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BY EARLY SPRING, journalists and political activists had begun to notice that former Vermont governor Howard Dean had a knack for firing up crowds. He was little known and badly financed, but his issues were unfudged and easy to understand: budget-balancing, civil unions for gays, a middle-of-the-road states-rights position on guns, and implacable opposition to the war in Iraq. Tying them all together was a hostility to George W. Bush that bordered on loathing.
Read more...
THE OTHER DAY, my e-mail in-box saw an extraordinary convergence of two clear and present dangers: weapons of mass destruction and spam. Specifically, Saddam's secret deal with Niger to build weapons-grade uranium has wound up embedded in the Internet's oldest confidence game.
You've probably seen this con game yourself.
WE ARE GOING TO NEED a new way to think about spam, those importunate unsolicited e-mails advertising products, pandering to vices and insecurities, and bearing headers like GET LOLITA OUT OF DEBT BY ADDING THREE INCHES TO YOUR MORTGAGE! The problem is changing before our very eyes. Shortly after the turn of the year, I logged on to America Online's spam report and read that the company's new blocking software had for the first time diverted 1 billion unwanted e-mails in a single day.
New York
THE DAILY STANDARD welcomes letters to the editor. Letters will be edited for length and clarity and must include the writer's name, city, and state.
Here he goes again--a second, more desperate Hugh Hewitt column referring to me, the supposed antiwar, leftist professor who bullied two freshmen (Blacklist Envy). And the second he has written without calling me first to ask whether anything he was writing was true.
FOR THE BOSTON RED SOX, the Clubhouse Blowup has over the last quarter-century been as reliable a summer fixture as the August Collapse. Generally the debates have been over whether Yaz is a fathead or Lynn's a malingerer or Roger deserves his pay.
LAST WEEK, the semi-governmental French foundation IDDRI summoned 40 people to Paris to discuss "sustainable development," international relations, and the Third World.
IN ALL LIKELIHOOD, the pictures Americans saw on every news network Wednesday morning will be the ones we see on the covers of newsweeklies when they run their year-end wrap-ups next December: jubilant Iraqis dancing around the toppled statue of Saddam Hussein in Firdos Square, citizens of all stripes wiping their shoes on torn-down propaganda posters. After September 11, this cannot be the story of the decade, but it will be the story of the year--because it is an historic event.
Editor's note: Now that war has begun, The Daily Standard will be deviating from its normal schedule. For the next several days we'll have morning and afternoon editions posted regularly and other reports posted throughout the day, so you'll want to check back with us often.
With Matt Labash and Stephen F. Hayes on the ground in the Middle East, Christopher Caldwell in Europe, and Fred Barnes, William Kristol, David Brooks, and the rest of the team in Washington, The Daily Standard will have some of the best reporting and analysis around.
ON THE FIRST semi-drivable day of the mid-February snowstorm here in Washington, I got a reminder of how membrane-thin can be the line that divides private property from public. My neighbor, Otto Snowden, called to complain that our babysitter was parked in his space. By "his space," Mr. Snowden meant the one on the street right in front of his house. In ordinary weather, one would have told him the street was public property and that he should go find an unfrozen lake to jump in.
But under blizzard conditions, he was in the right. I had seen Mr.
SOMETIME IN THE SECOND WEEK of January, Ed Stern, artistic director at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park, called Glyn O'Malley with an apology. "I don't think I've ever f--d a playwright over," Stern said, "the way I've f--d you." Five months earlier, the Playhouse, flagship of Cincinnati's arts establishment, had announced O'Malley as the winner of its Lazarus New Play Prize for Young Audiences. For several years the Playhouse had staged a traveling drama for high school students.
ENOUGH TERRORISTS have been arrested in Europe in recent days--three in Edinburgh, four in London, four in Paris--to make this one of the bigger police weeks since September 11. The French arrests, which took place in the north Paris suburb of La Courneuve, are particularly unsettling for two reasons:
First, because early indications are that the group there was at an advanced stage of carrying out a chemical-weapons attack.
LAST WEEK I was driving through Paris with a bunch of American journalists. One of them mentioned that the last time he'd been in Paris, there had been a big Ferris wheel in the Tuileries gardens, as there is every summer.
AFTER AN ELECTORAL LOSS, sour grapes is a normal response. Few politicians are big enough to manage a nobler one. A political candidacy puts forward a set of ideas about how a decent society ought to be run; a political defeat hands power to people who don't share the losing candidate's goals, and may not even understand them. That is why politicians so often react to defeat with outright incomprehension.
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Edmund Burke's war on terror—and ours.
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5 best energy-efficient light bulbs
With a new energy-efficiency rule taking effect, manufacturers are stepping up their lighting options. Here are the most switch-worthy products.
In response to a new energy-efficiency law, manufacturers are producing more light-bulb varieties than ever. While they're all touted as 60-watt soft-white equivalents, we found quite a range in brightness and color. Here are some of the most switch-worthy options.
NOTE: We gauged efficiency based on the most usable light emitted per watt within a 220-degree arc from a bulb.
Bright away
On average, compact fluorescent bulbs took 94 seconds to fully brighten in our tests. But General Electric's Bright From the Start Soft White Hybrid Halogen-CFL 15W ($12.44 for two) solves this problem, combining the instant-on illumination of a halogen with the superior energy efficiency of a CFL. We found that it is 485% more efficient than a traditional bulb. Claimed life span: 8,000 hours (about seven years).
- Bing: Projects that increase a home's value
- MSN Living: Expert interior lighting tips
- Video: Energy-efficient bulbs can carry new risks
The light cast from the dimmable GE Crystal Clear Halogen A19 43W Bulb ($5 for two) rated highest with our testers, who even preferred it to that of the traditional soft-white incandescent bulb — and we found it 43% more efficient. Claimed life span: 1,000 hours (about a year), but the one we're cycling on and off has lasted 1,500 hours and counting.
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Super Spirals
Philips' Energy Saver Mini Twister 13W in Soft White ($8 for four) brightens quickly for a CFL: in 45 seconds. Feit's Soft White Ecobulb Plus 13W ($4) was a crowd favorite, but takes two minutes to warm up. In terms of efficiency, these rated even better on our test than the winning LEDs — 587% and 593% more efficient, respectively, than an incandescent. Claimed life spans: 10,000 and 12,000 hours (about nine and 11 years).
- Bing: Compare light bulb types
- MSN Money: How to save $5,000 in 2012
Worthy LED
Don't let the yellow exterior of Philips' AmbientLED A19 12.5W ($25) turn you off — it emits a lovely soft-white glow. It's also dimmable and does an excellent job of spreading light uniformly in all directions — no small feat for an LED, which generally produces more directional light. Our tests show it to be 512% more efficient than a 60-watt bulb. Claimed life span: 25,000 hours (about 23 years).
- Subscribe to MSN Real Estate on Facebook and Twitter
- How much are homes really worth near you?
- Bing: What do energy tax credits cover?
LED by a mile
Consumers loved the brighter white of EcoSmart LED A19 13W ($25), which cast light impressively evenly in all directions. Our tests revealed it to be 501% more efficient than a comparable incandescent, and it's even brighter. Claimed life span: 25,000 hours (about 23 years).
- On our blog, 'Listed': Balancing a small room and a big TV
- Video: How much money are light bulbs costing you?
- MSN Money: Do programmable thermostats really save money?
How we tested
We tested 28 soft-white halogen, CFL and LED bulbs that claimed light output similar to that of best-selling, traditional 60-watt incandescents. Our engineers measured each bulb's brightness, the evenness of its illumination, the time it took to fully brighten (CFLs are known to have a "warm-up" period), its energy efficiency and its endurance. We also asked consumers to rate light quality — yes, these technologies produce light you'll actually like.
Slide show: Top 10 skills you need to survive homeownership
To test how long-lasting these new bulbs are, Good Housekeeping Research Institute test engineer Erik Eibert left one set blazing and made an apparatus to turn a second set on and off at 15-minute intervals (frequently turning CFLs on and off shortens their lives). In this accelerated test, all 17 exceeded expected life span.
GHRI insight: CFLs are the best value. Their electricity usage is comparable to that of LEDs; while they have about a third the life span, three still cost a lot less than one LED (on average, $9 versus $25). That said, the price of Philips' AmbientLED has dropped by more than a third since its launch. Stay tuned.

