text:
We've all been home alone, and thought we heard something strange, but some people say they've seen things that can't be explained. As children we heard stories of spooks, specters and ghosts. Most of us grow up and dismiss the things that go bump in the night. Others though, cling to those stories, and spend their time investigating the unexplained.
It's an age old question. Do ghosts exist? We talked to a long-time paranormal investigator and a Lutheran pastor and they have differing views on the subject of ghosts, but both agree there are things in this world, neither science nor religion can fully explain.
Teresa smith owns the Anderson House in Wabasha, Minnesota. She says she believes ghosts haunt her historic home.
"I did have a couple come down and go 'I can't do it'. Sorry, you got a really beautiful place, but I just can't do it'" Smith said.
The 150-year old bed and breakfast sits near the Mississippi River. Some say when the sun goes down, it can be an eerie and sometimes uncomfortable setting.
Chad Lewis asks the questions "are we alone in the universe? What happens when we die?
Lewis is a paranormal researcher and author has been studying the paranormal for years, with an open mind.
"I don't know if we're trying to prove or disprove anything. I think what we are doing is trying to experience something" Lewis said.
Legend says a woman named Sarah was staying in the motel with her husband, a fisherman. One night, he never returned from a day on the river.
Lewis says "she was said to be so distraught over his departure that she took her own life in the building and she eternally waits for his return every night."
One local historian believes she may have jumped from the window of room 25 of the hotel. Two psychics say they believe Sarah's spirit is still very much alive. During our stay, one guest was so overwhelmed by Sarah's presence that she broke into tears.
Hypnotherapist Tamara Gleason, tried to console the woman and explain what she was experiencing. "It's not yours ok? It's not yours. You're just feeling her energy ok? She's very very sad but she's moved on ok? This is an empathic impression."
Gleason says "she was picking up on the woman's feelings. They weren't feelings of her own."
Nick Wilson a hotel guest and participant of the ghost hunt said "I think I kind of felt something in one of the rooms up there and it was just kind of like just tingly on the back of my neck and didn't really want to go in there."
Chad Lewis says it's hard to classify ghosts or even tell how many types there are because there is no concrete evidence they even exist. After looking over our video we shot the night of the ghost hunt we saw a bright ball of light come shooting past the camera. Was this a type of spirit called an orb? Or was it something simpler like a bird, a bug, or a bat? Lewis says that's part of the problem when it comes to paranormal investigations.
Lewis says "this leads us to the old question does seeing equal believing or does believing equal seeing?"
"I need to see something. I need to see an U.F.O. or have some kind of physical connection" said Wilson.
When asked if she believed if ghosts resided on her hotel, Smith answered "I do believe there are spirits here and I do believe they are at peace."
If there even is such a thing as a human spirit, there is no telling for sure what happens to it when we die. Does everything go black? Do we go to heaven or hell? Or do we wander the earth without our physical self?
Pastor Nestingen says "the church's traditional belief about death is that it's not the end of life."
Rolf Nestingen is a pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Eau Claire. He says organized religion would be foolish to not support the idea of ghosts since Christianity includes the Holy Spirit and is based on faith.
"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for. The conviction of things...not seen. Do I believe in ghosts? Yes. Do I believe in eternal life? Yes. Do I believe in heaven and hell? Yes" Pastor Nestingen told us.
But Lewis's answer was a little different. "Simple answer, I don't know, but I think that's what keeps me going."
Lewis says there are some ghost stories that have even been acknowledged by the state and federal government.
The Paulding Light in Michigan is so popular the National Parks Service put up a sign so people can get to the spot, and decide for themselves.
If you are interested in doing your own ghost hunts, there is a long list of gear available to help get you started from, thermal imaging cameras, electromagnetic field or E.M.F. readers, to radiation, sound and light meters. Just open up your favorite web search engine and search for ghost hunting gear. Before you do any ghost hunting, make sure you get permission to be on the property first. Chad Lewis says all you really need is a sense of curiosity and to just go out and have fun.
The Unexplained
We've all been home alone, and thought we heard something strange, but some people say they've seen things that can't be explained. As children we heard stories of spooks, specters and ghosts. Most of us grow up and dismiss the things that go bump in the night. Others though, cling to those stories, and spend their time investigating the unexplained.


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Yesterday a number of blogs started to discuss the content on the Flash Player download center for iPhone users. There have been some questions about the site, so I want to provide a little background on the page.
We currently get nearly three million visitors to this page each month from people who are looking for the Flash Player for their iPhone or iPod touch, many of whom were leaving the download center believing that either (1) Adobe didn't want Flash on the iPhone or (2) the iPhone was somehow technically incapable of playing Flash content. Since neither of those is true, we are now explaining to those visitors that Apple holds the key in getting Flash Player onto the device.
The language was compact and to the point both because of the constraints of the page (this is displayed only to the iPhone) and the audience (consumers who are looking for the Flash Player aren't interested in reading a long piece of text). I also want to mention that Apple and Adobe have a strong partnership in many areas, but, Apple has not provided the level of support required to deliver the Flash Player to the iPhone. Nearly every other industry player is working with us in getting Flash technology onto their devices and platforms. These partners are making critical, high value investments in delivering Flash Player on mobile devices, on netbooks, and in the digital home.
To be clear, Adobe wants to make Flash Player 10.1 available for the iPhone and with Apple's support we're ready to do the work — just as we and our partners are doing for Blackberry, Palm webOS, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile, and many other platforms to give users uncompromised access to the web.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
May 4, 2009
BOSTON, MA - On Sunday May 3, three UMass Boston Athletes walked in and completed Project Bread's 2009 Walk for Hunger to raise money to help provide food for 400 emergency food programs including soup kitchen, food pantries, food banks, and food salvage organizations in 128 Massachusetts cities and towns. Freshman volleyball player Cassy Hanneman (Denver, CO), freshman women's soccer player Molly Kuchar (Ashville, NC) and sophomore men's ice hockey player Lenward Gatison (Blue Bell, PA) all made it through the 20 mile course that took them through Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Watertown and Newton.
Spearheaded by the UMass Boston SAAC (Student Athlete Advisory Council), these three athletes as well as several others that walked parts of the course, donated money that went towards the \$3.8 million dollars raised in the overall effort. The funds raised will provide a hot meal or a bag of groceries for out-of-work families next winter.
"During these tough times, it's heartening to see so many Walkers show their support for those struggling to put food on the table," said Ellen Parker, executive director of Project Bread - The Walk for Hunger. "Our Walkers, Volunteers, and donors are the heroes of this event. They've come out to help those who are hurting as never before. We put out a call for their help and they've answered. Even the weather cooperated and we hope that's sign of better days to come."
Hanneman and Kuchar stayed together during the walk and actually decided to run five of the miles midway through the course.
"It was a lot of fun," said Hanneman. "There were so many people walking which was great to see, and all throughout the course the volunteers were really nice and supportive of all the walkers. We even made some friends along the way."
"We went into the walk thinking we'd go maybe five or six miles but once we made it that far we decided why not finish the whole thing," said Kuchar."
Gatison walked with members of his fraternity, the Boston Citywide Chapter of Omega Psi Phi. The fraternity partakes in many charitable events during the year and also puts on programs throughout the year to help raise money for local charities.
"It was tough walking in my boots for all 20 miles," said Gatison, "but once you start something you have to finish it. Around the fourth or fifth mile I was ready to pack it in but just kept reminding myself what I was walking for and that it was for a great cause."
Since 1969, the Walk has spurred 992,800 Walkers to tread 19,898,800 miles to raise over \$74 million to help hungry people.
UMB Athletes that participated in the 2009 Walk for Hunger: Paul Braude; Men's Tennis Cammy Brown; Women's Basketball Jill Collins; Women's Soccer Rocco Dabecco; Men's Lacrosse Lauren Duran; Women's Ice Hockey Lenward Gatison; Men's Ice Hockey Michelle, Gildea; Cross Country Kelly Gillis; Women's Ice Hockey Jaci Goodwin; Women's Basketball and Softball Leah Hallett; Women's Ice Hockey Cassy Hanneman; Women's Volleyball Jillian Hurd; Women's Tennis Molly Kuchar; Women's Soccer Katelyn Lajoie; Women's Ice Hockey Erika Marsters; Women's Soccer Katie McPherson; Women's Tennis Kristin Mulry; Women's Soccer Ryan Norton; Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Sandy Parlato; Women's Ice Hockey


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|3Q29: Cyrstal Structure Of Human Alpha-Synuclein (1-19) Fused To M Binding Protein (Mbp)
reference: Structures of segments of alpha-synuclein fused to maltose-binding protein suggest intermediate states during amyloid formation., Zhao M, Cascio D, Sawaya MR, Eisenberg D, Protein Sci. 2011 Jun;20(6):996-1004. doi: 10.1002/pro.630. Epub 2011 May, 3. PMID: 21462277
This OCA
Structure page
uses Jmol, developed by the Jmol Development Team (documentation).


text:
Some Factories Stick With Old Health Plans
Faced With Rising Insurance Premiums, Small Manufacturers Know They Can Opt for Exchanges, but Remain Wary
Some small manufacturers facing soaring costs for employee health insurance say they are likely to continue coverage for their workers, even though they won't be required to under the Affordable Care Act.
They are wary of discontinuing coverage and sending their employees to new insurance exchanges to obtain their own insurance. They say the problem-filled rollout of the federal government's online insurance market has raised further doubts about whether their employees would have access to sufficient coverage at lower costs....


