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Nike Softball Camp Montclair State Montclair, New Jersey
Work on every facet of the game - hitting, fielding, base running, team play and more at the NIKE Softball Camp with the New Jersey Jackals. Our goals is that your performance as an overall player will improve, along with your self-confidence but it is up to each player to take what they have learned and apply it to gametime situations.
Directing the NIKE Softball Camp at Yogi Berra Stadium is Head Jackals Coach, Joe Calfapietra. The longest-tenured manager in the Can-Am League, 2014 marks Joe's 12th season at the Jackals' helm.
Highlights Include
- 8:1 camper to instructor ratio
- Coaching from professional directors and staff
- Daily emphasis on fundamental development, team play and more
- Official NIKE Camp T-Shirt
- Great NIKE Prizes
- NIKE Softball Camp Graduation Certificate
Campers attending the NIKE Softball Camp at Montclair State will train at Yogi Berra Stadium. When Yogi Berra Stadium opened in the spring of 1998, baseball fans in New Jersey gained access to one of the new jewels of minor league baseball facilities in the country. Yogi Berra Stadium is home to the New Jersey Jackals, who have won four league championships in the past eleven seasons. The stadium offers seating of 3,784, plus 2,000 lawn seats, and is the home to the Yogi Berra Museum and Education Center.
Joe Calfapietra
In 2009, Calfapietra was named the Can-Am League Manager of the Year after guiding the Jackals to the league's first-half title and a playoff appearance. He also garnered Manager of the Year honors in 2004 when he led the Jackals to a Northeast League championship.
Calfapietra, 39, began his coaching career with the Northern League's Duluth-Superior Dukes in 1994 before spending the 1995 and 1996 seasons with the Aberdeen Pheasants of the Prairie League.
In 1997, Calfapietra joined manager Ed Ott's coaching staff with the Allentown Ambassadors as Director of Baseball Operations. Calfapietra was named the Ambassadors manager in 2000 at the age of 29, making him the youngest manager in Northern League history. After posting an 85-90 managerial record in two seasons with the Ambassadors, Calfapietra left Allentown after five years to guide the expansion Gary SouthShore RailCats in their inaugural season in 2002. Calfapietra led Gary, which played its entire schedule on the road while waiting for its ballpark to be constructed, to a 35-55 team record and was named the Northern League Manager of the Year.
Calfapietra joined the Jackals in 2003 and earned his second Manager of the Year award in 2004 when he guided New Jersey past the North Shore Spirit for the Northeast League title.
Jim Whalen
For the 14th summer, Jim Whalen will return as on field director. A pitcher at the college level, Jim is currently the coach at Essex High School during the year. Jim was a collegiate pitcher at Montclair State University where he was a member of the 2000 Division 3 National Championship team.
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m., Registration takes place at Yogi Berra Stadium.
Graduation is at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.
Sample Daily Schedule
- 8:45 a.m. Arrival
- 9:00 a.m. Stretching, Warm Up, Throw
- 9:30 a.m. Defensive Skills - Video Taping
- 10:30 a.m. Offensive Skills - Video Taping
- 11:30 a.m. Snack Break
- 12:00 p.m. Games - Video Review
- 1:00 p.m. Campers Depart
My daughter had a fantastic time
"My daughter, a ten year old, had a fantastic time and learned many things. She said the instruction was great and wished there was another session of camp. Thank you"
Thanks for another great experience
"The director and his staff were very positive and seemed to make all the girls love to play. This is our second time doing the camp and I would do it again. Thanks for another great experience and great memories."
My daughter would love to go back next year
"My daughter had a lot of fun and would love to go back next year. The coaches taught her more about the game."
The environment, staff and atmosphere at the Nike camp was so fun, inviting and wonderful
"My daughter went to 5 different week long sports related camps this summer and you were in the top 2! The environment, staff and atmosphere at the Nike camp was so much fun, inviting and wonderful and she had a fabulous time. Hopefully you have more camp sessions next summer!
Taught My Daughter More Softball & Being A Young Lady
"I cannot put into words the experience my daughter gained from going to the camp. She not only learned skills in softball but how to be a better young lady. The morals and values the staff brought to the camp were extraordinary. We looked at sending her to another camp and decided on the NIKE Camp for convenience and I am so glad we did. I will highly recommend this camp to anyone who is interested in gaining skills and personal growth. We look forward to next year!!"


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On DVD » Vanya on 42nd Street » Reviews » Comments
It's amazing it has taken Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory, and director Louis Malle more than 10 years to collaborate again. It was worth the wait, though.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: Bollywood's dimple Queen and fashionista to set a new trend soon! Yes, that's right! We will soon see Deepika Padukone wearing a Lungi and shirt for her upcoming movie, Chennai Express. Deepika, known for going an extra mile to fit in the role says that it was Shahrukh and Rohit Shetty,the director who suggested the look. A bit apprehensive about the look, Deepika says "That's something new and I hope it works,The idea to wear a 'lungi' is not mine actually.


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CEO of Beijing-based game developer CMUNE Ludovic Bodin recently spoke at the China Game Developer's Conference on what he views as the rise of a combination of hardcore social and mobile gaming. CMUNE's most prominent title is the 3D First Person Shooter (FPS) called Uberstrike, which was ranked the #1 browser-based FPS game worldwide with 1.3 million monthly average users (MAU) and the #1 FPS on Facebook. The game also has 7 million registered players on the CMUNE platform.
Success Factors
1) Don't listen to the crowd
Bodin bemoaned how the emergence of Zynga helped to enforce the misconception that social gaming on platforms like Facebook is casual and targeted at non-hardcore users. Bodin said that casual gaming is 5-10% of the gaming market and essentially not the business. He put up a picture of a middle-aged, librarian-type woman and said that it should not be anyone's target customer. I am not sure if this was an attempt at humor because I don't know how serious to take people focused on building games revolving around killing, but it was funny. Bodin called FPS a multi-billion dollar genre, citing Halo 4's US $220 million in revenues in its first 24 hours.
2) Never underestimate the potential of a new platform
Kabam previously derived most of its revenues from Facebook, but now the bulk of their revenues are mobile, specifically on iOS. Bodin also noted that there are already three FPS games in the Top 25 grossing action games on iOS.
3) Invest heavily in your most valuable asset: your community
CMUNE puts particular emphasis on empowering users to not only participate but create within games. Their "Blue Box Project" saw a user designed map accumulate five million plays in its first 30 days.
Ludovic Bodin's Industry Predictions
5) Hardcore games will be the top grossing of web and social games
4) Immersive, console-like games will have the fastest growth on mobile and tablets
3) Cross-platform and cross-device games will dominate
2) New Leaders from Asia (China) will emerge and dominate gaming globally (Bodin cited China's Tencent)
1) Gaming will be closely tethered to social. Bodin is very bullish on Facebook and the importance of social's relationship with gaming in general. This contrasts somewhat with Kabam's diversification strategy away from Facebook and apparent dissatisfaction with the platform.
Additionally, Bodin does not see entrenched gaming companies adjusting to the sector's transformation effectively. He believes companies like EA are hobbled by size and an inability to commit to new directions internally.
Like Kabam's Li, Bodin did not elaborate on any short-term plans to bring Uberstrike to the Chinese market, despite the fact it was made in China, and even went as far as to say "we're not really in China". Bodin's cofounder Benjamin Joffe previously touched on this irony in a TechCrunch post about Facebook:
You read that correctly: a cutting-edge free-to-play multiplayer 3-D shooter inside Facebook. Made in China, where Facebook is blocked. Oh, the irony.
UberStrike's user base is global (China excepted) and our number 1 market is the US. You might wonder: why not launch in China first? Well, the revenue share offered by local social networks Tencent and RenRen and the market size for social games were not so motivating. RenRen offers on average 50%, and the revenue (as seen above) is not great, while Tencent used to offer 90/10, unfortunately the 10% was for developers. We now hear it's a 70/30 split (30% for you), though your mileage may vary. Overall, about a dozen social game companies make real money in China, with over 10 million MAU, but the revenue per user is generally 1/5th to 1/10th of a US user, so better grow in the US first.
Like Kabam, CMUNE seems focused on locking up its existing markets before it pours resources into complex and demanding China. CMUNE previously disclosed an investment from Atomico, a global venture capital firm led by Skype and Kazaa co-founder Niklas Zennström.
Learn more about the 5th Annual China Game Developer's Conference.
James Hopkins is an American working for Alibaba.com in Hangzhou, China. He previously lived in the tech-heavy district of Nanshan in Shenzhen. The views expressed here are his own and do not represent those of his employer.
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Man Arrested After Squeezing Officer's Testicles
June 6, 2013 8:44 AM
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ROCK ISLAND, IL (KMOX) – Authorities say an East Moline man is facing charges in Rock Island after he snatched a police officer's gun and then grabbed and squeezed the officer's testicles.
60-year-old Edward White Johnson was arrested this week and is being charged with felonies for battery and disarming a police officer, along with misdemeanors for aggravated assault and disorderly conduct.
Johnson's bond is set at $100,000 and is set to have a preliminary hearing next week.