subset: commoncrawl


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Derrek Lee
Reader Blog: Fun With Statistics!
In light of a few numbers that were thrown around in the shoutbox recently, I decided to further investigate some statistics that may or may not be trends. Most of these things are probably unrelated, but some of them are very interesting to know. So without further adieu… Fun With Statistics!
We'll start out with a couple of team-centric warm-ups
The Cubs are:
- 8-12 in One-Run games
- 9-7 in blowouts (5+ runs)
- 3-24 when they score 3 runs or less (!)
- 23-7 when they score 4 runs or more
- 11-0 when they score 7 runs or more
- 12-2 when they allow 2 runs or less
- 14-29 when they allow 3 runs or more
- 7-14 when they allow 3 or 4 runs (What!?)
Ok… So from that we can accurately say if we score 4 runs or more, we'll probably win and if we allow 2 runs or less, we'll probably win. Jeez, not too much margin for error there.
Alright, next let's look at some situational statistics for the team
The Cubs are:
- 26-1 when they start the 9th inning with the lead or tied (damn, alright, that's actually pretty great)
- 0-30 when they start the 9th inning behind (Holy. Shit.)
The Cubs have:
- 8 comeback wins with the largest deficit overcome being 3 runs (sigh, remember that Rockies game in magical 2008?)
- 14 blown leads (for comparison, we had only 22 in all of 2009.)
- 2 walk-off wins
- 0 walk-off losses (Hey! An improvement! We had 13 in 2009)
Wow. Alright. Those are some pretty polarizing numbers. Let's move on.
Time to pick on some individual contributors (or, probably more than likely, "lack of" contributors)
The Cubs are:
- 10-1 in games started by King Carlos Silva (this is my personal favorite and the one that spawned this post)
- 16-30 in games started by anyone else
- 11-12 in games where John Grabow pitches (I assumed worse)
- 20-6 in games where Carlos Marmol pitches (Only 12 being Saves)
- 7-3 in games where Aramis Ramirez does not play
- 9-16 in games where Aramis Ramirez does play AND has a hit
- 5-14 in games Derrek Lee goes hitless
- 19-17 in games Derrek Lee has at least 1 Hit
- 12-5 in games Derrek Lee has at least 1 RBI
Ya know, I could probably go on and on, but let's sum up what we've learned here.
- The Cubs do not do well in close games
- They will, however, win most every game they score 4 or more runs
- Unfortunately, if they give up more than 2 runs, they will probably lose
- If we have the lead in the 9th, you can chalk that baby up in the W column.
- If we're losing in the 9th, you might as well turn the game off.
- Carlos Silva and Carlos Marmol have saved this team.
- John Grabow and Aramis Ramirez have killed this team.
- Derrek Lee may or may not be expendable.
Go Cubs.
Stats Update (Game Recap: Cubs 1, Dodgers 0)
The Cubs win another close won today, thanks to back-to-back extra-base hits from Cubs bench players who I would argue should be starting against righties -- for now, at least.
After seven and a half scoreless innings combined from the two teams, Mike Fontenot led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple. (Stats Update #1: Fontenot is now hitting .330 this season, with a respectable .836 OPS to go along with his average.)
Cub fans everywhere were immediately overcome with dread and fear, as we all know the team can't bring home runners from third when there are less than two outs. And Geovany Soto added fuel to those flames by striking out on three pitches. (Status Update #2: Soto is now hitting .257, quickly converging with Lee's average, which now stands at .246.)
Fortunately, Tyler Colvin hasn't been with the team long enough to learn how to not bring runners home from third with less than two out. So he went ahead and doubled in Fontenot, and then took third on a fielding error by the Dodgers' right fielder. (Stats Update #3: Colvin has a .348/.385/.609 in May, while Kosuke has a .258/.338/.394 after today.)
Cubs take lead, all is well -- until Theriot pops out on a bunt attempt (grrrrrr) and Starlin Castro, Mr. Contact Hitter Himself, strikes out at the worst of times. (Stats Update #4: Castro's .292 average has now fallen two points below Theriot's .294.)
Fortunately, Carlos Marmol is teh balls. He struck out Rafael Furcal swinging, walked Blake DeWitt (which people booed? WTF), struck out Manny Ramirez swinging, and then struck out Garrett Anderson swinging. (Stats Update #5: Marmol has struck out 49 of 103 batters faced, a 47.6% rate. Thanks for that one, Rob.)
(Stats Update #6: The Cubs are now two games below .500, and will be either four or five games behind the Reds for the division lead tomorrow morning.)
Dempster + Lee = Win (Game Recap: Cubs 3, Dodgers 0)
Ryan Dempster is vindicated! Except not quite. Sigh.
Demp starred in last night's outing, mostly by not crapping his pants and/or giving up any grand slams. No, but seriously, eight innings, seven strikeouts to only one walk, and just three hits. That'll do it.
I was hoping Ryan would get a shot at completing the game, but I'm not going to complain about the opportunity to watch Carlos Marmol make lame-os like Manny Ramirez look compleetly stoopid with his narsty slider.
Derrek Lee knocked in all three Cub runs, taking himself above both the .230 mark in batting average as well as the .700 mark in OPS. He'll keep coming back around, I promise. (For the record, Fangraphs' preferred predictor suggets he'll hit .280/.364/.476 for the rest of the season, which would be fine by me.)
So yeah, see? Winning is easy!
On Big Game Players and Leadership
Rob has stirred the pot, again, regarding this time-and-true issue, and I'm glad. I'd been wanting to write something about this anyway. But before I jump into it, I'd just like to preface this post with a comment directed to Sman, who recently complained over having an article written in direct response -- and contradiction -- to an opinion of his.
Sman, I'm about to rebuke Rob, a co-writer on this site, a man who has been cheering for the Cubs for at least a full decade before I was even born (and two full decades before I became a fan myself), a man with more experience and knowledge than I can ever hope to accumulate. If I can disagree with Rob with him being man enough not to get offended or angry, then I'm sure you are man enough to be disagreed with by Sayers or myself, or anyone else on this blog, without taking -- or making -- it personal.
What I don't think Rob gets is that, while players can certainly have a negative impact on team play and chemistry through bad attitudes (see Major League Baseball's very own Kanye West, aka Bradley, Milton), they are rare. Besides that, "leadership," "big game players," and all that stuff is, for the most part, complete and total crap.
On one hand, you've got a guy like Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod was the poster child for the "big game loser," who lacked leadership, who couldn't buy a win with a thousand dollar bill. Then you've got guys like Derek Jeter, whose game presence probably sells as many MLB tickets as anybody else in the game -- including Pujols -- who is Mr. November, the team captain of the Yankees, a man who has victory know-how ingrained in his soul. You want a sure-fire winner to elevate your team in the playoffs? Get Jeter!
But apparently, A-Rod's presence on the Yankees was evidence that he was incapable of winning, because they just didn't win with him for a long-ass time. But -- but -- I thought Jeter was a winner and his leadership was elevating! Is A-Rod leadership kryptonite? Or is it just a huge honking load of B.S.?
Same deal with Kevin Tapani. In 1998, Tapani won something like 19 games for the Cubs while posting an ERA of 4.85. Fans touted him as being a Superior Pitcher, because he quite clearly Knows How to Win. The following season, he dropped his ERA to 4.83, and his record went from 19-9 to 6-12. Then, in 2000, he went 8-12. Then, in '01, he went 9-14. What the hell happened? Did he just suddenly FORGET how to win one day?
The point is, Rob is calling out Lee for lacking the intangibles that the Cubs apparently need in order to win. Lee should be the leader, I guess. He should get the game-winning hits more often, he should be more vocal in the clubhouse, I dunno, he should do something or else he isn't worth his roster spot and his production is valueless.
Or maybe he does exactly what he needs to do, and he fills an important role in the clubhouse, and he hits well for a guy his age with his injury history, but the Cubs are hurting in so many other areas that it just doesn't matter. Because I'm telling you now, you could dumbo-drop Derek Jeter In His Prime onto the worst Cub team in the last 10 years (the '06 model, maybe?) and it would only make a difference of 6 games -- or maybe 10 at the most.
Rob, I get it, you want the Cubs to have something they've been missing for a long ass while, but it isn't the lack of the Leader's Winning Attitude that has kept the Cubs out of the World Series. It's been the inability of the players to execute when necessary, it's been their flawed fundamentals, and it's been their poorly constructed roster composition. Plain and simple. It's not Derrek Lee's fault. The blame rests on Jim Hendry.
Oh, and by the way? That guy, A-Rod, who couldn't be a Winner? World Series MVP last year. You can't pass judgment on how somebody will do in the playoffs based on their past experience there. And that is, without possibility of refute, the truth.
And...this is what is wrong with Cub Fandom
I knew my post yesterday about Derrek (DP) Lee would rankle Sayers40, but the rest of you?
Please, let's face facts here. Nice man. Good looking man. Devoted to his wife and children, as far as we know. No arrests, no rumors, no illicit drugs. Lives his life with grace and dignity. Faced a debilitating disease that threatened his daughter's eyesight and possibly more without complaining, without taking it out on the press. Would love it if he were my neighbor (because that would mean I myself would be living in a more prosperous part of town).
Has always been a fantasy league darling. Used to be able to run some, stole bases. Had a monstrous year in 2005, also had a monstrous 4 months last year. Has a World Series ring as a member of the Marlins in 2003, which I do not begrudge him at all. He is not Dusty Baker, Mark Prior, Alex Gonzalez, or Moises Alou. He is not even Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo, Miguel Cabrera, Josh Beckett or Jack McKeon, all of which, frankly, had more to do with shaping the 2003 NLCS than Lee.
But I do not hate Derrek Lee. How could you?
But if you are really going to sit there and say that "you didn't see this coming", then you haven't been a frequent reader here. Three years ago, it occurred to me that in tight games, with runners on base, he was most willing to take walks, when the situation called for action. I went out here and said it, and you all jumped down my throat.
Two years ago, when the Cubs won 97 games, Lee led the major leagues in GIDP. I went out here and complained about it, and you all called me a killjoy.
