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*PAL timing
SYNOPSIS: A Focus Features film logo. A semi-naked buttocks. Some production credits. A title. Fade to black. "Welcome To New Toyko International Airport". These are our first moments of Lost In Translation.
ANALYSIS: Well, what can you say? In the space of exactly one minute (according to the slightly skewd PAL video timing), Lost In Translation doesn't so much announce itself as gently impress upon the viewer. It's the tonal difference between "Kelly" and "Charlotte", a hard rock number and a piece of soft jazz, champagne versus wine. In one minute, the film quietly declares its genius and rolls forward, as if having done nothing at all. This is an oddly disquieting, yet mesmeric and joyous, beginning. No concessions are made to explain or clarify. That a viewer will either "get it" or not is simply assumed. But I'm not backbiting -- quite the opposite. The opening almost seems to function as a test. If you get this, you get the lot. If there is a "relationship" between a film and a viewer, then LIT starts as it means to go on, with something very beautiful, indeed.
It seems Sofia Coppola was lucky to get Focus Features distributing this film in Europe and America (is that correct?). And why? Their logo seems to organically fit the fabric and feel of LIT to a tee. It's the most serendipitous union I can think of since 20th Century Fox and Star Wars, whose own film logo and music is sublimely rousing and perfectly accentuates the old 1930's Hollywood feeling that's such a part and parcel of the Star Wars story and aesthetic. And here, with Focus Features and LIT, its the very opposite the logo courts, but no less perfectly -- a subtle, hazy, dreamy, almost brooding atmosphere. As the fuzzy blue-yellow discs undulate in the background, I'm reminded of the very delicate blurring and play of lights at various points in LIT. Similarly, the name "Focus Features" fades on much as the film's own title is about to. The title could even be a command: FOCUS. On this FEATURE. That's what film is all about. "The small details", to quote Rutger Hauer.
Of course, the segment that's probably going to get the lion's share of this discussion is the scene of "Charlotte" lying on the bed. It's our first true glimpse of LIT. It *is* LIT. I put "Charlotte" in quotation marks because there's no direct proof it's her. You might say it has to be, but I think the more salient aspect is that it's an objectified glimpse of feminimity -- or, more generally, something a little exotic (at least, in the manner it's depicted). You don't have to agree with any of this, by the way. This is simply my interpretation of things. Yours will necessarily be different, even if it ends up being the same. There are a lot of ways to approach this. I mean, if this scene or shot is "exotic", why is that? What purpose is it serving to LIT as a whole? At different times, Sofia Coppola has said it's just something she felt like doing and doesn't really mean anything, or it's a homage to the opening shot of Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and the paintings of John Kacere, or it's a glimpse of feminimity (as I've already stated above). It really is everything and nothing.
But I do find it oddly provocative. Not as pornography or anything like that (per se), but for the way it seems to be consciously designed (despite Sofia's reluctance to disclose specific filmic intentions) to push certain buttons. Here's what I wrote in my review for IMDb:
Without wishing to blow my own trumpet too much, that's still as good a description as I can muster. But there are lots of layers here.Sofia Coppola chooses to open her second picture with the unexpected appearance of Scarlett Johansson's semi-naked buttocks. On the big screen, it's impressive, and on any other screen, it manages to entice. But this is just the beginning. In many ways, it doesn't even seem that. The image is seductive but dislocated -- it's just there. Then the title credit appears: "Lost In Translation". It's like Coppola is having some massive joke at our expense. What's there to translate about such a sight -- much less to lose in translation? We're immediately intrigued by the voyeuristic nonchalance of it. It is this same casualness, hiding real intent, that shapes and sustains the picture. For at its heart, "Lost In Translation" is a hypnotic tone poem for desire and the need to reach out and find meaning. The butt-image functions as a motif: in the bold sensuousness, yet comic randomness of it, we are being made to lust for something -- but we are at a loss to make sense of it, just as the film's characters find themselves lusting for things they can't readily define.
I remember a discussion on the IMDb LIT board (eek!) about the specific style of this shot and nature of the composition. In its evocation of John Kacere (do a Google Image search), it aspires to still photography, yet is part of a motion picture, "living" at 24 pictures per second. There is a deliberate tension. We clearly see the subject shifting her weight. We HEAR it. But it's almost imperceptible. Even that aspect seems to set up so much of what is to follow in LIT. In a departure from Kacere's paintings, Sofia's composition is also less sexualised. And less fetishized. Or perhaps more so, paradoxically, through being less so. Kacere seemed to have an affinity for laced garments, frumpy bums and bright lighting. There is a loudness and a brashness to his own versions that seem alien to LIT's. The subject is tamely dressed in a kind of bored "middle class" jumper over a white "student" t-shirt. The pink panties are the exception. But none of the colours leap out at you. The shot is defined by pastels and has a soft malaise about it.
It's great to see those titles, by the way. I love the font used for this movie. I don't know what it reminds me of, but I'm sure it reminds me of something. Maybe it's a trick. I like the subliminal effect. Notice how the pre-LIT credits are positioned just above the subject's body. Like a deliberate attempt was made to not interrupt the butt. Or even the girl's slumber. The main LIT credit breaks this rule. Even to the point of music suddenly kicking in. Interesting choice. It's like the film is dangling a carrot in front of you. It gives you a LITTLE time to process what you're experiencing, then it cuts you off. No, sorry. LOST IN TRANSLATION. It's quite a bold summary of the artistic process.
I've come up with this dense analysis, but I haven't even commented on the sound design. Or the last few post-butt seconds (can I work this joke much longer?). OK, I think you actually HEAR LIT before you SEE it. The first thing you hear is some traffic. A motorbike engine displacing the air? Then a siren, but not an overbearing "this is a siren" foley effect like normal. Those are the sorts of sounds, in such "indoor" conditions, a film would normally make sure to filter out. Yet here we have "rules" being "broken" at the very start. It's like Sofia is saying: "This film is real life. Get used to it." But, of course, it ISN'T real life. It's a film. A shadow on a wall. Art. Not life. But art reflects life. And maybe this is her way of near-subconsciously clueing us into both these ideas at once. It has a closeness to real life that most films don't, yet it's STILL a film. I love that.
After the title, there is another fade. An inversion of the opening fade. It's almost like we haven't just seen what we've seen. The film wants to hide itself away and start again. Almost like we're being tricked and toyed with again. The sound design takes precedence here, telling the story of Bob's arrival in beautifully sleek fashion. It's not necessarily a compression of narrative time. Maybe it's what Bob is imaginging in his head. Half experiencing, half dreaming. Ergo, we're already getting closer to these people than most viewers get to most characters in most films. "Charlotte" and her panties while asleep (or trying to get to sleep) and Bob's jetlagged monologue. We are already accepting these characters through a weird kind of osmotic absorption. We are now primed for the actual "story".
Just some thoughts to kick us off. Please pick up on, expand, contradict, ignore and talk about whatever the hell I've just said said and whatever the hell you want. This is the true start of our "Chapter By Chapter" project. Let's make it a good one!


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|Full model name
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|Honda GX270
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|AC Output
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|Run Time per Tankful
|10.1 hr @ rated load, 14.8 hr @ 1/2 load
|Dimensions (L x W x H)
|26.8" x 20.9" x 22.5"
|Noise Level
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|Dry Weight
|146.4 lb.
|Residential Warranty
|3 Years
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|12 months

subset: commoncrawl


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Review: (OOP) Vogue 8002 | The Car Wash Skirt!12:00 AM
Styling tip: I really liked the idea of the styling in the Proenza Schouler Fall 2015 show with the oversized sweaters and oversized fishnet tights. I wanted a toned down street-appropriate-wearable look by simply paring it with a black turtleneck cashmere sweater, Wolford fishnet tights and a t-strap pump.
27 comments
This skirt is just "fierce", Erica!ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Regina!Delete
I didn't realize that the skirt was just panels sewn on top of each other...interesting design feature. Love your fabric choice - this is a cool skirt!ReplyDelete
Love it! It's very inspiring. I may have to do a hack for a knit skirt using Jalie 2681.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Kris!Delete
- Anonymous11:16 AM
Great tips on stabilizing and how we can't bootleg this skirt! :-)ReplyDelete
Stunning as usual!Replies
Sewing Bosses do NOT bootleg! LOL Thanks Eryn!Delete
Wowza! This skirt and the entire outfit is amazing and you look amazing in it, Mrs. Bunker❤❤❤🙌🏾ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Brenda!Delete
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Thanks LoriDelete
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Thanks Genevieve!Delete
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Thanks Kelly!Delete
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Thanks Tomasa!Delete
I was thinking I wouldn't be able to wear this type of skirt in an office, but your styling has me thinking otherwise. Well, the styling and the careful seaming. Time to go raid the stash...ReplyDeleteReplies
You most definitely could wear this into a corporate environment.Delete
Fabulous skirt!!! Thank you for all the wonderful tips and sewing advice. Love the way you styled it.ReplyDeleteReplies
Thanks Marla!Delete
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Thanks roseag!Delete
Erica, you put the 'W' in Wow'! That is a beautiful skirt. I love the fishnet stockings, and the shoes! I love your skirt as it does not look like "carwash strips". Your look is very feminine and classy. Thanks for sharing another fabulous Erica B Creation!ReplyDeleteReplies
It's always my goal to show that women of a certain age can wear trends, but in a grown up and classy way! Thanks BPatricia74!Delete