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Earlier this month, President Obama nominated Melanne Verveer to the newly-created position of Ambassador-at-Large for Women's Issues. Pro-life groups have worried that the position was created to "Promote abortion and overturn pro-life laws in nations across the world," and Catholic News Agency has reported that the position may have been created as a sop to the president's pro-abortion backers.
Verveer certainly has the pro-abortion bona-fides, and in line with other controversial appointments of this administration, Verveer is a well-connected Catholic.
In both her professional career and political commitments, Verveer has been an ardent supporter of abortion. As Executive Vice-President of People for the American Way, Verveer helped orchestrate the rejection of Judge Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court. She also testified(pdf) against the nomination of the late William Rehnquist as Chief Justice, in part, because of his perceived hostility to Roe.
Verveer has worked for Common Cause, various pro-choice politicians, and most notably as Chief of Staff to then-First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Verveer's political contributions have been to a 'who's who' of pro-abortion politicians, including original FOCA co-sponsor Louise Slaughter. Verveer is a three-time donor to EMILY's List, an organization exclusively dedicated to the election of pro-abortion, female Democrats.
And yet, Verveer has several ties to Catholic and "Catholic" organizations. Prior to her work at People for the American Way, Verveer was Coordinator for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs for the then-named U.S. Catholic Conference (now USCCB).
In 2002, Verveer was appointed to the board of the National Catholic Reporter. In 2004, then-Kerry for President spokesman Mike McCurry told the reporter that Verveer helped the candidate craft his Catholic image. She was part of a group of Catholic advisors including Dean and chaplain of pro-abort Catholic pols, the late Jesuit Father Robert Drinan and the eventual Catholics in Alliance chair Elizabeth Frawley Bagley.
The failure of the Kerry campaign led to the creation of several Catholic Democrat groups which have effectively served to provide cover to pro-abort Catholic pols. In 2006, the Reporter ran an article on the phenomenon titled "Democrats seek to woo Catholics back to the fold." In discussing the creation of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, the Reporter identifies Verveer and Bagley as original board members of the group. Bagley, a DNC and Obama mega-fundraiser, is still chair of the group and Verveer now sits on their Advisory Council. Bagley also sits on the board of Verveer's current organization, Vital Voices.
So why does it matter? To me, it's just another sad sign of the times for the Church. Several years ago I did an analysis on the pro-life voting records of members of Congress correlated with religious affiliation. I no longer have it and we have a different congress today, but the main finding probably still holds - If there were NO Catholic members of Congress, the body would be significantly MORE pro-life.
If, God willing, the abortion regime someday ends and historians looking back in horror on the period make their report, two things will be true: 1. The Catholic Church was the strongest voice in the defense of life. 2. The abortion regime would have been impossible without the active encouragement of many individual Catholics.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Obama Ambassador Tied to Catholics in Alliance, USCCB, NCR
Posted byJack Smithat2:09 PM


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Most party election manifestos promise green jobs, new business opportunities and more sustainable lifestyles. The reality of policymaking has been a little different.
When US President Barack Obama took office, rhetoric about a green new deal resurrecting the world from global recession was at its height. Two years on, it is becoming increasingly clear that coherent and consistent frameworks are more important than sudden bursts of funding when it comes to building up and maintaining sustainable industry sectors.
Now that the Republicans have regained control of the US House of Representatives, the lower chamber of US parliament, the Obama administration's push for a national renewable-electricity standard, obliging utilities to source a portion of the energy they supply from renewables, is likely to run out of steam. Notions that all energy sources should receive equal treatment are likely to prevail.
This has potentially disastrous consequences for the wind sector. If a "clean-energy standard" is introduced instead, other low-carbon energy sources - such as coal plants with carbon capture and storage or nuclear plants - will also receive a boost. This is a more serious problem than one of scarce resources being diluted across a range of energy technologies. Nuclear and wind are inherently incompatible (Windpower Monthly, June 2007).
While wind has confirmed its global standing as a mainstream source of electricity with a proven technology, competitive costs and manageable environmental impacts, the key hurdles of transmission and backup remain. Upgrading grids to the standard required to guarantee electricity supply whenever and wherever it is needed is expensive but possible. Power plants that can be switched on and off are also part of the answer. Nuclear is not.
Cause for concern
It is not surprising that politicians try to please as many voters as they can, including the nuclear and coal lobbies. But when it comes to energy policy, this approach risks derailing countries from achieving the very goals they want to meet.
In yet another potential setback for the US wind sector, Obama's hopes of pushing through an energy bill this year could be dashed by concerns over national debt and scepticism over global warming. The signs of a much-needed upward curve for the wind power industry after a disappointing 2010 are not good.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the UK government's plans to overhaul its electricity market were generally received as a positive step towards delivering its stated goals of ensuring security of supply, reducing carbon emissions and lowering costs for consumers. But replacing the renewables obligation with a contracts-for-difference model raises concerns.
The UK energy minister's upbeat speech, a few days after the new policy was announced, at a proposed site for a new nuclear power station was yet another sign of political crowd-pleasing tactics triumphing over coherent policymaking. There will never be a better time to make hard choices. We can only hope that the people in power will be brave enough to do so.


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Venison Stew
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: about 6 servings
- Total: 1 hr 35 min
- Prep: 20 min
- Cook: 1 hr 15 min
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds venison stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Essence, recipe follows
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
4 cups brown stock
Salt and black pepper
Crusty bread
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
- In a large pot, over high heat, add the olive oil. In a mixing bowl, toss the venison with flour and Essence. When the oil is hot, sear the meat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil, thyme, and bay leaves to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the red wine. Add the brown stock. Bring the liquid up to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stew for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender. If the liquid evaporates too much add a little more stock.
- Remove the stew from the oven and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
- Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.


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The Caldwell News and The Burleson County Ledger (Caldwell, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 3, Ed. 1 Friday, August 18, 1950
Description: Weekly newspaper from Caldwell, Texas that includes local, state and national news along with extensive advertising.
Date: August 18, 1950
Creator: Fall, George C.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Newspaper
Partner: Harrie P. Woodson Memorial Library


text:
City of Keller, TXHome Menu
City Calendar
The City Calendar offers information on upcoming meetings, regular programs and special events organized by the City of Keller. To see additional events going on in Keller hosted by nonprofit and other community organizations, please visit the
Tabletop Gaming Club
- Date: 11/07/2018 5:00 PM - 7:30 PM
- Location: Keller Public Library
640 Johnson Road
Keller, Texas 76248
Return to full list >>
Looking for others to game with? Tabletop Gaming Club meets every Wednesday at 5pm. Hang with us to play board and card games ranging from Werewolf to Pandemic, to Ticket to Ride, and more! For teens and adults, no registration required. If you have any questions please email firstname.lastname@example.com or call the Information Desk at 817-743-4840.


text:
Outreach and educational resources
More teaching resources
Note: the following are external links.
Wisconsin State Law Library
The Wisconsin State Law Library offers numerous resources and reference materials, including Introduction to Law, an online educational video presentation with helpful links and explanations on the development of law in Wisconsin.
The State Bar of Wisconsin
The State Bar of Wisconsin offers law-related education resources for parents, teachers, and teens, including a variety of publications that are free to teachers. The State Bar cosponsors Court with Class and the Judicial Teaching Institute, among a variety of other programs.
WisconsinEye Public Affairs Network, Inc.
WisconsinEye's web archive includes recordings of nearly all of the oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court, starting with the 2007-08 term. Most public hearings and open administrative conferences also are streamed live on WisconsinEye.
Annenberg Classroom - Understanding the Courts
The Annenberg Classroom provides videos, interactive presentations and lesson plans to help explain the role of the courts in relation to other branches of government.
Center for Civics Education
The Center for Civics Education offers free, downloadable lessons for grades K-12 relating to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day and other topics.
Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago
The Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago offers lessons designed for high school students in Law, Government, American History, and Current Events classes. Lesson topics, including Constitution Day, are also searchable by key word.
National Archives
The National Archives provides teacher resources, including a Constitution Day Workshop with materials, resources and instructions for teachers, as well as activities for observing Constitution Day each year on September 17.
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association selects a theme to be examined each year as part of Law Day. Resources include sample columns and grade-appropriate study materials.
United States Courts - Educational Resources
The federal court system provides a variety of resources to help students understand the role of the judiciary and the constitution based on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and issues important to teens.
Wisconsin Media Lab
Wisconsin Media Lab, a division of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board curates cost-free PreK-12 multimedia educational content in searchable curricular areas, including social studies. The "U.S. Government - How it Works" section of the Wisconsin Media Lab website features educational media presentations on each branch of government, including the judicial branch. The on-demand video "The Judicial Branch" and accompanying teacher's guide takes viewers through the history of the judiciary and illustrates how it works in theory and practice.
Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court
In 2002, Street Law, Inc. and the Supreme Court Historical Society joined together to create the website Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court. The website provides a full range of resources and activities to support the teaching of landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Brown v. Board of Education (1954), Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) and Marbury v. Madison (1803).


text:
I think since most of you list what you are wearing and how much it cost I'll give it a whirl. Although after hearing about the deals Vix finds I think I spend way too much on my clothes....me, hanging my head in shame :( I am seriously considering trying not to buy anything new for at least 1 month, baby steps.
Dress target $15
Belt thrifted $4
Bracelets thrifted $4
Boots Nordstrom $80 ( I know but I love them and they have little rhinestones in em'.)


text:
I'm so excited for our 3 day weekend surf trip! We packed up the Winnebago and left for Jalama Beach at 4:30AM (why do guys like to leave so early?). That means 3 whole days without wedding talk! Yippee! I never thought I would say that. haha -- it's nice to take a break once in a while.
See you Monday my dears.