Last year, I did not CALL for the team to replace him with Micah Hoffpauir, but simply for everyone to consider using a man who, in relation to Zambrano, Ramirez, Soriano, Bradley and Fukudome, had a favorable contract and possibly using him in some fashion to shore up the two huge gaps we had at the time, namely Leadoff Hitter and Staff Ace. Gaps which did end up biting us on the ass, well, that and fat Geo, dislocated Aramis and limpy Alf.
And yes, from June forward last year, he hit very well, while Hoffpauir didn't do dick.
But have you forgotten? We did not make the playoffs last year? We did not make the playoffs in 2004, his first year. Or in 2005, his best year?
In fact, his three least productive offensive years in our uniform were 2006-2008, and of course, we won the division in 2007 and 2008.
There is NO statistical correlation, Colin-breath, between Lee Success and Cubs Success. I can recall Aramis Ramirez homers to win games, Alfonso Soriano homers to start games, Ryan Theriot hits to start rallies, great catches by Reed Johnson and Fukudome...hell, I can even recall a couple of special Mark DeRosa moments in 2007-2008, and folks, it truly took confidence in my own manhood to admit that.
Really, put down the goddamned kool-aid for a second, use the logical side of your brain for once, and ask yourself this question:
I realize that he is a good human being, but what exactly has Derrek Lee ever done to put the Chicago Cubs over the top?
(Besides beat the Sox once with a homer. Whippty damn doo.)
I know it is just a movie, but in "Little Big League", the kindly bench coach (played by the guy who was Taggart in "Beverly Hills Cop") advises Billy Heyward that he can't be a fan anymore, that he has to use his head, and not his heart, when assessing his team's chances. The Cubs have not won in 102 years, and they are no closer to a World Series than they usually are. Honestly: they don't deserve your heart, at this point. They deserve a kick in the ass.
Once again: you want to root for the Cubs with your heart? Go over and hang out with Al, he'll stroke your head and tell you what a great player Derrek Lee is. Here, at GROTA, we root for the Cubs with our heads - both of them!!
First I give some credit, then I reiterate yesterday's point
Who likes Starlin Castro batting second?
It goes against all I believe, putting a barely 20 year old kid in such a position. Every great offense in the history of baseball relies on the leadoff man getting on base, and the second hitter moving him along either by hitting or walking. This seems like a lot of pressure, but I suppose if he truly is going to be one of the Greats of the game, when you are five-six games under .500 might be a good time to see if Castro can handle it. He does make a lot of contact, and he made good contact in the 11th. But more on that in a second.
The 2010 Randy Wells is not the 1988 Greg Maddux, but he is a damn good third starter, and Sean Marshall has been simply invaluable the past four years. Marmol blew a save, but good golly, Grabow just grunged up a whole big dunghole and threw Carlos in it. I might be playing favorites here today, but I don't hate Marmol today. I have already fallen on my Grabow sword.
Just another big wad of wasted money, but nowhere near as big a wad as Z's. I'm not even going to touch THAT mess today.
I want to talk about the 11th inning. Castro got on with his 3rd single, and Ramirez hit the walk-off homer. Is he back? God only knows. In fact, this incident kind of proves one of my points. A player can lose "it" in a number of ways. He can lose it physically, mentally, or both, I guess. Geo Soto lost it both ways last year, although since he was young, his ailments relatively minor, and his decline was almost entirely self-induced, he has been able to return nearly to his ROY form.
Ramirez's 2010 decline appears to be much more severe than 2009 Soto. But we all wondered - was it physical, mental, or both? The physical decline has to be a given. He doesn't even much physically resemble himself from the past five years. However, after the bad strikeout the other night with the game on the bases, I had pretty much given up on him mentally, too. Had he forgotten how many times he has come through for us over the years?
Apparently, not. Yes, he did not come through last week, but he came through last night in his next big-time tight-and-late situation, so it is likely that the mental edge is still there for him, and when whatever physical limitations he is suffering from right now (and there is NO way anyone is going to convince me otherwise, the man looks skinny, weak, and in pain), he very well may return to most of what he has always been, Clutchy McClutcherson.
It was just nice they had him batting third last night, right behind Castro, so that he has some....what?
Oh yeah! Clutchy was batting 4th. Right behind Derrek Lee. What did Lee do with Castro on base, needing only one run to win?
He lined out.
Gee. At least he didn't GIDP, or strike out, or walk, to let his .170 hitting buddy do his heavy lifting for him, yet again. But, yet again, when the nutts are cut, Derrek Lee is AWOL.
Folks, I will disclose something. As a ballplayer, I can't stand him. I thought he was an easy out when he was with the Padres, and with the Fish. He came here in 2004, he started out poorly, and down the stretch, as the team most picked to not only win, but win it all, he stuck his head in his ass along with the rest of the crumbling bums. He put up monster numbers for an also ran in 2005, then spent the next three years hobbled with what we all thought was a wrist injury, when it turned out it was a neck injury. WTF?
Last year, he started out poorly yet again, and he DID catch fire, but by the time he caught fire, we were already 10 games behind the Cardinals. We got close again, even taking first for one whole day in August, and he did have a HUGE September, but as his trend arrow was rising, like in 2005, at the same time ours was falling. He plays better when the pressure is off.
He is not clutch, he is not particularly impactful, like Mark Grace, he is our best fielder in our least important defensive position, and also like Grace, he does not produce satisfactorily in the 3rd spot in the order. In the NL alone, he cannot claim having the past production of Helton or Berkman, he doesn't have the present production of Gonzalez, Pujols and Howard, and no way he has the future of Mark Reynolds, Joey Votto, Ike Davis and whats-his-name in Atlanta. He might be Prince Fielder, but that's it. And I wouldn't touch THAT tub of goo, either.
I am officially sick of Derrek Lee. That makes me a bad man? Whatevs.
In defense of Derrek Lee
From the comments section:
If Lee hits around .700-.750 OPS all year, he will have little interest with his age and injury history. Sure, he might have been one of the best over his prime, but his prime was a long time ago now…
This was in response to my suggesting trading Derrek Lee wasn't a good idea because if the Cubs are smart, they offer him arbitration and take the two high draft picks that come with his being signed in the offseason.
The commenter is very angry about the Cubs right now. That is obvious based on all of his comments all over this site and others I am sure. But Lee is not a .700-.750 OPSing 1B. If he is, the Cubs shouldn't offer him arbitration. I think the Cubs should offer him arbitration because having him back for one year at the 10-12 Million area wouldn't hurt the team.
Just for perspective on his numbers right now:
2009: May 16: .195ba/.615 OPS
2010: May 16: .230ba/.690OPS
Lee's final numbers in 2009: .306/.393/.579
Yep, he's done. </sarc>
Reader Blog: 2011 Free Agent Class: First Base
After the 2010 season, two key Cubs are going to become free agents. I wanted to devote my next two posts to these players and what I think the Cubs should do.
At first base, Derrek Lee has been an above average player for some time. He is going to be, quite possibly, the best player at his position to enter the free agent fray after 2010. Here is a quick and dirty look at the tiers of first basemen and what it will probably take to get them.
Top tier. There will be nobody from the Pujols/Howard/Fielder/Gonzalez tier available in the 2010 free agent season so these are the main guys:
Derrek Lee:
Lee currently earns $13 Million and will be 35 next year. He's very good defensively and has an established wOBA around .370 or so. He also has a serious attachment to the Cubs. Having said that, he's aging and probably wouldn't want to take much of a pay cut. Plus if he leaves, the Cubs get back 2 draft picks, whereas if they sign most of these other guys, the Cubs would lose only 1 draft pick.
Adam Dunn:
Dunn currently earns $12 Million and will be just 31 next year. Dunn's established wOBA is over.380 meaning he's on the whole a better offensive player and younger than Lee. In fact, many of Dunn's offensive numbers compare favorably to the $125 Million man in Philadelphia. I believe Dunn's value is often depressed by his low batting average and terrible defense. Given his age and offensive contributions, if he becomes available, I'd hope the Cubs would look past his shortcomings and give him a nice below market offer. I don't believe the Cubs should be willing to go over the $12 Million he made last year.
Carlos Pena:
Pena currently earns $10 Million and will be 33 next year. He has the advantage of being left handed and has an established wOBA in the .375 area. I believe he is going to be asking for $16 Million plus and I don't think the Cubs should even consider this. I think if he drops down below $12 Million, he would become a bargain and then the Cubs could jump on him. Not likely the Cubs will go for him.
Paul Konerko:
Konerko currently earns $12 Million and will be 35 next year. He currently is experiencing a career year (contract drive?) and may be overpaid for his season. Given this, I'd hope the Cubs would just say no. He's a big, lumbering, right handed hitting first baseman. We could just keep Lee. BTW, Konerko's established wOBA is only about .360, well below the rest of these guys.
Jorge Cantu:
Cantu is playing third base for the Marlins and will be just 29 next year. He is earning $6 Million this and may choose to play third where he would be more valuable to some other team. I don't believe he is right for the Cubs, despite his age, and his established wOBA is only .340.
Second Tier: Usually not going to have to spend a draft pick for one of these guys:
Adam LaRoche:
LaRoche is probably my favorite of this group. A .355 wOBA ing have bat will travel first baseman who is just 31 and would sign for less than $10 Million and not cost a draft pick. He'd probably sign a one year contract also but even if he does ask for 2, I don't think it would be totally out of the question. He's a clear drop from Lee but would provide the team flexibility, especially for the 2011/2012 off season.
Aubrey Huff:
Huff signed with the Giants for one year and $3 Million this off season. He will be 34 in 2011 with an established wOBA of .345. He's not bad at under $5 Million but I'd rather have LaRoche.
Russell Branyon:
Injruy prone left handed hitter who will be 35 in 2011. Established wOBA around .350 with very little added defensive value. I'd go with a different plan instead of signing either Branyon or Huff.
