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Old issues of Dragon magazine used to have ads for a product called Hârn, by the obscure Columbia Games, on the inside front cover. Even though I saw those ads back in the days of my gaming youth and even recall products on the shelves of the local hobby store, it wasn't until about 1991 that I took notice, when I joined a new group that was using it as a platform for Rolemaster.
The setting is the island of Hârn, just off the coast of the Lythian continent, much like pre-Norman Britain, only partly civilized, with several small kingdoms but also some powerful barbarian tribes and a couple of non-human states as well. The feel of the place is very medieval, with guilds, feudal lords, filthy peasants, powerful and fanatical clergies and technology right out the same period.
Hârn is often called "low fantasy," and in many respects it is, at least compared to the typical D&D setting with a magic shop run by a 30th-level Wizard on seemingly every streetcorner. You're not going to find enchanted items sold in the town's shops. But it does have an order of Magi with chapter-houses sprinkled throughout the island, mysterious events and ruins, lots of weird critters that have an actual in-setting justification, a deity that actually lives there, some scattered demigods here and there, and Dwarven and Elven kingdoms. Plus the place sits atop an interdimensional nexus, with portals to other planes and places laying about. So perhaps not as low a fantasy as all that.
There is no metaplot in Hârn; every product is set in 720 TR, and none advance it beyond that. There are a lot of adventure hooks, big and little, scattered throughout the various products, but no over-arching storyline. That's for each group to decide on and tell for themselves, amid squabbling kingdoms, rampaging barbarian and orc tribes, lost Dwarven cities and pre-human artifacts.
One standout aspect of Hârn are the maps, of which a small excerpt is in this post. They are gorgeous, which cannot be fully evident from so small a sample, but more importantly they are packed with information. The hex size is fairly small — only 12.5 miles per hex — but every settlement larger than a podunk village is on them, along with every road larger than a rough track through the undergrowth. Also on the map are adventure sites aplenty: Dwarven ruins, mist-shrouded Sindarin and Earthmaster sites, major orc warrens and places of arcane interest. The texturing of the land gives you a sense of the terrain, while the color tells you the vegetation. It is the ultimate masterpiece of fantasy cartography, as attractive as it is useful.
The island itself, over the course of the whole product line, is relentlessly detailed down to the level of individual settlements and sites; almost every location of note on the island is described and mapped in detail somewhere, with the main box containing the top-level details of the setting and the overall framework of the place. Really, you can run it straight out of that main set, and in some respects it's better to ignore all the supplements, lest one get lost in the details and bogged down in trying to make a campaign totally authentic. But the kingdom books, for example, do provide a great starting place if a GM is willing to do some extrapolation from the staring point they provide. And they also contain maps, that do map everything down to individual villages and tracks through the wilderness.
When Hârn hit the market back in 1983 there was no sense of "sandbox," only that some tables ran their games in a very freeform way, with GMs presenting an open world and players themselves deciding where to go and what to do. Our own Hârn, whether run using Rolemaster or the dedicated HârnMaster rules (released later and entirely optional; Hârn was and remain system-agnostic) campaigns were largely like this. One aspect we ignored until much later, though, was the concept of the "pre-game," whereby GM and player would sit down with a character that was partially or fully complete and briefly roleplay through some broad elements of a character's background, perhaps ending with the GM granting the character an extra in-game boon or two. I found this mechanic (detailed in the Hârn basic set,) absolutely magical for developing players' sense of their characters and for allowing me, as the GM, to create tailored plot hooks based on that background. I sort of combined it with some elements of The Riddle of Steel and had players fill out an index card at the end describing what their characters' goals and motivations were.
Hârn, too, has a complicated history; it's an IP that's now published, due to a squabble over who owns the rights to the IP, by two companies: Columbia Games and Kelestia Productions, with a sort of unofficial détente declared by which Columbia publishes mostly reprints of old stuff set on Hârn proper, while Kelestia produces new materials set mostly on the nearby mainland. Neither really has what we could call a thunderous production schedule, but new stuff does continue to roll out, and virtually all of it is top quality material.