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Opinion Shop
Backstories, insights and unofficial musings fromthe Chronicle's opinion pages.
Monthly Archive for October, 2008
Lois Kazakoff: Scary Jack o' Lantern
Lois Kazakoff Talk about frightening: In the yawning hole of the economy we find our now shrunken 401(k)holdings. Today's the day for frightful things. Take a look into the mouth of the Opinion Pages' entry in The Chronicle's pumpking-carving contest. Concept: Editorial cartoonist Tom Meyer and Lois Kazakoff Spade work: Letters editor Janice Greene Sculptural […] [Read More]
John Diaz: Update on Chronicle endorsements
Published so far: Editorials explaining our recommendations for president (Sen. Barack Obama), all 12 state propositions and several key measures in San Francisco and the region. On the state propositions, we recommend passage of 1A (high-speed rail), 3 (children's hospitals bond), 11 (redistricting reform) and 12 (veterans bond) and rejection of 2 (banning selected farm […] [Read More]
Lois Kazakoff: Palin eyewear rage
GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has influenced more than presidential politics. Apparently she's a leader in eye fashion. When I went to order new eyeglasses on Friday, optician Elizabeth Vasquez told me dozens of customers at Kaiser's Park Shadelands eye clinic in Walnut Creek have asked if they could buy glasses like Palin's rimless […] [Read More]


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In Talladega County, a man who operated a convenience store is dead. Shot to death this morning at Jenkins Store on Stockdale Road.
It was just after 8:00 AM Friday, when the owner of Jenkins Grocery store in Munford was shot and killed in what police are calling an attempted robbery turned homicide. Sources tell ABC 33/40 the suspect was injured when the store owner returned gunfire.
The suspect was airlifted to Birmingham. There's no update as to his condition. Talladega police chief Jason Busby says right now, his department is still conducting interviews, collecting witness statements and reviewing evidence.He would not comment on camera about this case until more information is available.The name of the victim has not been released.
No charges have been filed in this case right now. Anyone with any information on this crime should contact the Talladega Police Department. Busby says he's confident there are no other suspects wanted in this case.
Evangelist Franklin Graham prayed on a sidewalk outside the Pentagon Thursday after his invitation to a prayer service inside was withdrawn because of comments that insulted people of other religions. More>>


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yes, LotRO's world feels huge (and it's even small compared to what the actual scale SHOULD be according to the books). Unlike WoW, you get a feeling of real wilderness in LotRO. It's a worthy game and yes, you should check it out, take your time and enjoy it -- it is always so underrated by WoW loyalists.


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Definition of tennis elbow in English:
tennis elbowSyllabification: ten·nis el·bow
Inflammation of the tendons of the elbow (epicondylitis) caused by overuse of the muscles of the forearm.
More example sentences
- Tennis elbow happens when one or more of these tendons become inflamed.
- Weakness and inflexibility in the forearm muscles makes tennis elbow more likely.
- Acupuncture is most effective at treating pain, such as headaches, tennis elbow, or muscle pain.
Definition of tennis elbow in:
- The British & World English dictionary
Get more from Oxford Dictionaries
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Word of the day flagitious
Pronunciation: fləˈjiSHəs
(of a person or their actions) criminal; villainous


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Officials say at least 10 people died and more than two dozen were injured on Mississippi roads over the extended New Year's holiday.
Only two on the fatalities occurred on roads patrolled by state troopers.
Among the fatalities was 29-year-old Megan L. Watkins of Raymond, whose SUV ran off Mississippi Highway 467 in Hinds County and struck a tree before slamming into a house.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol say Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene. She was not wearing a seat belt.
As of noon Tuesday, MHP Master Sergeant Johnny Poulos said troopers had issued 5,681 traffic citations and arrested 135 people for DUI.
Poulos says 149 total collisions were investigated throughout the state between Dec. 28 and midnight Dec. 31.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Christmas is right around the corner, and that means it's time to start searching the forest for the perfect tree.
But before you cut, you'll need a permit. Permits for cutting trees on the Gila National Forest will be available at all Ranger District offices starting Monday, Nov. 19.
Families can get one permit. They are $5 each. Permits for piñon trees are free. A Christmas tree tag, cutting regulations, and map are included with the permit.
Any tree species up to 10 feet high may be cut.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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Raiders LB Sio Moore (ankle) has been ruled out for Week 3.
An MRI on Falcons WR Harry Douglas' injured left foot came back negative.
Chiefs DB Ron Parker will start at safety against the Dolphins Week 3.
Broncos WLB Danny Trevathan practiced on Friday for the first time since fracturing his left leg on August 12.
Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins (illness) returned to practice on Friday.
The Boston Globe's Erik Frenz says Rob Gronkowski (probable, knee) "probably" isn't ready to be a full-time player yet.
ESPN Colts reporter Mike Wells expects TE Dwayne Allen's targets and receptions will "increase as the season goes on."
Coach Tom Coughlin confirmed Jon Beason (foot) will miss the Giants' Week 3 matchup with the Texans.


text: Levering, Michigan is located in Emmet County. Levering has a population of 210 and has shown -3.2% growth since 2000. Of the 86 households in Levering, 54.5% are owned, 5.6% are rented and 40% are not currently occupied. The median age of homes in Levering is 37 years and 33.0% of the homes have been occupied by the same residents for more than 5 years. Learn more about Levering, Michigan real estate at coldwellbanker.com.


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Filmed in front of a live JAXconf audience
Invokedynamic: Changing the JVM forever - JRuby's Charles Nutter
You've heard the noise... invokedynamic is changing the JVM forever. What is it? How does it affect you? Where will it take the JVM and Java developers in the future? JRuby and JVM Guy, Charles Nutter has all the answers in this JAXconf session. He gives us a JVM 101, divulging in its intricacies and tells us why it will never be the same after invokedynamic. Filming courtesy of Marakana Tech TV - marakana.com


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Whitireia and WelTec have formed a strategic partnership to develop a network of tertiary learning throughout the Wellington region.
to check out the range of Foundation Education programmes offered at Whitireia.
0800 935 832
School of Foundation Studies
Ngā Pakiaka o te Pūkaha
WelTec foundational programmes have a strong focus on developing and supporting the individual learner. The Certificate in Preparation for Tertiary Study is offered in conjunction with Victoria University and Whitireia Polytechnic and is designed to help students learn skills in preparation for academic study, while the Certificate in Community and Vocational Learning Skills teaches employment skills, community intergration and independence skills.


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GROTON, Conn. - Sailors aboard Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) watched their namesake city's football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, take on the Green Bay Packers during a Super Bowl party aboard the submarine on Feb. 6.
During the game, the crew snacked on pizza, nachos and mozzarella sticks in the crew's mess, where footballs signed by the Steelers were on display.
The crew hung on the submarine's sail a "Terrible Towel," a fan symbol created in 1975 by then-Steelers radio broadcaster Myron Cope. The "Terrible Towel" waved in the wind atop Pittsburgh as the submarine returned from a regularly-scheduled deployment on Feb. 4, 2009, the same year of the Steelers' 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
"I certainly think that even without the Steelers playing we'd be doing something for the Super Bowl because it is like a national holiday essentially," said Cmdr. Michael Savageaux, Pittsburgh's commanding officer. "But I think because it is our city, there's more interest and more excitement about it."
The submarine, which has the motto "Heart of Steel," enjoys a strong relationship with the "Steel City."
"It's really a great city. Every time we go there, the people have been remarkably friendly, really happy to have us in town. They're genuinely nice people," said Savageaux.
Last December, past and present commanding officers and the ship's sponsor of the submarine returned to the boat's namesake city to thank the Pittsburgh Council of the Navy League of the United States and the people of Pittsburgh for 25 years of support.
"We do a lot of stuff for them, but they also help us out. They help sponsor our children's Christmas party each year. The Pittsburgh Navy League sponsors a scholarship. They also help provide awards for our Junior and Sailor of the Year program," said Savageaux.
Last month, the commodore of Submarine Squadron 2 presented the 2010 Battle Efficiency (Battle "E") award to Pittsburgh. The awards are presented by the commodore of each squadron to the submarine under their command which has demonstrated the highest level of battle readiness during the evaluation year.
Pittsburgh returned from a six-month deployment on Oct. 15, 2010 that involved conducting operations in the European Command area of responsibility.
Savageaux, a native of Grafton, Massachusetts, graduated with high distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. In November 2002, he was awarded a Master of Arts in National Security Studies (with Distinction) from the Naval War College.
Fast-attack submarines like Pittsburgh have multi-faceted missions. They use their stealth, persistence, agility and firepower to deploy and support special force operations, disrupt and destroy an adversary's military and economic operations at sea, provide early strike from close proximity, and ensure undersea superiority.
Pittsburgh, commissioned in November 1985 at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., is the fourth Navy vessel to be named for the people of Pittsburgh, and it is home to 13 officers and 121 enlisted sailors.
Click the images to view and download high-resolution photos
GROTON, Conn. (Feb. 6, 2011) Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) displays a Steelers "Terrible Towel" during Super Bowl XLV. Crew members on duty aboard the submarine watched the game in the crew's mess. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Patrick Evans/Released)
GROTON, Conn. (Feb. 6, 2011) A newspaper photographer and TV cameraman take pictures of Sailors aboard USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) during a Super Bowl party. During the game, the crew displayed a large Pittsburgh Steelers "Terrible Towel" on the submarine's sail, showcasing support for their namesake city's football team. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Patrick Evans/Released)
GROTON, Conn. (Feb. 6, 2011) Electronic's Techniciam 1st Class Joshua Peterson of USS Pittsburgh (SSN 720) waves a Pittsburgh Steelers "Terrible Towel" during Super Bowl XLV. Crew members on duty aboard the Los Angeles-class submarine watched the game in the crew's mess. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Patrick Evans/Released)
Click the images to view and download high-resolution photos
US Navy Recruiting | No Fear Act | FOIA | USA.gov
US Navy | US Marine Corps | Navy Reserves
Individual Augmentee | Section 508/Accessibility