text:
Click on the image to view larger
Available Sizes and Current Prices
45 x 33 2200
68 x 48 3700
85 x 58 18,000
price includes framing
As editions cross milestones, prices increase. As edition sizes close, no further printing of that size will be available nor will new sizes be introduced
where dreams are born
How the art is finished
All pieces are limited editions and are only available framed. All materials are acid free, glazed, and sealed, under museum glass. The frames are made in Italy of olive wood.


text:
Turkish gas explosion kills 1, injures 36
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A gas explosion in a bakery in southwest Turkey killed one person and injured 36 others on Friday, the country's emergency management agency said.
The explosion occurred on the ground floor of a seven-story building at a commercial center in the city of Denizli, the Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said in a statement. It was caused by a gas canister used for cooking.
Three of the injured were in serious condition, including a pregnant woman, according to the statement.
Gov. Abdulkadir Demir said most of the injured were passers-by or people working in shops close to the bakery.
Video footage of the scene from the private Dogan news agency showed medics helping some of the injured into ambulances, the street strewn with broken glass and debris. One man was sitting on a chair in blood-stained clothes waiting for help.
Denizli is a city of more than half a million residents, 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of the port of Izmir.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.


text:
Qantas corporate contacts
Get in contact with a department in the Qantas Group.
|Qantas department
|Head office
|+61 2 9691 3636
Qantas, 10 Bourke road
Mascot NSW 2020
|Find out about new jobs and apply for vacant positions at Qantas Careers
|For all Qantas Catering enquiries:
Email Qantas Catering
|Find out about Qantas Community
|Dangerous Goods
|For all Dangerous Goods enquiries from training to operator approvals:
Email Dangerous Goods
|Find out about carbon offsetting, sustainability, noise management and other environmental issues at Qantas Environment:
Email Qantas Environment
|Visit Qantas Freight
|Get information on shareholder details and the Qantas share performance at Qantas Share Registry:
1800 177 747 within Australia
+61 2 8280 7390 outside Australia
Email Qantas Share Registry
|Inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi
|Advertising queries for Qantas Inflight Wi-Fi
Email Qantas Inflight Wi-Fi
|Visit Jetstar
13 15 38
|Find out about Qantas Sponsorships
|All media enquiries direct via
Email Qantas Media
|Medium Rare
|Publisher of the Qantas magazine
Email advertising queries
Email editorial queries
|oOh! media
|All advertising queries for Qantas terminals and lounges:
1300 791 989
Important information
Note: + is the international direct dialling code (IDD) for your country or territory.


text:
Reedham Orphanage Mugs
1858 - 1980
Children drank from these mugs
at Reedham Orphanage.
Can you see the initials R and O
on one of the mugs?
Reverend Andrew Reed
was a minister
for the Congregational Church.
He opened the Orphanage
in 1858
as the Asylum for Fatherless Children.
Joe Knightly
0 mins 0 secs
Joe Knightly
Joe talks about his experiences
at Reedham Orphanage:
"I started there in 1903
at the age of 5.
Mother took me to Purley,
to the school upon the hillside
as the Reedham School song puts it.
And I understand
that I screamed loudly
at being parted from my mother.
But presumably,
I soon settled down
in the infants department."
"We were given an excellent
general education -
English grammar, algebra, geometry,
science, history and geography -
all superbly overseen
by Mr Clarke
the headmaster.
And within two weeks of leaving Reedham
at the age of 15
with the help of Mr Clarke
I found a job as an office boy
with an international oil company.
I'm always extremely grateful
for the Christian education and training
I received at Reedham
under Mr Clarke's administration."
Extract from 'Reedham Orphanage Boys Fancy Drill' (0 mins 20 secs)
0 mins 0 secs
© British Film Institute
Getting in to Reedham Orphanage
A hundred years ago,
a child without parents
might end up on the streets,
in the workhouse,
or in an orphanage.
Reedham was Croydon's biggest orphanage.
To get in, children had to be,
free from deformity,
above the pauper and criminal class,
but in need".
The orphanage was more like a school
than a workhouse.
Find out more
These mugs are
on loan from CNHSS:
Croydon Natural History and
Scientific Society.
To find out more about CNHSS
visit their website:


text:
Quebec Genealogy Resources on Worldcat.org
February 6, 2010 by © Joan Miller - Luxegen Genealogy.
Filed under Canada, genealogy, Quebec
Worldcat.org is a free online service that connects you to the collections and services of more than 10,000 libraries worldwide. It is a wonderful resource for genealogy and history researchers. Once you find a book, reference, CD, etc that you would like to access further, you can use your public or university library card to [...]


text: On behalf of the editors of OPERA NEWS, I'd like to welcome everyone to our new website. It's certainly been a long time coming, and we're thrilled that it's finally here! We hope that the overall user experience with the website has been substantially improved through our renovations. Your best bet for perusing the site is the gray navigation bar towards the top of the page, which will allow you to access any and all content contained in a given issue — both the print and online edition. Our performance-reviews landing-page — accessible via the "In Review" tab — now features a streamlined tab-based navigation that easily allows you to toggle between reviews by our critics covering "North America," "International" and "Concerts and Recitals." Likewise, Our "Recordings" section will allow you to look at all the categories ("Opera and Oratorio," "Choral and Song," "Recital," "Historical" and "Video") that comprise our media reviews. The "Audio" and "Video" sections of the homepage will allow you to preview clips from new CDs and DVDs, hear excerpts from live interviews (don't miss feature editor Brian Kellow's chat with Simon Keenlyside, up there now ) and see some of our archival behind-the-scenes footage. There'll be more to come in these areas of the site, in particular. Everything you see here can also be accessed via the "Watch & Listen" tab in the navigation bar. There are still a number of elements in the site that we're in the process of tweaking and getting used to ourselves. But should you encounter anything particularly amiss, drop an email to email@example.com explaining your issue and the page you've encountered it on. Adam


text:
From 1 April 2010 the UK design standard for concrete bridges is BS EN 1992-2 (aka Eurocode 2, part 2), this replaces BS 5400-4. It is anticipated that all public sector clients will be expecting new work after this date to be designed to Eurocode 2, as required by the Public Procurement Directive.
Designers using Eurocode 2 for bridge design will find that many of the principles for concrete design remain, and that the Code provides additional guidance that has not previously been given in a code of practice. However, there are variations to existing practice that the designer will have to become familiar with.
Perhaps more of a challenge will be to understand from Eurocode 2 what is intended for bridge design. This is because part 2 amends part 1-1, which covers general concrete design, to make it appropriate for bridges. This coupled with each document having a National Annex makes navigations through the clauses more onerous than it ought to be. The Concrete Centre has produced a guide [Concise Eurocode 2 for Bridges] which will help the designer to find their way through the Eurocode 2.
A magazine to celebrate 10 years of the concrete industry sustainable construction strategy.
Concrete's ability to provide passive cooling is widely applied in both new and refurbished buildings; this guide explains thermal mass and its advantages.
This document provides information on the material and resource efficiency of concrete and masonry.
The buildings from 70 years of Concrete Quarterly.
This publication seeks to provide information for structural engineers who are designing tall buildings in concrete.
An all-you-need-to-know guide on the specification of sustainable concrete.
This publication assists engineers in understanding the common challenges of building tall.
Gives likely structural options for a concrete frame, with useful points to note - written by engineers for engineers.
This guide sets out how concrete's attributes can be used to minimise CO2 emissions.
09:30 - 16:00
12:30 - 13:30
09:00 - 15:30


text:
Great British Gins
We are proud to support and stock a wide range of gins for your drinking enjoyment.
First Pick Your Gin...
Sweet & Fruity
Chase Pink Grapefruit & Pomelo
A spectacular pairing of fresh pink grapefruit with award-winning GB gin. Mixes perfectly with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic
Intensely smooth with hints of blueberry and orange
Gordon's Pink
Inspired by an original Gordon's recipe from the 1880s, this gin is perfectly crafted to balance
Traditional & Robust
Sipsmith London Dry Gin
An ideal choice for a beautifully rich and balanced G&T. Super smooth and full of character, where the juniper notes are balanced by zesty citrus. Mix with Fever-Tree Aromatic tonic for a perfect G&T!
We have more gins available at the bar. Please ask a team member for more details.
Warner's Honeybee
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Rest easy, New England Patriots fans, your star quarterback has returned to the fold.
Tom Brady was back at practice Thursday after missing Wednesday's session with what the Patriots called a right shoulder injury.
Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald correctly labeled Wednesday's absence a maintenance day. Brady threw an outrageous 65 passes during Sunday night's loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Brady has been remarkably durable during his NFL career, and there's nothing unusual about getting a day off before another playoff appearance by the Patriots.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.