subset: commoncrawl


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An ambitious bill to tighten regulations and oversight on financial markets passed the House Agriculture Committee Feb. 12. Prior to the bipartisan voice-vote that passed the bill, Chairman Collin Peterson said the legislation was sure to "upset" many on Wall Street, something that seemed to cause him little worry.
For months Peterson warned that a turf battle over financial market regulation was brewing. While there still may be some jostling with several congressional committees — including the House Financial Services Committee — on the best method of market oversight, Peterson's committee threw its backing to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Under the proposed rules, the CFTC would have expanded authority including criminal prosecution power over those that violate antifraud rules. The new bill also removes the Federal Reserve from regulating the derivatives markets.
The committee's elbowing aside of the Federal Reserve shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed the hearings. "I share the concerns of those who think the Fed controls too much already," said Peterson during a Jan. 28 hearing. "They're an unelected body that sets monetary policy. … Now, they're printing money for the bailout. I'm not surprised that the large banks are clamoring for the Fed to regulate revenue activity given their cozy relationship with Fed members. Plus, they probably think it's a good idea to have a regulator with resources to bail them out if things go wrong."
Peterson also expressed strong opposition to the Securities and Exchange Commission having "primary authority over (derivative) contracts. The SEC uses a rules-based system that's behind the curve of today's modern, complex financial products. In my opinion, that's just not workable. They aren't just trying to solve yesterday's — or last week's — problems, they're still trying to solve last decade's. As a result, they've done a poor job.
"How much confidence do we have in an agency that repeatedly ignored calls — even within the agency — to examine the investment advisory business of Bernard Madoff, which turned out to be the biggest Ponzi scheme in history?"
Agriculture impact
At the same hearing, Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), testified the extent market issues had impacted producers became apparent when "we began receiving numerous phone calls. Wheat prices hit record levels. Corn prices were in the record category, as well. Farmers were calling to say they couldn't market their grain the way they normally have — by and large, by pricing grain after harvest for delivery. When precluded, they were told the reason is that many local elevators and co-ops were running up against credit limits. Commodity prices were going up the limit day after day and (elevators had) to meet the margin calls. Their only alternative was to quit offering futures contracts after harvest."
Buis claimed the CFTC largely ignored warnings. When the NFU contacted the CFTC and urged them to take a look, a hearing was scheduled. At the hearing "they went through all the data and concluded, before the hearing was even over, that nothing out of the ordinary was happening."
Well, something out of the ordinary was happening, insisted Buis. "We were a little frustrated with the reactions. As the year went on, we began to find out more and more that what was really causing higher food prices and input costs was the excessive speculation in the commodity markets, whether you look at oil, grains, any of the inputs. … As a result, farmers and ranchers didn't get the high prices and had to wait for prices to come down at harvest in order to sell wheat and other commodities."
Buis also pointed out "something I don't think anyone can explain: the cotton market virtually doubling overnight. Our impression is we have a lot of cotton in storage and it's difficult to move. As a result, it was definitely a speculative market that lasted a very short time. I've yet to meet a cotton farmer that got the 90-cent prices for their cotton."
Growers were "impacted tremendously," said Buis. And the market turmoil and uncertainty "caused a divisive attitude amongst agriculture producers because livestock producers were told corn and feed prices were going to go even higher. They had to lock in prices. I just got back from California and many of the producers there had to lock in feed prices because they believed all the speculative reports."
Despite doing the "prudent" thing by locking in future feed uses, the California dairy industry is in as bad a "financial shape as I've seen. Ethanol companies did the same thing."
Buis encouraged the committee to pass legislation establishing speculative limits for all commodities.
CDS, naked and otherwise
During committee hearings, credit default swaps (CDS) repeatedly surfaced as a prime reason for the current economic turmoil. The swaps — nearly $60 trillion by some estimates — allow market players to make money by predicting a company will default on a loan obligation. Critics of the secretive swaps say they are ripe for improper manipulation and have pushed for the transactions to go through a clearinghouse.
Even so, during testimony, many financial institution representatives pushed against regulating the CDS too much.
"A number of you mentioned the provision on the ban of naked credit default swaps (the holder of a naked swap does not own the underlying bond)," said Peterson. "Some don't like the idea. … One of the ideas is we'd only have the provision apply when the SEC bans the short-selling of stock. If that were the provision, would that change the (naysayers') position?"
"I'd continue to argue the ban would dry up liquidity at a time when we don't need that," responded John Damgard, president of the Futures Industry Association.
"I'm sure the SEC has looked long and hard at their decision. They reversed themselves because the options industry came in and said, 'this is the only way we can operate is if we can sell short.'"
Does that create a situation where people could move against a company if the SEC does have a short-selling ban?
"First of all, you must look at equities and credit as sort of opposite roles," said Michael Gooch, chairman and CEO of GFI Group, Inc. "So, if you ban the short-selling of equities, you'd ban the buying of the credit derivatives. You buy the credit derivatives because you're basically buying protection against a default."
Gooch said the concern is when the banning of short-selling in the financials took place, "it was sort of an emergency situation because we were in a death spiral which is contributed to by the mark-to-market rules on the banks. I'd say 98 percent of the time, I'd want to know what the assets my banks has are worth. But in certain, very unusual circumstances, it might be necessary to have some sort of circuit-breaker in place that would allow some breathing room (to prevent) the death spiral that occurred back in September when there was buying of derivatives and selling of equities — because that's where you'd potentially hedge the short credit derivative decision."
Having listened to financial officers testify, Michael Greenberger, a law professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, urged the committee to take a hard line with the CDS. "Mr. Gooch talks about CDS buying protection. We're talking about naked CDS. With naked CDS, there's no need to protect. It's a guess that, in the case of subprime mortgages, the homeowner won't pay his mortgage. These get paid off if the collateralized debt obligations fail. The collateralized debt obligations are a security interest in homeowners paying their mortgages. These are people who don't have a security interest in that.
"John Paulson (a New York hedge fund manager), in 2007, took out these naked CDS and because there were so many forfeitures of your constituents, he was able to take home $4 billion that year.
"He was lucky because he got to the window when the people who were issuing the guarantees still had money. AIG ran out of money. And by the way, you and I and your constituents are now sending money in the front door of AIG and Citigroup and other concerns … so it'll go out the back door to pay the people who took a naked bet that homeowners wouldn't pay their mortgages."
Because there are bets out there that have no reflection on the real economic debt "it's magnifying the problems by three-fold, some say eight-fold. In other words, more people are betting the mortgages won't be paid than there are mortgages."
The naked CDS need attention "because it's a way to get around the regulated equity markets. If you think GM is going to fail, you go out and buy a naked CDS even if you don't own a bond in GM. Then, what do those people do? It's been reported they go out and take every action they can to encourage the failure of GM."
In the case of insuring subprime loans, "when banks have tried to go in and renegotiate to allow people to stay in their houses, it hurts the people who have guarantees for failures. So they're bringing lawsuits to prevent that renegotiation."
Naked CDS create the "grossest form of moral hazard," continued Greenberger. "From 1789, when this republic was founded, to the mid-1990s, we didn't have CDS or naked CDS. I ask you: are your constituents, when you go home, saying, 'please, please, please allow us to have naked CDS'? No! It's the bankers who got us into this problem who want the naked CDS. They should be banned and I believe if this committee doesn't do it, it'll be done by the SEC."
Be careful, warned Terrance Duffy, executive chairman, CME Group, Inc. "When you talk about CDS in general, what we propose is to have a clearing mechanism which we think eliminates a lot of risk associated with these products. What's critically important for CDS or any other product is liquidity. If you don't have liquidity, bonafide hedgers won't be able to move in and out of their positions, at all because the bid offer will be so wide you won't be able to transact any business whether in grains, crude oil or CDS."
"It seems to me, Mr. Duffy is absolutely correct," interjected Damgard. "At a time when credit is so tight, anything that limits the liquidity of the credit market is a bad idea. I'm simply willing to debate Mr. Greenberger anytime but I don't know if this is the right place."
Greenberger, exasperated, immediately jumped in. "Well, Mr. Damgard should debate not only Mr. Greenberger but Mr. Volcker and Mr. Greenspan (both former chairmen of the Federal Reserve), who said, 'I made a terrible mistake when I allowed these CDS to be deregulated.'
"Mr. Damgard, the American public is flat on its back. They don't have a fancy suit and fancy tie and represent all these bankers. … The American taxpayer has now guaranteed $6 trillion of the banking system. A large part of that are unregulated CDS."
Greenberger was equally exercised about the financial sector representatives' claims about liquidity.
"The liquidity here is being given by the American taxpayer — the CDS are operational today because we, as taxpayers, are giving AIG, Citigroup, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, money to pay of these debts. They have no economic purpose, and they've dragged the country into the mire."
There are estimates that for every one CDS ensuring real risk, "there are eight that are bets that homeowners will not pay their mortgages. That's a terrible thing that creates high moral hazard and (Chairman Peterson) is absolutely right in putting that provision in the draft discussion bill."
Back to agriculture
Buis, sitting beside the warring factions, said the debate had "enthralled" him. Asked how things were currently looking for farmers, he showed less enthusiasm.
"I think this deregulatory approach, or lack of oversight by CFTC, led to it. Farmers thought they'd get good prices but were precluded from the market. Mr. Damgard is right: they ran up against their credit limits. But what he doesn't tell you is those markets were going up not due to market fundamentals but because of the tremendous amount of Wall Street money that came into those markets. Everyone saw this as a great opportunity to make money."
When the bubble burst and commodity prices collapsed, "it impacted virtually every aspect of agriculture."
Farmers "very much" remain in a losing position, said Buis. "And they're locked into these high costs — whether livestock producers (with feed) or grain producers who bought fertilizer based on record inputs. Fertilizer prices followed oil — and we all know that was a false bubble, as well."
Also appearing before the committee, Gary Taylor, president, Cargill Cotton — and speaking on behalf of the National Cotton Council, American Cotton Shippers Association, and AMCOT — was asked where cotton farmers are after last year's "anomalies" in the cotton market.
"Things have normalized to some degree. But there's been so much stress and a number of our competitors have vanished. There's not the richness or number of offers for cotton. … It just isn't as robust and I'd say producers aren't receiving a traditional basis for the cotton they're selling.
"We probably took out 30 to 35 percent of our merchandising capacity in that one week."
As for market regulation, "This is America and I believe everyone should be able to play," said Taylor. "But everyone needs to play by the same rules. Positions need to be reported … people need to have consistent behavior and requirements in limits and all operate under the same rules.
"We're (advocating) for transparency, full disclosure, aggregating positions so we all know when an event is taking place and can prepare for it and the market can digest it. We certainly don't want to discourage participation. We need speculators in all our markets."
Michael Masters, managing member/portfolio manager, Masters Capital Management, said claims aggressive oversight would disrupt market liquidity and send trading activity offshore was "an empty threat. The idea that folks will go offshore for all their trading has been promoted by the futures industry and other folks as a scare tactic to prevent necessary regulation in our markets.
"In fact, if they really want to trade over there, (maybe) we should buy them a one-way ticket. The bottom line is without significant government intervention with an AIG — at $110 billion — it's very likely our markets would have had a systemic meltdown. And fiduciaries today won't go to a place where they are worried about counterparties. … Folks don't want to trade with less transparency and regulation.
"Trustees of large institutional investors want to trade with more regulation and transparency. The United States should take the lead on that."
To read the opening statements of those testifying before the House Agriculture Committee, visit http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/index.html.


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By RYAN J. FOLEY
Associated Press
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson received a $25,000 check from a high-ranking official in Ron Paul's presidential campaign days before ditching Michele Bachmann to back Paul, and eventually got $73,000 in suspicious payments that may be linked to Paul's campaign, an investigator has found.
Sorenson resigned from office Wednesday after investigator Mark Weinhardt concluded Sorenson likely broke ethics rules in receiving $7,500 in monthly income from Bachmann's political action committee and presidential campaign in exchange for being Bachmann's state chair in 2011. Weinhardt's 566-page report also suggests Sorenson defected from the Minnesota congresswoman's campaign days before the January 2012 caucuses after receiving promises of compensation from Paul's campaign, raising questions about whether criminal or campaign finance laws were violated.
A federal investigation is underway, Sorenson's attorney said Thursday. In Des Moines, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said Thursday his office would review the report to determine whether there is a basis to pursue criminal charges.
In response to a subpoena, Sorenson turned over an uncashed $25,000 check he said his wife received from Dimitri Kesari, who was Paul's deputy national campaign manager. The check, from the checkbook of a Virginia jewelry business owned by Kesari's wife, was dated Dec. 26, 2012, two days before Sorenson joined Paul's campaign.
Paul, then a Texas congressman, received publicity from Sorenson's late endorsement before finishing a close third in the first-in-the-nation caucuses.
Kesari gave the check to Sorenson's wife during a dinner meeting while Sorenson was in the bathroom, Sorenson's lawyer, Theodore Sporer, said. It was made out to Grassroots Strategy, Inc., a firm owned by Sorenson that was the vehicle for his compensation from Bachmann's committees. The check was never cashed.
Sorenson, elected to the House in 2008 and the Senate in 2010 to represent districts south of Des Moines, was sought after by Republican presidential campaigns because he was seen as a popular social conservative who would soon run for higher office. Bachmann consultant Guy Short told campaign aides in 2011 Sorenson was "the real deal" and should be hired quickly because, "People are getting bought off," emails show.
Sorenson's firm soon started receiving $7,500 monthly from Short's Colorado firm with funds from Bachmann's PAC and later her campaign, the report said. Sorenson was the first state elected official to endorse Bachmann and introduced her at Iowa events.
While working for Bachmann, Sorenson rejected offers of payment from Paul's campaign operatives, Sporer said.
"I don't know if I would call it a bribe. I think they were trying to hire him," Sporer said. "Obviously they wanted to induce him to come change sides."
Sorenson told Fox News before the caucuses that Paul's campaign "never offered a nickel" for his switch, denying Bachmann's claim of a payoff.
"With the Kesari check in hand, Senator Sorenson's statements on national television were simply false," wrote Weinhardt, who was appointed to investigate a Senate ethics complaint filed against Sorenson by a former Bachmann aide.
Kesari's wife, Jolanda, who operates Designer Goldsmiths in Leesburg, Va., said Thursday only her husband could answer questions about the check. He didn't return a message.
Weinhardt's report found Sorenson's business received $73,000 in wire transfers in the following months from ICT, Inc., of Hyattsville, Md. The payments suggest that Sorenson received $25,000 upfront and then $8,000 per month for six months -- similar to the compensation Sorenson told colleagues the Paul campaign had offered, the report said.
Weinhardt was unable to connect the payments directly or indirectly to Paul's campaign, but wrote the circumstances create "a strong suspicion" that was the case. He said that ICT is a business associated with documentary filmmaker Noel "Sonny" Izon, who didn't return a message.
Sorenson denied the ICT payments were connected to Paul during a deposition last month, but gave vague answers about their source. He said that he'd been hired by ICT to do "general consulting both on political and business issues" and seek locations for Iowa video shoots.
Sorenson later invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid answering further questions. Sporer said that Sorenson quit talking after receiving a federal subpoena seeking records related to his campaign work.
"Once that happens, I'm sure you can appreciate how quickly the desire to speak is muzzled," he said.


