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Kennedy victorious in Padres debut, tops Yanks
SAN DIEGO -- After Sunday's game, Ian Kennedy said with a wide smile on his face that he was just glad to get this first start out of the way.
It's been a wild couple of days for Kennedy since the D-backs traded him to the Padres before Wednesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.Full Game Coverage
SAN DIEGO -- After Sunday's game, Ian Kennedy said with a wide smile on his face that he was just glad to get this first start out of the way.
It's been a wild couple of days for Kennedy since the D-backs traded him to the Padres before Wednesday's non-waiver Trade Deadline.Full Game Coverage
He started for the D-backs on Tuesday, was surprised to be traded on Wednesday and then had to adjust to the shock of a new team and uniform, which he admitted was a little different to see himself in the first time he put it on.
Kennedy was solid in his first career start for the Padres, and he got plenty of support from his offense in a 6-3 victory over the Yankees in front of 43,504 fans at Petco Park.
His first start with his new team came against one of his former teams, the Yankees, from whom he was traded to the D-backs in a three-team deal in December 2009.
Kennedy was having a down year with Arizona, posting a 3-8 record and a 5.23 ERA, so he viewed this trade as an opportunity for a fresh start.
"For anybody a different prospective from the manager, different angle from the video guys helps," he said. "I like it."
To add to the pressure, Kennedy, born in Southern California, guessed he had at least 25 family members -- and possibly more -- in attendance.
He was carried by adrenaline through the first five innings and flummoxed the Yankees' offense, but he admitted he ran out of gas by the sixth.
"Anytime you come to a new team, there's emotion and there's quite a bit of adrenaline," said Padres manager Bud Black. "I think he probably tired a little quicker than what you'll see in the future."
He got a lot of help from the Padres' offense, which got to Yankees starter Phil Hughes early.
The Padres scored three times in the second inning, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of shortstop Everth Cabrera, who tied his career high with 31 RBIs on the season.
They tacked on two more in the third, with a sacrifice fly from Chris Denorfia and an RBI single off the bat of Mark Kotsay chasing Hughes from the game.
Hughes (4-10) has lost eight of his past 10 decisions since May 15. His struggles continued when he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks and left the game after 2 2/3 innings.
"It's been like a nightmare I can't wake up from," Hughes said. "It's like a battle every time, even if I have a good start. It's not easy."
The Padres tacked on another run after Hughes left when Chase Headley's RBI single off Preston Claiborne drove home Cabrera to make the score 6-0.
Kennedy held the Yankees' offense scoreless with just two hits through the first five innings by mixing his fastball with frequent changeups and breaking balls.
But the Yankees broke through for two runs in the sixth, after Kennedy allowed a pair of two-out walks followed by back-to-back singles.
"More of just getting under pitches, letting the good pitches get away from me and missing more than I was early on," Kennedy said about that inning.
He exited the game after surrendering two runs in 5 2/3 innings with four walks and six strikeouts and left a good impression on his manager.
"I liked what I saw," Black said. "I told him, 'That's going to be one of many wins for the Padres.'"
It was Kennedy's (4-8) first victory since June 1 against the Cubs.
In the seventh, Austin Romine hit his first career home run off Padres reliever Dale Thayer to make the score 6-3.
Then the Padres' bullpen shut down the Yankees, and Huston Street worked a scoreless ninth for his 21st save in 22 opportunities.
Street has now thrown 10 straight scoreless innings, allowing just five hits with two walks and 12 strikeouts in that span.
With the win, the Padres (52-60) clinched their fourth consecutive series victory for the first time all season and are now 4-2 on this current eight-game homestand.
This series was the Yankees' (57-53) first visit to Petco Park, and the three games drew a combined 131,812 fans, making it the second-most attended three-game series in the ballpark's history, trailing only a three-game set with the Red Sox in 2007.
"That's the Yankees," Kennedy said. "You can feel the energy."
Jamal Collier is an associate reporter for MLB.com.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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SOUTH JAMAICA, N.Y. - On the road to the playoffs, every squad playing in games with playoff implications during the last weekend of pool play in the iS8/Nike Fall Tip-Off Classic is trying to bring their A-game. However, with pressure high and nerves tried, teams are challenged to bring clutch performances to the hardwood.
One such team that rose to the occasion was the New York Panthers.
In its first showing at the iS8/Nike, the Panthers blazed right through the competition, notching a 2-0 standing on Saturday at Intermediate School 8. Not holding anything back, despite an obvious skill disparity between the New York squad and its opponents, the Panthers were winners-by-blowout in both competitions.
v. Brooklyn Badgers (Red), 77-49
The Panthers shot off to an 11-2 lead in the first quarter. Despite trailing early, the Brooklyn Badgers (Red) were able to narrow the margin to only three points, 15-12, in the second quarter. The Panthers went on another mini-surge, increasing its advantage to 10 points, twice, with under 3:30 left in the period - the second time being a 31-21 lead.
The Badgers used the remaining 1:07 before the close of the period to fight uphill against a well-equipped Panthers squad. The Badgers cut the deficit down to as low as five points, 31-26, by halftime. However, that five-point differential would be the closest the Badgers would get to the Panthers for the duration of the game.
Showing off its long, strong and athletic wings with great penetrating and finishing ability in Amir Garrett (game-high 18 points) and Malik Nichols (16 points), the Panthers pulled away in the third phase.
Outscoring the Brooklyn Badgers, 27-10, in the third quarter, while cashing in on 3-pointers, power dunks and acrobatic lay-ins over the competition, there was nothing for the Panthers to do but keep playing. It would be a lobbed pass from Panthers' Austin Williams to Zedir Sadler (eight points) that would give the Panthers a 22 point lead, 58-36.
In the fourth and final phase, the Panthers stayed on cruise control. With the continued dynamic guard play of Melvin Johnson (16 points), the Panthers extended their advantage to 24 points, 64-40, on a fierce power dunk by Garrett that sent some spectators to their feet.
The Panthers wide margin, grew to as much as 30 points, 75-45, just before the end of the game.
The Badgers' Elijah Fruter and Kamal Nelson each scored a team-high eight points a piece in the loss.
v. St. Patricks, 98-73
After winning its contest against the Rhode Island Breakers, 50-42, earlier in the day, St. Patricks (N.J.) still had a fighting chance to advance to the playoffs if it could clear the second competitor of the day, the New York Panthers. Expected to be the best contest of the day, an intense battle between St. Pats, who were then 2-1, and the Panthers, 1-0, only lasted a little less than two quarters.
The Panthers got off to another early start in its second match of the day, leading St. Pats 23-15 by the end of the first quarter on a runner by Zedir Sadler. However, a 1-of-2 performance by DeAndre Bembry (nine points) and a 3-pointer from Jared Nickens (game-high 23 points, nine in the first half), by the 6:45 mark of the second quarter, cut the deficit to only two points, 23-21.
The intense pressure defense by the Panthers, spearheaded by the dynamic athleticism of Amir Garrett (team-high 19 points, 14 in the first half), allowed the squad to go on a 13-2 run. The surge gave the New York squad a 13-point advantage, 36-23, with about two minutes left in the half, after a 3-pointer by Melvin Johnson (15 points) and a two-of-two performance from the stripe by Austin Williams (13 points).
Despite chipping the deficit down to nine points, 36-27, on a lay-up by St. Patricks with 1:40 on the clock, the Panthers regained its l3-point lead, 42-29 by halftime.
What was just a mismatch in skill under pressure, turned into a thrashing in the third quarter. With the unmatched contributions of Panthers' big man Laimonas Chatkevicius (18 points), who was rebounding like a mad man and cleaning up for his teammates like a maid around the basket, St. Patricks saw its chances at getting to the playoffs dwindle.
By about the three minute mark of the tertiary period, the Panthers led by as much as 18 points, 62-44, on a floater by Johnson. St. Pats would only be able to cut the deficit to 11 points, 64-53, when Nickens nailed a trey. Still, the Panthers pushed its advantage back up to 15 points, 68-53, after a 3-pointer by Johnson.
The fourth quarter was more of the same, as the Panthers were able to extend the margin to as much as 24 points three times during the period. The last time was when the score was 90-66 with about two minutes left in the game.
St. Pats' Elijah Davis netted 16 points in the loss.
St. Patricks wrapped up pool play 2-2.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ancient Arabian Rivers
Arabia is a vast desert today. But times change all things and ages ago the climate was milder and wetter. Satellite images have revealed that a network of ancient rivers once coursed their way through the sand of the Arabian Desert, leading scientists to believe that the region experienced wetter periods in the past. The images are the starting point for a major potentially ground-breaking research project led by the University of Oxford into human evolutionary heritage. The research team will look at how long-term climate change affected early humans and animals who settled or passed through and what responses determined whether they were able to survive or died out.
Until now Arabia has been largely ignored by scholars despite its critical location as a bridge between Africa and Eurasia. In the new project, a multidisciplinary team of researchers will study the effects of environmental change in the Arabian Peninsula over the last two million years. The systematic study of the Pleistocene to Holocene periods will be unique in its length and level of detail.
Over the course of five years the researchers will study the landscape features and excavate sites of likely archaeological interest, using the network of water courses as a map. They will use the latest dating techniques to pinpoint the ages of fossils of animals, plants and different stone tool technologies and compare the similarities and differences displayed in the region's rock art.
The team's main focus will be the Arabian Desert, but the work will also cover the wider Peninsula. One key question they will attempt to answer is when the first early modern humans are likely to have first arrived in the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and perhaps surrounding regions. They will also look for evidence that suggests how early modern humans were able to survive, or not, in arid and extreme conditions.
Project leader Professor Michael Petraglia said: "From NASA images taken of the Arabian Desert we can see physical landscape features that are visible from space that denote a whole network of former river valleys and lake basins. These lines and dips in the sand provide us with a map of the region upon which we will focus our research activity. The presence of water is an accurate indicator of where early humans and animals migrated to or settled.
"The Arabian Peninsula has a wealth of archaeological sites and spectacular deposits of former rivers and lakes. Yet despite its significance as a bridge between two continents, surprisingly very little is known about its early prehistory. This project draws on many disciplines: the sum of which should reveal a hitherto untold but very important story about the effect of climate change on early humans."
The project will examine marine cores, caves, existing wide water wells and quarry pits to view the stratigraphy. They will also examine deposits between 30 to 60 metres deep to measure the effects of environmental change, observing any changes from plant fossils and rocks and strata indicating when the climate was wetter or drier.
Once the Arabian peninsula was a verdant place where rivers flowed and giant prehistoric animals flourished. Among these animals was an ancestor of the elephant — a mammoth creature with four tusks. And in the desert sands of present day Abu Dhabi, Dr Mark Beech found a tusk from one of these ancient animals.
James A. Sauer, former curator of the Harvard Semitic Museum, made an argument from Arabian geology and history that Pishon (an ancient river mentioned in the Bible)referred to what is now the Wadi Bisha, a dry channel which begins in the Hijaz Mountains near Medina to run northeast to Kuwait. With the aid of satellite photos, Farouk El-Baz of Boston University traced the dry channel from Kuwait up the Wadi Al-Batin and the Wadi Al-Rummah system originating near Medina.
For further information see Ancient Rivers.
Ancient Lake image via Nick Drake of Oxford University.


