text:
Big Ten heads into unusual season with PSU, OSU
Only four teams can win Leaders division
MADISON, Wis. —With Ohio State and Penn State both barred from the postseason, there are only four teams in the Big Ten Leaders Division competing for a spot in the league championship game.
Wisconsin and running back Montee Ball are the heavy favorites as Michigan State moves on without quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue all hope to find their footing following disappointing finishes a year ago. Nebraska and running back Rex Burkhead look to build on their first season in the Big Ten.
Urban Meyer will focus on making the Buckeyes a force again after a 6-7. And Penn State coach Bill O'Brien is simply trying to keep Penn State afloat after rippling NCAA sanctions from the Jerry Sandusky child sex-abuse scandal.


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The playoffs are heating up, y'all!
Now that the pesky presidential election is out of the way, it's time to fully focus the voting portion of our brains on "The Voice." Tonight, it was Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green's contestants turns to sing for America's vote and a spot in the Top 12. (To see how Adam Levine and Blake Shelton's teams did, check out our recap!)
So how did everyone do? Who put their own spin on a One Direction hit and which contestant made Adam want to have a baby?!
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
Missed Monday night's ep? Get caught up with our recap
Team Christina
Adrianna Louise sings Katy Perry's "Firework" and impresses all the coaches. Cee Lo calls her a "beautiful person" with a "beautiful voice." After telling Cee Lo that he loves him, Adam also praises Adrianna. "I've never had a waitress like you," Blake tells the former server.
Former church singer De'Borah performs Pink's "Who Knew," which Cee Lo finds "compelling." Adam showers praise on the singer, saying, "There is only one De'Borah." Blake compliments her overall performance, the way De'Borah is able to move and sing. Her coach Christina says she "commands the stage" in a way that no one else on the show can.
Devyn DeLoera takes on Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love" as Christina wants to show off a softer side to the diva. Cee Lo admits it wasn't her best performance, but still thinks she can continue to grow. Blake wanted to see a softer performance, while Christina thinks Devyn did an amazing job, saying, "Hat's off to you!"
2012 Fall TV Awards: Vote for the best and worst reality shows!
Pop singer Sylvia Yacoub takes the stage (and piano!) with a haunting version of Katy Perry's "The One That Got Away." Cee Lo calls her performance "wonderful" and says it was his favorite of the night, while Adam says Sylvia "definitely deserves" to move forward. Coach Christina gushes over her contestant's performance, saying the two "connect on an emotional and vocal level," which causes Sylvia to cry.
Former college football player Dez Duron is the final member of Team Christina to perform and takes on Hunter Hayes' country hit "Wanted" because she wanted to see him step outside of his comfort zone. "I'm gonna give it the Dez twist," Dez says. "Good news is girls really love you," Adam says, adding that Dez has a "great voice." Blake jokes that he's mad that Dez sang a country song after choosing Christina over him as his coach. Christina gives Dez a personal standing ovation and gushes, "You nailed it!"
Nicki is open to performing with Mariah on "American Idol"
Team Cee Lo
Country boy who thinks he was "an elderly black lady" in a previous life, Cody Belew, takes on George Michael's "One More Try." Adam calls it a "genius" song choice and Blake says Cee Lo's team "is full of threats" and reveals that Cody is one of his wife Miranda Lambert's favorite contestants! Cee Lo gushes over his contestant's performance, saying, "I'm just like, 'Wow!'"
"Peruvian Magic Mike" Diego Val takes on Enrique Iglesias' "Bailamos" and Adam notes that he didn't seem "that uncomfortable" as he's a rock singer and the tune was more of a Latin love song; Christina agrees with Adam. Blake jokes that he didn't know what he was saying and praises Diego's "cool factor." (He wasn't even annoyed that Diego wasn't wearing socks!) Cee Lo kind of apologizes for the song choice
Mackenzie Bourg, who struggled with congestive heart failure before the show, is now "a current event," aka he got mobbed by girls when he went to a football game at his old high school. Of course, Cee Lo decides to have Mackenzie cover One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful." (Smart, smart move!) Adam says he felt like he was in the '50s and says Mackenzie is "an idol." Blake admits the young singer snuck up on him, while Christina calls him "a charmer," but wants to see him switch things up. Cee Lo agrees with Christina, adding he wants to see more energy from Mackenzie.
Adam promotes Hurricane Sandy relief
Spiritual family man Nicholas David is the next to take the stage and performs "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by Barry White as Cee Lo says Nicholas has "soul." When Cee Lo tells Nicholas he needs swagger, the singer hilariously admits, "I don't understand the whole swagger thing," comparing himself to an out-of-the-loop grandparent. Adam says he's "a huge fan" and jokes that "he wants to make a baby now." Blake calls Nicholas "my favorite singer" on Team Cee Lo. His coach says Nicholas made him proud, adding that he deserves to go all of the way. Awww!
Queens native Trevyn Hunte is the final performer of the night and sings a stripped down version of Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." Blake gushes, "You move me. Every time you get on the stage you move me," adding Trevyn could win the whole thing. Christina seconds Blake's sentiments, calling the teenager "truly special." Coach Cee Lo says, "I'm speechless, you did such a wonderful job."
Who do you hope to see in the top 12? Sound off in the comments!
(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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Dear everybody,
On Wednesday morning Kickstarter was sent a blog post quoting disturbing material found on Reddit. The offensive material was part of a draft for a "seduction guide" that someone was using Kickstarter to publish. The posts offended a lot of people — us included — and many asked us to cancel the creator's project. We didn't.
We were wrong.
Why didn't we cancel the project when this material was brought to our attention? Two things influenced our decision:
- The decision had to be made immediately. We had only two hours from when we found out about the material to when the project was ending. We've never acted to remove a project that quickly.
- Our processes, and everyday thinking, bias heavily toward creators. This is deeply ingrained. We feel a duty to our community — and our creators especially — to approach these investigations methodically as there is no margin for error in canceling a project. This thinking made us miss the forest for the trees.
These factors don't excuse our decision but we hope they add clarity to how we arrived at it.
Let us be 100% clear: Content promoting or glorifying violence against women or anyone else has always been prohibited from Kickstarter. If a project page contains hateful or abusive material we don't approve it in the first place. If we had seen this material when the project was submitted to Kickstarter (we didn't), it never would have been approved. Kickstarter is committed to a culture of respect.
Where does this leave us?
First, there is no taking back money from the project or canceling funding after the fact. When the project was funded the backers' money went directly from them to the creator. We missed the window.
Second, the project page has been removed from Kickstarter. The project has no place on our site. For transparency's sake, a record of the page is cached here.
Third, we are prohibiting "seduction guides," or anything similar, effective immediately. This material encourages misogynistic behavior and is inconsistent with our mission of funding creative works. These things do not belong on Kickstarter.
Fourth, today Kickstarter will donate $25,000 to an anti-sexual violence organization called RAINN. It's an excellent organization that combats exactly the sort of problems our inaction may have encouraged.
We take our role as Kickstarter's stewards very seriously. Kickstarter is one of the friendliest, most supportive places on the web and we're committed to keeping it that way. We're sorry for getting this so wrong.
Thank you,
rnxx on
Kickstarter, I am really disappointed. You removed a project which was in no way advocating violence against women. I've been following the author of the book for a long time now. While I have to agree that his wording could have been way better, I am still deeply saddened by your decision to give in to public pressure (pressure coming form people who evidently never bothered to read his material, if not for the small chunk of it that proved useful in attacking him).
I do understand that people get emotional whenever rape is concerned, and I remember myself becoming furious after reading one blog (forgot the name of it) that was advocating abuse and violence towards women. But this whole witchhunt was mounted against the wrong man. I myself have followed advice very akin to the author's, and this never led me to abuse anyone. I have a girlfriend, many friends, and no one ever hinted at me being abusive or disrespectful. In fact, thanks to this kind of guides, I started caring more about the people that were close to me.
To the people who condemned the author's work, I wish you would read the whole thing and with an open mind. Some of the things this society teaches us are great, some others are a byproduct of our collective fears and issues. Relationships (all kinds) are complicated, and a very big chunk of very popular advice and approaches is, unfortunately, flawed.
Ziyo on
@ Jeffery Dean , Mike Maring et al
First of all, don't confuse 'feminism' with 'misandry.' Not all feminists are man-hating lesbians (and not all feminists are lesbians, though I don't see what's wrong with being one ). I consider myself a feminist, and I am straight, and that obviously doesn't mean I hate all men. The issue is, this guide, under all the fluff about being an 'Alpha Male ' promotes taking away a woman's agency, reducing her to no more than a tool for a man to have sex with , less than a human being. If you actually read the excerpts , it does say or imply things like 'set her on your lap by force'. Have you ever seen a woman setting a man on her lap by force ? No? Good. Regarding women who seduce men, yep, that's true. Women seduce men, men seduce women, men seduce men , women seduce women . Physical assault (i.e. pulling a woman's hand to your crotch ) is, well, physical assault . It only serves to convey the message that the woman is not 'supposed ' to have any agency over her body or her behaviour, supporting society's patriarchal structure (men still get 19% more salary than a woman in the same or a similar position because employers assume she has a husband/boyfriend to provide for her , to illustrate it differently).