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Media Sheep
Commentary: Media Sheep
How did The Skeptical Environmentalist pull the wool over the eyes of so many editors?
Last summer, a now-infamous book called The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World caused a great splash in the media. Written by a young Danish statistician, it was presented as a shocking reexamination of the "facts" about the world's great environmental issues-it claimed that environmental scientists and organizations were falsely alarming the public about such problems as global warming, deforestation, and pollution. The gist of the book, echoing a now-familiar claim of the late Julian Simon and such right-wing organizations as the Competitive Enterprise Institute, was that whatever environmental problems exist will solve themselves, and no interventions by governments are needed.
Serious environmental scientists who looked into the book to find out how the author had come to such conclusions quickly dismissed it as a foolish polemic written by a non-scientist, and did not bother to respond to it. Much to their dismay, however, editors at the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and the New York Times all published glowing reviews by writers who were apparently unfamiliar (whether willfully or through lack of reading) with what peer-reviewed scientists say. Taking Lomborg's words at face value, the world's media jumped on the bandwagon, issuing a plethora of derivative stories "revealing" that Lomborg had exposed environmentalists as wrong about virtually everything they were saying.
These stories took environmental scientists by surprise (most had never been asked by the reporters for their views), and months passed before the scientists realized they would have to respond-or else watch Lomborg's claims confuse legislators and regulators, and poison the well of public environmental information.
But respond they did, demonstrating in field after field that it is Lomborg's book, not the work of tens of thousands of their colleagues, that has duped the public. On these three pages, we have summarized just a few of the main claims Lomborg makes, and what the experts have to say about them. The summaries are followed by some brief comments about how such a fraud could have occurred, and what dangers it signals about how environmental information is being disseminated to the public in today's media.
Lomborg's Claims-and the Scientists' Responses
On Forest Cover
Lomborg writes that according to what he calls "the longest data series" available, forest cover has expanded since 1950. To make this claim, he uses an agricultural data series that the U.N. discontinued in 1994 because of inaccuracies, according to the head of the U.N.'s Forest Resources Assessment, who also notes that this agriculture production data was never intended to determine forest cover in the first place.
The record: The U.N.'s Forest Resources Assessment actually says that since 1980 an average of 16 million hectares of natural forest has been converted to other uses each year. During the 1990s alone, the assessment reports that the world lost 4.2 percent of its natural forests. And because the U.N. only reports what has been permanently converted, not what is logged and left to, perhaps, regenerate, the actual amount is much greater. According to the World Resources Institute, "almost half the world's original forest is gone, much of it since 1970."
On Fisheries
Lomborg writes that "marine productivity has almost doubled since 1970."
The record: Eleven of the world's 15 most important fishing areas have declined in fish populations, and catches of the most commercially valuable species have declined by one-fourth since 1970. Lomborg's deceptive "doubling" is based on the fact that fishing operations now rely heavily on landing species that were considered "trash" in the 1970s, and on landing juveniles because the full-sized fish are now increasingly scarce. (See also this issue's Environmental Intelligence disclosure that much of the presumed increase in global productivity was based on falsified data issued by Chinese government officials.)
On Biodiversity
Lomborg says that biodiversity loss will be "0.7 percent over the next 50 years."
The record: Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson notes that even the most conservative species extinction rates published by authorities in the field are at least 10 times higher than that.
On Global Warming
Lomborg claims, repeatedly, that the Kyoto Agreement to reduce CO2 emissions is a waste of time and money because it would not prevent global warming, but merely "buy the world six years." He cites calculations that if the Kyoto agreement were implemented in full, "the temperature increase that the planet would have experienced in 2094 would be postponed to 2100."
The record: This argument is a classic straw man. The treaty does not cover a 100-year span; it goes only through 2012. Everyone involved in the Kyoto process knows that the agreement falls far short of forcing the deep cuts in CO2 emissions that are necessary to significantly slow global warming over the next century, and that the Kyoto agreement is only a first step, not a 100-year policy.
On Water
Lomborg says that we do not have to worry about running out of fresh water because we will be able to cheaply desalinize ocean water. To support this claim he says that the "price today to desalt sea water is down to 50-80 cents per cubic meter."
The record: Peter Gleick, one of the world's leading experts on fresh water, notes that Lomborg's "price today" is an estimate based on a plant that has not yet been built. The actual prices for desalination, on which scientists have worked for many years, are between $1 and $2 per cubic meter, and "even if they were to drop by a factor of two, they would remain well out of reach of most water users."
How Did This Happen?
It has been said that it is easier for a very respectable-looking man in a suit to steal $10 million by sitting down with a bank officer than for a shabbily dressed man with a gun to rob one percent of that amount from a teller. In the Lomborg case, what may have thrown book review editors off at first was that the book was published by Cambridge University Press-one of the most hallowed names in scientific publishing. In retrospect, though, it appears that someone did an "end run" around Cambridge's usually rigorous procedures. Lomborg's book was not published by the natural sciences division of the press, whose editors would have quickly identified the book's ineptness. Instead, the project was quietly spirited through the social sciences division, reportedly without the natural sciences people even knowing of its existence until late in the game. Why that happened is a story waiting to be uncovered.
Then, once the book came out, there was the appeal of Lomborg's utopian refrain that any problems that do exist will easily be solved by future technology or future human ingenuity-and that no present intervention is therefore needed. This argument is music to the ears of the many business interests who oppose government regulations or interventions. The industry-funded Competitive Enterprise Institute, one of the leading right-wing opponents of the Kyoto process (and, indeed, of all efforts to reduce fossil fuel emissions to slow global warming), rolled out the red carpet for Lomborg when he came to Washington last fall on his book tour. On October 4, a CEI-sponsored anti-Kyoto group, the Cooler Heads Coalition, hosted a congressional and media briefing for Lomborg at the U.S. Capitol.
Finally, there was the problem of media obliviousness to the process of scientific review. You might expect that publications reviewing the book would seek out leading scientists in all the relevant fields, especially when the author himself was "not myself an expert as regards environmental problems." But instead of seeking scientists with a critical perspective, many publications put out reviews by people who were closely associated with Lomborg. In the October 2 Wall Street Journal, the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Ronald Bailey (who had earlier written a book called The True State of the World, from which much of Lomborg's claims were taken) wrote a rave review of Lomborg's book, calling it "superbly documented and readable."
The Washington Post supplement Sunday Book World took a tack that was a bit more difficult to detect, assigning the book review to Dennis Dutton, identified as "a professor of philosophy who lectures on the dangers of pseudoscience at the science faculties of the University of Canterbury in New Zealand," and as the editor of the web site, Arts and Letters Daily. The Post did not tell its readers that Dutton's web site features links to the Global Climate Coalition, an anti-Kyoto consortium of oil and coal businesses, and to the messages of Julian Simon-the man whose denial that global warming was occurring apparently gave Lomborg the idea for his book in the first place. It was hardly surprising that Dutton anointed Lomborg's book as "the most significant work on the environment since the appearance of its polar opposite, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, in 1962. It's a magnificent achievement."
At Worldwatch, we had direct experience with the failure of the media to check out Lomborg's "facts." In July of 2001, Nicholas Wade of the science section of the New York Times called Worldwatch and asked for our response to Lomborg's book, including his claim that global forest cover was not decreasing.
As it happens, Worldwatch senior researcher Janet Abramovitz is well versed in this area. She explained to Wade that Lomborg was using discontinued data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization that was never intended to measure forest cover in the first place. She gave Wade the name and phone number of the official in charge of these statistics at FAO in Rome, so that Wade could check whether Lomborg's choice and interpretation of the data were correct. But Wade told Abramovitz that he "did not have time to check every original data source."
More than three weeks went by, however, before the New York Times story appeared. Wade wrote that Lomborg had used "the longest data series of annual figures available" from the FAO to show that forest cover had increased slightly between 1950 and 1994-the very data series that Abramovitz had warned Wade was incorrect. After the article appeared, the FAO official confirmed to Worldwatch that Wade never called to check whether Lomborg was using the right data.
The Full Critiques
Harvard's Edward O. Wilson expressed the exasperation of many of his colleagues when he wrote: "My greatest regret about the Lomborg scam is the extraordinary amount of scientific talent that has to be expended to combat it in the media. We will always have contrarians like Lomborg whose sallies are characterized by willful ignorance, selective quotations, disregard for communications with genuine experts, and destructive campaigns to attract the attention of the media rather than scientists. They are the parasite load on scholars who earn success through the slow process of peer review and approval."
Nonetheless, many scientists took time away from their studies to set the record straight about what the condition of the world is-and what work must be done to achieve a sustainable future. Here's where you can find the most comprehensive critiques of Lomborg's claims in each of the major environmental fields covered (or not covered, in some cases) by The Skeptical Environmentalist:
Scientific American, January 2002: "Misleading Math about the Earth: Science defends itself against The Skeptical Environmentalist," with articles by Stephen Schneider on global warming, John P. Holdren on energy, John Bongaarts on population, and Thomas Lovejoy on biodiversity. <www.sciam.com>
Nature, 8 November 2001, pp. 149-50, volume 414: "No need to worry about the future," Stuart Pimm and Jeff Harvey. <www.nature.com>
Science, 9 November 2001, 294: 1285-87: Michael Grubb, "Relying on Manna from Heaven?" <www.
Union of Concerned Scientists: "UCS Examines The Skeptical Environmentalist," with articles by Peter Gleick on water, Jerry D. Mahlman on global warming, and E.O. Wilson, Thomas Lovejoy, Norman Myers, Jeffrey A. Harvey, and Stuart L. Pimm on biodiversity. <www.ucsusa.org/environment/lomborg.html>
For more information on this subject, visit our website at <www.worldwatch.org/issues/>


