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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A new University of North Florida poll reveals that 48 percent of adult residents of Duval County approve of the job that the Jacksonville City Council is doing.
In conjunction with that support, residents are quite satisfied with a number of facets of the city of Jacksonville, according to the poll.
Topping the list, 77 percent of respondents are especially satisfied with opportunities to enjoy arts and cultural activities, and respondents are very satisfied (73 percent) with the quality, cost and availability of parks and open spaces in Jacksonville.
Sixty percent of respondents were satisfied with the hours and quality of the Duval County public libraries, while 67 percent were satisfied with the quality of the physical infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public buildings in the city.
Contrary to the overwhelming satisfaction, residents aren't as enthusiastic when it comes to paying higher taxes to maintain the parks, libraries, arts culture and physical infrastructure. Only 39 percent of the respondents were willing to support a small tax increase to support the arts; libraries didn't fare much better, with only 40 percent of respondents willing to support a tax increase. Parks and infrastructure fared slightly better, with 52 percent and 50 percent support, respectively.
The survey was conducted through the use of a 27-station telephone-polling laboratory at UNF. A polling sample was selected through the use of Random-Digit-Dialing methodology. A cellphone sample and an overlay sample were used to increase representation. Age, gender, race and party registration were weighted to the 2010 U.S. Census, as well as to statistics from the Supervisor of Elections for Duval County registered voters.
The survey was conducted between Feb. 4 and last Tuesday and includes 917 residents (+/- 3.23 percent) in Duval County. About 210 UNF political science students participated in the data collection.

subset: commoncrawl


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Boasting a cast stocked with Oscar winners and nominees (Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Chris Cooper, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Breslin) and a script adapted by Chicagoan Tracy Letts from his Pulitzer Prize-winning, Steppenwolf-debuting play, "August: Osage County" may seem like awards bait. Co-star Margo Martindale, a Tony-nominated actress who won an Emmy for her work on "Justified," says intent makes all the difference.
"If you start doing something to get an award, you've lost the path already," says the actress, now also seen on CBS' "The Millers." "You do the work, you hope it's great and then if that stuff comes, wow, even better. But if you're ever thinking that way, I think you've stumbled."
"Sometimes that's also a quality of the movie business, where they push everything to the end of the year and enter it in the horse race to see what's going to catch hold," adds Letts, a Tony-winning actor who also can be seen on "Homeland." "But that's not the business we're in."
In "August," which opens Friday and actually shot from September to November because August in Oklahoma's Osage County is too hot to film in a house, the disparate members of the Weston family converge after the matriarch Violet (Streep) says her husband (Sam Shepard) has gone missing. Martindale plays Mattie Fae, Violet's sister and disappointed mother of Charlie (Benedict Cumberbatch).
At the Four Seasons Hotel, Martindale, 62, and Bucktown resident Letts, 48, talked about writing women, why it was best for Letts not to be present for filming and if he wears his Pulitzer around his neck.
Tracy, what do you find most challenging about writing female characters, and Margo, how can you tell when a man writing a woman gets it wrong?
Margo Martindale: I can tell. I'm interested in complex women. Tracy writes them better than anybody I've seen in years and years and years. There is a playwright named Steve Metcalfe, and he wrote a play that I did called "Emily." I thought it was one of the best-written female parts I had seen in a while. And he told me he wrote it actually as a man, and then put a woman's name on it. Which was fascinating.
I wouldn't think you could make that switch.
MM: Well, he did, and it was really good.
Does that surprise you, Tracy? I imagine that's not your approach.
Tracy Letts: That's not really my approach. It just seems that with female characters there's a larger range of possibilities as to what they might say or do. When one character says something to a man, I know exactly how that character's going to respond. When I have a character say something to a woman, I don't know what she's going to say. She always takes me by surprise when I'm writing.
Is there anything, either in the play or the movie script, that you wrote and said, "Man, that is awesome!"
TL: Yeah. I'm not the best one to judge the material, but I can tell you that there's a moment in the play and in the movie when Uncle Charlie stands up to Aunt Mattie Fae that was not part of the plan. I had not expected him to do that. And you look for these wonderful moments as a writer when suddenly a character steps up and says, "Wait a minute; I have something to say," and they take you by surprise. I didn't know Charlie was going to say that. I found myself surprised at my own character.
MM: Wow, that's incredible.
TL: Great moment.
Tracy wasn't on set for the filming of the movie. How do you both think that would have been different if he was there?
MM: I don't know. I don't know that it would have been different.
TL: It might have been better and worse. It might have been better in that [director John Wells] might have enjoyed having me there to bounce some ideas off, to talk to about some things. It might have been worse because I might have nitpicked over things that really didn't matter, and I might've intimidated the actors a little bit from feeling free enough to do what they did.
MM: Or worrying that you weren't satisfying Tracy's creation--his image of what should be.
Do you think that would have been intimidating for you?
MM: I'm glad he wasn't there.
TL: Thanks, Margo!
It sounds like you were so involved, though, even not being there.
TL: I was very involved in the pre-production. The creation of the script and the casting and pre-production. I was not involved in the production, though I was in constant contact with John Wells, the director and then I've been involved in post-production. Kind of there for all of it except for the filming of it.
Can a story ever have too much drama?
MM: If it's real, I don't think so. If it's possible and real I don't think so. Can you have melodrama? I think that goes into another place. But this is real and it's dramatic and wildly funny.
TL: I've had people tell me it's too funny. As opposed to too much drama, I've had people say to me it's too funny. "It should be less funny."
Tracy, do you have your Pulitzer Prize around your neck, and can I try it on?
TL: The Pulitzer Prize does not come in medallion form.
You can't make requests of what form you want it in?
MM: [Laughs]
TL: I think the Pulitzer Prize, the prize itself refers to the check. I think that is the Pulitzer Prize.
MM: You get a check?
TL: You do.
MM: Wow! I didn't know that.
TL: It's all right. [Laughs] It's not like a MacArthur grant.
So you have the check framed around your neck.
MM: [Laughs]
TL: [Laughs] No, I cashed the check! I cashed the check and bought the jewelry I wear around my neck.
Letts on if he's an asshole on "Homeland": "I don't know why people think I'm an asshole on 'Homeland.' I don't get it. I see myself as righteous. Absolutely righteous. The one guy who's asking for a little accountability from these people. These people are running around the globe killing people and spying on people. You need a little accountability."
Watch Matt on "You & Me This Morning," Friday at 6:55 a.m. on WCIU, the U
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So Say We All!
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Wanda & Ribrianne~4~Life!
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Fox Family Falmouth [England] Consular Papers
Guide to the Fox Family Falmouth [England] Consular Papers, ca. 1819-1905
Collection number: Bernath Mss 213Department of Special Collections
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
- Processed by:
- Special Collections staff
- Date Completed:
- Oct. 1, 2012
- Encoded by:
- A. Demeter
Scope and Content of Collection
Diplomatic receipts to Robert Fox, n.d., Nov. 8, 1819
Acknowledgement regarding "the approbation of H.R.H. the Prince Regent," Nov. 9, 1819
Document appointing Alfred Fox as U.S. Deputy Consul, signed by Rob. W. Fox, with wax seal, Aug. 1821
Document appointing A. L. Fox to Ottoman Vice Consul at Falmouth, signed by A. Psichari, Ottoman Consul General, with wax seal, Apr. 5, 1855
Letter to Alfred Fox informing him of his appointment as Vice Consul, July 4, 1855
Two documents regarding the appointment of Howard Fox as Consul, signed by Frederick Seward, Assistant Secretary of State, Mar. 5, 1863
Printed document addressed to Alfred Fox instructing consuls to send "Reports of Sales [...] of such products or merchandise as are exported to the United States," signed by William Seward, June 4, 1862
Printed instructions to Alfred Fox regarding his bond and passport, signed by Frederick Seward, Mar. 11, 1863
Printed instructions regarding Britain's new rules for consuls, signed by Frederick Seward, Apr. 21, 1863
Printed receipt acknowledging receipt of Alfred Fox's official bond, signed by Acting Secretary of State W. Hunter, May 1, 1863
Letter to Howard Fox transmitting his certificate of appointment (certificate not included), signed Charles S. Wilson, Secretary of the U.S. Legation in London, May 23, 1863
Letter to Howard Fox transmitting his commission as consul (commission document not included), signed Charles S. Wilson, Secretary of the U.S. Legation in London, June 6, 1863
Letter to Howard Fox from John Cadwalader, Acting Secretary of State, praising his kindness to friends and family of victims of the S.S. Schiller shipwreck, July 6, 1875
Blank Register of Vessels document, n.d.
Letter from State Department to George Fox acknowledging his resignation as Vice Consul and noting the appointment of R. Barclay Fox to succeed him, June 6, 1900
Letter from American Embassy in London to R. Barclay Fox forwarding his certificate of appointment as Deputy Consul (certificate not included), May 3, 1901
Typed letter from State Department to Howard Fox informing him of his post's incorporation with others and his appointment to a modified position, June 22, 1905
Typed letter from American Consular Service in Plymouth to Howard Fox informing him of cable from U.S., "Fox appointed agent Falmouth. Take effect January first." Dec. 29, 1905
Typed letter to Howard Fox informing him of his office becoming a Consular Agency under the Consul at Plymouth and appointing him Consular Agent at Falmouth, Dec. 30, 1905


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I've recently acquired Rick and have a dilemma: boost Rick or Nicholas? (meaning swapping gala's from Nicholas to Rick etc).
From what I've experienced so far, Rick's inviz is much more, frequent in lack of a better word. I have Knous as his Lt. just because Nicholas has his own poison.
So what I'd like to hear from you is what you've experienced so far (with or against Rick) and if you have any advice related to what galas to have, his position in the fleet (will post my fleet below, only with the relevant Lt.) and much more.
For a better overview of the situation, here's my fleet positioning:
Nicholas | Jones | "Not Unlocked"
X | X | Rick
Joya | X | Flagship
Relevant lieutenants are Nicholas with Kit and Rick with Knous.
Looking forward to hearing your opinions, and also thank you in advance ^_^