Last of all , the number of known cases where a man is sexually assaulted by a woman is zero (I've never heard of a man being raped by a woman , that's for sure! ) , so the argument that 'women also assault men' is ... not very strong. On another note , there are men out there that support feminism (and whose opinion/ideas you might actually listen to , because yeah, I'm female) , so why do you feel treathened enough to go into the defensive ?
Personally , what offends me most is that , as this ''guide'' apparently apllies to the entire female species, denies the human being - complexity of women, and , what I've said earlier , reducing them to 'tools'.
I hope this clarifies things.
Clara Løfgren on
Well done!
Sarah MacRae on
@Mike Maring, are you kidding me????
All the greatest seducers in history could not keep their hands off of women. They aggressively escalated physically with every woman they were flirting with. They began touching them immediately, kept great body language and eye contact, and were shameless in their physicality. Even when a girl rejects your advances, she KNOWS that you desire her. That's hot. It arouses her physically and psychologically."
I just about threw up right there. I stopped reading, because I didn't want to give it a second more of my time.
This blog MAY appeal to boys who call grown women "girls" and only want sex from them, but it doesn't appeal to me, and will offend a lot of women and men who have an ounce of sensitivity. As a woman I do not want to contribute one cent to someone who thinks that when a woman rejects your sexual advances, secretly she's thinking that it's a turn on and that she really wants you to äggressively escalate your physical advances. That's not sexy, that's sexual harassment at best, and can lead to sexual assault at worst. Not cool, and Mike YOU ARE WRONG.
Shala Byers on
Wow. Impressed with the sincere apology here. Go Kickstarter--everyone makes mistakes thanks for owning up to yours!
AnotherAngel on
"Last of all , the number of known cases where a man is sexually assaulted by a woman is zero (I've never heard of a man being raped by a woman , that's for sure! ) , so the argument that 'women also assault men' is ... not very strong."
Unfortunately thats just not true. Women can be rapists and we can rape men. Female-on-male rape vicitims face similar harassment and further victimisation when they come forward and are taunted with comments like "Raped by 4 women? Sounds more like a dream for my bucket list."
The awful thing is that as long as people assert that men arent or cant be sexually assaulted and raped by women we are aking sure that the victims will never be taken seriously.
The argument IMO is not that female-on-male rape and sexual assult doesnt happen, it is that though it does happen that doesnt justify things like this book's content. That there are cases where women are agressive doesnt justify men being agressive. The argument "but they started it" lost validity when I was 6 years old.
Jen Funk Segrest on
well done.
Ellen Mulder on
Thank you Kickstarter for having the decency, common sense, but also courage to apologize. It takes a lot for people to apologize these days. Yet is a good, if not the best, way to show that you take responsibility for your part in unfortunate matters, and at the same time clarify your position on that very matter. Violence should not by publicly funded. "Duh" one might think, but many organizations and websites don't take their roles seriously yet. Maybe you can nudge Facebook in the same direction??? They also display, and therefore promote, a large number of sexist, racist, objectifying, violent and or offensive pages. I report an offensive page everytime I encounter one, but the 'reporting' doesnt appear to change a thing (!). So thanks again, for taking responsibility openly and therefore setting a great example to follow.
Rightbread Team on
Your link doesn't work. I was not able to see the "transparency"
Jay c on
NOPE. It's not rape if a woman is consenting. There is no such thing into hypnotizing some chick to unwillingly sleep with you.
Let's be not aloud to improve ourselves!!
If we suck at dating and can't get a girl for the life of us, we should just go live in a hole and die!!
How is learning social skills, building confidence, showing your interest rape? There is a way to turn anything the wrong way. Why is porn legal when there is such thing as child porn, rape porn and that bullshit??
Eeshan Srivastava on
Tom B.Superbackeron
@Jay c
You are correct that is the woman (or man) is willing, it is not rape. But just touching someone that does not want you to, which is what the book advocates, is assault, plain and simple. Picking someone up and sitting them on your lap, or taking their hand and placing it on your crotch, are sexual assault.
If those are your idea of "techniques" for winning over women, then you deserve to be alone. And if you actually try them on someone, then you deserve to be in jail, with that nice "Sexual Offender" tag on you for the rest of your life when you get out.
batpigandme on
Classy move kickstarter!
Local Media on
I'm not in the least offended by this guy. To be offended by him would be a waste of my time. People can choose what they expose themselves to. Don't like it? Leave it on the shelf; but censoring this is ridiculous. There was no "violence against women" in any of the material he posted that I found. I really did expect that the content would be horrifying. What a joke! Also from what I can see his advice for men on how to have good sex is not awful. I'd like it if my partner was thinking of how best to "rock [my] f-ing world!"
Karina Anderson on
Once again, political correctness run amok.
Feminists constantly shout and blather about women being "strong, smart, anmd powerful" and other such generalities and crap, but they get their panties in a knot over some guy who wants to publish a book about how to meet and attract women? And you call this book abuse??+? But, but... I thought women were strong, smart and powerful! But you feel threatened and abused by an effing book??!!
But it appears to be OK to puke out crap on feminist websites about how they would like to mutilate men's genitalia and other pleasant things. You are all such a bunch of little turds.
Gack, women like you all make me embarrased to be female.
Matthew Stavola on
It's good to see that Kickstarter took responsibility for it's inaction by donating $25k to RAINN, but this paragraph bothers me a little bit:
"Third, we are prohibiting 'seduction guides,' or anything similar, effective immediately. This material encourages misogynistic behavior and is inconsistent with our mission of funding creative works. These things do not belong on Kickstarter."
A "seduction guide" shouldn't default to "man tries to forcibly get laid" in your minds. There are books for women detailing how they might attract men, some of them are down right disgusting in content. So when you say that dating guides "encourages misogynistic behavior" it annoys me that you neglect the fact that they can be misandristic as well. I get that this book in particular was nothing but offensive garbage towards women, but let's not play favorites here.
carolbruce on
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Gregorius G on
This is ridiculous. From what I could see the guide was maybe somewhat corny and derivative. If you found it tasteless and wanted to ban it for that I'd understand. Branding it as some kind of advocacy for violence against women is basically pandering to political correctness in its most twisted form. To write this long snivelling apology and donate money to a battered women charity just smacks of the worst kind of corporate moral policing.
Gregorius G on
"Of course if you're really unclear, back off. Better safe than sorry."
A direct quote from the books draft. Sure his writing skills could use some polishing and I can see some women being put off by his attitudes but what are we getting outraged about? The guy is advocating a strategy of persistence, directness and dominance without crossing the line into non-consensual sex. I can't remember the last time I heard a woman say "I gave him explicit permission in writing to touch me. Then we proceeded to go through the safe sex protocol, that involved me for signing a whole bunch of documents in triplicate just to be sure"
Why do we have to be boring and robotic about human sexuality? So much about seduction and sex is dynamic and involves a million subtle bodily tells, ruses, innuendo and transactions of power. The demarcation between non-consensual and consensual sex is a clear enough one for anyone who has some basic humanity and social skills, no matter how obnoxious or pushy he may be - perhaps not social robots like Tom B though. The demarcation between misogyny and different culture bound attitudes to sexuality and gender are more complex. I really don't think its kick-starters job to policing this as it is a slippery slope. Welcome to the Brave New World of Kickstarter.
The book makes me cringe to be sure and I don't think the world needs yet another seduction manual that is this uninspiring. But that's not for me to decide.
Esther Pettigrew on
Thank you, Kickstarter, for an apology where you actually own your decision instead of something like "We apologize if you were offended".
Thank you for removing that project from the Kickstarter site AND providing a link to a cached copy so that anyone could see it if they wanted to would not stumble across it accidentally. (By the way, the link worked for me. For those it didn't work for, perhaps you need to check what your server or your browser blocks?)
Thank you also for the links to the draft material of the book and the blog post about the project. That was very useful information to help me make my own informed decision.
Thank you for knowing the difference between a genuine self-help book to build social skills and misogynistic drivel that treats sex as the goal to winning a game and views women as only sex-dispensers. From reading the comments, I have some hope for humanity as it seems that most posters are equally aware of the difference.
Thank you for putting your money where your mouth is. $25,000 is more than 30X of your 5% fee from the project. To me, that seems an adequate restitution. While that money could have been spent fighting the creator of the project, I'd rather have that money going towards helping women rather than lining lawyers pockets.
Thank you for taking steps to prevent a repeat of this in the future by updating your submission guidelines to prohibit seduction guides or other similar material. I would hope that in the future, if a similar project was brought to your attention at the 11th hour, these updated guidelines would allow you to instantly respond.
I appreciate the apology, the information, the honesty, the sincerity, the transparency, the updated submission guidelines, and the upholding of basic humanity. Bravo! We all make mistakes - but only the best of us learn from them.
Kirsten Simmons on
Kudos for a sincere apology and appropriate donation. Isn't banning all self help material a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater, though? There are way more legitimate, creative works in the genre than there are creeps advocating sexual assault. I've supported a number of them here in the past. Is there a way to alter the guidelines to allow those projects back in the fold?
Oh, and for the boys arguing that perusing a woman after she rebuffs you is seduction - I've dated some amazing, assertive guys, and can you guess the sexiest thing each of them did in the early days? They asked if they could kiss me.
coopfoer G Gannon on
This comment has been removed by Kickstarter.
Spencer Rogers-Greason on
What in the hell about that project was promoting or glorifying violence against women??
