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WASHINGTON (AP) — Well-armed Libyan extremists launched a sustained attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Tuesday, killing four State Department employees, including the American ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and foreign service officer Sean Smith, and wounding three others.
The consulate, like all other U.S. diplomatic missions around the world, conducted a pre-9/11 anniversary security check. It found no imminent threat and therefore no need to boost security around the anniversary, according to senior U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the reporting of the incident is still preliminary.
What follows is a rough timeline of the attack on the consulate, according to the officials. The consulate consists of a main building and a nearby annex, each of which are protected by local Libyan guard force, a physical perimeter barrier and a "robust" American security presence inside the compounds. All times are local Benghazi time.
10:00 p.m. Tuesday — The main consulate building begins began taking fire from unknown Libyan extremists. There are about 25 to 30 employees in the consulate and the annex at the time of the attack.
10:15 p.m. — Attackers gain access to main consulate building and set compound on fire. In the ensuring chaos, many escape the building, but Stevens, Smith and a regional security officer remain inside. They become separated due to heavy smoke and confusion while trying to evacuate. The security officer makes it outside and he and others from the consulate and annex go back into the building to try to rescue Stevens and Smith. They find Smith dead and pull him out but are forced by the flames, smoke and gunfire to withdraw before they can locate Stevens.
10:45 p.m. — A group of security officers from the annex try to take the consulate building back from the attackers, but they are repelled.
11:20 p.m. — U.S. and Libyan forces drive the attackers out of consulate and retake the main building. Everyone rescued is brought to the annex.
Midnight — The annex comes under heavy fire from the attackers. The shooting lasts more than two hours during which the other two Americans are killed and two Americans are wounded.
2:30 a.m. Wednesday — Libyan and U.S. security forces retake the annex. Officials believe that Stevens got out or was pulled out of the main consulate building during the battle for the annex and was taken to the hospital. The officials do not know if Stevens was alive when he arrived at the hospital.
6:00 a.m. — U.S. officials are told that Stevens is dead but are not able to confirm it immediately because they have not seen the body. The body is returned to U.S. personnel at the Benghazi airport at dawn. A chartered plane comes from Tripoli to Benghazi and evacuates all the consulate staff, the wounded and the remains to Tripoli.
They are all going to Ramstein, Germany. The uninjured will stay in Europe pending a security review, the wounded will be treated there at a U.S. military facility and the remains of the dead will be repatriated to the U.S.
In the aftermath of the attack, staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli has been reduced to emergency levels and the U.S. has requested additional security from the Libyans. Elsewhere, all U.S. diplomatic missions around the world were ordered to review their security postures and take additional measures if needed.


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Arriving at Letterman today likely to promote Creation about Charles Darwin. Connelly plays Darwin's wife and her real life husband Paul Bettany as the man himself. The film opens January 22nd. I always forget she won an Oscar. Because theirs is a low key life. They stay off the scene, they work hard, they don't famewhore unnecessarily, and they try to keep their sh-t private.
Jennifer just wrapped on What's Wrong With Virginia, the first post-Oscar screenplay for Dustin Lance Black that he also directed.
But enough about the work. Especially since the style is so yes. LOVE IT ALL. And the shoes in particular. Mouthwatering. Balenciaga spring/summer 2010? Almost certain. She after all is the face of the brand. I wish she'd eat more.
Creation trailer below.
Photos from INFphoto.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Nylabone Galileo is designed using the principles and drawings of Galileo to develop a heavy super-strong shaped bone for the most aggressive chewers. Made in the USA. Read More
Made in the USA.
- Brand: Nylabone
- Type: Chews
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- Dog Size: Up to 35 lbs,Over 50 lbs
Reviews (2)
This toy actually holds up to a very aggressive chewer. A normal Nylabone lasts a day with my dog and this one has survived a week.
"Great For Tough Chewers"
After searching endlessly for something my pit bull wouldn't destroy, I was certainly happy to discover this nylabone. He can eat one of the basic nylabones in about 15 minutes, but he's had the Galileo bone for two weeks and has only chewed up the ends. It's a little annoying to listen to, but the fact that he's staying occupied is well worth it. I definitely reccomend this to people with toy-destroying dogs!
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WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials are still trying to determine whether Syrian President Bashar Assad unleashed a deadly chemical weapons attack against his people earlier this week.
That's the word from the White House after President Barack Obama met with his national security team Saturday to discuss possible next steps in Syria. Officials have said Obama will decide how to respond once the facts are clear.
A statement from the White House about Saturday's meeting said Obama also received a detailed review of the range of options he has requested for the U.S. and its international partners to respond if it is determined that Assad has engaged in deadly chemical warfare.
The White House says Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron also discussed the situation in Syria by telephone Saturday.


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SWANSBORO � Before opening the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs against winless Southern Wayne on Saturday, Swansboro�s volleyball team got together for brunch and a movie that included a sing-along to �High School Musical.�
SWANSBORO � Before opening the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs against winless Southern Wayne on Saturday, Swansboro�s volleyball team got together for brunch and a movie that included a sing-along to �High School Musical.�
And coach Kim Miller has the evidence to prove it.
�They were singing,� she said, �and I got video of that.�
No word on whether the Pirates hit all the right notes, but they were definitely in tune for the most part in sweeping by the Saints 25-7, 25-8, 25-15, snapping a streak of three consecutive years in which they lost in the opening round.
Swansboro (18-2), the top seed out of the Coastal Conference, will play host to Chapel Hill (19-8) on Tuesday, with the time to be determined. Chapel Hill, the No. 3 seed out of the Big Eight Conference, beat Hunt 3-0.
�Even for it being a Saturday I was very pleased with the approach they took,� Miller said.
Indeed, the Pirates looked focused and ready despite facing a foe that had not won a match all season, had just seven players suit up Saturday and wound up the season 0-18.
One indication of Swansboro�s focused approach early, other than the final scores, was that the Pirates had just four hitting errors and three service errors the first two sets. Swansboro had five hitting errors and three service errors in the third set � the only time it trailed.
�We had three goals that we set for today to kind of measure after each set,� said Miller, who declined to be more specific about the three goals. �We hit mainly two out of three on the first two sets and then I think we hit one out of three on the third set.
�But sometimes � I had some different people in the rotations here and there. I�d rather be able to do that and for them to gain that experience then to have to throw someone out there cold turkey in a major match and it being their first time in the playoffs and them kind of losing self-confidence.
�But that third set I thought we pressed a little bit, some of our hitters pressed a little bit, and that�s where they got kind of frustrated and that was due to them not transitioning and moving. We just kind of started watching.�
Swansboro set the tone from the first point, with Megan Malone serving up an ace. The Pirates scored the first four points � Malone had another ace and Kim Moore one of her six kills � and 13 of the first 14 points en route to an 18-point win in the first set.
It was more of the same in the second set. The Pirates raced to a 13-2 lead, which included two of 10 aces by Bailey Rabidou and a pair of aces by Moore, for a 17-point win and a 2-0 lead.
The third set was more of a struggle early for the Pirates, who seemed to have lost a bit of their focus after easily winning the first two sets. Southern Wayne scored five straight points to go up 5-3 and it was tied 6-6 when a net return by the Saints gave Swansboro the lead for good.
A 16-6 run by the Pirates, capped by another ace by Rabidou, sent them to the clinching victory.
�I was very pleased with the first and second set. I thought we played consistent, didn�t force things and talked and moved,� Miller said. �We made some good decisions with our hitting when the set wasn�t where we needed it. We were trying to be a little more up-tempo with running some plays. I was pleased with that.
�The third set we kind of stood around at the beginning. � We weren�t doing what we had done in the first two sets. That�s where we had to refocus to get back to doing the things that we were success (doing). And we did.�
Southern Wayne 7 8 15
Swansboro 25 25 25
LEADING PLAYERS�SWA: NA. SWAN: Moore 6 kills, 2 aces; Oriol 7 kills; Rabidou 16 assists, 10 aces, 3 kills; Watkins 7 digs. RECORDS�SW: 0-18, season complete. SW 18-2, hosts Chapel Hill Tuesday, time TBA.


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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MONDAY, JULY 2, 2012: With 3,000 residents still displaced, District Attorney Dan May had strong words for anyone considering taking advantage of the plethora of empty homes.
"I hope you have packed your bags. We intend to evacuate you from our community, and we intend to do that for many, many years."
Colorado Springs police announced over the weekend that 24 burglaries and attempted burglaries had occurred in evacuated areas. May stressed that each burglary could result in a 24-year sentence per home burglarized.
May was among several officials who addressed the media in Monday morning's press conference, on the 10th day since the Waldo Canyon Fire first made its presence known.
The fire remains at 55 percent containment and 17,827 acres Monday morning. The cost of fighting the fire to date is $11.1 million.
Forest Supervisor Jeri Marr says firefighter morale continues to be high.
"This is what they train for ... what they live for," Marr said.
Colorado Springs Utilities addressed concerns of returning evacuees and those who lost their homes, assuring them to company would not make a buck off of their misfortune. They pointed those concerned to the csu.org website. The company's statement is below:
In all areas where evacuees have been allowed to return home, electric, water and wastewater services are operating normally.
Results of water quality tests meet all regulatory requirements. Run water through a hose or sprinkler for five minutes to clear sediment and air from your lines.
Natural gas service is not available to all customers at this time to allow for system testing and to keep employees and customers safe.
Starting today [Monday July 2], our employees, with help from Xcel employees, will go house-to-house to conduct final safety checks and light pilot lights. Customers must be present for gas service to be turned on. We anticipate that this will take us through July 4 to complete.
We understand many of you are concerned about your bills. We are adjusting bills for customers that were evacuated or lost their homes in the Waldo Canyon Fire. We are sensitive to the impacts of the fire and it is our desire to help as much as we can.
All homes that were destroyed will have their bills adjusted to a zero balance.
In evacuated areas, customer bills will be adjusted, removing water consumption for the days evacuated.
In areas where we turned off natural gas and electricity services for safety reasons, daily charges will be removed for electricity and gas from June 23, 2012 to the date that services were restored.
Check our restoration process page for more information about restoration of utilities services in affected areas.
Customer service representatives are staffing the Disaster Recovery Center to answer your specific questions.
We operate at the direction and discretion of Incident Command. If directed to evacuate, our employees will comply.
Returning evacuees who need to throw out old food were directed to Woodmen-Roberts Elementary or Eagleview Middle School to drop bags of bad food off.
Rich Harvey addressed anticipated weather conditions for Monday, stating that thunderstorms, potentially accompanied by strong and crazy winds, were forecasted. He assured the public that firefighters were expecting those weather conditions and had a plan in place.
One area that had proved problematic over the course of the week was a spot in the Cave of the Winds area. Harvey said he was pleased to announce that boots were on the ground in the area, and they "had gotten it."
The fire's perimeter was holding, Rich said, and any acreage currently being added to the overall total were fires on "islands" of previously unburned land inside the perimeter. None of those areas burning are expected to be a threat to the public.
Investigators still don't have a cause, but have finally been given a green light to go to the fire's point of origin to start piecing the puzzle together. Monday is their first full day to be inside the fire lines.
The press conference ended on a touching note, with volunteers Jonathan and Diane Cunningham presenting fire officials with a giant thank you card full of signatures thanking firefighters and others involved for all the work they have done. Five families who lost their homes June 26 were included in the signatures.