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I agree 100%. I got turned onto midlengths about 15 years ago watching this old digger riding a 7'6 DVS up the coast one year. He was drawing these beautiful lines and performing effortless figure 8''s. I pondered for years what he was riding. It was yellow with a winged emblem, that's all I remembered.JET01 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:00 pmThat's why I like it.
From my perspective, he has a graceful smooth style that is achievable to almost any punter that can put the time in.
I'd love to see more promotion of performance midlength surfing. particularly in the 6'6-7'6 range.
I mean, it's all well and good the big brands pushing their high performance shapes onto up and coming groms that want to surf the same shapes as the pro's, but what about the late bloomer that will never have the time to develop the skill to get the most out of a hpsb?
Many of us carry injuries that preclude us for venturing above the lip. Even a lot of moves that are on the face are inaccessible to those of us that have taken up surfing later in life.
What I like about Devon's surfing is the simplicity. Beautiful, flowing, powerful turns on big boards in bigger waves.
I flirt with high performance boards (a la my tomo EVO tangent i'm currently on), but I know that eventually when my back deteriorates and my priorities change, I'll spend more and more time on the midlengths just enjoying the glide, easy paddling and simplicity.
I've been surprised at the lack of online content available from companies like Firewire around their Seaxe model for example. I fondled a 7'2 in Bondi the other day, and in my opinion it's a weapon. But when you look online for footage of people surfing them... nada. It was good to see some good footage in the Deus movies (South to Sian etc) recently, but still, young rippers on alternative boards. The average guy will just look at this and see through it for what it is, an advertisement.
Now that we live in times where it's generally acceptable to surf any size/shape board you want. I'm surprised there isn't more of a focus on these boards and style of surfing.
Fifthteen years later I have a DVS All Rounder, the vision of the clean lines never left me, so I took a punt and bought one. Without a doubt he was riding this model.
Point is you don't see a lot of good mid length surfing, well not in Sydney anyway. I was lucky enough to stumble upon the greying stranger with the yellow board and fking glad I did!!


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There's little that passes for news from the Mets these days as the club braces for a winter of non-spending.
Their primary contractual concerns are extending David Wright and R.A. Dickey, both of which will be pricey. The two are linked in that both said their decisions to test the free-agent market after next season is contingent on the efforts the Mets will take to be competitive. Dickey flat out said he would follow Wright out the door.
The Mets also face the prospects of going through the arbitration process with Josh Thole, Ike Davis, Manny Acosta, Daniel Murphy, Bobby Parnell, Andres Torres and Mike Pelfrey.
They also faced arbitration with Rob Johnson and Fred Lewis, but both chose free agency instead. It's not as if the Mets can't live without them.
Pelfrey and Torres are expected to be non-tendered, which would remove them from the process. Pelfrey, however, might cause the Mets to think twice because he's 28 and their rotation has numerous questions. The Mets also have outfield issues, but Torres proved he's no Angel Pagan. I never thought I'd write that line.
Acosta isn't worth keeping, but Davis, Murphy and Parnell are potentially valuable pieces. Thole has regressed, but the Mets have few catching options other than him.
The owners cry about free-agency causing the spike in player salaries, but in reality arbitration is the culprit. In the process, both player and management submit figures to an arbitrator, who picks one or the other. The arbitrator can't find a compromise number. The owners usually lowball the players, while the players aim high. The arbitrator's decision isn't based on career numbers, injuries or other factors, and is usually determined by the salaries of other players.
So, if a player has a one-time good season the arbitrator will review what players with comparable stats are making and rule that way. It's why the owners frequently get smoked in this process.
Meanwhile, the Mets usually attempt to settle before the arbitration hearing.
Of the players eligible for the Mets, Davis has the potential to be the most costly.
In other Mets Matters:
* Dickey underwent surgery in Philadelphia to repair a torn abdominal muscle. After his final start Dickey revealed he'd been pitching with discomfort for most of the season.
Perhaps throwing the knuckleball helped Dickey get through the season because there's less stress involved throwing that pitch. Even so, he's testing the muscle with each pitch and it has to hurt. That, combined with his numbers, is why Dickey should win the Cy Young Award.
* Jordany Valdespin has played both right field and second base during the Dominican Winter League.
* Last week I started a series on Player Profiles of the 2012 Mets, analyzing their preseason expectations, what they accomplished this summer and what to expect.
I'll continue tomorrow with those pitchers not in the rotation who made starts.


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Mexico and the U.S: Forever Together with Deborah Riner -- Mexico Moving Forward 2014
Date: 5/23/2014; 21 minutes
Deborah Riner, the chief economist at the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico wraps up the Mexico Moving Forward 2014 with an assessment of how the North American Free Trade Agreement has impacted the economies on both sides of the border. Recorded on 03/06/2014. (#28130)
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Words and photos: Mike Basher
Today was your typical May day in Mammoth–sunny, warm, slushy, jibby, and full of pros. At this time of the year, 99% of the resorts in the world are closed. Not Mammoth, though. Their world-record snow year will surely fuel their season into July…again. That said, the abundance of snow made for one hell of a setup for the second-annual Eddie Wall Ride.
The three hour jam started with a bang, and went down to the last critical minutes, with guys like Scott Vine and Johnny Lazz picking apart every last detail of the course. In the end, their ambition paid off, earning them first and second respectively. Third went to France's Tonton Holland, who qualified for the event by winning the European Eddie Wall Ride this spring.
Just as any event has gone this year, things got nasty. Dylan Alito half-cab nosepress, backside rodeo 5'ed off the A-frame rail in the middle of the course. Scott Vine one-footed pretty much everything in sight, Ryan Paul put on a front flip clinic and Johnny Lazz and Cam Pierce greased every trick.
Tomorrow, many of the same riders (and then some) will be competing for a hefty purse on the WCI setup in the middle of the village in Mammoth. From what we've seen, it's without a doubt the more forward-thinking scaffolding setups ever constructed. Two scaffoldings converge upon one landing, and between them, Jamie Lynn is going to be doing live street art painting as the street session is going down. Stop back here for a full post on the WCI on Sunday.


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Most missions through space are lonely. Solitary probes arc through the solar system, charming us with their photos and data, and eventually—quietly—fade into disrepair, or out of range. But witnessed together, they form something sublime.
National Geographic has combined mankind's nearly 200 manned and unmanned exploratory space missions into one infographic. It's not nearly to scale, and it doesn't even try to follow the actual paths of the various chunks of metal we've tossed into the ether.
But the broad strokes are all here, and they're fascinating: Of the dozens and dozens of probes launched in the last 50 years, precious few have made it past the asteroid belt; a handful have been tossed into the face of the sun; and just the luckiest, boldest pieces of hardware have been jettisoned into the outer reaches of our solar system.
NatGeo's got an interactive scrollable map here, but honestly, I'd skip straight to the poster-sized version on Flickr. [NatGeo via i09]


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As each version of DB2 for z/OS comes out there are always the projects that need justification for going to the next DB2 version. The huge number of DB2 performance features in DB2 Version 9 for z/OS should be an imperative to get to the DB2 9 or DB2 10 release. This large number of DB2 performance features in DB2 V9 for z/OS can make a huge difference in your system, database and application performance.
These large number of performance enhancements in DB2 Version 9 for z/OS also are accompanied by a large number of operational and availability enhancements that provide new functionality. The combination of all these new Version 9 features can make your life as a DBA or an application developer dramatically better.
Some of these features are discussed in my new presentation, "Improving Performance with DB2 V9 for zOS," that has been posted for download. Also in this presentation there is a full list of all the Version 9 enhancements that is great to include as reference for a justification that management wants for your migration to the latest DB2 Version 9 for z/OS.
_______________________________________________________Dave Beulke is an internationally recognized DB2 consultant, DB2 training and DB2 education instructor. Dave helps his clients improve their strategic direction, dramatically improve DB2 performance and reduce their CPU demand, saving millions in their systems, databases and application areas within their mainframe, UNIX and Windows environments. Search for more of Dave Beulke's DB2 Performance blogs on DeveloperWorks and at www.davebeulke.com.