Peter Teloff on
This seduction book is teaching a kind of interaction that is not good for both sexes.
Humans in general or even more broadly living beings are those who deserve respect, all of them.
As such I dislike the calls for whitch burnings (making backers public on a wall of shame) or talking about women as if they were especially worthy of protection. No! Real enlightment means respect for everyone, and understanding that special treatment or protection is sexism.
I would have preferred a donation to human rights activists. This would have sent the right message: an educated decision by people who hold their head high in a view of a mistake and foster real societal improvement, instead of feeling ashamed by public outcry and strong lobby interests (e.g., feminst groups).
@other commentors: thanks for considering those words before rejecting them immediately and falling into patterned reactions. Also you might consider that people who want such self-help books want genuine help, not more shaming, they already act out of shame/low self-confidence. Shaming them and assuming they are out there to do harm wont change anything for the good.
Peter Teloff on
@Tom B.: So you advocate a no tolerance, no mistake allowed policy. Truly enlightened. Instead of accusing each others of being monsters and going out of our way to make others feel guilty and bad, maybe it would be an idea to handle things like adults and stop blowing everything out of proportion.
Aggressive and insulting behavior when you dislike something is not your right, it's childish and unworthy of adults.
People need room to grow and develop and not fear and fascism. Limits have to be set, but in proportion!
Andi Popp on
Since I have just seen this now, here are my 2 cents: Until now, this has been my favorite site in the net. I have been promoting crowdfunding and Kickstarter on my blog for a long time. But reading about this decision leaves me utterly dissapointed. With you giving in to an unfounded political hate campaign against seduction guides, you have openly started to filter projects for political reasons (the whole violence thing is totally bogus and you know it). This means kickstarter cannot be a politicly neutral platform for creators and supporters anymore and that makes me extremly sad.
Omni on
What you were wrong about Kickstarter was giving in to censorship whores. This site has always represented the freedom for individual creators to find an outlet to get their creations out to the world. Just because some people don't agree with what a writer is writing doesn't mean it should be censored. The writer's freedom of expression should be respected.
Johan Compounding on
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Android App Developer on
Great Info. Thanks for the your effort. Appreciate it.
Peter Chiykowski on
This. This is how you apologize honestly and transparently. This makes me so proud to support the platform.
Joel et Monique Bautista on
HI everyone, we have launched " KREMAS" one of our Haitian delights recently on Kickstarter, and we believe even if we go to family or friends but we need OTHER PEOPLE TO ENJOY in a easier way to discover projects, or they wont hear about them until it is too late, some backers might be interested.
Joel et Monique Bautista on
Sorry I forgot to post the keyword to search it "Haitian delights"
ZenBar on
Kickstarter you were wrong in multiple ways. You were wrong to even accept this project in the first place. In looking at the project, the layout and the wording reminded me of 'top secrets for picking up chicks' web site I saw 5 years ago. Probably the same person still trying to peddle his smut.
You were wrong for not stopping the project even at the last moment. The 'Our processes, and everyday thinking, bias heavily toward creators' is not an excuse for feeding the ego of degenerate creators.
Kickstarter should have enough maturity and courage now to not accept morally and ethically reprehensible projects because it 'might' interfere with creativity.
Otakuten on
To those asking how it supports violence against women, take a look at the actual book. In chapter 7 he tells men to sexually assault women. He also says that if they say "no" they actually like it and you should lie and apologize then try again ASAP. He says to never ask for permission before inappropriately touching a woman. He says to force women to touch you because they will submit to you if you force them. He basically says that if you try to rape her enough she'll eventually agree to let you. THIS is not okay.
The Kickstarter page itself makes little to no mention of this, which makes it completely understandable why whoever screened it found no problem with it. It presents itself as an average self-help book for lonely guys looking to make a connection with a girl. It's the contents of the book itself, which were published on an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SITE that a quick screening would not have seen, that support violence against women. It's a book about how to rape women by convincing the reader that women love rape.
Amanda YourCat Morrison on
Thank you for the follow-up and gracious apology. Good on you for going above & beyond by donating to RAINN. Stay awesome <3
Chris Bartlett on
Good apology, though pity you seem to have no legal recourse against the creator, if they broke your terms can you not pursue them?
Upeksha Pawar on
This comment has been removed by Kickstarter.
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text:
In the early days of Columbia, Flat Branch Creek was the main waterway through town. It not only received stormwater runoff, but sewage discharge from the growing community. In the early 1900's Columbia started constructing a sanitary sewer system to separate sewage from our waterways and improve the health of the community.
At one time, stormwater was a "common enemy" and the goal of any stormwater system was to get water away as quickly as possible. Treating stormwater as a nuisance included replacing meandering streams and riparian corridors with underground pipes and straightened ditches.
Development in Columbia included constructing storm drainage systems in conjunction with the street and sanitary sewer systems. However, the storm systems were not designed per a specific standard. As the City became more urbanized, property owners and citizens experienced a wide range of stormwater problems. The effects of urbanization are uncontrolled or poorly controlled stormwater runoff, increased stormwater runoff and erosion of land, and sedimentation and deposition in creek channels and other conveyance systems downstream from development. The damage caused by flooding and erosion affect homes, businesses and all infrastructures (roads and utilities).
On August 4, 1969, the City Council adopted a manual titled "Storm Drainage Standards" to require more control of stormwater design and construction. The standardization of stormwater design criteria and construction procedures address issues related to stormwater conveyance in development. However, the document did not address the issues of increased stormwater runoff because of urbanization and those problems associated with erosion and sedimentation due to site development.
In the early 1970s, the City of Columbia was one of the first in the state to complete a flood plain study and enact a flood plain ordinance. The flood plain ordinance regulates development in flood prone areas. By meeting these FEMA requirements, Columbia is able to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program that provides a means for homeowners, renters, and business owners to protect themselves financially. Flood plain regulation also reduces the occurrence of flooding damage to structures.
In 1982, Public Works updated the Storm Drainage Design Manual. The objective of the revision was to establish a level of service for protecting structures and vehicle access to roadways during storm events. Establishing specific levels of service improves the safety of citizens and further protects their property. The revised manual also sought to improve the review process for new development by standardizing engineering plan submitions.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE 1980's STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN
Heavy rains in 1982 increased complaints about local flooding. The City contracted with Black & Veatch Consulting Engineers to prepare a comprehensive stormwater management plan. Completed in March 1983, the plan identified ten primary drainage basins within the City and problems that existed within those basins. The plan provided recommendations and cost estimates to correct the identified drainage problems. The plan recommended formation of a stormwater utility to be funded by a monthly fee based on impervious surface.
City Council appointed a task force to review the plan and make recommendations. Submitted in December 1984, the task force's preliminary report prioritized the identified projects, recommended a bond issue, formation of a stormwater utility and preparation of ordinances to prevent the creation of new stormwater problems. In 1986, the Stormwater Management Task Force submitted its final recommendations that included a draft of a stormwater detention ordinance. The recommendations were:
- Adopt a new storm drainage design manual.
- Enact an ordinance to require stormwater control facilities.
- Request voter approval for stormwater utility fee.
- Adopt policy and procedure guidelines for addressing stormwater issues.
A stormwater control ordinance was enacted for high density Planned Unit Developments (PUD). Stormwater controls for other developments were approved and subsequently repealed. At that time, there was concern about many small detention basins causing more flooding problems than are caused by having no stormwater control. It was determined that regional detention basins would be more effective for flood reduction. Council deferred creation of the stormwater utility at that time. In the late 80's, the Columbia community became increasingly aware of environmental concerns from stormwater runoff. Additionally, Federal regulations requiring municipalities to monitor and treat stormwater as a point source discharge were to be finalized in 1993.
Since 1972, the U.S. Clean Water Act and its amendments have prohibited the discharge of any pollutant to a water of the United States unless authorized by a national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permit. The NPDES program initially targeted easily detected sources of water pollution such as municipal sewage and industrial process wastewater and was successful in improving water quality. Subsequent amendments to the Clean Water Act helped fund many improvements to the Columbia wastewater treatment system removing many of the smaller sewage treatment facilities that discharged directly into Hinkson Creek and its tributaries. However, the NPDES program was not addressing other significant sources of water quality impairment: nonpoint sources such as runoff from agricultural, forestry and construction operations, and stormwater runoff.
The Clean Water Act was amended in 1987. As part of the amendments, Congress addressed the environmental impact of stormwater by establishing a comprehensive, two-phase approach to stormwater control. Phase I and Phase II stormwater regulations took a new approach and began to treat stormwater discharges from municipalities as point sources of pollution. As a result, local governments covered by the Phase I and II regulations must, like all point source dischargers, obtain federally enforceable NPDES permits under the Clean Water Act.
In March 1991, the City adopted a revised storm drainage manual. In addition to refining the standards for conveyance of stormwater runoff, the 1991 manual established standards for detention and retention of storm water and provided guidelines to minimize soil erosion and prevent sedimentation associated with land disturbing activities.
In July 1991, this city enacted a comprehensive Land Preservation Act which requires a land disturbance permit for any site two acres or larger. The permit required preservation of existing trees on site, a landscaping plan in conformance with zoning requirements, an erosion control plan for containing sediment on site during development, and a stormwater management plan for sites greater than 5 acres.