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James,Good to hear you sauce and pizzas turned out good! Glad to hear you could also work with your bad finger. Norma
Mine was a little lumpy too Norma. I am excited to see your results with the 2% sugar.
Those look and sound awesome! 65% hydration? I am impressed!
Norma,The Luigi clone looks fantastic. Very impressive. How do you like the flour so far?
Mike,Thanks for the kind words! I still think I could get better rim and bottom crust browning. I do really like the Power Flour so far. The dough seems really strong using the Power Flour. I think next week I might try KASL with the same formula, and see if I can get anywhere near the same results.Are you soon making another Luigi's attempt? Norma
Norma,I thought the same thing in regards to the browning of the crust. I noticed that the PPF doesn't brown very well in my several attempts of the Luigi clone, even after a little experiment of a three-day fermentation. So I don't know if more sugar is the solution or maybe a bit of oil or if other factors need to be taken into consideration. However, if Luigi really does only a 24 hr ferment and bakes between 525°F and 550°F then something's amiss like I said before. I can't put my finger on it just yet.
Norma,Those pics are fantastic! Making me soooo hungry for more! I wanted to ask,if you can TASTE a difference in the crust or is it more feel and texture?


text: To my surprise, my dh talked about moving back to his home state and seems to be serious about it this time. I need some feedback or suggestion about Real Estates. We have a house that we would have to sell first. Do you look for a house first? Or do you try to sell yours first? I suggest to dh that we check out some houses before we seriously consider this to be sure it's comfortable. Definitely, we must have space for our hobbies. Any suggestions or feedback would be appreciated.


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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In 2008, when Jani Iwamoto ousted Republican incumbent Mark Crockett from his Salt Lake County Council seat representing District 4, Democrats rejoiced.
They were still the minority party on the council. But being outnumbered 5 to 4 prevented the Republicans from overriding vetoes by Democratic Mayor Peter Corroon strictly on party votes, which they could have done if six of the nine council members had belonged to the GOP.
But with Iwamoto opting not to seek re-election Nov. 6, both parties are looking to the District 4 race as a crucial swing vote in shaping the council's composition. And they have lined up candidates with prominent names to vie for the position.
Republicans have turned to Missy Larsen, whose maiden name, Wilson, bears testimony to her political roots as daughter of former Salt Lake City Mayor Ted Wilson, a longtime Democrat.
"We want that seat and feel we have the best candidate for it," said County Republican Party Chairwoman Julie Dole. "Missy is a terrific candidate. She's gung-ho and really involved in the community. If the people are watching, they'll see she's their best bet for representation."
To hold onto Iwamoto's seat, Democrats are pinning their hopes on Sam Granato, well-known for his family's food business (importing Italian and other Mediterranean delicacies) even before he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2010 against Mike Lee.
"This is the district I grew up in, live in and have a business in," said Granato, contending those lifetime ties have provided him with support from independents and Republicans as well as Democrats. "They're like the wind at my back, encouraging me to be the voice for people who don't feel they have a voice because there's no balance in Utah government."
Larsen also sees herself as a symbol of balance, noting that Iwamoto was the only woman on the council and one of only two elected women at the county level. (County Clerk Sherrie Swensen is the other.)
"There is no female representation in county government at all unless I win this race," said Larsen, who does freelance work in public relations and marketing. "That's an important voice that needs to be heard."
County Democratic Party Chairman Richard Jaramillo is well aware of the importance of retaining the District 4 council seat and has been working hard to make sure that traditionally Democratic groups vote in November.
"I'm confident we'll take District 4," he said. "We have a great candidate with a great organization behind him. From what I've seen of their ability to reach voters and convey a message that resonates, they're right on target."
The biggest issue facing many District 4 residents involves the possible incorporation of Millcreek, also on the Nov. 6 ballot. District boundaries include all of the proposed city of 63,000, along with parts of Holladay and Cottonwood Heights.
A Holladay resident, Larsen is not taking a position on the incorporation question. "As a county representative, it's very important to stay unbiased," she said. "Either way that the election comes out, it will take a lot of work [to deal with the repercussions]. It will take some healing."
Granato, by contrast, lives within the proposed city but opposes incorporation.
"As a businessman, I know it takes money to add another layer of government. I like the level of county services I receive now," he said. But if incorporation passes, Granato added, "as the only one who lives in Millcreek, I can help bring the sides together."
While he believes county government can be streamlined, the Democrat doesn't favor a "cut, cut, cut approach." Republican Wilson said she would strive to "utilize best practices to connect people with opportunities," a skill she honed while dealing with county agencies on behalf of a nonprofit refugee group.
Districts 2 and 6 • Unless something shocking happens in the final month of the campaign, the Democrats appear to have little hope of unseating two Republican incumbents from two other district seats Michael Jensen in west-side District 2 and Max Burdick in District 6, covering the southeastern county.
Chief of the Unified Fire Authority, Jensen has been on the County Council since it came into existence in 2000. As a result, he also has represented the county on the Central Utah Project board, the Wasatch Front Regional Council and in lobbying the Legislature on local government matters.
"Because I'm there I'm able to get funding for transportation, water and human services … and to get issues passed for the west side and all of Salt Lake County," he said.
But his opponent, longtime Democratic legislator Brent Goodfellow, believes Jensen has spent too much time representing these various interests, missing too many County Council meetings.
He also thinks Jensen has a conflict of interest being in both the executive (as fire chief) and legislative (as a council member) branches of county government.
"Why don't we appoint him to be a judge so he can have all three branches," Goodfellow said.
In District 6, even Democratic chieftain Jaramillo expects his party's candidate, Paul Recanzone, the owner of a telecommunications consulting company, to have little chance of unseating Burdick, a four-year council veteran who is in real estate.
Burdick's campaign is emphasizing his "level-headed leadership, keeping needs first and wants later." Recanzone said he respects Burdick's willingness to cross party lines and vote with the Democratic minority on some issues but feels a Democrat will do a better job for county residents in respect to land-use issues.
"The county should do more to preserve open space," Recanzone said, adding he opposes SkiLink, the proposal to connect Solitude Mountain and Canyons resorts via a gondola.
Burdick rejected Recanzone's premise about land-use expertise, saying he had established a reputation during a dozen years on Sandy's planning commission "as a pretty tough commissioner, making developments be as good as they can be."
He added that he wants to continue his work on understanding the county's convention business and interacting with valley cities on delivering public-works services and other intergovernmental issues.
email@example.com: @sltribmikeg
County Council races
District 2 • Brent Goodfellow (D) vs. Michael Jensen* (R)
District 4 • Sam Granato (D) vs. Republican Missy Larsen (R)
District 6 • Max Burdick* (R) vs. Paul Recanzone (D)
* incumbent
Election tidbits
Tuesday is the deadline to register by mail for the Nov. 6 general election.
After that, and through Oct. 22, unregistered people who want to vote Nov. 6 must sign up online at http://www.vote.utah.gov or in person at the Salt Lake County Clerk's office, Room 1100 of the County Government Center's South Building, 2001 S. State St.
Registrants must have a current Utah driver license or a state identification card, said Clerk Sherrie Swensen.
She encouraged people who have moved since they last voted to update their addresses soon at the clerk's office.
The clerk's office also is hiring additional poll workers for Nov. 6, particularly people who can speak Spanish as well as English.
Swensen said applicants for the paid positions should fill out forms at http://clerk.slco.org/elections/votingInfo/votePollWorker.html.
More information on registering or being a poll worker is available at 385-468-8683.


