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I have used CGI::Application and Template::Toolkit. I was trying Rails because of the "hype". I am watching Catalyst but it still seems to be in a state of flux (the recent "which config to use" saga). I am Windows as well so Catalyst is updated a little slower.
I will probably install it tomorrow and try it. It being Catalyst.
I meant to do it today, but I fruitlessly gave Rails another try.
Tomorrow I take the plunge.


text: SciPy Documentation Marathon 2008 Status Report We are now nearing the end of the summer. We have a ton of great docstrings, a nice PDF and HTML reference guide, a new package with pages on general topics like slicing, and a glossary. We had hoped to have all the numpy docstrings in first-draft form in time for the pre-fall (1.2) release. The actual number of pages was more than double our quick goal-setting assessment, so we won't make it. As of this moment, we have: status % pages Needs editing 52 430 Being written / Changed 27 226 Needs review 18 152 Needs review (revised) 0 1 Needs work (reviewed) 0 3 Reviewed (needs proof) 2 19 Proofed 0 0 Unimportant 1531 Our current status can always be seen at: http://sd-2116.dedibox.fr/pydocweb/stats/ Definitions of the categories are also on the wiki, but "being written" is our first-draft category. So, we're just shy of halfway there, and since the goal more than doubled, we can say we have not failed our expectations. But, we haven't succeeded, either, and we certainly haven't finished. So, this being a marathon, we're not going to stop! Please join us if you haven't already for the... PRE-CONFERENCE DOC BLITZ! We can, quite realistically, get up to 60% for numpy 1.2. We've had several 8% weeks this summer and we've got several weeks to go. Stefan will merge docstrings into the beta for 1.2 on 5 August, and will continue merging from the wiki for the release candidates and final cut. However, Writing has slowed to a crawl in recent weeks. Please pitch in to help those who are still writing so we can get to 60% by release 1.2. Looking further ahead, I hope all the volunteers will continue writing for the rest of the summer and fall, so that we can put 100% decent drafts into 1.3, and a 100% reviewed set of docstrings into 1.4. Then we can turn our attention to scipy. Enough stick, here's some carrot: This is the design for this year's documentation prize, a T-shirt in Robert Kern black, designed by Teresa Jeffcott: http://physics.ucf.edu/~jh/scipyshirt-2008-2.png We'll hand these out at SciPy '08 to anyone who has written 1000 words or more (according to the stats page) or who has made an equivalent contribution in other ways (reviewing, wiki creation, etc.; Stefan and I will judge). So far, 11 contributors qualify, but several more could easily reach that goal in time. In fact, several of our volunteer writers have produced 1000 words in one week. The offer remains good through the first-draft phase, though you'll need to act quickly to get your docs into 1.2 and be recognized at the conference! If you won't be at SciPy '08 or if you qualify later, we'll mail one to you. As always, further discussion belongs on the scipy-dev mailing list, as does your request to be added to the doc wiki editors group, so head over to the doc wiki main page, established an account there, and give us a shout! WTFM, --jh--