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Dominic Turcotte needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 114 designs submitted by 22 freelance designers.
Professional Basketball Team
A new Premier Basketball team in Chicago. The PBL is a professional minor league NBA feeder basketball franchise which is coming to the Chicago market for the 2012 season.
I would like the logo to really pop...PLEASE SEE THE FILE UPLOADED WITH BRIEF to see what other team logos in the league look like. ..I am picturing a flexing arm muscle...very hip and hot...one concept was to make the muscle look like a basketball....the other concept was to have a tattoo of basketball and the Chicago skyline on the arm.
I NEED TO SEE CONCEPT as both a home and away sports jersey once we narrow down the designs. I want to place emphasis on the strength and pride of the Chicago sports fan with this logo. I like the color green at http://www.christopherfoltz.com and maybe a true purple with it...home jerseys need to be on white...away jersey maybe the purple color with green accents...Accents of the actual logo should be the purple and the green..the arm and basketball character logo part can be true colors..
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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Administration extends key federal protections to married same-sex couples
June 20, 2014
Today, the Obama administration announced that it will take additional steps to provide increased federal respect for same-sex couples' legal marriages, including ensuring that same-sex couples can take leave from work to care for one another in times of emergency under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
United States Attorney General Eric Holder wrote in a memo to President Obama:
The implementation of the Windsor decision across the entire federal government is an accomplishment that reflects countless hours of hard work, cooperation, and coordination across agencies. As additional issues arise, we will continue to work together to uphold this Administration's fundamental commitment to equal treatment for all Americans, and to extend this fundamental equality to all Americans.
However, the administration stated that social security protections for married same-sex couples will remain unavailable in nearly all states that do not respect a couple's marriage - and several protections for married veterans still remain unavailable.
Freedom to Marry founder and president Evan Wolfson commented on the announcement today. He said:
Since the landmark Supreme Court decision last year in U.S. v. Windsor, the Obama Administration has moved with tremendous leadership, skill, and fidelity to the Constitution's command of equality to implement a wide range of federal protections for married same-sex couples.
Gay couples who are married, like non-gay married couples, now share in the crucial federal safety-net of protections and responsibilities, even in states that continue to discriminate. But because of [that] ongoing marriage discrimination in 31 states, hundreds of thousands of couples continue to face the cruel denial of important Social Security and veterans' benefits. Congress should move swiftly to pass curative legislation for our veterans and seniors, even as we look to the federal courts and the Supreme Court to secure the freedom to marry and equal protection nationwide. America is ready for the freedom to marry, and every day of denial is a day of hardship, injustice, and indignity. It's time to end marriage discrimination once and for all.
Freedom to Marry worked closely with Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, Lambda Legal, the ACLU, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, as well as others, to encourage and assist the Obama Administration in shifting the federal government from being the number one discriminator against gay people to, now, putting its moral and legal weight on the side of our families, the Constitution, and the freedom to marry. But it's time for Congress, and especially the Supreme Court, to finish the job.
It's great news, signaling another step forward from the federal government, which has ensured that married same-sex couples, irrespective of where they live, are able to access many of the federal protections of marriage - including the ability to jointly file federal taxes and sponsor a spouse for immigration purposes. But it also highlights the ways that anti-marriage constitutional amendments in 31 states are hurting same-sex couples and their families. It again demonstrates the untenability of anti-marriage laws in the states and how the patchwork of laws is simply unsustainable.
Clark West and Elliot Mitchell in Sarasota, Florida (below) are just one of the married same-sex couples who will still face problems when it comes to accessing Social Security. The men have been together for 42 years, and last November, they finally got married in California. It was a great day for the couple - but because their home state of Florida does not respect their marriage, Clark won't be able to access Mitch's Social Security.
"If anything were to happen to me," Mitch explained, "Clark wouldn't be able to receive the Social Security survivors benefit, and that could really complicate things for him. It's a vulnerable situation to be in."
Read more about Clark and Mitch's story here.
The social security decision from this week makes it clear that married same-sex couples who apply for Social Security while living in a state with the freedom to marry will be able to access these protections - and if they were to ever move to a non-marriage state, the SSA would not reevaluate their status. But that doesn't help couples like Clark and Mitch, who in their 42 years together, have lived in Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and now Florida - all states without marriage for same-sex couples. In order to receive the Social Security benefits they should be able to access, they would have to move to a state where same-sex couples can marry.
Doug Jones and Sandy Ceppos in Raleigh, NC (below) - who married in Maryland at a United Church of Christ and have been together for nearly 13 years - are another couple who won't be able to access critical Social Security protections until North Carolina extends the freedom to marry to all same-sex couples.
"Being an older married gay couple, we have different concerns from our younger peers and social security is at the top of the list," Sandy said. "In order to receive Social Security benefits, we would be required to move to a state where our marriage is recognized. I would have to give up my job of 23 years. We would have to leave behind our 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. We would have to leave behind my 91-year-old mother. We would have leave behind our church, our friends and our home."
"In order to receive Social Security benefits, I would have to give up my job of 23 years. We would have to leave behind our 4 grown children and 4 grandchildren. We would have to leave behind my 91-year-old mother."- Sandy Ceppos
"The mélange of applicable federal laws is mind-boggling," Sandy continued, referencing his and Doug's experiences speaking out for marriage with the Campaign for Southern Equality. "It's like we need a score card. It's impossible not to be thrilled with the progress we have made in recent years, but it's impossible to feel equal, when we are not treated as equal."
Freedom to Marry applauds the Obama administration for working to implement the Windsor ruling as far as possible - but until married same-sex couples in every state are treated equally, and until all same-sex couples in every state have the freedom to marry, families will continue to be harmed.
It's time for the United States Supreme Court to end the harm and make it clear that same-sex couples nationwide should all be able to share in the freedom to marry.


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As a high school student, Taylor McCoy visited the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI) on Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California and fell in love with marine biology.
"From snorkeling and touch tanks to learning about phytoplankton and bioluminescence, it was my heaven on earth," said McCoy, who graduated from Barry University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in marine biology.
McCoy's class trip to CIMI not only sparked her passion for marine biology and the environment but also a desire to pursue a career in the field.
"The moment I became interested in the marine environment, I never looked back," McCoy said. "Since then, it has only ever been about knowing everything there is to know about marine ecosystems, the organisms that work together to create them and what I can do to contribute to their conservation."
McCoy, who was born and raised in Chandler, Ariz., said she was attracted to Barry because of its marine biology undergraduate program and the small size of its classes.
"The fact that Barry offered both a degree in the field of marine biology and an atmosphere that would make me the most successful, I was convinced Barry was exactly the place for me to finish my undergraduate career," said McCoy, who completed her first two years of college at Cottey College, an independent, liberal arts and sciences women's college in Nevada, Mo.
In addition to her love of marine biology and the environment, McCoy developed another passion at a young age – serving others. In 10th grade, McCoy visited Los Angeles' Skid Row during a service trip with her church to feed the homeless and felt scared, she said, because of the stigmas that are often associated with being homeless. A chance encounter with a homeless man, however, forever changed her perception of the homeless community when she learned that he had worked as a professor before losing his job and his home, which eventually led to him living on the streets.
"I then understood that the same unfortunate circumstances could befall me or the people I knew and loved, and that was a terrifying realization," McCoy said. "I decided that volunteering to help others was not only one of my passions, but it was now my obligation."
During her time as an undergraduate at Barry, McCoy continued to make service a priority as the president and moral officer of Barry's chapter of Habitat for Humanity and as a volunteer with Gratigny Elementary School's Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
In February 2013, McCoy was presented with the opportunity to fuse her passions for the environment and service when she was invited to serve as a Peace Corps Environmental Action Advisor in the Republic of Benin in West Africa. As an Environmental Action Advisor, McCoy's duties include increasing climate resiliency through reforestation; reducing deforestation by providing technical support to the nongovernmental organization, women's groups and student clubs in the village; implementing tree-planting programs; introducing improved mud stoves to the local community to reduce the amount of wood used as fuel; increasing food security through the practice of sustainable gardening production; and engaging youth in natural resources protection through environmental awareness by implementing environmental education programs in the schools and in the community.
McCoy, who began pre-service training in Benin in June 2013, lived with a host family for her first three months of service in order to learn the country's language and culture.
"Coming to Benin, a country that is based around French and roughly 30 different local languages, and not being able to speak or understand a single thing was very difficult," McCoy said. "Despite the language barrier, it was the differences in culture that were by far the most challenging but also the most enlightening … Chances are that every day, you are going to end up saying or doing something that is considered a faux pas in the culture, so all you can do is sit back and make it a learning experience."
Following the pre-service training, McCoy was sworn into service and assigned to a village in southeast Benin, where she will live and work for two years with the local people. Despite the challenges she has experienced during her assignment, the opportunity to help others, learn about others and learn about herself is what ultimately keeps her motivated, she said.
"I have already succeeded and failed at many things while in Benin," McCoy said. "There are days when I cry, because I don't think I am making a difference, and then there are days when I feel like my smallest accomplishments could move mountains. I am discovering that just being present in people's lives can be one of the most powerful acts of giving, and little by little, I am finding a new layer to the vastness that makes up the world around me and what lies within myself."
Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 215,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 countries across the world. Today, there are 127 volunteers serving in Benin, where more than 1,930 Peace Corps volunteers have historically served.
For more information about Barry's undergraduate biology program, visit http://www.barry.edu/biology/marine-biology/
For more information about the Peace Corps and its volunteers, visit http://www.peacecorps.gov