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Sure, we are a small city in rural Arkansas. We don't have a mall or an entertainment district or many bright lights that draw folks to some venue. But if you look around, and are willing to get off the couch, there are indeed a number of things for both kids and adults to do in the Russellville area.
I graduated from high school about a million years ago in Springfield, Va., in suburban Washington, D.C. At that time, Fairfax County had nearly a million people. We lived near the crossroads of I-95 and I-495 and about 10 miles from D.C. The second biggest mall in the nation at that time, Springfield Mall, was across the street from my high school. The place was a maze of activity and happenings. And you know what? We often complained we had nothing to do. That is until at age 17, when me and my buddy took it upon ourselves to find stuff to do. And then we had a blast and stayed pretty busy. And the truth was, we only scratched the surface of all of the possibilities of things we could do.
I'm not saying there are nearly as many opportunities to get out and find activities in Russellville as we had in Springfield, but then again, there are numerous things to do and places to go right around the corner here in Russellville.
We have two world-class state parks in Lake Dardanelle and Mount Nebo. They have planned a ton of activities for children and adults, especially in the summer. The parks also have hiking trails that can open many, many doors to the word for kids.
These two parks are like having an amusement park because they can fill days and days of activities and fun times. And we have Lake Dardanelle. Some people are begging for an aquatic center. Seems to me we already have one with that beautiful lake. And it is a great place to canoe, kayak, play in and just be around. And while you're at the lake, you can fish. What better activity is there than to bait a hook and cast a line?
Russellville does have a bowling alley, a movie theater, a pool hall, a couple venues to hear live music, a downtown coffee house where folks come to fellowship, a Boys and Girls Club, a good library, several shops that sell flavored shaved ice, a number of fine stores, several places that sell ice cream, nice city parks, a swimming pool and splash pad, basketball courts and ball fields for pickup games, Bona Dea Trail, and the Ozarks to the north and the Ouachitas to the south.
And let's not forget Arkansas Tech University, where there is some sort of activity happening from sporting events to musical recitals (and everything in between) most of the year. ATU also has a great library where you can go and read any number of periodicals.
Organizations like Main Street Russellville and many churches have scheduled activities throughout the summer. There is a fine community theater where most anyone can find a place in a production. And there are countless opportunities for both adults and teens to volunteer in the area that will contribute great things to society.
That is the short list from a guy who has lived in the Arkansas River Valley for 14 months. I'll bet most of you can double or triple that list. If you throw in a bit of imagination, a little work and then some creativity, the list of things to do in Russellville is endless. The next time you hear someone say there is nothing to do in Russellville, you might point them in the right direction.
Mike Roark can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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- Ease of Growing
- Easy
- Grown as
- Annual
- Days to Maturity
- 120-130 (Spring/Summer)
- Growing Habit
- Vine
- Hardiness
- Tender
Sweet Potatoes are very tender and any frost will kill the tops. If an early fall frost threatens, it pays to protect them with straw mulch, cloches, or even plastic sheets. This is extra work, but you may be rewarded with several more weeks of growing weather. The large plants grow rapidly towards the end, so there can be a big benefit in leaving them in the ground for as long as possible. When a hard frost threatens, dig the tubers immediately. Don't wait too long as any damage to the tubers will affect their storability.
- Crops
- Spring Transplant, Summer
- Growing Season
- Long
- Cultivar Type
- -
- Growing Conditions
- Warm, Hot
Sweet Potatoes need warm days and nights and evenly moist soil. If they get these they should be happy.
- Outdoor Growing Temp
- Min Outdoor Soil Temp
Sweet Potatoes absolutely must have warm soil. Don't plant them out until the soil is at least 65˚ F and nighttime temperature drops no lower than 60˚ F. If you have to gain extra time, warm up the soil with black plastic.
- Start Indoors
- Yes
- Start Outdoors
- Yes
- Light
- Sun: min. 6 hours daily (Warm, Hot)
These creeping tropical vines need as much sunlight as they can get.
- Water
- Moderate
Established plants are quite drought tolerant, but the soil should be kept evenly moist for best productivity (and especially while they are young). Don't over-water though, as too much water encourages foliage growth at the expense of root growth. If water is in short supply you can cut back on watering when the plants are well established and just water them when the soil gets dry.
- Feeder
- Moderate
Like most root crops they need phosphorus (add colloidal phosphate) and potassium (add greensand or wood ashes). They don't need a lot of nitrogen, as it encourages the growth of foliage rather than roots (and can result in inferior roots).
- Suitability
- Drought tolerant, High heat, Needs lots of space
- Small Gardens?
- No
- Containers?
- Yes
For some gardeners, growing Sweet Potatoes in containers is more practical. If you have clay soil that doesn't drain well, using mix and a pot with adequate drainage will be better than planting in your garden. Additionally, you can move containers into the sun, giving plants warmer growing conditions. If growing in a container, plant 3 slips in a container that is at least 18" in diameter.
- Attracts beneficial insects?
- No
- Color
- Dark purple
- Fruit Size
- -"
- Plant Height
- 12.0-24.0"
- Plant Diameter
- 36.0-60.0"
- Hardiness Zone
- 7-11
- Disease Resistance
- Taste Profile
Slightly sweet, good in savory dishes and mixed mashes. Tastes similar to Yams, Winter Squash, Pumpkins.


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If you're looking for Mr. Perfect to be GM, he doesn't exist.
If you're looking for Mr. Perfect to be GM, he doesn't exist.
Attitude Is A Choice.
He has two sets of rules.....ones that apply to most players and ones that apply to his main horses ie. Bosh and Bargnani....He is impatient frequently with most players BUT too patient with his main horses. This is because he has a hard time admitting he was wrong. ie...should have traded Bosh in off season prior to his last year here and failing to recognize that AB is not nearly as good as he thinks thus over valuating his trade potential.
Are you kidding me? Carmelo was an NBA ready player, there wasn't much to develop. He lead his school to the NCAA Championship. I have a feeling he would fit in-in Detroit just fine.
Clear #1 pick if it wasn't for James, in any other year.
Last edited by BasketballCrush; Thu Dec 13th, 2012 at 07:36 PM.
For me the big mistake wasn't so much Bargnani, because I don't blame him for trying to surface potential that WAS there. No sir! For me, the problem was treating Calderon like an untouchable god of sorts. It was clear that Ford was the better point guard in the beginning for me, and I strongly think we should have given Ford the peace of mind that his spot was somewhat in stone rather than create competition with another player-rather than focus on the team. On top of this, Jose got a fat contract which is difficult to move because of the little bang-for-buck.
.......Oh and not giving Pops a decent contract...
For me, it was not just the firing of Mitchell but also hiring of Triano. When Mitchell was fired I admit I was a believer in Colangelo and I expected him to hire a renown coach. But then he hired Triano on an interim basis and then full-time the following season. I immediately began to believe this was a publicity stunt to have the first "Canadian" coach coaching a Canadian-based/owned team.
I also believe that Colangelo wasn't happy with the way Mitchell was using Bargnani
Looking back though Mitchell's 8-9 team was an 8-9 or .500 club.
Speaking of Mitchell, it seems we've (Canadians and Raptor Fans) have been speaking about Mitchell a lot and he's been featured on some of our sports channels. I guess we really miss him.......
Bryan repeadly said that Triano is a players coach and players will be more comfortable playing through their mistakes. (hint hint)
...we scrapped that plan fast (once the results became evident).
In life, the higher up you go on the ladder the more accounting there is to do. The accounting never stops. At least for those of us with responsibilites.
I was so upset when we drafted AB instead of Aldridge. I always figured that Aldridge was a safer bet. AB could have been better but with the way the franchise has gone I think it would have been more prudent to go with more of a sure thing. I think LA would have been able to play with Bosh and he bailed anyway so moot point.
Player development definitely is important, I call your Carmelo and raise you a Beasley, and with that in mind, hiring Triano was pretty bad as well, there wasn't any player growth at all under him. Compare the Triano years with Casey, and the difference is astounding, where did all that defense come from?
I remembering begging Chuck Swirsky to somehow convince the raps to draft Aldridge. If only Chuck listened.
When Colangelo gets fired or is let go (this is inevitable because this team is *NOT* going to turn things around), it's going to take him a long time to get back to the point where he's able to run an organization like he did here in Toronto. Let's face it, we've given him more than most first time GMs get -- let's not kid ourselves into thinking Phoenix was ALL him *cough* (daddy Colangelo).
I'm trying to pinpoint the moment in which all other owners thought to themselves "Geez, this guy has really f|_|cked things up in Toronto. Likely really, really badly." If I'm an owner in the NBA, I'm thinking okay -- he drafted some guys who didn't pan out, and he signed some guys he shouldn't have. Yea he bid against himself a few times but he's worried about the team outlook and was sure about who he wanted. And he's had some bad luck with some injuries and guys not re-signing.
But it isn't until that recent interview where he threw his coach and draft pick under the bus and then proceeded to explain how this team has enough talent, where I think most owners must have looked up and thought "holy cow, this guy is a complete jack-ass. thank goodness he's not my GM."
your pal,
TJ Ford/Nesterovic/1st Rounder > JO > Marion > Turkoglu > Barbosa > 2nd Round Pick....
* slow clap*
Last edited by Fully; Fri Dec 14th, 2012 at 12:34 PM.
On the other hand, some people mention that, at the time, they weren't in favor of Bargnani either. That's not exactly a good argument either when it's not supported by a solid argument on what basis they came to that conclusion, as the value of their assessment is completely unknown. What's their track record, where did they base their ideas on? Are some of those people, for example, the same people who wanted us to draft Biyombo instead of Valanciunas? Are some of those the same people who wanted us to sign Ilyasova this summer? A lot of times it's nothing more than bar-talk after drinking a lot of beer and thinking you're an expert basketball scout.
For what it's worth, I preferred Aldridge over Bargnani at the time because I thought he was much more of a sure thing. Some of this was no doubt caused from being able to watch Aldridge play in the NCAA for two seasons where Bargnani was virtually an unknown. There were also a couple of highly drafted european big men in previous seasons (Darko, Tskitishvili) who came to the NBA with similar scouting reports as Bargnani and ended up being big flops. Overall I think drafting Bargnani first was a mistake, but didn't become a glaring one until Colangelo stubbornly propped him up as a franchise cornerstone and made so many moves to seemingly cater to him.
My larger problem is with those who say things like "How was Colangelo supposed to know that Turkoglu would be such a bum?" or "the Jermaine O'Neal deal was a good idea at the time. Colangelo just got unlucky". I have heard countless variations of this sentiment during my time on the RR forums and I find it mind boggling.
First off, NBA general manager is a position which should be judged on results, not good intentions, no matter what type of external variables may be in play or how unlucky a person may seemingly be. The most infuriating part of Colangelo's reign however is that I don't think you can say that BC got unlucky at all... I just think he got duped, or did a poor job basically at his position. All it would have taken was a quick search at basketball reference to see that JO missed almost as many games as he played in the four years leading up to Toronto trading for him, and that his stats were quickly submarining. A similar search of Turkoglu's career prior to Colangelo throwing a boatload of money at him would have revealed that Hedo had been an average player for most of his career, save for the last two seasons in Orlando where he was playing for his big pay day.
I remember there were fans (I was one of them) who were echoing these things at the time, and yet Colangelo seemed to lack any type of foresight whatsoever.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the most correct. If you were to play BC in a game of mini-golf, he would rather bank it off the all 50 obstacles at crazy angles to try and get the hole in one, instead of just making the straight putt.
His moves dictate themselves. He thinks he knows something that we don't, or that he can convince players to be "come around" or be something that they're not (i.e. Derozan, etc.)
At the end of the day, in basketball, the talent level of a cornerstone player is really easy to see. There are only 15 guys in the league that are game changers, and the team with one of the top 5 will usually win the championship. You have your Lebron's Melo's and Durant's as tier one players and you have you Kobe's Dirks D-12's as tier two.
BC gets so much in his own way that he cannot even properly assess his the talent he has, and realize that we do not even have a tier 3 type player on this team (i.e. the josh smith's and steph curry's)
Last edited by BallaBalla; Fri Dec 14th, 2012 at 02:44 PM.
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What a view to start the day
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Sunrise on the start of the Combin de Valsorey NW-face. With this beautiful panorama of all the major mountains of the Mont Blanc Group, next to the moon. A selection: Mont Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, Aiguille Verte, Aiguille d'Argentiere, Aiguille du Chardonnent and the Aiguille du Tour.
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Pennine Alps - August 2009
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Discussion in 'Trek Gaming' started by 22 Stars, Nov 17, 2011.
Have you all seen this commercial yet?
Yup (posted a few pages back). But it's still hilarious.
TrekCore has a little preview with a few more videos of gameplay.
Link just leads back to the main board here...
Yup, same for yours truly.
Okay, I fixed the link.
Gamestop called and said I could pick the game up Monday night at midnight. I won't be, as I'll just pick it up Tuesday morning but it's nice to know that it seems to be a big enough release to warrant the treatment.
There's no midnight launch at my GameStop. I went in this afternoon to check.
I suspect the midnight launch is actually for Dead Island: Riptide, but they'd let you pick Trek up too.
You're likely right.
Has anybody heard if we're getting a score released with this game? I know Giacchino is doing the score.
videos behind the scenes and gameplay
Making the Game: An original story
2:30 video direct Youtube link
Published on Apr 19, 2013
here are the others
STAR TREK: THE VIDEO GAME creates an authentic Star Trek experience
youtube link for 2:30 video
i love the interior ship hallways and bridge
behind the scenes in the vocal booths of all the Star Trek actors Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban and Anton Yelchin.
also the 11 minute video
Game opening mission here:
New Vulcan: Reborn – Star Trek Competition
11 minutes!
13 hours and counting!
Sitting here thinking about the game...
Seems to be the ideal villain for this game based on the whole "tear in space" storyline would've been the Kelvans from By Any Other Name. No they don't carry the name recognition of the Gorn, but we really know nothing about them other than their very alien when not in humanoid form.
Still looking forward to a fun romp with the Gorn though!
Got a chance to play the first level so far. Seems to be a fairly decent game.
Someone just tell me if the corridors actually do carry on around the bridge past where the window and front of the deck is. My nerdiest nerd tingle has been tingling about that ever since I saw the film.
Oh, and does engineering look like the brewery or did they build the concept engine room the film couldn't afford?
Who cares is Harrison is Khan or not, this is the important stuff right here!
Have to wait til the end of the day to play the game. My Gamestop said I was smart to preorder because they didn't get many copies of the game. I really can't see any good signs from that.
Mine had a whole stack of them when I came in to pick up my pre-order.
Picking mine up in the next few hours... !!!
Downloading the Amazon pre-order (it's a Steamworks game BTW). Gonna play for a while once it gets done (assuming I don't need to fiddle with Pinnacle too much).
Separate names with a comma.