subset: commoncrawl


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SAN CLEMENTE, Roger Johnson: Profit is Southern California Edison's No. 1 concern ["SCE executives rack up expenses," Local, Feb. 6]. What a revelation that ratepayers are supporting $418.8 million in annual compensation for the top 10 percent of SCE management in 2011. Furthermore, $11.8 million from our electric bills go to lavish expense accounts. They seem to have infinite money and no shame.
|San Onofre Nuclear Power plant (Register Photo)
Meanwhile, all customers pay an extra fee every month for astronomical costs when San Onofre gets decommissioned. And now SCE wants to reopen the facility and charge the public the full price of running San Onofre for broken reactors that will produce only part of their intended power.
Edison boasts that nuclear power is cheap, reliable, clean and safe. The past two years have proven that nuclear power is extremely expensive, totally unreliable, very dirty and we now know that is it extremely dangerous to the future of everyone in Southern California. It is becoming obvious that Edison cannot be believed or trusted, and it is imperative that San Onofre never be allowed to reopen.
IRVINE, Keith Mason: The chief nuclear scientist hired in 2011 to oversee San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station was paid about $1 million in 2011, not including a healthy hiring bonus ($350,000) and housing stipend ($75,000), and he did such a splendid job that year that he earned an additional bonus of almost $300,000. Isn't this the same power station that has been offline for more than a year due to leaks?
In addition, out of SCE's roughly 18,500 workers, about one in 10 is paid at least $125,000 in salary. But don't worry; it's merely a coincidence that rates are increasing again.I guess I chose the wrong career. Where I work there are consequences for failure, and it's called "unemployment."
Dodgy drone doctrine
PLACENTIA, George Eazell:The Left screamed and yelled about former President George W. Bush's waterboarding terrorists but have said nothing about President Barack Obama's drone program that, in 2011, killed three Americans in Yemen.Many wanted the president brought up on charges. We can't get a story from the mainstream media, or liberal media, discussing the seriousness of killing Americans with drones.To be fair, shouldn't we at least talk about the legality of such a program? The Left's hypocrisy is alarming.
Suit stirs up the swamp
ANAHEIM, Dick Stegemeier, a retired chairman and CEO of the oil company Unocal: The Department of Justice lawsuit against S&P is intended to punish the company for downgrading America's debt rating in August, 2011. It's also a warning to Moody's and Fitch not to downgrade our rating as well. Our nation is in even greater economic peril now than two years ago, but the DOJ threat to the rating agencies might work.
That brings us to the crux of the lawsuits. The purpose of the rating agencies is not to encourage people or institutions to buy or sell certain securities. Pension-fund managers are under no command to rely solely on S&P ratings. If that were the case, a computer could do the job.
It's been said that some investors and pension funds can only buy securities that carry a high rating. Suppose S&P and Moody's didn't exist at all? Would there then be no transactions by people and institutions?This lawsuit, if pursued to its end, will reopen the role that former Rep. Barney Frank, Sen. Chris Dodd, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac played in the 2008 financial crisis. That's a swamp that this administration may not want to re-enter. It's full of alligators.
Tet parade dustup
IRVINE, Geno G. Bokosky: Whatever happened to the right to freedom of association? President Barack Obama weighs in, saying the Boy Scouts of America should allow gays, and a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual group demands to be allowed into a privately funded parade ["Values clash over gays in Tet parade," Front Page, Feb. 7].
Trustee Bao Nguyen of the Garden Grove Unified School District said that not allowing the LGBT group in the parade is "about hate." The GGUSD threatened to withdraw unless the LGBT group was included. What an example of freedom to associate or not associate. GGUSD's attempt at political correctness only punishes the students by withdrawing.
It's not about hate, political correctness, values or tolerance. It's about one group demanding to be associated with another group and doing whatever that group wants. The kiss is at the crux of the matter.As I see it, parade organizer Neil Nguyen had it right by saying, "We do respect them" but do they (LGBT and GGUSD) show respect by comporting to the Tet parade's code of conduct?
Student loan abuses
CHINO HILLS, Rod Hallock: I was dumbfounded to read a Register editorial advocating changes in law to make it easy to avoid paying student loans by declaring bankruptcy ["Student debt and bankruptcy," Feb. 1].
Does the writer know that Congress made it nearly impossible to avoid paying for student loans because so many got a free education by refusing to pay their student loans? Does the writer think students will not be able figure out they can get a free education just by declaring bankruptcy? Does the writer know that much of the student loan money is used for general living expenses, not tuition? Where would we get the money to pay for all the unpaid loans? Oh, I forgot. We could just print the money or borrow it from China.
True military equality
TUSTIN, Keith Wingett: The article "Broken barriers" [News, Feb. 1] was fun and informational but, as a male, I personally found it lacking. While I do support and celebrate that women are now able to serve on the front lines of battle, I still see severe discrimination.
Women do not have to register for the draft when they reach age 18. Doing this would engender true equality that fully bears the responsibility of serving when called. I have never heard any woman push for selective service registration – a change that would promote equal responsibility, not equal results.
Please address this issue with a column. This critical issue is often ignored by most media outlets.
Put bag ban to a vote
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Ray Scrafield: Put my wife and me in the anti-plastic-bag-ban column ["Huntington Beach to revisit ban on plastic bags," Local, Feb. 6]. We found many ways to reuse these bags so that they are not single-use bags. This is such an important subject that we don't believe that it should be decided by a handful of people sitting on the City Council. We believe that it should be voted on by the citizens of this wonderful city.
We love living here and shopping here, but we will take our grocery shopping elsewhere. The real problem is not the bags; it is the fact that too many people aren't responsible enough to contain them and put them where they belong.


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Yes this is a bone or at least part of one. It is the very back end of a skull, the part which attached to the neck. The top part of the bone in the top photo there are two symetrical curved surfaces which are the joints for the first neck vertebra, the hook shaped piece on the right of the photo is for attachment of muscles, the mastoid process. It is herbivores which have this feature, such as cow or horse. There is no indication of size so if it is small Sheep would also fit.
Many thanks John that is really useful. Cheers, Adam.
It's the wrong shape for horse, too wide. It is the right size for Cow or Red Deer but is a bit too worn for me to be sure from the photo which of those.
I cannot tell how wide it is as there is no measurement scale. If you could post another photo looking through the large hole, like in the bottom photo but from the other side and with a ruler then I can directly compare it with reference skulls.
The width is given as 14cm, a bit needs adding for the broken mastoid process, I've got cow and red deer skulls both at 15cm across the mastoid processes, other differences appear subtle and I couldn't pick out anything conclusive comparing this photo with my specemins.
Thanks for pointing the size out Richard. Unfortunately my Horse skull is out on loan but I am getting it back tomorrow so I will take a measurement and do a direct comparison. I will post back.
My horse is only 12cm across the mastoids (and it is a big horse skull at over 60cm long). Plus the central bit (I don't know what it is called) appears much narrower in comparison to the deer and cow. Will be good to have other measurements to compare with though as mine might all be unusual!
Hi - I've added a couple more pics, one with a ruler as you suggested John. I hope they are helpful. Thanks again for all comments and thoughts about what this bone likely is. Adam.
I think I'm going to vote for a big cow like animal.
I have my horse skull back from loan, it is a female pony from the Gower, 11cm across the mastoid processes, so entirely consistent with Richards larger skull. Looking at the shape of the condyles and mastoid processes they are both quite different to the photos shown here. So I am with Richard.