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Webflakes.com translates foreign blogs
Site translates foreign blogs
WebFlakes.com eliminates foreign-language barriers so you can find travel inspiration even at the hyper-local level.
What it does: Translates into English fresh, quality content from locals blogging in their native languages. There are currently 60 bloggers in France, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Switzerland and Peru writing on topics such as travel, food and dining, wine, architecture and design.
What's hot: I wouldn't have known the posts were translated (by volunteers) if the website hadn't told me. After scrolling through posts I was attracted to "Tacos and Shurijo Castle" and "Two Days (and Three Nights) in Lisbon." I traced the links back to the original blogs to see them in their original form. It makes it easy to find or follow ones you like - instead of just clicking around on individual content. Don't miss the "More from this blogger" and "Popular Bloggers" sections in the right sidebar.
What's not: The individual posts seemed to levitate or pop off the page when my cursor scrolled over them. That was distracting and made it hard for me to scroll down the page and read the way I usually do. It didn't take long to train myself to keep my cursor at the right of the page. Still, I didn't need that fancy function.
- Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times


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It's the final night of the battle rounds with the coaches making the last cuts to their teams for next week's Knockout Round. The night's match ups were filled with opposite styles pitted up against each other to see which singer could prevail, plus Christina Aguilera used her final steal to make a surprising save of the night.
Team Christina :: Adriana Louise vs. Jordan Pruitt
Singing: Katy Perry "Hot N Cold"
Warm-up: With a former Disney star and an up-and-coming superstar on her team, Christina made a bold decision to put the two pop stars up against each other. Jordan may have the experience and a Disney connection with her coach, but would it be enough to edge out Adriana's powerful vocals? In the rehearsals' mentor Billie Joe Armstrong advised Adriana not to hold back on her voice, while Christina suggested to Jordan to take more risks in her performance.
The Battle: Adriana took the advice of Billie Joe and really let her voice shine on the high notes while Jordan came out on stage with a strong confidence not to be outdone. The coaches took notice of both ladies' competitive vocals and left the hard decision in Christina's hands.
The Winner: Adriana Louise
Team Blake :: Kelly Crapa vs. Michaela Paige
Singing: Joan Jett "I Hate Myself For Loving You"
Warm-up: Being the two youngest singers of the competition at 15 and 16, Kelly and Michaela walked into rehearsals with coach Blake and mentor Michael Buble eager to learn the ropes of performance. Michael urged Kelly to "sing out" her vocals and include some of her signature country twang into the classic rock song. Michaela had an easier time executing the vocals with her punk rock edge and confidence that even intimated Blake during the final rehearsal.
The Battle: Both walked out on stage with an in your face attitude and got the coaches rocking out in their seats instantly with their surprisingly complimentary, but drastically different styles. With every power note Michaela belted out, Kelly had an answer back with a strong country twist that made the song her own. In the end, however, there was one clear winner in the coaches' minds that had more of an edge.
The Winner: Michaela Paige
Team Cee Lo :: Avery Wilson vs. Chevonne
Singing: "Titanium" David Guetta featuring Sia
Warm-up: In the battle of novice versus experienced, sometimes having professional experience gets the best of your nerves, as was the case for the Lady Gaga backup singer, Chevonne. Worried that Avery would outshine her, Chevonne lost control over her vocal runs, while Avery had trouble even hitting the high notes. Mentor Rob Thomas later gave him advice to relax and just let himself go during the performance.
The Battle: Avery really regained some of his vocal confidence back after rehearsals and let his smooth, bassy vibrato transform this pop hit into his own. The power in Chevonne's voice enabled her to belt out those tough high notes that would later impress Christina, but in the end, Cee Lo liked Avery's performance overall. It wasn't the end of the road for Chevonne, however, Christina used up her last steal and saved the fiery backup singer from elimination and take her to the Knockout Round.
The Winner: Avery Wilson
-Britt Bickel, 94.7 The WAVE/Los Angeles
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It's hot out there ! Nothing like taking a nap in the cool air on this fainting sofa! It is just a fabulous piece and comfy too.
a little eye candy for you......
Have a Happy Father's Day weekend!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Fainting from the Heat.....
It's hot out there ! Nothing like taking a nap in the cool air on this fainting sofa! It is just a fabulous piece and comfy too.
Posted by Stokes and Company at 9:52 AM 7 comments
Thursday, June 12, 2008
I have been tagged !!!!
I have been tagged by http://molly-mollyb.blogspot.com/2008/06/ive-been-tagged.html
I have never been tagged before so this is new to me. I been told this is how it works.....
1. Link back to the person that tagged you(see link above)
2. Post rules on your blog
3. Share 6 unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your entry. ( I will tag 3 )
Here are 6 unimportant things about myself:
1. I like going to open houses just to see how they are decorated
2. I love to rearrange my furniture at home often
3. I love hummingbirds outside my window and look forward to their return every year
4. I miss seeing fireflies at night
5. I am named after a flower
6. My business started as a hobby
The 3 people I would love to tag are...
Brandy @ http://www.brandywineboutique.blogspot.com/
Theresa @ http://gardenantqs.blogspot.com/
Debi @ Ya Ya Chique http://artfullyinspired.squarespace.com/
Posted by Stokes and Company at 12:59 PM 2 comments
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Wonderful Garden Items
We have just brought in some wonderful urns and statuary. It's always nice to add these to your outdoor rooms.
Posted by Stokes and Company at 2:59 PM 1 comments


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A suspect in an 8-year-old murder case in Clinton Township -- which may be tied to a second murder -- has been arrested in Canada and could be extradited next year.
Kin Vukcaj, 37, is suspected in the 2004 shooting death of Ardijan Mitaj and wounding of five others at the Imperial House banquet hall on Groesbeck Highway. Police said the shooting stemmed from a love triangle.
It is believed Vukcaj, who was an immediate suspect, quickly fled to Canada and was expected to try to return to his native Albania.
Vukcaj about two months ago was identified and caught in Montreal, and convicted of possessing a weapon after he tried to apply for government benefits under a false name, according to Clinton Township police and Macomb prosecutors. He was recently sentenced to 42 months in a Quebec prison.
An arrest warrant was reissued in October in 41B District Court in Clinton Township on 12 counts, including one count of first-degree, premeditated murder, five counts of attempted murder and weapons charges.
Extradition proceedings could start early next year, although officials aren't sure if Canadian officials will want Vukcaj to finish serving his term there.
The arrest provided a pleasant surprise for local law enforcement officials.
"Any time you get a suspect in custody and clear up a homicide case, it's always good," said township Capt. Rich Maierle. "We've been looking for this guy through the FBI and the Marshal's Service over the years."
Police believe the shooting may be related to a second murder in a parking lot next to the Imperial House nearly four years later. The body of Gezin Vukcaj, 32, a cousin of Kin Vukcaj, was found Jan. 28, 2008, in the front seat of his friend's Hummer in the parking lot of Tandem Tires, with a gunshot to the back of his head. Robbery was not a motive; police said Gezin Vukcaj was found with $400.
The case remains unsolved.
Gezin Vukcaj was involved in the events related to a dispute that originated from a romantic affair among Albanian families preceding Mitaj's murder in 2004, assistant Macomb prosecutor William Cataldo said.
"The Albanian community is a closed community that has a reputation for solving problems on its own," he said. "But you can't escape justice with us."
Township investigators in 2008 consulted with the federal Balkan Organized Crime Task Force, which investigates crimes originating from the Balkan area of Eastern Europe.
Both shootings occurred in the early morning hours during an Albanian music concert at the hall.
The five people wounded in the 2004 incident included two brothers and three cousins of the victim.
Police believe Vukcaj planned the 2004 shooting since he seemed to make efforts to deceive police. He booked a flight from Metropolitan Airport but it was canceled because he never paid for it. His vehicle was found at Dequindre Road and Metropolitan Parkway in Sterling Heights.
Police in the days following the incident surrounded a house on Pall Mall Drive in Sterling Heights and detained a cousin of Vukcaj, but the cousin was released.
Police executed a search warrant at an apartment complex on Garfield Road near Terra Bella in Clinton Township but the suspect was not found.
Mitaj's death shook the Albanian community. He owned a Hamtramck restaurant after previously owning a Sterling Heights restaurant. He was married and had two children.
Cataldo said when U.S. Department of Justice officials first learned of Vukcaj's arrest, they wanted to pursue an emergency extradition.
"There was some fear that he may be released on bond," he said.
But Vukcaj was prosecuted under Canada's strict gun laws.
"There's no fear he's going to take off," he said.
Federal officials will pursue the standard extradition process, which can take three to six months, he said.
The gun found with Vukcaj was not the suspected murder weapon, Maierle said.
"It's a different caliber," he said.