This ordinance initiated some stormwater management for development. However, the ordinance did not provide funding or the ability to address existing stormwater problems or to maintain stormwater management facilities.
In April 1993, Columbia voters approved creation of the Stormwater Utility. This vote authorized the City to establish a stormwater development charge on new construction and to issue stormwater management system revenue bonds to be repaid by revenues from stormwater utility charges on monthly utility bills. Stormwater management would require this dual approach. Monies from the development charges would address the effects of new development and the problems associated with increased stormwater runoff. Monthly charges provide income for long range planning, construction and maintenance.
A six-year Capital Improvement Plan was prepared from the prioritized list that the citizen task force had recommended. In addition to funding specific projects, the development charge provides annual funding for other identified but unprogrammed needs. The monthly utility charge funds stormwater management planning and maintenance activities.
Monthly utility charges are billed to the owner or occupant of all developed property. Rates are based on whether the property is residential or non-residential. Residential charges include four different rates correlating to the total impervious area on the lot ranging from $0.65 to $1.35 per unit per month. Non-residential charges are based on the total impervious area of the property.
New development charges are a per square foot of floor construction fee with the rate based on the zoning of the property and range from $0.195 to $0.09 per square foot. New development charges are paid at the time the building permit is issued.
Once funding for the utility was in place in 1994, work began on the Capital Improvement Plan. Instead of issuing bonds, the City decided to pay for Capital Improvements as money was available. Large and small drainage improvement projects started to be constructed. More than $10 million has been spent on major drainage improvement projects since 1994.
Phase I of the Federal Clean Water Act was promulgated on November 16, 1990. The Phase I regulations require large sources of stormwater discharge to apply for NPDES permits. Large sources include medium and large municipal storm sewer systems, usually serving 100,000 people or more, as well as several categories of industrial activity including construction activity disturbing five or more acres of land. The NPDES permits require cities to develop a stormwater management program, track and oversee industrial facilities that are also regulated under the NPDES stormwater program, conduct monitoring, and submit periodic reports.
Phase II of the Federal Clean Water Act was promulgated on December 8, 1999. Phase II expanded the scope of the NPDES program to include smaller local governments, municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s) serving populations of less than 100,000 or 1000 people or more per square mile. The stormwater Phase II final rule requires these entities to obtain NPDES permit coverage. These local governments must design a stormwater management program to include the development and implementation of six specified measures that reduce stormwater pollution. Evaluation and reporting measures are also required. In addition, the rule sets requirements for construction activity that disturbs between one and five acres and extends a previously set deadline for municipalities that operate industrial activities regulated under Phase I.
While work on Capital Improvement Projects was a priority in the 90's, the City was preparing to become compliant with Clean Water Act regulations and the utility helped to provide funding for those activities. The City population was growing aggressively. If the population exceeded 100,000, the City would be required to meet Phase I regulations. Even if the City did not top 100,000 people, it would be required to meet Phase II regulations.
The NPDES Phase II regulations require local governments to have a stormwater management program that will include the development and implementation of six specified measures that reduce stormwater pollution. These "six minimum measures" include:
- Public education and outreach,
- Public participation and involvement,
- Illicit discharge detection and elimination,
- Construction site runoff control,
- Post-construction runoff control, and
- Pollution prevention / good housekeeping.
In Missouri, the Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) issues permits for the NPDES program. Once an NPDES permit is obtained, the conditions of the permit must be satisfied and periodic reports must be submitted on the status and effectiveness of the local government program. The Columbia MS4 includes the City of Columbia, Boone County and University of Missouri. The MS4 submitted its first joint NPDES operating permit to MDNR in 2002. The permit cycle is five years and the Columbia MS4 is currently in the second permit cycle.
The City portion of the NPDES Phase II permit discusses the goals and strategies to implement the minimum control measures. The City has been moving forward on each of these measures. The City employs a stormwater educator to perform education and outreach activities. Ordinances and programs to address illicit discharge have been implemented. The City has improved requirements for construction site runoff control to meet state and federal requirements. All City Departments have updated policies for pollution prevention and good housekeeping.
Addressing post-construction runoff control, and all the minimum control measures, requires a multi-faceted approach including ordinances, planning, engineering design, inspection and education. In January 2007, the City passed a stream buffer ordinance to protect the riparian corridor along streams. Protecting the riparian corridor reduces runoff and erosion and improves water quality.
In March 2007, the City issued "Stormwater Management and Water Quality Manual". The manual provides methods and means for stormwater runoff quantity control and stormwater runoff quality improvement. Now, all developments must have stormwater runoff controls and water quality controls. Previously, only PUDs or critical locations were required to have stormwater runoff controls. Now, all developments are required to have stormwater runoff controls such as retention or detention basins. Water quality improvement practices, called BMPs or Best Management Practices, include bioretention, pervious pavement, sand filters and many other techniques that require a combination of stormwater, geotechnical and landscape practices. Improving and protecting the water quality of Columbia's waterways is best accomplished by mimicking natural hydraulics, hydrology and rainwater treatment where more water stays on the site and is infiltrated in the ground or transpired through vegetation.
In summary, Columbia has evolved from treating stormwater as a nuisance and convenient dumping area to recognizing our natural streams as an asset to the community and respected as such. The presence and protection of natural resources is fundamental to the quality of life of the citizens of Columbia and every facet of the stormwater system must recognize this. The best method of management is to preserve, restore and mimic natural processes. One of the best ways to manage stormwater runoff is to generate as little as possible and treat stormwater as near the source as possible.
The stormwater management ordinance can be found in Chapter 12A of the City Code of Ordinances.
You can also view the full manual online: Stormwater Management & Water Quality Manual.
Boone County, City of Columbia and the University of Missouri coordinate stormwater activities. The three institutions are joint holders of a Phase II Stormwater Permit issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).


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Amazon's got a new way to buy stuff for anyone who has a Kindle Fire. Amazon Coins are a virtual currency that will come out in May in the US, and work for all app and in-app purchases on the Kindle Fire.
The Coins will function exactly the same as real money, and developers will still get their standard cut. Amazon thinks it will help drive more business, and that makes some sense. Especially with apps and games for kids, it seems like a nice addition where you can maybe set up a Coins purse without allowing access to another payment method. And since Amazon will obviously never stop accepting real money — unlike virtual currency-only merchants like Xbox Live — you don't have quite the locked-in headache here, either. [Amazon]


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Alex Etherington, a 6'5" small forward at Hamilton Heights High School in Indiana, had an open look at the basket just minutes into a game against Peru High on Saturday. The score was just 2-0, but a Peru player still attempted to stop Etherington's dunk attempt with a vicious undercut push from behind. Etherington, whose brother Austin will play for Indiana next year, hit his head hard on the floor and was eventually taken off the court in a stretcher. He spent the night in a Fort Wayne hospital and was diagnosed with a "serious" concussion. He also suffered bleeding on the frontal lobe of his brain and had temporary paralysis immediately after the fall. The sophomore will not play for the remainder of the season.
Alex Etherington out with 'serious concussion' [Indianapolis Star]
[H/T Trent]


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Council of Graduate Students (COGS)
COGS is a student organization that serves as a bridge between the graduate administration and students. As an organization that supports the needs of graduate students, our goals include:
- To promote the university's commitment to biblical principles and spiritual development.
- To advocate and represent the student body's collective ideas, interests and concerns to the administration and vice versa.
- To facilitate the interchange of ideas and programs among the respective graduate schools within the university.
- To assist the administration in fostering a quality academic environment.
COGS also hosts a variety of events during the school year to support and foster a united community at Regent University. COGS maintains school-specific committees in order to ensure that the needs of each school are met. As this organization exists to serve graduate students on campus, we urge you, the students, to make your voice heard and come see your COGS senator today.


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Dzeko thrilled with Man City win at Plzen
Edin Dzeko reflected on Manchester City's 3-0 UEFA Champions League victory over Viktoria Plzen as "the perfect start".
City scored three goals in 10 second-half minutes at the Doosan Arena to consign the Czech champions to defeat in the opening Group D encounter.
Striker Dzeko opened the scoring and Yaya Toure added a stunning second before Sergio Aguero, who also struck a post, capped a fine individual display with a third goal after 58 minutes.
Big-spending City have failed to progress from the group stage in the last two seasons, but they will have high hopes of reaching the knockout stages after such a promising start.
"It was the perfect start," Dzeko told Sky Sports. "The last two years we didn't do that. We know that every team in the Champions League is strong and we are very happy to go home with three points."
City did not have things all their own way as Plzen, who came through three qualifying rounds to reach this stage, gave a good account of themselves in the first half.
But City dominated after the break and ran out comfortable winners.
"As you can see, after the first goal we scored two more and finished the game, but in first half it was a little bit different. We had some chances to score then after I scored it was easier," Dzeko added.
The former Wolfsburg man is enjoying life under new boss Manuel Pellegrini, who left close-season signings Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic on the bench.
When asked if he was pleased the new manager has put his faith in him, Dzeko continued: "It is very important. We have a very good squad with some new players and they've brought a lot of quality. There are a lot of games until the end of the season and everyone will get chance to play."
Meanwhile, Toure added another spectacular strike to his collection when he found the top corner from 25 yards. And the Ivory Coast midfielder was also delighted to make such a positive start to the campaign.