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On November 16, the Northwestern Wildcats will be wearing red, white and blue jerseys to show their appreciation for the brave men and women who serve in the armed forces. After the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project.
Unfortunately for Northwestern, their uniforms were criticized for what appeared to be blood streaks on the flag. The university and Under Armour stood by their story that it was not blood, but a "distressed" look.
Regardless of what the design was supposed to be, the uniforms were popular enough that they have sold out one week before the game.
The uniforms showed up as sold out on the official website and there are currently no plans to sell them again:
For now, there are no plans to sell the jerseys again, but the university "may reassess selling the jerseys again in the future given the high demand but [the school] currently has no plans to sell the jerseys again."


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Will Clay Aiken go from "American Idol" to American congressman? The season two runner-up from the singing competition series is reportedly considering a bid for Congress in North Carolina's 2nd District, according to the Washington Blade.
(Source: NBCNews.com, via nbcnews)
Life Below Zero
Is anyone else watching this? Because I am pretty sure Sue Aikens is my new hero.
(Source: cupboardsandbookshelves)


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Keysight IO Libraries Download Archive - All Downloads
To find out more about the IO Libraries Suite, visit www.keysight.com/find/iosuite
Current Version (recommended)
- IO Libraries Suite 16.3 Update 2
Previous Versions:
- The previous versions on this page are NOT current versions of the IO Libraries. These previous versions are provided for people that either need to exactly reproduce an existing system, or applications where the target operating system is no longer supported by the current versions.
|Release Date
|Version Description
|Suite 16.3 Update 2 - Adds support for Windows 8.1, USB 3.0 fix for TI host controllers, several PXI/AXIe fixes, more IO Libraries service start issues fixed for slow PC's...
How to Download
- Click the download link and save the installer.
How to Install
- Run the downloaded installer.
- Does Not Require a License
Supporting Documentation
Installs on:
Operating System
- Windows 8
- Windows Server 2012 (64-bit only)
- Windows 7 SP1
- Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 (64-bit only)
- Windows Vista SP1
- Windows XP SP3 (32-bit only)
- Information Not Available