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Should 'Teen Mom' Jenelle's Mom Barbara Evans Really Have Custody of Baby Jace?
A family source tells HollywoodLife.com: 'I'm afraid for the baby's life.'
Teen Mom 2 cast member Jenelle Evans' history of arrests and mischief is well known already — and it's resulted in her mother Barbara being given temporary custody of Jenelle's 1-year-old son, Jace. But conversations with an Evans family source and a review of police records suggest that Barbara has had significant troubles of her own.
What's more, her difficult relationship with her own children call into question her suitability to be Jace's primary guardian.
"I'm afraid for the baby's life that Barbara [has] a hold of this baby," a family source with knowledge of the situation between Barbara, 57, and Jenelle, 19, tells HollyBaby.com exclusively. "Everybody thinks that she's such a wonderful person because she's trying to get the baby from Jenelle. People don't know her. Just keep watching the show, the true Barbara will come out."
Why did Jenelle give up custody?
On the MTV show, Barbara is shown constantly screaming at Jenelle and trying to gain control of situations.
Barbara and ex-husband Robert were divorced over ten years ago, and we're told that the relationship was turbulent. Once Barbara and Robert got divorced, she took the kids far away from the family and raised them on her own. And the three Evans children have all had brushes with the law.
Why Jenelle is worse than 'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood
As we were the first to tell you, Jenelle has a long arrest record for trespassing and marijuana possession. She's run away from home and even been involuntarily committed to the hospital.
Both of Jenelle's older siblings Ashleigh and Collin have had legal issues of their own — both involving their mother. Ashleigh, 22, was arrested on Sept. 26, 2006, for a Simple Physical Assault charge. "Subject was arrested after assaulting her mother," the arrest report reads. "Ms. Evans reported that her daughter Ashleigh had assaulted her. Ms. Evans said Ashleigh has mental problems and has not been taking her medication. Ashleigh got out of control and assaulted Ms. Evans and her younger sister [Jenelle]."
Cute pics from Jace's first birthday party
Collin, 21, was picked up on Mar. 3, 2007 and faced two charges of Injury to Personal Property and Injury to Real Property. "Upon receiving a report of a domestic disturbance, I arrived to find Barbara Evans and her son Collin arguing in the front yard," states the incident report. "Ms. Evans stated that Mr. Evans had been in an altercation with her boyfriend and punched and kicked his truck. [He also] shattered the front glass storm door." Collin was living in a "group home" at the time of the incident, according to the report.
"It sounds like this is incredibly dysfunctional and this kid's got like a zero percent chance of normalcy in being raised by the grandmother," family attorney Jeff Miller tells HollyBaby.com. "The mother, who got pregnant when she was a child, still is a child and doesn't know what she's doing and the grandmother doesn't seem fit."
"But, the ultimate overriding concern is what's in the best interest of the child," Jeff explains. "The court would have to look at the whole big picture: the mother, who is the mother of the child, and the grandmother and look at the whole situation, household — what's going on there. It may be that the court finds that neither of them are fit [to raise Jace]."
– Lindsey DiMattina
Get more HollyBaby news and gossip! Friend us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter and Subscribe to our Newsletter!


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Some fans turned off by antics of tennis players
LONGBOAT KEY — Wayne Odesnik's big win over Cedrik-Marcel Stebe on Wednesday afternoon was exciting and fun to watch.
It was also annoying for some.
"Why does he need a towel after every point," one spectator said. "He shouldn't be mean to the ball boy," said another, after Odesnik barked for a ball in the third set.
Pro tennis players can be peculiar in the way they behave on the court. Some yip and yell and curse in other languages (such as Argentines Facundo Arguello and Guido Pella), some throw rackets (Denys Molchanov of Ukraine) and some hit themselves in the head with their rackets when they are frustrated (Stebe).
Odesnik likes to call for a towel after every point. He also checks the strings on his racket after every point, often moving them around.
On Wednesday, he asked for new tennis balls twice and also re-gripped his racket three times. "It was hot out there," said a hairy-faced Odesnik after his impressive 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 second-round victory over Stebe at the $100,000 Sarasota Open. "I was sweating a lot so I had to re-grip."
Odesnik is also picky about other things. He says his schedule needs to be the same every match day: up at 8 a.m., eat at 9 a.m. and hit at 11:30 a.m. if a match is in the afternoon.
"It's all part of being a professional," Odesnik said. "It's really important for me to control the things that I can control."
If his rackets aren't strung correctly he admits he gets annoyed — "But you have to try to adapt to the situation," he said.
Against Stebe, he used a stellar forehand and well placed shots to climb back into the match. He was down, 3-2, in the deciding set but broke Stebe three times to win it.
Other players who advanced Wednesday in singles were Molchanov and Pella. Molchanov defeated Canadian Frank Dancevic, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) and Pella defeated China's Ze Zhang, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
Serbian Ilija Bozoljac teamed with Somdev Devvarman to win in doubles.
Bozoljac is considered a pest, too.
Apparently, he likes to bust chops. He told one ball boy Tuesday during his singles match, "You have to anticipate" the play. Later, he asked the chair umpire to tell his opponent to move more to the left during a serve.
After Bozoljac's match was over, a woman asked her friend "Who won?" The friend replied, "The Serbian guy I don't like."