Looking at the group above, I think the Cubs should either try to resign Lee for under $12 Million per year on a short term contract, or sign Dunn for around $12 per year on no more than a 3 year deal, or sign LaRoche to a 1 year deal for under $10 ( or a 2 year deal for under $18)
Of these choices, I'm partial to the LaRoche move only because if it's a 1 year deal, we can take a shot at a big name player at this position in the 2011/2012 off season while at the same time taking advantage of a net 2 high round draft picks for losing Lee.
I think that since 2011 is probably going to be a transitional year for this club, they should try not to do anything rash like signing Jorge Cantu to a 4 year deal or something this offseason.
Post Script: Many people may suggest moving Soriano to first base and installing Tyler Colvin in left field. I'm opposed to this for a few reasons. The player I'd really like to see the Cubs get eventually plays first base and Colvin will not come close to replacing Lee's production at the plate ever. The idea of Soriano trying to dig throws out of the dirt is also very worrisome to me! However, I would do that instead of stooping down to sign Branyon or Huff or Troy Glaus or someone like that.
Reader Blog: Trade Winds
Jim Hendry has been the Cubs GM since mid 2002, so we've got a lot of trades to look at. I'm going to highlight one or two from each season that strike me as particularly important or illuminating.
2002: Cubs trade Todd Hundley&Chad Hermansen for Mark Grudzeilanek&Eric Karros.
Hundley is my least favorite Cub of all time. He was shitty. He was overpaid. And he was a mean son of a bitch. The Cubs handed him a 4 year, $23.5 million contract before the 2001 season. In his two years as a Cub, Hundley totaled 579 plate appearances and posted an OPS below 700. For those who prefer batting average, Todd hit .187 and .211 in 2001 and '02. He's most famous in Chicago for flipping off the home fans while rounding the bases after a home run. He was like Fukudome without the production, pleasant demeanor or sobriety.
Somehow, Jimbo convinced the Dodgers to take this sad sack off our hands, and send us something useful in return. Both Grudzeilanek and Karros contributed to the division winning squad in 2003. Grudz became our starting 2B, and he could inside out the ball to the opposite field as well as any hitter I've ever seen. I'll never forget watching Karros videotaping the playoffs from the Cubs dugout during the NLCS. It really felt like he was one of us. He wasn't a bad platoon first baseman either.
Oh, and Hundley was pumped full of steroids for much of his career. So there's that.
2003: Cubs trade Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback&a PTBNL for Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton&Cash.
Cubs trade Ray Sadler for Randall Simon.
2003 was Hendry's finest season. The Cubs would not have won their division that season were it not for Ramirez, Lofton and Simon. Lofton and Simon are long gone, while Aramis remains as the greatest Cubs 3B since Ron Santo. And Hendry gave up practically nothing to get them. Thanks, Pittsburgh!
2004: Cubs trade Hee Seop Choi for Derrek Lee.
Cubs trade Brendan Harris, Alex Gonzalez&Francis Beltran for Nomar Garciappara & Matt Murton.
The Choi for Lee deal rivals the Aramis Ramirez trade for the best of Hendry's career. Clearly, Jim was on his game in the early nineties. Choi never realized his potential, and is probably best remembered for being carted off the field after an in game collision with Kerry Wood. Derrek's achievements speak for themselves. He is my favorite Cub, and I will be sad to see him go if this is truly his last season here.
As much as the Nomar trade did not work out, I believe now as I believed then that is was the right move to make. The Cubs SHOULD have won their division that season and were trying to add the missing piece for a postseason run. Obviously things didn't work out. Mercker bitched, LaTroy imploded, Sammy stepped out, and the Cubs massively underachieved and missed the postseason altogether. The following April, Nomar suffered the most excruciating injury imaginable, and that was that. He was on the DL until August, and by that time the only interesting question left was whether DLee would win the 2005 NL MVP. The Cubs finished 21 games behind the Ratbirds, who won 100 times that year.
2005: Cubs trade Sammy Sosa & Cash for Jerry Hairston Jr., Mike Fontenot and David Crouthers.
Cubs trade Ricky Nolaso, Sergio Mitre & Renyel Pinto for Juan Pierre.
2005 was the first year that Hendry really pissed me off. These two trades, which neatly wrap around a lost season, signal a real change in Jim's ability to maximize value on the trade market. Let's tackle the Sosa deal first. Sosa was a diva who didn't mesh well with his teammates. He was getting older and was obviously on the decline. He still hit 35 HR in 2004. He should have brought more in return than he did. I believe he would have, if not for the systematic way the Cubs undermined any leverage they might have had in trading him. As you all undoubtedly remember, Sammy left the ballpark 15 minutes into the final game of the 2004 season. This became public, and it shortly became obvious that Sosa would never be welcomed back into the Cubs clubhouse. When 29 teams know you have to trade a guy, 29 teams will not give you good value in return. Fontenot was the only piece worth mentioning here, and he's a platoon 2B who was nearly DFA'd by the club this past offseason.
Then there's Juan Pierre. Hendry's worst trade as the Cubs'GM. Full disclosure. I despised him then and I still do. Maybe it's because, along with Josh Beckett and Pudge Rodriguez, I still associate him with the 2003 Marlins. Maybe it's because he posted a crappy OBP with zero power. Or his limp dick outfield arm. Or maybe it's because we lost 96 games and I needed a scapegoat. Here's why this trade still pisses me off to this day: Ricky Nolasco is awesome. He's exactly the kind of player the Cubs need to keep if they are going to be successful. And Jimbo traded him for one subpar year of a crappy player on a terrible team. GAHHHHHHHHHH.
2006: Cubs trade Greg Maddux for Cesar Izturis.
This one is more emotional than anything else. Hendry traded Maddux to the Dodgers to give him a shot at winning a championship. Respect.
2007: Cubs trade Rocky Cherry and Scott Moore for Steve Trachsel.
WTF? Cherry and Moore were no great shakes, but I can't begin to fathom what Hendry was hoping to accomplish here. Trachsel was old and finished. Trachsel made a few starts, didn't pitch well, and was left off the postseason roster.
2008: Cubs trade Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson & Josh Donaldson for Rich Harden & Chad Gaudin.
Cubs trade Jose Ceda for Kevin Gregg.
Like the Nomar trade, the Harden deal was a well meaning, but ultimately failed attempt to improve the team for a deep postseason run. I saw Harden's first Wrigley Field start in person. He was DOMINANT. If memory serves, he went 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 10 K. I was convinced he was the missing piece. Two years later, the Cubs have no rings, and Harden struggles to get out of the third inning with fewer than 100 pitches thrown. At least it doesn't look like those prospects amount to much.
Kevin Gregg was a disaster and I'm glad he's gone.
2009: Cubs trade Mark DeRosa for Jeff Stevens, John Gaub and Christopher Archer.
And the Trixies wept.
2010: Cubs trade Milton Bradley for Carlos Silva & cash.
Cubs trade Aaron Miles, Jake Fox & cash for Jeff Gray, Ronny Morla and Matt Spencer.
Two things are obvious to me about these most recent trades: First, it is far too early to say anything definitive about these deals. Second, they were all about Hendry fixing his free agency mistakes from the previous offseason. That's never a good thing for a GM. I was furious with Hendry for suspending Bradley for the last 15 games of the 2009 season, as it robbed him of any leverage he might have had in trade talks. I was furious all over again when the Cubs traded for Silva, who has been one of the worst pitchers in baseball for the last several years. Now I'm just sort of numb. I know Silva isn't an ace, and his sub – 1.00 ERA is the product of small sample size. I'd be thrilled if he finished the year with an ERA under 4.50, and right now that looks like a possibility. As for Gray, at least he got AAron Miles out of here. Meh.
Hendry made a number of brilliant trades early in his GM career. Since 2004, he's been significantly less productive in the trade market. It's not clear whether other teams simply got smarter, Jim lost his touch, or something else altogether, but Hendry hasn't had an obvious win since the trade that brought Derrek Lee to Chicago. Hendry's trades aren't getting it done anymore. He should be fired.
Editor's Note: If you want to also write on the Readers Blog page of GROTA, drop us a line and let us know! If you do a bang-up job, we'll even promote your article to the front page of the site!
Reader Blog: Playing Nostradamus: Derrek Lee
I do not believe that the Cubs should give up on 2010 but I do think they need a contingency plan in case it looks like they are falling well behind in both the division and wildcard races. Looking forward to 2011 and beyond needs to be a priority for this team.
The first player they need to look at is Derrek Lee. Now at the moment, Lee is in the 5th year of a $65 million deal. He's done a pretty good job of earning that $13 million per year and is currently having a very nice season for the Cubs.
I like Lee and I suspect the Cubs' brass does also. So here is my take on what needs to be done:
1) Approach him about waiving his No Trade Clause
2) Insist a potential trading partner give up at least 2 Grade B or better prospects who are currently residing at the Double A level or higher.
3) If no trading partner exists, let Lee finish the season with the Cubs and offer him arbitration after the season.
4) When he struggles to find a taker at the price tage he has come to expect, offer him $8 Million(per year) for 2 years.
Derrek Lee is going to be 35 in September and even though he is a good hitter. Good hitters who can play first base adequately are a dime a dozen in the current major league environment. Adam LaRoche got a 1 year, 6 Mill contract this past offseason. I don't believe that as good a player as Lee is, he is that much better than LaRoche, especially when one considers that Lee is 5 years older. He is simply not going to find the free agent market amenible to what he may expect.
OTOH, if Lee leaves, he leaves, the Cubs need to have a backup plan and while one doesn't appear to exist on the team. There are always players like, well, like LaRoche who are available every year for around the same price we would offer Lee. such a player might not perform quite as well as Lee has but would probably cost half as much and could be let go at the end of the season. Lee would net the Cubs 2 draft picks if he is a Type A Free Agent and that would be almost the same as trading him.
All salary data is courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts


text:
(Source: leabrzz)
(Source: justkindahappened)
Rihanna and Harry Styles at VMAs 2013
(Source: henrikbluntqvist)
One Direction accepting VMA for 'Best Song Ever'
Zayn & Louis look like the boys whose girlfriends dragged them to an Nsync concert and they really don't want to be there but they are trying to make the best of it.
Niall is literally that boy that's secretly a boyband lover and hopes that no one is at the concert that will see him and tell everyone at school monday that he was there.
And lastly Harry came to the concert with a group of friends because he had nothing better to do, and now he's contemplating why the color purple is called purple.
(Source: morepayne)
eleanorj92: 1D Premier
(Source: styzles)
Harry's staring at his ass.
three years
(Source: louistomlinsn)


text:
Economic effectiveness of activities of vegetable growers' associations in Serbia
AbstractTaking into account that agriculture is one of the most important parts of economy of Republic of Serbia, it is necessary to pay special attention to its improvement. One of ways to significantly incentive agricultural development is formation of farmers'associations, primarily because Serbian agricultural production is based at small familyfarms. It is very important to form such associations among vegetable producers, because they are small scale producers and encounter many problems in business operations. Thus, the paper deals with economic effects which are possible to achieve for small farmers by involving in growers' associations. Farmers who are members of associations have an opportunity to sale their products to big retail chains, as well to export vegetables, and get higher price for their products. Along with income improvement, they may reduce production costs and sale costs. Consequently, membership in growers' associations provides higher profit for small family farms. Analysis showed that associations should primarily take care about relation with their customers, because changes of vegetable prices could increase farmers' profit more than costs reduction. To achieve their goals such associations need serious state support, as well as support from various other organizations.
Download InfoIf you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
Bibliographic InfoArticle provided by Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania in its journal Economia. Seria Management.
Volume (Year): 12 (2009)
Issue (Month): 1 (June)
Pages: 12-20
Contact details of provider:
Postal: 6 ROMANA PLACE, 70167 - BUCHAREST
Phone: 0040-01-2112650
Fax: 0040-01-3129549
Web page: http://www.management.ase.ro/
More information through EDIRC
Related researchKeywords: associations; vegetables; price; costs.;
Other versions of this item:
- Jonel SUBICH, Ph.D. & Sanjin IVANOVICH & Claudiu CICEA, 2008. "Economic Effectiveness of Activities of Vegetable Growers' Associations in Serbia," Annals of University of Craiova - Economic Sciences Series, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 1(36), pages 102-108, May.
- Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets
- Q16 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - R&D; Agricultural Technology; Biofuels; Agricultural Extension Services
- Q17 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agriculture in International Trade
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Cited by:
- Ivanovic, Sanjin & Todorovic, Sasa & Nastic, Lana, 2012. "Impact Of Energy Prices On Income Of Labour On Field Crop Operations," Economics of Agriculture, Institute of Agricultural Economics, Institute of Agricultural Economics, vol. 59(2).
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text:
"Vacancy rates are steadily falling. Leasing is on the rise and rents are showing signs of strengthening, especially in the apartment market where rents are rising the fastest…"
Mar 152012
Joseph Bernard Investment Real Estate was founded on the basis of providing superior brokerage services by focusing on professionalism, integrity, and a dedication to serving clients. By providing excellent service, Joseph Bernard, Inc. has earned a preferred reputation as a leader in the commercial apartment brokerage field in Oregon and SW Washington.
We encourage you to experience the difference in apartment brokerage with the service you deserve. We look forward to serving you, and have confidence that you will be fully satisfied with our firm.
- Joseph Chaplik, President
|© 2011 Joseph Bernard, Inc.
|5200 SW Macadam Ave., Ste 300 • Portland, OR 97239 503-546-9390 • www.josephbernard.net
|Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha


text:
Disturbing new evidence has come to light about Adam Lanza. According to a State Police report on the Newtown shooting that was released last month, Lanza kept documents on his hard drive that suggest an interest in pedophilia. Among these files was a screenplay, Lovebound, that describes the relationship between a 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy. There are also documents that show Lanza's support of "pedophiles' rights and the liberation of children." It's also come to light that Lanza had told a friend that pedophilia was "a disease that needed to be treated and not looked at as evil."
Additionally, Lanza appeared in a now-defunct online forum, "Shocked and Beyond," which was centered around on mass shootings after Columbine, under the name Smiggles. He posted that children are duped by "culturapists" and "carried to other worlds in the stream of semen." Another poster responded to Lanza's post with the message, "Doesn't anybody else notice that Smiggles sometimes sends huge 'I AM A PEDOPHILE' signals?"
There is still no definitive evidence that shows Lanza was a pedophile, but the findings certainly suggest a serious internal conflict he had prior to the Sandy Hook massacre. "Certainly, there isn't enough evidence to come to a firm conclusion," said Dr. Fred Berlin, director of the sexual behaviors consultation unit at Johns Hopkins University, "but it sounds like he was conflicted about these issues. It's possible he had an attraction (to children) or he knew people who had them and he was trying to sort it out. But it's still a long way from explaining what he did."
What do you think of this?
Sounds like he had been targeted and abused by a pedophile and then was trying to make it normal by saying he was okay with it. How many people failed this young man?
it sounds like he was sexually abused as a child and he was interesting on finding out why it happened. the shooting could have been his way of releasing his anger because of the abuse. or perhaps he thought all kids are being abused and it was his way of helping the kids not get abused. either way, the kid was crying out for help and was ignored and innocent children/people paid the ultimate price.


text:
Latest News
BASCA Gold Badge Award
We wanted to let you know that Kate has been chosen to receive a Gold Badge Award from BASCA (British Academy of Composers and Songwriters). There are twelve recipients in total and joining Kate on the day to receive her award will be Peter Cornish, Anne Dudley, Gary Farrow OBE, Mo Foster, Bob Geldof KBE, Nicky Graham, Derek Griffiths, John McLeod, Alison Moyet, Tim Reynish and Jo Whiley.
Kate's award is sponsored by the Musicians Union.
Posted on 09. Sep, 2014 by purerecords in News
Christmas Tour Dates Announced
Tour dates for Kate's Christmas tour are now listed on our tour dates page. You will find some new venues, some old favourites and we have even squeezed in an early Christmas date on 30th November at The Lowry. Jingle, jingle!
Posted on 13. Aug, 2014 by purerecords in News
New Album News
We are thrilled to announce that the brand new album 'Ghost' is now available . Albums are hot off the press and will be dispatched straight away from our own on line shop and through Amazon.co.uk. A download version is also available through itunes. Kate can't wait to let you all hear the new material which is full of wonderful surprises.
Posted on 23. Jun, 2014 by purerecords in News


text:
Stories of Hope
VIDEO: Putting the Pieces Back Together
Watch the Video
A Home for a Veteran
Allen is back on his feet with support from Pine Street's Veterans' Transitional Housing Program.
Read More
"They Gave Me Encouragement"
For 20 years, Linda spent nights sleeping in cars, on sidewalks or the Boston Common, while struggling with drug addiction and abusive relationships. She often wondered if this was what the rest of her life would be like.
Read More
Putting the Pieces Back Together
Homelessness has hit Maureen and her family hard, with their lives coming apart, piece by piece. But since coming to Pine Street Inn, they are beginning to feel hopeful again.
Read More
Ready to Move Forward
Terry, a recent graduate of the Food Services Training Program, has come a long way since his struggle with addiction.
Read More
Better Times Ahead
Michael C. is happiest when he's working in Pine Street's busy kitchen or enjoying a pint of ice cream in his new East Boston apartment. Neither is a place he imagined he would be a year ago, when he showed up at Pine Street with nowhere else to turn.
Read More


text:
Nexenta Core 2.0 with Ubuntu 8.04 Packages
Nexenta Core Platform (NCP), a free OS with the OpenSolaris kernel and GNU userland, is now out in version 2.0.
The software package in Dpkg format is based on Debian and Ubuntu, bringing the newest Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron) with it. The Nexenta repository has over 13,000 packages.
The integrated OpenSolaris kernel is based on build 104+ with some patches. Nexenta uses the ZFS filesystem from Sun's OpenSolaris project. Because of incompatible open source licenses, ZFS (Common Development and Distribution License) will not work with the Linux kernel (GPL). Nexenta Systems, initiator and sponsor for its like-named open source OS, uses ZFS in its NexentaStor storage products.
The Nexenta project celebrates release 2.0 with a cartoon character named Nexentaman. The cartoon touts the advantages of ZFS such as copy-on-write, data snapshots and compression.
NCP 2.0 is ready for download as an ISO-CD image. Upgrading from 1.0 should be worry-free using the apt-clone dist-upgrade.
Issue 168/2014
Tag Cloud
Fedora Developer Announces New Partition Manager
New tool will look like GParted but support a wider range of storage technologies.
Mozilla Releases a New Firefox
New public key pinning feature will help prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
Tool Predicts Which Websites Will be Compromised
Carnegie Mellon researchers say 3 million pages could fall down the phishing hole in the next year.
SSH Key Management Guidelines
The US government rolls new best-practice rules for protecting SSH.
Knoppix 7.4 Released
Klaus Knopper announces the latest version of his iconic Live Linux system.
PHP Attack Puts WordPress and Drupal at Risk
All websites that use these popular CMS tools could be vulnerable to denial of service attacks if users don't install the updates.
Heartbleed Bleeds On
According to a report, many potential victims of the Heartbleed attack have patched their systems, but few have cleaned up the crime scene to protect themselves from the effects of a previous intrusion.
Drone Brain Goes Open Source
DARPA and NICTA release the code for the ultra-secure microkernel system used in aerial drones.
Password Management Services Vulnerable to Attack
Should you trust an online service to store your online passwords?
New Raspberry Pi Adds Two USB Ports
New B+ board lets you build cool things without the complication of a powered USB hub.


