hawk Harrelson and Steve Stone quite a bit and the Red Sox guys (Orsillo and Remy) are fun too.
Jay Jaffe: Vin Scully is my favorite, hands down. Great bit from the Sons of Steve Garvey site yesterday (http://www.sonsofstevegarvey.com/2010/03/vin-scully-on-bill-veeck-and-colored.html) about Scully telling a story about racism, Bill Veeck, and the flight of major league spring training facilities to Arizona.
I'm no Michael Kay fan, but I really like Ken Singleton on the Yankees games, and enjoyed David Cone while he was around. Al Leiter is decent too. I don't mind Krukow and Kuiper for the Giants, even though they're "the enemy" to a Dodger fan. For national games, I'm really eager to hear more of Jon Sciambi on ESPN, because he's a friend of BP and because I like what I've heard.
Hokieball (dc): Sick Boy: Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life.
e.g. Once a catcher gets "old", there's no turning back.
Jay Jaffe: Thanks to the multiple readers who offered similar answers. Guess it's time to watch that one again.
mj (e-town): what kind of season do you see mat latos having? What's his ultimate upside? #1 starter?
Jay Jaffe: Kevin Goldstein was positively dreamy when asked about Latos on our book tour and sees him as a true #1. He'll be on a short leash this year, probably 150 innings, but I suspect he'll take solid steps forward and show signs of being the best pitcher in the Padres' rotation, if not in every outing.
Bill (LA): Who do you think has the better chance of making the leap from "very good" to "elite" level first baseman this year: Joey Votto or Billy Butler?
Jay Jaffe: Votto's pretty much already there except for the durability. He's got a career .314 True Average in about 1200 PA. Butler's at .274 through 1500 PA and he's a disasterpiece with the glove. That said, he's also two and a half years youngers, so there's still hope, but if I had to pick one, the choice is easy.
Matt (Whippleville, NY): Wow! No mention of Gary, Keith and Ron on SNY?! They are the best in the biz by a mile.
Jay Jaffe: Yes, but they cover the Mets, who are no fun to watch these days.
I like Darling and Cohen. Don't like Hernandez except in an ironic way. I will note that it was right after the short film on him appeared last summer that I started growing a mustache of my own.
Aaron (YYZ): Any thoughts on the Orioles' Chris Tillman? For such a highly regarded prospect last year with a guaranteed job in the bigs, I find there to be surprisingly little buzz about him.
Jay Jaffe: He's a bit overshadowed by Brian Matusz, who seems more big-league ready at the moment and who as a lefty has skills that are a bit more rare. Tillman's 2.1 HR/9 last year suggests he's got some growing pains still ahead of him, but as a long-term play, there's a lot to like.
dianagramr (NYC): Will the Yanks regret dealing Austin Jackson? If not this year, then ever?
Jay Jaffe: Hey, Diana! A lot of it depends upon how well Curtis Granderson takes to New York. Do the contact lenses help? Can he restore his ability against lefties? Can the Yankees keep one of the two playoff spots that will inevitably come out of the AL East? If the answers to those are yes, not just this year but over the next few ones, I suspect they'll sleep OK no matter how Jackson does in Detroit.
tommybones (brooklyn): Speaking of overpaying closers, how do you see the Papelbon situation playing itself out?
Jay Jaffe: In tears of rage, just like the vasts majority of Red Sox player/team divorces.
Bob (Long Island): Hey - Drew Stubbs or Jamie Garcia - which will be better?
Jay Jaffe: One's a fifth starter who might grow up to be a 4. The other is a slick-fielding everyday center fielder who needs to cut the Ks. I'd bet on Stubbs to be the more valuable of the two.
Either there's an alligator gnawing at my elbow or I think I've reached my pitch count...
mhixpgh (Pittsburgh): How do you spend Opening Day?
Jay Jaffe: I'll break out the laptop and sit in front of the TV, reveling in the start of another great year!
Jay Jaffe: Okay folks, thanks for spending a bit of your Friday afternoon chatting with me. We're only nine days away from Opening Day, so I'll chat with you on the other side!
Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.Copyright © 1996-2023 Baseball Prospectus, LLC.


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The Effects of Religion on the Modern World
A review of For the Glory of God
by Rodney Stark, Princeton University Press, 2004
As everyone should know, in logic, a valid argument is one where, if you put
true premises in, you will get a true conclusion out. Less people realise that
you can just as well put rubbish in and still sometimes get a true conclusion.