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CENTENNIAL, Colo. (AP) — One of James Holmes' lawyers asked a judge on Monday to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity in the Colorado theater shootings. Such a plea is seen as his best hope of avoiding the death penalty in the killings of 12 people at a packed midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora. Changing the plea still carries risks for Holmes but moving in that direction now allows them to challenge some of the problems they see with Colorado's laws on insanity and the death penalty.
The first judge in the case entered a not guilty for Holmes in March after his lawyers said they weren't prepared to enter one yet. He said Holmes could change it later. The current judge, Carlos Samour, said Monday that allowing the change would be "consistent with fairness and justice," but he wants to consider those constitutional objections raised by the defense before deciding whether to accept a new plea.
Defense lawyers fear a wrinkle in Colorado law could cripple their ability to raise his mental health as a mitigating factor during the sentencing phase. They question the constitutionality of that law. Both the first judge and Samour have previously refused to rule on its constitutionality, saying the attorneys' objections were hypothetical because Holmes had not pleaded insanity. Samour will take those up now but isn't expected to announce his ruling until May 31, when another hearing is scheduled.
Holmes would have to submit to a mental evaluation by state-employed doctors, and prosecutors could use the findings against him.
Prosecutors would have to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Holmes was sane. If they don't, state law requires the jury to find him not guilty by reason of insanity. If acquitted, Holmes would be committed to the state mental hospital indefinitely.
The mental evaluation could take weeks or months. Evaluators will interview Holmes, his friends and family, and if Holmes permits it, they'll also speak with mental health professionals who treated him in the past. Evaluators may give Holmes standardized personality tests and compare his results to those of people with documented mental illness. They will also look for any physical brain problems.
Follow Dan Elliott at http://twitter.com/DanElliottAP


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Not for Turning
The woman who saved Britain with a message of freedom.
In that dreary winter of 1979, the piles of uncollected trash in London's Finsbury Park seemed to stretch for miles. The garbagemen were on strike. So too, at one time or another, were hospital workers, ambulance drivers, truck drivers, railwaymen. Also gravediggers: In Liverpool, corpses had to be warehoused as they awaited burial—yet another long queue that socialist Britain had arranged for its patient masses.
This was the "Winter of Discontent," when Great Britain came about as close to economic collapse as at nearly any point in its peacetime history, and it was the country Margaret Thatcher inherited when, on May 3, she defeated the Labour government of James Callaghan to become Prime Minister—the first woman in the office and 49th in a line that includes some of the greatest figures of Western civilization: Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, the Duke of Wellington, William Pitt the Younger.
Thatcher died in London Monday, at age 87, having earned her place among the greats. This is not simply because she revived Britain's economy, though that was no mean achievement. Nor is it because she held office longer than any of her predecessors, though this also testifies to her political skill. She achieved greatness because she articulated a set of vital ideas about economic freedom, national self-respect and personal virtue, sold them to a skeptical public and then demonstrated their efficacy.
Consider economic policy. Britain in 1979 had a double-digit inflation rate, a top income tax rate of 83% and rising unemployment. Public expenditures accounted for 42.5% of GDP. There were price, dividend, currency and wage controls, although the last of these were flouted by trade unions on whose support the Labour government depended.
The government accounted for about 30% of the work force. The state controlled most major industries: British Aerospace , British Airways , British Telecom , British Steel, British Leyland, the British National Oil Corporation, Associated British Ports, Cable and Wireless, Rolls Royce. What was left of a private economy was smothered in red tape.
Most British policy makers of the time had no real grasp of economics: no idea what caused inflation; no idea how to run state-owned enterprises (much less that government shouldn't run businesses at all); no idea—beyond increasing civil-service rolls—how to create jobs. Worse, the cluelessness was bipartisan. "The Tories loosened the corset of socialism," Thatcher wrote in her memoirs. "They never removed it."
Thatcher was different, an "instinctive conservative" whose economic philosophy drew from her father's observations of stocking a grocery. Her memoir recalls her youthful wonder at "The great complex romance of international trade which recruited people from all over the world to ensure that a family in Grantham could have on its table rice from India, coffee from Kenya, sugar from the West Indies." She had also, with her cabinet colleague Keith Joseph, spent years transforming those instincts into practical theories for governance.
And so it went for the next 11 years, as Thatcher and her government stopped printing excess money to kill inflation, cut marginal tax rates to unleash private incentives, privatized public housing so the poor could own their own homes, did away with currency, price and wage controls to eliminate the distortions they imposed on the economy, curbed runaway spending and sold off one state asset after another so they might be competently and profitably managed.
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All this was done despite sharp short-term economic shocks and in the teeth of ferocious resistance, particularly from trade unions. In 1984, the coal miners union of Arthur Scargill went on strike for nearly a year. Similar strikes had brought past governments to their knees, but Thatcher, in a feat of immense courage and political skill, remained immovable and eventually won public opinion to her side. As she had famously said of herself a few years earlier (without being believed), "the lady is not for turning."
But staring down labor unions was the least of it. In March 1979, a faction of the Irish Republican Army murdered Airey Neave, her campaign manager. Eleven years later, they murdered Ian Gow, her former private secretary. There would be IRA outrages at the Harrods department store, in London's Hyde and Regent's Parks, in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, and, in October 1984, at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, where Thatcher was herself the principal target. None of this cowed Thatcher, who understood that the main threat IRA terrorism posed wasn't so much to British sovereignty in Northern Ireland as it was to the very concept of majority rule.
The same went for the Falklands. Critics of that war paint it as a display of jingoism, carried out chiefly for Thatcher's political convenience. Yet the issues at stake were larger than the possession of some rocky and frigid islands in the South Atlantic. Would Argentina's unprovoked aggression be resisted or rewarded? Would 1,800 Falklanders—loyal to the Crown, English-speaking—be consigned without real protest to foreign rule and dictatorship?
There should never have been any serious argument over these questions, but there was. And looking back, it's remarkable how much Thatcher was willing to risk in a fight lesser statesmen would have skipped. Britain lost six ships and suffered hundreds of casualties in the war. But in fighting Thatcher showed that Britain was prepared to defend its rights, its interests and its principles—intangible assets of nationhood that had once made the country great.
These assets served more than Britain. Thatcher understood that Britain's fight was also the West's, and vice versa. So she agreed, over massive protests, to the stationing of U.S. nuclear cruise missiles at Greenham Common as a counterforce to the Soviet SS-20; and she agreed to let the U.S. launch air strikes from British bases against Libya, in retaliation for Moammar Gadhafi's terrorist campaigns in Europe. In summer 1990 she steeled President George H.W. Bush after Saddam Hussein had invaded Kuwait: "This is no time to go wobbly."
Deeper than this was Thatcher's sympathy with what is best in America: freedom, enterprise, opportunity, optimism and the urge for self-improvement. No doubt this reflected Thatcher's background as a grocer's daughter who'd risen on her own talent and effort.
It did not, however, always reflect British or even Tory opinion, which was (and remains) prone to seeing the U.S. as a coarse, overbearing ally. Preserving the "special relationship" is more than the default option of British leadership: It is a political choice that has to be defended against alternatives such as "Europe." Thatcher, like Churchill before her and Tony Blair afterward, always made the choice to remain close to America, one reason the three are often admired more in the U.S. than at home.
Over Thatcher's long tenure there were bound to be misjudgments. Whatever the policy merits of her "poll tax," its implementation was badly handled and ultimately led to her political downfall. A larger blot were the terms of the handover of Hong Kong to Chinese rule with no guarantee of democratic self-rule. We remember her vigorous defense of that decision when she visited our offices in the mid-1980s, which she punctuated by asking: "Do I make myself clear?" She had, but the colony's six million British subjects deserved better from such a champion of freedom.
Still, the failures dim next to the overall legacy. Thatcher came to power when Britain and the West were in every kind of crisis: social, economic, moral and strategic. Along with Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, she showed the world the way out. She believed in the inherent right of free men to craft their own destinies, and in the capacity of free nations to resist and overcome every kind of tyranny and injustice.
These were the right beliefs then as now. She was the right woman at the right time.