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SPARTA, Ky. – Brad Keselowski will have to fine-tune his victory celebrations after a shattered champagne bottle left him with a bloodied and bandaged right hand.
The upside is he might get more chances to polish his post-race revelry as he pursues his second Sprint Cup Series championship in three years.
Already locked into the Chase with a Las Vegas victory and a solid string of top-fives, Keselowski delivered his most dominant run at Kentucky Speedway. He started from the pole and led 199 of 267 laps en route to his second win this season.
The Penske Racing driver heads to Daytona International Speedway fourth in points and showing the form that carried him to the 2012 championship. Missing last year's Chase also seems to have made Keselowski wiser — Saturday night notwithstanding.
"I want to win another championship," Keselowski said after a roundabout journey between Victory Lane and the infield care center to receive four stitches after striking the bottle on the podium.
"I don't want to be a guy that contends for a championship every three or four years. I want to do it each and every year and I know that opportunity is here, it's present and I want to make the most of it."
The exuberant 30-year-old joked that he was going through something of a midlife crisis, perhaps his way of stressing that he has to maximize his window of opportunity to win titles. That urgency worked for him two years ago, when he won five times with 23 top-10s and 13 top-fives to win the title.
Keselowski has two fewer wins than at the same point in 2012 but is showing the same consistency. His second Kentucky victory marked his ninth top-10 along with a series-best second triumph at 1 1/2 miles, the distance of many Chase tracks.
Those intermediate-length tracks don't return to the schedule until August at Atlanta, but Keselowski noted the importance of finding the formula now.
"When you can run well at this point in time, it bodes well for the final half of the season," he said. "Certainly, we're not content. ... The reality is that Hendrick cars had won three or four of the last five and they're going to continue to be the cars to beat. So we have to keep pushing as well."
Keselowski returns to Daytona looking to build on February's third-place run at the 500 and extend a recent run of top-10s on the 2.5-mile track. He enters with momentum following a commanding Kentucky performance in which he and teammate Joey Logano began on the front row and combined to lead the first 217 laps. The Michigan native later rallied from sixth on a restart to pass Kyle Busch on Lap 248 and pull away.
Keselowski said the effort was reminiscent of his title year, when everything seemed to come together either by will or circumstance.
"Performances like (Saturday), sometimes they're few and far between," crew chief Paul Wolfe said. "We'll continue to work hard to put together cars like this every weekend, and this is the type of performance we're going to need to be able to compete for another championship."


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Latest news
Piano syllabus 2021 & 2022
ABRSM have today (9 July 2020) released their new Piano syllabus, for use in exams from 1 January 2021.
During the last two years, ABRSM have carried out a complete review of the syllabus to ensure it meets the needs of teachers and learners. Working with a range of specialists from across the world of music education, the result is a syllabus that offers a breadth of choice to stimulate the musical imagination and curiosity of all pianists, wherever they are on their journey.
Philippa Bunting, ABRSM's Learning and Qualifications Director, has said: "Building on the work we did on the last syllabus, where we focussed on young learners at the outset of their musical journeys, we have for this syllabus sought to increase the range and diversity of musical choices available to learners at all levels. To achieve this, we've increased the number of pieces learners have to choose from, the number of pieces by female composers and composers from around the world, and we've also introduced a duet option so that candidates can build a strong sense of musical awareness as well as secure rhythm and pulse from the outset. We believe that in this syllabus there really is something for everyone, and the option to take it via either the Practical or Performance route only increases that musical choice."
New repertoire lists
This new syllabus offers completely revised repertoire choices, and repertoire lists are now defined by musical characteristics rather than period of composition. This allows learners to show their full range of skills. The new repertoire lists, which contain a diverse choice of inspirational pieces, are the same for the long-standing Practical Grades and for ABRSM's new remotely-assessed Performance Grades.
New scales requirements
Following extensive development work and valuable consultation with teachers, ABRSM have made changes to the scales requirements at every grade. The changes provide a more logical and gradual progression, from the new Initial Grade through to Grade 8. The revised requirements are fewer in number overall, making them more manageable for preparation and assessment, while still maintaining the rigour you expect from ABRSM exams through focusing on tasks that are appropriate to each grade in their level of demand.
ABRSM has an app to support the new scales requirements. Piano Scales Trainer is an all-in-one scales companion, which gives the learner at-a-glance feedback about which scales to focus on, enables them to reflect critically and also provides a fun way of playing scales along with the specially produced backing tracks. The app has been updated and covers all requirements at Grades 1 to 5 from the new Practical Grades syllabus (2021 onwards).
New supporting resources
ABRSM's Piano Syllabus 2021 & 2022 is supported by a wide range of new books for teachers and learners:
- Piano Exam Pieces from Initial Grade to Grade 8
- Piano Scales & Arpeggios from Initial Grade to Grade 8 (revised to match the new scales requirements)
- Scale Explorer (for Grades 1–5, a creative new resource for candidates learning the new scales requirements)
- Initial Grade Specimen Sight-Reading Tests and Initial Grade Specimen Aural Tests
- Teaching Notes from Initial Grade to Grade 8
- Piano Star Duets (containing some pieces that feature on the Piano syllabus 2021 & 2022)
The supporting Piano Exam Pieces are available to buy with or without CD and audio downloads of individual pieces are also available to purchase online.
ABRSM's Piano Practice Partner app has been updated with pieces from the new syllabus. Piano Practice Partner allows a learner to play along with real musicians' performances, exactly as recorded or at a reduced tempo. The app allows the learner to practise one hand while it plays the other.
Introducing Initial Grade for Piano
A strong focus for ABRSM is to support beginners. Following the successful launch of Initial Grade for Bowed String players last year, ABRSM have introduced Initial Grade for Piano. This is a pre-Grade 1 regulated qualification designed to help beginners measure their progress and celebrate their achievements.
Initial Grade provides a route to Grade 1 and is a different exam experience from ABRSM's Prep Test. The Prep Test provides young learners with a relaxed introductory exam experience - the candidate doesn't pass or fail but receives encouraging feedback and a certificate on the day. Initial Grade is a formal assessment leading to a regulated qualification. This formal assessment provides helpful feedback via a mark form, a mark and a certificate for successful candidates.
Syllabus overlap
Candidates can use the new 2021 & 2022 syllabus in exams from 1 January 2021, with the 2019 & 2020 syllabus remaining valid until 31 December 2021.
Would you like to review ABRSM's Piano syllabus products?
ABRSM always welcomes reviews of publications. Please contact ABRSM if you would be interested in reviewing their new Piano resources.
For more information about ABRSM's new Piano syllabus, visit https://www.abrsm.org/piano