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U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 43 points to 14932, the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index slipped a fraction to 1614, and the Nasdaq Composite shed a point to 3433. Among the companies with shares actively trading after hours is Entropic Communications Inc. (ENTR).
Entropic Communications Inc. unveiled a restructuring plan which includes a 10% reduction in its global workforce as the chip maker also said it expects second-quarter revenue at the lower end of its previous guidance. Shares are down 5.8, to $4.07 after hours.
Regular Session Movers:
Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACHN, $6.26, -$2.10, -25.12%) said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has put a hold on a trial of sovaprevir, its experimental oral hepatitis C treatment, after a study on the drug's interaction with a common HIV treatment led to elevated liver enzymes in patients.
A. Schulman Inc.'s (SHLM, $26.61, -$1.23, -4.40%) fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 69% amid continued sluggishness in European markets and higher-than-expected costs in Latin America, where the company has been consolidating its Brazilian operations. The company also lowered its full-year per-share earnings estimate.
Acuity Brands Inc.'s (AYI, $81.39, +$5.46, +7.19%) fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 5.7% on streamlining and other charges, though the lighting company posted a double-digit increase in sales. Results easily beat expectations and Chief Executive Vernon Nagel said the company's sales growth meaningfully outperformed the overall growth rate of the North American lighting market in the period.
Alliance Fiber Optic Products Inc. (AFOP, $23.73, +$1.85, +8.46%) expects second-quarter sales to exceed its already increased outlook as demand remained strong through the quarter.
The Weiss family again offered to raise its bid to take American Greetings Corp. (AM, $19.01, +$0.91, +5.03%) private, after a major shareholder had said it would oppose a previously sweetened offer for the greeting card company. The family said it would raise its bid to $19 a share from the previous offer of $18.20 a share.
RBC downgraded government contractor CACI International Inc. (CACI, $61.30, -$2.94, -4.58%) to underperform, saying "cuts and uncertainty are likely to place pressure on earnings as we move through this year." CACI last week offered fiscal 2014 guidance mostly below analyst expectations, saying the uncertain industry environment will continue.
Kidney dialysis centers owned by DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc. (DVA, $114.00, -$7.15, -5.90%) and Fresenius Medical Care AG (FMS, $32.22, -$3.28, -9.24%) could receive 9.4% less in Medicare payments, starting in 2014, based on new rates proposed by the federal government. While lower rates were expected from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the proposed reductions were deeper than some expected.
Though shares have fallen more than 15% since Dynegy Inc. (DYN, $20.70, -$0.66, -3.07%) emerged from bankruptcy in October, Deutsche Bank said the electricity producer is still overvalued. The firm started coverage of Dynegy at sell and set a $17 price target.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an informal inquiry into Linn Energy LLC (LINE, $27.05, -$6.24, -18.74%) and LinnCo LLC's (LNCO, $30.90, -$6.17, -16.64%) accounting, hedging strategies and proposed merger with Berry Petroleum Co. (BRY, $39.86, -$2.47, -5.84%). Linn Energy and LinnCo disclosed the inquiry late Monday.
Government services provider Maximus Inc. (MMS, $36.21, -$1.43, -3.80%) gave an upbeat-looking revenue--but cautious earnings per share--guidance for the coming fiscal year late Monday. However, Citigroup said in a note to clients that the real news is Maximus's unsuccessful bid for a federal exchange contract related to Obamacare. "Our sense is that the stock was already discounting a win that would push up the company's revenue and earnings forecasts," said Citi, adding that "the loss is painful, because...the contract has the potential to be larger than many expected."
China's top economic planning body is launching an investigation of foreign infant formula providers for suspected antitrust violations, a move that comes as the country's leaders aim to quell fears about the safety of formula in China and build up domestic brands. Formula maker Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. (MJN, $74.90, -$4.53, -5.70%) is among those under investigation. The company said it is cooperating with the Chinese government's review.
Information and measurement company Nielsen Holdings NV (NLSN, $33.97, +$0.69, +2.07%) will join the S&P 500 index, replacing Sprint Nextel Corp. (S, $7.15, +$0.08, +1.13%), following the wireless carrier's takeover by Japan's SoftBank Corp. (9984.TO), said S&P Dow Jones Indices.
Zep Inc.'s (ZEP, $13.40, -$3.14, -18.98%) fiscal third-quarter earnings fell 27% as higher expense masked the commercial cleaning-products company's increased sales. Results missed Wall Street estimates.
Zynga Inc.'s (ZNGA, $3.27, +$0.20, +6.51%) founder Mark Pincus announced Monday that he was stepping down as chief executive of the troubled game maker and will be replaced by Don Mattrick, who has been leading Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT, $33.94, -$0.42, -1.22%) Xbox division.
Write to Nathalie Tadena at firstname.lastname@example.com
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Part 4: See You Soon
I tried shrugging off my encounter with the mystery man, attempting to immerse myself with thoughts of the hammer. I was assigned to investigate this hammer, not some random guy who happened to look like my dream boy. I sighed, and continued scribbling notes in my notebook. As his image finally started to fade from my mind, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder.
I turned my head around to see who it was and nearly shat my pants. It was him – "Mystery Man." I looked at him with wide, shocked eyes as he smiled down at me pleasantly. "It's quite a find, isn't it?" he said, turning his gaze to the hammer. I felt my cheeks burn as I blushed. "Yes, it is a very rare find…" I smiled nervously, my hands shaking as I held tightly on to the notebook Coulson gave me. "I see you're taking notes - are you scientist here at S.H.I.E.L.D.?" I almost forgot how to speak when he looked me in the eyes. I felt like I lost all verbal skills as he loomed over me. "No, I am not," I said, shaking my head. "I was hired to try and identify this hammer's origin. I have to figure out what it might possibly be." I smiled slightly, looking at the hammer and attempting to shake off these nerves. "Well that sounds rather exciting," he said with a wide grin on his face. "May I touch it?" he said, pointing at the hammer. "Yeah, that's fine," I said, a little surprised at his question.
His long, slender fingers grazed the shaft, his fingertips tracing the pattern of the leathery wraps. His face brightened with a nostalgic, closed-lip smile as he grabbed the shaft. He pulled at the hammer a couple of times, unsuccessful at lifting it off the chunk of earth. His face went cold, and his eyes shined blankly as he realized he could not lift the hammer. He looked up at the ceiling above him, almost as though he were searching for an answer as to why he could not lift the hammer. His expression intrigued me as it was a mix of sorrow and slight pain. I examined his face, looking at him, almost feeling sorry for him for some reason…
There is something about this man… I thought to myself as I looked back down at the hammer. "It won't budge," he said with a serious tone of voice. "It's very heavy," I said, trying to regain my senses after getting lost in his mysterious beauty. "I think it's more than weight my dear. This hammer doesn't belong here. It's meant for someone else's hands." He looked at me, smiling slightly, as I took into consideration what he said. He extended his hand out in front of me, and I shook it. His hand was icy cold against mine, and I felt as though my whole body went down in temperature. "See you soon, lovely," he said, as he slowly walked away. I watched him in awe, blushing, his words swirling around my head. I watched him open the door, and then he turned his head in my direction. He looked at me for a split second -the longest split second of my life- as he ran his eyes up and down my body, turning once more to leave. I watched the door shut behind him, wishing I could catch a glimpse of him once more… Dozens of questions scattered my brain as he left.
Who was he? Where was he from? Would I ever get to see him again? I wondered hopelessly, and looked down at the floor. What's wrong with me? Why am I so intrigued by a man I don't even know? I turned to the hammer once more, losing almost all interest in it. "Kathryn! Did you get to take some notes?" I heard Coulson say from behind. I stood up, turning toward him. "Yes, here they are." I handed him the notebook and pen. He flipped through the pages and smiled. "Great, I'll look through these tonight. See you tomorrow. You can go home now. I'll have Agent Jones take you." I smiled, relived I could finally leave the facility. The day was finally over, and I could finally get this encounter off my mind; Erase his image from my head, and just clear my thoughts. But even as I walked with Agent Jones I couldn't help but replaying his words in my head. His image was embedded in my mind. His haunting beauty resided within my head.
I tried to gather my thoughts as I sat in the car. But it was no use… His simple little words were stuck in my mind, replaying like lyrics from a favorite song. I closed my eyes, hoping I would see him soon. Once more I heard the soft echo of his words, and I couldn't help but smile.
See you soon, lovely…
Part 3: First Glance
When I got out of the bathroom, I noticed my phone had one missed call and a voicemail. I checked it and it was an unknown number. I listened to the voicemail. "Hello Kathryn, this is Agent Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I received a phone call from your father, Agent Byrd, in regards to the offer I had set up for you. I am glad to hear you accepted. At exactly 1:00 pm I will arrange a ride for you. Please be ready, as time is of the essence." I looked at the time on my cell phone and realized it was 12:40 pm. "Shit," I muttered as I scrambled to arrange an outfit and get ready.
I was finally done getting ready around 12:53. I managed to tie my long black hair up in a high bun, and found some black dress pants and green blouse to wear. I was eager to leave, as I didn't know what to expect. I heard the doorbell ring, and as I looked out the peep hole I saw a man dressed in a suit waiting outside the door. I gathered my things inside a purse and opened the door. "Hello Ms. Byrd, I am here to take you to the base. Are you ready to go?" I smiled nervously and nodded, locking and closing the door behind ME. "This way, please watch your step." He helped me get into the black SUV, and closed the door. He got in the car, looking around – probably to make sure no one was following us.
In a matter of 30 minutes or so we arrived to the makeshift base. It was enormous – several large white domes were interconnected through a series of white, plastic hallways. Before I could take it all in, the man opened the door and made a gesture with his hand for me to get out. I got out, and took a deep breath. "Okay Ms. Byrd. Before I escort you in to the facility there are some things I have to tell you. First, you are prohibited to tell anyone what goes on here. Everything that happens here stays here, and if you are caught leaking any information you will be prosecuted. Is that clear?" I nodded nervously, and said yes. "Very well, follow me Ms. Byrd."