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Weekend racing: Game On Dude was back on his game, a few folks had a big day in Florida and there was a big upset in Japan.
Those are the headlines. Now, the details:
Hollywood Park
Game On Dude got a much better trip in Saturday's $250,000, Grade III Native Diver Stakes than he endured in his seventh-place finish in last month's Breeders' Cup Classic and ground out a hard-fought, 1 1/4-length win over Nonios. Kettle Corn finished third, 4 1/4 lengths farther back and it was 10 more lengths to Richard's Kid in fourth. Make Music for Me completed the order of finish. Game On Dude, with Mike Smith up, ran 9 furlongs on the all-weather track in 1:52.27.
Game On Dude, a 5-year-old Awesome Again gelding has had an interesting year, worthy of a Hollywood B-movie plot, with five wins -- all in graded stakes -- but a 12th-place showing in the Dubai World Cup, that Breeders' Cup flop caused by a bad start and a tough beat by Dullahan in the Pacific Classic. He also was the subject of a high-visibility jockey change from the now-retired Chantal Sutherland, first to Rafael Bejarano and then, Saturday, to Smith while Bejarano moved to Richard's Kid -- a horse Baffert lost in another controversial, mid-year ownership change. "It's just a shame," Baffert said, "that he had all those great races all year long and then had a bad trip in the Breeders' Cup. But it's a new day today."
Smiling Tiger came from off the pace to win Sunday's $100,000, Grade III Vernon O. Underwood Stakes by a length over the early leader, Private Zone. Capital Account finished third. Fast Bullet was a late scratch. Smiling Tiger, a 5-year-old son of Hold That Tiger who finished third in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, ran 6 furlongs on the all-weather track in 1:11.24 with Bejarano in the irons. It was his first win in exactly 18 months, dating back to the Grade I Triple Bend Handicap over the same track. Trainer Jeff Bonde said the horse has had recurring throat issues and he was all-out to make it back to the races for the Breeders' Cup. "We'll try to space his races," he added, "because we're hoping to take him to Dubai."
Reneesgotzip stalked the pace in Saturday's $65,000, off-the-turf Skillful Joy Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, then caught pacesetting Nachez Dawn in the final strides to win by a neck. Curvy Cat finished third. Reneesgotzip, a Kentucky-bred City Zip filly, ran 6 furlongs on the all-weather surface in 1:13.05 with Garrett Gomez up.
Gulfstream Park
Saturday's Claiming Crown series was not kind to the chalk players as only one of the seven favorites won and only two even made it into the money. It was, however, an excellent day for trainer Mike Maker, who brought a small herd to the first-ever Gulfstream Park edition of the Claiming Crown and came away with four wins.
The races all were for horses who had raced for a specified-level claiming tag during 2011or 2012. With added purse money and the allure of opening day at Gulfstream, the series drew unprecedented attention, including live broadcast on the Horse Racing Radio Network.
The series got off to a formful enough start as Tiban, the favorite under Calvin Borel, rallied from a rough start and was up in time to win the $100,000 Express by a half length over Pot of Gold. Country Gun finished third. Tiban, who last started at Churchill Downs for trainer Tim Glyshaw, finished 6 furlongs in 1:09.91. He is a 5-year-old Flatter gelding.
Things started to go south for the chalk players, and well for Maker, in the second race as Brother Bird came from just behind early leader Jazzit to win the $100,000 Iron Horse by 3/4 of a length over that rival. The favorite, Follow the Leader, finished third and that was the last time a favorite would be seen in the top three finishers for the remainder of the day. Brother Bird, a 5-year-old Yonaguska gelding, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.58 with Joel Rosario up. He last raced at Keeneland.
Maker, Rosario and Keeneland scored another mild upset in the $100,000 Rapid Transit as Bernie the Maestro drew off in the stretch to win by 3 3/4 lengths over Off the Jak. Won Fast Bullet finished third and the favorite, Peb Hughes, struggled home eighth. Bernie the Maestro, a 5-year-old Bernstein gelding, ran 7 furlongs in 1:21.60.
The home team got in a lick in the $100,000 Glass Slipper for fillies and mares going 7 furlongs as Starship Truffles upset nine rivals, kicking clear late to win by 4 lengths over Come Sunday. Ridden by Luis Saez, Starship Truffles was clocked in 1:22.26. Trained by Marty Wolfson, she had made her last-previous start at Calder.
It was Maker again as Starsilhouette surged from last of 12 to upset the $125,000 Tiara, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Malibu Yankee. Fleur de Lilly finished third while the favorite, Silver Screamer, quietly checked in 10th. Starsilhouette, a 5-year-old Orientate mare coming off a Keeneland race, got the 1 1/16 miles on firm Gulfstream turf in 1:42.85 while toting Alan Garcia.
Nikki's Sandcastle rallied from a pace-stalking trip to post a minor upset in the $125,000 Emerald, winning by a head over Major Marvel with Exclusive Strike third. The favorite, King David, finished third and fellow graded-stakes veteran King Kreesa finished 10th after clipping heels shortly after the start. Nikki's Sandcastle, a 5-year-old Castledale gelding, got the 1 1/16 miles on the green course in 1:43.13 for Corey Lanerie.
Maker closed out the day with his fourth win as Parent's Honor rallied from far back in the featured $200,000 Jewel, split rivals in the stretch run and won by 3/4 of a length over Dominant Jeannes. Flatter This was third and the favorite, Private Tale, settled for fourth after bobbling at the start and then leading briefly in the late going. Parent's Honor, a 4-year-old Elusive Quality gelding, ran 9 furlongs with Garcia up in 1:50.03.
Owner Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey also had a good day in the Florida sun, winning four of the seven races, including the Jewel.
On Sunday, Bahamian Squall took over in the stretch run of the $60,000 Sunshine State Sdtakes for Florida-breds, drawing off to win by 3 1/2 lengths over Fort Loudon. Close it Out finished third. Bahamian Squall, a 3-year-old Gone West colt, got 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:21.12 with Luis Saez up.
Calder Race Course
Philly Ace nailed pacesetting favorite Hollinger approaching the wire in Friday's $100,000, Grade III Tropical Turf Handicap, winning by a half length. Empire Builder chugged in third. Philly Ace a 4-year-old Smart Strike gelding, raced off the pace until early in the stretch run, came out to get a clear shot and the run was timed just right by jockey Luis Saez. The 9 furlongs on firm turf went in 1:49.22. "The trainer told me that the horse liked being along the rail," Saez said. "So I broke good and I took him right there."
Earlier on the program, long shot Closing Range led all the way to a handy, 2 3/4-length victory over Ciao Bella in the $100,000, Grade III La Prevoyante Handicap for fillies and mares, completing the 1 1/2 miles on the grass in 2:27.54. Ciao Bella finished second and the favorite, Havant, settled for third. Closing Range paid $41.80 to win. "That was the plan, to put her on the lead," winning rider Elvis Trujillo said. "She broke sharp and I got her to relax as best she could."
Zia Park
Forest Mouse surged to the lead turning for home in Sunday's $200,000 Zia Parak Distance Championship, opened a daylight lead and coasted home first by 3/4 of a length over Red Lead. California invader Hurricane Lake finished third. Forest Mouse, a 4-year-old, Kentucky-bred colt by Teton Forest, ran 9 furlongs on a fast track in 1:50.76 with Ry Eikleberry riding.
In Sunday's $120,000 New Mexico Eddy County Stakes for state-bred 2-year-olds, Jenson's Miracle dueled down the lane with Indication N M before posting the upset win by a nose. Keagan's Way finished third. Jenson's Miracle, a Rocket Included gelding, ran the mile on a fast track in 1:41.40 with Enrique Gomez in the irons.
Ole Winedrinker Who came from off the pace to win Saturday's $150,000 Zia Park Derby by 3 3/4 lengths over Master Rick. Alsvid, the favorite, settled for third. Ole Winedrinker Who, a Texas-bred Sligo Bay gelding, finished 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.42 with Carlos Madeira up.
Laurel Park
Whiskey Romeo, the prohibitive favorite, stumbled at the start of Saturday's $100,000 Marylander Stakes for 2-year-olds but then had no further problem. The Kentucky-bred Forestry colt rallied quickly to the front and went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths over Amerigo Vespucci. Hamp finished third. Whiskey Romeo, with Stewart Elliott up, ran the 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:25.10. He now has three straight wins, all by substantial margins, for trainer Richard Dutrow and needs to be included in any discussion of next year's Kentucky Derby.
Eighttofasttocatch lived up to his name in Saturday's $100,000 Jennings Handicap fr Maryland-breds, leading most of the way to a 5 1/2-length win over the favorite, Hello Lover. Charge finished third. Eighttofasttocatch, a 6-year-old Not for Love gelding, ran the mile on a fast track in 1:37.86 under Sheldon Russell. He was winning for the 11th time in 37 starts but the first time since last March.
Hawthorne Race Course
My Option raced just behind the first flight early in Saturday's $125,000 Pat Whitworth Illinois Debutante for state-bred 2-year-old fillies, came four-wide to the lead and went on to win by 4 1/2 lengths over Indygo Kiss. C'mon Feet failed her win and place backers, finishing third. My Option, by Belong to Me, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:48.75 with Eddie Perez up. It was her first start on the dirt but trainer Chris Block said he worked My Option carefully for the start and was not surprised at the result. "In those works, she handled the dirt well," he said. "My biggest concern was how she would settle today."
Avie's Quality rallied from well back to win Saturday's $150,000 (Canadian) Display Stakes for 2-year-olds by 1 1/4 lengths over My Name is Michael. Clearly Now finished third. Avie's Quality, a Kentucky-bred Elusive Quality colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather track in 1:43.25 with Luis Contreras in the irons.
Pyrite Mountain put a nose in front of the early leader, Power Phil, at just the right time to win Sunday's $125,000 (Canadian) Kingarvie Stakes for Ontario-sired 2-year-olds by a nose. Jade Dragon finished 4 lengths further in arrears in third. Pyrite Mountain, a Silent Name colt, got 1 1/16 miles on the all-weather track in 1:45.46 with Patrick Husbands riding.
Fifty Proof led the way in Sunday's $125,000 (Canadian) Sir Barton Stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and up and held the advantage to the wire. Head Honcho finished second, 1 1/4 lengths behind, and Bobcaygeon was third. Fifty Proof, a 6-year-old Whiskey Wisdom gelding, ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.46 for jockey Justin Stein.
Miss Valentine got by pacesetting Jitney in the stretch drive in Sunday's $75,000 Lotsa Talc Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares and went on to win by 1 1/4 lengths over that rival. Lady on the Run finished third. Miss Valentine, a 4-year-old Afleet Alex filly, got the 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.38 with Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons.
Singlet moved to the lead on the stretch turn in Saturday's $75,000 Garland of Roses Handicap for fillies and mares and went on to win by 1 1/4 lengths over the favorite, Kid Kate. Delightful Quality was home third. Singlet, a 3-year-old Real Quiet filly, ran the 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.75 with Mike Luzzi in the irons.
Tampa Bay Downs
Purple Egg wore down pacesetting favorite Brave Dave in the stretch run in Saturday's $75,000 Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds and won by a length over that rival. Capital City was a length farther back in third. Purple Egg, a Kentucky-bred Lion Heart gelding, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.93 for jockey Roberto Alvarado Jr. He now has won all three of his starts and, if he can handle the stretch out to two turns, could enter the Derby picture. "This is really going to be a two-turn horse, I believe," winning trainer Jane Cibelli said. "Today was a very impressive performance -- 1:09 on this race track -- and I think he is the real deal." She said Purple Egg will be pointed to the $250,000, Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes on the same track on Groundhog Day.
Cor Cor set a blistering pace in Saturday's $75,000 Sandpiper Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, then held on in the lane to win by a half length over Vitameta. It was another half length back to R Free Roll in third. Cor Cor, a Florida-bred Smoke Glacken filly, got the 6 furlongs in 1:10.02 with Scott Spieth up. She now has two wins from two starts, the first coming over the Keeneland all-weather track. "She could be any kind of good," Spieth said. "She is so fast getting out of the gate and wants to run -- not crazy fast but kind of controlled fast."
Golden Gate Fields
Marks Mine was quickly in front in Saturday's $50,000 Golden Gate Debutante for 2-year-old fillies and held off the odds-on favorite, Ciao Bella Luna, at the end for a 1 1/4-length victory. My Lil Shamrock finished third. Marks Mine, a daughter of Benchmark, ran 6 furlongs on the all-weather track in 1:09.78 with Abel Cedillo handling the reins.
Turfway Park
Slim Shadey's Lady opened up a big lead early in the stretch run of Saturday's $50,000 Holiday Inaugural Stakes for fillies and mares, then survived the late run of the favorite, Queen's Award, to win by a neck. Lotta Lovin finished third. Slim Shadey's Lady, dispatched at odds of 36-1, covered 6 furlongs on the northern Kentucky all-weather track in five aces -- 1:11.11 -- with Ben Creed up. She is a 3-year-old, Indiana-bred Spanish Steps filly.
Charles Town
Queen'o'daball came from the back of the pack in Saturday's $50,000 West Virginia Futurity for state-bred juvenile fillies and kicked clear in the stretch to win by 5 3/4 lengths over Landon Did It. Golden Style finished third. Queen'o'daball, a Windsor Castle filly, got 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:27.56 under Antonio Lopez.
In the males division, Cinderella'spalace also came from off the pace and went on to win by a length over Roy's Song. Mr. Ripken finished third. Cinderella'spalace, a Windsor Castle gelding, got home in 1:28.26, also with Lopez in the irons.
Remington Park
Chuck rallied from a pace-stalking trip to win Friday's $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes for state-bred 2-year-olds by 1 1/4 lengths over the pacesetting favorite, Shirley Elizabeth. Bob Fudge took show money. Chuck, an Evansville Slew colt, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.32 with Lindey Wade up.
Rah Rah Rachel came from far back in Friday's $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes Fillies and put a nose in front on the wire to post the win. Black Ocean just missed after a tough stretch battle and Really Okie finished third. Rah Rah Rachel, a daughter of Air Commander, ran 6 furlongs in 1:13.80 under David Cardoso.
Nihonpiro Ours sprung the upset in Sunday's Group 1 Japan Cup Dirt at Hanshin, shooting to the front with 200 meters to go and drawing off easily to win by 3 1/2 lengths in course-record time of 1:48.8. Wonder Acute finished second and Hokko Tarumae got home third. It was the first Group 1 win for Nihonpiro Ours, a 5-year-old son of White Muzzle. "The race development was just perfect," winning trainer Yuki Ohashi said. "The jockey waited to make [his] bid, which was later than usual, and this is when I was sure that our horse was going to win the race. We took ample time to improve his form, and our efforts have at last been rewarded."