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Len Vanderstar was born in 1958; avid back-country re-creationist and defender of the public interest with respect to natural resources/heritage; Conservation Biologist residing in NW B.C. since 1989; Currently works for the Ministry of Forests, Lands & Natural Resource Operations, Skeena Region, Habitat Protection Section; Active volunteer member with Kenyan Child Guardian Foundation in fund raising for the Children's in Special Needs in partnership with Adventure Africa Expedition. He is Expedition trip leader with Summits of Canada Expedition, an organization dedicated to promoting health & fitness through adventure activity and high pointing throughout Canada to promote Canadian geography in partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographic Society. He is also certified commercial river rafting trip leader and active involvement with environmental non-government organizations (ENGO's) as well as certified commercial river rafting trip leader.
He also leads East Africa Adventures Trips covering Kenya Tanzania and Uganda. Kilimanjaro Climbing is the main attraction for the Packages with most of the trekkers coming from Canada. All the Packages are based on all inclusive from the day of arrival in Nairobi Kenya Safaris. Len is well experienced with the African terrains and have knowledge in Safaris as the tour leader.
Pick you from your Hotel or in your residential house in West lands City Hotel, then drive to the city center where you will join other travelers to Tanzania in Riverside Shuttle Bus or Impala Shuttle. The drive normally takes not less than 7 hours, From Nairobi to Namanga border it takes like 3-4 hours and then head straight to the Migration office where you will obtain your visa. There after head to Arusha for the next 1.5hrs, there will be a short break for about 30min, here you will have lunch as you proceed to Moshi for the next 2 hours and arrive late afternoon around 1700hrs. Check in the QWine hotel in Moshi for dinner and overnight as you meet other crews who will be with you in the entire trekking.
After the breakfast drive to Machame Park Gate, this normally takes 40min to get to the Machame Gate.On arrival you go through the registration with the park authority as we weigh the bags and food, this process normally takes like at least 45min depending with the number of people. The Kilimanjaro trek in this World Heritage Site begins at the end of the tarmac road, walking for about 6 hrs, gradually ascending through the cloud forests of Kilimanjaro and onto giant heather forested hills at Machame Camp (2850 m).
Wake up at 07:00am have the breakfast, then trekkers ascend an enjoyable ridge, lunch will be served in one of the lunch point which is about halfway to shira Camp, after lunch traverse along a stream gorge and finally emerge on the Shira plateau volcanic moorland (3840m). Total trekking time for this day is approximately 6 hrs. Dinner and overnight in Shira Camp.
Trekkers follow the trail to Lava Towers (>4500m), have lunch prior to spending an hour at Lava Towers, and then descend into the scenic Barranco gorge. Continue to Barranco Camp at 3950m. Total trekking time is approximately 6 hrs.
Trekkers cross the Barranco Valley, ascend the well known and fascinating Barranco wall (not technical climbing), then follow the Kibo South Circuit. Descend and ascend again for about 2 additional hours to arrive at Karanga Camp (4000 m) for lunch and overnight. Total trekking time is approximately 5 hrs.
Another half day trek takes you across some splendid volcanic lands, with Kibo Volcano (highest of the Kilimanjaro volcanoes) and its remaining glaciers as the backdrop. Enjoy the final ascent to Barafu Camp (4673 m). Total trekking time between camps is approximately 5 hrs. After lunch and a couple of hours of rest, you begin a short trek up to Kibo Camp for further acclimatization, and then descend for dinner. Sleep until 11:00 p.m. and then begin all night ascent. The summit is attainable since you should be properly acclimatized by now.
Trekkers move "polepole" (Swahili for "slowly") to the north-west, with mountain guides at their side, up a defined trail toward Stella Point on the crater rim. Summit day is scheduled to coincide with a waxing moon, which will be nearly full. This 6-hour trek to Stella Point (5756 m) is the most mentally and physically challenging on the route. Temperature is usually -10° Celsius, and winds can make it even more challenging. At Stella Point, the group re-nourishes, enjoys the famous Kilimanjaro sunrise, and then continues for another hour to the true summit of Africa, Uhuru Peak. Photos and celebrations ensue. A slow descent back to Stella Point, followed by a quicker descent on scree slope trails back to Barafu Camp for a well deserved rest and brunch. Break camp and hike down to Lower Mweka Camp by mid-afternoon. This is the day you appreciate your trekking poles and honor your guides and porters – you descend over 2800 meters from Uhuru Peak to Mweka Camp. If weather thwarts your summit bid, an extra day has been allowed if the group decides delay is advisable.
This is the last day of the trek. The 3 hr descent to Mweka Gate is very enjoyable, provides good views of yesterday's accomplishment, and provides excellent photo opportunity of Mount Kilimanjaro's unique vegetation of the cloud forest. Check-out at Mweka trail head, and then shuttle to Arusha with a drop off to the hotel of your choice
Enjoy the morning market of Arusha, and then depart to Tarangire National Park. Baobab studded Tarangire stretches southeast of Lake Manyara around the Tarangire River. It is one of the highest concentrations of wildlife of any of Tanzania's parks.Overnight at the MTO Wa Wambu Camp Site near Lake Manyara. Facilities include dining area, showers and swimming pool. Whistling bats are
an added feature of the night life.
Lake Manyara National Park is visited this day. This vegetative diverse park is set beneath the dramatic western escarpment of the Rift Valley. See the amazing Baobob tree, an assortment of Ficus and Acacia trees and all the life that inhabits them. This is a birding paradise, along with all the standard East African mammals other than rhinoceros. The group enjoys a safari tour to the back-end of the park, noted for its hot springs, abundance of giraffe and African bush elephant. Don't be surprised if you see mongoose, clip springer and the elusive rock hyrax. Lake Manyara is a soda lake and is noted for its flamingos. Overnight at the MTO Wa Wambu Camp again.
A must see Conservation Area within this massive collapsed volcano, one of the largest calderas in the world. Ngorongoro's grasslands, forest, swamps, saltpans, and Lake Magadi provide for an assortment of wildlife and viewing opportunity. You will see blank rhinos, jackals, spotted hyena, lions, and their prey of wildebeest, water buffalo, and various gazelle species. Birding is good as well. The not too common serval cat is a bonus feature. Overnight at the Sinka Court Hotel in Arusha.
The safari group travels to the Tanzania/Kenya border at Namanga, then proceeds to Amboseli National Park within Kenya. Permanent safari canvass tents with 2 beds and thatch over-roofs are serenaded by weaver birds and cicadas by day and massive crickets by night. Don't be surprised to be awakening at night by a wondering elephant or two just outside the large fenced in camp facility.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the backdrop of this elephant haven and you will not be disappointed by this first class safari experience. You will have no trouble in getting up close and personal with the monolithic beasts of Africa, in the safety of your pop-up canopy safari vehicle
Travel day to Lake Naivasha on your way to Masai Mara. This is an opportune time to enjoy the countryside of Kenya and all its people. Part of the trip is along the Great Rift Valley with a stop over to view the escarpment. Lake Naivasha is a major agricultural production area in Kenya and a welcomed break to the day's travel. Dinner and overnight at the Cray Fish Camp with luxurious bed accommodation.
Just when you thought you may have been safaried out, then you enter the world-renowned Masai Mara, the northern extension of the equally famous Serengeti Plains. The productivity of the rolling grasslands and tree studded woodlands are to be witnessed first hand. Countless numbers of wildebeest, zebra, and water buffalo are guaranteed, even after mass migration to the Serengeti. Elephant, giraffe, warthog, lion, cheetah, hyena, jackal, the list goes on. Numerous antelope species are readably photogenic including hartebeest, topi, impala, eland, suni, bush duiker, steinbok, dikdik, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle. Numerous lion kills make for some great vulture viewing. The Masai Mara safari will be based out of the Masai run Mara Sidai tented camp among a beautiful forested setting. The white-browed Robin-Chat's lovely song at camp will wake you up in the morning and call you to your tent in the evening.
You will be overwhelmed and satiated by the abundance of wildlife viewed in this park. The safari takes you to the Mari River where you will see and photograph hippos and large crocodiles laying in wait. Masai Ostrich, crowned crane, helmeted guinea-fowl, kori bustard and the secretary bird will have you wondering what's next on the fascinating bird list.
Part of the morning will be spent visiting a local Masai village, witnessing current village life, being entertained with dance and Masai hospitality. It is a colorful event and optional for guests to attend. Arrival to Nairobi and drop off to the Marble Arch Hotel where the adventure comes to an end.