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Several University of Alabama Greek organizations have hired Tuscaloosa attorney Robert Prince to represent their members whose votes are being contested by Kelly Horwitz in her District 4 Tuscaloosa City Board of Education election challenge.
Several University of Alabama Greek organizations have hired Tuscaloosa attorney Robert Prince to represent their members whose votes are being contested by Kelly Horwitz in her District 4 Tuscaloosa City Board of Education election challenge.
Cason Kirby defeated Horwitz, a one-term incumbent, 416-329 in the Aug. 27 election.
Horwitz claims many of the voters didn't meet residency requirements or were illegally influenced by Greek organizations that offered incentives, such as free drinks, to vote for Kirby.
Prince, who filed a motion to intervene on behalf of members belonging to the UA chapters of Pi Kappa Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities, and Zeta Tau Alpha, Kappa Delta and Alpha Omicron Pi sororities, also represents Sayre Kearley, an individual whose ballot is being contested.
"I was surprised the plaintiff chose to list the unprotected names of UA students, some of whom were 18 and 19 years old, when she made her allegations of voter misconduct," Prince wrote in an email to The Tuscaloosa News on Monday. "Needless to say, that has had a chilling effect on some of them about exercising their right to vote. They, as all qualified U.S. citizens, have the right to freely cast their vote and do it by secret ballot.
"Our petition to intervene on behalf of the listed fraternities and sororities is designed to protect that right, while hopefully shielding them from further personal condemnation."
In the motion to intervene, Prince argues that none of the organizations' members committed misconduct, bribery or intimidation.
Tuscaloosa County Circuit Judge James Roberts will consider Prince's motion at a hearing scheduled for Thursday morning.
Affidavits are due Thursday from nearly 400 people whose votes are being contested. The interested parties have agreed to allow voters to complete and submit a notarized 36-question document in lieu of calling so many people to testify in court.
The questions focus on where the voters lived 30 days before the election and where they lived on election day.On Friday, Roberts ordered the affidavits not be disclosed to the public.
A final hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 18. Kirby is scheduled to take office on Nov. 4.
Reach Stephanie Taylor at email@example.com or 205-722-0210.
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BP Comment Quick Links
November 18, 2013
Prospects Will Break Your Heart
Minnesota Twins Top 10 Prospects
Prospect rankings primer
The Top Ten
1. Byron Buxton
What Happened in 2013: With only a short-season resume to work with, we decided to rank Buxton in the top 10 in baseball coming into the year, and he rewarded our faith by blossoming into the top overall prospect in baseball.
Strengths: Well above-average athlete; elite run; glove could end up plus-plus or better; arm is plus; hit tool is advanced; lets balls travel deep into the zone; quick hands and explosive bat speed; power potential is plus (some sources suggest it could be plus-plus at maturity); advanced approach at the plate.
Weaknesses: Still transitioning from raw athlete to skill player; needs to refine baserunning utility; scout sources are mixed on future game power output; has struggled against plus breaking stuff.
Overall Future Potential: 8; elite potential
Realistic Role: High 6; first-division/all-star
Risk Factor/Injury History: Moderate risk; yet to play at Double-A level
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: Just give me a second to take a breath and collect my thoughts. The sky is the limit with Buxton, but you already knew that. He has a chance to be the best player in fantasy with his combination of tools—the same type of value that we've seen from Mike Trout the last two seasons. It's a clear five-category profile with impact potential in steals.
The Year Ahead: Buxton is a monster athlete, with elite speed, near-elite potential in center field, a potent hit tool and raw power that some think could end up emerging as yet another plus-plus tool in the coming years. He will move to Double-A in 2014, and barring an unforeseen developmental setback, Buxton will likely taste major-league action as a 20-year-old. One scout suggested Buxton's career floor was Torii Hunter, which is both a ridiculous bar of success to reach and an absolutely justifiable suggestion based on the physical gifts. I don't even want to discuss what the ceiling might look like.
Major league ETA: Late 2014
2. Miguel Sano
What Happened in 2013: As a 20-year-old, Sano hit 70 extra-base hits over two stops, including 35 bombs—half of which have yet to land.
Strengths: Massive raw strength/power; 8 grade power potential; better athlete than people realize; can produce plus run times to first; arm is a 7; glove could end up being 5+; aptitude for the game.
Weaknesses: Leveraged swing with length; has swing-and-miss in the zone; can struggle against off-speed offerings; hit tool might play below average; hot corner defense comes and goes; good coming in on balls but struggles going side-to-side.
Overall Future Potential: 7; all-star player
Realistic Role: 6; first-division player
Risk Factor/Injury History: Moderate risk; only 20 years old; struggled (somewhat) in Double-A debut.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: Sano's ability to contribute in home runs, RBI and runs scored is rarely up for discussion among analysts, but the two categories that remain are where the debate lies. Sano could hit 40 homers annually and still not be a first-round talent (Adam Dunn never was), but if he can either hit at least .260 or steal double-digit bases, that's Giancarlo Stanton territory. With 3B eligibility, no less.
The Year Ahead: Sano is the best all-around power threat in the minors, with elite raw power and a hit tool that should allow most of it to show up in game action. His swing can get loose and he will chase outside the zone despite showing a willingness to take a walk when he's pitched around, so pitchers with a plan and command of off-speed offerings can trip him up. When he connects, the ball goes a long way, and if he can improve his bat control and ability to square up movement, he could develop into a middle-of-the-order monster and a future all-star at the major-league level.
Major league ETA: Late 2014
3. Alex Meyer
What Happened in 2013: A shoulder injury limited Meyer's workload in 2013, but when healthy he was a force on the mound, looking dominant at times in Double-A and taking another forward in the Arizona Fall League.
Strengths: Length you can't teach; good athlete for size; coordinated; big time arm strength; fastball can work mid-upper 90s; has touched triple-digits; good vertical action; could grade to 8; slider is easy plus offering and possibly a 7; mid-80s with depth and sharp two-plane slice; has flashed plus changeup.
Weaknesses: Command is below average; athletic but lots of body to control; can lose delivery; struggle to repeat mechanics throughout a game; can slow body on secondary offerings; changeup can lose arm-speed deception.
Overall Future Potential: 6; no. 2/3 starter
Realistic Role: 6; late-innings reliever (closer)
Risk Factor/Injury History: Low risk; ready for major-league challenge; shoulder injuries are a concern.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: The great thing about Meyer from a fantasy perspective is that even if it doesn't work for him in the rotation, his major-league fallback plan won't lower his draft slots much. In the rotation, he has the stuff to strike out close to a batter an inning, but with a slightly elevated WHIP (think around 1.25-1.30). In the bullpen, he could be a top-10 closer.
The Year Ahead: Industry sources continue to offer mixed prognostications about Meyer's long-term role, and I can honestly say that I don't have a strong feeling either way. The body is a paradox, with length you dream about but length you struggle to control over the course of a game. The arm strength is elite, and the fastball grade could reach that status with improved command. The slider is of the knockout variety, and even the changeup, which graded below-average coming into the season, now has some sources putting a plus grade on its future. In a rotation, he has the stuff to stand out, but the command and mechanical inconsistency could lead to erratic production; a gem one start and an early exit the next. In the bullpen, he could develop into a top-shelf closer, even if the command is a little shaky. Meyer is a low-risk, role 6 arm regardless of whether he is pitching in a rotation or out of the bullpen. Impact talent.
Major league ETA: 2014
4. Kohl Stewart
What Happened in 2013: After being drafted fourth overall, Stewart made the most of his brief 20-inning debut, striking out 24 while walking only four hitters.
Strengths: Athletic build; good delivery; arm is very fast; fastball is a future 7 pitch; works low 90s and can get to mid-90s; creates good angle; velocity will tick up; slider is second plus offering; mid-80s with big bite; curveball flashes plus, could play as average-or-better offering; good up/down pitch; changeup projects to be average or better; command profile could end up above average; big competitor.
Weaknesses: More polish than projection; body is mature for age; secondary command is below average; changeup can get too firm/overthrown.
Overall Future Potential: 7; no. 1/2 starter
Realistic Role: 6; no. 3 starter
Risk Factor/Injury History: High risk; health concerns on resume (type 1 diabetes); limited professional experience.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: Stewart has the higher fantasy upside than Meyer, but clearly the risk is greater. With two potential plus-plus pitches, the strikeouts should come in spades if he hits anything resembling his ceiling. And with Target Field at his back, suppressing power from the left-hand side, it's not difficult to envision Stewart's path to being a top-10 fantasy starter.
The Year Ahead: Several sources thought Stewart was the best pitcher available in the 2013 draft, a future no. 1 type that could move quickly through a developmental system. The profile is what you want to see in a frontline arm; plus-plus potential fastball, plus-plus potential slider, quality curveball for sightline/timing disruption, and a changeup that could be average or better. The command needs to improve, but with an athletic delivery and easy arm, the stuff could reach its potential. This is a very high-end talent that should move faster than most high school arms, and by the end of next season, Stewart could find himself in the discussion for top pitcher in the minor-league class.
Major league ETA: 2016
5. Josmil Pinto
What Happened in 2013: After over 1,600 at-bats at the minor-league level, Pinto erupted in 2013, hitting for average and power over three stops, including a highly impressive 21-game run at the major-league level.
Strengths: Plus raw power; good overall feel for hitting; short to the ball; nothing fancy in the swing; stays balanced; good approach; works himself into favorable hitting conditions; arm is strong; good catch/throw skills; glove is at least average; good receiver with leadership skills.
Weaknesses: Well below-average run; footwork behind the plate can be sluggish and slow; not an impact defender; potential to be good but not great hitter.
Overall Future Potential: High 5; above-average player
Realistic Role: 5; average major leaguer (regular)
Risk Factor/Injury History: Low risk; major-league ready
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: The most exciting thing to happen in 2013 for Pinto's fantasy value wasn't his breakout performance at Double-A or taking it up a notch at the major-league level. It was the news of Joe Mauer being moved full-time to first base that gets Pinto shooting up draft boards. A catcher who could hit .270 with 20 homers in short order? Sign me up, please.