He said: "We had the desire, we wanted to win the game. It is always very hard in the Champions League and they played well.
"The last two years were disappointing for fans and the club. The target is to go to second round and as far as possible after that but we will see."
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Florida Congressman Trey Radel said Thursday that he will stay in office, shortly after he left a Naples rehab facility.
Radel, who is on leave from Congress, said he plans to keep serving his constituents, but he would not give a timeframe for his return to Washington.
"Politics and re-election are the absolute last thing on my mind right now," he said in a news conference at his Cape Coral office.
U.S. & World
Stories that affect your life across the U.S. and around the world.
Radel entered the Hazelden addiction treatment facility in Naples on Nov. 21 after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor cocaine possession charge. But he said Thursday that he is working to recover one day at a time as he is treated for alcoholism.
"More tangibly, here's exactly what I know: alcohol does not work for me," Radel said. "It was selfishly fun, but it became a problem, and it led to poor choices, and more than that, missed opportunities. It never interfered with my congressional obligations, but it let me down a path that slowly but surely chipped away at my relationship with my wife, my child, and God. And it led to really bad decisions which put me here today."
Radel said that he used cocaine a handful of times.
Radel, a freshman Republican who represents the 19th Congressional District in southwest Florida, thanked members of the public for their prayers, support and encouragement.
"While I'm thankful, I am still remorseful. I made a mistake, and I know that. I let you down. I let our country down. And again for that, I am sorry," Radel said. "I will do everything in my power to make it up and to regain your trust."
Radel said he is focused on his family, rebuilding trust with his constituents and having a great new year.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating Radel.
"It is my hope, through this process, I will come out a better man. I will work hard to gain back the trust and support of my constituents, friends and most importantly, my family," Radel said in a statement when he entered rehab.


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I was caught in a huge avalanche in March 2008 and I definitely believe that it's only luck that allowed me to escape alive. Part of this luck was wearing my ABS avalanche airbag. Personally I always take the ABS avalanche airbag and transceiver with me when I go freeriding. This doesn't mean that I take more risks when it comes to decisions about mountains, but when something goes wrong, I want to be equipped as good as possible.I definitely believe that the abs back pack is going to become the mandatory tool to have to go freeriding, and I think that it brings an even bigger advance than the transceiver in terms of avalanche safety!
Winner of Freeride Snowboard World Tour 2008 und 2009
Winner Boarder Cross 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007
Climbing, surfing, to spend time with my daughter
Jul 01, 1979


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Wedded: Jade Eaves and Christopher McArdle
Date: June 8, 2013
Her story: Jade Eaves, 27, grew up in Locust Point. She is a philanthropy associate at Sheppard Pratt. Her mother, Cindy Eaves, lives in Locust Point. Her father, Dan Macatee, is the owner of Hull Street Blues Cafe in Locust Point. He lives in Harford County with his wife, Kathy.
His story: Christopher "Chris" McArdle, 37, is originally from Northern Virginia but moved to Maryland in 1998. He enlisted in the Army in 2004 and is an Army contractor at Fort Meade. His parents, Francine and Patrick McArdle, live in Fairfax, Va.
Their story: Chris and Jade met at Jade's father's restaurant in early 2011. Jade was working there at the time. "I had a strict rule for not dating regulars," she says. But that changed when she agreed to go to an Orioles game with Chris later that year in June. Though she didn't consider it at the time, Jade says that looking back, it was their first date.
The proposal: A year later, in February 2012, Jade and Chris were preparing to go to Sarasota, Fla., for Orioles spring training. On Feb. 29 — Leap Day — the day before they left for the trip, Chris persuaded Jade to let him show her their new season tickets seats at Camden Yards, even though it was pouring rain. A box office worker led them to the seats in Section 23, where Chris proposed to Jade with his great-grandmother's ring. Afterward, they went to Hull Street for a surprise engagement party that Chris organized.
The venue: About 160 guests attended the ceremony at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Locust Point, right down the street from where Chris and Jade live. Chris's friend, the Rev. Christian Raab, presided. A reception followed at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
Her dress: The bride wore a lace, A-line dress with a scalloped, sweetheart neckline by Alfred Angelo Bridal. She also wore a blush floral satin sash and teal Cole Haan high heels.
Bridesmaids' dresses: The women wore different style chiffon dresses in shades of pale pink and beige from Garnish Boutique in Ruxton. As bridesmaids' gifts, each woman wore custom handmade earrings by the Gilded Peach.
Men's attire: Chris and his brother, who was the best man, wore custom gray suits from Christopher Schafer Clothier in Baltimore. The remaining groomsmen wore their own gray suits. Each man wore a peach and gray-striped tie, except for Chris, who wore a solid peach-colored tie.
Flowers: My Flower Box Events in Glen Burnie created the bridal bouquets using peonies, ranunculus, carnations and roses in shades of peach, purple, pink and white.
Decor: "You don't have to do much decorating," says Jade about holding the reception at the BMI. She wanted the decor to be industrial, vintage and eclectic. Burlap runners, votive candles and clusters of milk glass vases with peach roses and white gerbera daisies decorated the tables. Chris's sister-in-law, owner of Just Ink on Paper, designed the save-the-date cards, invitations, menus, table numbers and seating chart.
Music: The Superland Stage Band, a 10-piece funk band based in Baltimore, played throughout the reception. Chris and Jade's first dance was to a version of Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is."
Food and dessert: Hull Street catered the reception. The menu included scallops, shrimp cocktail, oysters, roast beef, and chicken Chesapeake. Along with offering beers like Heavy Seas ale and National Bohemian on draft, Jade and Chris created a signature cocktail called Down the Point Sweet Tea. In lieu of a cake, Baltimore's Miss Twist ice cream truck made an appearance at the reception.
Just wedded? Or planning your nuptials? Tell us about it. Email your wedding details and contact information to email@example.com.
More wedding info
For more coverage of bridal trends and wedding-planning adventures, go to baltimoresun.com/weddings.


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Gemma Chan
STARmeterTop 5000
Down 57 this week
Gemma Chan (born 29 November 1982) is a British film, television, and theatre actress and former fashion model. She portrays Charlotte in season four of the Showtime and ITV2 series Secret Diary of a Call Girl; Ruth in Channel 4's Fresh Meat; Mia Bennett in the BBC's Doctor Who "The Waters of Mars" and Soo Lin in Sherlock. She also appeared in ... See full bio »
Born:in London, England, UK
More at IMDbPro » Contact Info: View agent, publicist, legal on IMDbPro


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Wednesday, the day after….Morning reads.Posted: December 26, 2012 Filed under: American Gun Fetish, corporate greed, energy, Environment, Environmental Protection, Fox News, Gun Control, morning reads, U.S. Politics, Water, We are so F'd | Tags: David Petraeus, hijack the presidency, Michael Moore, Murdoch, Newtown CT, nuclear energy, pollution, Shooting victims, uranium mine 17 Comments
Good morning everyone.
Horrible weather is making its way across the US, so first…before we get to any reads, make sure you keep an eye out for bad storms.
Intellicast – Current Radar in United States
This image of a lighted tree in a pope mobile/sleigh is appropriate for the wet and cold days this holiday.
Let's start this post with some thoughts on Newtown, CT., both of which are very emotional…for different reasons.
Mom of Sandy Hook Child Victim Shares Daughter's 'Message From Beyond the Grave' in Incredibly Moving CNN Interview
Grace McDonnell was one of the 20 children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School this month. As her parents are grieving the loss of their bright-eyed, seven-year-old daughter, they can take at least some solace in a sign of comfort that she left behind.
Grace was known for leaving messages on the family's bathroom window — notes and symbols that would show up once fog clouded the room from shower steam. And the day after her death, seemingly on cue, one of these notes appeared to her mother.
Grace McDonnell, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre (Photo Credit: CNN)
On the first day without her daughter, Lynn McDonnell said that the message on the window was a peace sign, Grace's favorite symbol. Above it were the words, "Grace, Mom." CNN was moved to call the family's finding "a message from beyond the grave."
"I looked and there was her peace sign in the window and I was like, 'That's a sign from my Grace,'" Lynn said. "She was all about peace and gentleness and kindness."
Heartbreaking. As many of us are thankful this holiday season is almost over, it makes me stop and think how lucky we are to even have a holiday filled with the usual stresses and family dinner get-together, whether they are enjoyable or not.
The other link I have for you is just more discussion on gun-control, in an op/ed from Michael Moore: 3 Reasons America Is Falling Apart — And How We Can Save Ourselves
After watching the deranged, delusional National Rifle Association press conference on Friday, it was clear that the Mayan prophecy had come true. Except the only world that was ending was the NRA's. Their bullying power to set gun policy in this country is over. The nation is repulsed by the massacre in Connecticut, and the signs are everywhere: a basketball coach at a post-game press conference; the Republican Joe Scarborough; a pawn shop owner in Florida; a gun buy-back program in New Jersey; a singing contest show on TV, and the conservative gun-owning judge who sentenced Jared Loughner.
So here's my little bit of holiday cheer for you:
These gun massacres aren't going to end any time soon.
That is just the first few lines of the op/ed, please take a look. I don't usually post links to the rants of Michael Moore…but he sure as hell got the Columbine story the attention it deserved…along with other gun related shootings and killings in his film, Bowling for Columbine. Anyway, take a few minutes to read his opinion.