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Once again we are treated to the sight of very religious looking Jews acting like a street gang. A statue of a cross with a figure of Jesus on it was defaced by a group of Breslover Chasidim in Uman. The cross was recently erected opposite the grave of the founder of this Chasidus, Rav Nachman of Breslov – located in the Ukrainian city of Uman. From JTA:
"To exact vengeance on the gentiles," reads the message, which was scrawled across the torso of a figure of Jesus. A further inscription on Jesus' leg reads, "Stop desecrating the name of God."
This kind of thing would not surprise me if it were being done by extremists from a community that embraces an isolationist lifestyle. But although they are hardcore Chasidim who dress and look much the same as Satmar Chasidim – Breslovers do a lot of outreach. I would expect them to know how to behave in a more civilized manner. They must have had a socialization process that taught them that or they could not do outreach. And yet here they have acted in a completely uncivilized way.
So it comes as a bit of a surprise that a Christian symbol near their venerated Rebbe's grave site was desecrated with graffiti. I guess their socialization process goes just so far. A statue of Jesus so close to their Rebbe's grave site was too much to handle.
I don't know why the Ukrainian Government chose that site for its statue. I don't think it was a wise decision. But at the same time, I don't think it was necessarily meant to 'stick it' to the Breslovers either. It was probably just not a well thought out plan.
I can understand why these Chasidim felt outrage. They consider the Breslover Rebbe's gravesite to be so holy that make annual pilgrimages to it. Tens of thousands of Jews (mostly Breslover Chasidim) from all over the world visit it during Rosh Hashanah – one of the holiest times of the year. It is almost as though they were making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem's Holy Temple. Seeing the sight of Jesus on a cross must have made them feel like they were seeing Avodah Zara in the Beis HaMikdash.
The outrage is understandable. But their expression of it is inexcusable. It is the kind of behavior that can bring tragedy upon the Jewish people. Uman is not Jerusalem. R. Nachman's gravesite is not the Beis HaMikdash. The citizens of Uman are their hosts. Breslovers are guests. And the guests have just defaced the image of the god their hosts worship.
The more responsible Breslover leadership has apologized. Sort of. From JTA:
"We respect other religions, and don't wish to damage symbols of other religions. But, unfortunately, not all of our coreligionists understand this. They could break or destroy the cross. That would lead to a genuine war between hasidim and Christians. We cannot allow that, so we request that the cross be moved to a different location," said Shimon Busquila, a representative of the Rabbi Nachman International Fund…
It may have been a legitimate request. But it was made too late. If made at all it should have been made politely before the statue was vandalized. Nonetheless the deputy mayor of Uman agreed with it.
On the other hand the citizens of Uman were so outraged by the vandalism – that they will have no part of moving the statue. They promised retaliation against Rav Nachman's grave if it is moved. I can't say that I blame them.
I think the point to be made here is contained in the response made by Shimon Busquila: '…not all of our coreligionists understand this'.
That is exactly the problem. Why don't they understand this? It is not enough for a leader to simply say that some of their co-religionists do not understand the consequences of being uncivilized – thereby damaging the property of their hosts. Especially their religious symbols. No matter how upsetting it is to them.
The Chasidim who did this are taught to hate non Jewish religious symbols much more than they are taught to behave in civilized ways when encountering them. So when they get upset at the sight of one of those hated symbols, they react in ways that bring ill repute upon – and ill will against – our people. They do so without thinking or perhaps even caring about the consequences.


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I really need to buy some monitors in the next month or so. I am just about to set up a home studio / recording space in my house and need to stop putting the OB-8 through hi-fi speakers
I have been looking at the Yamaha HS range, they are fairly cheap and seem to have moderately good reviews.
I do not want to spend over £500 on a pair as I also need to buy the fireface soon.
I have been using a pair of Adam A7x's for a while and I like them. The low frequency definition seems to be lacking with them somewhat but that is potentially down to the space they are in?
If anyone has any advice, fire it my way


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vnci needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 31 designs submitted by 7 freelance designers.
VNCI members area
The VNCI members area is an exclusive online environment for member companies of the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industrie (VNCI). Employees of these companies come here for meeting documents, circular letters with important information, files with information on chemical topics, news items, and alike. The main source for traffic to this website is the e-mail notification that is send to people with an account, which informs them about the availability of new relevant documents.
The original members area was launched late 2007, but soon became outdated concerning appearance and functionality. A dramatic update is therefore planned for the first quarter of this year, and one of the aimed improvements is the lay-out of the website. We are therefore looking for a members area design that is a: highly usable, b: in line with our external website and c: visually appealing. Since the core task of the members area is to convey information, there is very limited room for using images. We therefore are looking for a strong, professional, lean & mean design with some small visual elements to make it appealing to look at and work with.
Employees of chemical industries in the Netherlands who come to the members area for meeting documents, circular letters, the latest news and background information. The visit the website often and have a strong preference for a clean, user friendly, logical and recognizable website.
2 page designs
1. general lay-out for a page
a. VNCI logo
b. Responsible Care logo
c. main menu (10 items)
d. sub menu (10 items)
e. meta menu (6 items)
f. large page content area
2. login screen
a. VNCI logo
b. Responsible Care logo
c. Intro text
d. Field 'username' and field 'password'
e. Option 'remember password'
f. Button 'log in'
g. Button 'forgot username and/or password'
h. Button 'request new account'
i. Text for getting into contact
14 style elements
1. page title
2. font (type and size)
3. links in text
4. button with text
5. paragraph heading
6. box with special info
7. year - month selection tool
8. new since last visit - new since specific period - everything selection box
9. print icon
10. help icon
11. contact icon
12. bullet list (ordered and unordered)
13. search box
14. table
Visually recognizable
1. Design should be in line with http://www.vnci.nl; there should be a *very* clear visual relation between the two
Furthermore, the site should be very user friendly. Since textual content is the main focus of the website, there is little room for images. Please see the attachment for more details.


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It rains in South Florida. A lot.
Anyone who has lived here for any length of time knows that rainy season rolls in around the same time training camp opens up for the Miami Dolphins and the Miami Hurricanes. The rains really don't depart until late September or early October. Sometimes it stays longer.
That's why I remember standing in the rain and feeling (and smelling) like a wet dog during the days Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson were the Dolphins coaches -- because both coaches forced their teams to practice in the elements. And the media had to stand there and watch.
Shula would contend practicing in the rain would prepare his teams for dealing with the rain when it came down during the regular season. Johnson believed the practices in the rain toughened up his team.
It wasn't until Nick Saban arrived in town that the idea of practicing in the rain became unwelcome.
Saban petitioned then-owner Wayne Huizenga to build him a practice bubble to serve multiple purposes: It got the team out of the elements whenever it rained and there was lightning in the area. It gave the players a break from the oppressive heat and kept them fresher because the bubble is air conditioned. It also served as a field turf surface the team could work on during weeks it was preparing for games at stadiums with field turf surfaces.
But even Saban sometimes allowed his team to soak in the rain when thunder wasn't a worry.
This training camp is the first I can recall the Dolphins have not had one practice in a heavy downpour. Oh, it has rained in Davie during times the Dolphins were either scheduled to be on the field or at Sun Life Stadium. In fact, the night the team was to open Sun Life to a practice/scrimmage, it rained quite hard.
But the Dolphins have not used those instances to work in that heavy rain. The team has used such occassions to go in the bubble. The practice at Sun Life was canceled because of the elements.
So on Saturday night when it poured again at Sun Life at the start of the preseason game against Tampa Bay, it marked the first time this preseason the team worked outside in a heavy rain. And it showed. There were dropped passes. The team seemed out of sorts.
Tampa Bay, which played in the exact same elements, seemed more at home in the mud and goop and soggy conditions. The Bucs took a lead on the Dolphins while it was raining. The Dolphins, behind the performance of their backups, played better when the rain stopped and eventually won, 10-7.
The hope here is that next time it rains during training camp while the Dolphins are practicing or scheduled to practice, that the coaching staff use the elements as a teaching tool. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. Yes, it could get sloppy.
But it's better for the team to go through its wet-ball drills and get used to working in the unpleasant conditions now -- during training camp and the preseason -- than have to make that adjustment during a game.
Because there is no guarantee every Sunday at Sun Life will be sunny and mild in September and October.


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Aisra needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 36 designs submitted by 11 freelance designers.
Support Squad
We own SupportSquad.com a fairly new site - just two months old. The main chara of the brand that we would like to get across are that its EASY, SIMPLE, RELIABLE ( its like a Toyota), CONVENIENT, Not expensive. OUr comptittors are and will be - Geek Squad, Iyogi, Finally Fast.com, DoubleMySpeed.com
Existing market. Females mainly. But everyone looking for assistance with their computers.
This site was designed very quickly but now we are looking for a fresh look for the site and even the logo - one that will make it look like its a site that offers Technical Support. We want to the customer to come the site and immediately know what its about and sign up for the service. Please see supportsquad.com for current design and content.