I followed him through a maze of hallways, until we arrived to an office. He opened the door and inside was Agent Coulson, smiling warmly from his desk. "Hello Kathryn, please come inside." He looked at the man and said, "Agent Jones you can leave her with me." The agent nodded, and closed the door. I sat down in a chair in front of Coulson and smiled back at him. "Well, Kathryn, I have a lot to share with you. Do you know why are you are here?" I looked at him nervously, holding tight on to my purse, which was still hanging off my shoulder. "From what my father told me, he said you needed me. He mentioned that you needed someone with a degree in mythology to help you further understand a hammer you found in a field." I had said this hesitantly; unsure that this was the answer he was looking for. He nodded, "Your response is partially correct. This is no ordinary hammer however. We found this hammer approximately 52 hours ago and we want to know more about it. We don't know where it came from, and we don't know who it belongs to. It's not entirely tangible due to its weight… It is too heavy for one to carry around. We had to use a special crane to lift it." He paused for a moment, and looked me in the eyes. "You see, this hammer doesn't seem like something that would be casually lying around in a field. I need you to understand that what we're dealing with here isn't just some hammer – it's far more than that. I need someone like you, who understands mythology to help me identify what it may be. Even if it sounds farfetched – we want you to tell us what you think it might be, and who it may possibly belong to." I looked at him, shocked that he would believe that this hammer were something other-worldly. It just didn't seem ethical for someone to believe this.
I opened my mouth, but I didn't really know what to tell him. "Uh, okay… are you going to show me it today?" I said, nervously. "Well yes, of course. But first I need you to sign some papers to verify that you won't share anything that goes on here. It is vital that you understand that if you tell anyone other than your father what is going on, you will be held for arrest immediately. We are dealing with something very big here. Any leaked information could be disastrous. Do you understand?" "Yes… I understand," I said as he placed a packet of paperwork in front of me. "Good, now sign these documents while I prepare an ID for you."
I signed the paperwork, careful to read it the fine print on each page. After I was done, I got my picture taken, and Coulson handed me my ID. "Alright Kathryn, you're all set. Let's take a look at the hammer. I'm sure you're eager to see it." He smiled, and opened the door for me. We went through a series of hallways, and one of them caught my attention as I passed through it. There was a giant hole torn in the wall, as if someone broke through. I tapped Coulson's shoulder and pointed it out. "Did something happen?" I said curiously as we passed by the huge hole in the plastic, white wall. "Yesterday we had a guy break in to the facility. He was trying to steal the hammer." "Steal the hammer? Why would he want to do that?" I looked at him with a confused expression, and he looked back at me. "Well, that's what I have to find out today. We have him detained; I'll be questioning him soon."
I thought to myself who in their right mind would want to steal a hammer. "Okay, so this is the dome in which it's being contained. Are you ready?" he said as we stood in front of a door with a tiny window on it. "Yes," I said nodding. "Watch your step," he said as he opened the door. I stepped into the facility amazed at how large it was. I looked up and was surprised to see a balcony looking down over the facility, and in the center lay a hammer on a chunk of what seemed to be dirt or rock. I looked around, noticing a large tear in the wall of the facility. "So this is the hammer…" I said to myself as I walked up to it.
It was impressive; the mallet was made of some sort of silver metal – a metal I could not recognize. The shaft was brown, wrapped intricately with a material I couldn't recognize either – It almost looked leathery, but I wasn't sure. Inscribed on the side of the mallet was a symbol which appeared to be Norse in origin. There was small text on it that seemed to be written in a Nordic language. I was amazed at how meticulously it was crafted, as if it was made by the hands of a divine creature. I examined with wide eyes, I was in awe of its beauty. "Has anything caught your eye about the hammer?" said Coulson, as he stood behind me. "Yes, from looking at it, it seems to be Norse. The writing and symbol on it is Norse." I looked at him with excited eyes. He smiled, "That's a great find. I'm sure you will find more about it and tell me everything you find. Write down everything in this notebook." He handed me a small black notebook and pen. "I'll be back later. I have to interrogate our intruder," he said with a slight smile on his face. He walked away swiftly, and I turned to look down at the hammer again. I set my purse on the ground and examined it, lightly running my fingers across the mallet's surface.
The metal felt cool against my touch, and was very smooth. I wrote down a few details about the surface texture and examined it some more. I squatted next to it and got a better look at it, taking my time examining every square inch of its exterior. Then suddenly out of the corner of my eye I could see a tall, thin figure in a dark suit walking around the right of the facility. He stopped about ten feet away from me. I looked up at him in complete disbelief as I caught a glimpse of his face. He was pale, with black hair that was elegantly slicked back. He had a prominent jawline, and striking emerald green eyes. His face was gorgeous, and he looked as though he was carved out of marble. I felt my heart beat wildly as I realized it was him – the man from my dreams. The man I thought I'd never meet. I rubbed my eyes, making sure I wasn't hallucinating. He looked at me dead in the eyes and I swore I felt as though I was invisible. I quieted my thoughts in fear that they would be exposed. His eyes scanned me like I was the text of a book, and he slowly turned away.
I felt dizzy, and had to sit down on the ground to catch my breath. A staff member came running to me, with a worried look on his face. "Are you alright? I thought you were going to faint!" I looked at him, wiping the cold sweat off my forehead. "I'll be fine," I said, nervously smiling as he handed me a cup of water. I drank the water, refreshing my dry mouth. "Thank you for your concern." "No problem. Please, be careful," he said smiling. "If you need anything, please let me know. My name is Edward Schaub. But you can call me Ed for short." I placed the cup of water down, and smiled. "My name is Kathryn Byrd." We shook hands and I turned red immediately, because my hand was clammy against his. "Nice to meet you, Kathryn, please let me know if you're not feeling well." I nodded, and he walked away back to his computer.
I looked back in the direction of the mystery man, and to my dismay he was gone. I sat there, wondering if I'd ever see his face again.
Part 2: THE CALL
As I lay in bed, face in my pillow, I realized that I should probably stop hoping. He was just a figment of my imagination, and nothing more. I'd probably never meet him, see him, and this was all a cruel joke my mind was playing on me. I remember reading a quote somewhere that said that humans used to be born with 4 arms, 4 legs, and two heads. But Zeus feared their power so he split them in half, condemning them to spend the rests of their lives searching for their other half, to complete them.
It sounds silly, but what if the man I kept seeing in my dreams was my other half? What if he was dreaming the same thing too? It's so unlikely, but I can't help but dream. I got out of bed, and headed to the bathroom to take a bath when I heard my phone ring. I picked up and was surprised to see it was my father calling me. I hadn't heard from him in months since he started working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as an agent. "Hello?" I answered eager to hear his voice. "Hello Kathryn, it's me – how are you?" "I'm well… I'm doing the same as always. How about you, Dad?" "I am alright sweetie. How's New Mexico been treating you? Have you made any new friends?" "It's nice. A good change from New York; a breath of fresh air." "Oh okay. Well I called you to see how you were doing and to ask you something." "Alright, what is it?" "I was talking to Coulson yesterday and he needs someone with a background in Mythology to help him out with a case. I mentioned to him how you have a degree in it, and he got interested in you working with him. S.H.I.E.L.D. set up a makeshift base near your town, so he thought you'd be perfect to help him out. What do you think? Would you like to help him? I think it'd be great for you."
I hesitated at the thought of working with S.H.I.E.L.D. – would this be something I could do? It sounded interesting, but would it really benefit me? I thought it through, convincing myself that my dad knew what he was talking about, and that I might actually enjoy this. "Sure daddy. I'll help him out. When do I need to be there? Do you know anything about the case?" "Ah, at a girl! This is wonderful! I'll tell Coulson immediately. And yes, I do know a little bit, but I really don't know much. According to Coulson, they found a hammer in the middle of an open field, and they thought it to replicate something from Norse mythology. I am honestly not sure what the fuss was about, but he said he needed someone who was very knowledgeable so I thought you'd be great." "Oh, I see… Well that sounds interesting." "Mhm. Well honey, I'll get Coulson to give you a call ok? He'll have the details on when to meet up, and where to go." "Alright dad… I'll talk to you later." "Alright honey, take care."
After hanging up I couldn't help but thinking about what I just got myself into. What if I don't know enough and I waste their time? Why do they need me for a stupid hammer? The only individual who had a hammer in Norse mythology that I could think of off the top of my head was Thor – and the thought of the hammer they found belonging to him sounded incredibly farfetched.
I headed to the bathroom and realized I had a lot of thinking to do while I was in the shower. Today was going to be an interesting day.
Part 1: D R E A M S
Adjective /blo͞o/
Of a color intermediate between green and violet, as of the sky or sea on a sunny day
The sky was a beautiful shade of blue as I walked through a field of grass. The wind felt amazing as it wrapped itself around me, whipping my hair wildly around my face. I had never seen the sun shine so brightly – I had never seen the sky without clouds, as blue as can be. As I walked through the field I found myself a nice spot to lie down. I closed my eyes. The sun warmed my cheeks, and I smiled. The soft aroma of flowers lingered in the air, and little birds chirped in the trees nearby.
I opened my eyes, and to my surprise I saw a man in the distance walking in my direction. He was a couple of feet away, yet he was close enough for me to get a good look at him. He was tall, thin, with marble-like skin and had ebony black hair that was elegantly slicked back. Dressed in black and dark green, he walked toward me, smiling sweetly as he realized I was watching him. The mysterious man held a gold lily in his right hand and walked with a confident stride. I sat up, surprised to see someone else in this vast, never-ending field.
"I saw you from afar, and thought you might need some company," he said, stopping about a foot away from me. He smiled warmly, and extended the hand in which he held the delicate flower. "I saw this and thought you might like it." I got up and walked toward him, smiling as I took the flower from his hand. "Thank you, it's lovely," I said, as I held it. I couldn't help but blushing as I looked up at him – he was gorgeous. His smile was radiant, and his eyes were the most beautiful shade of green I'd ever seen. They were two emeralds outshining the sun.
I held the flower to my nose, the sweet scent filling my nostrils. He moved the flower away and lifted my chin up with one of his long, graceful fingers. I looked deep into his eyes, getting lost in their beauty. I felt as though my heart was going to beat out of my chest as he cupped my face. His eye made contact with mine, and I couldn't help blushing as he leaned in for a kiss. I closed my eyes, preparing for the soft contact. But to my dismay, as I opened them, I was no longer with him. Instead of looking into this mystery man's face, I was looking at my ceiling.
I covered my face with my hands, dissatisfied that I was once more living in reality. This was the third time I had dreamt about this man, and every time it ended the same way. Who was he? Where was he from? Is this my mind's cruel way of reminding me I will never find someone? I lay there, frustrated, wondering how long these dreams would repeat themselves every night. I rolled over, burying my face in my pillow, letting out a huge sigh. "I will never find him," I thought to myself.