text:
CHEARS: False
EARS: True
CMT: False
EARS2 Encyclopedia: False
EARS: Machine Translation / MySQL (beta) at CHEARSdotinfo.co.uk
Musical composition is a complex process combining several discrete activities. Traditionally, disciplines such as harmony, counterpoint and orchestration have been regarded as distinct, though related, areas. Furthermore, each is characterised by a priori systems of classification and organisation. However, in the environment of the electroacoustic studio such systems are frequently entirely inappropriate and the composer appears to be confronted with repertories of sounds and techniques lacking both order and clarity. Pierre Schaeffer's "Programme de la Recherche Musicale" (or PROGREMU) is a response to this situation. PROGREMU consists of five interdependent stages by which musical composition mediated by technology can be approached systematically. Recorded sound objects are classified and described according to their perceived features. These procedures facilitate the grouping of sound objects and, potentially, the promotion of any characteristic to the role of a principal articulator of structure. Separate activities can, therefore, still be identified. However, the electroacoustic medium encourages a reassessment of their functions and relationships. Consequently, PROGREMU elaborates, rather than rejects, already systematised traditional activities.
PROGREMU comprises a system of five interdependent stages: typology, morphology, characterology, analysis and synthesis. By means of typology and morphology sound objects are isolated from their context, classified and described. These are the most detailed, taxonomic stages of the programme. Thereafter, according to characterology, sounds can be grouped in "genres" and, by analysis, their potential for musical structures can be assessed. With this information the composer can synthesise new sound objects. Each stage has a specific function but is subservient to the ultimate aim - musical composition. (Source - John Dack, "Systematising the Unsystematic" - Paper presented at the Arts Symposium of the International Conference for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics, Baden-Baden, Germany, August, 1999)
EARS 2: MT / MySQL (beta) at CHEARSdotinfo.co.uk
参看其它/See Also
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text:
Testify at the Center in The Buffalo News
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Underground culture is focus of Burchfield Penney festival by Colin Dabkowski
Read more at http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130110/LIFE/130119980/1031
The Burchfield Penney Art Center kicks off a four-day festival today at 6 p.m. highlighting Western New York's contributions to national underground culture.
The festival, dubbed "Testify" and linked to the Burchfield Penney exhibitions "Spain: Rock, Roll Rumbles and Revolution" and "McCallum/Tarry: Intersections," which are closing soon, is the first in a new quarterly series of four-day "launches."
The concept, which Burchfied director Anthony Bannon announced as part of a series of initiatives at the museum Tuesday, is an evolution of the Burchfield Penney's former biannual "RendezBlue" festivals. According to Don Metz, the center's associate director for public programs and the main organizer of "Testify," this programming will be more ambitious and wide-ranging.
"The 'RendezBlue' [events] were tight in terms of dealing with a single artist or a single exhibition. These are broad, and they focus more on cultural themes like the environment," Metz said.
"Testify" will include the presentation of a film by director A.P. Ferullo that is headed for the Toronto International Film Festival, as well as performances from photographer Ralph Gibson and singer and poet Ed Sanders of the storied folk-satire band The Fugs.
The weekend will also be filled with special presentations and lectures, from a talk with artists Jacqueline Tarry and Bradley McCallum to a presentation of the film "El Che," about Ernesto "Che" Guevara – a key figure in the Rodriguez show – introduced by Burchfield Penney associate curator and Buffalo State College professor Albert Michaels.
Visitors, Metz said, will get "a broad view of underground culture and some of the people from Western New York who were important in that movement in the '60s and '70s."
A closer look at the events:
• 8 p.m. today: A screening of A.P. Ferullo's newest film, "Unrepentant," about a strange vacation shared by a mother and her young son and starring Yuri Lowenthal and Arianne Recto. The film will have its official premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. But Ferullo, who grew up in Williamsville and created the beloved neon tango dancers sign at Elmwood Avenue and Bidwell Parkway before making a name for himself in New York City and beyond, will present a preview of the film to local audiences. The museum will also screen two more of Ferullo's films, "We Wish to Thank..." from 1971 and "The unanimous Declaration of the 13 united States of America" from 1975, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
• 8 p.m. Friday: A performance by renowned photographer Ralph Gibson, whose instantly recognizable high-contrast photographs appear in many major international collections and whose 30-plus photography books have influenced the field of art photography over the past half-century. He'll present his original film, photography and guitar piece "Ich Bin die Nacht (I am the Night)."
• 8 p.m. Saturday: A performance by Ed Sanders, the singer, poet and writer responsible for major works such as "The Family," a look at the cult of Charles Manson. Sanders also chronicled the Beat generation in his four-volume "Tales of Beatnik Glory." Sanders was the leader of the '60s folk-satire outfit The Fugs, published a famous underground magazine with an unprintable name, and has won the American Book Award as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim foundation and the National Foundation for the Arts.
The weekend also includes a discussion on the alternative press with Artvoice editor Geoff Kelly and "Spain" co-curator and Hallwalls Director Edmund Cardoni at 2 p.m. Saturday, a visual poetry performance by Steve McCaffery and Michael Basinski at 4 p.m. Saturday, and a conversation with artists McCallum, Tarry and curator Scott Propeak at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
A full list of the weekend's activities is online at www.burchfieldpenney.org. Admission to the center is $10 for adults; free with membership. Parking is available nearby on the Buffalo State College.


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Does anyone invest with a local Edward Jones branch? I don't typically frequent my broker's office, but happened to stop in for some paperwork. I noticed he had posted the IL no firearms sign on his door. So went to another EJ office here in town and there also was posted.
I reviewed the list of forbidden zones and cannot come up with anything that would indicate that this type of office is "required" to post.
Does anyone else invest with these guys and does anyone know if it is their choice to be posting or is it required, something I'm possibly missing in the list?
It's corporate policy that ALL Edward Jones offices get posted. I will not do business with them.


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Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 (Mid-scale RI-1) NSF Wide Programs
|Randy L. Phelps
|(703) 292-8040
|Robert D. Fleischmann
|(703) 292-7191
|Deepankar (Deep) Medhi
|(703) 292-8950
|R. Steven Turley
|Paul A. Lane
|(703) 292-2453
|Michael E. Jackson
|(703) 292-8033
|Richard E. Barvainis
|(703) 292-4891
|Joseph Whitmeyer
|Maija M. Kukla
|(703) 292-4940
PROGRAM GUIDELINESSolicitation 19-537
Important Information for Proposers
A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1), is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after June 1, 2020. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 20-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
In 2016, the National Science Foundation (NSF) unveiled a set of "Big Ideas," 10 bold, long-term research and process ideas that identify areas for future investment at the frontiers of science and engineering (see https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/big_ideas/index.jsp). The Big Ideas represent unique opportunities to position our Nation at the cutting edge of global science and engineering leadership by bringing together diverse disciplinary perspectives to support convergence research. As such, when responding to this solicitation, even though proposals must be submitted to the Office of Integrative Activities, once received, the proposals will be managed by a cross-disciplinary team of NSF Program Directors.
Please consult NSF's Large Facilities Manual (LFM) and its successor to be published as the Major Facilities Guide (MFG) for definitions of terms used in this solicitation, such as the Project Execution Plan. Note that Project Execution Plans should be appropriate for the complexity of the project, and may not require all of the elements described in the LFM/MFG.
NSF-supported science and engineering research increasingly relies on cutting-edge infrastructure. With its Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program and Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) projects, NSF supports infrastructure projects at the lower and higher ends of infrastructure scales across science and engineering research disciplines. The Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Big Idea is intended to provide NSF with an agile, Foundation-wide process to fund experimental research capabilities in the mid-scale range between the MRI and MREFC thresholds.
Within Mid-scale RI-1, proposers may submit two types of projects, "Implementation" and "Design". Design and Implementation projects may comprise any combination of equipment, infrastructure, computational hardware and software, and necessary commissioning. Design includes planning (preliminary and final design) of research infrastructure with an anticipated total project cost that is appropriate for future Mid-scale RI-1, Mid-scale RI-2 or MREFC-class investments. Mid-scale RI-1 uses an inclusive definition of implementation, which can include traditional stand-alone construction or acquisition and can include a degree of advanced development leading immediately to final system acquisition and/or construction.Mid-scale RI-1 "Implementation" projects may have a total project cost ranging from $6 million up to below $20 million. Projects must directly enable advances in fundamental science, engineering or science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education research in one or more of the research domains supported by NSF. Implementation projects may support new or upgraded research infrastructure. Only Mid-scale RI-1 "Design" projects may request less than $6 million, with a minimum request of $600,000 and a maximum request below $20 million as needed to prepare for a future mid-scale or larger infrastructure implementation project. (Successful award of a Mid-scale RI-1 design project does not imply NSF commitment to future implementation of that project.)
Note: Mid-scale research infrastructure projects beyond the Mid-scale RI-1 program limit are anticipated to be separately solicited by a Mid-scale RI-2 program.
Mid-scale RI-1 emphasizes strong scientific merit and response to an identified need of the research community. Demonstrated technical and managerial experience is required for both design and implementation projects, as are well-developed plans for student training and the involvement of a diverse workforce in all aspects of mid-scale activities.
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)


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Red Sox RP Uehara added to AL All-Star roster
BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox reliever Koji Uehara has been added to the AL roster for the All-Star Game.
He replaces New York Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka, who was placed on the disabled list on Wednesday.
It's the first major league All-Star selection for Uehara. He was honored for the Yomiuri Giants in Japan eight times.
The 39-year-old closer is 4-2 with 18 saves and a 1.30 ERA this season.
Uehara joins left-hander Jon Lester as the Boston representatives for next week's game in Minneapolis.