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Beef Quality is Every Cattle Producer's Business!
View as PDF: M1128.pdf
Since its inception in the early 1980s, the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program has been a cooperative effort between all facets of the beef industry. By uniting animal scientists, veterinarians, feed suppliers, animal health companies, packers, retailers, and state and federal regulators with producers, the BQA program encourages use of the latest science and technology to meet our customers' expectations for beef quality and safety. For more information, download the PDF above.
The Mississippi State University Extension Service is working to ensure all web content is accessible to all users. If you need assistance accessing any of our content, please email the webteam or call 662-325-2262.
Prof/Dir/Enh Cln Educ/Ext Vet
Beef Cattle Health Disaster Management Epidemiology Veterinary Preventive Medicine
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Publication Number: P2488
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Conceptual plan emerges for greenway park at 721 N. Main in Ann Arbor
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A conceptual vision is emerging for how the city of Ann Arbor might transform a blighted property it owns at 721 N. Main into a greenway anchor park.
The city's North Main-Huron River Corridor Vision Task Force, which was formed by the Ann Arbor City Council back in May, has been meeting regularly for months and is getting ready to offer its recommendations for future reuse of the former city maintenance yard as public open space.
"It's been a lot of hard work," said Sumedh Bahl, the city's community services administrator, who is working with the task force on the project. "This thing has moved really fast."
At a community meeting this past week, the fruits of the task force's labor — including a detailed site plan — were presented to interested residents. The site plan shows a mix of trails and open space designed to link with the nearby Border-to-Border Trail and the future Allen Creek Greenway.
City of Ann Arbor
About half the 5.1-acre site is in a floodway. Two buildings on the flood-prone half of the site would be demolished to create a stormwater zone surrounded by lawn and prairie areas.
The city's large fleet services garage on the other half of the site would remain in place for the near term while the city explores the building's future re-use. A compressed natural gas fueling station near the back corner of the site along Summit would be removed.
The plans also show a spot where some kind of amenity could go. Suggested ideas include a dog park, community garden, a sustainability demonstration or some kind of performance stage venue or shared art space.
The bigger-picture plan shows the site, including a 22-space parking lot, integrated with the nearby Water Hill neighborhood via Summit Street and both Bluffs Park and Argo Park.
And if the Allen Creek Greenway is developed as planned, likely years into the future, there could be a green walking and biking pathway along the Ann Arbor Railroad right-of-way connecting the 721 N. Main site to two other greenway anchor parks at 415 W. Washington and First and William.
The city is considering applying for two grants to help fund the vision for 721 N. Main. Applications for grant funding through the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission's Connecting Communities program are due by the end of December, and applications for grant funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund are due in April.
Those funds would be in addition to Federal Emergency Management Agency grant funds city officials hope to use to pay for demolition of the two buildings in the floodway.
Bahl stressed the site plan is merely a concept and more work remains to determine if there's consensus. The task force will meet Wednesday and must submit its recommendations for 721 N. Main to the City Council by Dec. 31.
As for how to create a safe option for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross Main Street to get to Argo Park and the Border-To-Border Trail, Bahl said that needs to be explored further. The task force has until July 31 to deliver its broader recommendations for the corridor to the City Council.
City of Ann Arbor
"I think the one thing I'm happy about is the neighborhood seems pretty enthusiastic about the plans the way it's shaping up," Grand said. "The other piece that has made me personally more enthusiastic about the project is the potential for involvement with the Community Center."
Grand said it will be important to activate the site and have more eyes on it, and partnering with the Community Center will help with that. She said the Community Center, which has children at its summer camp all summer long, might be able to put in some garden spaces.
"I like that potential for partnership," she said. "They would just be so happy to have anything other than a parking lot adjacent to their property."
Grand said she's not sure how much the 721 N. Main vision might cost. She said the city could apply for as much as $300,000 from the Natural Resources Trust Fund, but that would require another $300,000 in matching funds, and a county parks grant could count toward that.
Jerry Hancock, Ann Arbor's stormwater and floodplain programs coordinator, said a $116,000 project to demolish the large vehicle storage and salt storage buildings on the site could happen in the spring, and the city's share of the cost is expected to be about $29,000.
He said FEMA has not issued the grant paperwork yet, so he didn't have a certain timeframe for the demolition, but he's hopeful it can happen sometime between April and June.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Roger Kuhlman
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.
Okay let's get real about the basically very mediocre environmental benefits of these plans to redevelop the City 721 North Main property. There are no natural habitats and natural areas on this site to conserve and the area's natural environnment was obliterated years and years ago. Why waste scarce environmental dollars and Ann Arbor taxpayer money here on what is sure to be a very expensive redevelopment project. The City should secure the site for safety reasons and do no more.
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 1:41 p.m.
Mr. Glen Thompson's observations below are partially correct. As the former Land Development Coordinator (Jerry Hancock's old job) and Park Planner with the city, I agree that moving stormwater out of the floodway might be more appropriate, but given the trend toward more frequent and intensive storm events, the entire watershed needs to be carefully studied to determine what the best approach would be. If nothing else, replacing impervious surface here would help infiltration rates. Unfortunately, this location is not a good site for the skate park as it needs good access and parking, plus additional amenities to serve kids and families, which are already available at Vets. The additional imprevious surface area at Vets should be compensated for with additional stormwater detention on site - if not, then the city is not folowing its own regulations, which is totally inappropriate.
Unusual Suspect
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 1:12 p.m.
Will there be giant carp in the ponds?
Seasoned Cit
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 5:18 a.m.
I expect all the folks who complain about the UM not paying any property tax, will also complain about this plan for another park which will only require more park maintenance funds as well as dollars to buy property (which is generating tax income) . Hey I like to dream. but I know you're not allowed to say anything bad about parks, after all.. that's what you ask the city to do with property that might be developed in your back yard.
Basic Bob
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 4:54 a.m.
The environmental assessment for the property sheds some light on this project. For beginners: 2.1 Previous Property Owners There are no property transfer records for the subject property. As stated in the City Directory, the City of Ann Arbor Fleet Services and city garage has occupied the buildings on the subject property since they were built in the 1920s. From 1932 to 2011 the subject property was listed as the following: - Ann Arbor City Municipal Garage; - City Street Department Fleet Services; - City Department of Public Works; - City Yards for Street Sewer Refuse and Garage; - City Traffic Street Maintenance; and - City Waste Field and Ann Arbor Recycling and Solid Waste. This is not the city cleaning up blight left by previous occupants, and it is not a new park. It is an environmental catastrophe that the city has developed over the last hundred years. While I applaud them cleaning up their own mess, they need to also acknowledge who created it. Cleaning up your own toxic waste is not green.
Vince Caruso
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 10:34 p.m.
Discussed at the various 721 meetings was the fact that the floodplain map for the Allen's Creek watershed is poorly understood. The maps are 'very loosely calibrated' on the 1968 flood (city staff and consultant who did the mapping). Leaving the building that is up against the floodway (the blue lines) is ill advised and should be removed for safety sake. Obstructing the floodway (which the building is most likely in) will needlessly cause more flooding upstream of homes and businesses and unsuspecting occupants of the building could be at great risk. A Greenway for this site makes the most sense and is how many Michigan city's are converting floodplain lands in a environmentally and economically sound planning practice. We have had several cases of very costly mistakes trying to build in and near the floodplain in Ann Arbor, even before Climate Change was considered as is now. Lessons need to be learned or a great price will be paid in life and property damage. At a recent City and UM Climate Change Discussion in March the UM Professor of Planning stated clearly - "don't build in the floodplain!'. The Mayor was also on the panel of speakers. I hope he was listening.
Roger Kuhlman
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 10:05 p.m.
You don't build in a floodplain but how many of you people who want a Greenway in downtown Ann Arbor and along Allen Creek were opposed to the federal government sending down billions and billions of dollars to New Orleans to rebuild the city after Katrina? New Orleans is probably the environmentally worst case of building in the flood plain in America. Double standards anyone?
Roger Kuhlman
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 9:58 p.m.
You better believe there is a hidden agenda. It is called NIMBYism.
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 2:37 a.m.
our "mayor" has been for the "greenway" since the beginning. I am all for parks and green space, but the spaces they have always floated have seemed very strange. I also see that there is a "hypothetical" conceptual greenway along allen creek on this plan. I suspect there is some sort of hidden agenda involved in this.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 9:45 p.m.
Looks great! I can hardly wait for this to become a reality.
Eat Local A2
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
So Ryan's posting of his own story from last year talks about the city finally getting serious last year about a ten year old idea, but didn't really ask the tough question, which is how does a city get away with subjecting residents to ongoing flood risks while instead spending taxpayer money on flooding silly sculptures with water? Open spaces, parks, greenway, whatever you want to call it, the PRIMARY reason for configuring this land use is not for that but rather for stormwater management and flood mitigation. Rather than getting serious about a solid plan for the land that handles the water and provides basic open spaces with local dollars, the City of Ann Arbor makes the problem bigger than it needs to be, foments the fake crises, and thus passively insists on some other entity bearing the cost of their core function. That's why the last decade was frittered away on this. One could have bought a lot of regrading for the price of that fickle water sculpture.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 6:53 p.m.
Remind us Ryan - what is a "green way" and why does Ann Arbor need one?
Ryan J. Stanton
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 8:23 p.m.
Here's a past story: http://annarbor.com/news/allen-creek-greenway-vision-gets-vote-of-confidence-from-ann-arbor-city-council/
Tom Joad
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 6:34 p.m.
How about placing a pedestrian bridge over the railroad track from Main to the Argo Dam. As it is now you have to walk further down to get on the paved trail in order to avoid trespassing on railroad property to cross the railroad tracks.
Eat Local A2
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 6:20 p.m.
It is interesting to note Ryan's unique use of the word blighted within the article, which is not supported by other comments or statements within the plans. This puts a false veneer on the story in support of a larger government project, without supportive facts. I'm not seeing anything here to suggest this is a Superfund site! Seems to me the overspenders in government have the dog whistles and the lapdog press take their cues well. Thankfully the people are smarter than that.
Eat Local A2
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 6:11 p.m.
The real issues here are those of any property owner: what does the owner need from the property, and how do they deal with their responsibility regarding drainage. Apparently whatever business and operations functions are happening now on the property are not critical, since there is no talk of any reconstruction except hypothetically in the future. So the sole present issue is the responsibility for drainage. Having some open space for public use would be a plus on top of that, but note the ACTIVE 'development' (development by government, their use of the term) which does not provide the least costly solution to get the basic job done in these economically challenging times. Moreover, as another commenter noted, where is the consideration of this particular issue of stormwater drainage within the larger context of those needs throughout the city. The fact is, that by chunking these projects into small pieces, with the trails/greenway dream held out as the ultimate long-term goal, it allows the city to divert attention from getting the basic job done on their own budget and skirt any debate on their overall stewardship of taxpayer dollars and the scope of city government. And since the greenway couldn't possibly be finished on the city's budget in a few years, of course there is the need to go out seeking grants--which again gets us away from the basic question of what the city is doing to meet their responsibility for providing the core services of local government in a cost-effective manner. In some ways this is no different from the framing of the Stadium bridge issue as a special project of sorts, when in fact it slowly fell apart on the city's watch. That way of looking at it diverted the narrative away from their steadfast refusal to accept and plan for its maintenance and ultimate replacement as a core function of why they exist.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 11:01 p.m.
Master plans can take decades to implement, and therefore improvements are "chunked into small pieces" as the timing is appropriate to redevelop particular sections. A town that does not attempt to evolve will end up antiquated and undesirable.
Ryan J. Stanton
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 5:19 p.m.
In case anyone wants a closer look at what was presented at Wednesday night's community meeting on 721 N. Main, here's a link to the presentation: http://www.annarbor.com/721NorthMain_112812.pdf
Soulful Adrenaline
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 7:44 p.m.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 4:25 p.m.
I am not familiar with this site, but would have concerns with a dog park located either near a floodplain or adjacent to a major water body (Huron River or tributary). Fecal coliform contamination is a huge issue in waterways passing through urban areas. Since not all dog owners pick up their pet waste, this can be a significant source of contamination. Will this pose a problem at this site? - if so, I hope they can find another dog-friendly place in town that wouldn't potentially impact river water quality.
glenn thompson
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 1:56 p.m.
This demonstrates some of the problems when our city management considers individual parcels and does not have the foresight to consider the city as a system. The 721 design seems to show a depression in the center of the floodway portion, but this is not a logical location to attempt to store stormwater. The floodway, especially near the river should be design to enhance flow to the river to reduce upstream flooding. Stormwater storage should occur upstream where, if the water is retained, the flood can be prevented or reduced. Yet our Parks department proposes exactly the opposite. More land is being made impervious in Vet's Park with the expansion of the ball fields and the proposed skate park. This is the western area of the Allen Creek watershed and will exacerbate future flooding. A preferred solution is obvious. Put the skate park at 721 and design some of the features to act as a channel to increase floodwater flow to the river. Stop over developing Vet's Park and use it as an engineer stormwater control system where acre feet of water could be retained.
Soulful Adrenaline
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 8:55 p.m.
What would you do?
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 3:59 p.m.
There is no attempt to store storm water. Nor is day lighting the creek possible. This article failed to explain that.
Susan Montgomery
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 1:46 p.m.
Nice! I appreciate the task force's vision and efforts.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 12:21 p.m.
oh good, another park.....can't have enough of those.....
Mon, Dec 3, 2012 : 12:18 p.m.
Let's see what the recent record is: bunches of new skyscrapers for students (around Campus) or young professionals (the old Fox Tent property) or the 100% build-out around Briarwood vs. how many new parks?
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 5:48 p.m.
No...I'd rather have a 17-story high rise for students.
Sun, Dec 2, 2012 : 2:31 p.m.
I agree with your words, though I suspect you are being sarcastic.