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Here it is, a post with new photos from New York, London, Milan and Paris fashionweeks. A big thanks to all the people who lived this experience with me, making me spend one of the most exciting months of my life.
Eccolo, un post di foto inedite di tutte le settimane della moda di New York, Londra, Milano e Parigi.
Un grazie a tutte le persone che hanno vissuto questa esperienza insieme a me, facendomi passare un mese assolutamente indimenticabile.
Wonderful and unforgettable Bloglovin' awards (some photos shot by Yvan Rodic)
My color block outfit with the electric blue shoes I designed in Paris, photo by Peter Stigter
At Burberry fashionshow in London with Andy
Almost arrived in New York, when the adventure began
On the magazine Verve, at Massimo Rebecchi fashionshow next to Martina Colombari in Milan and, in the second photo, with the designer Massimo Rebecchi.
Photographed by The Cobra Snake after the Y-3 fashionshow in New York
Color block in Milan
Small hotel room in New York, with a lot of happy memories
Gucci private brunch in New York
The lobby of our hotel in London
A morning spent with Veronica during Milan fashion week
Super kitsch restaurant in NYC (and It was so good), taken with my iphone
Party nights in New York (best parties over there)
Some of the invites from NYFW
Ralph Lauren bar/restaurant in Paris
In London after Burberry fashionshow, photographed by Craig Arend
My new Arfango shoes I used for the Fendi party in Paris with a Dior dress, still waiting for Yvan's photos
Crazy as usual in NYC
Lunch at Chelsea Market on the 1st day of New York fashionweek
Some photos from Milan fashionweek published on Harper's Bazaar, taken by Mr. Newton
At Disneyland in Paris with Richie, one of the funniest days (taken with my iphone)
Some of my New York shopping
Angie and I at Lincoln Center, NY
Romantic outfit from Paris fashionweek
Toast at 3 in the morning with Ludivine at our hotel in Paris after the Fendi party
Leopard wild outft from New York fashionweek
Badge to enter the Burberry showroom in London
Some photos shot by Stefano Coletti during Milan fashionweek
With my girls Andy and Carolina in Paris after the Vogue Nippon interview
Tour Eiffel at night video, shot with my iphone. Always magical
Thanks for all the memories and for making them happen!
Grazie per tutti i bei ricordi, e per aver fatto accadere tutto questo!


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- Supplied with a removable coolpack, this can be chilled in the freezer
- Pocket in mask to insert coolpack for use as a cooling eye mask to help revive tired eyes
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RIPLEY - The Ripley Middle soccer team conducted business as usual in 2012. It has become a habit that quite frankly, nobody wants to break.
All that the team coached by Shelly Cox did was win their second MVAC crown in a row and finished the season (13-0-1) on the season.
A big part of that success was Remy Boyce, the multi-sport athlete who keeps piling up more statistics than a room full of fantasy baseball owners.
While middle school records in West Virginia (and most other states) are sketchy at best, Boyce has set the season and career record for career goals at Ripley Middle School with 54 on the season. He also notched 16 assists in 2012.
For his career at RpMS, he scored 89 goals and 35 assists. These statistics gave Boyce a ridiculous average of a hat trick (three goals) per game last season.
It is unknown where these numbers rank in the conference and the state of West Virginia.
Coach Cox geared the team's formations towards Boyce's talents and with the help of unselfish teammates, they steam-rolled through their schedule this season, unbeaten.
"Remy was able to set what could be the state record for goals this season. He has tremendous skills and speed. His teammates did a fantastic job of getting the ball to him in positions where he could score. I expect great things from Remy at the high school level and beyond," said Cox.
The versatile athlete was recently named the MVAC and team Most Valuable Player.
Boyce was also a standout hurler and outfielder for coach Todd Layhew's conference champion baseball squad in 2012 and recently took first place in boys cross-country for the blue and white.
On the diamond last season, Boyce hit .333 as a centerfielder and previously won two championships as a Little Leaguer and played in a game televised by ESPN. As an Atlanta Braves fan, he wears number 3 and patrols centerfield in honor of Atlanta Braves great Dale Murphy, who retired six years before Boyce was born in 1999.
Recently, he set new course records in cross-country at Ravenswood and at St. Marys. The talented runner took first place while his team finished third in the MVAC in 2012.
Through all of this, Boyce has managed to sit on the A-honor roll, the National Junior High Honor Society and even served as a 4-H Natural Helper while juggling his athletic pursuits.
"Remy is a bright young man who is well-liked by his peers and teachers. He takes his academic work seriously. Remy is an asset to Ripley Middle School," said RpMS English teacher Kathy Reynolds.
As an athlete, Boyce knows he has a lot of work to do as he enters high school competition as a freshman next fall.
"I have to improve my outside shot, get faster and move better with the ball. I will also be going to a couple of college soccer camps before soccer season next year," said Boyce.
Boyce plans to keep playing his current sports as a varsity Viking but is contemplating adding track to his growing list of sports.
"I take a lot of pride in being a Viking. I want to be a part of championships in high school. I will continue to work hard in the classroom. It all starts with working hard and pushing myself. I want to be a team player on the field."
Whether it's a ball or a book, Remy Boyce is a proven winner.
Books, Booting and Baseball: Boyce shines on field and in the classroom
RIPLEY - The Ripley Middle soccer team conducted business as usual in 2012. It has become a habit that quite frankly, nobody wants to break.


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This event has been canceled. Understanding Your Financial Statements
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Fox29's Mike Jerrick did some fantastic "man on the street" reporting for "Good Day Philly" today, interviewing high school kids in sombreros, beating a taxi cab driver with an oar, and then asking youths to ride the "Cooch Train." Brilliant.
The premise of the bit was an interview with the members of the Padilla Flotilla—it rhymes if you're actually a member of the Spanish Armada—who used to be the personal fan club of Vicente Padilla, but have renounced their hero since he's pitching for the Dodgers tonight. Then a cab driver in a Yankee jersey drove by and started heckling them. So Jerrick, always the professional, chased the cabbie off with cardboard boat oar. He then continued the interview by asking if these youngsters, seeking a new Phillie hero to throw their allegiance behind, could "ride the Cooch Train?"
Thank heavens he didn't direct that question toward the girl or this post would have a very different set of tags. The female anchor politely pointed out that Jerrick was actually referring to the Chooch Train, in honor of Carlos Ruiz. Believe it or not, there are actually two Chooch fan clubs fighting for Chooch supremacy. Mike Alfonso, leader of the "Chooch-Chooch Train" demands that his group be granted the true Chooch throne.
"We tailgate with authentic Panamanian beer and an inflatable sombrero beer cooler - all approved by Ivan the Cart Guy, who works outside my building and is from Panama," Alfonso wrote.
Wait, there's more. Philadelphia city workers have spent most of the day greasing light posts throughout the city, as if that would somehow stop a determined drunk from scaling one tonight.
So it's come to this, Philly? Ivan The Cart Guy is the arbiter of taste? Greased poles and inflatable sombrero beer coolers? Could Yankee fans actually end up looking like the civilized ones here?
Although, I have to grudgingly admit that this is pretty cool. Now go home and get your shine box.
Padilla Flotilla [Fox29]
All aboar+d the Chooch-Chooch Train [Daily News]
Quite Possibly The Greatest Thing Ever [The Fightins]


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50 Cent Leaves Shady Records
End Of An Era.After 12 years on Shady/Aftermath, 50 Cent has parted ways with his long time record label. His new album Animal Ambition, will be released on June 3rd through Caroline/Capitol/UMG. Says 50:
"I've had great success to date with Shady/Aftermath/Interscope and I'd like to thank Eminem and Dr. Dre for giving me an incredible opportunity. I've learned so much from them through the years. I am excited to enter this new era where I can carry out my creative vision."
Says Eminem: "Both myself and Shady Records are grateful to have had the chance to play a part in 50's career. Shady simply would not be what it is without 50 Cent. I've developed a great friendship with 50 over the years, and that's not going to change. We know 50 will have success in his new situation, and we remain supporters of both him and G-Unit."


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Roman Holiday Granita
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Click the heart, it's called favoriting. Favorite the stuff you like.Got it!
Author Notes: In Italy they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But they have plenty of holidays and saints days of their own. In Rome they've seen plenty of pilgrims, fortunately not the ones we got stuck with. As a card carrying member of the Calvin Trillin Spaghetti Carbonara for Thanksgiving Club, I chose granita as dessert. The first time I tasted this was in Tazza D'Oro in Rome. As you approach Piazza Rotunda from the east the most heavenly coffee smells surround you. Your nose will lead you to Tazza D'Oro, so you don't need directions. At TDO you will be served this refreshing coffee based confection in clear plastic cups, but if you want to tart it up for the holiday serve it in glass mugs. Now, back to the via Veneto… - pierino —pierino
Food52 Review: If this just doesn't whisk you momentarily away to the Piazzas of Italy, I don't know what will. Pierino has taken the classic Italian Granita di caffé and in a stroke of genius, added blood orange juice to the mix. If you put a layer of whipped cream at the bottom of the glass, you'll be treated to tiny bits of frozen cream as you spoon the espresso crystals into your mouth. It may seem decadent, but abandon your cares for a bit and just go with it. The only thing missing here is a view of the Pantheon. - TiggyBee —TiggyBee
Serves: 4
1 cup fresh brewed coffee from your best quality espresso beans
¼ cup fresh squeezed juice from a blood orange, or alternatively a tangerine'
teaspoons sugar
½ cup whipping cream
- A pyrex loaf pan works really well for this. First mix together the coffee, citrus juice and sugar---blend well. Transfer to the loaf pan and place in your freezer. Wait for it to crystalize, maybe 30 minutes or so. Start breaking it up with a fork or a palette knife. Scrape, scrape.
- Back in the freezer for another 20 minutes. Scrape again. And repeat for something over an hour. What you want to end up with is crystallized shards of coffee. You can do this while your guests are working their way through the carbonara.
- With a whisk or hand blender whip the cream. Spoon the granita into glass mugs or martini glasses and top with cream.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best No-Bake Desserts
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe Made with Coffee
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Frozen Dessert
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Soda Fountain Recipe
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Recipe with Coffee
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Non-Pie Thanksgiving Dessert
More Great Recipes:
Ice Cream/Frozen Desserts|5 Ingredients or Fewer|Summer|Fall|Winter|Vegetarian|Dessert


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Hi ya, I'm a newbie and I need help!
I recently changed my passwords for my online accounts. All went well except my Yahoo mail. For some reason I've forgotton my new password. There's a security question if you forget passwords but it was such along time ago I setup the account; and at the time I didn't realise the importantce the account would eventually come to be; I cannot remember what the answer to it is.
I've been on to Yahoo offering to provide what ever proof of ID they need to confirm it is my account, I have even provided them with a Police incident number as I reported that my account may have been hacked and my passwords changed, but all has drawn a blank and I can not get any further.
My question is, is there any software availiable where I can analize my computer back to the day I changed the passwords, that can tell me what I typed? In otherwords what keystrokes were perfomed on a particular day?
If not are there any suggestions as to what I can do? I would let it go if it were not the case that I've left some important documents and emails on there, believing it would be safer in case of a harddrive failure.