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A collection of scholarly works about individual liberty and free markets. A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.
1865 - 1921
Historical Period:
The 19th Century
Teixeira de Mattos ( 1865-1921) was a Dutch born translator and journalist who made a name for his translations of classic French works into English. These included books by Zola, Tocqueville, and Chateaubriand.


text:
From @BillShaikin:
Confirmed: Garvey/Hershiser group not selected to advance in #Dodgers bidding.
Go Magic!
Random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.
From @BillShaikin:
Confirmed: Garvey/Hershiser group not selected to advance in #Dodgers bidding.
Go Magic!
Please no Magic.
Dammit, Dad was the only chance we had to get into the Owner's Suite.
Legally, that is.
I always wanted to get into Jamie's suite.
Did you mean "box"?
Yes. Yes I did.
Or her suite box.
MB is sad. At least we know they really cared about this team and would have done whatever they could to turn it around.
Say "No" to Stan.
I didn't want to waste a post on an asshole ex-Phillie/Giant, but I did want to give a shout-out to my man Fred's Brim as he celebrates the retirement of Fat Pat Burrell.
What makes Burrell an asshole?
No new posts since Saturday? Seriously since the addition of the new Sons I was expecting more content on this blog. So much for that.
Thanks, Hideo. I would have commented earlier but I've been doing a victory jig since the announcement. But something tells me this isn't the end of the AdChoices ads on this site that try to sell me his jersey. Maybe if we never utter his name again...
Sorry, Spank. All three new Sons, as well as Sax, are getting hit with real life work nonsense simultaneously. Stick with us, and we'll all get through it together. Kumbaya and all that.


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In an ode to their name and the winter season, August Burns Red has announced — albeit secretly — the Frozen Flame Tour. Gather what you can from the video…
Forward Under a Dying Sun
Most of these days, the sun rises and sets on a world that feels like it's dying. Across the pond, where Employed to Serve calls home, they're learning how to support their latest record a year into its release. HM contributor Andrew Voigt recently sat down with Justine Jones to learn more about the band, marrying your bandmates, and their outside shot at touring with Rammstein.Full Feature More from Employed to Serve
Evolution Beyond Dissonance
Two years since the release of Hands Like Houses' latest album, 'Anon,' the band should be on the road supporting the release. Instead, the band has leveraged their local presence, government help, and new platforms like Patreon to stay afloat in the COVID-age.Full Feature More from Hands Like Houses
Between the White Noise
My Epic's last full-length album came out in 2013; despite a number of EPs along the way, the band's dedication to their craft, lyrical approach, and unyielding approach to let the music come naturally has made them critical darlings. Now, they're learning to interact and feed a rabid fanbase in between albums and in a new normal.Full Feature More from My Epic
HM Magazine Turns 35
In 1985, Doug Van Pelt photocopied a letter-sized sheets of paper, bound them together, and handed them out in person on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It's all digital now, but, along the way, Van Pelt stirred up quite a few waves, played some seriously heavy music, and made a few friends along the way. Here: A quick look back at the magazine's 35-year history with Van Pelt and new owner, David Stagg.Full Feature More from HM Magazine


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Terracotta Khôl
Loose Powder Kohl
Oriental kohl for smouldering eyes
Indisponible -
The legendary Terracotta Khôl is the promised land for enchanting and mysterious eyes. For summer, the eyes slip into a halo of mystery. Inspired by traditional oriental kohls, this loose powder by Guerlain makes the eyes look bigger and deeper than ever. Highly concentrated with pigments, Terracotta Khôl comes in sublime shades strewn with glimmers of mother-of-pearl in warm, captivating colours.
The luxurious and refined jewel tube is topped with a Moorish-style golden seal and features an applicator stick, a homage to the traditional kohl used by women of the desert. Seduction becomes magnetic...
The line is clean and precise. The result is natural and adjustable with a smoky or sophisticated effect.
Terracotta Khôl comes in two intense oriental shades: Noir and Bleu.
Terracotta Khôl can be used in two different ways:
- Eastern-style: take the stick from the tube and glide it between closed eyelids for flickering eyes...
- Western-style: apply the powder to the eye contour to outline the eyes and make them look bigger. The line is easy to apply for an intense and velvety gaze.


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Two left-handers…
First, as has hit the wires earlier today, we signed veteran left-hander Ron Mahay to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training. He had a lot of success against lefties last year, allowing just two extra base hits and two walks to 66 lefty hitters last year in Minnesota. Obviously he'll compete with guys like Scott Elbert as the potential "second lefty" out of the bullpen.
Meanwhile, speaking of southpaws, a pretty good one stopped by our office earlier today. We interviewed him for a bunch of features down the road and gave him the award he won last week at the Southern California Sports Broadcasters luncheon. Recognize this guy?
37 Comments
It's got to be Fernando.
Ned's really doing his job – we're getting loaded for bear for our AAA team. Must be because we don't have anybody to promote from our lower minors.
Way to go, Ned, you *****!!!
LMAO….I thought they were bringing Fernado back to pitch!!!!
Another 40 year old pitcher, they might as well bring back Fernando. Those were the days when the Dodgers were good, and then they weren't the laughing stock their owner has made them today.
Crap. I thought this one wouldn?t be released for awhile but with Ned, these signings are daily. SOOOO I give you Hank Williams Sr., Hey Good Lookin?:
Hey, hey, Ned?s lookin?,
Its oldies he?s bookin?
How?s about bookin? somethin? that?s not free?
Pushin? up daisies
Slow, fat or lazy
Can?t you find us a better recipe?
The roster?s as queeer as a three-dollar bill
And most of his signs are over the hill
Their poop has popt, but their hand?s in the till
Only way they?re a hit?s with the cream or a pill
Hey, Ned?s lookin?
Oldies he?s bookin
How?s about lookin? somethins? that?s not free?
Kids at the ready
Not for ol? Neddy
With this team the parking should be free
Whenever Ned?s lookin?
Oldies get tookin?
Likes to keep vet?rans in his company
Need guys who rake and put it over the fence
Ned he tries but he ain?t got no sense
Ol? Joe he quit cuz things got too tense
And Franky just smiles cuz the fans pay the rents
So hey, Ned?s lookin?
Oldies he?s bookin?
How?s about hookin? somethin? that?s wur-thee?
�NedCo Broken Records 2011
Fantastic, Enchanted!!!!!!
Enchanted amazes again!!!
Thank you ladies!
Bear – love your comment!!
Actually, Mahay's not a bad sign to a minor league deal. He was super tough on lefties last year, and it keeps Elbert honest if he wants a ML job. For a change its a no lose situation for Ned. (Did I just say that?)
Oh, my, Enchanted is becoming a *****-cat!
"Whenever Ned?s lookin?
Oldies get tookin?
Likes to keep vet?rans in his company"
Friggin' GREAT! I never would have thought to use "tookin'" to rhyme with "lookin'". That's why you are the master.
Pause, whilst I bow.
The DodgerLyrics count update: 625 songs.
Enchanted's contribution: I know the number will embarrass you. So, in true baseball fashion, you're hitting a hair over .275. In this case, .275 is a HOF number.
Wow Enchanted! amazing! 172 songs for you! wow! like Eric, I will also bow to the master!
JOSH! question. Why was Jaime on an arm sling during the Southern California Sports Broadcasters luncheon? Is he OK now? Thanks for the info and again congratulations to Fernando.
I can't belive they censored my word for kitty-cat (mine started with a P and ends with Y). With everything we say here, that was bleeped! I think they are the ones with the dirty minds!
Hi tru! Remember when we found that they censor the word for a large hamberger from Burger King?
He hit a ******** .200 last season. The Burger King hamburger even with an "ing" at the end has the same result 🙂
I do remember!
However, there are ways around it – pussycat or pusssy cat should work, as should ********. Hence queeer above also. Its really quite silly considering all the alternate spellings you could do to any 4-letter word and still get your meaning across.
Wow – surprised an extra "P" in whhopper didn't work.
Oooo, that reminds me of a trivia question:
Who hit a ******** .200 last season?
A) Dioner Navarro
B) Juan Uribe
C) Tony Gwynn
D) Gabe Kapler
E) Eugenio Velez
F) Juan Castro
G) All of the above
And while we're in a trivial mood………
What were Ned's free agent pickups during the '10 – '11 off-season?
A) Dioner Navarro
B) Juan Uribe
C) Tony Gwynn
D) Gabe Kapler
E) Eugenio Velez
F) Juan Castro
G) All of the above
Funny, the most excitement I've gotten out of the Dodgers' offseason was generated by the announcement that the Dodgers are asking fans to vote on which Throwback uniform will be worn for 6 home games this year.
And my favorite old-time Brooklyn Jersey is up for election, the 1911 Dodgers jersey.
Why is this my favorite? Because it's one of the most distinctive jerseys in baseball history. The block lettered "BROOKLYN" down the button placket was a great old-time look.
And the Dodgers owned the pinstripes in the NYC area before those pesky New York Americans stole them away.
The other two jerseys have their strong points, with 1931's white w/ powder blue piped cap with the traditional "B", and the 40's satin alternates having the traditionally well-known Brooklyn hat, and being one of the most innovative jersey ideas in baseball.
Major drawbacks for me include:
1931: What a BORING jersey. Looks like a high school team, too plain for today's crowd. If we're gonna throwback our look, it should be something sharp.
1940's satin: I doubt (or at least hope) that the team would make the jerseys in satin, as there was a reason that teams don't wear satin jerseys for night games today, not the most optimal choice for sporting events. If they did make them in satin, that'd be a HUGE adjustment for the team. If they didn't make them in satin, then we'd look like the Kansas City Royals or Toronto Blue Jays.
Major drawback for both: Powder Blue does not equal Dodger Blue. And even 100 years ago, the 1911 jersey had that.
Distinctive, yet familiar.
Voting starts Monday. I might do some campaigning, heheheh…. after work.
Eric – I would think that just about everyone above "hit" at or below the Mendoza line with the exception of Uribe, whose numbers were Herculean in comparison to the others. That of course makes them all fodder for Ned, ye of the worthless signings.
e, one of us was reading the other's mind. I just finished "looking it up". I was being a little sarcastic, but very close to the truth.
Dioner Navarro – 24 for 124; .194
Juan Uribe – 129 for 521; .248
Tony Gwynn – 59 for 289; .204
Gabe Kapler – 26 for 124; .210
Eugenio Velez – 9 for 55; .164
Juan Castro – 25 for 129; .194
Totals – 272 for 1242; .219
Subtract the Thorian (I like Thor better than Hercules) Uribe numbers:
143 for 721; .198
Oh…… north, I agree on the 1911 jersey. Much better for oldtime baseball, plus it's exactly 100 years ago.
Yeah Eric, those 1911's are sharp. Wonder if the Dodgers would ever consider doing a throwback of an area PCL team. Even though we own the PCL Angels, NO WAY we could/would-want-to get away with that.
Hollywood Stars throwbacks would be nice… if they didn't include those softball shorts the Stars wore for a couple of years.
Imagine this: The Dodgers dressed as the Stars, the Anaheim Angels dressed as the Steve-Bilko Angels, one night only, interleague game, complete with throwback Stars-Angels bench-clearing brawl…
I'm more than fine with the Brooklyn throwbacks, that's our lineage, and if it wasn't for the will of Robert Moses, they'd still be in Brooklyn, and us Angelino fans would be used to losing with the Angels or SenaTwins to kick around… as well as the DH.
Any of the three jerseys would be a million times improvement over the Brooklyn-wordmark-on-21st-century- home-whites.
And if anyone was interested, Paul Lukas ( of http://www.uniwatchblog.com )got the scoop on how the team would be handling the manufacturing of the old-time jerseys…
"I?m sure you all figured out the answer to this already, but I just called the Dodgers and asked whether the throwback based on the satin uni would actually be rendered in satin.
The answer: ?All the throwbacks would be produced with modern fabrics.?
So the satin uni would just be a basic powder blue. Maybe just as well, since these throwbacks are going to be worn in day games, which means there?d be no point in wearing the satin uni anyway.
No Royals unis for me, thanks. Pine tar or no pine tar.
Chavez signed a minor league deal with the Yankees. I guess at 33 he was to young for Ned, now if he was 43 he'd be worth a shot.
north state has hit on a good idea. There are probably a few people around that remember Gilmore Field. My education started there from my Dad and the other fans sitting around us. The Stars navy blue jerseys were very cool.
Hello Gang!!! Hope everyone is doing well!!! Great comments and posts. I've enjoyed reading you all. Outstanding song Beav!!! Well, just a couple of more weeks and we get this show on the road. Time to stop talking and play some baseball. Go Dodgers!!!! I like our chances in the NL West as well as anyone at this juncture. All the teams in our division have glaring weaknesses. We really need for Ethier, Kemp, Loney, and Brox to step it up and get it done or were're toast. Also, we need Furcal to stay healthy. And pray Kuo doesn't blow out his elbow!!!!
Hey Jhall! I was hoping we would hear from you. All that winter weather back east looks pretty bad from our California perspective. Can't wait for Dodger baseball to start. You are right. It's time for our young studs to do what they do best!
12 days until Dodger pitchers and catchers report 🙂
Hi'Ya Nelly!!! Thanks!! Always nice to see/read you my friend. Just about 4 or 5 more weeks of winter here. Were're on the homestretch. Actually it has been a rather mild winter here overall. Not out of the woods yet, but we can see see the light of Spring at the end of the tunnel. Hope all is well with you and your family. Go Dodgers!!!!
That's good to know Jhall. Everything is going well here. High school baseball games are starting up in a week or so, which I always look forward to. However, alot of decisions to make in regards to Michael playing baseball at the next level. It's exciting and crazy all at the same time 🙂
Good to hear also Nelly!! Good luck to Michael and all the best to you and yours!!! :)))
Thanks Jhall!!!! Same to you :)))
Thanks Jhall!!!! Same to you :)))
I believe this tune has been done before, I?m thinking by dodgereric (my apologies for re-using), but I heard this on an oldies station the other day and as my twisted mind would have it, a few lines kept rattling around in my head until they had to come out. Johnny Horton, The Battle of New Orleans :
In two-zero-zero-five we hired us a drip,
Mustachio?d PR man who could spin himself a quip
He hires him some players that are moldier than cheese
And those that aren?t so smelly are the one?s who just plain wheeze
We voiced our fears but the oldies kept a comin?
There?s just as many as there was a year ago
When they see Ned all the vet?rans come a runnin?
Across the USA and on up from Mexico
We read us the paper and we see Juan Castro come
Followed by Uribe and a hundred other bums
The vets piled high, with their battin? av-rage low
I don?t say Ned?s retarded, but he seems a might bit slow?
We voiced our fears but the oldies kept a comin?
There?s just as many as there was a year ago
When they see Ned all the vet?rans come a runnin?
Across the USA and on up from Mexico
Well nows ?bout the time we should see another ring
But we?re only in the game til we hear the anthem sing
With most GMs we could free ourselves from stress
But with Neddy still in office everything?s a mess
We voiced our fears but the oldies kept a comin?
There?s just as many as there was a year ago
When they see Ned all the vet?rans come a runnin?
Across the USA and on up from Mexico
Yeah he checks waiver wires and dives in the dumpsters
And he signs him rotten players where other teams won?t go
He signs so many even bloggers can?t a count ?em
I tell ya Ned Colletti that this team is gonna blow
Now down at the bar there?s a rumor goin? round
Some fans picked up a sack-o-stuff just a layin? on the ground
They found Ned?s address, and their names I shouldn?t tell
But they lit the bag, rang the bell and really ran like, well?
We voiced our fears but the oldies kept a comin?
There?s just as many as there was a year ago
When they see Ned all the vet?rans come a runnin?
Across the USA and on up from Mexico
Yeah he checks waiver wires and dives in the dumpsters
And he signs him rotten players where other teams won?t go
He signs so many even bloggers can?t a count ?em
I tell ya Ned Colletti that this team is gonna blow
One, two, three more
Signed up four more
One, two, three more
Signed up four more
One, two, three more
� NedCo Broken Records 2011
Enchanted ~ Once again, you made my morning!
Dodgereric – I don't think enchanted is happy with his .275. I think he is aiming for that .300 – lol!
Fantastic enchanted!!!!!
And Enchanted's hits just keep on comin' . . . . way to go! This is one of your best 🙂