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California regulators, trying to assess the true environmental cost of corn ethanol, are poised to declare that the biofuel cannot help the state reduce global warming.
As they see it, corn is no better – and might be worse – than petroleum when total greenhouse gas emissions are considered.
Such a declaration, to be considered later this week by the California Air Resources Board, would be a considerable blow to the corn-ethanol industry in the United States.
If passed, the measure could serve as a model as other states and the federal government tackle carbon emissions. But California's regulators say they have no choice.
The state must assess the full climate change impact of corn ethanol under a California law requiring a sharp cut in carbon emissions from transportation fuels. The board must encourage the use of cleaner alternatives like electricity, hydrogen and cellulosic ethanol, said board spokesman Dimitri Stanich.
The proposal would work like this: If increased production of corn-based ethanol in the U.S. raises corn prices and accelerates the conversion of rainforests and conservations lands to farmland worldwide, greenhouse emissions and loss of the carbon sink associated with such deforestation and disruption must be counted towards the biofuel's total emissions.
"Losing a carbon sink would defeat the purpose of this regulation to reduce greenhouse emissions," Stanich said.
The regulation is part of California's low-carbon fuel standard to reduce greenhouse emissions from transportation fuels by an average of 10 percent by 2020 or 16 million metric tons of carbon emissions over the next decade.
A regional low carbon fuel standard has also been adopted by eleven northeast and Mid-Atlantic states. And President Obama has called for a national low carbon fuel standard. Both efforts are likely to look at California's findings as a model.
Federal law requires U.S. transportation fuels contain 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel by 2022, of which 21 billion gallons must be cellulosic ethanol.
But an overwhelming majority of ethanol mixed into gasoline today comes from corn. By 2012, about a third of all corn produced in the U.S. will go towards making ethanol, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Proponents say this will create thousands of jobs while reducing carbon emissions.
They fear California's rule could stymie that, creating an unfair playing field that only penalizes biofuel production.
"We strongly support the low carbon fuel standard," said Roger Salazar, spokesman for Growth Energy, an ethanol advocacy group. "But the science behind (California's proposal) is extremely uncertain."
More than 100 scientists researching biofuel production agree, having signed a letter to California Gov. Schwarzenegger calling the policy misguided and based on limited scientific models that improperly punish corn-based biofuel.
"Results from the model have not been verified enough to be useful," said Harvey Blanch, a professor of biochemical engineering at University California, Berkeley, and one of the signatories. "There needs to be more studies validating this method before applying it to a legal framework."
This is the first piece of regulation to account for such so-called "indirect land-use effects" of corn-based ethanol. But it is the latest in an ongoing debate about the fuel's effectiveness to reduce greenhouse gases.
Prior research has shown converting corn to ethanol leads to more clearing of rainforests that would do little to slow global warming. A recent study looking at the total climate change and health costs from fuels found that corn-based ethanol equals or exceeds the costs of gasoline. That study, published February in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluded that the combined climate-change and health costs are $469 million for gasoline, $472 million to $952 million for corn ethanol, and $123 million to $208 million for cellulosic ethanol.
Whereas corn ethanol is produced from the edible corn grain, cellulosic ethanol comes from wood, grasses and the non-edible parts of plants. Cellulosic emits fewer greenhouse gases than corn and has minimal impacts on deforestation rate, air pollution and food prices.
"If we are going to be using corn-ethanol in any large quantities, we really need to be sure it is having its intended effects," said Jason Hill, a research associate in applied economics at the University of Minnesota and lead author of the PNAS study.
Including indirect land-use change is essential, Hill said, especially if policies aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
But federal policy is moving in an opposite direction. Pushed by industry and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering upping the percentage of ethanol in the nation's gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent. All of that, at least in the near-term, would likely come from corn.
California's rules, Salazar said, will scare off investors and the investments needed to make biofuels viable, causing more use of oil. To continue advancements towards cellulosic ethanol – which reduces greenhouse emissions by 90% compared to gasoline – and make it more cost competitive, continued investment in corn ethanol is necessary, he said.
"You can't really get to the ultimate goal of cellulosic without this corn ethanol bridge," he said.
Hill countered that the ethanol industry has grown so fast that it has outpaced the science. The need for precaution is necessary, he said.
"If we are going to have policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the burden of proof should be on the fuels to fulfill that policy," Hill said.
"Right now, there is no clear data that shows corn ethanol has the effect of reducing greenhouse gas emission."
This article originally appeared at The Daily Climate, the climate change news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.