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Submitted by acohill on Fri, 05/07/2010 - 13:19
Design Nine has been an advocate for open access for many years--long before it became fashionable. So it is nice to see that some places are finally figuring out that open access is the right way to do telecom. Via Ars Technica, the Australian government has announced a $38 billion (in U.S. dollars) plan to take fiber to most Australian homes and businesses. The government intends to operate it as a open access network, with private sector providers offering all the services. The article notes that the country has decided it will not impede economic development by allowing a single incumbent to make long term decision about how much broadband is enough.
Submitted by acohill on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 09:39
There's a slogan for you: U.S. Broadband--We're almost as good as Latvia! Kind of rolls right off the tongue. Here is a link to a list of the "top 10" broadband countries, and the U.S. is nowhere to be found. Grim news indeed for the country.
Submitted by acohill on Thu, 01/21/2010 - 16:08
The Intelligent Community Forum announced their Smart Seven communities for 2010 yesterday.
One of Design Nine's projects, nDanville, was one of the ICF's Smart 21 communities this year, and got a mention for its success in attracting new jobs by building community fiber.
Submitted by acohill on Tue, 01/12/2010 - 07:40
Hong Kong Broadband Network Ltd. is offering 100 megabit symmetric connections to its customers for $13/month. Costs are going to be lower for them because most of the customer base is living in high rise apartment buildings, which are less expensive to cable. I don't know about Hong Kong, but in Japan, the building codes require telecom duct to every apartment from the ground floor, meaning it takes under an hour to run fiber to a new customer in a Tokyo apartment. Meanwhile, in the United States, many of us are still getting our broadband via copper cable technology invented in the late 1800s.
Submitted by acohill on Wed, 11/18/2009 - 09:30
Spain has decided that broadband is a "right," and is going to beginning legislating price and speed for bandwidth services. In the short term, this may get more affordable broadband to some rural areas of Spain, but in the long term, this kind of legislation tends to discourage innovation and competition.
In the U.S., it is tempting to look at rural areas the lack of broadband alternatives and think that legislation is needed, but there are options, like having local and regional governments make investments in broadband infrastructure and make it available to the private sector, which creates true competition. And this is already working and creating jobs in places like Danville, Virginia and Galax, Virginia. In both communities, open access fiber networks are creating private sector jobs and attracting new businesses to the downtown areas where fiber is available.
Submitted by acohill on Mon, 09/14/2009 - 08:21
The BBC has an article asking what happened to public WiFi. The big WiFi projects that attracted so much attention in the U.S. five and six years ago (e.g. Philadelphia, San Francisco) failed miserably and were shut down or dramatically restructured. Some smaller municipal WiFi projects, like the one in St. Cloud, Florida, had some early rough spots but are still active. But local governments, by and large, found that free WiFi was expensive to support and often very lightly used.
The BBC wonders if the new smartphones (e.g. the iPhone, Google's Android) will create a new surge of communitywide wireless demand. The answer is, "Probably." But looking five to seven years down the road, wireless Internet access will probably have shifted by then to WiMax or the recently opened 700 Mhz spectrum. And if I had to bet, the 700 Mhz could be the winner because it has sufficient bandwidth, the signal travels farther (fewer access points and less cost), and it penetrates trees and buildings better. WiMax, for all the hype, still has many of the shortcomings of WiFi because it operates in the same general frequency ranges.
While rural areas will rely heavily on wireless for primary Internet access until fiber reaches most rural homes, fiber will replace wireless over the long term for fixed point access. But we all want mobile access, and so wireless services are here to stay. But it is an expensive technology, and communities would be served best by investing in open access basic wireless infrastructure (tower sites, towers, rooftop access on public buildings and water towers) and simply leasing out that basic infrastructure to private sector wireless firms. On the fiber sides, communities should build open access fiber networks and lease out the capacity to the private sector--for both wireless and fiber, these are public/private partnership solutions that keep government out of the business of selling telecom services but ensure that communities have some control over their economic future.
Submitted by acohill on Wed, 07/29/2009 - 14:27
A submarine cable serving several African countries has been damaged. The cable is the only Internet route out of several west African nations, putting the entire country into a virtual Internet blackout, with slow, expensive satellite links the only way for data to move in and out of the countries. Here in the U.S., some counties and states are bigger than these countries, and route diversity is now a serious issue for relocating businesses.
Submitted by acohill on Wed, 04/22/2009 - 12:08
Here is a nice little table that compares the price of broadband in various places around the world. Stockholm's municipal fiber network has the best pricing: $11 per month for 100/100 megabits (symmetric). Compare that to some U.S. offerings like one incumbent's 50/20 megabit (asymmetric, less than half the capacity) service for $145.
Submitted by acohill on Tue, 02/17/2009 - 10:07
Danny Choo guestblogs at BoingBoing about getting a SECOND 100 megabit fiber connection at his home in Japan. Why get a second connection? He's using it run a server, and the cost is only $11/month for the first year of service. The second year, the price goes up to a whopping $52 per month. One interesting tidbit if you read through the photo gallery--Japanese building codes require telecom conduit to be installed in homes and apartments during construction, so that fiber cables can be pulled quickly and easily into the premise. How many localities or states in the U.S. require this "Internet ready" approach (which adds only a few hundred dollars to the cost of a new home)?
Submitted by acohill on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 17:35
Ireland plans to spend hundreds of millions on 100% broadband access for the country. An extensive wireless network will be deployed to reach rural towns and homes that currently lack any broadband options.
Submitted by acohill on Mon, 01/12/2009 - 08:48
Wales has apparently been following what Nigeria has been doing with broadband--using post offices as anchor tenants to bring "big broadband" connections into small towns.
Submitted by acohill on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 08:15
The provincial government of Ontario is spending millions to help rural communities get high speed broadband. They have a nice slogan: "Turning miles into milliseconds." And that is really what it is about; rural communities have traditionally been isolated because of distance--many miles to major population centers and jobs. Broadband is the 21st century equivalent of the interstate highway, getting people closer to jobs, businesses, and economic development opportunities. The provincial government is providing a one-third match for the telecom investments, which is a big incentive for communities to get organized, raise awareness, and get started.
Submitted by acohill on Mon, 11/10/2008 - 09:10
This article warns that usable bandwidth in the UK will actually decline in the next several years without a major push to get homes and businesses connected with fiber. As more and more business and residential activities rely on broadband delivery (e.g. telepresence, gaming, movie and TV downloads), current copper-based and wireless systems will not be able to meet demand.
Submitted by acohill on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 16:27
A firm in Japan is rolling out gigabit broadband services to residential customers for $60/month. Back in April, FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate gave a talk and noted that the 100 megabit fiber connections in Japan were already showing signs of "congestion." The GigE service ought to improve throughput.
Meanwhile, we still have lots of people in the U.S. talking about DSL (at around 1 megabit) as "broadband."
Submitted by acohill on Wed, 09/24/2008 - 10:28
Nigeria is using a high performance network for the national post office (1,500 locations) to jumpstart community broadband connectivity. A new national backbone will be built, using the post office needs as an anchor tenant. But the high performance network will be designed to support other community broadband and service needs.
This could work well in the U.S. at the regional and state level, and in fact, states like New Mexico are already studying just that--using state library, telemedicine, and research network needs to serve as the backbone for an open network available to businesses, residents, and service providers (Disclaimer: Design Nine was hired by the State of New Mexico to do that study).
Private, single use networks are expensive and often limit economic development potential, because a dedicated K12, health, or state agency network usually can't be shared with the private sector. By building a single high performance network like the one planned for Nigeria, several anchor tenants can help offset the cost and not only lower the cost of telecom for their own organization but for the whole community as well. Some places in the U.S. are planning these networks, including the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority.
Submitted by acohill on Fri, 06/13/2008 - 06:41
Once again, fairly small countries are far ahead of the U.S. in thinking about broadband. Malaysia has announced an ambitious but entirely doable plan to take fiber to major areas of the country, with the Federal government paying about 30% of the cost in a deal with the biggest telecom company in Malaysia. In the U.S., it would be the equivalent of the states making deals to write checks directly to the incumbent providers (which some states already do). The fiber system will have 100 megabit capacity, with a starter package of Internet access at 10 megabits.
The good news is that U.S. communities and regions still have the opportunity to surpass Malaysia. Malaysia's deal with the incumbent telecom will not increase competition and will not be likely to encourage the rollout of innovative new services. Open service networks like those in Europe are beginning to gather momentum here in the U.S., and open networks tend to lower prices and bring lots of new services to businesses and residents. Five or six years from now, Malaysian cities will be behind many broadband community efforts in the United States.
Submitted by acohill on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 07:49
The undersea fiber cables that were cut a couple of months ago were the subject of numerous conspiracy theories, but satellite photos have revealed the culprits--cargo ships that were anchored in the wrong place. Sometimes Occam's Razor (the simplest explanation is the likeliest one) is exactly right.
The object lesson for communities is to plan for cable outages by making sure local networks have redundant cable paths. Sometimes this is quite expensive to do when just getting started with community telecom investments, so an alternative to a second fiber cable is a high capacity wireless link that can handle local traffic (perhaps with somewhat less throughput) while repairs are made.
Submitted by acohill on Mon, 03/24/2008 - 08:47
An Australian wireless ISP who has operated a WiMax network for more than a year unleashed a blistering attack on the protocol, calling it a "disaster" and that it "failed miserably." Unfortunately, the article provides little detail on exactly what frequencies were used (WiMax is a catch all term for the protocol, which can use several different chunks of frequency spectrum). The interesting thing about the comments is that the firm is planning to deploy more traditional WiFi as part of their wireless network. This article illustrates that wireless systems are not a panacea, and that they have to designed and engineered carefully to get good performance.
Submitted by acohill on Thu, 03/20/2008 - 05:41
According to a New York Times article, Europe is pulling far ahead of the United States in high performance broadband deployment. European countries, led by Sweden, Denmark, Holland, and Finland, are adding 50,000 broadband lines a day.
In Europe, most countries have required the incumbent telecom firms to allow other broadband firms to lease their infrastructure, which has led to heavy competition and lower prices. While many of the new connections are still copper-based DSL, many places have gone to citywide fiber deployments. In Paris and Vienna, 100 megabit fiber connections are widely available.
Submitted by acohill on Sun, 02/10/2008 - 22:06
If you live in Paris and have the new 100 megabit fiber to the home service, it only takes about ten minutes to download a high quality version of a one hour TV show. Here in the U.S., the FCC has announced that more than 95% of the U.S. has broadband. The FCC defines "broadband" as "anything faster than 256 kilobits, or about 400 times slower than the current Parisian definition of broadband.
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Date of Award
Degree Type
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Ruth Landes
This paper is primarily a comparison of two different societies with respect to how they view health and disease and the central role that religion plays in each culture's conceptualization and treatment of illness.
In the Introduction , Part 1, the objectives of the study, the methodology, and the theoretical framework are presented. Part II, deals with the outline of the Christian Science Church and Ojibwa Religion. Part III, focuses in on the Christian Science Church, its theory of disease, and mode of treating disease; Part IV does the same for Ojibwa Religion. Part V concerns itself with the comparison per se, while Part VI summarizes the salient features of the comparison as well as the shortcomings of the study. In general, it is found that without precise terms of analysis, the comparison of these two groups is not very fruitful.
Recommended Citation
Suarez, Douglas G., "Religious Healing: A Comparison of Curing Phenomena in Two Societies" (1973). Open Access Dissertations and Theses. Paper 5461.
McMaster University Library