The Year Ahead: Pinto's 2013 breakthrough was legit, as I watched him in New Britain over the summer and came away impressed by his bat, his ability behind the plate, and his overall approach to the game. He's not a middle-of-the-order hitter and he's not a shutdown defender, but he is likely to be a consistent solid-average player at a premium position, one that could hit .275-plus with 15 bombs while playing average (or better) defense. It's a very nice profile.
Major league ETA: Debuted in 2013
6. Jose Berrios
What Happened in 2013: In his full-season debut, Berrios made 19 starts and logged over 100 innings, but started to fade down the stretch and the electric stuff was a little sapped.
Strengths: Extremely fast arm; athletic delivery; fastball routinely works 92-96; very lively when spotted lower in the zone; hard curveball offers plenty of snap and depth; swing-and-miss pitch; turns over a good changeup; good arm speed deception; plus projection.
Weaknesses: Limited size (height); has to work down to create angle; struggles with hard contact when he elevates; struggled to maintain stuff in '13; shows control but command is presently below average; can slip to the side of the curve/get slurvy.
Overall Future Potential: 6; no. 3 starter
Realistic Role: 5; late-innings reliever (setup)
Risk Factor/Injury History: High risk; only 19 years old; limited professional experience.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: There are ballparks where Berrios would not profile well. Fortunately for him, Target Field is not one of them. He's had a tough time keeping the ball on the ground in his short pro career thus far (less than 40 percent groundball rate), but the strikeout potential is real, even if he comes with a few too many long balls. He can be a very solid fantasy starter, just not someone to build a staff around.
The Year Ahead: I really like Berrios, and even though I listed his realistic role as a late-innings reliever, I think he has the stuff and the approach to make it work in a rotation. He needs to get stronger in order to maintain his stuff, and because of his size, he needs to refine his command and hit his spots lower in the zone. But with three quality pitches and feel for craft, he has a good chance of figuring it out and developing into a mid-rotation type.
Major league ETA: 2016
7. Eddie Rosario
What Happened in 2013: Rosario crushed in the Florida State League, and after a promotion to Double-A, continued to show off his plus hit tool, racking up 82 hits in 70 games against older competition.
Strengths: Excellent bat-to-ball; fast hands and a pretty swing; pure hitter; runs well; very good athlete; has good pop in the stick; might end up with average game power.
Weaknesses: Can carry over bad batting practice habits into game action; will drop shoulder and elevate plane for power; lacks the strength for this approach; glove at second is below average; arm can make throws but not a weapon; hit tool could end up being only carrying tool; could end up empty.
Overall Future Potential: High 5; above-average player
Realistic Role: Low 5; second-division player
Risk Factor/Injury History: Moderate risk; room to grow; solid Double-A debut.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: Here's where the real-life value and the fantasy diverge. Rosario is not a good defender at the keystone, but fantasy owners don't care as long as he has the eligibility. If he were to stick there, he'd have top-five second baseman potential, in the mold of a Jason Kipnis that just wasn't quite left in the oven long enough (think 20 steals instead of 30).
The Year Ahead: Rosario can hit a baseball, and that's going to take him to the major-league level. His swing is quick and fluid, but when he attempts to wear a power costume, it doesn't fit and the outcomes suffer. I didn't like his actions or approach at second, and I didn't see enough feel for big improvements on that side of the ball. I can see a move back to the outfield where the above-average speed and athleticism would play better, but if he stays at second, it's hard to envision an average defensive profile at the position. This is a bat-first player that could end up hitting .280-plus at the highest level, with extra-base hit potential and good wheels.
Major league ETA: Late 2014
8. Lewis Thorpe
What Happened in 2013: The 17-year-old Aussie made his professional debut in the Gulf Coast League, and the scouting backed up the stats, as his advanced arsenal and execution made him one of the better prospects in the circuit.
Strengths: Projectable body; delivery is easy and repeatable; arm works very well; fastball works 89-93; touches 95; good arm-side life; shows plus potential curveball; tight rotation and vertical depth; good command of the pitch; can turn over a promising changeup; overall command profile is excellent; advanced pitchability.
Weaknesses: Still physically immature; velocity spike yet to be tested in workload; secondary stuff is still on the come (obviously); limited professional sample.
Overall Future Potential: 7; no. 2 starter
Realistic Role: 5; no. 4 starter
Risk Factor/Injury History: Extreme risk; will pitch '14 season at age 18; complex-league resume.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: In a system with no shortage of dreams, Thorpe is the freshest one from a fantasy standpoint. Likely unowned in your league, unless you play extremely deep, it's tough to match his star upside—even among 2013 draftees. It makes sense to jump on him in offseason drafts, especially in shallower leagues, with his potential to breakout in 2014.
The Year Ahead: Thanks to his international performances, Thorpe has been on the prospect radar for a while, but it wasn't until his GCL dominance that he became a name you can't forget. There is a lot of room to grow here, both physically and from an arsenal standpoint, so there will be ebbs and flows in the developmental process. If he can maintain control over his body as he fills out, while intensifying the stuff without losing his advanced feel, Thorpe could end up one of the better arms in the minors. At the end of the day (which is a long way off), the Australian southpaw could be a low/mid-90s velo type, with multiple secondary looks that play above average or better, all delivered in a smooth, repeatable manner that allows everything to play up thanks to strong command. That's an abnormal profile. That could be a no. 2 starter on a championship caliber team. Look for another run in short-season ball in 2014 followed by a full-season breakout scheduled for 2015.
Major league ETA: 2017
9. Felix Jorge
What Happened in 2013: The highly projectable Dominican arm made 12 starts in the Appalachian League, missing 72 bats in only 61 innings, appearing to take steps forward with each subsequent start.
Strengths: Loose arm; electric; very good arm action; projectable body; athletic; fastball works 90-95; projects to be plus-plus offering at maturity; slider already flashes its potential; hard offering with tilt; turns over changeup and shows feel for the pitch; looks the part on the mound; plus makeup reports.
Weaknesses: Command is loose; fastball velocity fluctuates; arm will slow on secondaries; can lose pace/tempo in delivery; learning to attack with fastball, but can be passive at times and rely too much on secondary stuff
Overall Future Potential: 6; no. 3 starter
Realistic Role: 5; late-innings arm (setup)
Risk Factor/Injury History: High risk; 19 years old; yet to pitch at full-season level.
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: Another potential 2014 breakout pick, Jorge doesn't have the ceiling that Thorpe does, but it's impressive nonetheless. His 4.0 strikeout-to-walk rate in Elizabethton hints at the ability to lay down strong ratios, but his changeup holds the key to his fantasy future.
The Year Ahead: This is a live arm that comes with some feel, a dangerous profile if everything clicks. With excellent reports on the makeup and aptitude, Jorge has a chance to not only stick around in a rotation but excel in that role. The fastball needs to find consistency, but it's highly projectable and could develop into a lively 93-95 offering (even higher in bursts), backed up by a hard breaking ball and a changeup that he already feels comfortable throwing in sequence. He will move up to the full-season level in 2014, and a strong showing will push him up the prospect ranks and possibly land him in the top 101 by the end of the season.
Major league ETA: 2017
10. Jorge Polanco
What Happened in 2013: In his full-season debut, the switch-hitting Dominican continued his recent trend of hitting over .300, raking up 143 hits in 115 Midwest League games.
Strengths: Really quick hands; can put bat to the ball from both sides of the plate; line-drive stroke; pop for the gaps; runs well; good actions with the leather; can make plays; good overall approach.
Weaknesses: Lacks impact arm for the left side of the infield; better fit for second base; power is more doubles than over the fence; hit-tool second base profile, so he has to really hit; good run but not a burner; body needs to add strength.
Overall Future Potential: High 5; above-average player
Realistic Role: Low 5; second-division player/good utility
Risk Factor/Injury History: High risk; long developmental road ahead
Bret Sayre's Fantasy Take: For someone as fast as Polanco is, he's really not much of a base stealer. In fact, he's just 19-for-37 in his minor-league career. Without improvement in that arena, he'll still clear the bar for ownership at second base because he can hit for average, but he won't be a player to get particularly excited about.
The Year Ahead: Polanco can really swing the bat, and that has the potential to carry him to a major-league future. He offers some versatility with the defensive profile, so there is a good utility floor, but he has the chops to develop into a regular at second base if he develops to potential. He's moving to the Florida State League in 2014, and given his balance at the plate, he's probably going to continuing making hard contact with the baseball. The test will arrive in Double-A, which could happen over the summer if the bat really takes off to start the season.
Major league ETA: 2016
Prospects on the Rise:
2. RHP Luke Bard: Assorted injuries have stalled the former first-rounder's progress since he was drafted in 2012, but if we get a chance to see a healthy arm in 2014, the results could push Bard up prospect lists and return him to the major-league fast track. It's a power reliever profile, but a good one, with an electric fastball/slider combination thrown with purpose.
3. RHP Ryan Eades: It's not the sexiest profile, and perhaps a throwback pitcher to the days when the Twins were known for their predilection of solid-average/pitch-to-contact types, but Eades might have more to offer than just a backend projection. With a low-90s fastball and good feel for the secondary arsenal, the former LSU arm will look to take a step forward in 2014, perhaps emerging as yet another fast-moving pitcher in a very deep system.
Factors on the Farm (Prospects likely to contribute at the ML level in 2014)
2. RHP Michael Tonkin: Abnormally large human with an angular 93-96 mph fastball and good, two-plane slider, Tonkin is ready for an extended look at the major-league level. He has good command for a max-effort power arm, and he should be able to find sustainable success at that level, most likely profiling as a quality 7th/8th inning type.
3. IF Danny Santana: I'm not sold that Santana's bat is going to play as regular, but with plus-plus speed, contact ability from both sides of the plate, and defensive versatility, I think he carves out a career as a utility player. Some believe in the bat more than I do and project a second-division future at shortstop, but I think major-league quality pitching is going to expose the bat for what it is. The aforementioned skills will still make him a valuable member of a 25-man roster at some point in 2014.
Top 10 Talents 25 And Under (born 4/1/88 or later)
There are some serious impact players at the top here. Buxton and Sano are obviously exceptional talents, but I think people routinely underrate Meyer and now Stewart. Pinto finally exploded this year, and when the likely outcome is an average everyday catcher, that's lofty praise.