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Home | Animal Kingdom | Earth | Ocean | Resources | Space | Time | Weather | Science Tutors | About
Home > Animal Kingdom > Creepy Crawlies > Biggest Snake
If you've seen the stories circulating around the Internet about the world's biggest snake being held in captivity in Indonesia (back in 2003), then get the straight dope on snopes.com.
The Secret Life of an Anaconda
Anacondas in the wild spend most of their time hanging out in rivers hunting for their food. They are solitary creatures that are somewhat shy and not many of them are easily seen. They are very well camouflaged in the swamps and bogs in which they thrive. There are some historical reports of early European explorers of the South American jungles seeing giant anacondas up to 100 feet long and some of the native peoples of the South American jungle have reported seeing anacondas up to 50 feet long. No one has caught and measured an anaconda anywhere near that size. Also no one thought about building a snake enclosure to fit such a huge snake. It is important to note that when a dead anaconda's hide or skin is laid out it can be stretched very easily, expanding to much longer lengths than the snake exhibited when alive. Reports of outsize anacondas that cannot be verified are usually due to distortions in perception, or a snake skin being disproportionately stretched and inaccurately measured. People are generally really bad at estimating length, especially for larger snakes. In fact, the larger the snake, the larger the margin of error.
Anacondas like to hang out in rivers so it would be difficult to estimate the length of one seen swimming without seeing the entire snake. It's the anaconda's ability to remain partly hidden in the water that makes it difficult to accurately find (and document) a specimen that exceeds the current world's record. (Would you want to jump in the water after a giant anaconda to try and measure a snake big enough to kill you?) Read about a scientist who does wade into the swamps to capture giant anacondas in the wild and study them
The Biggest Snake to Have Ever Lived
If you think that an anaconda big enough to swallow a capybara or tapir whole is big, you should see the size of the giant snake scientists discovered in a coal mine in Columbia, South America in 2008. Fossils of an enormous snake were discovered in an open coal mine in the Amazon rainforest. Paleontologists estimated the length of the snake - called Titanoboa - to be 43 feet long and estimated to weigh 2,500 pounds! Based on their findings, the scientists who identified this new species of snake said it was large enough to prey on crocodiles. Since snakes are cold-blooded, the average temperature of the Amazon had to have been 6 to 8 degrees warmer to support a snake that enormous.
Killer Snake
Anacondas are members of the boa constrictor family of snakes. That means that they kill their prey by coiling their large, powerful bodies around their victims and squeezing until their prey suffocates or is crushed to death and dies from internal bleeding. Then the snake unhinges its jaw and swallows the victim whole. Anacondas are much more likely to eat aquatic creatures, such as fish. Occasionally, they have been known to eat: caimans (a relative of the alligator), other snakes, deer, and even jaguars. Anacondas are rather slow-moving snakes, so they have to rely on stealth and the element of surprise to catch their unsuspecting prey.
Do Anacondas Bite?
Just about every species of snake on earth has teeth, but the anacondas' teeth are not used for chewing. Snakes' teeth are used for holding onto their prey, preventing them from escaping. Some snakes have venom in two specially designed, extra long teeth (called fangs) which they use to kill their prey. Anacondas have teeth, but they are not a venomous snake. They rely on their enormous size and power to subdue their victims. It is possible to be bitten by an anaconda, but the bite itself would not be fatal.
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Primary documents telling human stories
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Now available! The Geography of Slavery in Virginia offers a new search interface and updated supporting materials for ads, 1736-1777. You can now search the ads by gender, age, skill, and intent, among other things. Click on the image opposite.
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How This Guy Got Out of Puckering Up for Kiss Cam Will Surprise You
The kiss cam is as much a part of sporting events in this country as the wave and overpriced, flat beer.
So, this fella at a University of Minnesota men's hockey game last weekend came up with a clever way to make sure he wouldn't have to do the obligatory smooch when the camera landed on him and the woman sitting by his side.
Nice audible, buddy.
What do you think? Is this guy a visionary or should he have at least just been a good sport and given her a light peck on the cheek?


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The Wire premiered on HBO 10 years ago tomorrow so Maxim (what really?) is out with a long oral history. It's all worth reading (and finally proof for the 'I read it for the articles' argument), but the more interesting bits to me were towards the end, and I wish there were a few more comments from superfans. Marc Spitz did an amazing job wrangling interviews from the majority of the cast.
New to me was the cop actors and crook actors not hanging out together, and Prop Joe mentoring the kids from Season 4.
Tristan Wilds (Michael Lee, student, Stanfield gang enforcer): Every time we'd get a script all four of us would sit down with Robert Chew go over the script and make sure we had it down.
Robert F. Chew (Joseph "Proposition Joe" Stewart, drug kingpin): A couple of them were not from Baltimore so they did not have the lingo and the dialect, so I'd give them hints on that and just understanding the emotion of the scene.
I also liked this bit about Snoop.
Tristan Wilds: I remember when I first read the script, I was like "Noooo! Why do I gotta do it?" Snoop became like my big sister to me; she was everything. I was actually with my niece a couple months ago and she was watching iCarly -and there was a scene where Sam takes paint ball gun and shoots Gib, but he looks at her before she does and says, 'How's my hair look?' And she says, "You look good, Gib."
Method Man: I always went online to see the reactions that people would have after someone got killed. Snoop, when she got killed, oh you should've seen it. You would've thought somebody really died. Like it was a funeral happening: "RIP Snoop, we gon' miss you," and all this craziness. They were just two lines short of making "In Memory Of" T-Shirts. Same thing with Omar. Stringer, same thing. Then when I die, it's like "good for him. They should've killed his ass sooner."
Also on the 10th Anniversary tip, here's Details on 10 Ways the Wire changed TV and The Atlantic says The Wire feels dated. (via @groveatlantic)


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Anthony Spencer has knee setback, doesn't practice
Published September 5, 2013 12:00 PM
The Cowboys are going to unveil a brand-new defense, and they might be doing it with a lot of brand-new defensive linemen.
According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com, defensive end Anthony Spencer said he had a setback with his knee, which kept him off the practice field. Spencer had surgery on his left knee early on July 25, keeping their franchise player off the field since.
Spencer still held out hope he might play this week, though a month and a half off doesn't make that appear likely.
The Cowboys will also be without defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, who's still on the PUP list. That has them starting George Selvie and Nick Hayden up front, hardly the kind of group new coordinator Monte Kiffin would have been hoping for.


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Created with the help of supercomputers, this simulation shows the formation of a massive galaxy during the first 2 billion years of the universe. Hydrogen gas is gray, young stars appear blue, and older stars are red. The simulation reveals that gas flows into galaxies along filaments akin to cosmic bendy, or swirly, straws.
Jillian Bellovary of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.; Fabio Governato of the University of Washington, Seattle, and the University of Washington's N-Body Shop helped create the simulation. The work was conducted in part using the resources of the Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education at Vanderbilt University.


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Book Chapter
"Optimal Mechanical/Control Design for Safe and Fast Robotics", in Experimental Robotics IX: The 9th International Symposium on Experimental Robotics, vol. 21, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2006, pp. 311 - 320. [PDF] (258.85 KB),


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Please login or create an account to apply for Colorado UCP DBE certification, ESB certification, and/or provide annual updates and renewal information to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). If you would like to apply for ACDBE certification, you cannot apply to CDOT and must apply with the City and County of Denver. If you have questions about CDOT's certifications, please contact email@example.com or call 303-757-9234.
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After logging in to your account, you will be directed to the application form. You can also click the Apply for Certification link on the right side of the "Dashboard." If you require technical assistance while completing the application, please use our online support form.


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Thursday, September 8, 2011
Today, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted a ceremonial signing for patent no. 8,000,000 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum–the former home of the U.S. Patent Office. Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos presented the patent to Second Sight Medical Products, Inc., for a visual prosthesis apparatus that enhances visual perception for people who have gone blind due to outer retinal degeneration.
At the ceremony, Blank underscored the critical role the U.S. patent system plays in fostering American innovation and economic competitiveness. Together with Kappos, she urged the Senate to act swiftly to pass the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act without amendment so the President can sign the patent reform legislation into law in the coming days. The America Invents Act will help create new jobs by simplifying the process inventors face for getting a patent, while making the system more transparent and reducing costly and time-consuming litigation. The bill also substantially improves the patent office's current funding situation, without adding to the deficit, by creating a process that will help the USPTO access all of the fees it collects to efficiently grant higher-quality patents and drive down the backlog of unexamined patent applications. Blank's remarks | Kappos's remarks | More on Patent No. 8 Million


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Vatican City, Dec 17, 2013 / 16:07 pm
Pope Francis recognized the sainthood of early Jesuit Peter Faber on Dec. 17 after holding a private audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.
The decision, "enrolling in the catalogue of Saints" one of the co-founders of the Society of Jesus, was announced through the Holy See press office. The announcement said the Pope had "extended to the Universal Church the liturgical cult in honor of Blessed Peter Faber."
It was also announced that Pope Francis had authorized the congregation to acknowledge a miracle attributed to the intercession of Venerable Maria Teresa Demjanovich, a sister of the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth, from New Jersey who died in 1927; the heroic virtues of Emmanuel Herranz Estables, a Spanish priest who died in 1968; and the heroic virtues of Giorgio Ciesielski, a Polish layman and father who died in 1970.
The means of St. Peter Faber's canonization is equivalent to that of St. Angela of Foligno, whom Pope Francis canonized Oct. 9. According Italian publication La Stampa, St. Angela's canonization diverged from the normal process involving the recognition of a second miracle attributed to the saint's intercession.
Such a canonization is done "when such a saint has been from a remote period the object of veneration, when his heroic virtues (or martyrdom) and miracles are related by reliable historians, and the fame of his miraculous intercession is uninterrupted," La Stampa wrote.
St. Peter Faber was born in 1506, and studied at the University of Paris, where he met St. Ignatius Loyola and St Francis Xavier; the three went on to become the founders of the Society of Jesus. St. Peter Faber was ordained a priest in 1534, and served across Europe.
He died in 1546, and his relics are kept at the Church of the Gesu, the Jesuits' mother church in Rome. His feast has been kept Aug. 2, the anniversary of his death, by the Society of Jesus, and he was beatified in 1872 by Pius IX.
Pope Francis has referred to the new saint at least twice in his pontificate, both in his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii gaudium" and in his Sept. 30 interview with Jesuit publications.
In "Evangelii gaudium," Pope Francis quoted the saint as saying "time is God's messenger," making a point about the need for patience, an ability to listen, and docility to the Holy Spirit, in the process of drawing others closer to God.
In his Sept. 30 interview, the Pope cited St. Peter Faber as a Jesuit who had particularly affected him, saying he was moved by the priest's "dialogue with all, even the most remote and even with his opponents; his simple piety, a certain naïveté perhaps, his being available straightaway, his careful interior discernment, the fact that he was a man capable of great and strong decisions but also capable of being so gentle and loving."