In other words, just because you get the right answer at the end does not mean
that you have started with the right premises.
Back to contents
Contact me
© James Hannam 2004.


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LeAnn Rimes to Donate Lawsuit Winnings to Anti-Bullying Charity…If She Wins
Most of the time, people get a bad rap for suing someone. But nobody can accuse LeAnn Rimes--who is suing two women who recorded a phone conversation with the star and posted it on the Internet to create a smear campaign--of trying to pad her pocketbook. If Rimes wins the legal battle, she'll donate her winnings to The Trevor Project, an anti-bullying charity.
The lawsuit came just a few days after Rimes announced that she was going to check herself into therapy for anxiety issues and stress management.
Reportedly, the Texas native is suing Kimberly and Lexi Smiley for invasion of privacy. The two women--who are thought to be supporters of Eddie Cibrian's ex-wife Brandi Glanville--allegedly recorded a conversation with the 30-year-old singer and uploaded excerpts to the Internet. The string of out of context statements paint Rimes in a "false and negative light."
Not one to get pushed around, Rimes hired an attorney to prosecute the Smiley women.
Sounds like it's been a rough week for the 'Crazy Women' singer. Seems like life is imitating one of her song titles.
Fortunately, according a source who spoke to to Celebuzz, "LeAnn is doing extremely well and very positive about the therapy she is receiving."
The source added that Rimes will "definitely come out of this a better person."
It sounds like she's already trying to be a good person. The country singer's rep confirmed that she will donate any proceeds from the lawsuit to The Trevor Project, an anti-bullying campaign that works to prevent suicide in LBGTQ youth who are bullied.
Despite a few setbacks, Rimes still plans to push full steam ahead with her music career this fall. The singer is still planning to embark on a 23-date tour this Fall.


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Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla Still Good Choices for Economy Cars
By Jim Bray
I'd forgotten just what great little cars the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla are.
What used to be both companies' entry level – and bread and butter – vehicles have grown up over the decades, getting bigger in every way and far more sophisticated. And that isn't a bad thing; technology advances. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is that endearing simplicity and ease of use that Honda once used in its commercials: "We Make It Simple".
Both companies still do, at least in the lower end of the marketplace. And that's great!
Now, by simple I don't mean technologically atavistic, just straightforward – these cars have lots of the safety equipment you'd expect these days, as well as sophisticated underpinnings. They just don't beat you over the head with it. And in a day in which cars are getting increasingly complex to use, it's refreshing.
Corolla and Civic go head to head with each other in the marketplace, and I got to drive them nearly back to back, a nice chance to compare these two excellent, but very different, cars.
My review Civic was your pretty basic four door sedan, and that's okay. It's a fine vehicle and though this particular generation must be getting close to the end of its life, Honda has still managed a couple of tweaks for 2009, including a redesigned grille and a new, optional spoiler. Basically, however, it's the same eighth generation Civic that, according (no pun intended) to Honda, was recognized upon its introduction as the North American International Auto Show Car of the Year, the Motor Trend Car of the Year and the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada Car of the Year.
The tenth generation Corolla is no slouch for awards, either, one of its most recent coming when the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada named it the 2009 Best New Small Car under $18,000. My review unit was the LE trim level, more than basic but not top-of-the-line.
Both sedans are conventional front wheel drive, four door cars. The Civic is powered by a terrific 1.8 liter, 16 valve, SOHC, i-VTEC four cylinder engine that puts out 140 horsepower @ 6300 rpm and 128 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4300 rpm. This is more than adequate to propel the car to highway speeds, though you won't win many drag races. But that, of course, is not what the Civic is about.
Ditto with the Corolla. Its 1.8 liter four banger also features variable valve timing and all that good stuff, and Toyota rates its output as 132 horses @ 6000 rpm and 128 lb.ft.of torque @ 4400 rpm. Pretty close, though if you're looking for a "driver's car" from either of these vehicles you may find the Civic a little more fun.
You can order your Civic or your Corolla with a five speed manual transmission, depending on the trim level, and that's what my Civic had. You can also get it with a five speed automatic transmission with Grade Logic Control and lockup torque converter. I was surprised to find the Civic's stick didn't shift as slickly as I remembered it from my last drive, but it wasn't a big deal – and the clutch is nice and light, with a good feel.