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Forex Trading Basics
Forex Trading Basics
Forex trading Basics, a good thing to learn so you can develop a perfect means to create passive income to do the things of choice.
Flow Centre Passive Income
Receive 2 FREE chapters from 'Flow Centre'
Simply Enter your First Name and Email
Also the wealth classic 'Think and Grow Rich'
Forex Trading Basics
Why The Wellness Clarinet LTD –
Branding by Association and Wow!
Committed to helping people achieve their burning intention and critical net worth (CNW), with passion warmth focus and adventure. Luckily with a well established group of successful companies contributing to the process.
David Jean-Baptiste: Executive Chairman and inventor of Flow Centre, a successful clarinettist, saxophonist, trader and entrepreneurial creative thinker. With endorsements as an artist from Henri Selmer Paris .
(for people desiring to squeeze more juice from life)
1. Can you share one Intention you most desire to achieve?
2. Imagine some likely future situation, what happens when you see yourself making your Intention
come real?
3. Can you imagine your favourite place in the world to relax and feel good? Some people say their
own home and this is good, can you think of another?
4. Being appreciated and respected is a human need, we can all remember at least one time when
we felt appreciated and respected. What happens as you begin to feel loved and respected?
5. What drives your passion positively? Passion sometimes reaches boiling point. What happens
when your passion for something, someone or a situation in your life was so intense it was on
fire, burning inside you with life?
6. When you learn new ways to do act on intention, beautifully your chances of making it come real
multiplies. What else happens as you begin to learn new possibilities?
7. Having a deep sense of fulfillment from within is the best elixir imaginable, magically bringing
you freedom, happiness and satisfaction. It's good to know that people find different things
fulfilling. Can you remember a time when you felt totally fulfilled?
8. Wow moments often come unexpectedly and are often amazing thrilling us to bits. Can you
describe five different wow moments in your life?
9. The word enrichment conjures up a colourful palette of positive emotions in us. Can you tell me
what the word enrichment means to you?
10. Music is an incredible healing force, enriching the human spirit, also opening and
strengthening the connection between the body and mind. Is there any music giving you
strong feelings?
David Jean-Baptiste
Time v Income Reality Check
How much income do you earn per hour of work?
How many hours do you work on business that are currently non-income producing?
Where do you have time-leaks?
What impact are they having on your life?
Can you leverage the time that you work?
Open to Change Check
What would your ideal scenario be?
What hours would you like to work?
What income would you like to produce?
Do you prefer one good income stream with potential for growth, or do you prefer a few different income streams?
How closely does your current income stream, hours of work, and type of work correlate to this ideal?
Three Steps to Get Started Now!
1. Get clear, utilize your power of focus and act through your own self knowledge.
2. Get the tools, a workable plan, and include the services of a coach or a consultant. Non-action will cost you. How much?
3. Understand your own pain verses pleasure continuum. People will do more to move away from pain than they will do to move towards pleasure.
Get clear on your vision and mission. Your vision being what you desire at a level of your identity, and mission being why you want it.
What is money? Money is perceived value of something, plus creativity, plus passion.
7 Steps to Wealth Creation
1. Decide what is holding you back and deal with it.
2. Understand what money is.
3. Plan for wealth
4. Decide what you desire to attract into your Flow Centre and why you want it.
5. Understand financial concepts and the skills to create money.
6. Work with the support team you need.
7. Take 'massive' consistent wealth action.
4 Ways to Accelerate Your Journey to Financial Freedom
1. Increase your income
2. Save more
3. Invest more
4. Compound it, so to increase your rate of return.
Forex Trading Basics
Forex Trading Basics
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Forex Trading Basics
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Forex Trading Basics
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Forex Trading Basics
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Tags: consultancy, critical net worth, currency exchange, Forex, Investing, managed forex, mood enhancement, music and trading, Passive Income, Personal Development, the wellness clarinet, trading


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Elizabeth Cochran
Elizabeth Cochran
Adjunct Assitant Professor
Department of Earth Sciences
Research Areas
- Earthquake Physics
My research focuses on crustal deformation, earthquake triggering and near-fault structure, specifically related to earthquake physics. I employ a range of research methods, including statistical tests on earthquake catalogs, field acquisition and processing of seismic data, the use of space geodesy, and computational modeling to explain observations. Using data gathered during large seismic field deployments I investigate fault zone compliance, damage and healing associated with large earthquakes, and crustal anisotropy near active faults. In addition, I process, analyze, and model InSAR data acquired following large earthquakes to investigate postseismic deformation and recovery/relaxation processes. I also investigate triggering of earthquakes, specifically by Earth tides, to determine the lower limit of stress necessary to encourage a fault to fail. My research includes a range of projects and reflects the advantages gained by examining a problem from several perspectives.
Recent Projects:
My current studies focus on collecting and analyzing seismic data along active faults to determine fault structure as well as searching for seismic tremor in volcanic regions. To map the shallow and deep fault structure, nearly 100 seismometers were deployed along a section of the Calico Fault in the Mojave desert near Barstow, Calif. that exhibited anomalous strain in response to the 1992 Landers (M= 7.3) and 1999 Hector Mine (M=7.1) earthquakes. These data indicate that fault damage zones may be much wider than previously believed. Therefore, faults may affect rock properties at significant distances from the actual fault slip surfaces, a result likely to have implications for the partitioning of the stress buildup that leads to large earthquakes. Future work is planned on the Calico fault to compare the surface mapping of damage in the form of cracks and small block rotations with reductions in shallow seismic velocities. In addition, eight seismometers are currently deployed along the Superstition Hills fault to record seismic activity associated with episodes of accelerated creep along the fault that begin in October, 2006. This is a subset of work planned with the goal of assessing whether tremor or atypical seismic signals are associated with faults in Southern California.
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2005
- Cochran, E.S. and J.E. Vidale, Letter to Editor, Comment on: Tidal synchronicity of the 26 December 2004 Sumatran earthquake and its aftershocks, GRL, submitted, 2007.
- Li, Y.-G., P. Chen, E.S. Cochran, J.E. Vidale, Seismic variations on the San Andreas fault caused by the 2004 M6 Parkfield earthquake and their implications, EPS, in press, 2007.
- Cochran, E.S., P.M. Shearer 2006, Infrasound events detected with the Southern California Seismic Network, GRL, 33, L19803, doi: 10.1029/2006GL026951.
- Cochran, E.S., Y.-G. Li, J.E. Vidale 2006, Anisotropy in the shallow crust observed around the San Andreas Fault before and after the 2004 M6 Parkfield earthquake, BSSA, 96, S364-S375.
- Li, Y.-G., P. Chen, E.S. Cochran, J.E. Vidale, and T. Burdette 2006, Seismic evidence for rock damage and healing on the San Andreas fault associated with the 2004 M6 Parkfield Earthquake, BSSA, v. 96 p. S349-S363
- Li, Y.G., J.E. Vidale, and E.S. Cochran 2004, Low-velocity damaged structure of the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield from fault-zone trapped waves, Geophys. Res. Lett., v. 31.
- Cochran, E.S., J.E. Vidale, and S. Tanaka 2004, Earth tides can trigger shallow thrust fault earthquakes, Science, 306, p. 1164-6.
- Li, Y.-G., J.E. Vidale, S.M. Day, D.D. Oglesby, and E.S. Cochran, 2003 , Postseismic fault healing on the rupture zone of the 1999 M 7.1 Hector Mine, California, earthquake, Bull.Seis.Soc.Am., v. 93.
- Li, Y.-G., J.E. Vidale, D.D. Oglesby, S.M. Day, and E.S. Cochran 2003, Multiple-fault rupture of the M7.1 Hector Mine, California, earthquake from fault zone trapped waves, J. Geophys. Res., v. 108, p. 2165.
- Cochran, E.S., J.E. Vidale, and Y.G. Li 2003, Near-fault anisotropy following the Hector Mine earthquake, J. Geophys. Res., v. 108, p. 2436.
- Alex, C.M., L. Gurrola, E.S. Cochran, T. Tyler, C. Nicholson, and R.J. Archuleta, Seismic hazards to the University of California Campus at Santa Barbara. Seism. Res. Lett., 68, 305, 1997.
- Cochran, E.S., and R.J. Archuleta, Site amplification in the Santa Ynez Valley, Southern California Academy of Sciences Program and Abstracts, May 1996.


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Princess Anne, Md. – Nine UMBC runners competed in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country meet Saturday morning at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Senior Keri Wilson (Columbia, Md./Long Reach) paced the women's team while sophomore Brandan McGee (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood) led the men.
Running in her final collegiate cross country meet, Wilson was the top Retriever finisher for the women for the sixth time this season, finishing the 6k course in 24:14.3, good for 91st place out of 191 runners.
Sophomore Cody Mezebish (Westminster, Md./South Carroll) and freshman Alyse Gibson (Columbia, Md./Reservoir) finished only a little over a minute after Wilson, finishing in 151st (25:19.6) and 156th (25:33.6) respectively.
Only three runners competed for the men's squad with McGee taking top honors for the Retrievers. In the first 10k meet for UMBC this year, McGee finished in 32:11.2 for 64th place. TJ Cowing (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and Nic Escobar (Derwood, Md./Magruder) also competed, completing the course in times of 32:42.7 and 32:59.8.
Princeton sophomore Donn Cabral won the men's meet finishing in a time of 30:30.3 while Villanova senior Sheila Reid (21:32.7) took first in the women's competition.
Georgetown won the overall men's competition with a total of 47 points while the Hoyas and Villanova tied for first (57 points) in the women's meet.