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Product: Blackboard Learn Release 9.1, Service Pack 11 (SP11)
Date: December 6, 2012
Independent Auditor: Deque Systems, Inc & Jim Thatcher
Per the requirements provided by the W3C, Blackboard makes the following claim of WCAG 2.1 conformance for a subset, specified below, of Blackboard Learn Service Pack 11:
On November 20, 2012, the web pages encountered in the following user activities all conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1, Level AA.
- Logging into the LMS
- Using the LMS as a student
- Change personal settings and colors
- Find and access a course
- Find and review content within the course, including multi-media (audio/video) content
- Contribute content to a course wiki, including uploading files
- Find, review and submit an assignment
- Find a test, read instructions, respond to all questions and submit the completed test
- Find and review grades
- Read announcement from the teacher
- Find, post to and interact with a course blog
- Find discussion forum(s) and participate in the conversations
- Using the LMS as a teacher
- Create content with in the course
- Create course content with conditional availability
- Create an assignment
- Create tests with different question types
- Reorder the items on the course menu
- Copy items from one section of the course to another
- Enter and manage course grades
- Grade student work
The technologies that this content "relies upon" are HTML 4.01, HTML Transitional, JavaScript and CSS3.
A third party accessibility consultant manually tested each of the pages encountered in the process described above against all WCAG 2.1 AA Success Criteria and provided details of and recommended fixes for each failure identified. Blackboard Development iteratively worked with the consultant to fix each failure until all identified failures were determined to pass and considered "Fixed". Blackboard Quality Assurance also conducted parallel WCAG 2.1 AA testing as part of their testing process and came to the same conclusion as the Consultant: On November 20, 2012, all of the above named pages pass all WCAG 2.1 AA Success Criteria.
There is one exception to the conformance described above. The rich text editor used throughout the product fails Level A success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard Access) for some, but not all, of of the formatting elements. Specifically, navigating the select lists for font type and size can cause the full page to scroll rather than moving through the options. This editor, called TinyMCE Version 3.5.6, is a third party component and Blackboard has no direct control over this technology. Blackboard is working with TinyMCE to ensure that the editor will meet Success Criterion 2.1.1 and be upgraded in Blackboard Learn in a future release.
Contact information for Independent Accessibility Consultant:
Deque Systems, Inc. POC - Preety Kumar 2121 Cooperative Way, Ste. 210 Herndon, VA 20171 (703) 225-0380, www.deque.com
Jim Thatcher POC - Jim Thatcher 709 Fletcher Street Austin, TX 78704 (512) 306-0931, www.jimthatcher.com


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Know It All Tours (a New Wave Industries Company) is proud to present its Tour Boston's Freedom Trail iPad App. This interactive App is the only guide you need to explore the Boston Freedom Trail!
Tour Boston's Freedom Trail App is jam packed with content including full audio, HD video footage, GEO location and maps, thorough historical information about each of the sites, and important details such as public restroom locations, handicap accessibility, contact information and hours of operation.
The Freedom Trail is Boston's most famous attraction. The 2 1/2 mile red line winds its way through the city, linking historically significant sites and telling the story of the birth of the United States. This interactive App covers all of the 16 official sites on the Freedom Trail, along with many other interesting "unofficial" sites that you might otherwise pass right by. In total there are 45 points of interest, making this the ultimate app to guide you through Boston's Freedom Trail. It is the only guide you need to learn all about this important piece of history, while you go at your own pace.
Summary of Features:
- Learn about Boston's famous Freedom Trail.
- Great historical information about the trail and each site.
- Extra "unofficial" stops along the way
– Don't miss a thing!
- 45 Total Points of Interest!
- Full audio, video and text for each site so you can choose how to experience the trail.
- Geo-location & maps so you won't get lost.
- Beautiful HD video footage of each site.
- Restroom information.
- Handicapped accessibility information.
- Hours of operation & contact information for the sites.
- Wikipedia links for even more information.
- Self-guided tour.
-Your location is now shown on the map(when location services are enabled)
- Save money and go at your own pace!
- The map points show official stops in Red, and unofficial stops in Purple. Stops are now all displayed on the map.
- Now you can start from the Boston Common (stop 1) or Bunker Hill Monument (stop 16). Just shake the device or use the re-sort button on the iPad and the tour will be re-ordered to either 1-16 or 16-1.
- all the media can be downloaded to the device before you hit the trail. This is a great update for travelers that might go outside their network.
Read along with the text, or just relax and listen to the audio while you explore the sites. You'll even find some little known facts, and interesting details about places that are not officially part of the trail, but that you might otherwise pass right by. With more features than any others available, you can experience a completely self-guided tour. This means you can move at your own pace and not worry about keeping up with an organized tour while you take in more of the city of Boston and take breaks when you want to. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about the Freedom Trail right here!??Even if you can't make the trip to Boston, this is a great app to learn about the Freedom Trail from the comfort of your home. With so much great information, full audio, hours of beautiful HD video clips and photographs, you'll feel like you're there!
Download the App Today from the iTunes App Store
Additional Images Below


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NEWS - Sunday, June 15, 2003
XboxAddict's Deals of the WeekCheck out this weeks: XboxAddict.com Deals of the Week to see all of the new releases, best deals and price drops. What exactly are these deals and where do we find them? We gather up the weekly fliers from:
Source: http://www.xboxaddict.com/


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Here is some of what the USC professor said to his students:
"California Republicans [are] really stupid and racist."
" ... Republicans are 82 percent white. Losers."
"The Republican Party in California ... is the last vestige of angry old white people. "
"The Republicans are trying to prevent people of color and people of lower income from voting by requiring voter ID."
"We discovered, and this is generally true, the least flexible voter in America, the person who's less likely to change their mind about anything is an old white guy. Old white guys are stubborn sons of bitches."
"There are tens of thousands of people who are now dead because George Bush, even though he got fewer votes, became the president of the United States. That's a fact. ... I think the election got stolen. That's what I think. ... [the Republicans] stole the election. And this happens all the time."
"Probably the biggest vulnerability that Romney has ... [is] that the guy doesn't understand normal human beings."
"All campaigns have a message it communicates to the voters:
[The Democratic message is] "Vote for Obama because he's gonna create jobs and keep the peace and protect social security."
[The Republican message is] "Vote for Romney because Obama is all f----ed up ... "
"The Republican Party is increasingly the last refuge of old, angry white people who don't like what's going on in this country."
Some points regarding Sragow's statements:
1. None had anything to do with teaching.
2. Each one is left-wing propaganda, examples of the widespread attempts at our universities to indoctrinate rather educate.
3. Some are not merely indoctrination, they are also false. For example, blacks are considerably less likely than whites "to change their mind about anything" political. Since 1964, the black Democrat vote has been consistently over 80 percent.
4. Though he is teaching at a university, Sragow has no compunction about cursing while "teaching." Cursing in public is characteristic of leftism. I provide many examples and explain why in my book "Still the Best Hope."
5. Substitute "old black" for "old white" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired. Substitute "old white women" for "old white men" and Sragow would have been suspended, if not fired.
6. According to his fellow liberal, Tom Brokaw, "old white guys" are "The Greatest Generation." Which is it?
What was USC's official response?
As reported in the campus newspaper, Daily Trojan: "The university responded Friday with a statement affirming faculty members' right to express their views."
And in the words of USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett: "The freedom to take unpopular positions and the freedom to express those positions publicly are at the foundation of what it means to be a faculty member of a university."
For the record, in 2009 USC Vice President of Student Affairs, Michael Jackson, published "an open letter to the USC community" in the Daily Trojan, attacking the College Republicans for inviting conservative activist David Horowitz to campus. But USC in no way condemned Sragow.
Furthermore, Garrett was wrong about universities and dishonest about USC. She was wrong about "what it means to be a faculty member of a university." It is not about taking "unpopular positions;" it is about teaching truth to the best of the professor's ability. And attacks on Republicans are hardly "unpopular positions" at USC, or at virtually any other American university. On the contrary, they are the dominant positions there.
For Provost Garrett's sake, therefore, here are some unpopular positions at USC:
--Marriage should remain defined as the union of a man and a woman.
--The human fetus should have at least as much right to life as, let us say, a dog.
--America is the greatest force for good in the world.
--Fighting communism in Vietnam was a morally noble venture.
--The greatest problem in black American life is not racism or poverty but the absence of fathers.
--The most effective -- often the only -- way to stop great evil is through war.
--More men than women are more willing to work more hours at a job.
--More women are likely to find happiness in a successful marriage and family than in a successful career.
--At this moment in history, the world has more to fear from fundamentalist Muslims than from fundamentalist Christians, Jews, Hindus or Buddhists.
Provost Garrett might want to inquire as to how many USC professors subscribe to, let alone, advocate in class, any of those positions.
At the Daily Trojan website, one commenter after another articulated what may be the only solution to USC and other universities having become left-wing seminaries:
Scott: "I am paying $65,000 per year for my son to be fed this hateful nonsense? The fact that the administration is not mortified by these statements is telling. Shame on USC."
Mike: "Lost a lot of respect for my alma mater today. They won't get another dollar from me."
KJM: "I am alum and hereby withholding any further support of my alma mater."
Non-leftists who give money to an American university are usually funding the erosion of that university as well as the erosion of their own values.


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Snagging a marriage proposal for her client while on an all-expenses-paid vacation should be a simple job for Ciel Halligan, aura adaptor extraordinaire. A kind of human chameleon, she's able to take on her clients' appearances and slip seamlessly into their lives, solving any sticky problems they don't want to deal with themselves. No fuss, no muss. Big paycheck.
This particular assignment is pretty enjoyable...that is, until Ciel's island resort bungalow is blown to smithereens and her client's about-to-be-fiancé is snatched by modern-day Vikings. For some reason, Ciel begins to suspect that getting the ring is going to be a tad more difficult than originally anticipated.
Going from romance to rescue requires some serious gear-shifting, as well as a little backup. Her best friend, Billy, and Mark, the CIA agent she's been crushing on for years—both skilled adaptors—step in to help, but their priority is, annoyingly, keeping her safe. Before long, Ciel is dedicating more energy to escaping their watchful eyes than she is to saving her client's intended.
Suddenly, facing down a horde of Vikings feels like the least of her problems.
I gave this book a 4
Buy Now!
Visit this amazing author for more information


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TEHRAN, IRAN – Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmedinejad shocked the world this week by appearing on a one hour Christmas special broadcast on the BBC.
"Iranian Mountain Holiday with Mahmoud Ahmedinejad" was broadcast on BBC World satellite television station, to the offense and confusion of many.
Greeting the world in a seasonal appliqué sweater, the Iranian dictator hosted the special featuring holiday songs, skits, and numerous special guests. Arabic pop singers and entertainer appeared on the show, taking place on a soundstage poorly constructed to look like a cabin in the mountains. In several of the scenes a boom mic or automatic rifle could be seen pointing at the entertainers.
Several puppets made out of burlap sacks with "US NAVY" still written on them appeared throughout the special, singing cheery songs with Ahmedinejad. Fatima Al-Shiraz, a classically trained Persian singer, brought the host and several members of the attending death squad to tears with her rendition of Silent Night.
Ahmedinejad then took a moment to have a fire-side chat directly with the audience. The despot called upon people of all faiths and backgrounds to come together in a spirit of peace and cooperation. He then gave a coded message to all his friends with an "Ahmedinejad Secret Decoder Pin." The CIA has refused to comment on the messages translation.


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Story of a Zookeeper
Ethan Anderson, 24, communes with the animals as a Central Florida Zoo hoof stock keeper.
"I was always fascinated with nature as a young boy. Animals that are born in zoos don't know a life other than that. By working in animal care management, I wanted to give animals the best possible life, given the circumstances."
By the time Anderson was 18, he had researched careers in wildlife biology and field studies. After interning at Zoo Boise in Idaho, where he grew up, Anderson got his two-year degree in zookeeping from Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado. Then he had the chance to intern at the Central Florida Zoo, where he was hired full time last year.
"I like working with the camel (Sir Gus Jr., shown) right now. He's very intuitive and motivated; he's got a great personality. Animals can teach you so much just from their body language."
"My most memorable moment this year was hand-feeding one of the kangaroos. They kind of grab your hand with their paws, and it's a form of kinship with the animal and respect for you in being their caretaker. It's an enlightening feeling."
"There are still moments when I get scared. Anything can happen. Sometimes you get in positions where the animal does get the better of you—that's just part of the job. You can't hold it against the animal; they're just being a wild animal."
"It happened to me with a kangaroo. We were restraining him to give him some medication. They don't like being contained or held down, and when we finally got him and injected the medicine, he reached up and kind of punched me in the jaw. They do box you a bit sometimes. It wasn't comfortable, but thankfully he didn't get a full-on blow."
Anderson starts his day at 7 a.m. "I do my rounds, making sure everyone is alert and healthy. Next, I feed everybody and clean up after them. Then, I work on training and enrichment with objects that keep them cognitively interactive and exploring their five senses."
His favorite part of the day is cleaning the animals' habitats because he likes working outdoors. He also enjoys the occasional "keeper talks" he gives to children. "The lights click on for kids when they are interacting with the animals; that's their connection to nature."
Recently, the zoo opened a new Indian rhinoceros exhibit. "That is an animal I've always wanted to work with. They are kind of misunderstood; people see them as big and dumb, but they're actually quite intelligent."
"As most animals experience the threat of habitat destruction, zoos are very important. If left in the wild, some animals might become extinct. However, zoos have special breeding programs, and it's a huge network system. When an animal can be re-released into the wild, it can help replenish the population of wild animals in the world. Zoos play a huge part in that."


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Kids across America are growing, and some are earning, a lot of "green" participating in the National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program. This year, more than 1.5 million third graders in 48 states have gotten hands-on gardening experience growing colossal cabbages with high hopes to win "best in state" and receive a $1,000 scholarship towards education from Bonnie Plants.
Each year Bonnie Plants, the largest producer of vegetable and herb plants in North America, with 72 stations across the country, trucks free O.S. Cross, or "oversized," cabbage plants to third grade classrooms whose teachers have signed up for the program online at www.bonnieplants.com. If nurtured and cared for, kids can grow green, giant cabbages, some tipping the scales at 40 pounds!
Launched nationally in 2002, the program awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student in each participating state. At the end of the season, teachers from each class select the student who has grown the "best" cabbage, based on size and appearance. A digital image of the cabbage and student is submitted online at www.bonnieplants.com. That student's name is then entered in a statewide drawing. State winners are randomly selected by the Commission of Agriculture, in each of 48 particpating states.
Getting It Growing: Growing a colossal cabbage may seem like a giant undertaking for little kids, but it's easier than you think. All you need to do is:
• Let the Sunshine In: Cabbages need at least six hours of full sunlight, more if possible.
• Survey Your Space: Bonnie O.S. cabbages need at least three feet on each side to spread out. If you don't have that much space, use a large container.
• Supplement Soil: Work some compost into the soil – cabbages love nutrient-rich soil.
• Feed the Need: Start your cabbage off right with an all-purpose vegetable fertilizer, then fertilize it every 10 days to keep it growing strong.
• Water Wisely: Your cabbage needs at least one inch of rainfall each week. If it doesn't rain, use a watering can or garden hose to gently water your plant at soil level.
• Tend To Trouble: Keep weeds out of the cabbage patch – they compete for the food and water your cabbage needs. Be on the lookout for brown or white moths – these come from worms that love to munch on cabbage. If you see any, get rid of them right away. Cold weather can damage your cabbage. If the weather gets below 32° F, cover your cabbage with a bucket or clothe covering.
• Hefty Harvest: In just 10 to 12 weeks, you should have a huge head of cabbage you can be proud of.
Green thumbs and perseverance can pay off, providing participating children with as great sense of pride and accomplishment, a humongous cabbage, and for the lucky state winner…. the beginning of an educational fund for college. To see the 2013 winners and learn more about the 2014 contest, visit www.bonnieplants.com
Why a cabbage? Cabbages were the first plant sold by Bonnie in 1918. The cabbages used for the 3rd grade program are OS Cross (over-sized), which is known for producing giant, oversized heads, making the process even more exciting for kids.
Rave Reviews: "The Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program is a wonderful way to engage children's interest in agriculture, while teaching them not only the basics of biology, but the importance of our food and fiber systems. This innovative program exposes children to agriculture and demonstrates through hand-on experience, where their food comes from. We're grateful to the people at Bonnie Plants for continuing to provide this program, nationwide, and successfully connect our youth to agriculture". (FORMER) Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture, Ron Sparks.
"The Third Grade Cabbage Program provides valuable lessons to students about agriculture and the way it touches everyone's life every day. I commend Bonnie Plants for this program," (Former) Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner, Richie Farmer.
"The Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program is a wonderful way to engage children's interest in science. The students learn the life cycle of a plant, how to care for it and what it needs to grow: soil, sunlight, water. Kimberly Dalton, Costner Elementary, North Carolina.
"Every year Bonnie Plants sends us cabbage seedlings, the project teaches students many lessons including how to grow their own food. The biggest lesson I think they learn from this program is how fast vegetables can grow. Students were just amazed and impressed on how fast and easy it was to grow their own food. I think kids sometimes forget that they can grow food so this is a great lesson!" Jennifer Bloom, Russell Ranch Elementary, Folsom, CA
It's good for the students to get out there and grow their own plants. It helps them learn about nature, soil composition and the parts of plants, but it also shows them where things come from," she said. "So many young people take for granted the fact that we can walk into the store and buy whatever we want. It's a good history lesson for them to learn that it wasn't always like that, even in this country".
Melody Witt, Alto Elementary Principal, Texas