Corollas, except for my LE trim model, come standard with a five speed manual transmission. My test car had the four speed electronically controlled automatic transmission, which does about as good a job as you can expect from such units. Shifts are smooth, but the automatic takes some fun out of the equation, especially when (such as with this unit) there's no manual mode.
The top line Corolla, however, is available with a five speed automatic that includes a manual mode.
The brakes of both the Civic and the Corolla are front discs and rear drums as standard equipment, with discs all around available, and both cars feature ABS on all four wheels, with the usual other brake nannies thrown in as well. The pedal feel on both cars is fine and they stop well. Call it a tie.
Steering is power-assisted rack and pinion on both vehicles. Civic's suspension features a MacPherson strut setup in the front with a reactive-link double-wishbone rear, with stabilizer bars at both ends, while the Corolla boasts MacPherson Struts up front with a torsion beam type bum (and stabilizer bars). Both cars handle nicely – not sports car rough and tight but, especially for the Civic, catlike enough for most needs. Neither car handles like a Boxster, let alone a Mazda 3, but I'd have to give an edge to the Civic in the fun to drive department.
Either car will hold four comfortably. The driver's seats are quite comfortable and support you well in corners. I liked the Civic's driving position better than the Corolla's, the latter of which wasn't helped by a tilt/telescoping steering wheel that just wouldn't tilt/telescope quite far enough for my liking.
Lower trim level Civics only get a fold down rear seat, whereas the higher end ones get a 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback. It seems a bit strange not to offer a split/fold seat on the entry level Civics, but Honda never asked my opinion. All Corollas come with a split/fold seat.
Neither the Civic's nor the Corolla's seat fabrics were outrageously attractive to any pet hair that may have found its way into the car on our clothes. The Civic's seats were the worse hair magnets of the two – but not nearly as bad as some cars I've tested.
Civic's double decker dashboard has elicited bravos and brickbats and while I didn't think much of it initially it actually works quite well. The top level, right below the steeply-raked windshield, displays a digital speedometer, your fuel level and the temperature gauge and the way it's mounted, almost at eye level, makes it work kind of like a head's up display without projecting it onto the windshield.
And speaking of that sloping windshield, the wipers do an excellent job of cleaning it, thanks to a wide and strong spray from the washer units. Base Civics get 2-speed intermittent windshield wipers, while the higher models add variable intermittent settings.
The Corolla's interior is much more conventional, with a conservative but attractive and efficient set of instruments. My test unit featured a "wood-grain-style interior trim" (I think that means it was fake wood – kind of like when you order "Golden Topping" in a movie theater you ain't getting butter) – that seemed out of place in an economy car.
Both cars come with power windows, and you can get an auto-up/down feature on the driver's window. They have decent HVAC systems, too, and you can get automatic climate control if you want it.
One thing I really liked about the Corolla was its smart key/pushbutton start, which lets you leave the key fob in your pocket or purse. It was an unexpected bonus.
Neither stereo is going to win an award, but they're about what you'd expect. The standard equipment systems are okay, and you can upgrade them via option packages if you want something a little more ear pleasing. Neither of my test units had steering wheel-mounted audio controls, but they're available. I noticed that the reach to the controls on the center stack was longer in the Corolla, but it wasn't a big deal.
Both trunks are plenty big enough, as are the glove compartments, and both cars spread around a good assortment of bins and cup holders.
Safety equipment includes front airbags, front side airbags and side curtain airbags and all seating positions get three point seatbelts.
The Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic have both come a long way. I owned a new 1976 Civic and I've had two Corollas since the 1980's. At their core, they're still the same basic transportation they were then. Technology, and free market competition have definitely marched on, as the current models reflect, but that's a good thing, and today's Civic and Corolla are both nice sets of wheels that perform well and should be very easy to live with. They'll probably run forever, too.
The Honda Civic sedan starts at $15,505 U.S./$16,990 Canadian. The Toyota Corolla starts at $15,350 U.S./$15,250 Canadian according to their respective websites.
It's hard to go wrong with either of these vehicles. My "heart" is probably with the Corolla, but it's a little stodgy next to the Civic, and not quite as much fun to drive – so my "head" leans toward the Civic.