Oswaldo Arcia is a pure bat-first prospect with only modest defensive contributions likely, but with that said his bat has a chance to sit in the middle of the order. He suffered through ups and downs as a rookie but his .251/.304/.430 line hints at what could lie ahead. Pitchers adjusted to him late in the year and he will have to demonstrate that he can counter those adjustments in 2014. If he is successful, he could turn into a quality hitter with 20-plus home runs and plenty of doubles, giving the Twins an offensive force they sorely need to compliment Joe Mauer in the middle of the lineup.
Ranked ahead of Arcia on this list a year ago, Hicks made a surprise appearance on the Twins Opening Day roster, and after a horrendous start he showed some signs of potential throughout June and July, posting a .679 OPS. The flashes of progress were small, but Hicks has always taken time to adjust at the plate. He may never be a stud in the batter's box but he has enough tools to contribute offensively while playing very good defense up the middle and showing good arm strength. Hicks isn't a star in the making, but there is a high likelihood that he contributes in the big leagues for a long time.
All told, the Twins are going to need guys like Buxton, Sano, Meyer, and Stewart to maximize their potential to help get them on track toward building another winner in the Twin Cities. Precious few players on the current big-league roster should be expected to contribute to the next quality Twins club, meaning the burden of production and winning games falls to a crop of five or six young players that are among the best in the game. –Mark Anderson
A Parting Thought: Cover to cover, this is the best farm system in baseball, with impact players at every level and enough depth to re-stock after some of the monsters graduate.
Show your #want for the Twins here:
Jason Parks is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @ProfessorParks
59 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Any thoughts on Niko Goodrum?
Nov 18, 2013 05:52 AM
Kyle Matte
Holy effin crap, wow. Was completely unaware of Lewis Thorpe, but he's definitely a name I'll be following now.
Nov 18, 2013 06:10 AM
Sorry if this sounds snarky, but is Sano even close tot he 6'3" 195 anymore? I ready somewhere (sorry, I forget where) that he could be closer to 230.
Nov 18, 2013 06:17 AM
He's at least 6'3'', and my guess would be closer to 240 lbs. He's built like an NFL tight end.
Nov 18, 2013 06:21 AM
Any thoughts on how this system compares with the Royals system in 2011?
Nov 18, 2013 06:41 AM
Mtn Jam
I wanted to bring up the 2011 Royals system too. There was an episode of Up and In when the fellas discussed the Royals system and joked about how the Royals will probably only get two MLB regulars out of the group. A few years later and, unfortunately, that's closer to a reality.
Nov 18, 2013 09:13 AM
Here's the initial list for the 2011 Royals:
Nov 18, 2013 11:15 AM
I don't think I'd call Hosmer an above average player yet. He was good last season, but was closer to average than above average. Still has only 2 WAR in 1800 MLB PA.
Nov 18, 2013 12:12 PM
Baseball Reference has him at a 4.9 WAR overall for his career with a 3.6 WAR last year; ESPN had him with the 11th best WAR at 1B in the MLB (with Mauer added in the mix at 5th) and 57th overall among players with 500 AB. And...he's only 24, so he's not even in his peak years. I'm comfortable calling him above average.
Nov 18, 2013 12:18 PM
Ben Lindbergh
BP staff
I asked Jason about this comparison on Effectively Wild today.
Nov 18, 2013 13:27 PM
Sometimes, certain tools aren't included in the "The Tools" section. Is there any significance to that?
Nov 18, 2013 07:20 AM
Thoughts on Max Kepler?
Nov 18, 2013 07:24 AM
My dynasty-league reserves heading into 2014:
Nov 18, 2013 07:33 AM
Reading this list reminds me of watching Basic Instinct on HBO when I was 11: sexual, violent, with homoerotic subplots.
Nov 18, 2013 07:48 AM
Nov 18, 2013 08:19 AM
Is it fair to comp Rosario to Daniel Murphy?
Nov 18, 2013 09:16 AM
Probably Handsome
Seeing all of these pitchers listed in the Twins system makes me feel like a father handing the keys to my Lexus to my sixteen-year-old son.
Nov 18, 2013 09:56 AM
What level of concern is there that Sano turns into Dallas McPherson 2.0? Assuming the concern is minimal, why is that the case (i.e. what's so different about the two)?
Nov 18, 2013 10:01 AM
It is the first-ever role 8 rating for Overall Future Potential--although last year there wasn't a Realistic Role designation. For reference, I'd be curious to see who (or how many) might have earned a role 8 last year if there had been a distinction between Future Potential and Realistic Role. Profar? Taveras?
Nov 18, 2013 10:15 AM
I think this is a the first time I've ever had the balls to throw an 8 on the OFP. I'm often quite hesitant to go THAT high on any one tool or player, but the scale only works when 8s actually exist. Somebody has to be an 8. Might as well be Buxton.
Nov 18, 2013 10:31 AM
Is it possible for people to stop posting fanboy-esque comments like "this list is full of #sparkle and #rig" and "this list is totally sopping #wet"? Yeah, a lot of these are clever hashtags that Jason came up with, but comments like this are totally unoriginal, and seriously contribute nothing to any kind of conversation. Just stop it.
Nov 18, 2013 10:02 AM
Kyle Matte
This comment is #dry
Nov 18, 2013 10:24 AM
Yeah, its certainly not for everybody, and I can respect this point-of-view. Hell, sometimes I get tired of it. But as with everything I seem to do, there is a fine line between clever and applicable and annoying and unnecessary. Some would argue the latter is a better description.
Nov 18, 2013 10:38 AM
It's one of those things that's funny when the originator does it, amusing when it gets repeated a few times, and finally the most annoying thing there is when everyone substitutes it for insight, humor or intelligence.
Nov 18, 2013 12:30 PM
And then idiots like me who missed the first reference are left wondering what the heck they mean. Can we get a Parks hashtag glossary somewhere on BP?
Nov 18, 2013 20:25 PM
What do you need a glossary for? Instead, you can have a t-shirt! #don'twantnotevenalittle
Nov 20, 2013 07:54 AM
They aren't for everybody. It's a preference. The good news is that you don't have to order one if you don't want one. Thanks for expressing your opinion.
Nov 20, 2013 08:57 AM
Obviously the points you make are true. An elaborated version of my point would be: The fact that they "aren't for everybody" is disappointing to me as a long-time subscriber and fan of the site - i.e., that you've decided to launch your merch store (the idea of which I fully support) with products that appeal to the most insular of demographics and which, frankly, are sort of ridiculous. I'm an adult, a Mets fan, and a BPro fan. You think I'm going to buy a shirt that says "#wet" in large font, with a tiny BaseballProspectus logo, and no indication that it's a Mets shirt other than the color scheme?
Nov 21, 2013 10:41 AM
We decided to target a specific audience (initially) for several reasons. With a re-design in the works and more initial consumer appeal for merchandise coming from the aforementioned "insular of demographics" it made sense to release the already designed merchandise in order to test the waters of our new partnership with the online store. It was tactical, and not intended to disappoint our readers who might find the hashtag merchandise immature and voice their displeasure as a result.
Nov 21, 2013 11:39 AM
I don't know, they're pretty easy to skip over. I like the lighter tone at Baseball Prospectus; it's part of the fun.
Nov 18, 2013 11:00 AM
Tanana Republic
I really do not care what I come off like, and I had no idea that every single comment I make absolutely had to contribute to a conversation.
Nov 19, 2013 05:41 AM
Luke in MN
As a Twins fan, what really stands out to me is how many legit prospect names didn't even make the article. Guys like Max Kepler, Travis Harrison, Adam Walker, and Niko Goodrum for instance. Chopped liver these guys ain't.
Nov 18, 2013 11:00 AM
As a Twins fan I can't wait to watch a pitcher throw in the 90's.
Nov 18, 2013 11:25 AM
Why wait? Here's a video of Jack Morris pitching in '91.
Nov 18, 2013 11:42 AM
Peter Benedict
Would the Twins' next 10 beat any team's top 10?
Nov 18, 2013 12:33 PM
Thank you for busting these lists out at a high rate. I love having them as reference so early in the Hot Stove season. Your effort is highly appreciated.
Nov 18, 2013 12:49 PM
Thanks. I couldn't produce these without the help of people like Craig Goldstein doing some of the dirty work with the biographical info, without the editors for putting together a pretty product, without Bret Sayre crushing the fantasy takes, and without the debates and discussions from the excellent BP prospect team.
Nov 18, 2013 13:22 PM
Nice list, well researched, entertaining and informative, as usual.
Nov 18, 2013 15:31 PM
From what I've heard, Thorpe is around 200-205 now.
Nov 18, 2013 16:28 PM
Pinto has obviously been one of the biggest movers in the prospect world, from basically not on the radar to potential everyday C. Just wondering, if you had your choice between him and pre-season sexy C prospect picks Travis D'Arnaud and Mike Zunino (who both had middling debuts in the majors), who would you take?
Nov 18, 2013 20:27 PM
I still think d'Arnaud is going to be very legit, and I'd take him over Pinto. I think Zunino is average (possibly solid-avg), so I would rate him in the same ballpark as Pinto right now.
Nov 18, 2013 20:41 PM
A more interesting question (as a Twins fan, at least): would you take Pinto or Wilson Ramos?
Nov 19, 2013 06:27 AM
Eddie Rosario facing a 50-game suspension for banned substances at the start of next year?
Nov 19, 2013 10:41 AM
Bellin Detances
Any chance we can get a Sean Gilmartin write up as an addendum, now that he otherwise falls into that "black hole" of a prospect traded from a team that hasn't been written up yet to a team that's already done?
Dec 20, 2013 08:10 AM
I saw Adam Walker play four games last year over two weekends and came away impressed. He's obviously very athletic and has tons of raw power. He has plenty of holes in his game, especially his awareness of the strike zone and plenty of swings and misses. However, I saw him hit a moonshot that must have gone 475 feet and a line-drive bomb that looked like it was going to knock the scoreboard over. He also knocked a couple more hard liners for base hits.
Jan 07, 2014 09:42 AM
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text:
Colony: Issues https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/ https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/redmine/favicon.ico 2011-11-03T00:20:32Z Robotics Club Redmine Enhancement #1903 (Assigned): Discuss and Contact about Extra Colony III Boards https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1903 2011-11-03T00:20:32Z Ben Wasserman firstname.lastname@example.com
Bring up at the next status meeting about the extra boards that exist, and if the colony is happy with it, contact Brian? about acquiring them. Then swap out boards on robots that aren't happy with the new ones.
 Task #1576 (Assigned): Schedule Fleet Maintenence Day https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1576 2010-11-12T22:11:34Z Ben Wasserman email@example.com
It should be done.
 Bug #1574 (Assigned): wl_basic_do_default(int *length) doesn't set *length to zero if no packet r... https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1574 2010-11-12T02:37:38Z Alexander Lam email@example.com
Either need to add code to preset &dataLength = 0 in /home/lama/projects/colony/trunk/code/projects/traffic_navigation/main.c (rev 1867) before calling wl_basic_do_default, or change wireless lib to set *length to zero.
 Task #1570 (Assigned): Implement Intersection Behavior https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1570 2010-11-09T00:28:18Z Ben Wasserman firstname.lastname@example.com
This ticket is to keep track of the entire Intersection Group. Post comments on progress as it happens.