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BreakPoint Blog
Comedy from the pulpit: A laughing matter?
Topics: Books, Church Issues, Humor, Religion & Society
I have always found a formal service an extremely unpleasant venue, jokes or no jokes. Sitting on uncomfortable chairs amid a large group of people and listening for an hour to a sermon from someone who has to think of a new one every week. Without being able to contribute to the discussion. The format in my church is just formal enough to be claustrophobic, without having aesthetically attractive rituals to compensate.
Be that as it may, jokes do make a service go smoother. My grandfather is good at those.
Jason, we don't want to go off topic from Erika's original point. Paul may well have noticed that women enjoyed far higher status in the early Church than outside it, but were *generally* unprepared to take on leadership roles because, well, society hadn't prepared them for it. (If I have it right, most women would have been unable to read anything, much less Scripture, at the time of Jesus. Hard to comment on something if you can't refer to it.) But again, the issue is not women as reverends; SBK was making a sly remark about fundamentalist Protestants.
Trying to get back on-topic, I'll note that John Wesley preached against humor *anywhere* in Christian circles. A Mormon colleague encountered someone who was trying to follow Wesley very strictly, so they had an informal contest to see who could laugh the least and adopt the most sober countenance and outlook. The Mormon won, proving (he said) the superiority of LDS doctrine.
I'll also note, returning briefly to the theme of women reverends and fundamentalism, that a bunch of men are commenting on something a woman (and a young woman, at that) wrote. People who live in glass houses... :-)
By the way, this past Sunday my pastor told some jokes to illustrate his sermon points, and it all worked very well. The problem for me was that I'd already heard the jokes. But everyone else laughed. (Shame on them, Wesley would say.)
Technically Steve, Paul does seem to have said that women shouldn't be Reverends, and no, I don't know why.
Humor? Or story-telling
Maybe another angle on this might be, Do we need humor? Or do we really need good story-telling from the pulpit? How many times have you been drifting mentally listening to a pastor until he says the magic words, "That reminds me of a story..."
Humor can be distracting, especially to the pastor who suddenly feels the same rush that anyone with a microphone gets when a lot of people laugh at his jokes. I would encourage instead an emphasis on telling good stories, funny or not.
After all, when Jesus says in Luke 15, "A certain man had two sons...", people STILL listen.
Welcome Erika
A great topic for discussion.
For instance, some might argue that humor shouldn't be too much a part of a sermon and are they the same people arguing that women shouldn't be reverends? (I thought you'd all enjoy that).
An interesting statement in the linked article: ""Preachers have this very bad habit of never getting to the point," she said." I can agree that sometimes that happens, (certainly universalizing the statement is a bad decision). And a good humorist is someone who sees deeply into the kernel of a matter. A good humorist is someone who can surprise us and get ideas past the 'sleeping dragons' we put up.
Definitely I agree with Augustine that we should use all the tools of rhetoric in sharing the message of truth. That of course means we wouldn't want to use excessively only one tool (say, humor).
Definitely I agree that we shouldn't cater to the 'sound bite' generation.
Perhaps the discussion shines a light on the 'whole project'. Should our worship and teaching mostly come in the form of a pastor-focused setting? (Though, maybe we'll start having humor-pastors, like music-pastors).
Anyway, humor, I'd think, would flow naturally from a joyful heart. Entertainment flows naturally from our self-centric society. How to keep those separate? Well, I've said enough in this comment. Others can discuss :P
Welcome to the funhouse, Erika
And you begin with the kind of insightful musing that we long time Point-followers have almost come to take for granted here. Bravo.
I've said several times that one of my favorite Bible teachers is Gayle Erwin, whose material can be found at http://www.servant.org (including a link to see many videos and listen to audio for free). He deliberately uses humor in his lessons to get the listeners engaged early, partly as repentance for an earlier career as a hellfire-and-brimstone pastor.
Erwin says that humor, when used effectively, helps the listener to retain the message. It also lowers the natural social barrier between the listener and the speaker. But most of all, many Bible stories when properly understood - when you apply your imagination and ability to visualize - are flat-out hilarious in and of themselves. So a failure to "get the joke" is a failure to understand what God is trying to communicate. Much of human interaction is unintentionally hilarious, as with for example Gayle's description of the Last Supper - a Scriptural passage normally marinated in solemnity by preachers, but actually filled with moments as ice-breaking as a Lenny Briscoe wisecrack during a Law&Order murder investigation.
So the problem I see in the article is the idea that humor should be layered onto a message, rather than derived from the message's source material (which, hopefully, is the Bible).
But (to give an inside joke to Gina, who probably watches Geico commercials, and who I think has to read all my ramblings) please, be vewwy, vewwy quiet - today I'm hunting wabbits.