text:
|The Hague September 12. 1796.
I have received, my amiable friend, your letters of the 19th: and 28th: of last month, and am properly grateful for the readiness with which you consent to accompany my rambling destinies. The sacrifice which you will be obliged to make in quitting your paternal roof, is so great, that it gives me not a little anxiety. To give you a substitute for it, I cannot expect. That you should ever have reason to regret it is an idea of which even the possibility is painful. Suffer me therefore to beg you once more not to place in too fair a light the prospects which present themselves to you. Look at them often on their dark side. Be assured that they offer many aspects which are far from being promising. I wish you to reflect thoroughly upon them all, because I think you will be better prepared for those evils and inconveniences some of which are inevitable, and all of which are possible.
The awkwardness of novelty which you dread in the new scene of life into which you are to enter is in my mind a very little object indeed.—But when you speak of my blushing for your awkwardness I think you must have meant to rally me a little. The parade of dignity annexed to rank, is a thing for which I have no sort of respect, and I need not tell you how far I am from possessing a particle of it myself.—
I confess that the station in which I have to move, is one of my greatest causes of regret.—You think me ambitious, and will therefore perhaps suspect the sincerity of this declaration—But it is perfectly true.—I never had a wish to be placed so high in the world at so early period of my life.—The station itself is temporary. I cannot if I would, hold it long. I would not if I could.—I must therefore always be ready at an hour's warning, to return to that of private life and no fortune.—For that variety you too must be prepared in connecting yourself with me, and in order to be well prepared for it, consider rank itself as an object of no consequence since it must so soon be resigned.
I shall certainly inform you of my departure as soon as I shall be able to fix upon it myself. But at present I have very little hopes of meeting you before the Spring.—I do not apprehend being delayed longer than that; but I am not at my own disposal, and must wait with a Patience, which I find it very difficult on this occasion to command, for the pleasure of my Masters.—When I receive my orders it will take me some time to settle my affairs here before I can remove, especially as I expect then to part from my brother who proposes to return to America.
You have profited little you say in your retirement, but I believe you give yourself so good a report as you deserve. I have no doubt but that you every where rapidly improve, as you know so well the value of time.
Adieu my lovely friend, I remain with the most faithful affection, yours.


text:
A historic 1934 vintage Glen Grant from legendary independent bottlers Berry Brothers & Rudd of St James's. This was bottled at 15 years of age, just after the end of the Second World War, a difficult to find vintage as only a handful of distilleries were producing during the war years.
Please note this bottle has a low fill level as shown in the photograph.
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text: at risk of offending everyone here, the american generation are honestly full of hate because you want any reason to join the crowd against someone and their mother country. nobody in anyother country said shit like "see this you guys! this proves all americans are bombers and terrorists" when timothy mcveigh DESTROYED the OK City federal building killing 168 AMERICANS, Jared Loughner killed 6 and injured 14 people, nobody said anything about him but that he was insane. But shit when stuff happens here everyone puts that person's race/religion/etc on blast, just like with Cho at VT lots of people started hating on individuals of Asian descent. In this country to me it seems that if the perpetrator is white or deemed "a model american" or the "average american" then the obvious cause is mental deficiency, but when the perpetrator is an immigrant, or not your "average" american, then their race, religion, and everything goes into question. TL:DR stfu about him being from russia and chechens being terrorist b/c you dont know the whole story, and you shud learn instead of listen. Sorry for the long post , continue with your day. TY


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Chelsea1968 26-30, F 9 Answers 3 Nov 8, 2012 in Community
Hello, pleased to "answer" your "question" :)
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whats up how ya doin so spill it whats on your miind?
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Welcome and enjoy ... but beware ... EP is addictive!!
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Hi and welcome to EP :)
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Nice to meet you. Welcome to the insanity. And sometimes fun!!!
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|Total (w/tax)
|Total (w/tax)
Book Description:
Retired Macon Telegraph columnist Bill Boyd wasn't always Fat, Dumb, and Happy Down in Georgia. That's the name of his new book, but Boyd led a nomadic existence for the first 38 years of his life, first as the son of an Oklahoma sharecropper and then as a member of the United States Marine Corps. Boyd says a sergeant major used to warn career Marines: "Don't get too fat, dumb and happy here (at a duty station in Cleveland, Ohio). About the time you do, you'll get orders to go to Vietnam or Okinawa or some other enchanted land." Boyd explains: "Three years was about all a Marine could expect to stay in one place. But I put down some roots when I retired in 1973, and, for more than 25 years, I have lived in the same town. And the sergeant major will just have to excuse me this time. In Macon, Georgia, I have indeed grown fat (like a hibernating grizzly bear), dumb (like a fox), and happy (like a bullfrog under a drippy faucet on a hot summer day)." In 25 years with the Telegraph, he won more than 20 writing awards from various press associations. Nine of those awards came for the column he began writing in 1977. In all, Boyd wrote more than 3,500 columns and some of his best are included in _Fat, Dumb, and Happy Down in Georgia". Like most columnists, Boyd sometimes wrote about the interesting collection of people that make up the Boyd family: Marvalene, a sharecropper's daughter and his wife of 33 years; Joe, now 28, an adopted son who teaches at Houston County High School; Wanda, 26, a foster daughter who is now a missionary and will fly home from Virginia for the book signing; and his only grandchild, Josh, 8, who appears on the dust cover of the new book with the author. However, Boyd captured a wide audience by writing about everyday people.
Tags: Biographies-Memoirs, Arts-Literature, Authors,


text:
DeSantis Super Fly Pocket Holster Ambidextrous Kel-Tec P32, P3AT, Ruger LCP Nylon Black
Product #: 944079 DeSantis #: M44BJG3Z0 UPC #: 792695275343
Product Information
The Super Fly holster is constructed of a very tacky material, often compared to fly paper, meaning that the holster will absolutely not budge in your pocket. Additional features include a removable outer flap to further break up your pistol's outline, slick pack cloth interior for a friction-free draw and polymer reinforcements in critical areas.
Technical Information
Rubberized fabric to stay in position in a pocket
Removable, reversible outer flap to further conceal the handgun's outline
Inside of holster is made of pack cloth for a fast draw, also reinforced with added polymer at high wear areas
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This chiicken had a very nice taste. I served with CL's Mashed Potatoes with Parsley-Shallot Butter and green beans, fresh fruit was served for dessert.
Porcini-Dusted Chicken Scaloppine
JimMarltonNJ Posted: 04/25/11
Linda Elkins Posted: 03/18/12
Absolutely wonderful; impressive enough to entertain company.
SingingGourmand Posted: 12/08/13
Delicious and makes a beautiful presentation for company. I used a mix of baby portobello and button mushrooms, and reconstituted the leftover dried porcini mushrooms in the broth (I used homemade chicken stock) - it made for a really rich flavor. Due to dairy issues with one guest, I skipped the sour cream and we didn't miss it. I served it with roasted garlic smashed red potatoes and the balsamic-glazed green beans and pearl onions from CL. My dinner guests devoured it!
Daily Specials


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hmmm so sexy….
Volkswagen Beetle Spider!
Visit WebUrbanist to see more awesome examples of VW Beetles turned into creepy crawly sculptures.
i feel like an ass for saying this but im jealous of one of my best friends. i mean as much as people say that im a "kind and genuine person" i dont feel like i can reach the level of awesomeness of him. no matter how much people say "all the chicks dig you" i feel like nothing compared to him. and i feel bad because i love this kid! and i feel like i cant hang out with him because i feel bad about myself when im with him. sure i have a hell of a time but i feel incompetent. and people care for him but i feel like road-kill. i think im such a fucking loser next to him. and im stupid because i shouldnt think that way about my best friend.
its a little late for the shower thing….. and you are soo asian.
i mean emotions are fetal to our life as human beings but in reality (the real world) they kinda suck. i mean sure theres the good ones (happy, joy, love) and the bad ones (anger, sad, melancholy) and today i have had a bit of all (pardon me if i seem like a little pussy who whines about everything) i have felt love, or what i think is love. anger, selfishness, empathy etc. i mean without emotions and diversity between them life would be boring and pointless, but the same emotions kind of fuck everything up. i just wish that i could pick and choose how i felt but in reality thats a stupid thought. i mean pick and choose emotions? silly thought. but i guess thats my inner thoughts on emotions. i think ill do the next one on hair…..