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After criticizing referees during and after Game 2 of their playoff series against the Canadiens, Bruins coach Claude Julien was more diplomatic on Wednesday.
Claude Julien had his say about officiating in Game 2.
In fact, the Bruins coach said enough to a referee on Saturday afternoon to get hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct.
Julien still defends that incident ("I don't regret doing what I did. I think I stood up for our team."), but has at least temporarily stopped citing officials' calls in the Bruins' best-of-7 playoff series against the Canadiens.
The coach had his chance on Wednesday when asked his opinion about a last-minute play in Game 3 on which defenseman P.K. Subban knocked the Habs' net off its magnets. While it did force the Canadiens into a defensive-zone faceoff with 10 seconds left and a one-goal lead, it could have resulted in a penalty shot for the B's if officials had ruled Subban's act intentional and assessed a penalty for delay of game.
Julien doesn't want his players dwelling on that or citing is as a reason for a 4-2 loss Tuesday and 2-1 deficit in the series.
"If we rely on referees to give us the breaks, then we certainly don't have our focus in the right place," the coach told reporters at a practice facility outside Montreal. "We need to make our own breaks. We have to look at ourselves and say 'Did we play well enough (Tuesday) to win that game?' and we didn't.
"We can look at all this stuff … that we don't control and complain about it, but that's not what we do. We have to be honest here and tell ourselves that we need to be better."
Asked about the Subban incident, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said, "Calls get missed. I've looked at the same video our guys do. To me, it looked like he knocked it off … but one of the questions is whether it was on purpose or not." … Chiarelli wouldn't discuss a report that injured defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, now four months past ACL/MCL knee surgery that had an estimated six- to eight-month recover period, had said he could probably play now. "I'm not going to comment on that. I haven't all last series (against Detroit) or this series. … He is skating, but that's all I can say." Seidenberg has recently graduated from skating on his own to participating in full practices, but so far hasn't been seen in contact drills.


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Inside the Park: Running the Base Path of Life
Former Kansas City Royal Willie Wilson retired from Major League Baseball with 668 stolen bases (ranking 12th all-time) and 13 inside-the-park home runs (the most of any major leaguer playing after 1950). He was also among the first active major league players to serve jail time, having pled guilty to misdemeanor drug charges in 1983.
Now Wilson and his co-author, former Kansas City Star sportswriter Kent Pulliam, discuss his life and career as chronicled in a new memoir.
Wilson played 19 major league seasons as an outfielder for the Royals, the Oakland Athletics, and the Chicago Cubs. He was elected to the Royals Hall of Fame in 2000 and currently oversees the Willie Wilson Baseball Foundation in Kansas City.


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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to close loopholes on a state ban on assault weapons and ammunition clips that carry more than 10 bullets in this third State of the State speech.
According to information provided before the speech, Cuomo's gun proposal would also require follow-ups for owners of handgun licenses to make sure they are still qualified to possess a gun based on criminal and other records.
He also proposes to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.75 an hour, an idea he also pitched a year ago.
Cuomo wants to make possession of up to 15 ounces of marijuana seen in "open view" to be punishable by only a violation.
He would also eliminate the Long Island Power Authority, which he said failed during Superstorm Sandy.


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Hear a concert live Fridays at 12noon ET from WXPN and NPR Music
Broadcast live from the stage at World Cafe Live
Listen to the Concert Live, Friday on the Radio and Online at XPN.org/listen.
This Philly-based trio, originally formed while guitarist Tommy Siegel, pianist Ben Thornewill, and drummer Jesse Kristin were in college in Washington, D.C. – is described as whimsical, quirky, energetic indie band featuring melodic pop tunes driven by a sizzling rock momentum. Jukebox The Ghost has a unique sound, with an eclectic mix of elements from artists Ben Folds, Elvis Costello, Queen, They Might Be Giants, and The Flaming Lips. Their debut album, Let Live and Let Ghosts was described as "a sunny, piano-led explosion of pop exuberance" by the group, and their new album, Everything Under the Sun, has been popularly accepted as catchy and skillfully structured, yet wildly diverse. The band has toured extensively, most notably with Guster and will soon be on tour with The Barenaked Ladies. They played SXSW in the spring, Lollapalloza in Chicago in August, and appeared on David Letterman in early September featuring their song "Schizophrenia." As their fan base grows and excitement over the recent album release increases, it is easy to guess that this group could be the next big thing in indie rock.
Jukebox the Ghosts' latest release, Everything Under the Sun, is still full of rich pop undertones, but there's something a bit more introspective, a bit more serious, about this 11-song collection. Released this past September, the record has undeniable Brit-pop influences but also some Philly flavor; JTG relocated to the City of Brotherly Love on a whim after their first release. "The music scene here is amazing," said Siegel. "A lot of bands here, like Dr. Dog, have a heavy Beatles vibe going– I think that made us realize that it's OK for us to wear our influences on our sleeves a little bit."
"We've been keeping our eyes and ears on Jukebox The Ghost since they debuted a couple years ago." The band really nailed it on their new album, Everything Under The Sun, and has grown a lot over the last couple years.Jukebox The Ghost was chosen to be WXPN's Artist To Watch for October, 2010. ~Bruce Warren, Assistant GM of Programming for WXPN
Jukebox the Ghost play a full show at The First Unitarian Church in Philly this Friday night, May 6, and will be here to play Free At Noon the same day.
Website: jukeboxtheghost.com/site/
MySpace: myspace.com/jukeboxtheghost
Recent Release: Everything Under the Sun
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Label: Yep Roc Records
Origin: Philadelphia, PA


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The objective of this study was to present criteria and procedures for evaluation of Joint Development (JD) above, below, or beside state highways. Application of the procedures are illustrated over a wide range of joint development situations, both (1) for establishing state or local JD policy, and (2) for making decisions about JD projects in a more timely and comprehensive manner, and in a way that will contribute toward improving the quality or urban life or the enhancement of rural environments. The approach taken in the Guidelines is sequential, systematic, and interdisciplinary; that is, it uses a series of successively more detailed and comprehensive planning and evaluation procedures for JD decision making, relying on a wide range of specified physical, economic, social, and legal criteria. In use, the Guidelines envision a three-stage planning and evaluation process: (1) identification of the need or potential for JD projects; (2) comparison of project proposals against policies, criteria, and standards designed to avoid or minimize negative impacts and increase favorable impacts; and (3) refined definition of costs and benefits when warranted.
This supplement to the Guidelines report (described above) presents the results of analyzing seven actual JD proposals, located along Interstate 5 in the State of Washington, according to the procedures suggested in the Guidelines.


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Pond & Lake Q & A
Q: I have mats of pondweeds in the bottom of my pond. I used Pondweed Defense to treat it, but it seems to be unharmed by it? What am I doing wrong? If there another herbicide I am supposed to use? – Ted of Michigan
A: I remember when I first began treating ponds the importance of being able to identify what I was treating was vital. For example, after talking with Ted we discovered that what he had in his pond wasn't a pondweed at all , it was actually a form of algae called chara. Chara, (refer to picture on the left), mimics true plants with its shape and form. At times, its hard to tell the difference between chara and pondweeds by just their physical appearances.
Aquatic Weed Identification: Chara Vs. Pondweeds
Even though there are times when it may be difficult to tell the difference between chara and pondweeds there are a few distinct qualities that chara has that will help you set them apart from pondweeds.
- Skunky Smell: Chara has an awful musky smell. Simply walking close to or around your pond will tell you right away if you have a chara problem or not.
- Easy to Remove: Chara is not as rooted into the pond as pondweeds are and is extremely easy to pull out from the water.
- Gritty Texture: Diagnose chara by pulling some out and rubbing it in between your fingers. Chara has a gritty feel to the touch.
Treating for Chara: When treating for chara, since it is a form of algae, you need to use an algaecide. We prefer to use Algae Defense® , but you can also use Cutrine®-Plus Granular as well. Approximately two weeks after treating the chara we sugget to use a Pond & Beach Rake to rake out as much as you can (Note: DO NOT rake out chara before treating it, it will spread). Doing this will help you gain control relatively quickly.
WE CAN INDENTIFY WEEDS/ALGAE FOR YOU!: If you are ever unsure of what you have, just go ahead and send us a sample and we can diagnose it for you. Its FREE. You can either e-mail us a picture of mail the sample to us. See below for instructions.
E-mail: E-mail us pictures at firstname.lastname@example.com
Mail: Mail weed samples to: The Pond Guy, ATTN: Weed Sample, 15426 Chets Way, Armada, MI 48039. When mailing just be sure to ship priority or exprss shipping to ensure the sample arrives quickly and fresh. Also, please wrap samples with a DRY paper towel and place in a plastic bag.
POND TALK: Have any of you had trouble identifying pondweeds or algae? Please comment and let us know how we can help.
Filed under: Chara (Algae), Pond & Lake, Pondweeds | Tagged: algae, chara, pondweeds |


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NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A large gas grill exploded Monday outside a central Indiana church, killing a man operating the barbecue at the time, authorities said.
The explosion at Grace Community Church in Noblesville was felt by others preparing for a cookout, Police Lt. Bruce Barnes said. The cause of the blast was not immediately known.
"We're still looking into the reasons as to why. We're not going to have the answers today, tomorrow or maybe even the weeks to come," Barnes said.
Police identified the victim Monday night as Doug Gripp, 52, of Carmel, Indiana.
Senior Pastor Dave Rodriguez said the victim was a "very beloved volunteer" in the men's ministry.
"We're in shock," Rodriguez said.
The pastor described the grill as being larger than ones typically found at homes. He said it was owned by a member of the congregation.
The church draws about 5,000 worshippers each week, he said. Noblesville is about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
About 400 men were expected to attend the cookout, which was canceled after the explosion, Rodriguez said.
It was the second tragedy to rock a central Indiana church in less than a month. A bus owned by Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Indianapolis crashed exiting a highway July 27, killing a youth pastor, his wife and a third member of that congregation.