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Connecticut Committee for the East Coast Greenway
The Connecticut Committee for the ECG is extremely active in advocating for local trails and greenways. These volunteers coordinate route selection and undertake our advocacy efforts to move the Greenway ahead in the state. By building support and partnerships with citizens, public agencies and organizations at the local and state levels, the Connecticut Committee is helping to get the ECG on the ground, mile by mile.
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Volunteers explore potential routing between two segments of the Charter Oak Greenway
News & Events
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Communities along the Hop River Trail (13 miles, Windham to Bolton) have been improving the trail's dirt surface, and work should continue through the year. So far, nearly half of the trail has been improved to meet ECG surface standards in the towns of Bolton and Andover. We've gotten word that the town of Columbia will start improvements on its section of the trail later this year. We will also see ECG trail markers installed on the upgraded portions of the Hop River Trail this year, courtesy of CT's Department of Environmental Protection.
- May 2008 – ECGA Ambassador Steve Mitchell receives Greenways Award from Governor Rell
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Connecticut Committee Chair
Bill O'Neill
Eric Weis
ECGA Trail Coordinator


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A method of reactive sputtering wherein inert gas and reactive gas are introduced into a reaction chamber provided with a pair of oppositely arranged electrodes, on one of which is placed a semiconductor substrate to be treated and a target material is placed on the other electrode, an RF power is applied to the latter electrode to generate plasma which activates the inert gas to eject silicon particles from the target material for reaction with nitrogen radical for forming a film of silicon nitride on the substrate, the invention improves the quality of the film as well as its growth rate by activating reactive gas before it is introduced into the reaction chamber. A microwave oscillator is used for activating the reactive gas, and the electrode on which the target material is placed comprises a magnetron.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is related to an improvement of the known method of reactive sputtering. In the field of depositing or growing a thin film on the surface of a material to be treated such as a semiconductor substrate, the methods of chemical vapour deposition and physical vapour deposition have generally been practiced. The sputtering can be understood to belong to the method of physical vapour deposition. However, the reactive sputtering for growing a film on the semiconductor substrate is a method in which a synergetic effect of the chemical and physical vapour depositions is achieved. In contrast to the chemical vapour depositions method, the temperature under which the film is deposited is relatively low in the reactive sputtering method, and the adhesive characterictic of the film is substantially enhanced. Thus, the method of reactive sputtering is effective to form an insulating film to cover the semiconductor devices or to insulate interconnecting layers already fabricated on a semiconductor substrate. Particularly, in the reactive sputtering method which uses a magnetron sputtering apparatus, crossed (at right angles) electric and magnetic fields are created near a target material to enhance the efficiency in generating plasma for activating the reactive gas. And thus, with a relatively low degree of vacuum, atoms ejected by sputtering and a reactive gas are caused to react efficiently with each other. Because of this, the reactive sputtering method excells in forming a quality film having a high degree of adhesiveness, and has come to be frequently used. In spite of these advantages found with the magnetron sputtering apparatus, it is extremely difficult to form at a high rate of growth a film which is stable both chemically and electrically. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to solve the technical problem described above and to offer a method of fabrication of an insulating film which is chemically and electrically stable. It is another object of the present invention to form such a stable film at a relatively low degree of vacuum with a growth rate which is faster than that according to the conventional art. In order to achieve the above and other objects of the invention, reactive gas is activated in advance and then introduced into a reaction chamber, and the particles ejected from a target material in the reaction chamber and said reactive gas are caused to react to form a desired film on the surface of a substrate to be treated at a high rate of growth. The above and further objects and novel features of the invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are not intended as a definition of the invention but are for the purpose of illustration only. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings wherein like parts are marked alike: FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional sputtering apparatus; FIG. 2 is a view of an apparatus by which the method of the present invention is carried out; FIGS. 3 and 4 are graphs of data obtained with the films formed by the apparatus of FIG. 2; and FIGS. 5A to 5C are cross-sectional views of devices having films fabricated by the apparatus of FIG. 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1 which shows in cross-section a conventional magnetron sputtering apparatus, air is exhausted from a reaction chamber 1 made of glass or stainless steel which may be for example an apparatus called Type CFS-8EP, a product of Tokuda Co., Ltd. of Kanagawa, Japan by a known vacuum pump system 2 comprising a rotary pump and cryo pump, not shown which is capable of attaining a degree of vacuum in order of 5.times.10.sup.-7 Torr. The chamber 1 is a cylindrical structure having a diameter and a height of approximately 50 cm and 60 cm respectively. There are provided in the chamber 1 a couple of oppositely arranged electrodes and a semiconductor substrate 4, for example, a silicon wafer, is placed on one electrode 3 which is shown grounded in the drawing, but may otherwise be left floating. Opposite to the electrode 3, there is provided a cathode 6 on which is placed a target material 7 having a diameter of 12.7 cm (5 inch). The cathode 6 is enclosed within an insulator 8 of silica or ceramic having anodes 9 attached to its upper end portions. These anodes 9 are grounded as shown. There are provided a hollow tubular magnet 5 and a rod-shaped magnet 5' enclosed with the magnet 5 with their polarities as shown. These magnets are in turn enclosed within a tank 10 to which cooling water W is supplied in the direction as shown by an arrow. The cathode 6 is connected, via matching box 12 to an RF (13.56 MHz) power source 11. By this arrangement, there are created magnetic fields B and electric fields E which cross at right angles as shown. The distance between the surfaces of the substrate 4 and the target material 7 is approximately 10 cm. Where it is desired to grow a film of silicon nitride (SiN) on the surface of semiconductor substrate 4 by the reactive sputtering, the 13.56 MHz power is applied from the source 11 via a matching box 12, and inert gas such as argon (Ar) gas and a reactive gas, such as nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas, are introduced into the reactive chamber 1 through inlets 13 and 14 equipped with a flow meter and a valve respectively. A target material 7, for example, silicon is selected for the purpose of growing or forming said film, and by impact of activated argon ions (Ar.sup.+) on the target material 7, silicon particles are ejected therefrom to be caused to react with nitrogen radicals (N.sub.2 *). A film of SiN is thus formed on the surface of semiconductor substrate 4. In this method, however, it is difficult to grow at a high growth rate a film of SiN that comes close to Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 which is in a stable state stoichiometrically. A film of SiN formed in the manner described above often contains excessive silicon and a film of inferior insulating quality frequently results.
An apparatus which has been developed to carry out a method for overcoming the abovedescribed deficiency of the prior art is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. With this apparatus, the arrangement within the reactive chamber 1 is the same as that shown in, and described by reference to, FIG. 1. However, nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas which is supplied from the inlet 14 is activated in a plasma generator 15 comprising a silica chamber 16 enclosed by shield plates 17. Microwave of 2.45 GHz, power 1 KW generated by a microwave oscillator 18 is led through a waveguide 19 arranged to cross the silica chamber 16, and causes nitrogen gas which is introduced into the silica chamber 16, gas pressure in order to 10.sup.-1 Torr, to be turned into plasma. Nitrogen radicals (N.sub.2 *) which have been created in plasma remains in its activated state even when introduced into the chamber 1 after having passed through a pipe of teflon, for example, of several meters length via another valve 20. Silicon particles ejected from the target material 7, by the impact argon ions (Ar.sup.+) activated in the reaction chamber 1 by high frequency power, react efficiency with nitrogen gas (N.sub.2), and thus a film of SiN which is very close to stoichiometrically stable Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 is rapidly grown on the surface of semiconductor substrate 4. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the composition and growth rate respectively of SiN film formed as described above, with the total gas pressure of activated nitrogen gas and untreated argon gas both introduced in the chamber being kept at 5.times.10.sup.-3 Torr, the RF power in the reaction chamber 1 is 800 W. In both of these figures, curves I represent data where nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 1 without previous treatment as was done in the conventional reactive sputtering, and curves II represent data obtained by the method of the present invention. The graphs of FIG. 3 illustrate the relationship between the partial pressure of nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas and the composition of SiN film obtained by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy or electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA). According to the method of the invention, the quantity of nitrogen contained in the film of SiN is large even where the volume of nitrogen gas is reduced. This fact reflects that the ratio of silicon to nitrogen (Si/N) of SiN of the invention approaches that of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 in which Si/N=0.75 even if a small quantity of nitrogen gas is supplied. FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the partial pressure of nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas and the growth rate of the film of SiN formed by the conventional method and the method of the present invention respectively with the total gas pressure (the pressure of N.sub.2 gas+Ar gas) being kept constant. The data show clearly that the growth rate under the present invention is higher than that under the conventional method. The test results show that according to the method of the present invention, a good insulating film of SiN which is stoichiometrically very close to Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 may be grown at a rate of 1000 A per minute. FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C show applications of the film formed by the method of the invention. In FIG. 5A which shows a cross-section of a semiconductor device in the process of manufacture, a film 22 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 is grown approximately 1000 A thick directly or through a very thin film of silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2) on a silicon substrate 21 in accordance with the method of the invention. A thick insulating layer 23 of SiO.sub.2 is fabricated by a subsequent heat treatment using the film 22 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 as a mask. This is the well known process called a selective field oxidation. In FIG. 5B, a film 32 of SiO.sub.2 is formed on a silicon substrate 31. A first wiring or interconnecting layer 33 of aluminum is fabricated on the SiO.sub.2 film 32. A film 35 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 is then grown according to the method of the invention to form an insulating layer between the first aluminum wiring layer 33 and a second wiring layer 34 of aluminum to be subsequently fabricated. This is an example of interlayer insulation of multilayer wirings wherein the film 35 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 replaces that of phosphosilicate glass in the prior art. FIG. 5C shows a silicon gate MOS field effect transistor with inter-layer insulation. There are formed in a silicon substrate 41 source region S and drain region D each of which is isolated by field insulating regions 42. A gate G of polycrystalline silicon is fabricated on an insulating film 43 of SiO.sub.2. An insulating layer 44 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 is grown using the method of the invention. Interconnecting wiring layer 45 is then fabricated as shown on which a cover film 46 of Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 is grown approximately 1 .mu.m thick again by the method of the invention. Conditions of forming this film 46 which is 1 .mu.m thick are: pressure of argon (Ar) gas 4.times.10.sup.-3 Torr, that of nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas 1.times.10.sup.-3 Torr, power 800 W, frequency 13.56 MHz. It took ten (10) minutes to grow this film which indicates growth rate of 1000 A/minute. The frequency of microwave utilized was 2.45 GHz at power of 1 KW, and the pressure within the chamber 16 of FIG. 2 was 10.sup.-1 Torr. In the foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention, nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas was selected as reactive gas in forming or growing a film of SiN. However, other gases such as oxygen (O.sub.2) gas, nitric monoxide (NO) gas, nitrous oxide (N.sub.2 O) gas or mixed gas of some of these may be used as reactive gas. A target material may be selected from a group of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta) and so forth. The method of the invention is not confined to the formation of SiN film, but may also be applied to the formation of compounds such as oxides or nitrides to which the reactive sputtering method can be applied. The product obtained by the method of the invention is not limited to the insulating film. As has been described, the method of reactive sputtering may be carried out to form a stable reactive compound at a high growth rate according to the present invention. And thus, the invention serves the purpose of upgrading the quality of components in semiconductor devices in addition to improving efficiency of the manufacturing operations.


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Hey all of you guys on "thetwilightsaga.com" right now am reading Eclipse for the 19th time! almost finished it just never gets old. While listening to "Eyes Open" on youtube by Taylor Swift! Awesome song ! go check it out at:
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Six Sheffield-based climbers have climbed Torssukatak Fjord's stunning 'Baroness' wall in a three-week visit. The 600m vertical, unclimbed face was spotted last year by Matt Dickinson, on the 'Thumbnail' expedition: it is just across the Fjord - but steeper and more compact.
Climbing in pairs, the six forced lines over many days, then jumared to high points to go for the summit. Airlie Anderson and Lucy Creamer were first: 15 pitch 'Venus Envy' (E4 6a), very sustained up continuous cracks and corners, climbed on-sight.
Dickinson and Tom Briggs did 'The Iron Lung' (E6 6b/A1), culminating in their hardest ever day's climbing: 10 pitches of E4 and above, an aid pitch high up on the face, and three very bold pitches.
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But defending our freedom is not the job of our military alone. We must all do our part to make sure our God-given rights are protected here at home. That includes our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote. When any Americans – no matter where they live or what their party – are denied that right simply because they can't wait for five, six, seven hours just to cast their ballot, we are betraying our ideals. That's why, tonight, I'm announcing a non-partisan commission to improve the voting experience in America.
Obama announcing a commission to improve voting at tonight's State of the Union.


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The fresh horseradish in this sauce makes all the pungent difference that fresh herbs do in cooking.
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Panasonic Leica adapters priced in Japan (updated with prices)
Computer-translated Japanese site DCWatch DC Watch has the prices for the recently announced Panasonic-made Micro Four Thirds adapters for the Leica M-series and R-series lenses.
Unfortunately the computer-translators we found are failing to give us an answer on the price as we are getting two numbers for each lens. So if anyone can read Japanese, plese let us know!
The computer-translator says "20000 + 1,000 yen" = 21000 yen for the M-series (DMW-MA2M) and "20000 + 3000 yen" = 23000 yen for the R-series (DMW-MA3R). They are scheduled to go on sale in Japan on July 10. Not sure when they are coming out elsewhere. We just rechecked and did not find them on Amazon.
Update! The initial monthly output is not very promising, just 300 units per month each according to Panasonic Japan.
Update #2: Thanks to our reader "FilterFunk" in comment #1 below, we now know the prices. The text above has been updated to reflect those!


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Carols from the Old and New Worlds - music from Austria, Finland, Germany, England & the US / Theatre of Voices, Hillier
1 CD / Harmonia Mundi / 2013-10-08Works: Daniel Read: While Shepherds Watched (tune Sherburne); Christmas Traditional: The Shepherd's Star (American); A Virgin Unspotted (American); Hark! the herald angels sing (tune Eltham) (American); Sti...
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Featuring music from Austria, Finland, Germany, England and the USA, Carols from the Old and New Worlds Vol.1, a series devised by Paul Hillier and...continue...
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Medieval English Music / Hilliard Ensemble
1 CD / Harmonia Mundi / 2009-02-10Works: Anonymous, English: Alleluia; Singularis laudis digna; Doleo super te / Absolon / Tenor, motet for 3 voices; Thomas Gemma Cantuariae; Civitas nusquam conditur; Tu civium primas; Mater Christi nobilis...
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