This next story is fascinating from an environmental stand-point. After you read it, just think of the disaster in the making: Proposed Coles Hill uranium mine: Buried treasure or hidden threat?
Beneath an estate that's been farmed by the Coles family since just after the Revolutionary War lies the nation's largest untapped uranium deposit, a potential $10 billion bonanza amid rolling hills, oak trees, pastures and a historic plantation home.
The radioactive treasure in the Blue Ridge foothills is pitting neighbor against neighbor and North Carolinians against Virginians. North Carolina is only about 20 miles from the proposed uranium mine and residents, public officials and lawmakers there worry that a catastrophic release of radioactive waste could poison Kerr Lake, the drinking water source for more than 118,000 North Carolinians, as well as contaminate the fishing- and recreation-rich Roanoke River as far east as Pamlico Sound.
With the recent ProPublica report on the contamination of water aquifers by the US government, this "mother-lode" of radioactive uranium seems like a mining operation that is just asking for trouble.
From the Guardian, this question is one we all should be asking…from Carl Bernstein: Why the US media ignored Murdoch's brazen bid to hijack the presidency
The Ailes/Petraeus tape made clear to many that Murdoch's goals in America have always been nefarious. Photograph: Reuters
So now we have it: what appears to be hard, irrefutable evidence of Rupert Murdoch's ultimate and most audacious attempt – thwarted, thankfully, by circumstance – to hijack America's democratic institutions on a scale equal to his success in kidnapping and corrupting the essential democratic institutions of Great Britain through money, influence and wholesale abuse of the privileges of a free press.
In the American instance, Murdoch's goal seems to have been nothing less than using his media empire – notably Fox News – to stealthily recruit, bankroll and support the presidential candidacy of General David Petraeus in the 2012 election.
And like the rest of the articles I have for you this morning, it is just a few first lines, read the rest at the link.
That is all I have for you this morning, how was your holiday and what have you been ready lately?
17 Comments on "Wednesday, the day after….Morning reads."
I don't usually go for the tear jerking stories surrounding tragedies, but the one about the little girl and the bathroom mirror got me. This is the massacre that really should kick off a serious discussion about arms. Very big, kids soooo young, and middle class and white. You couldn't ask for more than that. It won't though. The toothpaste is out of the tube anyway, with 300 million guns in the US. I'm despairing of ever handling this.
I haven't read the entire post from Moore yet, but I'm definitely convinced this country has fallen apart. MB said it four years ago. We are living in a country in which the rich want to create a proletariat. It gets worse by the day. I am serious when I say, whatever God, Goddess, or power you believe in, help us all because we need help. Oh, and WordPress messed up my account when I changed email addresses, and i cannot seem to fix it, which is why you haven't heard from me much lately. This is the poster formerly known as BackBayStyle, under my real ordinary name, posting through FB. Since I'm no longer in BackBay, and probably not very stylish either anymore, I think I'll let that moniker go.


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Grazing Management Part 2
Management Intensive Rotational Grazing, otherwise known as MIRG, is a BIG part of Prescribed Grazing Management. It's a system of grazing in which ruminant and non-ruminant herds are regularly and systematically moved to fresh pasture with the intent to maximize the quality and quantity of forage growth. MIRG can be used with cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, ducks and other animals. The herds graze one portion of pasture, or a paddock, while allowing the others to recover. The length of time a paddock is grazed will depend on the size of the herd and the size of the paddock. Resting grazed lands allows the vegetation to renew energy reserves, rebuild shoot systems, and deepen root systems, with the end result being long-term maximum biomass production. MIRG is especially effective because grazers do better on the more tender younger plant stems. MIRG also leave parasites behind to die off minimizing or eliminating the need for de-wormers. Pasture systems alone can allow grazers to meet their energy requirements, and with the increased productivity of MIRG systems, the grazers obtain the majority of their nutritional needs without the supplemental feed sources that are required in continuous grazing systems.
Animal Health Risks
Bloat is a common problem in grazing systems for ruminants (although not for pigs or poultry), that if left untreated can lead to animal death. This problem occurs when foam producing compounds in plants are digested by cows, causing foam to form in the rumen of the animal and ultimately prohibiting animals from expelling gas. As a side note, Sorry if your eating breakfast while reading this blog. Just though some of you might be interested in knowing exactly what causes bloat. The risk of bloat can be mitigated by seeding non-bloating legumes with the grasses. Animals are especially susceptible to bloat if they are moved to new pasture sources when they are particularly hungry. ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF THE SEASON, if they've only been getting dry hay all winter! For this reason, It is important to make sure that your cattle are given plenty of free-choice hay while on lush green spring pastures, this will help limit the potential for your cattle to gorge themselves when turned onto new paddocks.
Animal Health Benefits and Animal Welfare.
Herd health benefits will obviously increase when any animal has access to open space, sunlight and fresh air. Freedom of movement within a paddock results in increased physical fitness, which limits the potential for injuries and abrasion often suffered when cattle (specifically Dairy), are never allowed to leave their "free-stall" while in lactation, Sometimes for up to a year and a half!! Allowing your cattle access to the outdoors (even if only for a few hours between milkings or overnight), reduces the potential of exposure to high levels of harmful microorganisms like those that can cause mastitis and milk fever. Outdoor activity also helps cattle keep their hooves naturally maintained, allowing your hoof trimmer more time at your neighbors and potentially cutting your vet bills almost in half too. The only drawback for most dairy producers is the initial loss of milk pounds per animal. But the over-all increase in herd health and decreased medical bill's offsets the loss of production.
* Although milk yields are often lower in MIRG systems, net farm income per cow is often greater as compared to confinement operations. Additionally, a transition to management intensive rotational grazing is associated with low start-up and maintenance costs.
The main costs associated with transitioning to management intensive rotational grazing are purchasing fencing, fencers, and water supply materials. If a pasture was continuously grazed in the past, than you probably already have half if not most of what you need in the way of fencing and a fencer/charger. Cost savings to Ranchers/Farmers can also be recognized when one considers that many of the costs associated with livestock operations are transmitted to the cattle. For example, your cattle actively harvest their own sources of food for the portion of the year when grazing is possible. In the North/East, we have our cattle on pasture year-round, but there are only "greens" available for consumption April – November. This translates into lower costs for feed production and harvesting, which are fuel intensive endeavors. MIRG systems rely on the cattle to produce fertilizer sources by way of their manure. There is also no need for collection, storage, transportation, and application of this manure. Additionally, external fertilizer use such as N. P & K, contributes to other costs such as labor to apply it, purchasing costs, and the time to do it! It has been demonstrated that management intensive rotational grazing systems also result in time savings because the majority of work which might otherwise require human labor is transmitted to the herd.NOW GET 'EM OUT THERE AND LET THEM GRAZE!!


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Sickness and Stream of Conciousness
I'm feeling under the weather so pardon this rather unstructured blog posting.
In between sniffling, changing diapers, and eating too much, work is progressing nicely on the Heron interpreter. I am looking at an official Beta version (IOW a feature complete, Heron 1.0) for the end of January.
I spent a lot of time hammering out the design of the module system by picking the brains of Gilad Bracha. He officially disproves of the design, but one major reason is because the super-class of classes is fixed, and I have hard-code namespaces.
For many of us with a C++/Java/C#/Delphi background this may seem bizarre at face value, but there are some interesting languages out there which have much more flexible object-oriented systems (e.g. Smalltalk and Common Lisp).
I like being able to rely on static architectures in software though, and I think it is key to constructing extremely large and robust software. If you can't even produce a UML diagram to describe your architecture because the class relations change at run-time, well then I think it is hopeless to manage software of any significant size or complexity.
Anyway, I think the important thing that I took away from reading Gilads papers, and studying various module systems, is the fact that Heron modules can be instantiated ...


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German GP 2013
Saturday Team Quotes
Red Bull-Renault
Sebastian Vettel (2nd, 1:29.501): "Congratulations to Lewis on pole. It was very tight today, I tried everything. The car felt fine; I was struggling a little bit this afternoon in the first sector, I was losing time there and then trying to catch up. Unfortunately it wasn't enough, but it looks like we are a bit closer to the Mercedes here than we were in Silverstone, so I think we made some progress and can have confidence for tomorrow. We had a good run yesterday looking at the race, so I think we have done our homework. We have put the car on the first row; it wasn't quite enough for pole position, but we should have a good race from there tomorrow."
Mark Webber (3rd, 1:29.608): "I was actually happy with third position today, as it was very sensitive out there. We lost a little bit in the first sector and struggled to find the rhythm that we had had there in P3, but we know there was a shift in track temp and it pulled everyone together a bit, at least for the short runs. With the long runs, we're happy with the car, so we're in a good position to put pressure on for the race victory tomorrow."
Christian Horner, Sporting Director: "To start second and third on the grid for the German GP is obviously a very strong team performance. It was very tight for the pole position and in the end Lewis managed to produce a lap one tenth quicker than we could manage, but nonetheless it was a solid team effort today and Sebastian did his best in front of his home crowd with Mark just behind in third. Tomorrow's race will be very interesting with some different strategies going on and our focus will be to try and capitalise on our grid positions"
Thierry Salvi, Renault: "We've improved the car solidly over the weekend, working on balance and engine response out of the slower corners, while looking at the top speed for the four straights. It's gone according to plan and we feel like we've got a very good handle on all areas of engine performance round the Nºrburgring. With that in mind, we thought we could edge out the Mercedes for pole, but second and third still puts us in a good position for the race so motivation and confidence remains high."