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Is there any option to change the resolution of an inserted image (jpg, bmp, png etc.) in revit interface? Please see the attachments. Thanks in advance.
simple answer in no, you can't do ti after inserting.
Is there any add-ins to solve this problem?
most probably NO.
You can always change the resolution of an imported image.
Or any image for that matter.
Resolution just means how tightly the pixels were packed together
when the image was created. The tighter the pixels are packed
together, the sharper and more vivid the colors. Stretch an image
out larger and the pixels get farther apart and the picture loses its
sharpness and looks dull.
Try importing a large image into Revit and then shrink it down
with its grips and watch it get sharp and vivid. That's what changing
the resolution is.


text:
By Guylife | October 17, 2012, 1:13 pm IST Art & Culture
Abnormal digestive system superheroes for the win we say. This funny fellow has a stomach which is inhabited by two sentient slugs named Eany and Meany. They are able to leave his body at any time, including their own whim, digest and absorb the power of any other object and then return into his insides only to transmit the energy back to Maggott.
So far these friendly super slugs have already given him superhuman strength, speed and stamina but we don't know how we feel about superheroes getting other people or things to do their dirty work for them. Then there's the matter of these slugs only being able to re-enter his digestive track by eating through his skin. Pretty gruesome as far as we're concerned. Whatever happened to good old infrared vision and the ability to fly?


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Ultrawideband tribes square up for standards fight
Summary: Wireless networking capable of high resolution video and near-gigabit speeds is on the cards, but the standards fight is intensifying
The next generation of ultra-fast wireless networking is taking shape, but not without a fight.
Texas Instruments, one of the leading chipmakers with relevant expertise, has joined the Intel-led Multiband Consortium, which now calls itself the Multiband OFDM Alliance (MBOA). MBOA advocates the splitting of the recently authorised ultrawideband (UWB) radio spectrum into three or seven bands.
This puts it in direct confrontation with Motorola and XtremeSpectrum, Inc, the other major grouping, who propose a continuous spectrum. The competing ideas will be considered by the 802.15.3a working group, which has until August 2004 to define the physical aspects of high speed personal wireless networking. This will connect together consumer electronics and computers at full speed without cabling, with a special focus on imaging and multimedia.
Both groups say that their solution will be flexible enough to cope with full-speed operation, approaching half a gigabit per second, while obeying American rules about spectral use. UWB is unique in that it overlays existing services, reusing spectrum already allocated to other users. Because of this, it must operate under extremely stringent limits -- in fact, a UWB transmitter must radiate no more power than other non-transmitting electronic equipment does through normal signal leakage.
MBOA says that its solution will be more scaleable and will be more resistant to drop-outs and other temporary interruptions -- important for streamed video and audio -- whereas XtremeSpectrum says it already has suitable silicon and that it would be more able to meet speed and spectral use requirements simultaneously.
When complete, the standard aims to run at 110 megabits per second (Mbps) over ten metres and 480Mbps over one metre. It should require very little battery power, and will easily form piconets between small groups of equipment. It is envisioned that this will have the potential to replace most forms of cabling between units in domestic use.
Let the editors know what you think in the Mailroom.
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We currently have no biography for this artist. You can contribute biographical information for Memfis to Wikipedia, the user-contributed encyclopedia. If you know that a biography for Memfis already exists in Wikipedia, you can add a link to Memfis's entry in MusicBrainz.
Links & Information
- Last.fm page on Memfis
- Discogs at discogs.com/artist/821178
- MusicBrainz entry on Memfis
Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Memfis at musicbrainz.org. Find out more about our use of this data. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
BBC Reviews
The Wind Up 2007Reviewed by Ben Ashmore
Four Swedish chaps who decided that admiring a Picasso statue was a bit boring...


text:
Coronado Antifouling Blue Water Marine Paint
Coronado - Multi Season - Waterbased Copper-Free Ablative (5% Zinc Pyrithione)
This product ships in 4 business days.
Add to Cart and enter your Postal Code to determine the shipping charges and estimated delivery date.
* Most products and orders leave our warehouse in 1 business day. However, select items may take more processing time. Alaska and Hawaii orders please add 1 additional warehouse processing day.
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Abdominal Cramping During Sleep!
Is anyone experiencing abdominal cramping in your sleep? Mine wakes me up at least once or twice a night. The pain is not sever but uncomfortable & passes within a min or two...after I'm completely wide awake @ 4am!! Any suggestions????
Posted: 11/09/2007 by tjhall24
Mom Answers
Sort by: best answers | most recent answers
101 - 110 of 124 answers
i am 10 wks and i have the same cramping at night. Doc said it was normal. I didnt ezperience this with my first, but im glad to hear that im not alone and i dont feel as worried anymore.posted 12/31/2009 by sh3n311
yeah that's normal...it's braxton hicks contractions....posted 11/25/2009 by a BabyCenter Member
I am 6.5 wks pregnant and have had cramps since right around the time I was supposed to get my period. I've had really painful cramps that have now isolated to my right side for the most part...so painful that I went to the ER in fear of an extopic. I had an mri of my appendix and ultrasounds,etc done and everything was normal. I am still scared, but my ob that I saw today said it could just be stretching that is normal and to take tylenol and apply heat.posted 11/19/2008 by ferbear
Same thing happened to me when I was around 6 weeks pregnant with my first baby. Except mine was bad. The cramps would wake me up at least once a night. I would try to sleep through it but I eventually would end up in the bathroom because they made me feel like I had to poop, even though I rarely actually did. Sometimes I would break out into a cold sweat and start shaking for a few mins and then it would fade away. It scared me so I saw my doctor. She checked on the baby with a vaginal ultrasound and everything was normal. She said drinking a lot of water would help ease the cramping and to take extra strength tylenol. I would still wake up to cramps but I would stay in bed and fall back asleep minutes later. The cramping lasted at least two weeks.posted 11/13/2008 by JenniferB777
I too am experiencing the same cramping at night when I am trying to sleep. I am only 2-1/2 weeks along and this is my second child. I was scared at first because this did not happen with my first child. I am thankful to hear that this is a normal thing.posted 09/18/2008 by a BabyCenter Member
I too, am having the same symtoms. I am 6 weeks pregnant. It has been waking me up usually when I need to go to the bathroom also.posted 08/26/2008 by a BabyCenter Member
Thanks all! I find it interesting that the majority of folks responding are at about 6 weeks. I am at 7 and have found that my cramping is a little less this week than the last 2 weeks had been (which of course scared me into a different direction). I was most scared because I have a more intense cramping on the left side and was afraid maybe I was ectopic since the pain wasn't 'centered.' From reading responses, I think maybe baby is just snuggling in on the left side.posted 08/07/2008 by KolbeMom
I am also 6 weeks preggo right now and for the past few days I have been spotting light brown and pink at first and the red in which it comes and goes. It seemed normal because I was in no pain. Then just recently, I have been waking up from my sleep cramping. Right when I wake up, I go pee and it doesnt go away right after, it takes a long time for it to go away.posted 08/02/2008 by a BabyCenter Member
I am 7 weeks pregnant and just realized I was pregnant. My first indication was having cramps like right before my period starts....except I never got a period!! LOL I'm soooo glad it's normal. I wish everyone luck with their pregnancy, let God be with us!posted 07/01/2008 by Maria~614
Im 9 weeks along and I also have been having bad cramping, I was really worried about it, but my doctor informed me yesterday that my uterus is tipped back so it causes extra strain on my pelvis which is what is causing the cramping... Hopefully your pain subsides soon, Good luck!posted 06/27/2008 by LUECKECHARM01
Answer this question


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The New England Patriots are still working to put a rocky offseason behind them and the preseason football has been a great escape for fans as they look to focus on the product on the field. With the recent injury to starting quarterback Tom Brady, we could expect a heavy dose of Ryan Mallett and Tom Brady against the improved Buccaneers secondary.
For the Bucs, it's another test for Josh Freeman who is trying to convince the team that he is the right man to lead the team through the season.
Here is the information you will need to make sure you catch Thursday's preseason game between Tampa Bay and New England:
Date: August 16
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Foxboro, Massachusettes
Stadium: Foxboro Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Radio: Sirius XM Radio/Dial Global
Live Stream: WatchESPN, NFL Preseason Live or NFL Game Rewind following the game
It feels great to have football back, so be sure to check out as much of the action that you can as we prepare for the start of the regular season in less than a month.