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This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Western Catholic Reporter, a weekly newspaper that was founded to represent the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, including and perhaps especially its social teachings.
The WCR's Quadragesimo Anno (40 years) is a reminder of Pope Pius XI's 1931 encyclical on the reconstruction of the social order of the same name. Over the next year or so, in weekly articles, I will reflect on the successive sections of the Church's social teaching in the Compendium of Church Social Doctrine.
I invite you to read these reflections, to read the compendium and, above all, to strive to satisfy the needs of the afflicted./GA
Religion is increasingly being seen as a negative, divisive force in history. The Crusades, the Inquisition and contemporary troubles in Northern Ireland and the former Yugoslavia are often cited as negative happenings with organized religion at their root.
In Canada, there is the legacy of the Indian residential schools and the clergy sexual abuse crisis. People's personal lives have also been wounded by anger, hypocrisy, sarcasm or rash judgment by representatives of religious bodies.
The world would be better off without organized religion, some will say. Why can't each person have their own private spirituality and stop imposing enmity and division on the world?
These are complex issues, each calling for detailed response. But as Catholics we need to say that organized religion has not only helped me personally but has been good for humanity. We should not shy away from admitting the evils that have been done in the name of religion. At the same time we need to proclaim that the witness of the Church is the greatest hope for humanity.
This is true not only from an eternal perspective where the promise of eternal salvation is the only hope. It is also true from a worldly perspective where the Church offers what is best for the human person in this world.
The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church tells us that Jesus came to bring "integral salvation," salvation that embraces the whole person. The Church is deeply concerned about the eternal salvation of each person, salvation which is only possible through Jesus Christ. Because of our faith in Jesus, the Church is also deeply concerned about poverty, unemployment, environmental devastation, war, human life, the family and a myriad of other issues.
The Church's social doctrine flows from "faith in a whole and complete salvation." It is rooted in "hope in a fullness of justice." It is the result of "love which makes all mankind truly brothers and sisters in Christ" (Compendium, n. 3).
When people discover they are loved by God, they see not only their own dignity as children of God who have an eternal destiny, but also that transcendent dignity in others as well. We weep at the sight of the injustice that plagues so much of the world. And people look "to encounter their neighbour in a network of relationships that are ever more authentically human" (n. 4).
This search for an authentically human network of relationships should lead us to strive to overcome conflict, hatred and exploitation. It should even lead to the transformation of social structures that institutionalize evil and injustice.
The power to bring about a better world is the power of the individual, moved by the gift of God's grace. But let's not be trapped by the 20th century heresy that made faith a purely personal quest, a privatized relationship between me and Jesus. Let's also avoid the other heresy - secularism which claims we can save ourselves and our society without God's help.
Deep prayer, deep union with God, is essential for lasting positive social change. Without humility in the face of the Redeemer, agents of social change are prone to become tyrants.
Jim Wallis, an evangelical pastor and social justice advocate in Washington's inner city, says, "Hope is believing in spite of the evidence, then watching the evidence change." Such hope is based on faith in things unseen. It is also based on the commitment to taking loving action to change "the evidence."
The Compendium of Church Social Doctrine says it is "a genuine pastoral priority" to make Church social teaching better known. The compendium presents that teaching "in a complete and systematic manner."
But this social teaching is not one more thing to stuff into our heads. It should lead to action. Social action should be its main fruit. The compendium is intended first for bishops and for others responsible for Christian formation. However, "The lay faithful, who seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God's will, will find in it enlightenment for their own specific mission" (n. 11).
The laity are, as Pope Pius XII said, "the front lines of the Church." If Catholic social teaching is to be more than a dead letter, it must be absorbed and put into action by laity.
This is not a dreary task. Life is found by refusing to accept society the way it is and, through service or advocacy, striving to make it better. Take seriously the words of Isaiah who promised, "If you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday" (58:10).
Jonathan Swift, the 18th century satirist, said, "We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another." It's time to get more religion and build a civilization of love.