Subtasks are:
Wireless reliability - Ben
Collision Avoidance - Willis, Alex Z
Line Following Implementation - Jeff, Dan J (honorary member of group)
Police Bot - Joseph
Determining turn directions - ?

People to be assigned jobs: Priya, Jeff
 Task #1568 (Assigned): Clean up Colony-New and prepare for next year https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1568 2010-11-08T22:36:22Z John Sexton email@example.com
Need to figure out what we want to do with colony-new repository.

We will need to clean it out for next year, but if there are substantial library changes between now and then (maybe the next version of the Intro labs will incorporate line-following???) then there is a valid argument to wait and do this at the beginning of next year.

In which case, we can either wipe everything, keep everything but the lab implementations, or don't touch anything.
 Task #1562 (Assigned): Make Hunter-Prey Ref More Verbose https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1562 2010-11-05T21:33:31Z Ben Wasserman firstname.lastname@example.com
Make the output more clear about which bots are cheating and how.
 Task #1556 (Assigned): Profile different mapping surfaces https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1556 2010-11-01T23:45:52Z John Sexton firstname.lastname@example.com
Record the mean intensity and the standard deviation for 4 different surfaces we are interested in:
- Printer paper
- Large construction paper
- Plotter poster paper
- Black tape
 Task #1534 (Assigned): Add Line Following to Library https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1534 2010-10-22T21:34:22Z Alex Zirbel email@example.com
Line following should be callable like wireless - once per loop, call
followline(int speed)
And line following should quickly take care of the rest.

We should also include a function to turn 180 degrees on a line.
 Task #1466 (Assigned): Clean up repository branches https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1466 2010-10-03T02:05:08Z John Sexton firstname.lastname@example.com
Go through branches and clean up what is useful and what is not going to get done. SVN keeps a history of everything, so deleting should not be dangerous.
 Task #1464 (Assigned): Get Colony videos onto VideoTron. Embed in website. https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1464 2010-10-02T23:54:19Z John Sexton email@example.com
Get all Colony videos collected onto RoboClub youtube channel.

Get the multimedia page displaying embedded youtube videos instead of just links.
 Task #1458 (Assigned): Redo robot pants https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1458 2010-10-01T21:40:56Z Alex Zirbel firstname.lastname@example.com
A better clip/slide-in for the battery would make things faster. Look into clip-on covers or something to replace the screws.
 Task #1453 (Assigned): Line Follower Collimator https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1453 2010-09-30T23:29:06Z John Sexton email@example.com
Design a collimator and attachment scheme for securing the line following censor to the bottom of the robots.
 Task #1439 (Assigned): Check/Order robot battery clips https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1439 2010-09-24T22:04:20Z Alex Zirbel firstname.lastname@example.com
We have a broken male (?) power connector - the part on the robot that the battery plugs into. We need to make sure we have replacements for these and order some if not; in any case, someone needs to fix the broken bot.
 Task #1400 (Assigned): Complete SURG form https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1400 2010-09-07T21:49:26Z Alex Zirbel firstname.lastname@example.com
Fill out the Colony SURG Participation Agreement form. Due noon, Sept. 30 (Participation form); Final report form due last day of the semester.
 Task #1389 (Assigned): Figure out rangefinders group https://roboticsclub.org/redmine/issues/1389 2010-09-03T20:47:27Z Alex Zirbel firstname.lastname@example.com
Check on the rangefinders, since the group wasn't at the last colony meeting.


text:
Q: How many fish can I have in my water garden? -Several Customers
A: There are many rules of thumbs out there regarding how many fish you can have in your water garden. Just remember, the old saying goes, "The more animals in the barn, the more doo doo to clean up." With that said, if you have the number of fish that the picture to the left has…my guess is that you have algae! Below I am going to explain the 4-Key Factors in Maintaining a Clean, Clear & Healthy Pond Ecosystem. The way these factors work is this: If you plan to increase your fish load, then you must improve the other 3 to help compensate. Hopefully this helps!
1. The DefensePAC®:
The products included in the DefensePAC® provides beneficial bacteria, trace minerals, and a fish and plant safe pond cleaner. The DefensePAC works to breakdown fish waste, leaves or other organics that accumulate in the pond. These are essential to maintain a clean, clear and healthy ecosystem.
2. Fish Load:
When calculating your fish load think of it in pounds of fish or total inches. For example, one 6" fish can weigh as much as four 4" fish. The number of fish will affect the overall fish load, although 10 small fish may only produce the waste of one large fish. With this said, remember that your fish are growing and in many cases multiplying. Always plan for the future and be careful not to overstock your pond.
3. Proper Filtration:
The size and type of your filtration system will depend on your total fish load. If your filter is not properly sized for max potential, your fish will outgrow the filter. In most cases filters on the market are rated for ponds containing no fish or a minimal fish load. It is always best to get a filter that is rated for at least 2x the water volume of your pond.
4. Aquatic Plants:
A simple rule of thumb is to have 60% plant coverage. This should consist of submerged, floating and marginal plants. Floating plants, such as Water Hyacinths, pull their nutrients directly from the water. Rooted plants, such as water lilies and marginal plants, create a great place for your fish to hide from predators. Please note when aquatic plants are not present, algae will take their place.
Filed under: Fish Population, Koi & Goldfish, Water Gardens & Features | Tagged: fish, fish load, Fish Population, gold fish, goldfish, how many fish can i have, Koi & Goldfish |


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A new project by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is illustrating why all creatures have a right to exist. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
Joel Sartore is a modern-day Noah, building a portfolio instead of an ark. The National Geographic photographer has taken more than 1,800 stunning studio portraits of endangered animals, many of which cannot be found in the wild anymore. By choosing a portrait style, Sartore says all of the creatures are showcased equally, putting them on the same footing.
Joel Sartore / joelsartore.com
A National Geographic photographer's biodiversity project aims to protect 6,000 species, illustrating why all creatures have the right to exist.
Sartore's Biodiversity Project is available in its entirely on the website http://www.joelsartore.com/galleries/the-biodiversity-project/. Click on the video below to hear more about Sartore's mission.
Photographer Joel Sartore talks about working with threatened animals and praises zoos and aquariums for protecting the wildlife.


text:
In less than a month, it is that time of the year again for the annual UN Climate Change conference. In the lead up to this international event, IUCN Water will promote a selection of videos on what climate change can mean in the field, and what is being done about it in rural communities across the globe.
As Minister Marcin Korolec, President-designate of the Climate Change conference in Warsaw, Poland (UNFCCC COP19) said in his opening statement: "We need to be prepared for nine billion people on this planet, as we all deserve a decent and secure life [...] Where there is a will, there is a way!"
As this IUCN video 'Building resilience in times of change' shows, there is indeed a will, and a way, to become for example more resilient to climate change impacts by reducing the risk to drought and other disasters such as flooding.
In the video, communities and project partners talk about the different challenges and solutions to improve resilience of dryland communities in Northern Uganda, a region prone to water scarcity and drought crop failure, and consequently famine and conflict. By opting for nature-based solutions and adaptive capacity approaches such as diversification of livelihoods, improving natural and engineered water infrastructure, and strengthening governance through capacity building, the IUCN project aims to reduce communities' vulnerability to climate change, drought and changing water flows.
Video available on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=NByT_iPv6lo
Video duration: 5'15. Filmed in Karamojo, Uganda - December 2011. Production ©IUCNClaire Warmenbol. Narration: Daniel Shaw.