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New FCC Website Problems: Did They Foretell the Obamacare Website Fiasco?
On June 30, 2009, Chairman Genachowski told the FCC staff
We will use technology and new media to enhance the everyday worklives of FCC staff, green the agency, and improve overall operations of the FCC – running efficiently, communicating effectively, and opening the agency to participation from everyone affected by the FCC's actions. And, stay tuned, we will have a new FCC website.
On April 5, 2011 the new site was unveiled. It was developed by MetroStar Systems, a Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) company that describes itself as "a leader in full-service information technology (IT) and strategies for new media and enterprise collaboration" and is powered by Drupal, an open source content management system. It also uses cloud technology.
Your blogger has generally defended the new website, however, it clearly has major problems. Despite its modern technology behind the screen and better visual design, it frankly doesn't make much information any easier to find than the old primitive design. Indeed, it is widely reported that most users still go to the old design which is still operational!
So what does this have to do with Obamacare? Was MetroStar Systems really the best contractor for the job or did the same federal procurement rules the gave the Obamacare contract to CGI Federal limit what firms could effectively bid on the job? Federal contracting laws passed by Congress are nightmarish and for dealing with cutting edge fast moving topics like website design hard to use. Thus the usual contractors are those who have the patience to deal with the complexity of federal contracting, NOT those who can do the best job.
Maybe the problems of the FCC design should have been a tip that such projects under present federal contracting legislation and rules are very difficult to implement.
Doraemon Gets Promotion from Japanese Government:
But FCC Problem Remains
reported here in January 2007, there is a contention in Japan that the FCC's "Broadband" character on the FCC Kids Zone appears to infringe the IP of Doraemon's creators in Japan. This issue attracted 108 posts on the AnimeNewsNetwork, most critical of FCC.
A Major Japanese news service reported:
(Kyodo) _ The Japanese agency for the popular cartoon series featuring the robotic cat Doraemon said Tuesday it has sent a complaint to a U.S. government agency over its use of a "quite similar" character on its website.
Fujiko Pro, the holder of Doraemon's copyright, has determined that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is using a character named "Broadband" which is almost identical to Doraemon on its website section for children, said the Japanese agency Shogakukan Production Co.
Shogakukan Production, entrusted by Fujiko Pro with copyright protection, said it has sent a written complaint along with documents including excerpts from the cartoon to the FCC, requesting the commission seek permission whenever it uses the character for the purpose of profits.
But the FCC has made no response and has not deleted the character from the website so far, the Japanese agency said.
Broadband appears on the website's "Kids Zone" as a guide introducing children to the roles of the FCC, which oversees interstate and international communications. The agency also handles copyright issues.
One major difference between the two characters is that Broadband has ears while Doraemon does not.
The cartoon and animation series featuring Doraemon is especially popular in East Asia. The show was first aired in Japan in 1979, but has not been aired or published in the United States.
The controversy is discussed on FCC's Japanese languageWikipedia page although not on its English version.
But now that Doraemon has been promoted to ambassador by the Japanese government, this issue may escalate.
FCC Dismisses Complaint Related to OETB65C RF Safety Issue
On December 20, 2012 FCC, in the above action, dismissed a complaint by Ms. Cynthia Franklin under the obscure provisions of the Data Quality Act ("DQA") - a 2001 piece of legislation your blogger had never heard of before.
Before getting into the details of Ms. Franklin's complaint, let me point out that document is a reminder of a more general problem of the FCC website even after there recent improvements: Despite the huge amounts of (poorly organized) data on the FCC website, this complaint and the supporting document are nowhere to be found because it is a "undocketed" proceeding that also lacks any file number. Thus its very existence was unknown to the public until the 12/21 date of the above Order. Indeed even now there is no obvious way to see the whole text of the complaint short of filing a FOIA request and having FCC staff then quibble over whether they should charge you to see this information. Is this really "a government worthy of its people"?
(I also note that as of the drafting of this post, a search of the FCC website on "Cynthia Franklin" yields no results at all!)
Back to the specific issue of Ms. Franklin's complaint, this deals with an issue that has been discussed here repeatedly since November 2010: OET Bulletin 65, Supplement C ("OETB65C"). This document has as a title, "Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields Additional Information for Evaluating Compliance of Mobile and Portable Devices with FCC Limits for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Emissions". This document describes its function as:
The purpose of this revised supplement is to provide parties filing applications for equipment authorization with guidance on complying with the latest requirements using up-to-date test procedures. This supplement is not intended, however, to establish mandatory procedures, and other methods and procedures may be acceptable if based on sound engineering practice.
Thus it is not a "regulation" because it is not "mandatory", but it does give a "safe harbor" showing equipment authorization applications what FCC will accept for compliance showing with RF safety issues. As Time Magazine pointed out in 2010,
FCC testing regulations notably chose not to simulate a situation in which the phone was broadcasting at full power while inside a shirt or pants pocket flush against the body, an odd oversight given the known habits of many cellular-phone users.
OETB65C was issued in June 2001 and lists 2 authors and 3 contributors. (Only one of these people still work at FCC and I suspect he had little involvement with the controversy at hand.) Your blogger worked in OET management at the time and had absolutely no involvement. Indeed, OET was under acting leadership in the early Powell chairmanship at that time as Ed Thomas did not arrive as its chief until early 2002. As quoted in the FCC Order (remember, the actual compliant is still not on the public record due to the website problems mentioned above), the Franklin complaint deals "three of the FCC consumer documents" arguing that "the documents should be corrected to state that cell phones are not tested for RF exposure during use in direct contact with the body, and therefore they should not be used in such a manner."
The December 20 Order reaffirms OET's October 2011 rejection of the Ms. Franklin's compliant - a document also not on the public record. The grounds seem to be a narrow interpretation of the Data Quality Act. Perhaps thee grounds are even a correct interpretation of the Data Quality Act.
Here is a sample of the FCC's logic:
Ms. Franklin's concerns, however, misconstrue the purpose of the document at issue, which is not to provide advice on how best to hold and use a cell phone, or to allow consumers to critique the sufficiency of testing methods, but rather to explain why a single reported maximum SAR value is an insufficient basis for comparing the likely RF exposure from individual cell phone models. Indeed, the guide emphasizes that SAR testing "does not indicate the amount of RF exposure consumers experience during normal use of the device." And while Ms. Franklin asserts that the guide will encourage consumers to carry cell phones against their bodies, the only statement in the guide about how to carry a phone is quite to the contrary, noting that "the most effective means to reduce [RF] exposure are to hold the cell phone away from the head or body and to use a speakerphone or hands-free accessory."
So basically the document at issue is not guidance to consumers, so it doesn't matter if it is misleading! It is just guidance to cell phone manufacturers on how to avoid the intention of the FCC's RF safety rules and there is no Data Quality Act issue involved in that under FCC's logic.
Cell phone industry: If you want to gain the trust of the US public on RF safety issue you should not hide behind such charades. While your blogger believes that cell phones as actually used these days are safe, the sordid history of OETB65C does not reflect well on the cell phone industry and FCC's objectivity on safety issues. Better transparency is needed in the drafting and implementation of FCC Rules on RF safety to keep the public trust.
Survey: Major Wireless Developments 9/10 - 9/11
by Ari Fitzgerald & Mark Schneider
Ari Fitzgerald
Mark Schneider
The paper was presented originally at the Practising Law Institute's 29th Annual Telecommunications Policy & Regulation Institute publication in December 2011. Long time readers may recall that we have written about this event before in this blog. PLI is a nonprofit group that charges high (>$1000) prices for both attendance at its events and copies of the material presented. There is nothing wrong with this so far.
However, PLI events get ALL the "movers and shakers" from high FCC leadership, e.g. commissioners and bureau/office chiefs, who give presentations to the honchos of industry and K Street firms without making the same information available to the public. I have previously suggested to FCC that if these presentations are prepared with federal resources they should be made available to the public and if PLI is selling videos of the presentations, the FCC should demand copies of the presentations by FCC officials as a precondition for their presentations. Such videos should then be posted for the public within a few days of the PLI event.
On the FCC website I can only find the text of Comm. McDowell's presentation for the 2011PLI telecom event and nothing for the other FCC presenters. There are, however, copies of Chmn. Kennard's presentation in 1997 and 1999, Comm. Tate's presentation in 2008, Chmn. Hundt in 1997, Comm. Copps in 2006, Former WTB Chief Muleta in 2003, etc. Thus there is precedent for making the presentations public, but no consistency.
Also, NTIA Chief Strickling made public his remarks at the 2011 PLI telecom event.
So if you want to hear public officials speak on telecom policy, you can sign up now for the 2012 PLI telecom event on December 6-7 for a mere $1,595.00 OR, FCC could adopt the policy advocated above that the presentations by public officials about the public business should be made public within a few days.
Meanwhile, kudos to Comm. McDowell and NTIA's Strickling for making their presentations public along with Ari Fitzgerald and Mark Schneider for making their thorough review available to those of us who do not work for or have not hired a K Street law firm, e.g. the "99%".


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I have said it before that having a creative business card ensures that people remember you and depending on your profession, your card can have interesting features, like an out of the ordinary shape or material, even an interesting color palette.
In this article there are 28 business cards examples for inspiration that fit into the above description with material varying from plain old paper, wood, steel or cotton.
Want your job opening posted here? Go to Cool Design Jobs and submit it.


text:
Product Recall: We are voluntarily recalling fewer than 8,000 cases of regular Kraft American Singles Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Productlimited to 4 SKUs on two "Best When Used By" dates of February 20, 2015 and February 21, 2015. Click Here.
MIX cream cheese, cookie crumbs and 2 Tbsp chopped toffee bar until well blended.
SHAPE into 30 (1-inch) balls; place in single layer in shallow pan. Freeze 10 min. Dip in chocolate; place in single layer in shallow waxed paper-lined pan. Lightly press remaining chopped toffee bar into tops of balls.
REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm.


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Air Jordan – 'Become Mars' Micro-Site
January 11th, 2010 by Aaron Hope | 4 comments
It goes without saying that most sneakerheads (have) want(ed) to be like Mike. The closest we usually can get is rocking a new pair of Spiz'ikes, but now you can 'Get Spiziked' at the new 'Become Mars' mini-site. Get hip to the legacy of perhaps the best Jordan Brand hybrid to date, including a close look at the shoes that inspire its design: Air Jordans III-VI and XX. There's even an iPhone app so you literally can 'Become Mars' with your self-shots.