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text: Early Freeze Could Nip Corn Yields in the Bud July 25, 2013 05:44 AM Tweet TAGS: Marketing, Overseas December 18, 2014 By Boyce Thompson AgWeb Email Pollination season is shaping up fine. But early freezes could imperil some late-planted crops. The Corn Belt may escape the pollination season unscathed, but late planting in some patches leaves corn crops highly vulnerable to an early fall freeze. That was the long-term agricultural forecast presented this week by Jeffrey Doran, a senior meteorologist with Planalytics, at an agribusiness weather seminar in St. Louis. "The bottom line is that we're in a good situation with temperatures," said Doran, noting that most of the Corn Belt is well into a pollination season that's shaping up much better than last year's. "We don't see many more weather stresses for the remainder of pollination season." Unfortunately, cold and wet spring conditions forced many farmers to delay planting. Crop maturities have been delayed by an average of 2 to 4 weeks. "We're dealing with some growing degree challenges," Doran said. "The question is will the crop get to maturity in time?" Satellite maps measuring biomass show that the regions farthest behind are southeast Minnesota, north-central Iowa and eastern North Dakota, where by July 14 crops had yet to "green up" like the rest of the Corn Belt. "This late acreage will be relevant once we get to mid-September and early October, when there is potential for early freezes," Doran said. The U.S. could be looking at colder-than-normal temperatures during the fall harvest season. The dominant weather pattern, Doran said, is a cold front pushing down from Alaska, through Canada and into the Midwest. Cooler temperatures are also resulting from high volcanic activity in Asia. Eruptions pump more volcanic particles into the jet stream, reducing solar radiation. Despite the potential danger, Planalytics' satellite-derived forecast currently indicates a corn yield of 152.4 bu. per acre, only 3.1 below USDA's June estimate of 156.5 bu. Its soybean estimate of 42.3 bu. per acre is only 2.2 bu. below USDA's June estimate. Though Planalytics recently raised its forecast for eight of the top 10 corn and soybean states, there is concern that drought might be spreading from the West. The firm recently dropped its corn projection for Kansas. "Nebraska is the most vulnerable to spreading drought," according to its latest bi-weekly yield report. "Drought stress will start taking its toll if rains do not arrive in the coming days." Soybean crops are less of a concern because of their resilience. However, the Planlaytics report said, "Concerns about dryness are mounting in many fields in western and northern Illinois and central Indiana." Planalytics is calling for another season of unusually high hurricane activity this year, which might be good for Southwest crops if storms reach that region. In the meantime, the biggest problem in agriculture is in the western High Plains. "That's not going away—it will linger into the short term," Doran said. Unless California gets some rain this year, conditions could go south quickly. "If we get another winter with very little moisture, things could spiral very badly," Doran said. Back to news


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Can Obama spell "failure"?
By Selwyn Duke
There actually was a time when an "e" ended a political career. Or, at least, the misuse of an "e." I refer to that fateful day in 1992 when Vice President Dan Quayle told a 12-year-old schoolboy that "potato" was spelled with an "e" at its end. While the reality is that a flash card Quayle had been given bore the misspelling, the mistake was seized upon by the media and used to cement the eye-candy-and-air image of the boyishly good-looking vice president. It was a silly way to measure a man, but image is everything in politics.
So now it's time for the gander's sauce. If it was justifiable to write off Quayle as a dolt for stumbling over the spud, how should we react to frequent misspellings in press releases issued by the White House? Michael O'Brien at The Hill's Blog Briefing Room reports on this story, writing, "Misspellings continued to plague the Obama administration on Thursday [9/9], after two more releases containing errors were sent to reporters in the last 24 hours."
First the White House staff misspelled Obama's first name, writing it as "Barak." Then, O'Brien reports, there were two more examples. They are, "Recvoery.gov Version 2.0 $18 Million Contract Awarded" and, referring to U.K. leader Gordon Brown, "The Prime Minister wlecomed the President's plans for a nuclear security conference in 2010."
Now, while sweating the small stuff can get you branded as punctilious today, a person's failure to attend to detail tells you much about him. And this is not at all like the Quayle potato blunder. Not only had the former vice president been given that flash card bearing the misspelling, it's also understandable that he wouldn't have spotted the error, since the plural form of the word does end in "oes." Second, unless you're an Idaho farmer, you probably haven't written the word "potato" in a very long time. Lastly, it's simply impossible for an individual to make continual public appearances without making some mistakes. Hey, just ask Al Gore about how "a leopard can't change his stripes."
But what the Obama administration exhibits is quite different: Institutional sloppiness. It's one thing for an individual to sometimes make mistakes; it's quite another when a large organization repeatedly churns them out. And let's place this in perspective.
Some may note that Internet news and commentary websites are rife with mistakes as well, and this is true. However, this is often a function of manpower. Most e-zines simply do not have the staff necessary to achieve near perfect presentation, as they usually operate on a shoestring budget. In contrast, if you write for even a small magazine, their superior finances allow for tremendous oversight. A piece will be filtered through a number of different editors. It then may be returned to the writer for review, allowing him to assess the editorial changes and make a few more alterations before the work ever makes it into print. The result of this collaborative process is that you really can cross all your t's and dot all your i's.
Now, the fact that the Obama administration isn't achieving quality even approaching that of a small magazine is striking. This is the White House, remember, with the endless resources government provides. Hasn't the person or people writing Obama's press releases ever heard of a spell-check program? Wouldn't it be reasonable to have at least two different individuals proofread the material before disseminating it to the whole world? Such institutional sloppiness is inexcusable.
Some may say I'm being picayune, that this is much ado about nothing. But if you think this sloppiness somehow magically limits itself to the issuance of press releases, then you'd probably believe that Michelle Obama buys her sneakers at Wal-Mart. In point of fact, it tells us something about those at the helm of our listing nation.
It's not that they're stupid. A genius, even a responsible one, can transpose letters while typing just as he can fail to spot the misspelling of a type of starchy tuber. But when such errors are consistently made by large groups of people working together — that institutional sloppiness — it bespeaks of a lack of conscientiousness and attention to detail, to an absence of the desire to uphold standards.
This is characteristic of liberals; it is part of their world view. These are the people who don't trouble over standards in morality because, their relativism informs, Truth doesn't exist anyway. They don't worry about the standards prescribed by the Constitution or, for that matter, any inconvenient law of man because, without Truth, laws can be based on nothing transcendent. And, of course, if these greater matters can be ignored, why worry about language? (I'd bet that the too-cool-to-care leftists in the White House are the type of people who, in personal emails, replace "you" with "u" and don't capitalize the first letter in a sentence. I bet they can spell "socialism" and "social decay" just fine, though.)
This is the modus operandi of the situational values set, of those who have contempt for standards. After all, if standards are ever and always negotiable, why worry much about them? Without Truth to use as a yardstick for determining them and making moral decisions, you might as well just use the only guide you have left: emotion. This is why liberals are so feelings-oriented.
So, in the case of the press releases, spelling errors are minor problems but a major indicator. With such institutional sloppiness, why should we think that the Obama administration is meticulous about anything? Why would we think that they'd pay attention to the details of where stimulus money is going? How could we expect them to iron out all the details of managing national health care? Why should anyone trust that these liberals could, as they purport to be able to, regulate an economy involving millions of minor details? We have a bull in the china shop of policy.
Yet, what is worse is liberals' failure to attend to detail in their own minds. I often quote G.K. Chesterton, and one reason I like him so much is that he was a "complete thinker." That is, he would analyze a matter from every angle, thereby peeling away the layers of illusion and uncovering Truth. But this is uncommon among normal people — and unheard of among the left. This is one reason why they can embrace nonsensical, illogical ideas. Some of them may entertain communism, completely ignoring the simple fact that if people were good enough to make a communist government work, we wouldn't need government. They embrace multiculturalism, oblivious to the plain fact that nations without a unifying culture descend into disunity. They will say that man is just a highly evolved animal, but then insist that, in the violent animal kingdom, this animal's children must be "taught" to be violent (when arguing against spanking). They will aver that homosexuality is inborn while just as passionately averring that sex roles must be taught. They will insist that relative are right and wrong while also insisting that the right is absolutely wrong. And just recently, Obama cited California as an example of a state that is energy efficient yet economically healthy. He ignored two minor details, however: bankruptcy and rolling blackouts.
Barack Obama is an urban rube. And he surrounds himself with likeminded — or, I should say, like-impassioned — urban rubes. Some fancy these people sophisticated, but while they give the illusion of sophistication, they possess none of its substance. They were simply raised wrong and rendered bereft of logic, as they never learned to subordinate emotion to reason so that the former wouldn't cloud the latter. They are people who don't cross their t's and dot their i's in anything, be it philosophy, personal life or policy. They are ruined souls. And they are bringing us to ruin.
As for Dan Quayle's potato problem, if an onus belonged anywhere, it was on the institution that printed an incorrect flash card. And we should note that this institution was a school, one of those great bastions of liberal unthought.
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I think you've read enough of my blathering, so I'm going to try to keep this short.
First, let's review the concept.
Mission: Provide our guests a place to gather with their friends to celebrate food, wine, and life.
Food: Seasonal, sustainable California fare with Spanish flair.
Ambience: Bustling, convivial neighborhood joint with views into the open kitchen and garden.
There are 3 (!) polls today.
The first poll concerns the name Olallie. I'm keeping it separate for now. Since it has been the name associated with this project for the past year, it deserves special attention. The question is simple. Do you think I should keep it? Do you feel that any of the more than 200 names we've all come up with over the past few weeks are a better fit for the type of restaurant I am opening? Please only vote once.
Then there are the second and third polls. The difficult ones. How could I possibly whittle our lists down to a handful of choices? In the interest of full disclosure, my decision making process went something like this. Monday, I climbed to the top of Mount Whitney, built a sweat lodge, ate some peyote, and spent the day on a vision quest. Then I came home and spent the night floating in an isolation tank. Yesterday I consulted an astrologer, numerologist, tarot card reader, and i-ching expert before lunch, then had my palms read, looked into a crystal ball, and conference called the Dalai Lama, Pope Benedict, and Jon Stewart via Skype before finally passing out naked in a pile of Scrabble tiles, drunk from one of the many bottles of '61 Romanée Conti you all have been sending me.
Okay. Not really. I made the part about Jon Stewart up. If only!
Instead, I followed some advice a restaurant-owning friend gave me a few years back. She said to picture myself answering the phone and saying "Hello. You've reached ________. How may I help you?" Then repeat 100 times to see how I really feel about the name.
In addition, I focused on the story that each name tells. Also, how easy is it to spell, pronounce, and remember? Is it distinctive and appealing? What does it look like visually? Does it lend itself to graphic design? What does it sound like? Does it make you smile? Does it inspire culinary adventure?
Forgive me if your favorites didn't make the cut. Some, like Tibidabo, Corcovado, Casolana, Julivert, Barcino, and Bocarte, seemed too difficult to remember or pronounce. A couple of pretty ones, Triana and Sonrisa, struck me as too dull, not distinctive enough. One of the most popular choices, Open Hearth, fell into that category for me as well. As one commenter wrote, it really wants to be Hearth, but isn't. Two relatively popular ones, Besos de Sal and Lovage, didn't pass the phone test. Both seemed to be trying too hard to be romantic. Viridian is excellent, but it sounds too downtown and serious. I'm looking for something a little more playful. Sadly, I lost interest in Castropoda when a snail tried to crawl up my nose during my vision quest.
You'll notice I couldn't resist tossing in a new contender. Tilde. As in the adorable little squiggle above the letter n in some Spanish and Basque words (and above a and o in some Portuguese words). You know: ~, as in ñ. Sadly it's not used in Catalan. Diacritical marks used in Catalan, like Ce trencada (ç) and ela geminada (ŀl), just don't have the same familiarity and association with Iberia (to an American eye) as the well-known tilde. FYI, the Spanish/English word for the hook under the ce trencada is obscure but kind of cool: cedilla.
I also added biquini into the mix, even though only one person besides myself liked it. It really is the name in Barcelona for a hot pressed ham and cheese sandwich, aka a panino (Italian) or tartine (French). I think it has good potential as a name. But, then again, I may be suffering the delusional aftereffects of the peyote. Or perhaps it's just the iconoclast in me. I have to include one name that will inspire hate mail. [11 am update: Sorry, it was late last night/early this morning when I added this as a choice at the last minute. Although it's gotten a few votes, I'm deleting it from the polls].
In the second poll I've listed just
5 4 names. Even if you prefer
Olallie, please participate in this poll. No conscientious objectors,
please. You may choose more than one answer.
The third poll allows just one answer, but I've added Olallie back into the mix. Please only vote once.
Please note that the results of these polls are not binding.
In fact, just to increase the suspense factor, you may have noticed that I'm keeping the results of these polls hidden from you all for now. Yes, I am that evil. I promise to share the results in a few days. [Saturday edit: as promised, results are now visible]
There's still time to persuade me that I'm making a horrible, unconscionable mistake. That I really must reconsider [insert your favorite name here]. That all of these choices are lacking and uninspired. Really. I'm flexible and open to new ideas. In fact, I can be downright malleable.
Also, by all means, if you come up with a brilliant idea, please don't hesitate to share it with me. I still have this hope that someone (perhaps one of the 9 Muses... 10 if you count Brillat-Savarin's Gasterea?) will whisper a poetic metaphor in my ear that captures the convivial spirit of my favorite restaurants in Barcelona and San Sebastián, that sense of a place to gather with your friends to celebrate food, wine, and life. Trust me, dear Muse, you will be rewarded handsomely.