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[photogallerylink id=102423]
It's all about the money, the flow, the greenery. Whatever you want to call it, hip-hop's finest rhymesters usually have a thing (or twenty) to say about the acquisition of cash and honeys.
Forbes Magazine just released their list of the Top 21 Big Pimpin' Spendin' Cheese Hip-Hop Artists Of 2011. Most of them are understandable, but a few of the names might shock you.
21.[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] B.o.B[/lastfm] (tie) – $5 million
Brand new to the game, B.o.B is bringing in bank with his fresh, innovate hip-hop stylings. It might be the smallest number on this list, but we wouldn't complain with five milli burning a hole in our pockets.
20. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]T-Pain[/lastfm] (tie) – $5 million
Who knew that you could make so much money by merely autotuning your voice in every song? Maybe even enough to buy a boat.
19. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Pitbull[/lastfm] (tie) – $6 million
"You Know You Like It" otherwise you would be helping Pitbull rake in a cool six million dollars a year.
18. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]50 Cent[/lastfm] (tie) – $6 million
We are totally gonna do it: 50 Cent is worth way more than fifty cents! We did it!
17. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Rick Ross[/lastfm] (tie) – $6 million
Everyday Rick Ross is hustlin' and apparently all the hustle is leading to some more than decent flow.
16. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Nicki Minaj [/lastfm](tie) – $6.5 million
Nicki Minaj is the first and only female to make the list thanks to her endorsement deals with M•A•C Cosmetics and Casio.
15.[lastfm link_type="artist_info"] Swizz Beatz [/lastfm](tie) – $6.5 million
Alicia Keys' baby daddy and super-producer Swizz Beatz is making sure his family is well-kept for.
14. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Timbaland[/lastfm] – $7 million
We haven't heard the iconic Timbaland baby squeal on a track for a little while now, but that doesn't mean Mr. Timbaland isn't still gettin' blinged out on the daily.
13. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Pharrell Williams[/lastfm] – $10 million
Pharrell might not be a billionaire, but he can eat all the ice cream he wants with the money he makes off of his Billionaires Boys Club/Ice Cream clothing line and his music.
12. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Drake[/lastfm] (tie) – $11 million
Drizzy can get his maple leafs gold-plated with the eleven million dollars he is making off his silky-smooth hip-hop sound.
11. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Wiz Khalifa[/lastfm] (tie) – $11 million
It takes a lot of green to smoke a lot of green. Wiz Khalifa has enough of both.
10. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Ludacris[/lastfm] – $12 million
With his foray into acting and his tight collabs with every artist in the game, Luda isn't hurting for cash and can probably support every one of his girls in every area code.
9. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Akon[/lastfm] – $13 million
It pays to have one of the most sultry, melodic voices in pop R&B. Like, literally $13 Million.
8. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Snoop Dogg[/lastfm] (tie) – $14 million
Snoop might have a massive crib with lots of cars and a whole gypsy caravan full of children, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would just drop his money like it's hot.
7. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Dr. Dre[/lastfm] (tie) – $14 million
It seems no one forgot about Dre, especially when he is producing some of the most well-known music video sponsored headphones in the business and splitting the massive earnings with music exec Jimmy Iovine.
6. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Eminem[/lastfm] (tie) – $14 million
Mr. Mathers didn't just change music history by finding a loophole into how he made money of mp3s, he also significantly increased his yearly revenue.
5. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Birdman[/lastfm] (tie) – $15 million
4. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Lil Wayne[/lastfm] (tie) – $15 million
See. You can go to prison, but still make a ton of money without creating an in-house jail racket. Anyone need an extra toothbrush and a carton of Marlboro Lights?
3. [lastfm link_type=""]Kanye West[/lastfm] – $16 million
Mr. West has a taste for opulence, so it's great that he makes enough money to be able to afford that floating bed made with cherub tears.
2. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Diddy[/lastfm] – $35 million
This is the man who made a viral video where he claimed he owned all of Broadway Blvd. in New York. Even if it was a joke (probably), with $35 million in the vault, he could easily own a building or two.
1. [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Jay-Z [/lastfm]- $37 million
The Roc Nation mogul has been hip-hop's top earner four out of five years thanks to his music career, his deal with Live Nation, his New Jersey Jets stakes, the 40/40 Club, and the superpowers [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Beyonce[/lastfm] gives him.
[Source: Rap-Up]


text:
The success of Stardock's online-only Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion is causing the independent developer to lean toward digital over retail for the future.
Rebellion marked the first time Stardock skipped the retail space entirely, opting to sell the game via Steam, GameStop's digital platform, and its own website.
The studio wrote on its blog that its sold 100,000 units of Rebellion since its launch in June, and in just 30 days, the game has exceeded the first-month retail sales of Sins of a Solar Empire, its predecessor.
"When we combine our direct sales of Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion with the sales from GameStop, we see unit sales similar to what we've seen previously when at retail," said the president and CEO of Stardock, Brad Wardell. "This contradicts our projection that sales via Steam would share the overall digital pie we'd previously seen. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion on Steam didn't cannibalize its GameStop or direct sales."
Stardock has decided to experiment with the digital-only model again with its two upcoming titles, The Political Machine 2012 and Elemental: Fallen Enchantress — choosing Steam and other online distribution services instead.
With a move away from retail, Stardock said it could work on products until they deem them ready, rather than announce a hard release date months in advance. The company is currently re-evaluating its overall strategy.
Follow @wita on Twitter for tales of superheroes, plumbers in overalls, and literary adventures.