Felipe Massa (7th, 1:31.128): "In terms of performance, it was a good qualifying, even if we opted for a completely different strategy to the teams who are ahead of us on the grid. The car worked very well and with the Soft tyres, we were very competitive, more so than at Silverstone, where we suffered on both compounds, but even so, we could not have ended up any higher than fourth or fifth. When I saw I was first at the end of Q1 and Q2, I felt like I wanted to fight all the way to the finish, but based on the simulation we carried out during free practice, we felt our choice was the right direction to go in. It's hard to think we will be able to make up places immediately starting on the Medium tyres, but yesterday we saw that the Softs degrade after just a few laps and this could work out to our advantage. If the car handles well and we manage to have a good race, we could get a really fantastic result."
Fernando Alonso (8th, 1:31.209): "The strategy we used today was dictated by looking at our average qualifying performance, given that pole is not yet within our grasp and the two scenarios were either starting fifth or sixth on the Soft tyres or start sixth or seventh on the Mediums. We won't know the true worth of our choice until tomorrow. Maybe here it's not too important to start from the front because the Soft tyre shows very high degradation and so, from lap 8 onwards the run of pit stops will begin and traffic will build up. At that point we will have to push like if they were all qualifying laps. All weekend we have been off the pace by an average of six tenths, but compared to Silverstone we can say we are back to normal, capable of fighting in the lead group. Of course, we still need to improve a lot, but in the race we think we can be in the hunt, without forgetting that, regardless of the tyres and the starting positions, it's the fastest who wins."
Pat Fry: "The comparison carried out yesterday between the Soft and Medium compounds opened the door to various possibilities, both for qualifying and the race and today's result is fully in line with what we had expected. The decision to tackle qualifying thinking only about our race strategy was actually dictated by the difference we saw in terms of degradation for the two types of tyre. Overall, our car performance was good, even if it was affected by many factors, including the higher temperatures we saw today. Even though Felipe and Fernando were front runners in Q1 and Q2, we stuck to the choice we made at the start. We didn't feel it was a realistic target to fight for the front rows and we preferred to stick with our pace, trying a different strategy. Clearly, as always, tomorrow everything will depend on how competitive are the two F138s and how good is their pace. From one point of view, we feel that the high degradation of the Soft compound will force our rivals who are ahead of us, to make an early first stop and that traffic might then limit their pace, while we will be going for a longer first stint which should allow us to make up ground."
Jenson Button (9th, No Time): "My lap in Q2 was about as good as it's going to get for us at the moment in fact, it was one of the best laps I've done in a very long time. I don't think I left anything out there, so I'm very happy about that. Strategically, it was a difficult decision for Q3: do we run the Option, the Prime, or do we not run at all? My heart said we should go out and set a time, whereas my head said we probably shouldn't! Our pace suggested that qualifying sixth would have made it worthwhile [to go out and set a time on the Option], and we probably could have done that but we chose not to complete a lap, playing a cat-and-mouse game with Nico [Hulkenberg]. Nevertheless, starting ninth is not too bad I'll be on the clean side of the grid, and I have the freedom to choose my tyre compound, because I didn't set a laptime this afternoon. It'll be interesting to see what happens to the Option tyre early on in the race, but I think we've put ourselves in the best possible position for tomorrow."
Sergio Perez (13th, 1:30.933): "It hasn't been the best day for us, and starting 13th wasn't what I was hoping for. Jenson did a great lap, but I've struggled all weekend to match him especially today, when I think we went a little bit in the wrong direction. This morning, we encountered some problems with the car; perhaps we over-compensated for that, going back on the set-up, getting understeer, and finding it quite difficult to get the tyres warmed up. This was a tough afternoon for me, but we can do better tomorrow. I didn't get everything out of the car today, but it's going to be very interesting to see how the tyres perform in the race."
Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal: "In Q2, the fact that Jenson was four tenths from the front was encouraging, but we're still not quite where we want to be. In all likelihood, Jenson could probably have qualified sixth today; but, strategically, we chose to do what we thought was best for the race. I think we did the right thing by running Jenson into Q3: we were so close to the pack during Q2 that we considered pushing to make up a few further places. Ultimately, however, we chose a more prudent approach. Nonetheless, starting Jenson from ninth is not a bad place to be, particularly as, we suspect, the Option-runners ahead of us will have to stop quite early in the race. We had a few issues on Sergio's car this morning and I don't think we got it back to its best. He simply wasn't as comfortable as Jenson out there. I'm sure he'll be disappointed by the outcome of qualifying, but he's an exciting racer and will be charging hard in the race. We will try to hopefully get both cars into some reasonable points tomorrow."
Kimi Raikkonen (4th, 1:29.892): "My car was okay today, but in my Q3 lap on the new tyres I struggled to get the fronts up to temperature which meant I lost quite a bit of time in the first sector; probably because there was traffic on my out lap meaning I couldn't push as much as I wanted. For sure it didn't help and we probably should have been P3 today, but P4 is still a pretty good place to be for the race."
Romain Grosjean (5th, 1:29.959): "P5 is a pretty good result, but to be honest I'm a little disappointed with my fastest lap as there were definitely a few tenths lost in the first sector. We struggled a little getting the front tyres working this morning but the car felt really good during qualifying and we improved with every lap. It was a strong performance for the team with Kimi P4 as well, so we're happy to be back at the front after paying a few unwanted visits to the lower positions recently."
Alan Permane, Chief Race Engineer: "We're reasonably happy with today's performance. Of course, you always want more and we could have got a little more from both cars in the final qualifying session as neither driver posted a good first sector. That said, with P4 and P5 on the grid, we're happy. We know that our race simulations yesterday looked good and the forecast is for high temperatures tomorrow, so I think we can look forward to having a strong race. The new rear construction with the Kevlar belt doesn't appear to be hurting our performance and we're as competitive as we thought we'd be here so we've no worries on that front. The medium compound looks to be the favoured one for the race as the soft has a reasonably high performance degradation; such that we have seen Ferrari opt to start on the medium compound as their approach to managing it. It will be interesting to see how that approach works; from our side, we're pretty happy with starting on the soft."
Mercedes GP
Lewis Hamilton (1st, 1:29.398): "I'm very proud to put the car on pole for Mercedes-Benz today. I have been with Mercedes for a long time and it's a great result for us to achieve pole here in Germany. I'm a little bit overwhelmed, to be honest, because I have been struggling since first practice this weekend. We were so far off this morning that we took the set-up back to where we started, tried to analyse everything and just worked really hard to improve it. I'm so grateful for the work the engineers and mechanics did for me, and it's all down to them really. But we don't get any points for today and the real hard work comes tomorrow. It's a shame what happened to Nico this afternoon, we got caught out there but hopefully he can still have a strong race."
Nico Rosberg (11th, 1:30.326): "I was really shocked when I saw the times falling in Q2 today and realised that I was in P11. I didn't see it coming and we just underestimated how much the track would ramp up in terms of grip and lap time. I could have been on the front row today and that's why I'm so disappointed. It's been a tough day but sometimes that's how racing is. I will be doing my best to climb up through the field tomorrow but it won't be easy."
Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "It's a little bit of an understatement to say that we have mixed emotions after qualifying. Lewis put in a superb lap to take pole position. He hasn't been comfortable with the car since his first run yesterday but I could sense a quiet determination as he went into the session and he absolutely delivered. With Nico, we misjudged how quickly the track was improving and got caught out: he clearly had the pace to qualify at the front today but found himself on the wrong side of the top ten by half a tenth. Ultimately, the final decision on the pit wall rests with me and it's clear we could have done a better job today. For tomorrow, the only silver lining for Nico is that he has a free tyre choice for the first stint, although unusually there is a real mixture of tyre choices within the top ten as well. Looking at Lewis, we go into the race with some question marks, as we haven't done any representative running with the set-up we now have on the car. Hopefully, he will find the balance he needs and we will be able to give Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus a run for their money."
Toto Wolff, Mercedes Motorsport Director: "The team is on an upward slope at the moment and we saw that with Lewis taking his second pole position in a row. But I'm super sorry for Nico. We got things wrong in Q2 and not only did he have the pace to fight for pole today but he has also been instrumental in getting the car right since yesterday. We win as a team and we take our setbacks as a team too. Decisions have to be taken and we made the wrong one this time. But tomorrow is another day and hopefully Nico can have a strong race from P11. As for Lewis, everything is open for him. He put in great qualifying laps today after some tough practice sessions. We know that it will be a hard race in the hot conditions, so let's see what we can achieve."
Nico Hulkenberg (10th, No Time): "To reach Q3 today has been a success for us. I am confident we can achieve a good result tomorrow. Compared to yesterday afternoon, we were able to improve the set-up for free practice this morning. I think we have a package now that allows us to fight for points. The long runs yesterday looked promising and, combined with the strategy which I can choose for the start of the race tomorrow, I am confident we can achieve a good result. I didn't set a time in Q3, so I am free to choose my tryes for the start of the race tomorrow. I am convinced that will be an advantage. The team told me that P6 was possible today, but today it's Saturday and the race is what counts, as you only get points tomorrow. The soft tyres are quite challenging to handle here, especially with a full tank. We will start in the top ten tomorrow and our goal is to stay in the points."