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Hey guys,
I made a program in VB 2008 Express. Is it possible to Change the .exe final program into an ActiveX type of program, Im sorry if that isn't clear.
I want my program to run on my website, I understand how users will still have to accept it, or even download it. I have very little html/java script knowledge from heart, I have to look up most of things I want to do.
I've herd ways of making code in java script to run the program. . . Overall, A little walk through of the steps I will have to do will be very much appreciated.


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Lady Gaga Offers a New Twist on 'White Christmas,' Performs in a Christmas Tree + More at Jingle Ball
Lady Gaga was one of the key performers at the Jingle Ball in New York City last night (Dec. 9). The Mother Monster recalled a previous stint on the annual holiday gathering of pop stars on one stage, saying, "There were a whole bunch of superstars and no one knew who the hell I was," as she played her Christmas-tree shaped keytar for 'Just Dance.' Only Gaga can make a keytar in vogue. And my, she has come a long, long way. Now, everyone knows who she is.
Gaga wore a white blonde wig with bangs throughout the show, but changed her outfits several times.
While performing 'Marry the Night,' she was draped in a hospital gown, once again nodding to the video and its now-famous breakdown scene. Her dancers were also dressed in hospital gowns. It was very clinical and consistent.
For 'The Edge of Glory,' the stage was full of Christmas lights and motorcycles, the latter of which have been a recurrent 'Born This Way' theme. Remember the 'Judas' video? Gaga was riding on the back of an outlaw biker's cycle. She also performed 'The Edge of Glory' in a slinky, glittery outfit, while perched in a Christmas tree. Yes, we said "in." She performed in the middle of the branches and needles of an evergreen. She was the ultimate Christmas ornament, albeit clad in black leather.
She also performed 'Judas,' dancing her toned a– off.
The highlight of set was her performance of the empowering title track of her latest album, with Gaga dancing in an embellished black bra and panties, complete with some decorative silver accessories. She engaged in more than a few crotch grabs, too.
Gaga also took on 'White Christmas' and sang it just like she did on her Thanksgiving special. She Gaga-fied the holiday classic. She said it stops too short, "like a really bad orgasm." It's worth noting that she was sitting with her legs wide open when she said that.
She added to the lyrics, singing, "I'm dreaming of a 'White Snowman'," creating a new verse. She also hugged a Christmas tree at the end, since real trees come at such a premium in NYC these days.
Gaga definitely sexed up her performance of a holiday standard, laying on her back on the motorcycle, with her boots high in the air, calling out Santa suggestively and seductively.
It was typical Gaga, with a holiday sheen.
Watch Lady Gaga Intro at Jingle Ball
Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'Marry the Night'
Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'The Edge of Glory'
Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'Judas'
Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'Born This Way'
Watch Lady Gaga Perform 'White Christmas'


text: RXTE SOF Realtime Data Area Has Moved The RXTE SOF's Realtime and Pseudo-production data retrieval sites have moved. If you are looking for the SOF's Realtime or Pseudo-production data areas, the new, permanent sites are: Realtime data: ftp://legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov/xte/data/xtesof/pub/FITS/ Pseudo-production data: ftp://legacy.gsfc.nasa.gov/xte/data/xtesof/pub/FITS/production or Web page with links to both: http://rxte.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/SOF/SOF_data_hp.html Please remove old bookmarks for these areas and replace them with the new sites. Thanks for your patience with this transition. The new site is expected to be faster and more robust.


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Roddin' @ Random
It's been the rant ever since the return of the Camaro for the 2010 model year: Where's the Z28? Chevy finally answered on March 27 this year, announcing the 2014 Camaro Z/28, adding the slash for the first time since it was omitted for the '70 model. That's the least of it.
Ditching the Z/28's historic 302 and 350ci engine displacements, the '14 will run a 7.0L, 427ci LS7—the same all-aluminum, 7,000-rpm, 11.0:1 that's used in the current ZO6 Corvettes. It's advertised at 505 hp in the Vette, though tradition tells us it will be down-rated a few numbers for appearance when applied to a Camaro. And while the base Corvettes will go to direct fuel injection in '14, it's a relief to aftermarket tuners that the Z/28 will use today's familiar EFI.
The drivetrain wraps up with a TR6060 six-speed stick (no automatic available, thank you) and a rearend with steep 3.91:1 cogs. It'll use 15.5- and 15.3-inch carbon-ceramic brakes with Brembo six-piston calipers, and the meats are huge 305/30ZR19s Pirelli PZero Trofeo Rs. Chevy claims many suspension upgrades lead to 1.05 lateral g's. The engineering manager on the suspension is a recognizable name to HOT ROD readers and Pro Touring fans: Mark Stielow.
Much of the PR hype centers on many changes to the '14 front fascia and rear spoiler that provide more aerodynamic downforce, and the Z/28 also gets a vented hood, a front splitter, a rear diffuser, and side skirts. Taking jabs at the optional track packages on the Ford Boss 302, Chevy makes it clear that brake and fluid coolers are standard on every Z/28.
Addressing the most common gripe about all late-model muscle cars, Chevy has stripped the Z/28 of as much weight as possible. Sit down for this one: Air conditioning is an option. That's a first in quite some time; our readers often bemoan the overloading of options on new muscle cars, but we'll see if they're really willing to sweat it out for the sake of performance. We'll guess that few Z/28s leave the dealers without A/C, although we like Chevy's dedication to the cause. There are many other weight-saving measures, including a lighter battery and rear seat and the deletion of trunk carpet and sound deadening. Friend of HRM and Camaro Chief Engineer Al Oppenheiser says, "Our goal was to get rid of everything that didn't make the car faster and keep only what was required by law. For example, we wanted to eliminate the audio system completely, but we had to keep a single speaker for the seatbelt chime to meet safety requirements. He says they even stripped extra wires out of the harness for the deleted foglights, speakers, and A/C. A final weight for the car has not been claimed, but it's said to be 300 pounds lighter than the ZL1.
Everything about the car was designed for road-course performance, and in the press releases, Oppenheiser is quoted as saying, "The Z/28 will be too track-focused for most drivers but offers road racers one of the most capable track cars offered from an automaker." Of course, a comparison to the Corvette has been completely avoided—same for the current, handling-focused 1LE—though the Z/28 is said to outrun the current Camaro ZL1 in the corners.
This is the type of real, stripped muscle car that HOT ROD readers have asked for since the 1969 Road Runner. But will it sell in huge numbers? We doubt it. Partially because buyers are too chicken to have a new car with no stereo or air conditioning, and partially because we bet the dealers make them pay a big premium to not have those things. Still, we want one. We'd probably end up drag racing it.


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NEW YORK (AP) — A caroling group that for 35 years has performed the Irving Berlin classic "White Christmas" on Christmas Eve outside the New York City home where he lived has cancelled the tradition.
A group spokesman says the plans were abruptly cancelled last week for lack of space at the Manhattan home, which now serves as the Luxembourg consulate.
The tradition started in the late 1970s with one cabaret singer outside the home. In 1983, Berlin invited the singers inside for cocoa and cookies.
Berlin died in 1989 at age 99.
Luxembourg Consul-General Jean-Claude Knebeler tells the New York Post the ballroom where the group performed is filled with office equipment because the consulate expanded. He says he hopes the tradition resumes in another year in the consulate's library.