text: Welcome to the 164th Deep Space 9 avatar contest's voting thread!! We have 6 entrants total, so you may vote for one avatar per category but not your own. Votes cast that do not follow the rule will be subtracted from the final tally. I'll leave the poll open for 3 days. Have fun!! This round's themes were: DS9 episode: Change of Heart DS9 Theme: colourful aliens Random Theme: Circus ------ Episode -------------- Theme ------------- Random Theme ----- _ _ --------------------- Praetor Shinzon _ _ (named Deranged Nasat in poll! Sorry!) Gul Re'jal _ _ --------------------- Deranged Nasat _ _ Nerys Ghemor _ _ Miss Lemon _ _ Orac


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Littlebigplanet • Page 2
LittleBigPlanet Karting out today in the US, watch the launch trailer
LittleBigPlanet Karting is out today in the US and later this week in the UK. To make things exciting, Sony has released the game's launch trailer, and you will find it below. The firm has also announced a Hockey jersey is available for your racing sackboy for a limited time, starting today, for $4.99/€4.99. You […]
LBP Vita internship up for grabs at Tarsier Studios in Sweden
SCE UK has revealed details of a search for PlayStation's next intern. The month-long position, hosted by Swedish studio Tarsier, will be awarded to the applicant who can create "the best mini-game" using LittleBigPlanet Vita.
LittleBigPlanet Vita has gone gold
After showing up in playable form at every Vita event since the console's reveal, LittleBigPlanet is finally ready for release. A post on the US PS Blog announced the portable incarnation has gone gold ahead of its September 25 launch. Pre-order to receive one or more bonus costumes, depending on retail offer, including a pretty […]
LittleBigPlanet costume DLC usable in LittleBigPlanet Karting
DLC costumes purchased for LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet 2 will be usable in LittleBigPlanet Karting.
PlayStation 3 Essentials range revealed, budget games inbound
Sony has revealed a new PS3 budget range, giving you triple-A games at low cost. No release date has been given, but Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, inFamous and LittleBigPlanet will launch the range and will cost €19.99 each.
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale leaks again; Raiden and Sackboy spotted
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale has to be Sony's worst kept secret since the Vita; two more roster members have been uncovered thanks to a marketing slip up.
LittleBigPlanet: 7 million levels created in 4 years
LittleBigPlanet has just hit 7 million levels four years after it launched on PS3, Media Molecule has revealed.
Disney Princesses Costume Packs heading to LittleBigPlanet 2
Those looking for new attire for their Sackboy, should be pleased to know dresses are on the horizon. According to the PS Blog, eight princess outfits will arrive for LittleBigPlanet 2 next month via Disney Princesses Costume Packs. Just think: soon you'll be able to dress your burlap doll as Belle, Aurora, Tiana, Cinderella, Rapunzel, […]
Summer Creator's Kit now available for LittleBigPlanet 2
The Summer Creator's Kit has been announced for LittleBigPlanet 2. It contains 26 Stickers, four Objects, four Decorations and a new Material. The pack will be available for one week only so you best hurry on over to the PS Store and pick it up.
LittleBigPlanet Vita pre-orders net BioShock costumes
Sony has opened pre-orders on LittleBigPlanet Vita, and offered a tempting bonus for those who slap their money down – a set of five costumes for your Sackperson. BioShock's Big Daddy and Little Sister join a knight in armour, damsel in distress and dragon, with the latter three coming in an exclusive colour which will […]
Tron costumes lead LittleBigPlanet feature update
A host of new features have been bestowed upon the LittleBigPlanet community, including some adorable Tron costumes, less adorable Pin-viewing and not-adorable-but-functional lists.
LittleBigPlanet Vita due in autumn
According to Andriasang, Famitsu has LittleBigPlanet Vita down for a northern autumn release. That's the Japanese launch but it lines up with the third quarter guidelines we've been given in the past. The portable spin off can't be too far off as Sony is talking about a new DLC pack for the PlayStation 3 version […]
LittleBigPlanet Vita beta invites on the way
Check your inboxes, Sackboys and Sackgirls; a new wave of beta invites for the Vita version is hitting. If you've pawed through your spam filter and you're still invite-free, console yourself with these videos of the portable version, and make sure you're signed up here. LittleBigplanet Vita is expected to launch some time this year. […]
Sony wants you to sign up for the LittleBigPlanet Vita beta
Sony has announced a LittleBigPlanet Beta for PS Vita, and you can sign up for a chance to participate here. The PS Blog said it's a "bit tricky" to sign up, but instructions have been posted on the site. More information on the beta test will follow at a later date.
Video - United Front details level editor, driving mechanics in LBP Karting
Below the break is a video featuring United Front Games' William Ho chatting about LittleBigPlanet Karting's level editor, how the developer used its experience wit racing titles to bring a true karting experience to the game, and how it all meshed together with the create, play, share aspect designed by Media Molecule. Watch the video […]
You can reach out and slap other players in LBP Karting
Some screenshots of United Front Games' LittleBigPlanet Karting are posted below courtesy of AGB. Also, Polygon has some gameplay details for you: the LBP grappling hook mechanic returns; a hover chassis is implemented on the cars; it contains quests such as finding hidden items, hide n' go seek, and waypoint races; it has an eight-player […]
LittleBigPlanet franchise has over 6 million user-generated levels and games
Sony has announced more than 6 million user-generated games and levels have been uploaded onto the PlayStation Network for the LittleBigPlanet franchise. To celebrate the milestone, XDev Studio Europe posted the latest LBP newsletter on the EU PS Blog, along with a reminder for the Vita Room event happening in London from February 17 through […]
Muppets Premium Level Kit hits LittleBigPlanet 2 next week
Media Molecule has announced the Muppets Premium Level Kit will be released for LittleBigPlanet 2 next week.
LittleBigPlanet notches up 6 million custom levels
Media Molecule's three LittleBigPlanet games have together marked a significant milestone.
Media Molecule spends £4.1 million on R&D to squelch dependence on LBP
Media Molecule stated in its annual report that its main business risks came "largely as a result of the company's heavy reliance" on the LittleBigPlanet brand.
Littlebigplanet latest
Video – United Front details level editor, driving mechanics in LBP Karting
LittleBigPlanet franchise has over 6 million user-generated levels and games
Media Molecule spends £4.1 million on R&D to squelch dependence on LBP
Wednesday Shorts – Glorious Halo, Super Altair, Delicious PR Guff
PSA: LBP2 Move pack hits US PSN, Move peripheral 50% off at GameStop
Tarsier Studios and Double Eleven working on LittleBigPlanet Vita
Media Molecule offers rare art, in-game item for charity auction
LBP2 updates: Hansel and Gretelbot, Marvel and Street Fighter costumes are back


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COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – It was different, it was unique, and it was even a little surreal at times, but Pablo Mastroeni made his return to Dick's Sporting Goods Park, not in the burgundy of the Colorado Rapids, but the blue-white-and-gold of the LA Galaxy.
The 36-year-old midfielder went 77 minutes in the 2-0 Galaxy defeat and exited to cheers as well as few standing ovations from the Rapids faithful. It wasn't the midfielder's finest performance as LA's midfield struggled to take charge of the game and Mastroeni picked up a first half yellow card from referee Juan Guzman for dissent.
Mastroeni admitted after the LA defeat that the experience was a strange one, even for a player as experienced as he is.
"After 12 years at this club, it's kind of surreal. I had a hard time sleeping thinking about it. I actually woke up in the middle of the night thinking that I had a game with the Rapids," said Mastroeni. "It was the most bizarre, surreal kind of experience, but I think when the whistle blows, everything kind of goes out the window. It's all that anticipation stuff that's emotional and unsettling.
"Once the whistle blew, we had a job to do, and I didn't even think about it for a second," Mastroeni added. "It was good to get out there and get through this process that was inevitable, and move on."
As he looks ahead to the second half of the season with his new team, Mastroeni has a recommendation on what LA must fix in order to improve.
"We made our own job more difficult [against Colorado]. I think overall the effort was there," said Mastroeni. "We've just got to clean up a few things and keep working on concentrating on set pieces."


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The knee injury that ended longtime Atlanta Braves superstar Chipper Jones' season may also spell the end of a Hall of Fame career.
Jones suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament making a stellar defensive play against Houston, leaping to make a throw from third base. Jones, who has spent his entire 17-season career with the Braves, faces a long rehab if he intends to return. And well before the injury, he had already hinted at retirement.
For the season, Jones is hitting .265 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI.
A career .306 hitter with 436 home runs, Jones takes pride in maintaining a high level of play. After a frustrating season in 200, Jones said he would consider leaving after this season, despite a contract that will pay him $14 million in 2011 and again in 2012.
"I'm on a year-to-year personal schedule," he said then. "Contract status is not going to dictate how long I play. The day I become mediocre on a regular basis, I'm probably going to ride off into the sunset."
Selected Reading: NBC Sports, USA Today, Baseball Reference


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CU*Answers Says Fraud Tools Thwarts $148,000 in Bad Transactions
There's no point in locking the barn door after the cows run away. Ditto for detecting fraud after criminals already have looted an account.
Enter FraudNet, a service now offered by Grand Rapids, Mich., CUSO CU*Answers that is intended to nip fraud in the bud before either institutions or their members lose money.
FraudNet – which CU*Answers purchased from Fiserv – is a predictive analytics toolset that scans pending transactions against a database of known high-risk activities, IP addresses and like indicators.
"We went live with FraudNet March 4 and we have stopped $148,000 in actual fraudulent transactions as of today (Aug. 6)," said Jim Vilker, a CU*Answers vice president who heads up this activity.
"In fact, two days after we went live we stopped a $20,000 bust-out scheme."
"I was not expecting to see so much fraud, so fast," said Vilker.
The appeal of FraudNet, Vilker explained, is that it essentially rides on top of the bill pay rails and it continually monitors for pending transactions it believes are questionable. When it finds one, it alerts CU*Answers, which passes the alert onto the involved credit union, for review with the member whose account is in play.
"We have logged north of 30 incidents. We already are positive ROI," said Vilker, who declined to reveal what CU*Answers paid for FraudNet.
Vilker also said around 137 credit unions are using the CU*Answers FraudNet tools.


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SAS helps publishers manage mobile channel to increase revenue
With the exponential rise of mobile advertising, companies that sell digital advertising space are seeing their traditional users shift reading habits dramatically from PCs to phones and tablets. This creates huge challenges – but also huge opportunity. SAS® Intelligent Advertising for Publishers helps publishers embrace the future by managing data insights and ad delivery across all channels.
Cozi, a free app and website that helps families manage their busy lives with a shared calendar, shopping list, to do lists and more, uses SAS Intelligent Advertising for Publishers to maximize ad ROI (return on investment).
"SAS helps Cozi maximize advertisers ROI by targeting the right ad with the right message to our online and mobile users which are comprised of tech-savvy moms and their families," said Hoku Peters, Advertising Operations Manager at Cozi Group, Inc. "SAS Intelligent Advertising for Publishers also helps Cozi move quickly to deliver unique products to the market and develop new product functionality. Recently SAS provided us with a custom software development kit (SDK) that helps us serve synced roadblocks with multiple ads and place our "Add to Cozi" buttons adjacent to the ad banners. We didn't have to wait for months, SAS delivered in days."
"Publishers are struggling to transfer the advertising business built in PC-based display and video to mobile screens," said Jeff Wood, General Manager, Intelligent Advertising at SAS. "SAS handles pre-serve, ad serving and post-serve business needs for display, video or audio advertising across any digital screen to serve up the optimal mix of ads. New features in SAS Intelligent Advertising for Publishers address the challenge by making mobile easier to manage."
Recent updates to SAS Intelligent Advertising for Publishers include:
- Better manage ad inventory for apps – SAS has created iOS and Android Software Development Kits (SDKs) to help publishers create and manage in-app ad inventory without the need to code anything.
- Better handle rich media – through MRAID v1 compliance publishers can now handle higher value rich media ads for advertisers on mobile devices.
- Automatic Device detection – using SAS publishers can identify a user's device type and version to automatically serve the optimal ads for that device.
Improved location-based targeting - granular geo-fencing targeting through a point-and-click map interface delivers hyper-localized advertising based on a mobile user's exact location – in real time. SAS' ad serving interface provides a map-based view to simply draw the radius around a location to reach a user with a specific ad.
Mediation of third party ad networks – publishers can connect to multiple third-party demand sources to better target ads for their clients. This makes for optimal mobile-user experiences while allowing publishers to work with demand partners of their choice.
Identifying the user on multiple devices – using a Server-Side User Store SAS helps deliver cross-screen user identification.
Analytics and Reporting - with SAS' analytical expertise mobile publishers gain deep insight into mobile product performance and how users interact with content.
Simulation-based forecasting - provides publishers with an extremely accurate view of mobile ad inventory. Publishers get accurate forecasting across all channels (mobile, display and video etc).
SAS Intelligent Advertising is integrated with the broader suite of SAS® Customer Intelligence.
About SAS
SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services, SAS helps customers at more than 80,000 sites make better decisions faster. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®.


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H&R 1871 INC Survivor Rifles
H&R 410 Ga/45 Colt Single Shot w/Synthetic Stock/20" Fully Rifled Blue Barrel
Ready for service when the going gets rough, New England's Survivor series provides the go anywhere, do everything versatility and rugged dependability you want. Take your pick of rifle/shotgun combination or heavy barrel rifle configurations to meet any challenge.
SPECIFICATIONS:Mfg Item Num: SB141C Category: FIREARMS - RIFLES Action :Break OpenCaliber :410/45 Long ColtBarrel Length :20"Capacity :1Trigger :StandardSafety :Transfer BarLength :34 1/2"Weight :7 lbsStock :SyntheticFinish :Blue


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Hello, I'm trying to get the 32-bit value associated with an item of a treeview control, but I'm not able to find the way of do it; I'm able to get the pszText associated to an item, so the item pointer (HTREEITEM) is right. I have been reading on the Win32 Prog Reference and find the next explanation referred to the struct TV_ITEM used in the TVM_GETITEM message:
So can I only get the text and the state?Code:
Pointer to a TV_ITEM structure that specifies the information to retrieve and receives information about
the item. When the message is sent, the hItem member identifies the item to retrieve information about
and the mask member specifies the attributes to retrieve.
If mask specifies the TVIF_TEXT value, the pszText member must contain the pointer to the buffer that
receives the item text and the cchTextMax member must specify the size of the buffer.
If mask specifies the TVIF_STATE value, the stateMask member indicates which item states are to be returned.
That's what I do to get the item:
From that code I get the item text in the first alert, but "0, 0" on the second alert. I'm afraid that as the W32 Prog Ref says, the only 'getable' values are the text and the state. I'm doing it right, or there's a different way than TVM_GETITEM to get the lParam associated to an item?Code:
char gbff[300];
DWORD dwValue;
HTREEITEM htree;
sprintf(gbff,"%d, %d",LOWORD(dwValue),HIWORD(dwValue));
Thank's in advance.


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In the State Senate, historic Democratic victories come with an asterisk
ALBANY—Only here, perhaps, could such a decisive election result in even more confusion about who's in charge.
Yes, there was good news for the Democrats, almost across the board: Barack Obama won big. Kirsten Gillibrand, running for her first full term in the U.S. Senate, won even bigger.
Story Continued Below
And despite contending with a Republican-gerrymandered district map, the Democrats appear to have picked up four seats in the State Senate, theoretically enough to give them 33 of its 63 seats and, along with that majority, the power to control every aspect of its operations.
Along with Andrew Cuomo's governorship and Sheldon Silver's unassailable Assembly majority, this would put Democratic hands on every lever of power in the state government.
Except that's not the way it's playing out.
The Republicans are currently negotiating with several breakaway Democrats to join them and keep them in the majority, extending their hold on the Senate despite a 2-1 voter registration disadvantage in New York State, while the supposedly ascendant Democrats negotiate among themselves over leadership positions.
This movie has screened in the Capitol before. In 2008, Democrats won 32 seats but spent two months bickering, extorting and cajoling each other to fall in behind Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith. Four years later, Albany is braced for the action to begin anew.
"We're popping popcorn," is how one Assembly aide put it to me.
A key question now, as was the case four years ago, is how much the Democrats are willing to bend to accommodate dissident members who have problems with the current leadership, or want special treatment or (as is most often the case) both.
The first defectors of 2012 actually went public in January 2011, when State Senators Jeff Klein, Diane Savino, David Valesky and David Carlucci formed the Independent Democratic Conference.
South Brooklyn, which gave Albany the wayward Democrat (and now convicted extortionist) Carl Kruger in 2008, has added a new freelancer to the mix: Simcha Felder, an orthodox Jew who ran as a Democrat but is loyal, above all, to pork: he says he'll "caucus with any party that will allow me to deliver the most to the 17th Senate district and its constituents."
Also, amusingly, Smith—whose leadership four years ago was rendered embarrassingly ineffectual by his conference's defectors, and who is no longer in a meaningful leadership position—is now rumored to be flirting with a party switch, after having floated his own name to run for mayor of New York City next year as a Republican.
In 2008, Smith dealt with Kruger and three co-conspirators—Sens. Ruben Diaz Sr., Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, known collectively as the "amigos"—by essentially giving them what they wanted. Espada was put in charge of the Housing Committee, allowing him to harvest campaign cash from real estate interests, and also given a suite of Capitol offices. Monserrate eventually got the Consumer Affairs Committee. Diaz, a Pentecostal reverend, seemingly secured a promise from Smith not to push the legalization of same-sex marriage (both men denied this, but Diaz, in subsequent rants when the bill was advanced, strongly implied Smith had given him his word). Kruger bumped Bill Stachowski, a dour, long-serving senator from Buffalo, to chair the Finance Committee.
The other mainstream Democrats held their noses.
Smith, a father of two, had apparently never read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. The amigos replayed the same trick as the state debated a bailout package for the M.T.A., refusing to vote for any plan that would include tolls on East River bridges. They succeeded: instead, the bailout relied on a business payroll tax that led to the defeat of two marginal senators from Long Island—Craig Johnson and Brian Foley—in 2010.
"Most of us were there in 2008, and we're not going to repeat those mistakes," said State Senator Liz Krueger, a Democrat from Manhattan.
Since Smith's fall, Senator John Sampson of Brooklyn has led the Democratic conference. The ever-present discontented murmuring about Sampson's leadership seemed to crescendo toward the end of the last session, and several other Democrats, including Mike Gianaris, who masterminded this last campaign, now say a leader will be determined by the conference in some future process.
But in a sense, the Democratic conference is already, as Krueger says, very different now. There are 14 Democratic senators—almost half the conference—who were elected after 2008, and every amigo except Diaz has been forced from office by criminal probes.
As Krueger bluntly promised: "We're going to go into a majority with a much, much better group of apples and without any of that kind of crap."
Michael Kink, a former senior policy adviser to the Senate Democrats who now works for a labor-backed coalition, said some of the "dead wood" has been cleared from the conference. He was confident a deal could be struck through negotiations rooted in "principle."
"Many of the folks who got elected this cycle, they've all had experience as elected officials and they're very seriously accomplished people," he said. "They're not political hacks, they're not dead wood. There was a long time when being a minority state senator didn't give you an opportunity to do much."
There are still several things that have to happen before any serious negotiations can even begin. First, the Democrats' Election Night victories will have to be affirmed. The only one with a reasonable chance of being undone is in the 46th District, which runs just west of the Capital Region from Amsterdam to Kingston. The Republicans sculpted it during this year's redistricting process for Assemblyman George Amedore, a Republican from the Albany-Schenectady suburbs who is the scion of an eponymous house-building company. He won a special election after being featured in "Extreme Makeover Home Edition." (Seriously.)