text: The part of the video that makes sense is when he says this technique is useful when the ball is on top of you and you need more space. On many/most balls this won't be necessary is you've prepared early. But we all know Oscar doesn't believe in early preparation. He likes to run his mouth about how he taught Guga the one-handed backhand. From what I've seen from other sources, Larry Passos was Guga's personal coach, who taught him the one hander. Oscar probably taught clinics where Guga was there. As usual, Oscar is exaggerating his connection to a real player, and taking credit for someone else's hard work.


text:
I would have to say that i was pretty apathetic towards love and relationships.
i was feeling like "whats the use?"
Stephenie inspired me to open up myself for love. i dont have to be perfect, im fine the way i am.
sometimes our flaws are why other ppl love us.
I dont have to settle and i will find that knight in shining armor.
as long as he is perfect for me, thats all that counts
no more losers for me
luv u, stephenie


text:
HELP, I sent my registration (snail mail) 0n May 30 along with my check and have heard nothing. I sent an email about 10 days ago and left a phone message at the office a few days ago. What do I have to do?
I am riding from Northern Maine in 10 days and need to know that I am registered.
What should I do.
Bill Zeller


text:
On Farm Mortality: Consider Composting
August 05, 2010
Many horse owners will eventually face tough decisions regarding animal mortality and disposal. The Unwanted Horse Coalition receives many calls from concerned owners regarding the legalities and options for disposing of horse carcasses. The pr... Read More
Unwanted Horse Coalition Takes the Next Step
June 21, 2010
The Unwanted Horse Coalition, now in its fifth year, adopted a multifaceted strategic plan June 21 designed to continue advocacy and education programs but move the organization to the next level. Coalition members met in Washington,... Read More
Feeding the Starved Horse
June 01, 2010
When dealing with a starved horse, how should you feed him? How much, how often, and what type of feed will bring the horse back to good health without causing more problems? The starved horse is in a most delicate health predicament... Read More
Taming the Beast: A Review of Equine Neurologic Disease
June 01, 2010
To take the dizzy factor out of understanding neurologic disease in horses, I.G. Joe Mayhew, BVSc, FRCVS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ECVN, has dedicated much of his career to helping practitioners and owners understand equine neurology.... Read More
Elmer Bandit Necropsy Performed at Kansas State
February 19, 2010
"We are looking for what was right with Elmer, not what was wrong," said Lucy Hirsch, DVM, friend of Elmer Bandit, as she accompanied owner Mary Anna Wood on Elmer's final journey, which was, fittingly, to a veterinary teaching ho... Read More
Man Accused of Hanging Horse to Plead Not Guilty
January 20, 2010
A man accused of starving and then hanging a 27-year-old Appaloosa plans to plead not guilty at his next court appearance Jan. 25, at which time a trial date will also be set.
David Whiffin of Vancouver Island faces charges of killin... Read More
Composting: A Viable Alternative for Mortality Disposal
December 19, 2009
Proper livestock stewardship does not cease when an animal dies. Despite sound management, all horse producers will experience losses due to weather, disease, or other natural causes. Options for carcass disposal are dwindling due to enhanced r... Read More
Under the Blue Tarps
December 01, 2009
Guest editorial commentary on euthanasia of unwanted horses by veterinarian Christy Corp-Minamiji.... Read More
Remembering Deceased Horses; Equine Guelph Launches Memorial Feature
October 26, 2009
A new memorial program that celebrates the lives of horses has been launched through Equine Guelph. Hoofprints honors the memory of deceased horses through stories and pictures on Read More
Thoroughbred Sire Gone West Euthanized Due to Colic Complications
September 08, 2009
Gone West, who carved out a successful branch of the Mr. Prospector sire line all his own as the sire of 98 stakes winners, was euthanized the night of Sept. 7 because of complications following colic surgery. The 25-year-old stallion, who was... Read More
HSUS Releases List of Humane Options for Disposal of Horse Remains
August 04, 2009
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released a national list of humane resources for horse owners making end-of-life arrangements for their equine companions.
"Providing a humane, dignified death for your horse is simply... Read More
Aged Horse Health Screenings Recommended, ACVIM 2009
July 24, 2009
Lameness, weight loss, colic, and equine Cushing's syndrome are the four top reasons for euthanizing an older horse, said Catherine McGowan, BVSc, PhD, RCVS, European specialist in equine internal medicine, who presented research by Thomas... Read More
Unwanted Horse Survey Results Released
July 09, 2009
The results of a survey on perceptions of factors surrounding the unwanted horse issue are now available from the Unwanted Horse... Read More
U.K. to Investigate Environmental Impact of Equine Carcass Disposal
June 18, 2009
As with all large animals, disposal of horse carcasses in an environmentally safe manner requires planning and resources.
In June 2008 the USDA held a national forum to discuss the issue of the unwanted horse (
Euthanasia Drug Found in Carcass Compost
June 05, 2009
Composting is one option for disposing of a horse carcass after euthanasia. Researchers at West Texas A&M recently conducted a study to determine if residues of sodium pentobarbital might remain in compost as a potential environmental hazard... Read More
Colorado Vets Polled on Unwanted Horse, Euthanasia Issues
May 13, 2009
Although anecdotes suggest the number of unwanted horses is growing, there is very little data that measures the magnitude of the problem or how extensively the various options to address the issue are being implemented.
To get a better... Read More
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March 30, 2009
The equine and rendering industries are anticipating a pinch from a new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation intended to prevent the proliferation of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or "mad cow disease").
The regulation on... Read More
Massachusetts Euthanasia Case: Of Pleas and Precedents
February 08, 2009
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Horse Owner Given Probation in Massachusetts Euthanasia Case
February 06, 2009
A Milford, Mass., horse owner who refused to euthanize his ailing mare despite the recommendations of veterinarians will be under probation for two years. Judge Thomas F. Sullivan Jr. continued the case for the duration of the probationary perio... Read More
California Plan Models Equine Rescues after Animal Shelters
January 19, 2009
Faculty members at the University of California, Davis, are working on a plan to reduce the number of unwanted horses by modeling equine rescues after small animal shelters. Under a plan developed by the International Animal Welfare Training... Read More
Judge Excludes Testimony in Euthanasia Case
January 12, 2009
A Worcester County, Mass., District Court judge granted one request to eliminate testimony and postponed ruling on another in the case against Elliot Saffran, the Milford man charged last year with animal cruelty for refusing to euthanize his... Read More
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Government's Wild Horse Euthanasia Advice Not Unexpected
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text:
Hi and thanks for stopping by!
My story "Soldiers" is now complete! Feel free to contact me if you ever want to know a little more about what happened to Septimus and Cedrella after the story ends.
As for "Meet the Weasleys," I plan to write more. However, it is on hold for now because I don't have as much free time as I would like to spend writing fanfiction, unfortunately. College beckons. :)


text:
Top challenges for deadly force trainers
By Chuck Remsberg for Force Science News
Provided by The Force Science Research Center
What does it take to train today's officers to face deadly force successfully?
A panel of nearly a dozen experts spent almost 4 hours voicing opinions on that topic at the recent annual conference of the International Law Enforcement Educators & Trainers Assn. (ILEETA). But the bottom line was neatly encapsulized in a matter of seconds by one of the group.
Trainers need to prepare officers to win 3 battles, said Randy Revling, firearms instructor and coordinator of the basic LE and corrections academies at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay:
--the battle in an officer's own mind
--the battle on the street, and
--the legal battle that comes after a lethal-force encounter.
In probing the current challenges of this complex mission, the panelists stirred a multitude of formidable questions, including:
--is it possible to develop excellence in any of these areas, given the population entering LE today?
--are officers more afraid of being sued than they are of being murdered?
--are they making any better street decisions now than they were 30 years ago?
--are trainers realistically bringing the street to the range…or trying unrealistically to impose the range on the street?
--is training getting "too militaristic and muzzle-heavy"?
--how much risk of financial ruin do officers really face in court?
Using Revling's "3 battles" as a structure, here's how the experts addressed those and other provocative issues.
What this battle hinges on, Revling explained, is a trainer's ability to overcome an officer's "initial resistance to destroying the species"--in other words, getting the trainee psychologically willing to shoot another human being--so he or she can deliver deadly force when it's demanded.
These days, several panelists agreed, that type of resistance can constitute a formidable mental roadblock.
"We're seeing a greater number of people [in law enforcement] who are not inclined to use force," stated Tom Aveni, co-founder of the Police Policy Studies Council and a member the Force Science Research Center's national advisory board.
Indeed, said retired NYPD sergeant Phil Messina, head of the Modern Warrior® Inc. training organization, in reviewing tapes of deadly force encounters, one frequently sees "prey behavior"-fateful submission-on the part of officers who are under attack from human predators. The officer who needs to display so-called warrior traits in order to survive "all of a sudden is a civil servant who is more concerned about what he's not supposed to do than he is with protecting himself."
If, as a trainer, you produce merely "social workers with a firearm" who don't accept that using deadly force may be a critical part of their job, "you've got a problem," declared Jeff Chudwin, a suburban police chief, a former prosecutor and president of the Illinois Tactical Officers Assn. "We need fighters we can train to act like social workers" when that skill-set is needed but who understand the distinction between "talking at the right time and fighting at the right time."
The brutal truth is that "there are violent offenders whose actions must be stopped, by shooting if necessary, or they will continue to do evil deeds to innocent people who will suffer and die," Chudwin said.
Besides cultivating the commitment to use proper force decisively, Messina believes trainers need to instill a mind-set that makes an officer "always more afraid of losing [a deadly force encounter] than he is of dying," so he'll keep fighting until he wins.
Motivating officers to win is superior to training them just to survive, some panelists emphasized. "There's a difference between surviving and prevailing," pointed out Chuck Soltys, a federal agent and firearms/tactical survival trainer based in Chicago. Officers need to come out of life-threatening clashes not just alive but sufficiently intact physically, emotionally and legally "that after the event they have a quality of life worth surviving for."
For greater officer safety and public safety alike, today's training for the street needs to be more realistic, incorporate more of the breakthrough findings of the Force Science Research Center (FSRC), and place more emphasis on good decision-making, the panelists concluded.
In Chudwin's words, "We have to start bringing the street to the range and stop trying to bring the range to the street." Too many agencies, in his opinion, still "put holes in paper and say an officer is qualified. Qualified to do what? Put holes in the next piece of paper he encounters!"
"We need to create and train in the same adverse environments that officers face on duty," said Revling, whose college is a strategic partner of FSRC. Messina concurred. "If we see a lot of vehicles in tapes where cops are killed, why not a vehicle in the training area?" Messina asked. "If it's raining, why not rain? If cops are dying in living rooms, build a fake living room. That's part of my job as a trainer."
Revling added: "Once we know how to kick, why continue kicking blue bags? Start kicking people [protected by Redman gear, for example]. Once we've shot paper targets to the point of proficiency, why not shoot people [with marking cartridges]?"
He stressed the importance of "validating what we do as trainers. Is it having a measurable effect on the street? We should have no interest in doing anything that does not work, no interest in just creating tools for the toolbox. We should strive for 100 per cent accountability."
Quoting Ken Murray, an advocate of realistic training, a member of FSRC's Technical Advisory Board and author of the relevant book "Training at the Speed of Life," Aveni charged that law enforcement spends "so much time teaching people how to shoot and so little time teaching them how to think." In fact, Aveni declared, "I'm not convinced we're training officers to make any better decisions today than we did 20 to 30 years ago."
Before Tennessee v. Garner, for example, the ACLU claimed that roughly 1 in 4 of the people shot by police were "not armed and not assaultive when shot." Aveni's current research, he says, shows that this percentage of "mistake-of-fact shootings" remains about the same today.
"Unless there is more emphasis by trainers on how to make valid decisions under stress, we are going to find more and more cops accused of questionable shootings," Aveni predicted.
He expressed some personal concern that training is overemphasizing "extreme equipment and tactics," becoming "a little too aggressive," "muzzle-heavy" and "militaristic" in the process. He cited "SWAT tactics being pressed down on street officers." (A member of the audience from Arizona reported that in his area there is pressure to teach SWAT techniques even to Explorer Scouts.)
Soltys took issue with Aveni on this point. He said he considers it "a positive that SWAT tactics are trickling down to the street level" and believes the process "needs to be ratcheted up, based on the demonstrated skill level of individual officers." He pointed out that departments are gravitating to advanced equipment like the patrol rifle "because of what they are seeing on the street. The officers I encounter are capable of carrying this weapon and to make the right decisions about using it."
Dr. Bill Lewinski, executive director of the FSRC at Minnesota State University-Mankato, underscored the importance of enhancing decision-making training and expressed the hope that the Center's on-going research will continue to reveal valuable new insights about human performance under stress that will help strengthen and focus law enforcement instruction.
Lewinski mentioned several studies currently in progress or soon to begin under Center auspices that promise to have potentially profound training implications, including:
--a 2-year "hit probability" study, relating to shooting accuracy under various conditions; what works, what doesn't and how to improve performance.
--an EEG study in London that will identify brain processes involved in tunnel vision and tunnel hearing.
--a study of perception and memory that will also incorporate brain data collected via EEG readings.
--a study aimed at evaluating and improving strategies for conducting cognitive interview of officers after lethal-force encounters.
--continuing studies on psycholinguistics, specifically the command styles officers use in high-stress situations, their impact and how to make them more effective.
Several panelists expressed appreciation for the Center's efforts at "debunking myths" and providing "science that is going to help us" and reminded trainers that the challenge they face is not only to be aware of FSRC's findings but to consciously integrate them into their training programs.
In any deadly force encounter "you want to stay out of court if you can," said Chudwin, "but a greater imperative is to stay out of the ground, not be killed." Regrettably, he believes, many officers are "more afraid of being sued than of being murdered," and this unacceptable mind-set is something trainers must work to change. Fear of legal consequences, Revling added, "must to be resolved before an officer goes on the street so he doesn't hesitate" when he needs to save his life.
During his career as both a prosecutor and a police chief, Chudwin said he has not known officers to actually lose anything in court "except peace of mind and tranquility." At a shooting scene, he reassures surviving officers that they "aren't going to lose your house" and can, in fact, cope ably with legal consequences. Keeping them "fully informed" through the process so they "don't feel like just one more piece of meat" is crucial.
The need for legal counsel to guide an officer through the aftermath of a critical incident cannot be emphasized enough. Soltys recommended that officers have an attorney who "specializes in representing officers involved in shootings" lined up before they get involved in one. "He should be on speed dial on your cell phone and he should be one of the first calls you make" after a lethal encounter. "Searching for this kind of legal specialist after the fact can be extremely difficult and can leave an officer very vulnerable."
An officer should be cautious about what he says at the scene, Soltys advised. "It's common to seek peer approval, to ask your buddies if you did the right thing. You may say emotional things that could come back to haunt you later." Best to say little and get off the scene as quickly as possible, preferably to a medical facility to check for injuries and monitor vital signs that will likely be abnormally high due to the stress of the incident.
Certainly, Soltys stressed, do not talk to the media, which is capable of "unbelievable distortion" and can make a justified shooting "look like something completely different."
Soltys points out that some department shooting investigation policies mandate that officers give a statement within a specified time period after the incident and do not allow the involved officer(s) adequate time to settle down and clearly articulate the facts and circumstances. Use of proper vocabulary is important and is another reason why involved officers should seek legal guidance before giving their statement.
If pressed to provide an official statement sooner than you're comfortable, Soltys said, "the first sentence out of your mouth should be that you are giving this statement under duress and against your will and that you have not yet had a chance to consult with counsel." To help remind its personnel of proper procedures that may otherwise be overlooked or compromised under stress, his agency issues plasticized wallet cards advising step by step how to maneuver the post-shooting protocol.
Officers need to understand that "even if they did everything right, a jury is not always going to agree with them," said panelist Laura Scarry, a cop-turned-attorney in Chicago who specializes in representing officers.
She cited a harrowing recent case in which officers were sued after shooting an EDP who charged at them with a fireman's axe raised over his head. Even the plaintiff's expert witness agreed the shooting was justified, Scarry said. Yet the jury found the police liable for $425,000 in damages.
Although the officers were not personally assessed, the injustice of this "justice" was hard to take psychologically. "Once you put a case in the hands of a jury, you never know what you're going to get," Scarry declared. "I'm still trying to get to the point where I have a great amount of faith in the jury system."
Massad Ayoob, the noted firearms trainer and author who chaired the ILEETA panel, suggested that in hopes of positively impacting the legal aftermath of force incidents in the future, trainers should share what they learn at LE conferences with their local prosecutors and judges. Offer to make presentations on FSRC's research findings and concepts like the Tueller Drill (the basis for the legendary 21-foot rule in defense against edged-weapon attacks) to further "their continuing legal education," he proposed.
During the Q & A period after the panel's presentation, a trainer in the audience observed that "the dumbing down of America" was producing police recruits in whom it is becoming "harder and harder to invoke the warrior spirit." How is excellence in training possible, given the poor quality trainees he perceived nowadays?
Panelist Vance McLaughlin, a subject control expert from Georgia, agreed that the problem is a perplexing one. "No one can train some of these people to the level that we need," he said. "We know the type of people who should be selected [for academy enrollment] but there isn't the political will to do it. We have physical tests, written tests-but no one can fail them. When you hire criminals to be police officers, there are going to be problems."
Out of one recent class of 12 recruits, McLaughlin said, 3 came to him and asked, "How can I get a real job?" These people are headed toward a career in law enforcement "and they don't even want to be on the job!"
Another panelist, Atty. Adam Kasanof of Arlington, VA, formerly a lieutenant and trainer with the NYPD Academy and author of the new book "How to Be an Expert Witness," suggested that in most LE agencies, generally only a small percentage of recruits are unsatisfactory. But he agreed that "often they don't get thrown out." The fault, he says, lies with a reluctance to discipline or to fire.
"One thing that replaces real discipline is monitoring programs," he said. "There is a point at which you have to retrain, discipline or fire" people performing poorly, "not just generate endless amounts of paper showing how bad they are.
"If you get rid of the lowest performers, you find out that people farther up on the scale get a lot better. If you're going to have quality people, the commitment to change has to start at the highest level."
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text:
Bradley's health is still uncertain after shoulder surgery last season, as far as I know.
Bradley's health is still uncertain after shoulder surgery last season, as far as I know.
The atlantic is sooo stacked and then you got the Heat and Indiana out there in the conference.... So much good basketball is gonna get played this year, that it will make up for the shameball from last year.
Boston just lost the preseason opener against Fenerbache Istanbul, 91:97. Great start of the weekend.
Hah yeah. they were terrible, They were down by 10 pts most of the game.
1- Miami (50+ wins) Big-3 plus
2- Chicago (50+ wins) Top Bigmen plus top-coach
3- Indiana (50+ wins) Creative players & coach
4- New York (50+ wins) Top "Old-Heads" plus creative coach
5- Brooklyn (45 wins) Top back-court
6- Philly ???
7- Toronto ???
8- Boston ???
9- Cleveland ???
im not buying into the Bulls. I don't see how and why people still have them ranked so high and they're not sure if Rose will even return this season. Ok they've added Nate, Kirk, Belinelli but still, but they've lost more than what they have gained. With other teams getting much better and their stars returning healthy(Well most of them) I don't see why people are so high on them. 6th seed at best imo.
OK can we all just ignore the Bulls already? They're done
1) Heat
2) Celtics
3) Pacers
4) 76ers
5) Knicks
6) Nets
7) Hawks
8) Bucks
9) Bulls
10) Cavs
11) Wizards
12) Pistons
13) Raptors
14) Magic
15) Bobcats
Idk if the Bulls are done, they have Deng and Boozer, and that's a combination that can put up serious buckets, plus they're surrounded with amazing role talent:
Jimmy Butler
Nate Robinson
Richard Hamilton
Taj Gibson
They're still a strong team and they'll come together with Rose out, so that when DRose comes back to hang nuts, forget it bro! I see them at 50+ wins on some legit ****.
so what happened to them being 2nd in the east? they blew a 22 point lead to a ricky rubio kevin loveless timberwolves team lmfao i am enjoying their struggles greatly, i wish we couldve beat their asses last week, oh well.
this knicks team was so underrated coming into the season and i love how this team is showing everyone whats the TRUTH is
what do you guys think about the nba teams so far?


text:
About two dozen students trickled into Kathy Rhodes' seventh-grade geography class yesterday, carrying books, bottled water and something new — shiny lightweight iPads.
About two dozen students trickled into Kathy Rhodes' seventh-grade geography class yesterday, carrying books, bottled water and something new — shiny lightweight iPads.
As the Miscoe Hill Middle School students settled into their desks, 13-year-old Alexis Sherwin — one of 83 seventh-graders to get an iPad from the school — slid her finger over the touchscreen and talked about how simple it is to use.
"It's easier for all of us to do our homework," she said. "It makes it a lot more exciting, and it keeps us more focused."
Gone are the days when a tablet meant arithmetic problems etched in chalk. These iPads open the entire world to the middle school
students, from maps of foreign lands for geography class to basics of art that would have required easels, brushes and miles of canvas in years past.
The district turned to the iPads as part of an effort to see how students adapt to using modern technology as part of curriculum, and whether shiny new toys can make big differences in learning.
Mendon-Upton is not the first school district to try the tablets — about 1.5 million iPads are already in schools, including more than 1,000 situations like that of Miscoe Hill, where each student has a device, said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.
Dylan Applegate, who had a geography quiz looming yesterday, looked at a map of southeast Asia.
"Right now we're working with the iPads to study," he said.
The students have been monitored to make sure they stay focused, Rhodes said, but the benefits already seem to outweigh any drawbacks.
"For a little while, there was a lot of temptation of looking and playing (with the iPads) on their part, but they've really gotten it down now," Rhodes said.
Rhodes estimates she has saved about 2,400 sheets of paper and a lot of time since January.
"I'm not running down to the printer," Rhodes said. "I'm not using paper. I'm not using ink. I'm not using my time to stand down there and wait for (pages to print)."
Students may bring the iPads home to do homework. In the classroom, they use them to go over their work, research subject matter, take quizzes and tests, and more.
"Some days we use the iPads during the whole period. Other days we have more class discussions, but I would say every day there are pieces of it incorporated," Rhodes said.
Seventh-grade math teacher Liz Kadra, one of the five teachers to get an iPad, said students who are home sick can present during class discussions by making video calls on the iPads.
"When we have projects, it's neat, because if one student is absent, they can Skype each other and work on the project together," she said. "In the past, if kids have been out, they just kind of miss out. Now they are able to keep each other abreast of the work that they're doing."
Students in Alice Gentili's art class use their iPads to learn the foundations of visual art.
"It is actually an efficient way to cover the basics, such as the elements and principals of design, which affords more time for hands-on art experiences," Gentili said.
Some of the iPad apps Gentili uses in her curriculum include Photoshop Express, Sketchbook Pro and 123D Sculpt.
The total cost of the iPad program is $75,902. Funding came from $18,346 from the Risteen Fund, which was established by an Upton resident more than 50 years ago to lend a hand to education; $39,000 from the Mendon-Upton Education Foundation; and $18,556 from the district budget.
The students will turn the iPads in at the end of the school year so they can be passed down to next year's seventh-graders.
Seventh-grade teacher Lori Monterotti, who also received an iPad, said she hopes to see more of the technology in the classroom.
"The students have taken to (the iPads) like ducks to water," Monterotti said. "The kids are so intuitive. I hope the program continues. This really is the wave of the future."
Morgan Rousseau can be reached at 508-634-7546 or at email@example.com.


text:
From robots that clean your house to those that scour war zones for potential threats, the robots made by Bedford-based company iRobot have surprising capabilities.
From robots that clean your house to those that scour war zones for potential threats, the robots made by Bedford-based company iRobot have surprising capabilities.
Local students had the opportunity Sunday to test-drive some of these robots at a free program hosted by iRobot program manager Paul Balutis at the Khel Creativity Club in Shrewsbury.
Creativity Club Founder Reddy Vatti said the organization teaches students from elementary school to high school about the sciences and robotics, and also offers recreational activities like chess.
Balutis introduced a robot that has become a household name in cleaning tools – the Roomba vacuum.
Although Roomba was created for "dull and dirty missions," Balutis told guests at Sunday's program that it has a number of components that are also featured in 300-pound robots used by law enforcement and the military for dangerous missions.
"Robots do things people don't want to," he said.
Balutis, a Shrewsbury resident, explained how some of his company's robots have been used and gave students insight into new developments such as self-driving utility vehicles and robots with stereovision.
After the 2011 tsunami in Japan, an iRobot robot called Warrior was sent to the devastated area to climb into nuclear reactors and give operators a look at what was going on inside, Balutis said.
Shrewsbury resident Marcel Westdijk looked on as his daughter Natalia handled the control for a robot called FirstLook during Balutis' presentation.
"She's been interested in robots since she could talk," Marcel Westdijk said of Natalia, who is a regular visitor at the creativity club's weekly robotics classes.
Through video presentations, students were able to see how a variety of robots are used in real life – from super-durable machines that can be thrown through windows to help soldiers see what lies inside an unknown building to underwater robots like the Searanger, which searches for water mines.
Sara Mulkeen can be reached at 508-490-7475 or email@example.com.


text:
Bartlett's adjustment to Rays seamless
Shortstop takes steps to build rapport with DP partner Iwamura
By Brittany Ghiroli / MLB.com
"How's Bartlett doing?" he asked the media before the game, which was eventually rained out.
Gardenhire was relieved to hear about his former shortstop's progress, singling out Bartlett as a great guy and saying he was genuinely happy for Bartlett's preseason success.
Though brief, Gardenhire's summation spoke volumes for a shortstop who has remained significantly under the radar.
While Garza was the face of the trade that sent Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie to Minnesota, Bartlett's impact inside the clubhouse shouldn't be overlooked.
With Akinori Iwamura switching from third base to second, Bartlett could be the missing piece for a middle infield whose play last year was downright puzzling at times.
At 28, Bartlett is smart, defensive-orientated and bilingual.
Well, not yet.
"A little," Bartlett laughed. He is trying to learn as much Japanese as possible, writing down words or phrases on scraps of paper to help gain common ground with Iwamura.
"He knows certain words," Bartlett said of Iwamura's English. "I can talk to him regular; I just have to explain myself a lot."
Rays manager Joe Maddon said last week that he wants the pair to ultimately become one person, throwing out phrases like "Iwa-lett" or "Bart-amura."
A new nickname would certainly be no problem for Bartlett, who has adjusted to a new clubhouse, a new manager and a new time zone practically overnight.
"It's been easy, perfect," said Bartlett, who pointed out that the Rays' Spring Training record, 7-1 following Saturday's 4-1 win over the Yankees, "obviously makes it better" to adjust to a new place.
Bartlett has also played a key role in helping Garza adjust. The 24-year-old righty will likely be the No. 3 pitcher in the Rays' starting rotation, and he said that having a familiar face several yards behind him has been a tremendous help.
"I can trust him," Garza said. "He knows how to calm me down, and I'm not saying I can't trust any of these guys, but just based on experience, I know I can trust him."
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But now that Bartlett has settled in and grown accustomed to a new shade of blue and bits of Japanese, he is still far from content.
The infielder has spent Spring Training focusing on his offense, experimenting with his hands and the way he grips the bat.
So far, so good. Through the Rays' first eight games, Bartlett had a .333 average and said that, defensively, he can see the ball coming off the bat better.
In Friday's win, Bartlett went 2-for-3 with an RBI, and in Thursday's five-inning contest, he went 1-for-2 with a triple and run scored.
Scoring runs is the crux of what the Rays want to see from the speedy Bartlett, who led the Twins last season with 23 stolen bases in 26 attempts.
"If you watch him very close, you can see he does all the little things he needs to," Maddon said. "He makes good turns, good cuts and he's a good runner. He's a smart runner."
Maddon hopes that putting Bartlett in the nine-hole in the batting order will generate runs for the Rays, who finished last season in the bottom half of the American League in runs scored.
Having Bartlett, who has a career .341 on-base percentage after four Major League seasons, running the bases should help sluggers like Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton drive in runs.
"To be a successful American League team, I think you have to be strong one through nine," Maddon said. "I like the way [Bartlett] is handling the bat right now. He's a guy who is situationally good."
Bartlett agrees, saying that batting in front of Iwamura suits him just fine.
"I told Aki [on Friday], if I'm batting nine and he's leadoff, you've got first and second -- that's going to help me a lot [in terms of stealing third]," Bartlett said.
And with Iwamura's .359 on-base percentage, the two hope to be just as dynamic on the basepaths as they are turning double plays.
Perhaps Bartlett should become familiar with a new Japanese word: Uketsugu, to succeed.
Brittany Ghiroli is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: I'm in ottawa and I don't have cable. With the raps rebuilding I haven't made a lot of time to watch games. I've seen good chucks of a couple, but I don't think I've seen a WHOLE raps game in 2011 for whatever reason I'm jonesing real bad. I know tonights game versus the pistons will probably be brutal but i don't even give a care. I'm planning on watching so if anyone else is interested let me know! I'm working in Kanata today, and I live in the glebe but I have a car so I can make it pretty much anywhere. GO RAPS GO!!! (and by "GO RAPS GO" i mean play hard but lose in the end, because I don't want our 5 place or worse record to be jeopardized!)