text:
Penn State Lady Lions visit Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute
The Penn State Lady Lions basketball team made its first-ever trip to Penn State Hershey Medical Center, specifically to Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. Members of the media tagged along as team members toured the facility and interacted with patients and staff. There's a strong connection between the team and Penn State Hershey – as the Lady Lions donate a portion of the proceeds from their WBCA Pink Zone game each year to breast cancer research efforts at the Cancer Institute.
Coach Coquese Washington and members of her team toured a research lab in the Cancer Institute, where they were able to see and hear how the Pink Zone money directly supports breast cancer research efforts. Then it was off to the infusion therapy clinic where they met with patients, physicians, nurses and others. The team also visited the Medical Center's inpatient cancer unit.
>> View photos from the Lady Lions' visit to Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute
The annual WBCA Pink Zone at Penn State helps the Cancer Institute fight cancer on every front: through education and prevention, early detection and diagnosis, effective treatment, and survivorship programs. The Lady Lions Basketball Breast Cancer Research Endowment was created through Pink Zone at Penn State funds. It supports new ideas or young researchers and/or scientists working on breast cancer research at the Cancer Institute. Specifically, the endowment allows researchers and scientists to complete the pilot research needed to test their theories in the lab and, if successful, move forward to apply for highly competitive, federal monies that are often only obtainable after successful pilot research has been done.
If you're having trouble accessing this content, or would like it in another format, please email Penn State Health Marketing & Communications.