Esteban Gutierrez (14th, 1:31.010): "Today is a step forward for us. We worked with a lot of different set-ups yesterday and were able to make the right conclusions from the data we gathered. I was able to attack and get a lot out of the car in qualifying. However, I still have to improve. Nico did a fantastic lap and it's challenging, but I will keep working to improve my performance level, especially in qualifying. P14 is, along with Malaysia, the highest place I have achieved so far. For tomorrow we have to put a good strategy together in order to improve from there."
Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal: "We are happy with the result today. You can clearly see the car has improved. We could have achieved even more, but we decided to fully focus on the race tomorrow, also because our long runs yesterday looked promising."
Tom McCullough, Head of Track Engineering: "Both drivers were happy with the overnight changes we made to the car, and we felt more competitive going into qualifying. Our aim coming here was to qualify better than in recent GP's, making it easier to score points, and we have achieved that today. The forecast is for continued high temperatures tomorrow, so we will factor that into our strategy. Our long-run pace was strong in FP2, and we aim to score points with the strategy we have chosen for tomorrow."
Force India-Mercedes
Paul di Resta (12th, 1:30.697): "It's been quite a difficult couple of days trying to get the car in the right operating window and I've never felt totally comfortable. All the changes we've made have been a compromise and I've really struggled with the balance. Ahead of qualifying we completely changed the set-up to try to improve things and it certainly helped. For tomorrow we just have to hope that we can repeat the race pace we've shown earlier in the season because that has been one of our strengths."
Adrian Sutil (15th, 1:31.010): "P15 for my home race is a bit disappointing. I had a technical issue with my DRS during Q2 and it was not working, which cost me about half a second per lap. That's why P15 was all that was possible today. Otherwise I think I would have been very close to making Q3. We can fix the issue for tomorrow so we will be ready for the race. Apart from that our absolute pace has not been at our usual level and we've struggled to deliver the performance we showed at Silverstone. Tomorrow is a new day; we will push on and I believe points are still possible."
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal: "It's difficult to determine if the change in tyre construction has hampered the team's performance, but for whatever reason we've not found the sweet spot this weekend and that is reflected in our qualifying performance this afternoon. The changes made to Paul's car ahead of qualifying were a step in the right direction and P12 was a good effort all things considered. Adrian has been happier with the balance, but was heavily compromised by a DRS issue, which made it impossible to reach Q3 today. It means we are further back on the grid than we'd like to be, but we remain optimistic that we can fight for points with both cars tomorrow."
Valtteri Bottas (17th, 1:31.693): "We got the most out of the car this afternoon. Things were very close between me and Pastor, but we don't have the pace at the moment to progress any further. The track temperatures are higher and it's a bit windier today which meant that every tenth or hundredth counted, resulting in a very close session. We need to keep pushing and do what we can in the race tomorrow."
Pastor Maldonado (18th, 1:31.707): "We were expecting something a bit better today, but the car is very tricky to drive on a track like this. We need to keep working hard to solve the problems we have identified with the car and move further up the grid. It's going to be a tough race tomorrow as the slow corners do not suit our car, but we'll do everything we can to score some points."
Mike Coughlan, Technical Director: "We had a difficult start to the day after a KERS failure on Pastor's car this morning, which is still being investigated, but the team did a great job to be ready in time for FP3. In FP3 we could see we had more speed but we were lacking grip. We made some changes ahead of qualifying, but unfortunately didn't make the progress we wanted to. Pastor then had a water pump leak in Q1 which meant he could do only one timed lap. Both drivers also struggled to get the necessary temperature into their tyres. We now need to look to tomorrow's race to see what we can do."
Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Daniel Ricciardo (6th, 1:30.528): "I'm really delighted with the way qualifying went and it's very encouraging to be sixth fastest for the second race in a row, which means we are seeing signs of progress and consistency. However, it was not as straightforward here as in Silverstone last week and we definitely had to pull something out of the bag to do the time and get into Q3. We exceeded our expectations today, as in FP3 we did not look so strong. I was particularly pleased with my Q2 lap. I think we did the best we could today and now we look ahead to the race. Last weekend I felt there was a better result than eighth waiting for me and I would like to go for better than seventh, which is my best finish so far. If there's a chance of a podium, let's go for it! Nothing's impossible. The tyre strategy is going to be very interesting with some of the top ten on the grid starting on Primes."
Jean-Eric Vergne (16th, 1:31.104): "We just weren't quick enough this afternoon. All weekend my car has been very difficult to drive and that situation hasn't improved since Friday and I have never really managed to put together a good lap. In qualifying, I didn't make any mistakes and I was hoping for much better. Even if we cannot work on the cars before the race, we need to understand exactly what caused this drop in performance. Maybe it is linked to the tyres, their temperature or pressure, but I'm not sure. We will see what we can do tomorrow, where I hope to be more competitive and be able to push harder."
Laurent Mekies, Head of Vehicle Performance: "Daniel qualified in the same position as he did in Silverstone, but today it was more unexpected. It did not look that promising yesterday and we changed a lot of things on both cars and tried different directions on the two cars, in terms of our approach to qualifying, to try and pick up our performance level. Clearly, we had more success with Daniel than with Jev, even allowing for some of the different tyre strategies we saw in Q3, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out tomorrow. The bottom line is that we did pick up pace today and even if there is a big gap on the grid between our two cars, we expect them to have similar race pace. We will be trying our best on the strategy side to bring Jev up the order tomorrow. As for Daniel, he nailed his lap in Q1 and Q2 and then produced another good lap in Q3 and he was definitely punching above his weight this afternoon."
Charles Pic (19th, 1:32.937): "The focus for FP3 was more work on seeing how the track was evolving and preparing for quali. Carrying on from a good day yesterday and the work we did overnight we started the session with more front grip than I'd had in either Friday session and an improved balance overall. We had to make a small adjustment for the stronger wind on track today but the car felt good for the whole session and the deg levels we saw were positive. On the performance run the balance felt good so we were feeling pretty positive about quali. In qualifying we went for two runs on new softs. On the first run we the quick lap was pretty good but I was called to the weighbridge at the end of that run and we had an issue with the starter motor. The pitcrew had to push me back to the garage but we'd decided to go for a one lap second run anyway so we just had time to get the car back, fire it up and get back on track. On the final lap my pace was good but we were held up with traffic in the second sector which maybe cost us a couple of tenths, but we still finished ahead of our nearest rivals in 19th and that was the target. I do want to say thanks to the pitcrew for doing a great job to get me back to the garage and out for the final lap a few of them have been running the tracks this year and that work paid off!"
Giedo van der Garde (21st, 1:33.734): "Friday had gone ok and having been through all the data from yesterday we made a few changes overnight for FP3. In the morning session we were doing some work for quali and the race and the session went ok but we were still having issues getting the front tyres up to temperature fast enough. On the first run I still had some of the understeer that had been the main balance issue yesterday, but it was now only really in the high speed section in S3, so we made a couple more mechanical changes for the next run and the balance improved. We went onto the softs for the performance run but I was still having problems with tyre temps so I didn't really have a chance to get the maximum out of them on the first lap on the softs, but despite that it still felt like we'd made some progress from Friday. When quali started we went out pretty early and on the first run I had two clear laps to post a time. The first run was ok and the tyres were coming in better than they had in FP3 so we went for one quick lap on the second run. We went out with a couple of minutes left in the session but the tyres weren't working for most of the first half of the lap and, even though the second half was much better, I'd still lost enough time in S1 that I couldn't really get any more out of it. However, I think we have a decent car for tomorrow and our long run pace has been pretty good, so we'll aim for a clean start and see how it unfolds on Sunday."
Jules Bianchi (20th, 1:33.063): "This morning I was feeling much better than yesterday, but not quite 100%, so I think another night's rest will help again. It was good to get back in the car this morning and start the process of getting up to speed, which I think has gone quite well. It took some time to balance the car to our liking but we're in a good place for tomorrow and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in terms of race pace. The key will be to get ahead of Charles as soon as possible - and keep it that way."
Max Chilton (22nd, 1:34.098): "I was obviously hoping for more today as Van Der Garde has been within reach all weekend. I seemed to struggle a little more in qualifying and for some reason we did not get the best from the car, which is encouraging to some extent because it means we can depend on our stronger race pace. We'll have a good look at the data this evening and do everything we can to ensure a good fight with the Caterhams tomorrow."
John Booth, Team Principal: "We were all pleased to see Jules looking fit and well this morning and whilst he is still not 100% he made good progress through FP3 this morning. We started him on a race run in order to give him race experience on the new rear tyres we have this weekend and that did mean he had to contend with a big leap in pace to the low fuel option run at the end of FP3. His Qualifying runs were very measured and he can be very pleased with his result, as can the rest of the team, who have been analysing our performance in Silverstone closely to determine a better set-up for here. This has enabled us to catch back up to not only our direct competitors but also the rest of the field. Max's early pace on the Medium tyre this morning was where we expected, but on the Soft option tyres he hasn't seen the gain expected. I am sure that he will be working hard with his engineers overnight to have the best possible race tomorrow. Overall a pleasing day and we look forward to the race, which does look like it could throw up some interesting strategy and that will be our focus overnight."