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Theo Epstein Squeal Watch: Now Sources Say Red Sox Demands Might Delay Deal
Theo Epstein reportedly agreed to a five-year deal with the Chicago Cubs one week ago. Since then, we've been taken on a roller coaster regarding what compensation the Cubs will pay to Epstein's current team, the Boston Red Sox.
As of yesterday and this morning, most sources agreed that a deal would be reached – if it hadn't been already – before the Wednesday start of the World Series, a semi-imposed deadline, courtesy of Bud Selig and Major League Baseball. Some said the Red Sox were being unreasonable, others said talks were progressing normally. But virtually everyone agreed: it would get done.
Now, most agree that the deal will still get done, but it might not be announced until after the World Series. Sigh. Bullets…
- If you ask five people what the Red Sox are demanding for Theo Epstein, you'll get five different answers. I've heard independently that they're asking a lot, but will ultimately settle for a reasonable set of prospects. Patrick Mooney says the Red Sox "are believed" to want Cubs' top pitching prospect, Trey McNutt. Dave Kaplan says the Red Sox's demands have gone from "ridiculous" to "unbelievable." And then there's this…
- Bruce Levine reports that the Red Sox's initial request was none other than Matt Garza. The Cubs, of-freaking-course, refused. One thing that makes me a little nervous about a report like that: leaks on the Cubs' side of things have been excruciatingly difficult to find, throughout the GM search process. Thus, it's not inconceivable that the only things that leak on the Cubs' side are things the Cubs want to leak. If true, why would the Cubs want to leak the Red Sox's ridiculous demands? Could it be to set up a defense down the road in case the Epstein deal never comes to fruition? "We were willing to be reasonable, but look at what the Red Sox asked for. Matt Garza. We refused, and they wouldn't budge. It wasn't our fault." And, of course, it wouldn't be the Cubs' fault – but, as I said, it makes me nervous.
- Something else I've heard that you're not going to like? While MLB is involved in the compensation discussions, they may not necessarily be pushing to get a deal done as we've all hoped. Instead, there may be things about the deal – either Epstein's with the Cubs, or the Cubs' with the Red Sox – that MLB, and MLB owners, don't like. I wish I knew more, but that's all I've got.
- Remember, not but two days ago, many sources said the real fight was not about the compensation for Theo, but about the staffers he'd be taking with him. And now talks might stall for another week or more because of the compensation? The lesson here? Sources can be unreliable, and every single rumor you read must be regarded suspiciously. That includes rumors that come from me.
- For what it's worth, both Dave Kaplan and Nick Cafardo believe a deal will eventually get done, even if it takes another couple weeks (do you have the stomach for that? I'm popping Tums like ribbon candy (I'm also, apparently, 100 years old – ribbon candy?)). Kaplan says he hears the Cubs are willing to dig in and wait until the Red Sox's demands become more reasonable.
- Kaplan also tweeted that the deal would get done eventually because there is "no chance" the Red Sox are willing to pay Epstein $7 million (his 2012 salary plus his "conclusion" bonus, which the Cubs are willing to pick up if Epstein comes over now) to be a lame duck next year. Kaplan suggested the Cubs could set up a front office with all the necessary parts, besides Theo, in order to wait out the Red Sox. Sound familiar?
- I remain hopeful a deal will get done before Wednesday, but I'm no longer confident that that hope is grounded in the facts. That's not because the facts are now definitely different than they were just yesterday, but instead, it's because my ability to trust the "facts" we're all reading and hearing is becoming diluted.


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The Breeders are set to reform for a number of shows toasting the 20th anniversary of their album 'Last Splash'.
It all fell into place with remarkable ease. Kim Deal, Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs, and Jim Macpherson formed The Breeders in 1992, playing their first show together in a snooker hall behind Warrington Rugby Club in the north of England.
Within days they were supporting Nirvana, within weeks they had performed at Glastonbury and kicked off work on their debut album. Released in 1993, 'Last Splash' remains a stunning listen - immediately accessible, there is an adventurous edge to the material which still startles.
Recently hooking up, the four members of The Breeders decided to get back into rehearsals. Kicking off in November, the group made plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 'Last Splash' with a series of concerts around the globe. Set to play ATP (curated by Deerhunter) in June, the one off festival show will be followed by more headline dates.
Alongside this, 4AD are set to release a deluxe, 20th anniversary edition of 'Last Splash' in April.
Here's 'Cannonball'.


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Car details navigation
Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS review
Driven February 2012
Finally after 10 years we have an all new Bajaj Pulsar, and thanks to its great looks it has made quite an impression from the launch day. We got some hands-on time at Bajaj's test track near Pune to test out if the bike is as good to ride as it looks. Short answer - yes.
There's clearly no doubt that this is a handsome looking bike. Especially with the yellow paint job, the bike looks like Bumble Bee (from the Transformers films... not the insect) has traded its Chevy Camero exterior for the new Pulsar 200 NS (Naked Street). The dual tonality if the colors second that opinion. Speaking of Transformers, the headlight draws a face which looks like the Bumble Bee (again, not the insect) in battle mode.
The crouched stance, broad fuel tank and the high tail light add to the sporty look of the bike. It carries quite a few signature Pulsar styling elements with a whole lot of new ones and somehow it all fits very well together. What gets us bummed is the grim fact that this bike will get a 'saree guard' and a number plate smacked right on top of that beautiful headlight.
The engine is an all new 199cc motor which shares some of its mechanics with the KTM Duke 200. It makes around 23bhp of power, 18Nm of torque and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. While riding it feels very refined and has a linear power delivery all across the rev-range. It is especially good in the low-end and mid-range where we kept the bike at 35-40kmh on sixth gear and the still it pulled effortlessly. Though we did not push the bike too hard we did manage to get to a 134kph on the straight section of the track. Stopping all that power is done by front and rear disc brakes made by Bybre (Indian arm of Brembo brakes, makes brakes for bikes below 600cc).
Riding the 200 NS is a simple affair, and though the bike might have a sporty stance it does not expect same from the rider, it is more commuter friendly than it looks. The overall seating position is fairly upright, which should be good to manoeuvre the bike in city traffic. The seat height is also higher and coupled with the short wheelbase, it gives better agility to the bike.
It does not shy away from corners, the NS 200 not only handles way better than the older Pulsar, it is right there with the likes of the Hondas and Yamahas. The only thing that we felt that could have been better on this bike is the set of tyres. Mind you, the tyres are good for daily commute but for enthusiast riding we would suggest an upgrade.
The Bajaj Pulsar 200 NS impresses in every way. It's not only miles ahead than the bike it replaces but it also has the performance to match the best bikes in the 200cc segment on sale today in India.
Abhinav Mishra


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In the Studio: Mark Moore in Conversation with American Artist Andrew Schoultz
Mark Moore Gallery
Andrew Schoultz has a pictorial approach to social and political commentary. Through his paintings, drawings, murals, and installations, Schoultz uses symbols and iconography (such as the eye on a U.S. dollar bill, comics, 1990s clip art, and graffiti) to illustrate the weightier issues of contemporary life in America. Although Schoultz exhibits in galleries and museums, he often works in large-scale installations and public murals with the intention of making his work available to the general public. In densely layered, chaotic, narrative imagery, Schoultz explores environmental crises like oil spills and natural disasters, political issues such as war and corruption, and the economics of globalization and capitalism. Currently based in San Francisco, Schoultz traveled the United States skateboarding and producing graffiti before being lured by the skate scene and lenient graffiti laws of the city in 1997.
American, b. 1975, Milwaukee, WI, USA, based in Los Angeles, CA, USA
In the Studio: Mark Moore in Conversation with American Artist Andrew Schoultz
Mark Moore Gallery
The History of Chaos Runs Wild in Andrew Schoultz's "Age of Empire"
Take a Trip with Artist Andrew Schoultz and his Curated Group Show
Artsy Editorial


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Carnivals, Gnomes, Medals & More
Kids know how to party! Check out these festive celebrations from the Apartment Therapy Family channel, which posts kids' parties every day. We'll be bringing you a roundup of these inspiring parties every week.
• Cooper & Emmi's Carnival Party
• Chloe's Rainbow Birds Party
• Olivia's Gold Medal Party
• Pippa's Vintage Carnival Party
• Max's Woodland Gnome Party


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In Vista, the .NET Brand Lives to Fight Another Day
I had a confusing meeting with Microsoft at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) 2006 last month. During a sit-down meeting with representatives from the company's developer division, I learned that WinFX, the managed code programming libraries that Microsoft will ship with Windows Vista, was simply the next generation of the Microsoft .NET Framework. Why then, I wondered, did it have a different name? Would Framework and WinFX merge in a future release?
This week, Microsoft decided to clarify the situation. It has dropped the WinFX name, and renamed the technologies .NET Framework 3.0. "The .NET Framework has always been at the core of WinFX, but the WinFX brand didn't convey this," Microsoft Corporate Vice-President S. "Soma" Somasegar wrote in a recent blog posting. "We have decided to rename WinFX to the .NET Framework 3.0. \[The name\] .NET Framework 3.0 aptly identifies the technology for exactly what it is--the next version of our developer framework. The change is in name only and will not affect the technologies being delivered as part of the product."
.NET has been at the center of a branding controversy since it was first introduced as Next Generation Windows Services in 2000. After renaming the technologies to .NET, Microsoft went a little overboard, trying to incorporate both the .NET technologies and the .NET brand into all of its products. Windows Server 2003, for example, was originally to have been called Windows .NET Server. And Windows XP might have been called Windows .NET. After a few years of this silliness, Microsoft finally backed down and began downplaying .NET. It looked as though the .NET brand would cease to exist with WinFX. Now, the reverse is true.
The Framework is the language-neutral developer framework that programmers can use to create Windows-based applications and services, typically with Visual Studio or a similar development environment. Modern programming languages such as C#, Visual Basic, and Visual C++ can all target the Framework's logical, object-oriented class libraries to produce executable code that runs on top of the .NET Framework execution engine. Previous versions of this technology are available for various Windows versions, but it was first included with Windows 2003. Vista will be the first client version of Windows to include the Framework as a core component. As with previous versions, .NET Framework 3.0 will also be made available for XP and Windows 2003.


