text:
Traffic study shows Dexter drivers exceeding speed limits
A study of traffic through the Village of Dexter showed that most motorists drive an average of 5 miles per hour over the speed limit, reported the Dexter Leader.
After reviewing the study, village council members urged residents to slow down to avoid accidents.
The village sent the study's results to the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office and requested the office increase patrol of problem areas.
Kody Klein is an intern for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.com
C.C. Ingersoll
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 1:45 a.m.
Slow down, PLEASE. I just can't fathom the glee of the speeders responding to this article like it's no big deal at all. https://www.aaafoundation.org/sites/default/files/2011PedestrianRiskVsSpeed.pdf From page 1: "The average risk of death for a pedestrian reaches 10% at an impact speed of 23 mph, 25% at 32 mph, 50% at 42 mph, 75% at 50 mph, and 90% at 58 mph. Risks vary significantly by age. For example, the average risk of severe injury or death for a 70?year?old pedestrian struck by a car traveling at 25 mph is similar to the risk for a 30? year?old pedestrian struck at 35 mph."
Hot Sam
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 1:27 a.m.
I don't know how much they paid for this "study", but for dinner at Terry B's I could've told them the same thing...
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 12:43 a.m.
In more cases then not studies such as this, which may seem frivolous or wasting resources, are required to inact some kind of change. It's redundant, but in order to prove something needs to be change have to actually show why. This is usually done through research.
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 12:17 a.m.
If you read the original article, it seems the study was based largely on one of those radar speed loggers put up on Ryan Road entering into the Huron Farms subdivision past the Busch supermarket. That's the residential subdivision hit by the Tornado last March. I'd say that 25 mph is the proper speed limit there entering into the sub. However, it is quite a stretch to declare that all drivers in Dexter average more than 5 mph over the speed limit based on this very limited and specific study. Seems overreaching to me.
Reverend Bubba X
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 11:56 p.m.
Have the spped limits in Dexter been set in accordance with Mihcigan law? They seem rather low through some parts of town. Many of Ann Arbor's speed limits are lower than permitted under state law.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 11:51 p.m.
Isn't there a new state law that REQUIRES speed limits on roads be based on the average speed of traffic on that road...NOT some arbitrary reason like "slower is safer?" Wouldn't this actually mean that the speed limit needs to be increased....not try to hand out more tickets?
Mr. Ed
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 11:24 p.m.
Maybe the spped limits are too low.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 10:35 p.m.
Must be the fault of reckless cyclists.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 10:27 p.m.
Drivers instinctively get speeds right. If - on average - Dexter drivers are driving 5 mph over, I am inclined to believe that Dexters speed limits are 5 mph too low.
This Post Doesn't Have A Name
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 10:15 p.m.
When you gotta go, you gotta go.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 10:06 p.m.
Gee drivers exceeding the speed limit..who-da-thunk...
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 9:11 p.m.
Great! they found me out! LOL
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:56 p.m.
Gee, I wish drivers going down my street here in Pittsfield were only going 5 mph over the speed limit.
Urban Sombrero
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:44 p.m.
So then, is this a problem with people speeding? Or a problem that stems from speed limits that are abnormally low? Honest question.
Reverend Bubba X
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 1:09 a.m.
They are rather low.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 9:19 p.m.
Yes indeed Sombrero, the speed limits are a bit to low.....30-35 mph would be ok!
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:43 p.m.
If I was a Dexter resident I would demand to know how much was spent on this study, and then I would make sure nobody who approved it was re-elected.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
5 mph is a big difference when you get hit while on foot or on a bicycle. Slow down please. Every 5mph faster the car is going, you have 20% higher chance of being killed. And yes this is at LOW speeds. 25 to 30, 30 to 35. http://humantransport.org/sidewalks/SpeedKills.htm
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 11:19 p.m.
yes. Under 15mph and 30 lbs. We're talking about 25mph+ and 3,000lbs. Have you ever been hit by a car? Are you honestly even trying to compare the two???
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 10:03 p.m.
Ever been hit by a speeding bike? Or one that just ran the stop sign or the red light?
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:40 p.m.
I'd recommend reading the original article. A more fair way to state the headline would have been: Over 87% of drivers are within 5mph of the 25mph speed limit in Dexter.. Of those going over the speed limit, over 80% did not exceed 30mph. This is the most telling exchange in the article: "Keough asked Village Manager Donna Dettling what could be done about the motorists flouting the posted speed limit by only 5 mph, to which she replied that the sheriff's deputies don't typically write tickets for 1-5 mph over. WCSO Sgt. Keith Flores reiterated Dettling's assessment Tuesday morning: "We can ticket for one mile over … do we? No.""
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:49 p.m.
Thanks, @1bit for some real statistics. I hope they didn't pay a lot for their "study".
Bertha Venation
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:29 p.m.
The village seems larger when you follow the speed limit. Guess I'll haveta throw the ol' Hoveround into low gear until after I hit the A&W.
Top Cat
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:19 p.m.
The problem is not Dexter drivers but those drivers from Chelsea and Ann Arbor that are treating Dexter roads like the Indy 500.
Reverend Bubba X
Thu, Feb 28, 2013 : 1:07 a.m.
Outside agitators!
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 11:25 p.m.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:58 p.m.
Sorry but when I drive to Chelsea and then back again I take I-94 and don't go though Dexter.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:25 p.m.
Yep, just passing thru, nothing to see here.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:11 p.m.
A 16 year old with a brand new license knows everyone tends to drive 5 mph over and the council needed a 'study' to tell them this? Common sense and logic, Dexter council has neither.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:09 p.m.
No real shock here. How else do you expect people to keep up with the hustle and bustle of Dexter living?
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 8:06 p.m.
huh? I thought 5 over was the starting point.
Wed, Feb 27, 2013 : 9:39 p.m.
Or the minimum if you're on 696, 96, or 94, or...


text:
Electro-punk industrial rock outfit Room 101
has emerged from the Chicago underground with a new EP, "The Gadfly"
featuring a collection of 7 brutal, subversive,
hook-heavy anthems.
|< Prev
|Next >
Copyright 1999-2015 Grave Concerns Ezine, or by respective copyright owners.
Site by Espace Networks. Privacy Policy. Disclosure. Terms and Conditions.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Struggles back home come into focus for veteransBy BARBARA TAORMINA
Special to the Union Leader
April 03. 2013 8:02PM
STRATHAM - Veterans shared some of their battle stories with Stratham residents at Wiggins Memorial Library recently but they weren't talking about Baghdad, Fallujah, Kabul or Kandahar.
They were talking about some of their struggles back home in New Hampshire as they face a long and slow recoveries from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, increasingly known by their acronyms, TBI and PTSD, respectively.
The Artists' Collaborative Theatre of New England, ACT ONE, a Seacoast arts and education organization, has been rehearsing for the Portsmouth premiere of "Make Sure It's Me," former television news-producer-turned-novelist Kate Wenner's play about TBI.
The play opens on June 1 at Portsmouth's West End Studio Theatre.
As part of the project, ACT ONE has launched a library tour to present short scenes from the play and to generate a series of community discussions between military service members and civilians about TBI and PTSD.
"Traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress are the signature wounds of Iraq and Afghanistan," said ACT ONE associate director Leslie Pasternack, who added that three factors distinguish TBI from other combat injuries.
"It's invisible, the symptoms may be delayed and the people who are injured are the last ones to ask for help," she said.
Pasternack led several scenes from "Make Sure It's Me" with some help from retired Army Sgt. Conan Marchi of Kittery, Maine, who was shot by a sniper while on patrol in Iraq, and Jenny Freeman, a brain injury specialist at the Krempels Center in Portsmouth.
In one scene, Marchi plays a veteran suffering from memory loss, mood swings and anger and Pasternack portrays his frightened wife groping to understand what's gone wrong.
The scene hit home with Krista Worrall, 18, who remembered her dad, retired Army Sgt. Jon "Chief" Worrall had bouts of anger while he was recovering from a roadside blast that left him severely injured.
And it resonated with Exeter resident Rob Baker, a retired army staff sergeant who looked unstoppable as he stood listening to the reading.
"The military taught me how to be invincible but it didn't teach me how to live with the effects of war," said Baker who copes with a range of TBI and PTSD symptoms like difficulty concentrating and a hyper vigilance that has kept him awake for 40 hours at a stretch.
"I have angry outbusts and my mother-in-law asks me if I can control it," he said. "I can't."
The small crowd that turned out for the reading and discussion listened intently as the veterans described their experiences. Pasternack said one of the goals of the play and the library discussions was to bridge the divide between military and civilian families .
"We wanted to somehow serve those who have served for us," she said.
Although Worrall and Baker acknowledged that a better understanding about TBI and PTSD would help vets, they added it shouldn't dominate people's ideas and perceptions.
"I got blown up and I'm messed up," said Worrall who walks with the help of a cane and leg braces. "But don't define me as someone with PTSD or TBI or as disabled."
Worrall has found his own solution for recovering from combat. He turned his retirement home in Pittsburg into Wounded Warriors @ 45 North, a private camp where vets can stay for free and fish, hunt and just relax in the company of other vets who understand how they feel.
"We do more good up there than 100 counseling sessions," he said.
Baker gives his wife credit for understanding what he's faced since coming home.
Like Worrall, he prefers to focus on other people, like Kayleb Holmes, the 10-year-old son of his friend Jeremiah Holmes who was the first New Hampshire guardsmen to die in Iraq when a the truck he was driving was struck by a homemade bomb on March 29, 2004.
Some who had come to the library to listen thanked Marchi, Baker, Worrall and other veterans who were in the audience for helping them understand a little more about the issues surrounding TBI and PTSD.
But Al Porsche, a recently retired veterans' counselor who has seen a lot of vets struggling to overcome combat injuries, said the real consequence of war isn't what happens to your body.
"The trauma of combat is what happens to the spirit," said Porsche, adding that people shouldn't assume that a combat injury happens to an individual person.
"I think it's an injury to the entire society," he said.
TBI discussions
The Artists Collaborative Theatre of New England will present three discussion groups on traumatic brain injury in April at the following libraries:
Manchester City Library: April 4, 6:30 p.m.
Nashua Public Library: April 18, 7 p.m.
Lane Memorial Library, Hampton: April 23, 6 30 p.m.
'Make Sure It's Me'
The West End Studios Theatre will stage 13 performances of "Make Sure It's Me."
Where: 959 Islington St., Portsmouth
When: June 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22 and 23.
Performance times: Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 and 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $20, $18 (seniors) and $15 (veterans)


text:
In the past days, the Ministry of Tourism launched the new project Turisti a 4 zampe,(Four- legged tourists) dedicated to all those who love to travel in the company of their pet.
"Two are the purposes of the project: to improve the touristic competiveness in Italy and at the same time, to fight against the deplorable phenomenon of the abandonment of animales."
The iniziative is supported by the web portal with a very pleasant graphic, that contains a series of tips and a list of accomodation facilities that accept pets.
Naturally also our hotel is on the portal, as it has always welcomed your small friends: so much that the Nyala Suite Hotel has created a special card of services: Nyala Pet Hospitality, for the hospitality of cats, dogs, etc.
In addition in our hotel accompained pets 🙂 don't pay a cent !


text:
The Washington is a 4-door sedan found in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV and appears once in the Rockstar game Bully. It can be found fairly widely throughout cities and in mostly the residental area in GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas, and is available in many colors throughout the games such except black and white, which are reserved for the FBI Washington in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories.
The name is mostly always meant to be a parody of a full-size luxury Lincoln sedan (Abraham Lincoln and George Washington having both been Presidents of the United States).
GTA Vice City — GTA Vice City Stories
"Rich man's sedan, import from UK."
- Official Vice City Bureau of Investigation file description, GTA Vice City.[1]
Depictions of the Washington prior to GTA IV bear a similarity to a 1984-1987 Lincoln Continental, with the rear more alike a Lincoln Mark VII.
The Washington features a generally boxy but then contemporary design resulting in the car being one of the newest cars at the time of GTA Vice City's and GTA Vice City Stories' 1980's settings. The colors of the cars consist of various colors, up to eight sprayable colors. For GTA San Andreas and Bully, the car remains largely similar, with the exception of wider headlight clusters, a modified front grille and rear light clusters that light up as a whole at night. While similar to the GTA Vice City rendition, the GTA Vice City Stories Washington sports additional side trims derived from the FBI Washington, implying the FBI Washington's vehicle model was used in place of GTA Vice City's original Washington model. According the the GTA Vice City website, the Washington is imported from the United Kingdom.
In GTA IV, the Albany Washington is based on the 2003-present Lincoln Town Car while the headlights and grille have a slight resemblance to a 2008-2009 Ford Taurus. It features "Executive" badging, much like some Town Cars. The rear portion of the greenhouse has an unusually round shape, similar to an eleventh generation Chrysler New Yorker, the rest of the rear also bears a subtle resemblance to it.
GTA Vice City — GTA Vice City Stories
Pre-GTA IV Washington's are generally regarded as having only moderate performance, being RWD, it is largely attributed to its bulky design.Its longer wheelbase and weight, offer results in understeer and poor cornering, while its size may also be a factor in its moderate acceleration, and its top speed is also estimated to be moderate. So getting it to top speed and good acceleration takes longer than sports cars. Nevertheless, its superior size and weight allows the Washington to ram aside other sedans more easily.
The Washington in GTA IV is powered by a V8, coupled to a five-speed gearbox in a RWD layout. Acceleration is good, but due to the bulk of the vehicle it leaves much to be desired. Top speed is also good, but again due to the Washington's weight, is limited: 135 km/h (84 mph). Braking is very good, and ABS is standard across the line up. The suspension is very soft, designed to flatten out bumps in a road; not high speed cornering, leaving the Washington fishtailing and spinning out of control when cornering at speed. Accident deformation is superb, making the Washington ideal for ramming vehicles. The engine build quality is also above average, and will sustain multiple impacts before failing.
- GTA Vice City
The FBI Washington is a specialized version of this vehicle (only appearing in GTA Vice City and GTA Vice City Stories), and is the only version of the Washington in GTA Vice City that sports a black paint job. Its acceleration is quite impressive, which becomes useful for catching up to distant criminals when on a vigilante mission. In Vice City Stories the car is much more harder to get however because stealing it from the FBI is more challenging rather then finding one. Also the FBI Washington can be the same color as a regular one as there are white regular Washingtons.
Similarly, two uniquely black Washingtons may be seen driven by the French in GTA Vice City during "All Hands On Deck" in GTA Vice City. While it is possible to reach the cars and enter them, it is impossible to drive them during the mission (as the mission immediately ends and the car is lost). It is possible to push the cars to where the missions would start as an alternative, but the player is only given a brief window of time before Juan Cortez is killed, leading to mission failure which warps the player back to the nearby mission trigger with the cars waiting there.
A special wagon version of the Washington is used for the game's rendition of the Romero hearse. A Washington is also requested as part of Stevie's Car Thefts; unlike most vehicles in the side mission, the Washington appears with a black body color that is not unique, as many black Washingtons can be seen around Algonquin.
Modifications (GTA San Andreas)
- Color
- Exhausts
- Nitro (all)
- Spoilers
- Wheels
- Car Stereo
- Hydraulics
- On the GTA Vice City website, it is claimed that the car is an import from the United Kingdom, which would contradict its similarities to Lincoln vehicles.
- The GTA IV rendition of the Washington will make an audible "door ajar" dinging noise if the player exits the vehicle but leaves the door open. It can be heard clearly in quiet areas with the volume turned up.
- In its appearances in GTA San Andreas and GTA IV, the Washington plays the following radio stations by default when entered:
- WCTR in GTA San Andreas.
- Paradise FM in GTA Vice City Stories.
- The Journey in GTA IV.
- The GTA IV version of the Esperanto faintly resembles the original Washington.
- In perfect condition this car can be sold in the S&M Auto Sales for $2,200.
- The Washington appears once in the Rockstar game Bully. In the introduction Jimmy Hopkins is riding in the back of his stepfather's dark purple Washington on his way to Bullworth Acedemy with his mother riding shotgun. The Washington is not seen again and does not appear driving around Bullworth.
GTA Vice City
- Can be seen around the airport and Downtown
- Normally can appear around Washington Beach and Ocean Beach.
- Seen occasionally around the mall in Vice Point
GTA San Andreas
- Spawns next to the Mike Toreno's Ranch (save point) in Tierra Robada.
- Spawns around Easter Basin in San Fierro
- Spawns in Market and Rodeo in Los Santos
GTA Vice City Stories
- Occasionally found in the parking lot of Vice Point Mall in Vice Point, Vice City.
- Found in the parking lot behind Lance Vance's hotel in Downtown, Vice City.
- Found at the car park on the left side of Hyman Memorial Stadium in Downtown
- Spawns regularly around Ocean Beach, Little Havana, and Escobar International Airport
- It is found regularly at the car park near the VIP terminal at Escobar International Airport.
- Usually in central Algonquin, and also in Alderney.
- It rarely spawns at Broker, Dukes, or Bohan.
- Parked on Franklin Ave, Steinway, opposite Steinway Park for Stevie's Car Thefts.
- Seen at the beginning of the game only once.
- ↑ Vice City Crime Tree. Rockstar Games. official GTA Vice City website


text:
Financial understanding: it just adds up-to big prizes for Canadian students
OTTAWA, Dec. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is pleased to announce the winners of the Financial Literacy Month video contest for young people. The video contest invited students aged 13 to 19 to show their financial savvy by producing a video with the theme, "How am I saving for…" The videos had to finish with the words, "Financial understanding. It just adds up."
The 38 entries received demonstrate that Canadian students know the importance of financial understanding and are ready to show what they are saving for and how they are doing it. The students who entered had plenty of creative ways to save for goals from university tuition, to vacations, to horses.
"It pays to know that financial literacy is for everyone, including students," remarked FCAC Commissioner Ursula Menke. "The video contest showcased how young Canadians are thinking of their futures and how their decisions, including budgeting, affect them."
After the closing date of the contest, an FCAC jury narrowed the videos down to eight finalists. A second jury selected the top three winners from the group of finalists based on creativity, production quality and messaging:
One of the final eight also had an opportunity to win a special "People's Choice" award: a $50 iTunes gift card to the student whose video received the most "likes" on YouTube by December 13. The "People's Choice" was awarded to Tanner Kelly, a 15-year-old from Kingston, Ontario, whose video got 97 "likes" on YouTube.
The winners were selected by MP James Rajotte, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance; Michael Hicks, Vice-President Hyperactive Productions and Ursula Menke, FCAC Commissioner.
All eligible videos were uploaded onto FCAC's YouTube channel, where people had the chance to view, "like" and comment on them. Altogether, they collected more than 9,000 views, 560 likes and 80 comments.
About FCAC
With educational materials and interactive tools, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) provides objective information about financial products and services to help Canadians increase their financial knowledge and confidence in managing their personal finances. FCAC informs consumers about their rights and responsibilities when dealing with banks and federally regulated trust, loan and insurance companies. FCAC also makes sure that federally regulated financial institutions, payment card network operators and external complaints bodies comply with legislation and industry commitments intended to protect consumers.
You can reach us through FCAC's Consumer Services Centre by calling toll-free 1-866-461-3222 (TTY: 613-947-7771 or 1-866-914-6097) or by visiting our website: itpaystoknow.gc.ca.
Follow @FCACan on Twitter
Subscribe to FCACan on YouTube
November is Financial Literacy Month
Like Financial Literacy Month in Canada on Facebook
Join Partnering to Turn Financial Literacy into Action on LinkedIn
Image with caption: "Claire Sandercock, 14 years old, has won a 13" MacBook Pro by explaining how she is saving to buy a horse. (CNW Group/Financial Consumer Agency of Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121214_C9162_PHOTO_EN_21982.jpg
Video with caption: "1st place: Claire Sandercock, 14 years old, has won a 13" MacBook Pro. In her video, she explains how she is saving to buy a horse. She presently is a student at Wisdom Home Schooling in Edmonton, Alberta.". Video available at: http://youtu.be/nhiHfnyi_7U
SOURCE: Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
For further information:
Media relations:
Julie Hauser
Media Relations Officer
Disponible en français
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Renseignements sur cet organisme
Government of Canada
Jetez un coup d'œil sur nos forfaits personnalisés ou créez le vôtre selon vos besoins de communication particuliers.
Remplissez un formulaire d'adhésion à CNW ou communiquez avec nous au 1-877-269-7890.
Demandez plus d'informations sur les produits et services de CNW ou communiquez avec nous au 1‑877-269-7890.


text:
MMK collection Fashion Handbag (6750/6487)~Packlock Handbag for Women` Signature fashion Designer Purse~ Perfect Beautiful Designer Purse & Women Satchel PurseFN-03-6750 RD FN-03-6750 RD -
~High quality PU leather.USA Brand (Imported): The Designer Handbag using high-quality PU leather, with all stitches in neat and orderly rows. We have always been strict with both the choosing of materials and processing of products, in other words, we are better at material selection and superior in product making, taking every detail into consideration for the dear customers to meet as much as possible their own styles.
Limited EDTION - Macro M.Kerry Handbag Collaborative Design (This is not a Michael Kors)~Designer Handbag feature a leather belting finish with a polished lock. Carry this roomy satchel by the handles to the office, or use the shoulder strap which is impress A signature design Padlock.Get carried away with this signature leather satchel, a forever favorite inspired by a vintage silhouette. It features sophisticated accents for errand running and nights on the town!
~This is a such beautiful Satchel Handbag with Extra Coin purse (6487)~Pair this stylish tote with any look from jeans and boots to dresses and heels. It's this year's dream bag come to life! Matching Gold Tone Zippers, Rings, Padlock, and Studs~Approx. Size: 17.3\"W x 11.4\"H x 6.5\"D~Handle Drop Length: 6''~Shoulder Strap Length: End to End 48''~for your Daily Use Highly Fashionable and Great Quality you will make great use out of this 4 season Women
~ (6750) Large Perfect and Structured Satchel handbag with Top Zip Closure Rolled and Stitched Faux Leather Handles Studded Flat Bottom Fully-Lined Fabric Interior One Interior Back Wall Zipper Pocket Two Interior Open Top Item Pockets Belted Lock Deco on Front Exterior Shoulder Strap Detachable Gold-Tone Hardware Approx. Size: 15\"W x 10.5\"H x 6\"D Shoulder Strap Length: End to End 48'
~3008: MMK 2017 Newest Fashionable Medium Size Lady Satchel with front crosshatch patch shoulder bag And FREE Matching Wallet~ Approx Size: 13.1\"W x 11\"H x 5.9\"D~ Handle Drop Length: 5\"~ Features: 3 Zipped Compartments and Polished Gold-Tone Pulls and Rings


text:
LSU's annual football fan day will be held on Sunday, Aug. 11 at the Maravich Assembly Center and new LSU basketball practice facilities.
Doors to fan day will open at 3:30 p.m. and the LSU football team will sign autographs and meet with fans from 5 to 6:30 p.m. LSU coach Les Miles will be available for autographs from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
Due to construction in the Maddox Field House, this year's fan day will take place in the Maravich Center and the new LSU basketball practice facilities.
This year's setup will have LSU coach Les Miles in the women's basketball practice facility. Offensive players and offensive assistant coaches will sign autographs in the Maravich Center. Defensive and special teams players and defensive and special teams assistant coaches will be in the men's basketball practice facility.
Fans will be able to meet Mike the Tiger, the LSU cheerleaders, the LSU women's soccer and volleyball teams that day as well. The LSU soccer and volleyball teams will sign autographs from 4 to 5 p.m. at the Maravich Center, while the LSU cheerleaders and Mike the Tiger will meet with fans for autographs and pictures from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the LSU Basketball Practice Facilities and the Maravich Assembly Center.
The LSU SportShop will also be open that day in the Maravich Center starting at 3:30 p.m.
The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive an LSU Fan Day gift bag featuring the popular football placard poster and sample products from various LSU corporate partners. 2013 LSU Football posters will be available for fans in each facility.
The Mike's Kids Club Fan Zone will be located inside the Maravich Center where young Tiger fans can register for the club. For a one-time membership fee of $15, kids 12 and younger can join Mike's Kids Club that day. New members to the club will receive an official Mike's Kids Club t-shirt, drawstring bag, autographed photo of Mike the Tiger and invitations to exclusive events. All current members can also pick up their "special offer" packets for only $8.
Fans are reminded that no coolers or chairs will be allowed into either facility and that they are limited to one autograph item per person.
2013 LSU Fan Day – Schedule of Events (Sunday, Aug. 11)


text:
On board, in the privacy of their segregated cabin, passengers receive exceptional, friendly, and personal hospitality from a dedicated cabin crew member. Luxury innovations include the newly installed sleeper seating. Electronically controlled, with 180 degrees of recline and almost seven feet of space in which to stretch out, these seats are truly state-of-the-art (click here for seat demonstration.) Each seat is equipped with the interactive Audio Visual On Demand entertainment system, plus in-seat telephone and laptop power outlet.*
* Available on A340-600 and B747-400 (selected aircraft.)


text: Well. Here's my problem. I just bought a Radeon 9200 AGP 8x/4x, 128mb video card. (My previous was Prosavage DDR 32mb that came with the comp..it sucked..) And..I'm reading this here instruction manual, and it says before I do anything to install the Latest AGP driver. I downloaded the latest from Via and tried installing it..but it won't install. And I was downloading the Windows XP version cause I have that but still..nada. Now.. here's my deal. Before I realized I had to do this I actually did out in the new video card. I uninstalled the first, took it out, put the new one in. And when I plugged in the monitor in the monitor slot on the back of the card and turned on my comp.. nothing came up on the monitor. The computer was on, but the monitor showed nothing. I dunno if it was cause I didn't put it all the way in (which I'm sure I did..cause I couldn't get it in any further in fear of breaking it). So..I took out the new card, put in the old.. and did System Restore.. and here I am.. sad that I can't play 1942 cause this card laggs up too much..


text:
Ten Mexican Artists to Discover at Zona MACO
Artsy Editorial
Escuela: Mexicana
A critical figure in the development of modern art in postwar Latin America, Mathias Goeritz developed the principle of "emotional architecture." The unique perspective considers spaces and objects that are produced to elicit empathy and celebrates collaboration rather than functionalism and individual authorship. After emigrating to Mexico from Spain in 1949, Goeritz opened the Museo Experimental El Eco. The institution served as the embodiment of these principles, facilitating collaboration and expanding upon existing notions of patronage. Best known for large-scale, totemic sculptures like Moses and Heads, Goeritz worked in a style that prefigured Minimalism by 10 years. With its elongated, angular, rising and falling form, Goeritz's sculpture La Serpiente de El Eco (The Serpent of the Echo) best embodies his artistic style.
Mexican, 1915-1990, Gdansk, Poland, based in Mexico City, Mexico
Ten Mexican Artists to Discover at Zona MACO
Artsy Editorial
My Highlights from Zona MACO 2014
Patricia Martin


text:
Accessibility tools
Service tools
Language selector
Navigation path
Left navigation
Additional tools
Other available languages: none
European Commission
Brussels, 16 January 2013
New rules on credit rating agencies (CRAs) – frequently asked questions
1. What is a credit rating?
A credit rating is an opinion issued by a specialised firm on the creditworthiness of an entity (e.g. an issuer of bonds) or a debt instrument (e.g. bonds or asset-backed securities). This opinion is based on research activity and presented according to a ranking system.
2. What is a credit rating agency?
A credit rating agency (CRA) is a service provider specialised in the provision of credit ratings on a professional basis. The three biggest rating agencies are Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch. They cover approximately 95% of the world market. Smaller rating agencies make up the remaining part. For a list of all European CRAs already registered under the CRA Regulation, see: http://www.esma.europa.eu/page/List-registered-and-certified-CRAs
3. Why do we need to regulate credit rating agencies?
CRAs have a major impact on today's financial markets, with rating actions being closely followed and impacting on investors, borrowers, issuers and governments: e.g. sovereign ratings play a crucial role for the rated country, since a downgrading has the immediate effect of making a country's borrowing more expensive. A downgrading also has a direct impact for example on the capital levels of a financial institution.
The financial crisis and developments in the context of the euro debt crisis have revealed serious weaknesses in the existing EU rules on credit ratings. In the run up to the financial crisis, CRAs failed to appreciate properly the risks inherent in more complicated financial instruments (especially structured financial products backed by risky subprime mortgages), issuing incorrect ratings that were far too high.
4. What do current applicable EU rules on credit rating agencies say?
The G20 summit in Washington (2008) aimed to ensure that no institution, product or market was left unregulated at EU and international levels.
The EU Regulation on Credit Rating Agencies (CRA Regulation)1, in force since December 2010, was part of Europe's response to these commitments. The Regulation was amended in May 2011 to adapt it to the creation of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)2.
The current CRA Regulation focuses on:
The current CRA Regulation, however, does not regulate the use of credit ratings and their impact on the market. The use of external ratings by financial institutions is regulated in sectoral financial legislation (e.g. in the Capital Requirements Directive).
5. What has already been proposed to reduce the risk of overreliance in the banking sector?
The Commission's proposal for a new Capital Requirements Directive (CRD IV) of July 2011 proposed measures to reduce reliance on ratings. In that proposal (IP/11/915) it is envisaged to reduce to the extent possible reliance by credit institutions on external credit ratings by requiring that:
- all banks' investment decisions are based not only on ratings but also on their own internal credit opinion;
- banks with a material number of exposures in a given portfolio develop internal ratings for that portfolio instead of relying on external ratings for the calculation of their capital requirements.
6. What is the situation at international level? Are the proposed measures in line with regulatory approaches of other jurisdictions and international standard-setting bodies?
The Commission's efforts are broadly in line with the policy developed by our international partners within the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the Basel Committee.
In October 2010, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) endorsed principles to reduce authorities' and financial institutions' reliance on CRA ratings. The G20 approved the FSB's principles on reducing reliance on external credit ratings (Seoul Summit, 11‑12 November 2010).
More recently (end-2012) the FSB adopted a roadmap to accelerate the implementation of the principles. These principles aim to achieve:
The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision has also proposed to reduce overreliance on credit rating agencies' ratings in the regulatory capital framework.
In the USA, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act3 has strengthened rules on CRAs. Among other things section 939A of the Dodd-Frank Act requires federal agencies to review how existing regulations rely on ratings and remove such references from their rules as appropriate. As a consequence, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is exploring ways to reduce regulatory reliance on external credit ratings and replace them with alternative criteria. Some references have already been replaced in US legislation.
7. Why was a reform of the CRA Regulation considered necessary?
Because there were, and still are, weaknesses in the existing EU rules on credit ratings that had been highlighted both by the financial crisis and the euro debt crisis:
8. What are the new rules that have been agreed?
8.1. Reduce overreliance on credit ratings
In line with G20 commitments, the new rules aim to reduce overreliance on external ratings, requiring financial institutions to strengthen their own credit risk assessment and not to rely solely and mechanically on external credit ratings.
Specifically, the directive amends current directives on undertakings of collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS)4 and on alternative investment funds managers (AIFM)5 in order to reduce these funds' reliance on external credit ratings when assessing the creditworthiness of their assets.
Also ESAs should avoid references to external credit ratings and will be required to review their rules and guidelines and where appropriate, remove credit ratings where they have the potential to create mechanistic effects.
8.2. Improve quality of ratings of sovereign debt of EU Member States
To avoid market disruption, CRAs will be required to set up a calendar for sovereign debt rating which will be limited to three ratings per year for unsolicited sovereign ratings. Deviation of the publication of sovereign rating or related rating outlooks from the calendar shall only be possible in as much as this is necessary for the credit rating agency to comply with its obligations on methodologies, models and key rating assumptions, disclosure and presentation of credit ratings and general and periodic disclosures. It shall also be accompanied by a detailed explanation of the reasons for the deviation from the announced calendar.
These ratings will only be published after the close of business and at least one hour before the opening of trading venues in the EU.
Furthermore, investors and Member States (MS) will be informed of the underlying facts and assumptions on each rating which will facilitate a better understanding of credit ratings of Member States.
Moreover, sovereign ratings would have to be reviewed at least every six months (rather than every 12 months as currently applicable under general rules).
8.3. Make credit rating agencies more accountable for their actions
The new rules will make rating agencies more accountable for their actions as ratings are not just simple opinions. Therefore, the new rules ensure that a rating agency can be held liable in case it infringes intentionally or with gross negligence, the CRA Regulation, thereby causing damage to an investor.
8.4. Reduce conflicts of interest due to the "issuer pays remuneration model" and encourage the entrance of more players onto the credit rating market
The principal ways by which the new Regulation will improve the independence of credit rating agencies:
a) To mitigate the risk of conflicts of interest, the new rules will require CRAs to disclose publicly if a shareholder with 5% or more of the capital or voting rights of the CRA holds 5% or more of a rated entity, and would prohibit a shareholder of a CRA with 10% or more of the capital or voting rights from holding 10% or more of a rated entity.
b) Furthermore, to ensure the diversity and independence of credit ratings and opinions, the proposal would prohibit ownership of 5% or more of the capital or the voting rights in more than one CRA, unless the agencies concerned belong to the same group (cross-shareholding).
c) Due to the complexity of structured finance instruments and their role in contributing to the financial crisis, the Regulation will also require the issuers, who pay credit rating agencies for their ratings, to engage at least two different CRAs for the rating of structured finance instruments.
d) The Regulation introduces a mandatory rotation rule forcing issuers of structured finance products with underlying re-securitised assets, who pay CRAs for their ratings ("issuer pays model"), to switch to a different agency every four years. An outgoing CRA would not be allowed to rate re-securitised products of the same issuer for a period equal to the duration of the expired contract, though not exceeding four years. But mandatory rotation will not apply to small CRAs, or to issuers employing at least four CRAs each rating more than 10% of the total number of outstanding rated structured finance instruments A review clause provides the possibility for mandatory rotation to be extended to other instruments in the future. Mandatory rotation would not be a requirement for the endorsement and equivalence assessment of third country CRAs.
e) Measures are taken to encourage the use of smaller credit rating agencies. The issuer should consider the possibility to mandate at least one credit rating agency which does not have more than 10 % of the total market share and which could be evaluated by the issuer as capable for rating the relevant issuance or entity (Comply or Explain).
8.5. Publication of ratings on European Rating Platform
All available ratings will be published on a European Rating Platform which will improve comparability and visibility of all ratings for any financial instrument rated by rating agencies registered and authorised in the EU. This should also help investors to make their own credit risk assessment and contribute to more diversity in the rating industry.
8.6. Additional steps to be taken
The Regulation calls on the Commission to prepare a report by 1 July 2016, reviewing the situation in the credit rating market, and if necessary to follow it up with appropriate legislative proposals on some of the new provisions.
9. Who will be affected by the changes and how?
The following categories of market participants will be directly affected by the proposed changes:
They will benefit from more choice of rating providers which may lead to lower rating fees in the medium term. Sovereign issuers (e.g. states and municipalities) will benefit from the improved transparency and process of issuing sovereign ratings.
From now on, an issuer of structured finance products with underlying re-securitised assets who pays credit rating agencies for their ratings ("issuer pays model") will be required to switch to a different agency every four years. An outgoing credit rating agency would not be allowed to rate re-securitised products of the same issuer for a period equal to the duration of the expired contract, though not exceeding four years. But mandatory rotation would not apply to small credit rating agencies or to issuers employing at least four credit rating agencies each rating more than 10% of the total number of outstanding rated structured finance instruments. An issuer of structured finance instruments, who pays credit rating agencies for their ratings, will need to engage at least two different credit rating agencies. Moreover, an issuer, an originator and a sponsor of a structured finance instrument established in the Union will jointly need to disclose to the public information on the credit quality and performance of the underlying assets of the structured finance instrument, the structure of the securitisation transaction, the cash flows and any collateral supporting a securitisation exposure as well as any information that is necessary to conduct comprehensive and well informed stress tests on the cash flows and collateral values supporting the underlying exposures.
All issuers, including sovereigns, will enjoy additional time to react to ratings before they are made public. The current rules already provide for ratings to be announced to the rated entity 12 hours before their publication. In order to avoid that this notification takes place outside working hours and to leave the rated entity sufficient time to verify the correctness of data underlying the rating, the new rules will require that the rated entity should be notified during working hours of the rated entity and at least a full working day before publication of the credit rating or the rating outlook. A list of the persons able to receive this notification a full working day before publication of a rating or of a rating outlook should be limited and clearly identified by the rated entity. This information shall include the principal grounds on which the rating or outlook is based in order to give the entity an opportunity to draw attention of the credit rating agency to any factual errors.
The publication of sovereign ratings will be done in a manner that is least distortive on markets: at the end of December, credit rating agencies should publish a calendar for the next 12 months setting the dates for the publication of sovereign ratings and corresponding to these, the dates for the publication of related outlooks where applicable. Such dates should be set on a Friday. Only for unsolicited sovereign credit ratings should the number of publications in the calendar be limited to three. Where this is necessary to comply with their legal obligations, credit rating agencies should be allowed to deviate from their announced calendar explaining in detail the reasons for such deviation. However, this deviation may not happen routinely.
They will be in a better position to evaluate the credit risk of financial instruments themselves, including complex structured instruments. They will have free access to a European Rating Platform where all ratings issued by rating agencies, registered and authorised in the EU, regarding a specific company or financial instruments can be found and compared. In addition, investors will benefit from an increase in the quality of ratings as conflicts of interest due to the "issuer-pays" model and the shareholder structure will be reduced. The investor will benefit from enhanced transparency on structured finance instruments established in the European Union (EU) as the issuer, the originator and the sponsor of a structured finance instrument established in the EU will jointly disclose to the public information on the credit quality and performance of the underlying assets of the structured finance instrument, the structure of the securitisation transaction, the cash flows and any collateral supporting a securitisation exposure as well as any information that is necessary to conduct comprehensive and well informed stress tests on the cash flows and collateral values supporting the underlying exposures. ESMA will set up a webpage for the publication of the information on structured finance instruments. Furthermore, the investors' right of redress against credit rating agencies having infringed the CRA Regulation are enhanced. The new rules ensure that a rating agency can be held liable in case it infringes intentionally or with gross negligence, the CRA Regulation, thereby causing damage to an investor or an issuer.
Its role will be reinforced regarding supervision of sovereign ratings. In addition, ESMA will be entrusted with new tasks e.g. it will have to draft a number of new technical standards for adoption by the Commission as well as to provide the Commission with technical advice.
For instance, ESMA should establish a European Rating Platform so as to allow investors to easily compare all ratings for EU registered and authorised rating agencies that exist with regard to a specific rated entity. ESMA will need to develop draft regulatory technical standards to specify the content to be used by CRAs when providing such information.
- Regarding the new rating methodologies:
A CRA that intends to change materially existing or use any new rating methodologies, models or key rating assumptions that could have an impact on a credit rating will need to publish the proposed changes or proposed new methodologies on its website inviting stakeholders to submit comments during a period of one month together with a detailed explanation of the reasons for and the implications of the proposed material changes or proposed new methodologies. A CRA will need to inform ESMA of errors detected in methodologies and/or their application.
- Regarding existing ratings: European Rating Platform
EU registered and authorised CRAs will have to communicate to ESMA all credit ratings they issue. ESMA will make them available to the public on a website.
10. Why did the Commission propose specific rules for sovereign ratings?
Sovereign ratings include ratings of countries, regions and municipalities. Sovereign ratings are very important for the rated public entity. For instance, the conditions of access to external funding very much depend on the rating received. In addition, rating actions with regard to specific countries can have impacts on companies located in that country, on other countries and even on the stability of financial markets. Due to this specific role, it is particularly important that sovereign ratings are accurate and transparent so that investors can fully understand rating actions regarding sovereigns and their wider implications.
11. Should there be a prohibition of sovereign debt ratings?
Sovereign debt ratings are important and the implications of such ratings can in some circumstances be far-reaching. Not only do they affect the borrowing costs of Member States but they can also have further implications for other Member States and the financial stability of the Union as a whole. However, a prohibition of sovereign debt ratings could give the impression that Member States had something to hide and therefore it is not included in the new Regulation. A prohibition could have important effects for the access to capital of some Member States and could increase the borrowing cost for sovereign debt. The Commission considers that this Regulation improves considerably the transparency of sovereign ratings and will avoid negative effects of sovereign ratings which have been observed in recent years and stop risks of market disruption. The Regulation requires rating agencies to publish a calendar for sovereign ratings, limiting the number of ratings to thee annually (while deviations remain possible when appropriately explained by CRAs). Sovereign ratings will be complemented by full research reports explaining the underlying assumptions which will enable investors to better understand sovereign ratings and make their own assessment of Member States creditworthiness. Sovereign ratings will be published on Fridays after closure of European trading venues and at least one hour before opening.
12. Will the Commission set up a European CRA?
The Commission did not propose to set up a European Credit rating agency. An analysis showed that setting up a credit rating agency with public money would be costly (ca. €300-500 million over a period of five years), could raise concerns regarding the CRA's credibility especially if a publicly funded CRA would rate the Member States which finances the CRA, and put private CRAs at a comparative disadvantage. However, as part of this agreement, the Commission will analyse the situation in the rating market and report to the European Parliament on the feasibility of creditworthiness assessments of sovereign debt of EU Member States, a European credit rating agency dedicated to assessing the creditworthiness of Member States' sovereign debt and/or a European Credit Rating Foundation for all other ratings.
13. Will there be rules allowing civil claims against credit rating agencies?
Ratings are not mere opinions but have important consequences. Therefore, CRAs should operate responsibly. The regime does not aim to address "wrong ratings". Investors will only be able to sue a credit rating agency which, intentionally or with gross negligence, infringes the obligations set out in the CRA Regulation, thereby causing damage to investors. This new regime will ensure that rating agencies will act more responsibly as they can be held liable by investors and issuers.
14. Will there be a reversal of burden of proof for civil claims?
No, the new rules do not include such a reversal. However the Regulation ensures that the judge/competent court will need to take into consideration that the investor or issuer may not have access to information, which is purely within the sphere of the CRA..
15. Why have shareholder limitations been introduced?
If a shareholder of a CRA holds an important position in other CRAs or in an instrument rated by a CRA, this could lead to a conflict of interest that could affect the quality of ratings. To this end the compromise introduces limitations on shareholding in CRAs:
(1) 5% limitation in cross-shareholding of a CRA;
(2) a disclosure regime for rating instruments of shareholders holding more than 5%; and
(3) a prohibition for rating instruments of shareholders holding more than 10%.
16. Why has a rotation rule been introduced and why is it limited to re-securitisations?
A long relationship between a CRA and an issuer could undermine the CRA's independence and in view of the "issuer pays" model lead to a conflict of interest that could affect the quality of ratings. To this end the rotation rule limits the duration of a contract between a CRA and an issuer. While the Commission had proposed a broader scope, the compromise limits the rotation rule to re-securitisations. This can be seen as an important way to test the effectiveness of the rotation rule. By end-2016, the Commission will report back to the European Parliament on the effectiveness of the rotation rule with a view to extending the scope if appropriate.
17. What is the objective of the new European Rating Platform?
All ratings for EU registered and authorised rating agencies will be published on the central European Rating Platform which will improve the visibility and comparability of credit ratings from debt instruments. The Platform will also contribute to the visibility of small and medium-sized credit rating agencies operating in the EU.
18. When will the Commission present its report concerning the "issuer pays" remuneration model which was promised for end 2012?
The report foreseen by end 2012 in the existing CRA regulation was anticipated by the impact assessment which accompanied the new legislative proposal on credit rating agencies from 15 November 2011 following a public consultation end-2010. The rotation principle was proposed as an effective measure to address conflicts of interest due to the "issuer pays" model as well as shareholder limitations. The new Regulation contains a new obligation for the Commission to re-assess by 2016 the risks of conflicts of interest due to the "issuer pays" remuneration model, based on a technical advice of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA).
19. Will the Commission promote small and medium sized credit rating agencies?
The current regime requires the registration of all CRAs operating on the EU territory offering credibility to small and medium-sized CRAs. The Commission is committed to evaluating the possibilities of promoting the development of regional credit rating agencies of small and medium size, as well as supporting (financially and non-financially) the creation of a network of credit rating agencies. The Commission will present a report on this matter by end of this year (2013).
20. Is deleting all references to ratings from EU legislation the best solution, i.e. the Dodd-Frank Act in the US?
The Commission supports the view that overreliance on external credit ratings should be reduced. However, it is important not to create legal uncertainty. It would not be appropriate to remove all references to external ratings without considering alternative credit risk measures. The experience in the US has shown that it is difficult to remove references to ratings without having viable alternatives in place. The credit ratings should be considered as opinions amongst others. Furthermore, it is important that all financial entities conduct their own internal credit risk assessment, subject to supervision by the competent authorities. To this end, the Commission favours a two-step approach. First, the Commission will propose to remove all references which trigger mechanistic reliance on ratings, and in a second step, the Commission will report to the European Parliament on alternatives to external credit ratings with a view to removing all remaining references by 2020.
21. What are the third country implications of these new rules on credit rating agencies?
The third country regime provided by the existing CRA Regulation remains unchanged. The concepts of equivalence and endorsement will continue to apply. To be equivalent, it is not necessary to have the same rules in place, only to have rules which achieve the same objectives. However, as these new rules strengthen the regulatory framework for CRAs, a transitional period has been introduced until 2018 to allow third countries to accommodate the new rules.
More information:
Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 September 2009 on credit rating agencies , OJ L 302, 17.11.2009. Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 is often referred to as CRA I Regulation.
Regulation (EU) No 513/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May? 2011 amending Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009. Regulation (EU) No 513/2011 is often referred to as CRA II Regulation.:
Directive 2009/65/EC.
Directive 2011/61/EU.
Side Bar


text:
Performance Horizon Affiliate program
When it comes to performance marketing, we understand the individual needs of today's global brands, agencies and publishers. Performance Horizon Group provides a new way for the world's largest brands to bring their performance marketing campaign management in-house and is trusted by companies like Nextag, Sony and T-Mobile to deliver real-time data tracking and reports, custom finance services, and unprecedented global product support that increases efficiency across the entire enterprise.
List does not include private advertisers


text:
County board eliminates grant writer to save money
DAD will take over duties
LEXINGTON—A vote to sever contractual ties with Dawson County's grant writer has nothing to do with dissatisfaction and everything to do with saving money.
County commissioners voted 3-1 not to renew a $45,000 annual contract with Janna Pierce, who was hired in August 2005 to write grants for county offices and organizations.
"This is not coming from a dissatisfaction stand point," said board chairman Dean Kugler of Gothenburg. "It's a budget issue."
Commissioners discussed the contract renewal during their regular bimonthly meeting on June 22.
"I've talked to Jen Wolf from Dawson Area Development," Kugler said. "DAD does a lot of grants in the county and I asked if they could pick up the slack if we decide to go without a grant writer."
Wolf assured commissioners her office could continue the grant writing with no lapse in service.
But everyone was not convinced.
"There are some people in the Lexington area who would like to see us continue this contract because of the money Janna has brought in," said Lexington commissioner Bill Stewart, who cast the lone vote against the proposal to discontinue the contract.
Stewart questioned whether the county would end up paying more to DAD because of a need for additional help to handle the added work load.
Wolf said she has no way of knowing yet if more help would be necessary.
"We'd have to take a look at that over a period of a year," she said. "My guess is it won't require that much additional time."
So far this year, grants written by Pierce have brought $190,000 into Dawson County, Kugler said.
In other business, commissioners:
authorized, as the board of equalization, deputy county attorney Kurt McBride to negotiate settlement of a 2010 Tax Equalization and Review Commission appeal by John Kreuscher of Gothenburg.
received the monthly crime report from sheriff Gary Reiber, who stated there were 1,440 total calls to dispatch with 910 calls for service. Reiber said criminal mischief complaints are up but those crimes are generally small in comparison to other investigations.
listened to a presentation by Mike Jones of Vision Care Direct to offer individualized vision care plans to county employees.
approved the transfer of owner names for Big E's in Cozad to Travis and Stacy Munster for the purposes of a keno license.
voted to pay a $1,450 claim for reimbursement of burial costs for Jay Buss. Jason Tickle of Berryman Funeral Home in Cozad told the board Buss qualified for burial benefit through Health and Human Services but the application materials did not get filled out prior to the deadline.
authorized the board chairman to sign the final operating cost agreement for Dawson County Transit. The federal contribution for next year will be $59,978 with the state and county each contributing $28,489.
adopted a resolution setting the Railroad Transportation Safety District tax levy at one cent for the next tax year.
accepted a lease agreement with Ameritas to pay for three sheriff's department vehicles previously approved for purchase. Reiber said the pickups will be delivered in mid-July.
discussed frustrations with the Dawson County Transit system and requested transportation reports which include numbers of passengers, where they are picked up, where they are transported to and how much they pay for the service. Commissioners said they need more information to evaluate the efficiency of the program.
Latest Headlines
- Gothenburg native releases first novel
- We all need help from a friend
- Monsanto hosts 6th annual Safety Day program
- Brady places champ and runner-up at State FCCLA
- Swedes continue conference domination
- Dancing With The Stars changes venues
- Middle-of-the-Pack Finishes For Swede Boys and Girls
- Girls Show Support for Teacher's Cancer Fight


text:
Time change for Trinity-Central tip-off
February 25. 2013 7:32PM
Tip-off for Tuesday's showdown between the top two boys' basketball teams in Division I, city rivals Manchester Central and visiting Trinity, has been moved back a half-hour, from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
Both teams enter the night with 15-1 records in NHIAA play and one more regular-season game to play after Tuesday.
The Little Green and the Pioneers have met once this season, Central prevailing in the opening round of the Queen City Invitational, 64-50, on the day after Christmas. Junior point guard had a game-high 18 points to lead the Green.
Central is coming off its first loss of the season, 70-62 to Nashua South last Tuesday. The Little Green wrap up the regular season Friday at Bedford, which is a relatively modest 10-6 but has won its last four games and seven of its last eight.
Trinity has won five straight since its only NHIAA defeat, a 60-56 loss at Merrimack on Feb. 12. The Pioneers play their last regular-season game Friday at Timberlane Regional in Plaistow.


text:
The Eastern Legacy
Preparation for the Great Exploratory Expedition
A great exploratory expedition is initiated long before the first footstep on the trail or the first oar dips into the water. In 1803 the military and scientific expedition of Lewis and Clark began in the East with planning, recruitment, training, and outfitting for the journey. Conceived in the mind of President Thomas Jefferson at Monticello, authorized by Congress, trained by leading scholars of the day in Philadelphia, armed with supplies from Schuykill and Harpers Ferry arsenals, Meriwether Lewis headed west and traveled nearly a thousand miles down the entire length of the Ohio River. William Clark joined him at the Falls of the Ohio. The keelboat, red and white pirogues, air rifle, iron frame boat, and provisions were obtained in the East. Men were recruited for the journey in the East including Pittsburgh, the Falls of the Ohio, and Ft. Massac. Many historic sites connected with the journey exist in the East, and with the men who served and returned home. Items obtained on the journey such as the original journals of Lewis and Clark, and the plant specimens they collected still exist in eastern repositories. The Corps of Discovery connects our nation from coast to coast both in the beginning and the end of the expedition.
Lewis was counseled in Philadelphia by leading scientists of the day Benjamin Smith Barton (botany), Robert Patterson (mathematics), Benjamin Rush (medicine), and Caspar Wistar (paleontology). While there, he acquired supplies from local merchants and Schuykill Arsenal. In Lancaster, Lewis received counsel from Andrew Ellicott.
Congress Acts
Congress provided $2,500 to obtain supplies, materials, and services needed for this military expedition. Items included: mathematical instruments, arms and accouterments extraordinary (clothing), camp equipage, medicine and packing, means of transportation, Indian presents, provisions extraordinary, materials for portable packs, pay for hunters, guides, and interpreters, silver coin to defray expenses, and contingencies. This military expedition was armed, trained, and disciplined.
Why Did They Go?
President Thomas Jefferson directed Meriwether Lewis to find and map an all water route across the continent –critical for the future commerce and expansion of America –in addition to collecting information about the natural sciences and Indian cultures of the new West. Exploration of the West was critical to the creation of the American Empire envisioned by Jefferson and to the stabilization of the expansion of the United States to the western territories lying east of the Mississippi River.
Ohio River
Departing on 31 August 1803 from Pittsburgh, Lewis began his arduous journey down the Ohio River. Water was so low in several places that he was forced to unload his boats, drag them down the riverbed, and reload. He recorded in his journal thick fogs, riffles and falls, leaky boats, campsites, flora and fauna, forts such as Ft. Steuben and ruins of Ft. Fincastle (renamed Ft. Henry), recruitments, and other information as he traveled down the Ohio.
Supplies shipped overland from Harpers Ferry to Wheeling were loaded into the keelboat, pirogues, and other boats. The red pirogue was acquired at this site.
Big Bone Lick
At Big Bone Lick, Kentucky (south of Cincinnati, Ohio) Meriwether Lewis collected for President Jefferson samples of the fossilized bones of large prehistoric animals found at the salt springs there. Instructed to record animals they saw on the journey, the explorers did not know if these animals still lived in the west.
Falls of the Ohio
William Clark, who was living with his older brother, George Rogers Clark, in Clarksville, Indiana, joined Lewis at the Falls of the Ohio. Preparation for the trip proceeded including recruitment of the 'nine young men from Kentucky.'
Fort Massac
Further down the river at the 10-year old Fort Massac, Lewis and Clark drew military supplies and volunteers from the troops stationed there. The interpreter, George Droulliard, was hired at the fort.
Headed West
The captains spent several days at the mouth of the Ohio River as they learned to use their mapmaking instruments and surveying equipment.
Once they reached St. Louis, Missouri, their departure from that point marked a movement into the Louisiana Territory and beyond.
Returning to the East
The expedition did not return to the east until 1806 after traveling about 8,000 miles to the west coast and back. No national repository for items brought back from the expedition existed at the time. Many items ended up in Charles Willson Peale's Museum and the American Philosophical Society. The journals of Lewis and Clark are still extant in the American Philosophical Society, and 217 of the plant specimens they collected are in the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Most of the men who left their homes in the east returned, and are buried here. Sergeant Charles Floyd did not return and is buried along the trail where he died. Meriwether Lewis is buried at Grinders Stand in Tennessee, William Clark in the St. Louis area, Sergeant Patrick Gass in Wellsburg, West Virginia, and others in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.
Jefferson knew, "those who come after us will…fill up the canvas we begin."


text:
A day for the beach
Dozens of people packed their blankets and picnic lunches and headed to Oakland Beach to beat the heat. Three lifeguards watched over beachgoers clad in bright bikinis and board shorts. Though some sat to catch rays, the most popular activity seemed to be taking a dunk in the cool water. (Warwick Beacon photos by Kim Kalunian)
No comments on this story | Please log in to comment by clicking here


text:
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A man who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the accidental Christmas Eve shooting death of his 2-month-old daughter was sentenced Friday to six years of probation but avoided prison time.
The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era reported (http://bit.ly/1dVg22U ) that Scott Davis told the judge he loved his daughter, Kestyn, and that he replays the event in his mind daily.
"I was so proud of my wife and family," Davis said in court. "I had such big dreams for her."
He said faith, family and friends have helped him cope with the tragedy. His lawyer told the judge Davis had contemplated suicide.
Judge Dennis Reinaker told Davis the shooting "will haunt you the rest of your life," and he said jail time would serve no purpose and compound a tragedy.
Authorities have said the 36-year-old Davis, who works in carpentry, was playing with a recently purchased Springfield 9 mm handgun in a home in the Lancaster suburbs when it discharged and hit the girl in a swing across the room. He had faced a potential sentence of up to 15 years, and the open guilty plea left sentencing up to the judge.
Davis, who had no criminal record, also pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. He also was sentenced to 250 hours of community service and the costs of prosecution.
Davis may not own a gun again, and his lawyer said he has no desire to do so.
The district attorney said in January that Davis was a novice with firearms, having only fired handguns twice.


text:
Sometimes a fungi is just a flowerBY CHERYL KIMBALL June 27. 2014 8:32PM
Sometime over the winter, a tree fell in the woods (no, I'm not going there) across the main pathway from the house to the dogs' favorite walk around the access road. All spring the dogs and I have hopped over it. Around a week ago we headed out for our walk and came upon what I thought was an astonishing sight — one end of the fallen tree had sprouted a white fungus that resembled flower petals on steroids. Within days, the enormous bulbous blooms wizzled into a brown gooey-looking mess that seems like it would be as sticky as caramelized sugar if touched. I chose not to.
Fungi are all around us. When I was in high school and did a little mountain climbing with a few other people, one of our party used to choose a couple strategically shaped shelf-like mushrooms — tan on one side, white on the flat side — off the side of a tree on the trail, let them dry out a little and then use a wood burning tool to burn the mountain name and date we climbed it.
In a very wet late spring, the kind anyone with horses hates to see knowing how difficult it will be to make hay, fungus of a wide variety sprout in our woods. Small button mushrooms, large deadly Amanitas or Amanita-mimicking fungus, low-to-the ground fungi — the number of fungi I've seen on walks just in our woods is astonishing. They seem to appear out of nowhere, dormant spores cast off from the fins on the underside of a mushroom cap biding their time in the soil and then immediately making use of their damp good fortune.
One of my favorite "fungus" is the matchstick, Cladonia cristatella, which is technically both a lichen and a fungus living together. You will readily find clumps of these growing on the tops of rocks or old stumps. According to several sources online, the "stem" is a lichen and the red head of the "match" is a fungus. The lichen stem provides a place for the fungus head to live and the fungus in turn provides the lichen with food. A nice little win-win situation found throughout the natural world.
Another of my favorites — and another lichen/fungus relationship — is the lovely little Indian Pipe. Like the black and white warbler, this was an early identification success in my youth that brought me great satisfaction and inspiration. I was amazed by this little cutie popping up from under the leaves throughout the forest floor (watch for them any time now). It's the kind of sighting that makes you think you must be the only person in the world to have seen it only to find that it is all over the identification books and on websites. Although at first that seems disappointing, ultimately I am always happy that it means one can glean a lot of information.
Despite its paleness, the Indian Pipe is not a fungus but actually a flower — a flower lacking chlorophyll that causes green color. Chlorophyll not only makes a plant green but it is the necessary ingredient for a plant to make its own food, a process we learned about in grade school biology called photosynthesis. So how does the little Indian Pipe flower get food? Through a symbiotic relationship, says an article on the Bedford (NY) Audubon website, with, yup, our friend the fungus. "The fungus forms a connection with both Indian pipe and with nearby trees and transfers some of the photosynthate [a product of photosynthesis] it derives from the tree roots to the Indian pipe." Even more fascinating, the site says that these plants were once called "saprophytes," believed to have gotten their nutrients from the forest floor; once experiments that proved the uptake of nutrients from fungi were conducted, the term "saprophyte" was actually retired.
Lastly, this fascinating little plant with its drooping single stem/single flower and no leaves (which apparently you don't need if you have no chlorphyll) gets pollinated in some way still not known for sure and then turns black and raises its little flower straight up to the sky. A busy season even for a flower and fungus!
My last column on moths received a surprisingly large response. One reader wanted to make sure everyone who is interested in moths knows that July 19-27 is National (in fact, international) Moth Week — who knew? Go to nationalmothweek.org for all sorts of cool information about moths and moth events.
I would also like to reiterate Nature Talks columnist Stacy Cole's promotion of the interesting NH Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program where the state matches private donations to support nongame species programs and management. With the state fiscal year ending June 30, you still have a couple days to donate for the current fiscal year. They are not set up to accept donations online but if you go to wildlife.state.nh.us and click on the "donate to the nongame program" button, you will come to a page to print out and send in your tax-deductible donation. This program is worth checking out whether you donate this fiscal year, next, or not at all.
Cheryl Kimball is a freelance writer who lives north of Rochester. You can email her at email@example.com.


text:
Augusta University Health (AU Health) was looking to reduce their non-actionable alarms by 30%, decrease hospital alarm fatigue, and create a comprehensive alarm management system.
Philips clinical consultants stepped in and reviewed the alarm data and settings, interviewed stakeholders, and documented current AU Health processes.
A Clinical Alarm Management Policy was implemented and AU Health achieved strong results quickly: 32% reduction in non-actionable alarms in the first 3 months with no adverse patient outcomes identified.


text:
Philadelphia Information Locator Service
Agency Information
Management and Productivity, Mayor's Office of[Record group 60-20]
Agency Function
- The function of this office is to review all operations of the City government with the intent to streamline operations and cut costs where needed.
- Agency History
- In 1992, Mayor Edward G. Rendell set up the Office of Management and Productivity. Mayor Rendell also established a private-public partnership, known as the Mayor's Private Sector Task Force on Management and Productivity, to assist this office with its tasks.
- Archival Records
- 60-20.1 Files (1992-1993)
60-20.2 Mayor's Private Sector Task Force on Management & Productivity. Reports (1993)
- Current Records
- Unavailable
Links to related information...
PhILS Home
-->City Agencies
---->Current Agency Information Sheet. (Graphical version of this page)
Send your comments to email@example.com
Last updated on July 9, 1999


text:
California City Is Again Immigration Flashpoint
MURRIETA, Calif. (AP) — Demonstrators on both sides of the immigration debate have again gathered outside a U.S. Border Patrol station in Southern California.
It's the spot where demonstrators earlier this week forced the Border Patrol to turn back the buses that were bringing some immigrants for processing, after removing them from overcrowded facilities in Texas.
About 15 officers from the Murrieta Police Department, the Riverside County sheriff's deputies and the Border Patrol have been keeping demonstrators behind a line of yellow tape. There's a path that would allow buses to get access to the station, but it's not clear whether any buses are on their way. There have been shouting matches among the demonstrators, but no violence.
Murrieta's mayor has been a hero to those seeking stronger immigration policies, with his criticism of the federal government's efforts to handle the thousands of immigrants who have flooded the Texas border.
But a message that has been posted on the city's website by the city manager expresses regret that the busloads of women and children were forced to turn around. Rick Dudley wrote that it was a "loss" for the city, and that it made an "extremely compassionate community look heartless and uncaring." The statement suggested that the protesters had come from elsewhere in Southern California.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Stacey Foxxx Booty Duty Monstercurves.com Update
Very last time we spotted Ms. Stacey Foxxx on Realitykings, it had been mostly about her massive boobs. This time the main focus ended up being her incredible rear end. Without having any underwear, she dressed in lycra pants to display her vagina. She got bare with her excellent figure and showed her booty. So there was initially lots of boob screwing and outstanding snatch drilling.


text:
JACKSON, Miss. – Storms crossing the Southeast iced up roads and bridges and caused numerous car accidents in northern Mississippi, while parts of Alabama faced a possibility of some snow.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said Tuesday that the stormy weather prompted several accidents after temperatures plunged and ice began accumulating. He warned motorists in northern Mississippi to avoid unnecessary travel.
Several public schools in northern Mississippi remained closed Tuesday. Authorities said some homes flooded in one Mississippi county and some power outages occurred in the state.
In northern Alabama, the rain-swollen Tennessee River overflowed into some farm fields. Several school systems opened late. Forecasters are warning of a threat of scattered road icing in northern Alabama after days of rains, adding snow was possible though any accumulations were uncertain.


text:
Playing a schedule that pit the Bearkats against top-ranked programs like Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Houston, the softball team opened the year with a 1-13 mark.
But, with some hot hands at the plate, the softball squad turned things around.
Since March 7, the team has gone 25-4. The Bearkats roll into the final week of the regular season with a 14-4 Southland Conference record and a shot at a tie for the league title.
Two junior infielders, first baseman Kim Damian of Angleton and third baseman Shelbi Tucker of Montgomery are the leaders of the Kats' big hit parade.
"We were picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll so our goal all year has been to show everyone we are better than that," Damian said. "The coaches kept telling us not to lose faith in ourselves during that rough patch at the start of the season and we didn't."
Damian and Tucker lead the Southland Conference in home runs with 10 apiece. Sam Houston tops the league with 46 home runs as a team. That total is a Bearkat school record, breaking the old mark of 39 set in 2006.
"What's great about this year's team is that we are good on both offense and defense," Tucker said. "When one isn't as great as we need it, the other plays a big role."
Sam Houston winds up the regular season hosting first place Texas State Friday and Saturday (May 4 and 5). The Bobcats have clinched at least a tie for the Southland title, but a sweep by Sam Houston would earn the Kats a co-championship with Texas State.
The next week, May 10-12, the Southland Conference post-season tournament takes place in San Antonio with the league's NCAA championships berth up for grabs. The Bearkats already have clinched at least the number two seed in the event, their highest since 2007.
"When we were 1-13, it was hard to imagine that we would be competing for a share of the title going into the final weekend of the schedule," head coach Bob Brock said. "But the great thing about these kids is they never gave up. In fact, they got mad. We lost a game to a team we shouldn't lose to and our girls responded."
On April 18, in a road doubleheader victory during the Bearkats' amazing 25-4 run, Brock reached a career milestone as he became the 22nd head coach in NCAA Division I softball history to amass 1,000 victories. Prior to the Texas State game Friday, Brock will be honored for his achievement.
"The best thing about our ability to hit the long ball this year is the confidence it brings us offensively," Brock said. "If we're down a run or two, we know we have the ability to get back in the game with one swing."
Tucker and Damian not only lead the Bearkats in home runs but in runs batted in as well. Tucker has totaled 36 RBIs while Damian has 32. Damian leads the team in total hits with 50 and doubles with 10. The pair each are one home run away from tying the school season record of 11 set by Heather Robinson in 1994.
"I basically came up with a different approach and try to get ahead in the count," Damian said. "With coach Brock switching me to bat first, I get a better selection on pitching compared to when I was batting third."
Tucker gives credit to the coaching staff and their hard work.
"The coaches emphasized hitting a little more this year," Tucker said. "Our assistant coach Adrian Gregory spends a lot of time with the hitting and Coach Brock spends a lot of time with the defense."
The next two weeks are big for the Bearkats as they work to earn Sam Houston softball's first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2007.
"I really like our intensity right now," head softball coach Bob Brock said. "It's going to be an exciting two weeks."


text:
The first Biblioteca Breve Prize, promoted by the important publishing house Seix Barral, was awarded on June 14, 1958. Since then, this prize for an unpublished novel in Spanish has been held each year to discover and promote new authors. Winners have a chance to be included in the Seix Barral catalog, one of the most prestigious publishing catalogs for Spanish literature. Writers, journalists, publishers, and Seix Barral authors attend the awards ceremony that also invites guests and distinguished cultural figures from all over Spain. Moleskine has taken part in this event, creating a special edition of its notebook customized with the Seix Barral logo on its cover as a gift for guests.
The 2011 edition was won by journalist and writer Elena Poniatowska for her novel "Leonora", inspired and dedicated to the life of surrealist painter Leonora Carrington. The awards ceremony was held at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona.


text:
TORONTO – Ontario's beleaguered premier is promising to try to stop thousands of public elementary teachers from staging an "illegal strike" Friday by walking out of class to protest their controversial new contracts.
The teachers are no longer in a legal strike position now that the cash-strapped province has imposed new two-year agreements that cut benefits and freeze the wages of most educators, Premier Dalton McGuinty said during a hastily-called news conference late Wednesday.
"Teachers do not want to do anything that's illegal," he said.
His government will seek a cease-and-desist order from the Ontario Labour Relations Board in an effort to avert a strike that would close primary schools across the province, he said.
But McGuinty wouldn't say whether he'd go after teachers who still walk off the job Friday. Instead, he urged them not to engage in what he called an "illegal strike."
"If you feel your dissatisfaction has not been heard, I assure you it has," he said.
"But let's agree to have this matter settled in court and not in our schools. Let's leave our students out of it."
The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario insists it's not a strike, but a one-day political protest that's protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"This has nothing to do with revenge or anger," said ETFO president Sam Hammond. "This has to do with principled positions in terms of democracy in this province and in this country."
The Liberals argue that it is an illegal strike under Bill 115, the controversial anti-strike law that gave them the power to impose the contracts on teachers.
Under Ontario's labour laws, engaging in illegal strike activity can carry a penalty of up to $2,000 per person and $20,000 for a trade union.
The union had offered a truce to the Liberals, promising to hold off on any action if they didn't use the law to force new contracts on them before a new premier is chosen Jan. 26.
Instead, Broten imposed collective agreements Jan. 3 on 126,000 public school teachers and education workers, which cut their benefits and froze most of their wages to battle the province's $14.4-billion deficit.
She promised to repeal the law — which four unions are challenging in court — by the end of the month. But Hammond said it's an empty gesture when she's already used it to trample on teachers' rights.
"I would say to anyone who says let this go, let bygones be bygones: That's not going to happen," he said.
The one-day protest is what his 76,000 members want, Hammond said. And the union can't fine any of its members if they don't participate, because it's a protest, not a strike.
There are no plans for further protests, but the union leader said he's not ruling anything out.
"Quite frankly, with this minister, there is nothing to talk about," Hammond said. "She took a very provocative and disgraceful step in terms of implementing terms and conditions on Jan. 3. And frankly, there's nothing left to talk about."
However, Hammond said he would sit down and talk with a new premier.
The contracts were also imposed on public high school teachers, who are expected to maintain their boycott of extracurricular activities.
Top brass at the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation were to meet Wednesday, but president Ken Coran was not available for comment.
However, the union posted a message on its website Monday saying while teachers wouldn't strike, "voluntary or extracurricular activities will not resume."
It's the latest twist in the labour drama that's engulfed the Liberals, who have alienated a powerful group that's helped them stay in power for nine years.
But the showdown has helped them reach agreements with other public sector workers.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents 38,000 public servants, announced Wednesday that it had struck a two-year tentative agreement with the province.
The government said it includes a commitment to implement a two-year wage freeze, but details won't be released until the agreement is ratified. Those votes are scheduled for Jan. 21-23.
It's not a perfect agreement and OPSEU members may not like it, said union president Warren "Smokey" Thomas. But it was the best deal they could make when the government seemed "very willing" to legislate contracts.
"In our opinion, it's better to bargain something than have it imposed," Thomas said. "Frankly, if it had been imposed, both sides usually end up being pretty unhappy."


text:
The Bolte School welcomes Mr. Terry McCune as a course developer and instructor in the area of government acquisition and contracting. Terry has extensive experience in government contracting and served for many years as a contract manager with the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA). Terry will be developing and teaching contracting courses that the Bolte School will deliver in Frederick to USAMRAA employees and the general public. The contracting courses will be designed so that they may be applied toward Defense Acquisition University (DAU) certifications....Click here to read more.
The Bolte School News
RSS FeedClick to subscribe


text:
1. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportKeith Babo Jun 7, 2011 3:08 PM (in response to Martin Vecera)
Hey Martin,
Clustering will be achieved through a bus provider which can be distributed (e.g. HornetQ) and a federated runtime registry which associates services with the instances in which they run. From an end-user configuration standpoint, both of these details should be transparent. If you setup a cluster of SwitchYard instances, you should not have to write code which selects a specific instance of a service. If an instance is unavailable, the addressing handler will not send messages to it. In theory, we could enhance the addressing logic to factor in load metrics and other data, but it's not something we've tackled yet. Do you have a specific use case in mind?
2. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportLen DiMaggio Jun 7, 2011 3:40 PM (in response to Keith Babo)
So, in a 12-node cluster, if Service A calls Service B - and the addressing handler determines that Service B should be called on node #12, as nodes 1-11 are busier (CPU, network load, disk IO, or other defined load metrics) than node 12?
I'm guessing that the use case would be used to maximize the *total* throughput across the whole cluster - and maybe to be able to monitor the entire cluster by watching any one node?
3. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportKeith Babo Jun 7, 2011 3:53 PM (in response to Len DiMaggio)
Personally, I think the determination of which node is best suited for a request is a really challenging problem. Anything beyond the most basic metrics (e.g. size of work queue) can turn out to be a mess. For example, how do we weight any given metric against the others. Network speed, CPU utilization, disk I/O, memory utilization, and response time are the typical bounds and even with these it could be a dog's breakfast. The way I was hoping to approach this is more of a multi-step deal:
1) Allow for clustering in the first place. :-)
2) Collect appropriate work metrics for service instances and make them available.
3) Create an extensible/pluggable mechanism for determining which node a message is routed to.
4) Fine tune default load balancing policy to take into account load metrics.
Does that seem reasonable?
4. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportLen DiMaggio Jun 7, 2011 10:50 PM (in response to Keith Babo)
Sounds sane to me. ;-)
Seriously - step 3 is an important idea - as people will always have their own (heavily customized) approaches to handling this.
5. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportMartin Vecera Jun 8, 2011 3:49 AM (in response to Keith Babo)
Hello Keith,
thanks for your reply. So the clustering abilities will rely on a bus provider? What about service with WS interface? Of course I could ask UDDI to give me an endpoint from the cluster, but it cannot decide based on any metrics (not even message queue size)... Or am I missing anything here?
6. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportKeith Babo Jun 8, 2011 12:19 PM (in response to Martin Vecera)
Sorry, I thought you were referring to the clustering available directly in the ESB. External load balancing options are always available (e.g. mod-cluster for SOAP/HTTP) and we need to make sure we integrate well. Also, we will have several bus providers that allow for various delivery policies (remotable, transactional, by-reference, etc.), so it's best not to think about the bus provider as a specific technology like HornetQ. Sorry for giving that impression earlier.
We will not be using UDDI as a runtime registry as is the case with JBoss ESB. Our runtime registry contains the actual runtime state of services in the cluster and will be able to store (or correlate with) service metadata and metrics.
7. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportMartin Vecera Jun 10, 2011 7:51 AM (in response to Keith Babo)
Actually, I wanted to ask both questions. Thanks for your clarification.
What registry do you plan to use? What about WS endpoints? What about 3rd party registries integration?
8. Re: Plans for clustering and load balancing supportKeith Babo Jun 13, 2011 9:21 AM (in response to Martin Vecera)
The registry question boils down to two basic use cases:
1) A runtime registry which reflects the current state of the services available in the ESB.
2) A publication registry which allows the address of a service to be advertised and queried by external consumers.
These are two distinct use cases with two different registries. The runtime registry is internal only - users will not interact with it directly at all. The publication registry will most likely be a blend of UDDI and a service repository. The user will interact with this registry and will choose which services are published in it. The runtime state of the service is not a material detail to the publication registry.
I see no reason why we should not continue to support publication of services to third-party registries for the second use case.


text:
The Walrus Says
Diana Brown told us she thinks the Fleetwoods recorded it.
Has anyone seen a blue cockateil with red cheeks and a yellow head doing bebop in the treetops?
That would be Hoshie (little assistant in Japanese), who, Elizabeth Burley said flew out the kitchen door of her home on Green Lane some four weeks ago. Elizabeth had given up on ever seeing the 4-year-old, 12-inch-tall bird again. However, on a trip to McQuade's, where she had posted a lost-and-found note, she was told a woman on the north end had a cockateil fly on her shoulder but the bird flew off again.
"He's so social he'll land on your shoulder. Hold out your finger, and he'll land on it and go into the house with you. He's very tame," Elizabeth explained.
Hoshie's signature is his continual bebopping and sometimes expressions of jazz. That's hard to miss.
North-enders might try a little bebopping in their back yards to draw him in.
Elizabeth is concerned that when the cold weather settles in it could be Hoshie's swan song.
She's offering a reward. If you see Hoshie, call her at 952-4477.
We told our readers a couple of weeks ago about folks in the area having their homeowner policies dropped by certain insurance companies.
Our insurance coverage ran out today. To protect ourselves we signed a contract at a cost almost three times what we have paid in the past. The action by our former company is called redlining, and it is against the law in Rhode Island. We call it extortion.
Where is our state attorney general in all this?
Jim Pemantell is in training again.
We caught him running on North Road early one morning last week and called later to find out what was going on.
It seems the 68-year-old was looking for a small event for his 41st marathon and found the Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, Pa., on Oct. 8. It just so happens that's where his wife, Ann Marie, is from. "I'll be running right through her old neighborhood," he explained.
Also living in that area are Jim's brother-in-law Joe Gracik and his wife, Paulette, and Ann Marie's sister, Nancy Simons. They'll all be out cheering Jim on in his first Steamtown Marathon.
"It'll be a fun weekend," he said, then corrected himself. "We'll find out about mile 21 if it's a fun weekend or not."
Keep those Box Tops for Education coming!
Wondering about all those shots your pets receive? Dr. Joshua
Hatch of the Jamestown Animal Clinic explains their function in his Pet Tip of the Week.
"Despite bringing their pets in for annual vaccines, many owners are unsure about what their pets are being vaccinated against. For dogs, the 'distemper' vaccine is a single injection that can booster their immunity to between four and nine different infections depending on the type used. Protection against distemper, parainfluenza, parvovirus, and adenovirus are in most vaccines.
"Distemper is a viral disease that is often fatal and can affect the respiratory, digestive, and neurological systems. Parainfluenze and adenovirus are respiratory diseases, while parvovirus is a very serious viral infection of the intestines that leads to severe dehydration, sepsis, and often death.
"Many puppy vaccines include protection against coronavirus, another intestinal disease, but one which older dogs are not susceptible too. Next week I'll talk about the four other diseases that the 'distemper' vaccine may include and eventually discuss cat vaccines, too." WOOF!
Kudos to Joan McCauley, Barbara Haskell, and Constance Andrews who in their letters to the editor last week introduced the facts about the Jamestown Community Theatre and Matt Bolles to Schnack & Co.
So much for the weathermen. How can so many be so wrong?
If you've never hugged a tree, now's your chance.
The annual tree inventory takes place Saturday and is in need of volunteers to identify and site trees, measure diameters, check condition, and help locate areas to plant new trees.
The event is sponsored by the town's Tree Preservation and Protection Committee.
No experience is necessary and all are invited to participate.
Meet at the police station at 9 a.m. for orientation and team asignments.
Up until last weekend, Stacey Martin's New England Intensity were ahead 4-1 in their league standings.
Football announcers can dampen a game by second guessing the coaches and officials. Just call the game, please.
Troop 1 Boy Scouts helping out at Sunday's Heyday were Drew Matley, Josh Nolan, Cameron Toppa, Brian Volpe, Zack Volpe, Kyle Wright, Sam Baugh, Dan Bailey, Nathaniel Hopkins, Jimmy Perry, and Hayden Mclean.
Members of the troop will be on hand Saturday at the Webelos Jam at Aquapaug. The Jam this year will focus on sports and the scouts will be teaching volleyball to the younger Cubs.
Saturday is the autumnal equinox, to be quickly followed by Christmas advertising and commercials.
*** Be true!
Call in your stuff for this column to 423-0383 or 829-2760. You can e-mail us at jtnwalrus@ hotmail.com, or drop your items off at the Jamestown Press office.