text:
When a user inputs a hostname or an IP address, MQ Port Scan will scan a range of ports looking for a queue manager's MCA, using the standard (system default) channel names, in order to make a successful connection. It is very easy to use. It has the ability to search across a range of IP addresses and scan the port range for each IP address. Any time MQ Port Scan successfully connects to a queue manager, the information is written to a CSV file. The output will include the queue manager name, MQ version, channel name, hostname or an IP address, and port number.
Associations Indexing Service (AIS) was originally done as an extension of human memory for tagging (storing under personal keywords and associations) resources, URIs, bookmarks, and memos (for fast access to the information in future) by using the same keywords or queries, similar to popular search engines. It can be seen as a local search engine, used as an automatic indexer of big file hierarchies (e.g. personal archives or files repositories). It is based on Lucene, so the application will remain very fast with any size index.
Butterfly Web UI is a component based Java Web application framework. Like the rest of the Butterfly Components, Butterfly Web UI is extremely small and very flexible. Butterfly Web UI uses Butterfly Container internally, a state of the art dependency injection container. Using Butterfly Web UI, it is easy both to generate HTML for a Web browser or XML or JSON for a RIA frontend (Flex, JavaFX, Silverlight) or AJAX frontend. You also can easily create HTML layout templates that are reused throughout your Web application, so you don't have the layout hardcoded into every page. You can easily mix RIA and non-RIA Web application technology in the same Web application.
jniThreadCPUUsage is a Java library to get the amount of user and system CPU time used per thread. This is done via JNI, which calls getrusage() on the system. getrusage() is only available on Linux 2.6.26 or later and Solaris. One useful application of this is measuring the amount of CPU time used for a servlet request. getrusage() CPU time reporting is better than using the real time clock because it measures actual CPU time used and disregards times when the thread is idle or waiting (such as when it is waiting for network I/O).
CCI:U Open Course Labs is a Django-based Web application that interfaces cloud-computing infrastructure such as Amazon EC2 and NexR iCube Cloud. More backends may be added. It provides the access to cloud infrastructure in the form of "course labs" where course staff in an academy can manage the allocated computing resources and assignments easily. Course labs can also be used as course homepages.


text:
One of Orange County's premier hardcore band is finally back in press. For all those kids who want to see what the West Coast had to offer in '88 this is it.
1. Just Say No
2. You Laugh
3. When Will It End?
4. Without A Reason
5. Liar
6. About Face


text: 9:05AM-9:55AM MTW 3 cr. Above section meets with WEUR-E250. This course comprises the fourth and last semester of the two-year Modern Greek program. The second part of the semester will be devoted to Modern Greek literature texts complemented by material from Greek newspapers and magazines; therefore, complex grammatical/syntactical forms and advanced vocabulary is required. Emphasis is placed on class communication in Greek. Additionally, students produce a good deal of writing in Greek.


text:
Reading for experience is the only reading that justifies excitement. Reading for facts is necessary bu the less said about it in public the better. Reading for distraction is like taking medicine. We do it, but it is nothing to be proud of. But reading for experience is transforming."
Henry Seidel Canby
Welcome to this week's Saturday Review of Books. Here's how it works. Find a review on your blog posted sometime this week of a book you're reading or a book you've read. The review doesn't have to be a formal sort of thing. You can just write your thoughts on a particular book, a few ideas inspired by reading the book, your evaluation, quotations, whatever.
Now post a link here to the specific post where you've written your book review. Don't link to your main blog page because this kind of link makes it hard to find the book review, especially when people drop in later after you've added new content to your blog. In parentheses after your name, add the title of the book you're reviewing. This addition will help people to find the reviews they're most interested in reading.
Powered by… Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.


text:
Summaries of EU Legislation
Summaries of EU legislation: direct access to the main summaries page.
- Archived: true
Gender mainstreaming within the Structural Funds
To encourage the Member States to make greater use of the Structural Funds in support of measures aimed at eliminating inequalities and promoting equality between women and men.
Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, of 12 December 2002, on the "Implementation of gender mainstreaming in the Structural Funds programming documents 2000-2006" [COM(2002) 748 final - Not published in the Official Journal].
1. Incorporating the equal opportunities dimension into structural policies reflects the need to lessen inequalities between women and men as regards employment, training, access to the labour market and participation in the decision-making process. The European Structural Funds (ERDF, ESF, EAGGF and FIFG) are valuable instruments helping to attain these objectives, in accordance with legal and economic requirements. In particular, the Funds can play a key role in helping to reconcile work and family life, and integrate disadvantaged women.
2. This Communication provides an overview of the way in which gender mainstreaming has been taken into account in the Structural Funds programming for the period 2000-2006. It takes stock of the progress made and highlights a number of examples, while also identifying areas where progress is slow.
3. The purpose of the Communication is to give input to the mid-term review of the Structural Funds, when the allocation of the performance reserve will be determined, together with any adjustment as regards fund allocation, targets, priorities and measures.
4. The Communication contains recommendations aimed at removing the obstacles to successful gender mainstreaming within the Structural Funds.
5. Accordingly, areas for immediate action on the part of the Member States are identified:
- Specific measures targeting the under-represented sex are essential as a first step, for which there has to be clear dedicated funding. Member States and their managing authorities are invited to introduce incentives aimed at increasing the perception and importance of the gender dimension in all Structural Fund programmes. For example, the selection criteria could, from the outset, include the award of additional points to projects which contribute to gender equality, i.e. having balanced participation;
- The heavy emphasis placed on gender mainstreaming in some Member States may make their actual funding allocation difficult to identify and monitor. Member States are therefore invited to identify clearly, on the one hand, the funding allocated to specific gender equality actions and, on the other hand, programmes and projects contributing to equality (gender mainstreaming). Member States are expected to report on these figures with clear indicators as part of the mid-term review of the Structural Funds as from 2003;
- Effective gender mainstreaming is difficult and requires specific expertise. In this relatively new area, especially as regards the Structural Funds:
a) Member States are requested to encourage, through managing authorities, monitoring committees, local programme and project managers, particularly in the short term, the use of gender equality expertise, and to ensure the presence of representatives of equality bodies and research institutes within Structural Fund monitoring committees;
b) Member States are requested to establish awareness-raising measures and training in gender mainstreaming for managing authorities, monitoring committees, programme and project managers and their partners;
- Assessing the impact of gender equality requires clear qualitative and quantitative indicators and gender-disaggregated statistics for monitoring and evaluating results. Member States are urged to ensure, e.g. through their managing authorities, that gender-disaggregated statistics and impact assessment become an integral part of Structural Fund operations, including in "non-traditional" gender equality areas such as infrastructure, transport or environment;
- Each Member State is invited to appoint a high-level representative to coordinate the national strategy for gender equality, to contribute to the coordination of EU strategy and to participate in a high-level group intended to support the implementation of gender mainstreaming in Structural Fund operations.
4) implementing measures
5) follow-up work
European Parliament resolution, of 24 February 2003, on the objectives of equality of opportunities between women and men in the use of the Structural Funds [A5-0059/2003].
On 2 December 1996, the Council adopted a resolution on mainstreaming equal opportunities for men and women into the European Structural Funds [Official Journal C 386, 20.12.1996].
The Council calls upon the Member States to take full advantage of existing possibilities for programming in the context of various forms of Structural Fund operations in order to promote equal opportunities, and to examine the scope for refocusing programmes in the light of the priorities laid down in Essen and confirmed in Cannes and Madrid, namely the battle against unemployment and for equal opportunities.
The Council calls upon the Commission and the Member States to ensure that the authorities responsible at all levels for promoting equal opportunities take part in the work of the monitoring committees, so that equal opportunities are regularly taken into account, and balanced participation by men and women in decision-making bodies is encouraged. The Commission and the Member States are called upon to cooperate in gathering statistics in order to assess the place of men and women in social and economic life, to consider how to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the annual reprogramming of unused appropriations in order to increase efforts to promote equal opportunities, and to ensure that the assessments determine the extent to which account has been taken of the principle of promoting equal opportunities during the current programming period in order to be able to determine whether adjustments are necessary for the remainder of the period.
The Council calls upon the Commission to systematise the identification of good practice and the dissemination of information and experience relating to good practice, and to review the implementation of the Resolution each year, in its annual report on the Structural Funds.
Last updated: 20.08.2004