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James Brown Demolishes Olympia Washington with a Wall of Sound
This 1971 film is one of the rare times James Brown's original supporting lineup was ever caught on tape. [Open Culture]
John Lennon and Bob Dylan Share a Taxi, Groovy Pandemonium Ensues
The pair of legendary musical artists got into an London taxi, both high as shit. Luckily there was a film crew present to capture the moment. Watch the second half of the ride here. [Open Culture]
Miles Davis and His Second Great Quartet Play Europe
The incomparable jazz musician blew more than a few minds with this performance. Take an hour off, do yourself a favor, and listen to this. [Open Culture]
What a Nine Inch Nails Show Looks Like from Onstage
Rob Sheridan was somehow allowed onstage as NIN played Burn at a Melbourne show back in February '09. Lucky devil.
Devo - 78 paris choutus
Yup, they've still got it.


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On January 2, 2013, the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers to secure a 22-10 start to their 2012-13 season. At the time, it was a number treated gingerly, even among relentlessly optimistic Warriors fans — a quirk of favorable scheduling and overachieving play, too good to be true. If the Warriors had held that blistering pace last season, they would have finished with the then-unimaginable total of 56 wins. How quickly expectations change. What was once inconceivable is now not only within reach, but even predicted by a brave few. The days of the underdog Warriors are gone. Now it's time to play like the favorites.
Win projections are the NBA's version of the Farmers' Almanac — often cited and entirely speculative. An injury or an unexpected breakout star, on the Warriors or a playoff rival, can wipe out layers of underlying assumptions. So take these predictions for however little they're worth.
My guess for the 2013-14 Warriors is 54 wins. That would be the highest total since 1991-92, when the team won 55 games only to be bounced in the first round of the playoffs. It would be the third highest total since the Warriors moved to the West Coast in 1962-63. In other words, the stage is set not just for a good year, but for a historic year. I arrived at my guess in two different ways.
First, I worked off of last season's 47 wins as a starting point. I added up all the positives — Iguodala's addition, a healthy Bogut, another year of experience for Curry, Thompson, Barnes and Jackson. I knocked off some wins for the negatives — the loss of Jack, Landry and Malone; uncertain chemistry. Taken together, the 2013-14 Warriors don't feel like they'll be 10 games better than the impressive team that preceded them. But they do feel, particularly with the continued emergence of Stephen Curry and a rejuvenated Andrew Bogut, like they could be at least 5 games better. I used the playoff performances, where Curry and Bogut were the game-changing forces on offense and defense, to gauge just how much better this team could be. With both players at full strength, I settled on a 7-game improvement for 54 total wins. If the new players are able to replicate some of the aggressive chemistry of last year's squad, the bump could be even higher. On paper, you don't have to squint too hard to see an elite team.
Second, I looked at the rest of the West to gauge how the Warriors stack up. I have the Clippers and Rockets as clearly superior teams. I'd also give the edge to the Thunder, so long as Westbrook returns in the first few weeks of the season. Every year I write off the Spurs as being over the hill — and every year they prove me wrong — but I'll do it one more time. The playoff Warriors were nearly a match for them. The addition of Iguodala and his perimeter defense would have dramatically changed the face of that series in the Warriors' favor. Another year on the bodies of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker will make the heroics a little bit harder to muster. I give the Warriors a very slight edge. I also have the Warriors over Memphis by a very narrow margin. The Grizzlies seemed to tread water this off-season while the rest of the West retooled. They're a safe pick for 50 wins, but they don't have the upside of this Warriors squad. If you slot the Warriors into the fourth seed in the West, that's been around a 54-win team over the past 5 complete seasons (56, 55, 53, 54, 54).
Ultimately, a win total's meaning depends on the numbers around it. It's a ticket to the playoffs. The comparative number of wins determines whether it'll be a seat in first class or coach. As the Warriors change their perspective — from underdog to potential power — they need to change their objectives. The Warriors shouldn't care about whether they win 54, 64 or 44 games. They should be singularly focused on securing home court advantage in the playoffs. That means edging ahead of the Clippers or besting all the other division runner-ups. For a team looking to make a deep run into the post-season, having a relatively easy time in the first round can be a huge advantage — particularly for a team like the Warriors with lingering injury concerns. The Warriors always rave about the boost provided by Arena fans. Last year's team was 28-13 at home, but sub-.500 on the road (19-22). More than any arbitrary number of wins, the Warriors' goal for the 2013-14 season should be to secure as much of that post-season advantage as possible.


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Monday, January 21st is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since 1986, every third Monday in January is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr. and his work. In 1994, Congress named MLK Jr. Day as a national day of service in honor of his objectives. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?" Although you may get the day off of school or work, MLK Day can be seen as "a day on, not a day off."
If you are looking for a way to be part of the soultion and do for others, or want to observe the great man with a parade or concert, please see our list below of events in the Los Angeles area and in the Bay Area.
Los Angeles Area:
Lancaster: Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day on Jan. 19
The year 2013 marks the sixth anniversary of Lancaster's annual Day of Service event in honor of Dr. King.
Various locations
Santa Monica: Soka Gakkai International Auditorium Presentation on Jan. 19
Hosted by the Santa Monica College, the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. birthday celebration is free of charge to attend. It is billed as a "multiethnic interfaith program" that features readings, presentations, music and community news.
525 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica