text: On Thu, 27 May 2004, Laurence Liew wrote: > Hi all > > > > If you work for a disro company and you are reading this, > > > all I can say is, WAKE UP! You are going down the tubes fast > > > in the HPC market. If you work for a cluster vendor and you are > > > reading this, please push your management hard to adopt at > > > least one open distro. We'll pay for support for it, but not using > > > the current pricing scheme that the Redhat's, Suse, etc. are > > > charging. > > > So what would be a per node price people (edu? commercial?) would pay > for the OS with support and updates? Do note that support for HPC > clusters requires technically competent and HPC savvy engineers and > these do not come cheap.... > > Based on previous discussions and email.. it seems that USD$50 - USD$100 > per node to be about right/acceptable for a cluster OS that is supported > with updates and patches and basic support for HPC type questions. Well, since both our cluster and LAN installations for the entire campus proceed directly from a (mirror) repository that we maintain, let's look at this very question. There is a baseline cost for building any distribution. However, most distributions are built on top of a common open code base with tens of thousands of contributors, a few tens of whom (at most) actually work directly for the distribution companies. The bulk of building a "new" upgrade of any rpm-based distribution is running a straight rpm --rebuild of most of the -- unchanged -- application source rpm's. Testing the distribution WOULD be an expense, but all linux distributions rely on the world's largest free beta testing network. That is, everybody on the planet that develops, maintains, and uses the open source software that they repackage and distribute. The "rawhide" process is where any distribution become ready to actually sell to somebody, and guess who provides the actual testing and a whole lot of the debugging of the inevitable bugs of a new release? We do. For free. The biggest single testing and certification process is likely that of the kernel and its hardware drivers, and here you are screwed either way -- the conservative kernels released only after extensive testing still have bugs and problems with specific device combinations (the permutations of hardware combinations are far too large a number to test) and don't support lots of newer hardware; the development kernels support more hardware and newer hardware but are yes, less stable. Once again, the real work is done by the kernel development team(s) and the real debugging by the people who use the development kernels long before they THINK of making it into a distribution. "Cluster" distributions are more of the same, except that few distribution vendors take clusters seriously enough to provide a full suite of tools including e.g. SGE, all flavors of MPI, bproc -- most of the open source stuff available besides PVM and some flavor of MPI doesn't make it into a mainstream distribution. Yes, this provides a market opportunity for cluster vendors to add value; however the basic problem is one of pure packaging, as most of the tools one might wish to add, if they are properly packaged, are an rpm --rebuild away from being rpm -Uvh installed and yum updated. How much is it REALLY worth to provide this service? If one amortizes the cost over all the clusters out there (and clusters are still a small fraction of the total LAN and server base) it wouldn't be a whole lot of money, provided only that one did the work one time, well, and provided its value many times. Beyond this, there are capital costs for servers to provide primary mirrors for the distribution, infrastructure to provide all of the above, and don't forget marketing, management, G&A costs. Most of the latter are expenses associated with the fact that you are running a business and want to make as large a profit as you possibly can, which means basically charging as much as the market will bear and a lot more than it costs you to provide the actual services. Now, let's look at the distribution system. Outside of the fairly trivial/negligible box-set market in bookstores and the like (we're talking University-wide usage, which isn't based on distributing box sets even for WinXX): Do we package the software in actual boxes to sell? No, there is no packaging cost. Do we manufacture anything and have to pay laborers in third world companies to assemble complicated electronic and plastic parts? No, there is no assembly required, at least assembly with per-unit scaling of costs. Do we require and consume lots of raw materials? No, only electrical energy (which is negligibly cheap -- we're not talking smelting of aluminum here). Do we need a huge and expensive assembly line or other excessively expensive infrastructure? No, a handful of air conditioned offices, a few tens of employees, a midscale server environment, a LAN, and of course computers all around. The cost of this is not negligible, but it is a cost borne by nearly every University in existence and so don't expect them to be overwhelmingly impressed by it when they imagine this cost divided by the number of Universities in the world. It is also leveraged, as noted, by the fact that MOST of what is being "assembled" is a) free; and b) provided assemble-ready and tested by somebody else, so that "assembly" is a totally automated process that need not rely on human effort at all. Do we need an expensive testing environment? Yes, but again the issue is HOW expensive. All software companies make the customer the final round of beta testers, generally charging them for the privilege. Open Source software companies carry this far beyond what has been done with closed source software. So let's admit the cost of a testing lab and some real expense here, but also note that it doesn't come CLOSE to testing every feature of every provided software package -- that is done in rawhide by actual users at no cost to the providing company except helping to resolve problems that surface IF they cannot get them resolved by the actual maintainers of the software packages. Do we need to provide a lot of service and how do service costs scale across the enterprise? Here is the real, fundamental issue. The answer, in fact, is no. Supporting an entire University costs (to the distribution company) little more than supporting a single department within a University, and not THAT much more than supporting a single individual within the single department of that University. The real support costs are borne by the University's own support staff and infrastructure, and since many of those individuals actively contribute to the development and maintenance of open source software, the distribution company may MAKE MONEY NET providing software for FREE to a University but getting back the labor of those individuals in the REAL process that develops and maintains their product. I hope that it is obvious that the costs above are in fact laughably small for software compared to, say, building and selling hard disk drives or system motherboards or hard goods with per unit cost scaling. Building a new disk drive requires many hours of engineering and testing by an expensive team, capital investment in retooling expensive climate controlled and dust free plants, lots of raw materials assembled incrementally in OTHER plants and sold for a profit to the end-stage assembly company, large labor costs, large marketing costs, large warranty support and RMA costs, and of course the inevitable management costs and profit margins. Finally, hard drives are sold almost exclusively by retailers with significant retail markup and a whole additional layer of mouths to feed, warehouse and inventory expenses, physical delivery expenses, consumer advertising, and local support. Yet a hard drive sells typically for less than $100 per unit, and COULD sell for as low as $50-60 and still make money for companies if they weren't constantly reengineering them to make them bigger and faster. Or possibly less -- a floppy drive now costs order of $10, a CD drive $30, and a mass-produced hard drive might cost no more without the running R&D and retooling. So, explain again how we'd be happy paying unit prices of $100 per hard disk if we knew that the company had to engineer precisely one hard disk and put it into a magic duplicator box that made an infinite number of duplicates, nearly instantly and in a fully automated fashion, at a per-unit amortized and extraordinarily generous cost of a few kW-hours of electricity (say, $0.25)? Buying the disk directly from the company (no middleman retail layer), delivered on magic wings at a cost too low to incrementally account for? Actually needing ourselves to only buy ONE copy of the disk as we possess our OWN magic duplicator and delivery system? And knowing as we buy the disk that one of our own employees built the three capacitors on the controller (all magically duplicated for free), another employee help engineer the head relay, that employees down the road at UNC contributed part of the platter design and employees up the road a bit an NC state contributed the casing, knowing that in fact the ONLY thing contributed by the company selling us the disk at per-unit costs of $100 or so is a nifty logo, the packaging and primary assembly itself and some of the documentation? Personally I think Fedora is the way to go (not religiously "Fedora" per se, but open source free distribution linux/unix in one or another of its many variants -- Debian, Fedora, freeBSD, or any of the rest of them). I think that Fedora 2 is looking remarkably rich and expect that it will rapidly become highly stable. Fedora 1 wasn't half bad, given that it was mostly repackaged RH 9 and RH 9 wasn't half bad. Here is how I'd recommend that we (the cluster community) manage cluster software: a) Mirror Fedora (as we do at Duke). b) Contribute some small fraction of IT staff time to helping support Fedora -- maintaining selected packages, helping debug/test, providing secondary public mirrors. We most of us (Universities in particular) do this anyway and have ever since the kernel was in its 0.x state. Making it formal and a job descriptor for selected individuals enables Fedora to build a reliable web of contributed support. c) Build one or more (campus wide or department local) distribution repositories from the Fedora mirror. This is basically the mirror plus e.g. DHCP, tftp, kickstart support, yum support, additional university-local packages. d) Install it on one host or 10,000 hosts at no additional incremental costs. Use it for servers, for LAN clients, for beowulf nodes, for other kinds of cluster nodes. Note that 10,000 hosts at $100 each is a solid million dollars -- even 1000 hosts at $100 is $100,000 dollars. This pays for a whole lot of the above (a few thousand for the mirror and repositories, call it one whole FTE in labor, a trivial fraction of the total infrastructure expense you bear anyway and a lot of it opportunity cost expense with a lot of leeway as to how and when work is done). I should note that I >>personally<< do >>all the above<< to install and maintain my >>home LAN/cluster<<. Yes, I PXE/kickstart install my kid's desktop computers from my own repository mirror, with my own local rpm's added on top of Duke's on top of a mirror. One of my kids accidentally reinstalled his desktop just two nights ago, and it took me five whole minutes to make it right again post install (mostly because we use the nvidia drivers and he has an ancient monitor not on any list, so I have to finish off video by hand). Cluster nodes at Duke I reinstall on a whim as it takes five minutes of waiting and NO extra work. This gives you an accurate idea of the cost scaling for an enterprise, as my home repository could SUPPORT a 10,000 CPU enterprise, quite nicely actually. With kickstart and PXE and grub, (re)installing a cluster node is basically selecting an installation option at boot time. With yum, updating a cluster node is automatic and transparent. Adding software is trivial. Since cluster nodes tend to be identical, they REALLY scale out there at the ultimate edge of scalability -- a single kickstart file works for an entire cluster, and support issues are not per system, they are strictly per cluster whether the cluster has one box or 10000 identical boxes in it. I think the above makes it painfully clear why I consider per-node costs of $100 (about the same as the hard disk in those nodes) for software of any sort to be highway robbery, legalized larceny, and just plain silly on the part of the consumer. What is RHEL (for example) ever going to be but older Fedora? Fedora is an essential component of the RHEL "certification" process. Red Hat cannot sell software for these kinds of per unit prices and still have it in beta mode where customers find bugs, and NOBODY can test a distribution's worth of software in-house. Even Sun realizes that they cannot charge Universities and non-profits for desktop software any more and seem to have programs up whereby one can get e.g. Solaris for x86 for free. What WOULD I consider reasonable? That is very, very simple. At MOST a few thousand dollars for a University wide, no-questions-asked site license. The software provided in the form of a private secure channel to a primary repository mirror, so that the University can refresh their mirror anywhere from one to four times a day. Unlimited distribution within e.g. duke.edu from campus repositories (something that is easy enough to restrict at the web level). Access to bugzilla or equivalent for the masses, access to a "real" support person only for selected toplevel repository staff in a gatekeeper model. Hell, I'd even tolerate a limit of (say) fifty hours of "real" support before one has to buy additional time a la carte -- I don't think any school with a competent staff would ever use up 50 hours in a year unless the providing company was distributing crap. This would >>fairly<< compensate the providing company, would reduce per unit cost scaling for OS and support to pennies added onto the real and inevitable LOCAL costs for providing same, and would in fact more or less reproduce the way Fedora et. al. will continue to work anyway but with a small but meaningful income stream attached to it. As some Sun Microsystems humans wryly commented to me not so long ago, Duke and other Universities are where the future decision makers of every company in the world are being trained, today. If they learn to use Sun boxes while at Duke, they'll be likely to use Sun products in the future when they are spending real corporate dollars to get them. If they learn to use WinXX boxes, that's what they'll want to get on exactly the same basis. If they learn to use Linux boxes, and discover that they can (for example) install linux and maintain linux transparently and for free from a common repository and that it has all the tools that they need to do nearly anything right there at their mouse pointertips once they've done so, what do you think that they'll favor when THEY are making decisions in five years? Sun Microsystems, of course, self-destructed back in the early 90's when they acquired a working x86 Unix and failed to give it away for free, or nearly so. If they'd sold it at DOS-like prices back then, Windows would have been stillborn, linux would have never been more than a nifty project, OS/2 would have withered, and Sun would "own the universe" the way Microsoft does today. It is really interesting to watch as Linux vendors follow in these venerable footsteps. Linux would literally not exist if it weren't for Universities, as they are virtually the only large-scale environment that adopted it on a widespread basis for purely cost-scaling reasons and Universities have contributed, as noted above, a huge fraction of the real costs of its development and maintenance and continue to so contribute today. So the first thing the companies that were >>built<< on the basis of University support do when they finally start to break into the corporate world -- largely because yes, Universities have been graduating students with linux experience and perhaps more importantly have been contributing a steady stream of linux-trained sysadmins and programmers into the corporate world where they did indeed select what they knew to be functional and stable -- is to RAISE PRICES THROUGH THE ROOF back to Universities! I think of it as evolution in action, and I don't mean the software... So I'd have to say that I agree with Jeff, don't you think? Prices in the brave new world of software distribution need to reflect actual per unit costs to the distributor, not just their understandable eagerness to realize a revenue stream of $100's per unit per year on something that costs them $1 per unit per year to provide. For cluster people, I think you'd have to be crazy to pay $100's per node unless there is some show-stopper associated with the choice. 100 nodes at $400/year is $40K, which is well over half an FTE at University prices. Half an FTE is more than enough to maintain Fedora for the entire University, let alone a single 100 node cluster, even allowing for that individual having to spend a whole month packaging and building stuff like SGE, MPICH, bproc, that might or might not be NEEDED in that particular cluster and that might or might not be available in Fedora anyway, once people get smart about contributing stuff like this back to the distribution. rgb > > Comments? > > Cheers! > Laurence > ps. I work for a cluster vendor. > > > > On Wed, 2004-05-26 at 05:42, Jeffrey B. Layton wrote: > > For some people, me being one of them, this is a HUGE threat. Let me > > explain. > > > > Redhat, Suse, etc. have gone to a per-CPU price for license > > and support driving up the costs of installing the OS on a cluster. > > In fact, the last quote I got for a 72 node cluster averaged about > > $400 a node! Now management has started to compare this price > > to Windows and guess what? - Windows is cheaper on a per > > node basis. This includes purchasing and support! We already > > have a massive license with MS so we get Windows pretty > > cheap, but I can get Windows myself cheaper than $400 a node. > > We started to talk to management about the support costs, etc. > > but they argue that they already have a whole bunch of admins > > trained in Windows so support costs should be low (I tried to > > explain the difference between admining a cluster and admining > > a Windows server). Plus we have an infrastructure to push > > updates to Windows machines, so they though updates would > > be a no-brainer as well. > > > > At the ClusterWorld conference I tried to talk to various distro > > vendors about pricing, but they weren't listening. I don't mind > > paying a relatively small fee to purchase a distro, but paying a > > support costs for each CPU is nuts! If I have a problem on one > > node, I have a problem on ALL nodes. The distro companies > > have yet to understand this. Novell is starting to come around > > a bit, but they still aren't there yet. > > > > We are encouraging cluster vendors to support at least one > > open distro. That way we aren't held hostage to these companies > > that don't understand HPC. I don't know if we're making any > > head way, but I constantly hope we are. We're also trying to > > push IT management into "approving" a couple of open distros, > > but they are reluctant because they don't see a company behind > > them (they insist on the "one throat to choke" model of support). > > However, I'm still hopefully. > > > > If you work for a disro company and you are reading this, > > all I can say is, WAKE UP! You are going down the tubes fast > > in the HPC market. If you work for a cluster vendor and you are > > reading this, please push your management hard to adopt at > > least one open distro. We'll pay for support for it, but not using > > the current pricing scheme that the Redhat's, Suse, etc. are > > charging. > > > > If you work for a company that sells commercial software for > > Linux (e.g. compilers, MPI, etc.), please support more than > > RHEL and SLES! Think seriously about supporting an open > > distro and also supporting a kernel/glibc combo. > > > > I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Let's tell the > > distro companies that we won't stand for it! > > > > Thanks! > > > > Jeff > > > _______________________________________________ > Beowulf mailing list, Beowulf at beowulf.org > To change your subscription (digest mode or unsubscribe) visit http://www.beowulf.org/mailman/listinfo/beowulf > -- Robert G. Brown http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/ Duke University Dept. of Physics, Box 90305 Durham, N.C. 27708-0305 Phone: 1-919-660-2567 Fax: 919-660-2525 email:rgb at phy.duke.edu


text:
By Mike Monroe
SALT LAKE CITY — The recent additions of point guard Patrick Mills, swingman Stephen Jackson and versatile big man Boris Diaw allowed Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to leave team captain Tim Duncan and All-Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili back home in San Antonio when the team jetted off to its Monday night game against the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
A fourth "addition" to this season's roster has been vital in keeping Duncan's playing time at a career-low 28.4 minutes per game.
The solid campaign backup center Tiago Splitter has authored in his second season in silver and black has enabled long stretches of bench time for Duncan in most games, in addition to the four games Popovich has held him out altogether.
"Getting Tiago Splitter back in health this year has helped," Popovich said. "We didn't really have him last year, so he's like an addition to the team."
Battling various ailments right from the start of his first training camp, Splitter missed 22 games as a Spurs rookie, when he averaged just 12.3 minutes per game.
Splitter this season has appeared in 48 of 55 games, with averages of 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.4 minutes.
"I knew this season was important for me, not just because we had to rest Tim, but also because when (Antonio) McDyess decided to retire, I knew I would have to play more and would be more important to the team.
"Of course, I knew that in a short season like this, with all the games, four in five nights and things like that, that Tim would need to rest a couple of days, and I would play a little more."
Admitting there were times last season when he felt as if he had forgotten how to play, Splitter says he finally feels he is truly part of the team.
"I feel like I was part of the team and have done my job," he said. "I've been able to do what I know I've been able to do in Europe. Of course, with less minutes and touches, but now I am doing my game."
Jazz sign ex-Spur: With Utah's veteran point guard, Earl Watson, suffering a torn meniscus in his right knee in Sunday's game at the AT&T Center, the Jazz on Monday announced they will sign former Spurs guard Blake Ahearn to a 10-day contract today.
Ahearn, who played three games with the Spurs in November 2008, has been playing for the Reno Bighorns of the D-League.
"I really enjoyed him." Popovich said of the guard from Missouri State.
"He's a really good basketball player. He has a good feel for the game, and he can shoot an open shot. I think he's a good player and deserves to be in the league."
Stand for Stockton: The most animated moment of Monday evening for Jazz fans came during a timeout late in the first half when Hall of Fame guard John Stockton was introduced. The NBA's all-time leader in assists waved to the crowd, which gave him a standing ovation.
Former Jazz center Greg Ostertag also was in attendance and announced to the crowd, drawing a more tepid response.
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Both of these are mentioned in the new ON.
Great news!
Both of these are mentioned in the new ON.
Great news!
Spartanburg, SC? I need to get my ON already... Im sure it's lost in mail forwarding hell...
The Hunter Mountain NY regional rally will (tentatively) be held on October 4-5.
The "riding school" (my term) will be held at the BMW Performance Center on October 10-12 in Spartanburg SC.
Kudos to the Rally & Events Committee. Both of these look very interesting.
I need more details. I pass the BMW Performance Center 5 days a week on the way to work.
I hate you USPS... I want my ON.
Hopefully the Spartanburg event won't cut into Falling Leaf Rally attendance, as the RA rally did a couple years ago. I gotta think about this a little more.
Spartanburg is a few miles from Potosi, MO but I don't think that matters. How does this show that the MOA board and staff want to support local clubs (especially one that is in the same city as the HQ)?
The July issue states: "This event will have limited capacity..." Please define "limited."
Marilyn Roberts
R nineT, R1200R, R100 Mystic


text:
Hi, I recently installed Zonealarm firewall+AV on Win 7 Ultimate 32 bit Eng.
All was well, until suddenly my CPU time was occupied by vsmon.exe (revealed by Anvir Task Manager.. I don't think I could find that in task manager).
Then I discovered my firewall rules had also all disappeared.
So I tried uninstalling, reinstalling.. (but forgot to specify the reinstall path as it's not prompted for and rather obscure on the GUI).
All seemed well until I came to restart. Then I got a general BSOD talking about new hardware, video adapter, newly installed software.. it only flashed up for a moment after the Windows logo.
Eventually I uninstalled Zonealarm in Safe Mode.
No minidump was created, so I just had to play guessing games as to the potential cause.
So I've tried uninstalling, reinstalling at the original location.. just the same. So now Zonealarm is useless to me.
Is there a cleanup tool - e.g. to remove all leftover registry entries etc? Or any other ideas?


text:
Qualcomm engages other foundries amid 28-nm capacity shortage
12 comments
SAN FRANCISCOFabless chip vendor Qualcomm Inc. acknowledged Wednesday (April 18) that it was turning to other foundry suppliers amid a shortage of 28-nm capacity at its longtime foundry partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC).
Qualcomm executives discussed the 28-nm capacity shortage in a conference call with analysts after reporting sales and profit for its fiscal second quarter that exceeded analysts' expectations. But Qualcomm executives acknowledged that the 28-nm capacity situation may adversely impact its numbers in the next two quarters.
Paul Jacobs, Qualcomm's chairman and CEO, said the company was seeing very strong demand for its Snapdragon S4 applications processor and other 28-nm products, but that 28-nm capacity is constrained.
"Although the manufacturing yields are progressing per expectation, there's a shortage of 28-nanometer capacity," Jacobs said. He added that Qualcomm could not secure enough 28-nm capacity to meet the increasing demand for its 28-nm parts and that the constraints to supply are expected to limit Qualcomm's revenue potential this year.
Jacobs acknowledged that Qualcomm was engaging with "several alternative sources" for 28-nm capacity. Jacobs did not identify the alternative sources, but possibilities would presumably include Globalfoundries Inc., United Microelectronics Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Jacobs said Qualcomm would increase its operating expenses to facilitate additional 28-nm supply.
Jacobs said Qualcomm would also continue to use TSMC as a foundry for 28-nm devices.
"We're working closely with our partners to bring additional capacity online," said Jacobs. He said Qualcomm doesn't expect to see a significant improvement in 28-nm capacity until the final calendar quarter of this year.
Taiwanese IT publication Digitimes said in a report Tuesday that Qualcomm and another stalwart TSMC customer, Nvidia Corp., approached other foundries about producing 28-nm chips for them because of tight 28-nm capacity at TSMC. The report cited unnamed sources at semiconductor tool makers.
Also Tuesday, TSMC Chairman and CEO Morris Chang acknowledged that the foundry giant had issues with capacity shortage at 28-nm, but said that with new capacity coming online, "I do believe the worst is behind us."
Though Qualcomm left its sales guidance for the fiscal year unchanged, executives acknowledged that the 28-nm capacity shortage would have a negative impact on its outlooks for Qualcomm's fiscal third and fourth quarters.
Qualcomm (San Diego) reported sales of $4.94 billion for the quarter ended March 25, up 6 percent from the previous quarter and up 28 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income of $2.33 billion, up 59 percent from the previous quarter and up 117 percent from the year ago quarter.
On a pro forma basis, excluding charges and special items, Qualcomm reported a net income of $1.76 billion, up 5 percent from the previous quarter and up 21 percent from the year-ago quarter. The company reported pro forma earnings per share of $1.01, up 4 percent sequentially and up 17 percent year-to-year.
Qualcomm's results for the quarter exceeded consensus analysts' expectations, which called for sales of $4.84 billion and pro forma earnings per share of 96 cents, according to Yahoo Finance.
For the current quarter, which closes in June, Qualcomm said it expects sales to decline to between $4.45 billion and $4.85 billion, which would represent a sequential decline of 2 percent to 10 percent. The range would represent an increase of 23 to 34 percent compared to the year-ago quarter.
The low end of Qualcomm's outlook for the current quarter came in below consensus analysts' expectations, which called for $4.8 billion, according to Yahoo Finance.
For the fiscal year 2012, which closes late this year, Qualcomm continues to project sales of $18.7 billion to $19.7 billion, an increase of 25 to 32 percent from fiscal 2011. The company increased its estimates for pro forma earnings per share for the fiscal year of $3.61 and $3.76, which would be up 13 to 18 percent from fiscal 2011.


text:
Barring soreness, Wandy's bullpen goes well
By Ian McCue / MLB.com
DENVER -- Pirates starter Wandy Rodriguez cleared a major hurdle in his rehab process Saturday, throwing 25 fastballs and changeups in the bullpen at Coors Field without issue.
Though Rodriguez said he could not gauge his progression until seeing how he felt when he woke up Sunday morning, he planned to throw another bullpen Wednesday in St. Louis and a simulated game Friday or Saturday at PNC Park.
Rodriguez, who is recovering from a left forearm injury sustained nine weeks ago, said he was slightly hesitant to step back on the mound and really test his arm.
"Yeah, a little bit [of nerves]," Rodriguez said. "Scared of my arm because I don't want to feel the pain again. Every time I throw I want [my arm] to feel comfortable, and I feel good."
Manager Clint Hurdle confirmed Rodriguez's schedule but was careful to note that the current plan would apply only if the left-hander progressed as hoped.
"It won't be finalized until we know how he feels tomorrow from throwing today," Hurdle said. "That's what we kind of laid out as the plan moving forward. We'd like to get him back out on that date if all goes well."
Marte leaves game with injury; Alvarez shaken
DENVER -- Pirates left fielder Starling Marte walked through the visitor's clubhouse at Coors Field on Saturday night with a badly bruised left hand but good news to share.
Marte, struck by a 91-mph fastball on his left hand in the top of the seventh, confirmed that X-rays were negative and revealed nothing more than a contusion, and he is listed as day-to-day. He said the ball did not jam between his hand and the bat, making full contact with his hand.
Marte crumpled to the ground in pain immediately after the pitch from reliever Josh Outman pegged him. Alex Presley came in as a pinch-runner after Marte left the game.
The injury comes just as Marte's bat was heating up. He entered Saturday's game with a hit in six consecutive at-bats but was 0-for-2 with a walk and the hit by pitch before he left the game.
Third baseman Pedro Alvarez also appeared to injure his left hand in the sixth inning. Alvarez looked to be in pain after he attempted to tag out Rockies center fielder Dexter Fowler as Fowler tried to slide into third base in the bottom of the sixth inning.
"He caught a spike on his index finger on his glove hand," manager Clint Hurdle said. "But he was able to stay in the game, and he took swings and we'll see how he feels tomorrow."
Fowler was trying to make it from first to third on a Corey Dickerson single and was tagged well ahead of the base. But Fowler's spikes pushed the ball out of Alvarez's glove and toward the Pirates' dugout, allowing Fowler to score. The play was ruled an error on Alvarez.
However, Alvarez remained in the game and wore a light wrap on his left index finger after the game.
Hurdle ejected in seventh vs. Rockies
DENVER -- After he had expressed his intense displeasure with a call and earned an ejection from the game, Clint Hurdle returned to the clubhouse only to realize he was wrong.
Second-base umpire Adrian Johnson tossed Hurdle in the top of the seventh inning of the Pirates' 6-4 loss at Coors Field on Saturday night after Hurdle argued that Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki's foot was not touching second base when he turned a 1-6-3 double plat.
But when he had a chance to watch the replay, he acknowledged that Johnson made the correct call.
"I wouldn't have gone out there if I didn't think he was safe," Hurdle said. "Then after I got in, Adrian made a good call; he was on the bag.
"I trust my eyes, and my eyes were wrong. I went out there, and I really felt confident he was off the bag."
After the Rockies turned the double play, Hurdle immediately hustled out of the dugout and began arguing with Johnson, earning the ejection soon after.
It was Hurdle's fifth ejection this year, his first since July 25, when he was tossed in a 9-7 loss to the Nationals in Washington.
Liriano's early exit lets 'pen display mettle
DENVER -- Friday night's 10-1 loss to the Rockies came with a hidden highlight: another stellar performance from the Pirates' bullpen.
After starter Francisco Liriano limped through 2 1/3 innings, allowing 12 hits and 10 runs in his brief outing, relievers Vin Mazzaro and Jared Hughes and position player Josh Harrison held the Rockies to four hits for the rest of the game. Pittsburgh's bullpen has not allowed a run in four games (16 innings), Friday night indicative of what makes the "Shark Tank" among the best in baseball.
"This bullpen this whole year has been incredibly competitive," Hughes said. "Just attacking the strike zone and forcing contact, I feel like that's what we're good at. And yeah, yesterday was a good example of that. Just really going out there and getting ahead in the count and minimizing pitches so we could go the rest of the game."
Even position player Harrison, pitching for the first time since he was about 14, managed to get the Rockies' final out after Mazzaro and Hughes each threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
But just as important as the arms who make up a bullpen with the second-lowest ERA in the National League (2.82) is the man calling the pitches: catcher Russell Martin.
"When we come in the game, Russ knows what we've got; he knows what to call, and I feel like that's really helped us stay consistent," Hughes said. "He's just an extremely good guy to have behind the plate."
In the eyes of Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, making the "Shark Tank" even more valuable to his club is their longevity. Hurdle said he could recall at least three games this year where the starter departed during the first inning or after the first was complete.
"Three times we were challenged dramatically; we won two of the three games," Hurdle said. "So for those guys, and it's been different guys -- [Bryan] Morris has done it, Mazarro's been involved, [Justin] Wilson was the guy one time. ... They take pride in what they do, and as soon as they saw Liriano struggling, they were ready. They were ready to post up and go."
Bucs take step back in early offense vs. Rox
DENVER -- Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities to strike early Friday night, but it all resulted in just a single run in a 10-1 loss to Colorado.
The Pirates opened with four straight singles, but Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa picked off Starling Marte as he attempted to steal second, allowing De La Rosa to survive the first unscathed. The Pirates would finish with 10 hits -- all singles -- ending at 54 a streak of games with an extra-base hit, fitting for a game defined by a lack of timely hitting.
While the Pirates thrived as the comeback kids on their last homestand, manager Clint Hurdle has seen his offense grow more productive in the opening innings.
"We've made some advancements," Hurdle said. "We've had some incremental advances from the second half, from the number of walks to the better at-bats, situational hitting, sac flies, pitch counts."
The 59 runs the Bucs have posted in the second are actually the most of any inning, and the numbers are very similar between the first and second half of games -- 191 runs in the first four innings to 243 in the final five innings.
But Hurdle is still hoping for greater urgency at the beginning of games.
"Everybody behind you has got an opportunity to add significant value from the offensive vein in the next six weeks," Hurdle said. "And it comes down to discipline, commitment, conviction, all those things we continue to talk about. As a group, it's gotten more cohesive."
Hurdle will take Marte's skids with his streaks
DENVER -- No moment could better illustrate what makes Starling Marte an unconventional leadoff hitter than the first at-bat of his Major League career.
Just over a year ago, on July 26, 2012, Marte homered on the first pitch he saw from a big league pitcher. He is an aggressive batter who already has 116 strikeouts this year, very high for a hitter at the top of the order.
And with that type of aggression comes an inevitably streaky bat, shown in a July slump in which Marte drove in only four runs and homered twice. But his bat has heated up quickly in August, as Marte entered Saturday's game with a hit in six straight at-bats, including the second four-hit game of his career Saturday night.
"It's a wild-card leadoff guy with a slashing stroke, but he's gotten better during the season through the experience, through the reps," Hurdle said. "Will he still chase from time to time? Yes, but it's not as dynamic or dramatic as it was last year, even through Spring Training."
And Hurdle is willing to accept the good with the bad, his career-high 33 strikeouts last month outweighed by his ability to inject life into the lineup in the skipper's eyes.
"He's found the ability to spark innings, to stretch innings, continue innings and drive in runs because it's not just that cookie-cutter leadoff hitter," Hurdle said. "It's a guy up there that's got a bat that can play."
Worth noting
• Hurdle said he would reveal the Pirates' full rotation for the Cardinals series Saturday night. He did share that right-hander Charlie Morton would start Game 1 in St. Louis on Tuesday.
• Hurdle was happy not only to help his bullpen but also to create a unique moment Friday night when he put infielder Harrison in to pitch for the final out in the bottom of the eighth. Harrison was the first Pirates position player to take the mound since 2004.
"Josh has got a lifetime memory now," Hurdle said. "Whether he wanted it, whether I wanted it or not, he threw in the big leagues, and he got a hitter out in the big leagues."
Ian McCue 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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Stay Near Biltmore Estate & the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Daydream Room
<< Previous Room | Next Room >> | BOOK NOW
Lodging in the Daydream Room At Cumberland Falls Bed & Breakfast Inn will put you just three miles from Biltmore Estate, 20 minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and within walking distance of historic downtown Asheville.
[Read Room Information…]
The Daydream Room is privately located at the top of the house. In this artist's loft-like space, a magic that prevails in the form of charming angles, peaks, dormers and the fanciful nature of this playful room. Make friends with the stars in the North Carolina sky, seen perfectly through three overhead skylights. Great natural light!
Located privately at the top of the house (3rd Floor)
Queen-size platform bed
Private bath behind door with two-person Jacuzzi displayed in the room in marble surround/European hand-held shower
Gas-burning fire stove open seasonally (Oct-Apr)
Looks out over our back gardens, waterfalls, small wooden footbridge and Koi Ponds.
Max Occupancy: Usually 2. Children over 10 accompanied by parents (+1) ($45 add'l. Person)
Rates from: $159-249
Perfect For: Young couples in love, the child in all of us, an ever so romantic Birthday/Anniversary celebrations enjoyed in the complete privacy of your room making use of the small kitchen area, dishes, mini refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker. Those who enjoy morning light.
Room Amenities: Flat-screen, cable TV/DVD players and library selections; soft, cuddly robes; natural soaps and shampoos; hair dryers; luxury linens; down pillows and comforters. Irons and ironing boards; central heating & air conditioning; ceiling fans; radio alarm; free Wi-Fi; work tables; complimentary off-street parking; gourmet breakfast; afternoon treats and complimentary hot beverage bar.
Little Extras to Order: Cupcakes for Two, End of Day Cookie/Milk Package, Cheese Platter for Two.


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Venue Hire
Take your business to the ballet
Northern Ballet is a unique city centre venue that not only offers world-class dance facilities for its two resident companies, Northern Ballet and Phoenix Dance Theatre, but also provides an exceptional location for entertaining, for business and for events.
Our award-winning eco-friendly building can comfortably host events of all kinds for up to 230 people from intimate meetings and private dinners to conferences and performances.
We can offer:
- 230-seat Stanley & Audrey Burton Theatre
- Board Suite with breathtaking city views
- Meeting rooms
- Seven versatile studios that can be converted for multiple uses
- In-house catering and café
- Free WiFi and IT facilities
- Team building packages
- Day Delegate packages
- Special parking rates
Located in Leeds City Centre, Northern Ballet is just two hours from London by train and easilt accessed from the M1 and M62. The city of Leeds itself also offers a huge choice of top quality hotels, nightlife and culture.
To find out how we can help you with your event, contact our experienced and creative events team:
- Email firstname.lastname@example.com
- Call 0113 220 8000


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The $40 million South Shore Place development on Forbes Road in Braintree is almost finished, and a brand-new Legal Sea Foods restaurant is on the way.
Like a sleeper waking from a long nap, a once-tired corner of Braintree is getting busy again.
Where the venerable Sheraton Tara hotel once stood on Forbes Road, just off Interstate 93 opposite South Shore Plaza, a Starbucks coffee shop and two restaurants, Five Guys and Qdoba, are already drawing customers. So is the Jared Galleria of Jewelry store.
And there's more to come. A renovated TGI Friday's restaurant will open there in late August. In October, Legal Sea Foods will relocate from across the street at South Shore Plaza to the floor above the shops. All of this is next door to the Hyatt Place hotel on the hillside.
Three years in the making, the $40 million South Shore Place project that includes the contemporary-style Hyatt is almost finished – and both the town and developers are happy at the prospect of livelier local traffic and more business travelers.
"It's definitely revitalized the area," said Peter Morin, Mayor Joseph Sullivan's chief of staff.
Morin said South Shore Place could generate $700,000 or more for the town annually, from property taxes, hotel-motel excise taxes and the higher local-option meals tax. That will make it one of Braintree's top revenue sources.
South Shore Plaza, by comparison, brings $3.75 million to the town every year.
Richard Friedman, president of Carpenter and Co. the Cambridge firm that invested in and developed South Shore Place, said he's pleased, too.
"We're excited about it," he said. "It will be a huge asset for the community."
Carpenter is best known for transforming Boston's historic Charles Street Jail into the luxury Liberty Hotel, and for developing Charles Square around the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.
Carpenter is developing South Shore Place along with the property owner, Karma Nominee Trust.
Farther up the hill off Wood Road, the AMC Braintree 10 movie theaters have undergone a multimillion-dollar makeover that included the installing of reclining seats. The theaters now have 974 seats instead of the previous 2,000.
AMC's publicity director, Ryan Noonan, said the theaters are "more popular than ever" after the change to luxury seating. He declined to provide percentage or attendance numbers for the increased business.
Back down the hill at South Shore Place, a Jos. A Bank men's clothing shop and Vitamin Shoppe are also open. Friedman said a Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop will soon open in the corner next to Starbucks, and the two remaining spaces between Starbucks and Five Guys are leased as well.
All those businesses are on the ground level, below Legal Sea Foods. All have outside entrances from the parking lot. Jared and Friday's are at the opposite corners of the parking area.
Freidman said Carpenter and Co. and Karma Nominee Trust have no further development plans. South Shore Place will get "a grand reopening" rollout when Legal Sea Foods opens in October. (The current Legal at South Shore Plaza will then close).
After that, the development's crossroads location – the junction of Interstate 93 and Route 3 – and the Legal's "enormous visibility" should provide pretty much all the marketing the property will need, Friedman said.
The site hadn't had such marketing in the past. The 1960s-era Charter House hotel was the site's first business. The late Thomas Flatley bought it in 1972, turned it into the Sheraton Tara and gave it a major expansion in 1982.
The 374-room hotel had been declining for years before Carpenter and the Karma trust bought the property in 2010. Rather than renovate the entire building, Carpenter tore most of it down and rehabbed one section into the limited-service Hyatt.
Friedman said the 204-room Hyatt and Legal Sea Foods will anchor the 30,000-square foot mini-plaza, with the shops as supporting draws.
"This will make the Hyatt a full-service hotel," he said. "Where else can you stay where you have so much variety?"
Morin said the eating spots are already proving to be popular for teenagers and young adults.
"If they can't find something to eat in that row of businesses, there's nowhere that will satisfy them," he said.
Lane Lambert may be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com or follow on Twitter @LLambert_Ledger.
READ MORE about the South Shore Place development.


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Whitecaps FC have teamed up with the Vancouver Police Foundation (VPF) to support the Kops' Shades for Kids campaign by helping VPF sell a line of iconic, mirrored aviator glasses. These police-styled sunglasses are $20 with all proceeds going to help fund Vancouver Police crime-prevention projects and community outreach programs.
Want to support Kops' Shades for Kids? Fans can purchase aviator glasses on Sunday, September 1 at 'Caps Kickoff before the match and on the concourse at section 221. The glasses are also available online at www.vancouverpolicefoundation.org..
Only four home matches remain this season! Tickets start at just $20 per seat plus tax and are available at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centres, online at ticketmaster.ca/whitecaps, or Charge-by-Phone at 1.855.6.GO-CAPS (1.855.646.2277). For more information visit www.whitecapsfc.com/tickets.


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'Police Hero' Finalist: Veteran, officer, councilman...and radio DJ
The late Manuel Lopes literally wore many hats. He was maintaining the image of his department through social media before there was such a thing. His son Guy's retelling of 'Manny' and his life as an officer is one of PoliceOne's Hero Contest Finalists for his multiple ground-breaking roles and dedication to the law. Check out the other finalists and contest winner, here.
By Guy Lopes
Manuel Lopes served in the Navy during WWII, then later became a Police Officer with the Sacramento Police Department from about 1950-1961. (After serving as a police officer, he also worked for the Marshall's Office while he attended law school. Following his graduation, he served and retired as a Deputy County Council for Sacramento County). Growing up it seemed to me that everyone in the downtown Sacramento area knew and genuinely liked "Manny".
Manny once had a local weekly radio show on KFBK called, I believe, "Car 22" where he related to the community and gained support for the Department. He was later assigned to the traffic department and rode motorcycles for a time.
There are several funny stories around Manny's family nickname. Since his Father was also a Manuel Lopes, Manny was often known simply as "Junior" by the family. On a particular fight call that Manny responded to one night, he had to play the big tough cop to restore order.
All was working well until a voice from the crowd was heard shouting "Junior, Junior!" at the big tough cop. When the crowd realized that this tough guy with a badge was Junior, the fight ended and many laughs were heard. Manny later admitted that his Cousin's familiar yell probably did more to break up the fight than anything he did himself.
In the early 1950s, the Sacramento Police Department decided to develop their own police academy. Manny (by then a Sergeant, I believe) served as the Commander of that very first SPD Academy, which was held in the Rose Garden at McKinley Park (one of the original academy buildings still stands among the beautiful flowers there now).
He even designed the SPD Academy logo, which was still being used in its near-original form until mid-2013. I've often thought about this park both before and since I attended the SPD Academy myself in 1989, roughly 36 years since Manny helped to start the program.
As far back as I can remember, I recall hearing stories from Manny's police days. Some were funny, a few were scary, but the majority of the stories were fond recollections of his colleagues on the department and their daily interactions, as well as of the lasting friendships that were built. This camaraderie intrigued me immensely and helped to cement in my mind what it meant to be a law enforcement officer.
Manny Lopes was my Dad and hero. He passed in 2011, but lives on in my memories.


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Apple releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.14
Posted by: Chris Barylick
Date: Tuesday, June 26th, 2012, 13:03
Category: News, Software
Date: Tuesday, June 26th, 2012, 13:03
Category: News, Software
On Tuesday, Apple posted its Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 3.13, an update designed to extend RAW image compatibility for the Aperture 3 and iPhoto '11 applications.
The update, an 8.2 megabyte download, adds support for the following cameras:
– Canon EOS Rebel T4i / 650D / Kiss X6i
– Sony Alpha SLT-A37
The update requires Mac OS X 10.5.8 or later to install and run and is also available via Mac OS X's built-in Software Update feature.
If you've tried the new Digital Camera RAW update and noticed any changes, please let us know how it went.


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Worley has loose body, bone spur removed from elbow
By Todd Zolecki and Jake Kaplan / MLB.com
Worley, who was shut down for the season on Aug. 29, will likely rejoin the club on Saturday to start his rehabilitation, assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said.
Worley was 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA this season, a year removed from finishing third in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. The 24-year-old right-hander said recently that the recovery time from the surgery was expected to only be a couple weeks, so he should be ready for Spring Training.
Ruiz activated, but will be used sparingly
PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz is back, but it remains to be seen how much he will play.
Ruiz had been on the disabled list since Aug. 3 with plantar fasciitis in his left foot before the Phillies activated him on Friday. The Phillies plan to ease Ruiz back slowly, using him as a pinch-hitter this weekend before working him in as a defensive replacement. He could start once or twice a week once he gets comfortable.
"We definitely want to be careful with him," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "What he's got is something that if he's on his feet for a long time, if he's moving a lot, he gets real tight."
But the Phillies said there is little risk playing Ruiz the remainder of the season.
"If it was going to hurt him, we wouldn't do it," Manuel said. "But they feel like it's not going to hurt him."
Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock concurred.
"I think we're very comfortable with the fact that I don't think he's going to do any further damage," he said. "But he hasn't played, so I think it's just something that we're going to ... hopefully he can come out and contribute a little bit and get back in a rhythm and be ready to go for next year. I think it's important that he gets back out on the field."
And why is that?
"I think for him, and I think he still has a chance to help us," Proefrock said. "As long of a shot as it is, we're not out of this. He can contribute. He's an important part of our offense."
"I know everybody was concerned that maybe I was done for the year, but I was thinking that I would try really hard to come back, because I want to finish," Ruiz said. "Now I'm happy that I got activated. I'm ready to go. I want to finish the season. I want to go home happy. I told myself I have to finish playing and then relax and be ready for next year. I was really sad in last six weeks. Now I have the chance to get back in the lineup."
Polanco shelved for rest of season
PHILADELPHIA -- Placido Polanco has played his last game with the Phillies in 2012.
The Phillies placed him on the disabled list before Friday's series opener against the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. He said his back has not improved, and he will not play again this season.
Polanco has a $5.5 million mutual option or a $1 million buyout on his contract for 2013, but the Phillies will not pick up their side of the option. But Polanco said he remains hopeful he can play next season, maybe even with the Phillies.
"I'm going to begin a rehab to give myself a chance to try to come back next year," he said. "If I rehab and it still hurts, I don't know. But who wouldn't love to play for the Phillies? This is one of the best organizations ever."
Worth noting
• Brian Schneider might not return to the Phillies before the end of the season. The backup catcher continues to rehab his strained left hamstring and injured right ankle, and assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said his situation may be similar to that of Placido Polanco, who was shut down for the rest of the year on Friday.
Schneider had been rehabbing in Clearwater, Fla., but recently returned home, as his wife gave birth to a baby girl, Haven Suzanne, on Thursday.
• Ryan Howard was given his first day off in more than a month for Friday's series opener against the Rockies. Manager Charlie Manuel said Howard would be back in the lineup on Saturday. Ty Wigginton started at first base and batted fourth on Friday.
"I noticed the last couple days [Howard] was a little bit tired and he was sore," Manuel said. "I wanted to get him off his feet."
• Kevin Frandsen was scratched from Friday's lineup with left ankle soreness. Michael Martinez started at third base in his place.
• Friday marked the start of a 13-game stretch in which the Phillies play clubs with records worse than theirs.
• With the Phillies' Triple-A Lehigh Valley affiliate's season over, IronPigs manager Ryne Sandberg and pitching coach Rod Nichols joined the big league staff on Friday. They will stay through the remainder of the season.
• Philadelphia farmhand Colin Kleven was named the club's first recipient of the Minor League Community Service Award on Friday. Kleven, who pitched for Class A Lakewood this year, performed 12 hours of community service in Lakewood, N.J., the most of any Phillies Minor Leaguer in 2012.
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. Jake Kaplan 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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No matter the sport, these guys are ideal for any Feb. 14 lineup
Cards, flowers, candy and other gifts are certainly nice, but these aren't the only things that go hand-in-hand with Valentine's Day. Did you know there are dozens of athletes and other figures across the sports spectrum that are a perfect fit when it comes to Feb. 14?
Whether it's showing some "love," demonstrating plenty of "heart" or representing something special for that special someone, these guys show that sports and romance can co-exist on Valentine's Day. Now if we could only find a Cupid who can play some ball…
How do I love thee, let me count the names...
Davis Love III (PGA)
Kevin Love (PF, Minnesota Timberwolves)
Kyle Love (DT, New England Patriots)
Ben Lovejoy (D, Pittsburgh Penguins)
Edwin Lovelady (NFL wide receiver, 1987)
Clyde Lovellette (NBA Hall of Famer)
Lovie Smith (former Chicago Bears head coach)
Josh Freelove (Alabama State basketball)
This is the day for love...
John Valentin (MLB infielder, 1992-2002)
Jose Valentin (MLB infielder, 1992-2007)
Bobby Valentine (former Boston Red Sox manager)
Ellis Valentine (MLB outfielder, 1975-83, '85)
Shawn Valentine (Rider University basketball)
Valentine Izundu (University of Houston basketball)
Love, it comes from the heart...
Heartly "Hunk" Anderson (former NFL offensive lineman, 1922-25)
Ronnie Arrow (former college basketball coach, 1987-2012)
Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded annually to the NHL's MVP)
Cory Hart (OF/1B, Milwaukee Brewers)
Dave Hart (University of Tennessee athletics director)
Bob Hartley (Calgary Flames head coach)
Garrett Hartley (K, New Orleans Saints)
Brian Hartline (WR, Miami Dolphins)
Scott Hartnell (LW, Philadelphia Flyers)
Ben Hartsock (TE, Carolina Panthers)
Gabby Hartnett (MLB Hall of Famer)
Nothing says "I love you" better than a dozen roses...
Dave Rose (BYU men's basketball head coach)
Derrick Rose (PG, Chicago Bulls)
Jalen Rose (NBA guard/forward 1994-2007, current ESPN analyst)
Justin Rose (PGA)
Malik Rose (NBA forward, 1996-2009)
Pete Rose (MLB's all-time hits leader)
Sage Rosenfels (NFL quarterback, 2002-11)
Ken Rosenthal (MLB reporter for FOX Sports and MLB Network)
Trevor Rosenthal (P, St. Louis Cardinals)
Pete Rozelle (NFL Hall of Famer, NFL commissioner from 1960-89)
Rosevelt Colvin (NFL linebacker, 1999-2008)
Barry Melrose (former NHL player, head coach, current ESPN hockey analyst)
Don't forget something special for that special lady in your life...
Sugar Cain (MLB pitcher, 1932-38)
John Candelaria, the "Candy Man" (MLB pitcher, 1975-93)
Candy Cummings (MLB Hall of Famer)
Candy Moldanado (MLB outfielder, 1981-95)
Darryl Dawkins, aka "Chocolate Thunder" (former NBA center, 1975-89)
Scott Diamond (P, Minnesota Twins)
Kevin Garnett (F/C, Boston Celtics)
Eli Gold (University of Alabama football radio broadcaster)
Earl "The Pearl" Monroe (NBA Hall of Famer)
Ricky Rubio (PG, Minnesota Timberwolves)
And the best Valentine's Day-related sports name of all...
Valentino Hart (former college basketball player, 2005-07)


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Green tea polyphenols thwart prostate cancer development at multiple levels
Tea components contributed to minimizing tumor development in mouse model
School of Medicine researcher Sanjay Gupta, Ph.D., assistant professor of urology, was part of the team behind a new study finding that a natural component of green tea targets molecular pathways that shut down prostate cancer proliferation and metastatic spread of tumor cells. They also found the tea component inhibits growth of tumor nurturing blood vessels. The study appears in the Dec. 1 issue of Cancer Research.
Gupta worked with researchers from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. They documented the role of green tea polyphenols (GTP) in modulating the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I)-driven molecular pathway in malignant prostate in a transgenic mouse model for human prostate cancer.
"Consumption of GTP led to reduced levels of IGF-I,"said Hasan Mukhtar, Ph.D., in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin and the senior author of the paper. Mukhtar was a member of the Case dermatology department for several years, where he also conducted research on green tea. "GTP also led to increased levels of one of the binding proteins for IGF-I, the insulin growth factor binding protein-3. These observations bear significance in the light of studies that indicate increased levels of IGF-I is associated with increased risk of several cancers, such as prostate, breast, lung and colon."
"Inhibition of the IGF-I axis could be a potential mechanism for prevention of prostate cancer," Mukhtar said. "And natural components of green tea appear to interact with the molecular events that contribute to chemoprevention of those cancers."
GTP modulation of cell growth via the IGF-I axis coincides with limited production or phosphorylation of key cell survival proteins, including PI3K, Akt and Erk1/2, the research indicated. The PI3K molecular pathway in cells, which includes Akt and Erk1/2, works to promote cell survival, and a hallmark of tumors is unregulated cell growth. GTP is capable of limiting the expression of these proteins in cancer cells, which could be in part inhibiting prostate cancer in this mouse model.
GTP also caused reduced expression of proteins known to be associated with the metastatic spread of cancer cells. GTP limited the production of urokinase plasminogen activator as well as matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 9, cellular molecules linked to the metastasis.
The green tea components contributed to minimizing tumor development by governing the amount of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the serum of the prostate cancer mouse model. The reduction of VEGF may result from GTP induced suppression of IGF-I levels. VEGF functions to recruit and develop new blood vessels that supply nutrients to developing tumors. By reducing the amount of VEGF, GTP works to minimize nutrients flowing to and supporting tumor growth and subsequent progression.
Mukhtar's colleagues contributing to the study included Vaqar Mustafa Adhami, Imtiaz Ahmad Siddiqui, and Nihal Ahmad from the University of Wisconsin, and Gupta from Case and University Hospitals of Cleveland.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.


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Custom molded headphones are — it turns out — pretty great. But what a pain to visit an audiologist and get silicone injected into your ear-holes. What if there was a fun, geeky way to do it yourself, in the comfort of your own home?
Thanks to SonoFit Eers, there is. I tested out the $300 PC250 headphones and found the fitting process to be kind of freaky and fun, and the results to be quite excellent. Read on to see just how they work, and how good they sound.


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Recommended for You BETA
Make more money when you sell your car yourself. Choose a package and price that works for you.
Get an Instant Cash Offer and trade in or sell your car at a local dealership.
Find out what your car is worth to an individual buyer or dealer in your area and decide how to sell or trade.


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Aisling (ASH'-ling) Brady McCarthy, 34, of Quincy, was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday on charges she murdered a baby girl in her care in January.
A nanny from Quincy charged with killing a baby in her care was scheduled to be arraigned today on a murder charge.
Aisling (ASH'-ling) Brady McCarthy, 34, is to appear during this morning's session at Middlesex Superior Court on charges of murder and assault and battery on a child causing bodily injury.
Prosecutors say McCarthy "violently" injured baby Rehma Sabir (REM'-uh suh-BEHR'). The baby was hospitalized with severe head injuries in January on her first birthday and died two days later. Her family lives in Cambridge, just outside Boston.
Brady, an Irish native who had been living in Quincy illegally for more than the past decade, pleaded not guilty earlier to assault and battery on a child. She was jailed on $500,000 bail while authorities awaited the baby's autopsy results. The charge against her was upgraded last week.
McCarthy's lawyer had protested the high bail and said she was "an innocent person sitting in jail."
READ MORE about this issue.


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"Security Alert: The Win32.Sality Virus disables antivirus and is spreading fast. The new ZoneAlarm Free Firewall has real-time threat data to protect against Sality and 1000's of new attacks every day. Get your FREE update now for better protection"
I have got this popup twice today. Is this real? I dont have ZoneAlarm antivirus. Only the firewall
edit: I tryed to check for updates from control center and I got that same pop-up window. It still feels a little suspicious for me.


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The three-person task force charged with reviewing the actions taken by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth after the revelation that accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a student at the school has determined that, overall, the university handled the situation well. But the panel suggested some additional actions could be taken should another crisis event befall the campus.
The 10-page report released Thursday looked specifically at the university's public safety emergency planning; its academic and financial policies relating to "student in good standing" status; and other university policies and procedures regarding international students.
The three-person task force charged with reviewing the actions taken by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth after the revelation that accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was a student at the school has determined that, overall, the university handled the situation well. But the panel suggested some additional actions could be taken should another crisis event befall the campus.
The 10-page report released Thursday looked specifically at the university's public safety emergency planning; its academic and financial policies relating to "student in good standing" status; and other university policies and procedures regarding international students.
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Divina Grossman appointed the task force on May 20. It was chaired by Waded Cruzado, president of Montana State University; included James Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., and Susan Herbst, president of the University of Connecticut.
The task force's determination is spelled out in the report's executive summary, which commended the university for "exemplary leadership" as well as the "depth of knowledge, commitment and professionalism of university staff as well as healthy and well-maintained relationships with key non-university entities such as local police, government officials and businesses."
At the same time, it "recommends a number of specific improvements in terms of personnel, policies and procedures, including a review of the Emergency Response Plan to guide university personnel in a clear and simple manner when handling emergency situations in the future."
The report also said university policies relating to student standing "were thorough and reasonable," and acknowledged the university had already implemented changes.
The task force encouraged "the university to broaden the administrative group that considers either academic or financial sanctions against students in order to standardize its response and ensure timely decisions."
The task force also found the university to be in compliance with laws and requirements pertaining to international students. Resources for international students were available, but "spread across the campus."
It recommended consolidating those resources "under one roof."
According to the report, on April 19, the day it became known that Tsarnaev had been enrolled at the school, the university was faced with "three significant issues" that surrounded its decision to evacuate the campus: transportation, housing and law enforcement support.
According to the report, about 160 students did not "have a place to go once the campus was evacuated."
But previously established relationships with the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, local hotels and its dining-services provider helped provide most of those arrangements. The university's library served as an emergency management center.
Grossman said the purpose of the task force's report was to identify where the university was successful in its response to a crisis that could not have been foreseen, and to identify where improvements could be made.
The next step is to share those findings with other colleges and universities.
Cruzado said the assignment to chair the task force prompted some personal reflection, and she was humbled.
"I looked to how we would have responded," said Cruzado said, relating the events to her own campus. "We, for instance, are 90 miles away from our state capital of Helena.
"If something of this magnitude happened there, and then three days later we received notification that one of our own was a prime suspect, I had to ask myself, what would I do? Would we keep the campus open?"
Or, Cruzado said, would the administration close the campus, resume classes in the morning?
Cruzado explained her priority would have been keeping the community safe. "We would need to evacuate, and take them to a safe haven," she said.
Cruzado said she approached the task force with a "profound humility, and a profound sense of admiration," and among her takeaways and recommendations was the importance of communicating clearly and simply, "so everybody can be empowered."
The means not only communicating that an evacuation order was being issued, but communicating why.
Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation, said he was looking at how the campus police force functioned.
He said the university could benefit from having a full-time, supervisory level, emergency management specialist with appropriate qualifications.
The police force could also benefit from having greater jurisdiction, a problem that could be resolved in the state Legislature.
"Crime doesn't just extend to the border," Bueermann said Thursday. "There's a transit jurisdiction problem. Seems to me they can make language to fix that. It depends on their legal status, whether they are a state-commissioned police force."
As far as their handling of the evacuation on April 19, "I think they did a great job," said Bueermann. "It's not a huge department.
"Our job was to put them and the process under the microscope, to come up with recommendations," said Bueermann. "And even before we came to the campus they had already gone through their own reaction."
Bueermann said it appeared breakdowns in communication and there were a few glitches that occurred during that weekend. Those could have been resolved with clear communication.
"Pointing fingers is different than saying who had those responsibilities?" Bueermann said. "But then again, how can you forecast something like this would happen?"
It requires a lot of work and planning, a "table prop exercise," as Bueermann referred to it.
The university police force appeared to have the confidence of its community.
"Their relationship with faculty, students and staff, they had what we call police legitimacy, that's the confidence people have in police," Bueermann said.
I watched the interaction between them and people on the campus," Bueermann said. "I have to be there in my own informal way to watch what happens."
Bueermann added that overall he felt the university handled the crisis well, as did the surrounding community: "It's a wonderful commentary on the nature of people in that region."
Grossman said the university is looking at the task force's review and hopes to share it with other universities and colleges throughout the country.
"Of course, we take their recommendations very seriously," Grossman said. "It validates what I knew from feedback we had already received.
"They also asserted in the report, that the events could not have been foreseen, or prevented," Grossman said. "I think many of the recommendations have already been implemented."
"My biggest takeaway was, in spite of what happened, how quickly the campus returned to normal operations and the wonderful partnerships," Cruzado said.
In its conclusion, the report explains it was not tasked with determining whether the university could have taken steps to prevent the bombings:
"It is important to emphasize that the task force was neither charged with, nor had the necessary powers of, determining if the alleged actions of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could have been foreseen by faculty and staff at UMass Dartmouth... the task force did not find any indication that UMass Dartmouth could have foreseen the alleged actions... nor... any indication that students at UMass Dartmouth were in danger prior to, or after, the bombing of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013."
Email Michael Gagne at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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While not exactly Ben Barnes eye-candy, I think that the casting of Michael Sheen will bring gravity & balance to New Moon. Read the rest here.
In New Moon, Sheen will play Aro, the leader of an Italian vampire clan called the Volturi.
Director Chris Weitz confirmed Sheen's casting to The Mail on Sunday and said he had 'aggressively' pursued the actor.
'Michael's role is so important because he's the head of all vampires,' he said. 'Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat.'
Thanks to Nino, Mary, Kim & Amber for keeping me on top of the TwiCrack while I'm out here in Vancouver utterly failing at my novice attempt at set-stalking and just stuffing my face on good food. :-)


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Wimbledon's in full swing, and Britain's Andy Murray will take on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the men's quarterfinals today.
If you're not lucky enough to have Wimbledon tickets, you can still queue for one of the 6000 Ground Admission tickets available each morning.
These let you into the Wimbledon grounds, so you can soak up the atmosphere and watch all the tennis action on a big screen from Henman Hill (otherwise known as Murray Mount).
Wimbledon tickets are popular so you'll need to get there early! More information on the Wimbledon website.
Alternatively, check out London's big screens and Wimbledon themed events.


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OK, I know we all frown on loud pipes, but I have to tell ya, these days some riders are going way over the top with auxiliary lighting.
I did a quick web search to see if I could find whether there are any laws specifying how bright these types of lights can be, and it's a huge mish-mash of regulations that vary across states.
Some people rationalize this as conspicuity. To me, this is really discourteous to other motorists... and could actually be unsafe because the lights are blinding others.
Do the assembled experts here have any additional knowledge?


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British prog-rock power trio Muse is known for making big, grandiose songs in the tradition of classic rock bands like Queen. But for the band's upcoming world tour in support of new album The 2nd Law, it's psychedelic pioneers Pink Floyd providing the most influence on the bombastic stage production.
"I think it's going to be our best tour so far. It's like our version of The Wall," Muse frontman Matt Bellamy told KROQ morning show DJs Kevin & Bean, referencing Pink Floyd's legendary 1979 double-album and subsequent tour. "We've built this upside down pyramid structure which is full of video screens. Throughout the gig, it gradually comes down and consumes the band. So we end up eaten up by this pyramid thing, which is all very symbolic, of course. We blast out of it and escape. It's going to be a big experience. This is our Stonehenge tour!"
American Muse fans will have ample opportunity to witness this new concert spectacle as the band has announced a slew of dates for 2013. They touch down in San Diego, CA, on January 21, winding their way across North America with dates in Orlando, FL (Feb. 25), Chicago, IL (March 4) and New York City (April 15). Find a full list of dates here.
Tickets for these newly announced shows go on sale this weekend, October 12 and 13. Check local listings for details.
–Scott T. Sterling. CBS Local


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Plan a Perfect Pizza Party
Having the kids help with dinner is a fun way to teach them valuable life skills, but little hands and short attention spans can have a tough time with your grownup cookware. Scaled-down gadgets with colorful, whimsical details will make the process special—and safe—for the whole family. Here are nine different products to help your budding chef.
Protect junior from those inevitable spills with a snazzy pirate apron from WMF. A matching whisk—with silicone balls at the tips for safety—will have him whipping up soufflés in no time. For the girly-girls, there's a princess apro
Have a Fun Family Game Night


text:
My thought at that moment? Yes, perl is line noise.
Anyone want to guess what it's for?
How, pray tell, is this particular regex going to backtrack needlessly? Or are you just cargo culting the "death to dot star" line?
(That said, the
.* in Robrt's pattern is superfluous, as the pattern will match the exact same things with or without it.)
.* at the end was superfluous. He could have put them at both ends:
So, yes, I was cargo culting it. I was trying to draw attention to the fact that
.* is almost never what you want to use.
"Death to dot star" is about backtracking. At the end of the pattern, the
.* won't backtrack. If you put another one at the front, though, it will. What is your point?
You would have made your case much better if you just said "the
.* there is a noop" instead of throwing in something entirely unrelated that happens to be about dot star.
I was trying to draw attention to the fact that
.*is almost never what you want to use.
But you're wrong. It is exactly what you wa
Err, that is supposed to be a
=~ there of course.
Let me guess: it has to do with removing those resource fork files that you get on OS X in some circumstances?
It's not Perl that's line noise, it's the regex syntax. Last night I wrote this:
/ # Leading slash.
(?!\.\.) # No parent directories of root.
[^/]+ # Pick out the directory name in root.
/+\.\. # Match any number of slashes, then parent directory.
(?=/|\z) # Assert that there is a following slash (or end of string).
So it cleans up pathnames to remove
/foo/../bar/../baz to be ju
/x only really helps because of your profuse comments, though.
You guessed correctly: I needed to normalize HTTP URIs to compare them, and URI [cpan.org]'s
canonical method doesn't finish the job. To be precise, this runs in a
1 while s/// loop, which is necessary to handle paths like
Hmm, actually, that has a bug. The negative look-ahead must contain a trailing slash, otherwise the pattern will erroneously fail to match something like
At first I thought I needed a more complex assertion than just include a trailing slash in there, so I started rewriting the regex extensively, and after I realised that it's not that complex, I noticed that my comments actually have a noticably different focus from yours, so I decided to keep the result for comparison:


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08 February, 2009
A very emotional view on "Operation Valkyrie"
If you are not familiar with that part of German history it is a movie about the failed assassination attempt on Hitler and subsequent attempted coup d'etat by a group of German army officers and civilians. The most prominent and known figure of this group is Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg. First a loyal Nazi he realises the senselessness and inhuman acts will lead everyone into desaster. He is recruted by General Treskow to join the resistance movement within the German army and soon becomes the leading figure and is chosen to plant the bomb to kill Hitler. The attempt fails due to several circumstances but dispite that they try to gain power in Berlin and Germany. They fail. Everybody is executed or sent to prison. A better description can probably be read here.
There has been a lot of debate about this movie even before it was published. I think it was vain. It is a good movie. As accurate as you can expect from a movie but close enough to the truth and reality, real history to genuinly let you learn something. The history is probably taught in every school in Germany but definitly it is undervaluated. I doubt anyone unless specifially trained in German history knows anything about this event at all.
It feels so scary and game me the shivers in my experience to feel the tension and fear of those brave men who literally risked everything they had only to prove that there were a few good men left.
It is also very striking how this movie reminded me of a quote I once read and forget it's source: "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". From history class I know there were a lot of men, all too scared, all doing nothing. They left a few good men to sacrifice their lifes rather than to awake from their self-imposed numbness. I knew what I was getting myself into when entering the cinema and I got to admit I found the movie to be so emotional that I cried for the first time in a movie. Perhaps because I know Berlin and I recognised every scene, every location. Large parts of the movie were shot on real historical locations right in Berlin. That so gave me the shivers - streets and places I know that I see almost every day full with soldiers, flags and tanks. For me it is not a movie - it is history that affects me until today when I walk through the streets and see traces of the wall and bullet holes left as tiny monuments on historical buildings. Thousands of them. Scary.
They should make everbody see it and if it's just to let everyone really appreciate the value of freedom and liberty. The price we paid for it was astronomically high.
I had to share this.
3 comments:
- Lockwood said...
And I appreciate it. I think your assessment is the first I've seen from a person who has actually watched the movie- most of the criticism here in the states revolves around Tom Cruise, who is widely perceived as a nutcase. It's also interesting to hear a German perspective on this part of their history. There are many here who are afraid that we are perilously close to repeating, in effect, what your country went through in the '30's and '40's.
- 9 February 2009 at 00:24
- Lost Geologist said...
There has also been a lot of debate about Tom Cruise in Germany. Especially because of his involvment with Scientology. Whatever one may think about him as a person, the movie is recommendable in my opinion. And as far as I can judge from the news about the US you are still a long, long way away from what we went though in the 30's and 40's.
- 9 February 2009 at 21:29
Thanks for your comments. I echo them. I have studied the resistance for years because many of their actions were based on unfasionable concepts of honour that are too rare in today's world. I think its contemptible that the US and Britain actively supressed the story of the German resistance after the war to all collective guilt to be imposed.
- 10 February 2009 at 00:22


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Overall Rating: 4.00 from 1 reviews.
|city state/province country
|Iwata Kustom Hi-Line TH Airbrush Review (4/5)
|Oct 23, 2007
|Steve McAvoy
|Severna Park MD US
|The new TH gun is absolutely fantastic. Just like every other Iwata product I've used, the quality shines through. I used it for my latest painting which involved a very subtle orange gradation in the background. The piece is 3' X 3' and the .35mm just wasn't wide enough to cover the area without producing stripes. I tried an automotive gun but that put out too much paint. The Kustom was just right, with about a 3 inch area of coverage that eliminated the banding. More importantly the low volume provided very gradual paint build-up when compared to the automotive gun. The only reason it doesn't get 5 stars is that I think a wider grip would reduce hand cramping after prolonged use. Other then that, mechanically it's perfect and very controllable.


text:
KEXP Reviews
|Browse by one of the following:
- (Cooperative USA/Downtown)
This French duo's debut album in an energetic set of summery, glam-influenced guitar-pop that's somewhat similar to Phoenix, but Jamaica forswears synths in favor of the basic rock lineup of guitars, bass and drums. Co-produced by Justice's Xavier de Rosnay and Daft Punk's sound engineer Peter Franco, No Problem is spiked with plenty of crunchy guitar riffs along with some sparkling pop melodies and infectious sing-a-long choruses. 2/11/2011 - Don Yates


text:
Legal Loopholes Help Cockfighting Thrive in Texas
Cockfighting is apparently still huge in Texas, despite being illegal for decades and being extremely cruel and all that. The Texas Tribune tagged along with officers from Dallas Animal Services as they busted up a "medium-sized" cockfighting ring.
Undercover informants from the Humane Society say the sport attracts prostitution rings, drug dealers and, obviously, gambling operations. In Texas, the penalties for cockfighting can range from six months to two years in prison, and a fine of up to $10,000, but that hasn't exactly curbed its popularity. From the paper:
One by one, Domanick Muñoz pulled bloody and battered rooster bodies out of a pile of feathers, claws and beaks. The birds that were still gasping for life he put out of their misery, plunging a syringe of drugs into their gouged and lacerated bellies. Animal-cruelty officers with Dallas Animal Services took those that were already dead and gingerly placed them into large, black plastic garbage bags.
Nearby, Sgt. Alfred Nuñez of the Dallas police surveyed abandoned cars, empty beer bottles, boxes of razor blades, syringes, liquor bottles, marijuana and dozens of cages and makeshift coops with roosters inside. "This is one huge mess," he said over the cacophony of crowing birds.
Here's the Texas Tribune's depressing video:
[Image via Getty]


text: "This widely expanded update ... defines nearly every facet of contemporary lifefrom arts, grammar, mythology and culture to science, economics, and geopolitical issues. Though bearing an authority and informational wealth that might rival the voluminous Oxford Dictionary of English, this surprisingly manageable volume is organized alphabetically by subject and contains thousands of highly accessible essays, tables, and lists, all composed by New York Times field experts. An essential background reference for almost every subject."Library Journal


text:
So I see that there are some mainly December dates up, but they are all in the Northwest and Canada. Does anyone (Chard?) know if that will be all for this year?
And also, I noticed it said "a new cd with Howard" under the Little Worlds news article--pretty exciting news. I was sad that I couldn't make it to any of the concerts with Howard last year, so hopefully the CD will lead to some more dates with Howard in the future.


text:
CARSON, Calif. -- Much speculation has followed Landon Donovan over the past few weeks and much will center around him now the LA Galaxy's season has concluded, but Donovan admitted that the MLS Cup title as well as some added family news has provided him some much needed perspective as he prepares to contemplate his future.
Donovan played a key role in LA's 3-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo, but the night did not start as planned as he missed a shot from close range in the 13th minute that could have given LA an early lead. However, Donovan gave LA the go-ahead-goal in the 65th minute as he slotted home a penalty kick to seal LA's win.
After his fourth MLS Cup title, Donovan was quick to admit that the win provided some perspective as he contemplates his future during the postgame press conference.
"It's been a long two years, for all of us. It's not a woe-is-me story, but I have to listen to my heart and my gut and right now my gut says to get away for a while," said Donovan. "I had a really nice moment where my sister just had a baby and she came down on the field and he was sleeping on her, and it sort of puts it all in perspective and makes me realize I want to be closer to my family for awhile and then figure out the soccer later."


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Fraud & CUs: Target Breach, Embezzlement and Beyond
As the number of employees banned from working at credit unions due to criminal activity continues to make headlines, combating the enemy within remains a top priority.
At the same time, retailer Target admits its card breach affected nearly double its first estimates, and included personal data like telephone numbers and email addresses.
Read the entire Fraud Report:
Combating the Enemy Within: Guest Opinion: There are a number of steps a credit union can take to minimize the risk of internal fraud and maximize the potential to quickly uncover it.
Fraud Losses at Credit Unions: Get the facts about the causes of credit union fraud and the losses they've cost the system.
Credit Union Manger/Treasurer Faces Embezzlement Charge: William J. Memmer accused of stealing $1.8M and understating assets by $5.7M, causing failure of $15.5M GICFCU.
Target Breach: Credit Union Lessons Learned: Credit unions that informed members and replaced cards early are reporting few to no losses.


text:
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - At the final home match of the weekend, the MIT squash team were defeated by Colby College by a score of 7-2, with the lone wins coming from freshmen Nikhil Punwaney (Dubai, United Arab Emirates) at No. 1 and Tyler Finkelstein (Greenwich, Conn.) at No. 2. After falling to Wesleyan and Bowdoin yesterday, the Engineers now have a record of 4-4 on the season following an undefeated start to their season.
Each of the MIT players played a handful of strong games and put up a fight every time. In the top spot, Punwaney picked up the Engineers' first win, dropping the first game to CJ Smith, 11-9, before coming back to win the final three, 11-6, 11-7. 11-7. Finkelstein won all three of his games against Patrick McCarthy, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8. At No. 3, freshman Thomas Cowan (Concord, Mass.) had a good third game, narrowly falling to Hugh Doherty, 12-10. He fell in the first two as well, 11-5, 11-6. Junior Gray Riley (Wellesley, Mass.) dropped his match at No. 5 to Trey Simpson , 11-5, 11-8, 11-7.
Senior Abhi Mitra (Medford, Mass.) played a strong first game against Will Hochman at No. 6, keeping the score close the entire time and ultimately falling, 11-9. He dropped the other two games, 11-3, 11-4. At the No. 8 position, junior Sarah Fay (South Hadley, Mass.) kept opponent Steve Caroll within reach throughout the entire match, falling 11-8, 11-5, 11-4.
MIT has less than two weeks until its next competition, hosting Bryant University at 7:00 p.m. on Dec. 7.


text:
Downs, Reed lessen workload in Tigers' bullpen
By Jim Reeves / Special to MLB.com
ARLINGTON -- Manager Jim Leyland was delighted with the work delivered by relievers Darin Downs and Evan Reed, who made his Major League debut on Thursday night.
In a strange quirk of baseball fate, the Tigers used three pitchers and all worked 2 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, the first of those segments -- and eight Texas runs -- came from starter Justin Verlander. It was the 2 2/3 that Downs and Reed worked that Leyland appreciated most. Each gave up two hits and a run in their outings, but Verlander's short stay could have easily decimated the bullpen to a much larger degree.
"They saved us, really," Leyland said. "Both of them did a really good job."
It was Leyland's first look at Reed, who was called up when Al Alburquerque was demoted to Triple-A Toledo.
"He's got a good arm, obviously," Leyland said, "and he did well last night. That's about all I can say right now."
Neither was available for Friday night's game, and Leyland said he expected they might need Saturday off as well.
Verlander, Leyland aren't shaken by one start
ARLINGTON -- Jim Leyland didn't exactly put it this way, but the implication was there in the tone of his voice: When he has to start worrying about Justin Verlander, there's a good chance it's time to pack up and go home.
Even after one of the roughest starts of Verlander's illustrious career on Thursday, the manager has absolutely no concerns about his ace right-hander.
"All I worry about any of my pitchers is their health," Leyland said, "and he's healthy. People forget he had a 1-something ERA going into the game last night."
Verlander allowed eight runs on six hits in just 2 2/3 innings in a 10-4 loss to Texas, but at least Leyland won't be hearing about Verlander's diminished velocity for a while. Verlander had been averaging about two mph below his career average velocity this season but, according to PitchFX data, he averaged 95.5 on fastballs in the loss to the Rangers.
Verlander said after the game that he can fix what ails him with some hard work in the bullpen, and that what he really needs is simply consistency in his delivery, which will come with repetition.
"I'm not really worried about him at all," Leyland said. "If that's what he said, he should know that better than me."
Verlander is slated to start next in Cleveland on Wednesday night.
Miggy's rocket shot proves too close to call
ARLINGTON -- When can Miguel Cabrera, known for his batting prowess and not so much for his foot speed, turn a sizzling line drive to the third baseman into a bang-bang play at first base? When he hits the ball so hard, it ricochets off the third baseman's glove and winds up in the shortstop's hands instead, like he did in Thursday night's 10-4 loss to the Rangers.
Adrian Beltre, one of the best defensive third basemen in the game, had no chance on Cabrera's wicked one-hopper in the eighth inning, but the ball caromed right to Elvis Andrus, whose throw nipped Cabrera at first. Or did it? Don't ask Tigers manager Jim Leyland.
"From the dugout, I thought he was safe," Leyland said. "I went out there because of Raffy's [first-base coach Rafael Belliard] reaction. He doesn't do that unless he thinks he's right."
Leyland had a brief discussion with first-base umpire Ron Kulpa before returning to the dugout. Later, the skipper took a look at the replay.
"To be honest, in fairness to the umpire, I couldn't tell if he was safe or out on the replay," Leyland said.
Even facing one of the American League's best in Texas right-hander Yu Darvish, Cabrera was hitting bullets all over the field, though he only had one hit, a double to left. He also lined out hard to left and was robbed of another hit on a diving stop by Rangers first baseman Mitch Moreland.
"He could have had four hits," Leyland said. "He's the best hitter in the game right now, in my opinion. Plain and simple."
Cabrera started Friday night's game ranked second in the league in hitting at .366, just behind James Loney's .367 mark for Tampa Bay.
V-Mart impresses Leyland with tough at-bat
ARLINGTON -- Manager Jim Leyland was impressed with what he called a spectacular at-bat by Victor Martinez in the Tigers' three-run third inning on Thursday night, calling it "one of the best at-bats by any player on any team this season."
Martinez kept fouling off pitch after pitch from Rangers starter Yu Darvish in a 10-pitch at-bat that finally resulted in a long sacrifice fly to center. The at-bat may have encouraged fans who have been concerned about Martinez's slow start to the season (.211, two homers, 19 RBIs), but don't put Leyland on that list. Knowing Martinez's track record is all the encouragement the manager has ever needed.
"The book says he hits," Leyland said. "Just look at the media guide; it says he hits, and before all is said and done, he will hit."
Tigers set to honor '68 World Series champs
ARLINGTON -- The Tigers will celebrate one of their most beloved teams when the 1968 World Series champions are honored on Saturday, May 25 at Comerica Park.
Gates will open at 2 p.m. ET for the 3:40 pregame festivities, followed by that afternoon's game against the Minnesota Twins at 4:05.
The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a 1968 Tigers 45th anniversary commemorative coin, courtesy of Belle Tire.
Jose Feliciano, who performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" prior to Game 5 of the '68 Series between the Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals at Tiger Stadium, will reprise his rendition for the May 25 game.
More than a dozen players and coaches from the '68 team are expected to be in attendance, including Al Kaline, Mickey Lolich, Denny McLain and Mickey Stanley.
Worth noting
• The four games in Texas marked a homecoming for assistant hitting coach Toby Harrah, who is a member of the Rangers Hall of Fame and still has a home in the area.
• The home runs on Thursday night by Jhonny Peralta and Don Kelly ran the Tigers' tater streak to eight straight as a team. It's the longest home run streak by a Tigers' team since an eight-game streak Sept. 21-28, 2011. The Tigers are third in the American League with 20 homers in May.
• Entering Friday, Tigers pitchers had combined for 395 strikeouts this season, tops in the league. Their average of 9.96 K's per nine innings also ranked first.
Jim Reeves is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.