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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Armed vigilantes in southern Mexico engaged in a shootout Wednesday with a group of men they described as criminals, killing one in what appeared to be the first death related to the month-and-a-half-old "self-defense" movement.
The confrontation near the town of Ayutla raised the stakes in a growing movement that has seen residents of several towns arm themselves with a motley assortment of old hunting rifles, shotguns and pistols while conducting patrols and manning checkpoints to fight crime spawned by drug cartels.
Bruno Placido, leader of the vigilante movement in the southern state of Guerrero, said one of the civilian patrols caught sight of a group of armed men, who opened fire on the patrol.
"There was one killed on the side of the criminals," he said.
The masked vigilantes frequently stop passing motorists to search for weapons or people whose names are on hand-written lists of "suspects" wanted for crimes like theft and extortion.
The vigilantes have opened fire before on motorists who refused to stop, slightly wounding a pair of tourists from Mexico City visiting a local beach in early February.
The shootout Wednesday came one day after the vigilantes freed the last of 42 people detained on suspicion of crimes ranging from theft to extortion and murder, a move that authorities had hoped spelled the beginning of a new, more regulated phase for the "self-defense" groups.
The Guerrero state government said the vigilantes turned 20 of the final detainees over to police. It said the other 22 had been suspected of lesser offenses and were released Tuesday because the vigilantes considered they had been sufficiently punished.
"The state government foresees that the release of these detainees closes a chapter, and sets things on the road to institutionalizing and regulating community police forces," the state government said in a statement.
Placido, the vigilantes' leader, confirmed that some prisoners had been turned over.
State officials hope the vigilantes can be persuaded to join already-established "community police" forces that operate in some Guerrero towns, where unmasked residents with some training and minimal uniforms, usually printed T-shirts, perform routine patrols and turn over suspects to town assemblies. Following local custom, those assemblies try the suspects and can impose some sentences.
The recently formed "self-defense" groups, however, have none of those trappings. They consist of men wearing ski masks and bandanas over their faces while manning the improvised highway checkpoints and patrolling rural areas.
Residents tired of rampant crime set up the roadblocks in early January and detained about 53 people. They held the detainees at improvised jails in villages around Ayutla, in some cases for more than 1½ months. They released the first 11 detainees in early February.
While local media have reported that self-defense groups have spread to 36 communities in eight states, that may exaggerate their numbers. For example, assistants to the mayors of two towns in the State of Mexico, next to Mexico City, where self-defense groups had reportedly formed, denied that any vigilante committees existed in their towns.
But "self-defense" represents an attractive option for some rural towns in Guerrero and neighboring states like Michoacan and Morelos. Because official forces are woefully inadequate and often corrupt, vigilante groups can press to have their members hired by local governments as backup security forces.
Even in some of the rougher neighborhoods on Mexico City's eastern outskirts, improvised block committees have formed to fight crimes like burglaries and muggings.
"No More Robberies! If We Catch You, We Will Lynch You!" reads one banner that a local block committee hung across the street in the town of Texcoco, east of the capital. A local resident who works at a car wash said residents organized the block committee, called "Vigilant Neighbor Committee," about two years ago in the face of frequent home robberies.
Residents ring local church bells to alert each other if they see a crime in progress. The man said they had caught thieves but hadn't lynched any. "The police usually come to pick them up before anything can happen," said the car-wash employee, who did not give his name for fear of reprisals.
"Before, they would just come into your house to steal, and you would say, 'Sure, take whatever you want,'" said the man. "But nowadays, they beat your family, they start attacking your family."
Eduardo Gallo, a prominent anti-crime activist, said the armed community groups pose the danger of becoming vengeful mobs, "but that is what the citizenry is being forced into when they don't have any public safety."
Gallo said the "self-defense" groups are likely to hang on, and perhaps grow, if authorities don't guarantee public safety in the wave of drug cartel violence and common crime.
Police reform has a long way to go in Mexico, with only about half of the country's police officers vetted and subjected to background checks.
"I think we are going to see the self-defense phenomenon grow a bit more, and even see them turn into revenge groups, until this hits bottom and the government begins to change its attitude," Gallo said.


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The Cleveland Indians today announced Single-A Carolina INF FRANCISCO LINDOR has been named Indians Minor League Player of the Week, April 29-May 5.
Lindor, 19, hit .500 (13-26) over the span of 7 games and led all Carolina League players with a 1.321 OPS. He belted his first home run of the season in Game Two of a doubleheader at Potomac on April 30, and throughout the week, added 2 doubles, 4 RBI and 6 runs scored. On May 3 vs. Frederick, Lindor earned his first-career 4-hit performance, including his team-leading 4th triple. He is currently riding a 6-game hit streak and has reached base safely in 14 straight games via walk or hit dating back to April 21. Through 29 games this season, Lindor is batting .366 (4-112), which is second-best in the Carolina League and tops among all Indians farmhands.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound switch-hitting shortstop was originally a 1st round selection (8th overall) by the Indians in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft. He entered the season ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the entire Indians Player Development System according to MLB.com and the No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America. A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Lindor finished the 2012 season ranked 4th overall in the Indians Player Development System with 27 stolen bases and 1st in runs scored (83) and was selected to play for the World Team in the 2012-All-Star Futures Game in Kansas City.


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Álava potatoes
Which area of Spain is it typical?
- Autonomous region: Basque Country
A tuber originally from South America, it was introduced into Europe in the 16th century. However, it was not generally accepted until almost three hundred years later. Álava has always been and remains the main potato production area in Spain.
Álava's climate and soil conditions are ideal for growing this exceptional quality tuber. In 1993 the Food Quality Label was created, covering Álava potatoes meeting the following requirements: whole, consistent and healthy tubers, free of damp, smell and strange flavours without notable deformations and without green marks. The size of the potatoes must be even, ranging between 5 and 8cm. On the market they appear in recycled paper bags with the Álava Potato logo and the Kalitatea stamp of the Basque Food Quality Label.
More information
Product information
- Type of product: Vegetables
- Season: Basically from September to February.
- Origin: The production area is centred on three very different points in the province of Álava: La Montaña, La Llanada and the Valdegovía area.
- To drink with it: Delicious with almost any kind of wine. It depends on the way they are cooked and the ingredients accompanying them.
- Recipes: Potatoes 'a la importancia'
- Varieties: The Álava potato varieties allowed under the Regulations for Potatoes with Basque Quality Label are the following: Spuntax, Red Pontiac, Kennebec, Baraka, Monalisa, Jaerla and Nagore.
Nutritional information
- Energy: Low
- Cholesterol: 0
- Comments: Rich in fibre.


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Il gioco dei versi spezzati (the game of broken verses)
In the envelope you'll find 3 pieces of paper with 35 small labels each. Each label carries, carefully mixed up, words from a verse composition from the Italian literary tradition: texts and verses that we all read and think we know by heart, but do we really? Try putting them back together by sticking the labels in the right order on your new Moleskine notebook.
We wish you all a good "play on words"!
Tre giorni narrati (three narrated days)
The 10th, 11th and 12th of October as told by three of the greatest writers of all times, three literary pages selected by Antonella Sbrilli for the third edition of Parole in gioco. Enjoy your reading!
From 1st to 9th october, waiting for Parole in gioco, you can count down with us by sending your narrated days to the following e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com
They will be published on www.paroleingioco.it
The notebooks will be distributed to all participants to the tournaments and to visitors of Parole in gioco at Urbino on 10-11-12 october!
For all the fans of the Italian language and play on words lovers!
For further information: http://www.paroleingioco.it/


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I have consistently reiterated the need for, and my support of, health care reform throughout my congressional tenure. And our great nation has been debating how to responsibly reform our health-care system for decades.
On Saturday, we took a definitive step forward in advancing this crucial cause by passing the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
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In the spirit of George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver was a brilliant scientist and educator who helped farmers with ideas he worked on when he was a student and faculty member at Iowa State. His research changed how we look at crop applications – and his teaching inspired students to become the best versions of themselves. And while it's been more than 110 years since Carver completed his bachelor's and master's degrees at Iowa State, his spirit here still lives on.
It lives on through professors like Andrew Manu, professor of agronomy, who embodies what Carver was about – making a difference in the lives of others. Professor Manu is the first person to be appointed the George Washington Carver Chair at Iowa State, which recognizes his dedication to his students. Manu says in this position he plans to "nurture brilliant students of all social status, class, position, or race." Sounds like something George Washington Carver would say himself.
Professor Manu considers himself lucky to teach at Iowa State where students are engaged in learning. "Students here are very motivated. And they don't take their studies lightly at all. And that's what gets me going," said Manu.
Carver once said, "No individual has any right to come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind him distinct and legitimate reasons for having passed through it." Professor Manu is taking this idea to heart. And his students are all the better for it.
Learn more about George Washington Carver.
- A veteran adventurer
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- It all adds up to adventure
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The Min Min Encounter is a unique theatrical experience incorporating animatronics, fibre optics and loads of other high tech wizardry. The encounter is a tribute to the long honoured art of the bush yarn, all based around the famed Min Min Light phenomenon. At the Min Min encounter you will have an outback experience like no other. In the 45 minute show you will be introduced to the story of the Min Min Light by various characters who claim to have taken on a journey through Min Min country to have your own Min Min experience complete with spine tingling effects and an unpredictable ending.
Refreshments including sandwiches, cakes, drinks and cappuccinos are available from the Encounter's Cafe also within the facility. The whole centre is wheelchair accessible.
Free wi-fi is now available at the centre.
Note: Information on listed products and services are provided by the operator and were correct at the time of publishing. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Please visit the operator's website for further information. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD).


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CHELTENHAM, Md. (AP) — Members of the U.S. Capitol Police are undergoing training this week on responding to hazardous chemicals, suspicious packages and threats of explosives.
The training is being provided to sworn officers and civilian members of the department, the law enforcement agency tasked with protecting members of Congress and congressional buildings. It is offered annually at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, a 372-acre facility in Cheltenham.
Though the Capitol Police routinely responds to suspicious items, the exercises are especially relevant this year, coming months after a Mississippi man was charged with sending letters laced with the poison ricin to officials, including President Barack Obama and Sen. Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican. Police sensed early on that the material in question was ricin and then confirmed it through multiple tests, said Gary Sprifke Jr., the commander of the Capitol Police hazardous materials response team.
On Tuesday, participants in the training did classroom reviews before donning protective gear and using flow charts and special high-tech equipment to determine the characteristics of given liquids or powders.
Sometimes the testing process can be complicated, but officials have often an early indication of what type of material they're dealing with, Sprifke said.
"Our goal is to get in and be gone within an hour, in and out, without major evacuations," he said.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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It is the day after attending the 2011 World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif., and the 'ol bod is in hangover mode. Perhaps a better description is a "stupor." My "double nickel" age corresponds to the number of aches and pains flowing at warp speed through the body.
A 'time out' is the doctor's (wife's) best advice. It is time for a respite after walking a gazillion miles, Feb. 8-10, over the Expo show grounds, the world's largest farm exposition, which covers 2.6 million square feet. Hoofing it across the dirt tundra like everyone else is the reality; no golf cart rides.
A few reflective thoughts on this year's Expo; my fifth consecutive and the best ever. The weather was perfect with sun-drenched skies, a slight refreshing breeze, and light jacket temperatures in the low 60s. Rain generally falls during the annual Expo week creating short-lived mud baths. Not this year.
Crowds were extremely heavy each day and all day long. The farm show generally draws about 100,000 visitors. Perhaps attendance records were shattered this year.
Perusing the Expo grounds looking for good agricultural news stories involves engaging attendees in conversations. This year's attendees were definitely in a positive mood. Current high prices for cotton, wheat, and other crops, plus strong fruit and nut demand helped paste some grins on the faces.
In past years, interviews with farmers revealed purchases made at Expo – from front-end loaders, almond brush chippers, flagpoles, GPS systems, and the like. Conversations this year did not uncover a single sale, yet surely millions to billions of dollars worth of transactions transpired or will result in sales in the months ahead.
What growers said is they have already invested in the latest and greatest technology and were shopping to tweak the high-tech components to give their operation an additional edge. Agriculture has come a long way from its bib-overall image to a sophisticated, well-educated, respected global business where participants engage technology to survive in the global agricultural market.
One young farmer was kicking the tires on a new green-paint combine to possibly add to the family's custom harvest business in California's Central Valley. He had spent numerous hours on the Internet prior to Expo conducting homework. He talked turkey with the sales rep.
A disappointment at this year's Expo was poor attendance at some education seminars. The seminar topics and speakers were top notch, but some rooms were two-thirds empty. One beef seminar was attended by a mere 15-plus people. The speaker was Amanda Radke, a young South Dakota rancher, who is holding the feet to the fire of those working around the clock to abolish the U.S. livestock industry by a heavy-handed, misguided conversion to a vegetarian diet.
Radke, the online editor with BEEF Daily, a Farm Press sister media partner, www.beefmagazine.com, is rattling the nationwide anti-meat circuit through posts on the social websites Facebook and Twitter. Several years ago Radke led 1,000 people to walk out of a Carrie Underwood country music concert at the National FFA Convention based on the singer's anti-beef campaign.
The 20-plus-year-old Radke is currently challenging talk show goddess Oprah Winfrey for ongoing anti-meat rhetoric.
The airplane flight home to Phoenix included a conversation with a show exhibitor who was extremely pleased with the folks who stopped by the company's sales booth – both in the quantity (people numbers) and quality (potential buyers). The plant-nutrient salesman viewed Expo as well worth the time and money; a great platform to advance the company's plant-based solutions.
The 2012 World Ag Expo is Feb. 14-16, in Tulare.


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Jon Udell, who I know
to be an avid
(well… he's pretty much
avid about everything he
deals with, which is one
of the main reasons
we read him) suggests
in a recent post
a new addition to his
list of attributable truthisms:
Scott Dart, program manager for the Vista Photo Gallery: "The truth is in the file."
The post references Microsoft's new
photo gallery facility in Vista
Jon goes on to say:
And when I look at this it strikes me that here, finally, is a microformat that has a shot at reaching critical mass.
Before deconstructing this optimism, it might be useful to invoke the microformats home page to remind
ourselves what a microformat is supposed to be:
Designed for humans first and machines second, microformats are a set of simple,
open data formats built upon existing and widely adopted standards.
Jon invokes the following embedded fragment from a Vista-truthy file:
<xmp:xmpmeta xmlns:xmp="adobe:ns:meta/">
<rdf:RDF xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<rdf:Description rdf:about="uuid:faf5bdd5-ba3d-11da-ad31-d33d75182f1b"
<rdf:Bag xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<rdf:Description rdf:about="uuid:faf5bdd5-ba3d-11da-ad31-d33d75182f1b"
<rdf:Bag xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#">
<rdf:Description xmlns:MicrosoftPhoto="http://ns.microsoft.com/photo/1.0">
<rdf:Description xmlns:xmp="http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/">
This is a lot of code to unpack in order to conclude that the photo is a flower. Especially for a human.
But Microsoft deserves kudos for adopting standards established by others
(W3C, DCMI, Adobe), though it adds some of its own (non-interoperable) terms as well.
Examining the namespace declarations is interesting. In order of appearance:
- http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns# Resolves to the RDF schema declaration of RDF
- http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/ Resolves to an RDF schema declaration of Dublin Core metadata
- http://ns.microsoft.com/photo/1.0 Does not resolve: server not found
- http://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/ Does not resolve: page not found
So, while I agree with the design philosophy that Jon commends in the Vista application, and Microsoft deserves kudos for adopting and declaring existing standards, this particular fragment leads to several unsettling concerns:
- The code fragment isn't really all that simple. In fairness, the overhead looks a lot more reasonable in the case of a richer set of descriptors, and image metadata is rich. Still, it's a bit of a stretch to rule this within scope of a microformat. Not to say it is unuseful, but simple and human readable? Probably too much to expect from metadata.
- While the code does
indeed refer to existing open standards, some of their declarations are not Web accessible and it is not evident at a distance whether they were intended to be or not. This is one of the arguments for separating identifiers from resolution addresses. When I see a URL, I expect it to point to a web-accessible location. If it doesn't, it seems a fair conclusion that something is broken. Note that elsewhere in this fragment there are identifiers that do not promise resolution, and hence do not disappoint expectations:
- xmlns:xmp="adobe:ns:meta/"
- uuid:faf5bdd5-ba3d-11da-ad31-d33d75182f1b
- There are a lot of dependencies here, requiring confidence that a somewhat complicated and fragile technical scaffolding is going to be maintained equally well by all parties. One may argue that these namespace declarations are simply identifiers, and needn't be resolved by most applications, but this assumption leads to unfortunate and unnecessary uncertainties. This is certainly not a Vista flaw... it is a consideration in all our distributed applications.
- Finally, I am skeptical
that we really want multiple sources of potentially redundant metadata written into our
image files. For example,
- MicrosoftPhoto:Rating>1</MicrosoftPhoto:Rating
presumably stands for a user-assigned quality rating… stars, probably. Again, good that it is in the file (this is the sort of data I lost in my unhappy experience with the Lightroom beta). But is iPhoto going to interpret Microsoft's ratings, and vice versa? I doubt it. Back to the standards room, folks?
As a photographer of some avidity myself, I would be thrilled to imagine that image metadata might be the domain of the first microformat killer ap. As someone who lives in two OS domains, and expects to for the foreseeable future, I have a particularly strong desire to see this stuff work in a cross-platform way. I think we're still a long way away.
Image: Ceiling detail in the ruins of Kaiser Wilhelm Church in Berlin, which stands as a memorial of remembrance of WWII in the center of the city.


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Jessie Lichauco at 98: Feasting by the Pásig, dances with memories
When someone asked the "Birthday Girl" to dance, her fair skin almost blushed and a dreamy look came over her gray-green eyes. She said, "thank you, but I am dancing with my memories."
Together with a hundred guests of all ages and from all corners of life, Jessie Lichauco celebrated her 98th birthday last Jan. 10.
Talented 7-year-old Hannah sang the Philippine National Anthem in the garden of an ancient home along the Pasig River. Tita Jessie then personally greeted each guest with an energetic smile and spry movements, her ageless body moving in rhythm with the live big-band music provided by The Executives, whose selection of music from days gone by provided backdrop to the ever-flowing conversation.
Each friend or relative was there because this lady had left an unforgettable imprint on their lives.
Larry Henares recounts, "When my wife Cecilia died of a sudden heart attack while we were in Paris, I was so devastated that I could not bear the thought of telling my children about their mother's death. The first thing I did was call Tita Jessie—I knew she would know the best way to tell them and comfort them at the same time."
Curiosity, adventure, love
When Jessie Lichauco, my grandmother, first came to the Philippines in 1933, she was 18 years old. The population of the country was 8 million, and many people still traveled in horse-drawn carriages.
She became the wife, and later the widow, of lawyer-diplomat Marcial P. Lichauco. Her life during the past 76 years has allowed Jessie to witness and interact with people, places and events that make up a large part of Philippine history. She has seen the country at its best and worst. And although she is part Irish-Scottish-Cuban-Spanish on the outside, her heart is unquestionably Filipino.
Why did she embark on that 28-day ship voyage from America to the Philippines? She has always answered, "Curiosity, adventure and love."
Watching her celebrate with the people she has befriended since her life's journey began 8 decades ago, there is no doubt she continues to live with those three ideals in mind. Age has never prevented her from engaging every adventurous moment life offers her.
Many people have asked her what the "secret recipe" is to living long and appearing so much younger than she is. The answer is less likely found in following a particular diet or health program (other than fresh buko juice daily, very little meat or chicken, and no coffee, alcohol or smoking) than on certain guidelines for living.
The secret is simply in the way she views the world and lives her life, which allows her to remain so actively involved in it.
"I am at the age of self-preservation," my grandmother says. "I don't worry about things over which I have no control."
She points out that stress of any kind goes through your mind and can affect your body. "You always have a choice—to be a grouchy old person or take life as it comes. I often tell young people that having a sense of humor is very important. Sometimes you think things are insurmountable. There is nothing you can do but accept it and move forward."
Related link:
Down the River (WITH ONE'S PAST)