text:
COVER- Dilemma zone: Are red-light cameras the answer?
You know you've experienced it– that anxious moment when a green light turns yellow just as you reach the intersection. Is there enough time to make it through? Should you slam on the brakes? Is there a cop around? According to traffic engineers, you've just entered the "dilemma zone."
Now imagine the intersection is equipped with a single-shot camera ready to snap your picture the second the light turns red, or with a video camera recording your every move from approach to stop (or dash). According to critics of automated enforcement technology, now you've entered the twilight zone.
In a strikingly safety-conscious legislative session– which included House passage of a measure to require booster seats for children up to eight years old– the General Assembly passed legislation allowing the use of cameras to nab red-light runners at intersections. Such traffic cameras, which have been in use for about a decade, snap photos of red-light runners' license plates, and a ticket is automatically generated.
By installing these cameras, local governments across the county are taking an unprecedented step: allowing machines to issue traffic tickets. And there appears to be local support for the new technology.
"We've been supportive of this legislation for a number of years," says Albemarle County spokesperson Lee Catlin. "We would be very happy to have this option available, especially for major intersections like Route 29 and Rio."
"I fully support the use of these cameras as an effective way to reduce intersection accidents," says Charlottesville Police Chief Tim Longo, adding that traditional red-light enforcement has always been problematic, raising safety concerns for both drivers and officers. Indeed, County Lt. John Teixeira, who also supports the use of the cameras to reduce accidents, says it's "almost impossible" to enforce red-light violations at intersections like Route 29 and Rio because officers can't safely pursue offenders through the intersection.
Of course, no one likes red-light runners, and everyone wants safer intersections. But are red-light cameras the answer?
Ironically, just two years ago, the General Assembly declined to reauthorize a 10-year red-light camera pilot program after a VDOT study showed an overall increase in accidents at intersections with the cameras. In addition, a 2005 Washington Post investigation into the effectiveness of D.C.'s red-light cameras, which were installed in 1999 and 2000, found no noticeable difference between the number of accidents at intersections with cameras and at intersections without them. Worse, the investigation found that accident rates at intersections with cameras had actually doubled since 1998.
It seems that red-light cameras, while they may slightly reduce more deadly t-bone collisions, actually increase the number of rear-end collisions, as people frantically brake to keep from getting a ticket.
"The data are very clear," said Dick Raub, a senior researcher at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety who reviewed the Post's findings. Intersections with cameras, he said, "are not performing any better than intersections without them."
In a five-part 2002 series on use of red-light and speed cameras in the District of Columbia, an exhaustive investigation by the conservative Weekly Standard called the automated enforcement technology the "baldest cash grab by cities since they sued gun manufacturers for making guns that shoot people." At the time, D.C.'s red-light cameras had netted $15 million in a little over a year, and its speeder-catching cameras had hauled in over $9 million in just seven months.
In fact, in the first eight days of photo radar use, 23,418 motorists were photographed for potential violations, compared to only 10,000 tickets issued by D.C. in all of 2000. By 2004, the report concluded, D.C. could realize $117 million in fines.
In addition, the report showed that claims about cameras making intersections safer were questionable at best, and that simply increasing yellow-light times was a more effective way to reduce red-light running. Indeed, in 2005 when VDOT increased the yellow-light time by only 1.5 seconds at US Route 50 and Fair Ridge Drive in Fairfax– an intersection with a camera under the pilot program– it resulted in a 94 percent drop in citations.
Nationally, only about 800 of the approximately 42,000 annual traffic fatalities are caused by drivers running red lights. Yet communities across the country have spent millions on these camera systems in the name of safety. In addition, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, red-light running and speeding pale in comparison to the use of alcohol and a "failure to keep in proper lane or running off the road" as factors that lead to fatal crashes.
Here at home, according to 1998 DMV data, only 3.3 percent of all crashes involved people who ran red lights. And in Charlottesville, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, there were just four intersection or intersection-related fatalities between 1997 and 2005, compared to 10 blamed on "roadway departure," nine characterized as "single vehicle" and 11 as "non-junction fatalities" (meaning not at intersections or crossways).
While these statistics offer little consolation to people who've lost someone in a traffic fatality– and they are among the most impassioned supporters of red-light cameras– they seem to argue against red-light running as a major safety concern.
Red-light camera use presents a host of legal problems as well. In 2001, a San Diego lawyer successfully had 300 red-light tickets thrown out because a judge agreed the machines were fundamentally unreliable, a decision that has led to similar court cases across the country. The cameras also can't determine who's driving the car, meaning the owner is presumed guilty until proven innocent, a situation that had the ACLU cautioning against the technology, and that could potentially clog the courts with people claiming they weren't driving when the cameras caught their car.
Because of the uncertainty over who was at the wheel, most states don't assign license points to people who get camera tickets, California and Arizona being the exception. Several other states are flirting with the idea.
As the 2005 VDOT study points out, the Code of Virginia requires the delivery of an in-person summons to compel an individual to appear in court. Theoretically, the study suggests, unless red-light camera citations are hand-delivered, they could become "essentially unenforceable."
And, of course, any time technology is used for enforcement, people tend to develop technology to counter it. Already companies sell license plate covers that may make it impossible for red-light cameras to decipher them, and Global Positioning Systems can alert a driver when intersections with cameras are near.
More frighteningly, some theories suggest that red-light cameras can be defeated by driving so fast through the intersection that the camera misses the shot, a method one can imagine being irresistible to risk-taking teenagers. Apparently people can also develop considerable resentment toward the devices. Across the country, despite such cameras being installed in bullet-proof casings, they're often pelted with rocks, spray-painted, or smeared with colored lubricant. In Paradise Valley, Arizona, according to the Weekly Standard's report, one disgruntled driver shot 30 rifle rounds into two photo-red cameras.
Slippery-slope concerns are warranted as well. As the ACLU points out, "Government and private-industry surveillance techniques created for one purpose are rarely restricted to that purpose."
In France, Germany and England, for instance, where police began using red-light and speeding-ticket cameras in the late 1980s, the technology evolved to include 24/7 video surveillance cameras on street corners. Once cameras are installed in Virginia, what's to keep them from being used to gather other information?
The evolution
Sponsored by Chesapeake-based Republican John Cosgrove, the camera law began as House Bill 1778, and passed the House on February 6 by a vote of 63-35. On February 20, the Senate version passed 30-10.
Charlottesville-area Democratic Delegate David Toscano voted for it, while usually law-and-order Republican Rob Bell, who dislikes the presumption of guilt aspect of the technology, voted against it.
But does the technology really work? Are officials exaggerating the threat and overselling the technology? While no one can deny the cameras identify red-light runners, a mountain of evidence suggests they don't significantly make intersections safer, and that simply increasing yellow-light times is a more practical solution.
According to former House Majority leader Dick Armey, a Texas Republican who launched a campaign against red-light cameras when he was in Washington, it's all about the revenue. Armey says the "red-light running crisis" started about the same time (about 20 years ago) that the federal government started issuing guidelines to cities suggesting they shorten yellow-light timing.
"Of course, these changes were made in the name of safety," Armey wrote in a 2001 Washington Post op-ed. "But... the policy of shortening yellows has been a complete failure. Intersections are less safe as a result. Nonetheless, many within the transportation bureaucracy cling to reduced yellow times because it's extremely profitable."
As Armey explained, when drivers aren't given enough yellow-light time, it becomes more difficult to make the right decision. Indeed, in the 1970s, the Institute of Transportation Engineers began recommending that yellow-light times be increased to allow for "clearance time"– how long it takes a driver to cross an intersection– and were still recommending the change in the late 1980s. However, by the late 1990s, yellow-light intervals had been reduced by as much as a third, creating the condition that caused traffic engineers to coin the term "dilemma zone."
But instead of simply experimenting with longer yellow-light timing, the transportation bureaucracy embraced camera technology as a solution, a technology that has the potential to generate even more revenue than short yellow-light times. Indeed, as the cameras in D.C. have shown, there are millions to be made. The companies that manufacture and operate them– most notably Affiliated Computer Services, which bought the technology from Lockheed Martin IMS a few years ago, and which owns and operates about 80 percent of the cameras in the country– pocket considerable revenue as well, as the devices average about $50,000 each, with another $5,000 to $10,000 more for sensors and installation. In many jurisdictions, camera manufacturers also process the tickets and receive a percentage of the fine.
"The reason that states push the cameras rather than engineering solutions is the money," says National Motorist Association spokesperson Aaron Quinn. "The cameras bring in money while engineering solutions like lengthening yellow-light time cost money."
However, as Armey points out, Fairfax reduced red-light running by lengthening yellow-light times. And he cites the experience of Mesa, Arizona, where adding one second of yellow-time to several intersections led to a 73 percent drop in red-light running. Armey issues a practical challenge to communities considering red-light cameras: "Increase the amount of yellow time you provide motorists, and watch what happens."
As Albemarle's Catlin and Teixeira point out, the intersection of 29 and Rio is one of the places where cameras might be installed. However, as a Hook video on our website shows (you can see it at: www.thehook.net/2007/02/26/web-advance-are-red-light-cameras-the-answer/ ), the light at the intersection of 29 and Rio routinely turns yellow before the second car in line at the stoplight crosses the intersection. Around 9:10am on February 12, when a reporter visited, a car ran a red light on each of the five light changes we monitored. In one case, a school bus was in the intersection when the light turned red.
"It's a rather short cycle at that intersection," says VDOT spokesperson Lou Hatter, explaining that VDOT traffic engineers use a standardized formula to calculate yellow-light times (between three and six seconds), and that all lights in town operate on a computerized system. Hatter suggests that shorter yellow times have more to do with managing the flow of traffic than generating cash flow.
"Short green cycles at intersections like Rio are the result of trying to keep traffic moving on 29, especially after they synchronized the lights," says Hatter, adding that even the smallest time adjustment on the lights along 29 could snarl traffic. "Remember, it's a major highway."
Although Hatter says he's not aware of any data that would suggest longer yellow-light times make intersections safer, he seemed open to the idea and expressed concern that lights were turning red on drivers crossing 29 at Rio.
Of course, camera supporters have their own data to prove that red-light cameras work. But it comes almost exclusively from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the industry group best known for crash-testing new cars at a facility in Ruckersville.
Recently, in a nod to Armey's yellow-light argument, an IIHS study conducted in Philadelphia found that red-light violations decreased by 36 percent when yellow-light times were increased, but by 96 percent when cameras were added, prompting IIHS senior engineer Richard Retting, a figure as ubiquitous in the red-light camera debate as Armey, to declare victory for red-light cameras. There was, however, no emphasis on the increase in rear-end crashes after installation of the cameras, or the statistically small number of fatalities caused by red-light running. Nor was there any mention of the aforementioned legal or practical problems with their use, or any conclusive data that actually proves the cameras make intersections safer. In fact, the study, as all red-light proponents do, exaggerates the safety concern by declaring the 800 yearly fatalities caused by red-light running alarming.
"These statistics only suggest that there is a problem with red-light violations across the country," says Quinn. " The solution isn't cameras though, it's improved traffic engineering."
On February 20, while the Virginia Senate was debating the bill, Senator Kenneth Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) tried to amend it by requiring localities to lengthen yellow lights. The proposal was killed.
"There's no inherent enforcement in traffic signals," says VDOT's Hatter, acknowledging that the safety of intersections always has depended, and still depends on human judgment. "It's basically an honor system."
But if red-light cameras come to Charlottesville, that honor system could be a thing of the past, replaced by the judgment of a machine. And as considerable evidence suggests, it may be the less honorable system.
Smile, you're at the intersection of 29 and Rio: County and City officials cite the Rio/29 intersection as a candidate for a red light camera. However, as a Hook video shows, it may just need a longer yellow light. To see the video, CLICK HERE.
The Gatso gets you: the infamous Dutch-made Gatso photo-radar camera has been nabbing European drivers since the late 1980s.
This sight in Springfield, Ohio could be coming to an intersection near you.
Film speed: This image shows what drivers in Germany get in the mail when they get nabbed by a photo-radar speed camera.