Tough decision.
Copyright 2009 Jim Bray
Jim Bray is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. His columns are available through the TechnoFile Syndicate.
We welcome your comments!


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Oppo RX17 Neo SmartPhone
Published May 31, 2019 Author paul_smart
At the start of April a review of a sibling unit to this one can be found on Gadgetspeak. So here what is quite a similar product on the face of it, however there are surprises like a fingerprint reader that is normally invisible on the screen.
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Utilitarianism or "greatest-happiness morality" is a philosophy that almost no one takes any stock in these days. That itself should spark some interest, even if it were unaccompanied by the alarming reality that human happiness – which utilitarians such as Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill took to be the basis for moral judgments – claims so little attention today not only in the ivory tower but also in daily life.
Take the case of Charlie Hebdo. A score of people assassinated is no doubt a terrible thing, but what if we put it in the balance with the many deaths and vast suffering that will result from the anti-terrorist and anti-immigrant legislation that is soon to come in response to the attack? The strange conclusion of this utilitarian thought experiment is that it would be better, in terms of overall human happiness, to have the attacks censored in the news and forgotten about.
Before clamoring about the importance of the truth and the great dangers of trifling with it – a position that I agree with – it is worth considering what the widespread elimination of human happiness as a political value has done to us. In Público.es Boaventura de Sousa Santos wrote that what the Koachi brothers' attack symbolizes is not so much a clash of civilizations but rather of fanaticisms. That is correct because (among other reasons) a civilization, in contrast to a fanatic society, would take more interest in human happiness than most Northern countries do today.
A recent study, admittedly using somewhat ambiguous criteria, shows that societal happiness poorly coincides with capitalist development and even less with free-market fundamentalism. This is the UN World Happiness Report of 2013, which indicates that nations with social-democratic traditions such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark do excellently in their Happiness Ranking, whereas some underdeveloped countries such as Venezuela and Costa Rica do relatively well compared to many more developed ones. The truth is that over the long run, capitalism's course has been marked by the dialectic of its eternal promises of abundance and well-being that contrast with the harsh realities of its socially-produced scarcity and suffering.
In times of crisis, the scarcity and suffering come to the forefront, whereas happiness, the ideological counterpart of abundance, has to take the back seat. For those of us submitted to daily life under capitalism – in a structural crisis since the early 1970s – this means we are called upon to forget about post-war aspirations of sexual and spiritual emancipation and turn the page on enlightenment values (such as fraternity and equality) to make way for an array of fundamentalisms. Aesthetically, the openness and repose that emerged in Renaissance sculpture and painting and found its way into 1960s cinematic experiments, gives way to the hard bodied Arno Breker-style superheroes and cyborgs of post-1970s Hollywood.
In the case of Charlie Hebdo, if one brackets the incidental "tree" of its content (really of trifling cultural importance), one sees clearly the extensive "forest" of occidental fundamentalism. Marches of locked-arm western leaders, including Benjamin Netanyahu and Nicolas Sarkozy, are paralleled by fascistoid PEGIDA demonstrations, while ethnic difference – whether Basque, Catalan, or Arab – is forcibly sidelined in the public arena. Terrorists and black-uniformed police who are their spitting image steal the front page of every newspaper, and heretofore prudent governments seem willing to enter a new Holy Alliance (its implicit religion being "Occident is Great").
The political convenience of the attacks? Of the multiple comparisons one can make with September 11th, it is worth pointing out that if George W. Bush needed the pretext of being a "War President" to consolidate his highly-questioned electoral victory in 2000, Francois Hollande desperately needs an excuse to assume part of the program of the ever more successful ultra-right National Front. Both terrorist attacks fit these political bills to a tee, for the near unanimous message they inspire is that the party is over: the Global North must renounce multiculturalism and all kinds of satisfaction and accept a future of asceticism and self-sacrifice.
This brings us back to Bentham and Mill. They may have been superficial in their social analyses (though Mill pointed to "wretched social arrangements" as inhibiting the happiness of the majority) and barking up the wrong tree when they proposed to quantify pleasure, but at least one element of their discourse – their boldly putting societal well-being at the center stage of public life – should not be laughed at in a moment in which the very neofeudal attitudes they criticized are having a field day in the Global North.
Chris Gilbert is professor of political science at the Universidad Bolivariana de Vene