He finished 139 votes behind Cecilia Tkaczyk, a former Senate aide who serves on a rural school board and had a de minimus public profile in the five-county district before two Super PACs spent $500,000 pushing her candidacy.
This recount is key. If Tkaczyk holds, Democrats will be in a place of strength when they speak with Felder and the Independent Democrats. If Amedore is able to win, Republicans could cobble together 32 votes by just co-opting Felder, avoiding the need for them to convince the I.D.C. to complete their break with the regular Democrats by formally supporting them.
"No one wants to show their cards unless they have to," said United Federation of Teachers president Mike Mulgrew, whose organization has an interest in seeing a working Democratic majority, which would presumably be friendlier to the union's interests than the Republican majority has been. "I'm sure it's going to be a drama worthy of Shakespeare."
The talks between the regular Democrats and Klein's group won't be easy, or particularly cordial. Klein has compared his former Democratic colleagues to a "circular firing squad," and they have in turn likened him to a petulant child.
Still, they come from the same party and, on most issues, they align ideologically.
The Republicans, though, emphasize their good relations with Klein, as they continue to talk to him about some sort of leadership deal.
Cuomo, for his part, has hinted that the next Senate majority might be cobbled together between the I.D.C. and G.O.P., and has insisted that he won't get involved in the process either way.
Cuomo's office, for obvious reasons, is saying that he'll be pleased, whatever the outcome. If it's the Democrats, well, they'll help him work toward common progressive goals. And if it's the Republicans, he'll continue to work with them as he has over the course of his first two years in office.
Cuomo's actions suggest that he'd prefer the Republicans.
He has boasted about his ability to work with the current Republican leadership, and has been helpful to the conference's efforts to hang onto the majority, from his approval of a majority-gerrymandered district map to his general-election endorsement of a Republican incumbent who had voted for same-sex marriage. (The Republican, Stephen Saland, lost.)
A G.O.P.-I.D.C. alliance only seems possible with Cuomo's support, tacit or not, because it is the only thing that could counter the force of Democratic allies they might anger. There's a reason legislators who flip from one party to the other are rarely re-elected.
And independent of Cuomo, there's a reason to believe the current Democratic leaders might be more successful in corralling the Klein-led faction this year than their counterparts were in their dealings with the amigos, and it has to do with Klein himself. A Bronx attorney who has been in the Senate since 2004, Klein is as ambitious as the next guy. But Klein is driven by a desire for influence more than money or perks. An amigo he is not.
If the Democrats reach a deal with Klein to bring his faction back into the party, expect it to include some sort of fancy title that gives him some control over legislation, or at the very least fractures the influence currently vested in the leader position.
(The I.D.C.'s official line, delivered by a spokesman, is that "We're humbled that so many New Yorkers came out yesterday to cast a ballot in support of the I.D.C.'s policy-driven agenda. In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, New York families and businesses need a strong, stable government now more than ever. We look forward to getting back to the people's business right away.")
There's one other reason to believe that the current Senate situation will not play in the same disastrous way that it did in 2008 and 2009: the people doing the negotiating now remember how bad it was back then.
As Cuomo put it: "I think they learned the hard way. The Democrats were in power; the Democrats then lost power because of the dysfunction. They learned that lesson the hard way."
Jimmy Vielkind is a political reporter for the Albany Times Union and the principal contributor to its Capitol Confidential blog.


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Provides financial assistance in the form of research fellowships for doctoral students. Award offers a stipend.
Amounts: Stipend of approximately $5,500. Amounts vary depending upon fund availability.
Eligible Programs: The award rotates among five departments:
Requirements and Restrictions: Students must be admitted to a doctoral program.
Application Process and Deadlines: Nominations are made to the Graduate School by the appropriate department. Interested students should contact their department no later than February 15 for fall consideration.


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New York City will speed up spending on more than $1 billion of infrastructure projects to take advantage of record-low interest rates, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a news conference on Wednesday.
The road, bridge, school building and other projects are part of the city's long-term capital plan after fiscal 2014, and some of them have already begun. But now spending on them will be accelerated to within the next two years.
The projects could create about 8,000 jobs, mostly in construction, and save more than $200 million in debt service because of historically low interest rates, New York City Comptroller John Liu said at the press conference.
When governments accelerate borrowing and spending on infrastructure maintenance, improvement, and construction, they create motherfucken jobbes, improve physical infrastructure, and save fucken money in the long run. Bloomberg understands this very clearly. So who benefits from governmental fiscal austerity? Greedy richasse motherfuckers sitting on huge piles of fucken cash like fuckeface Romney, thatte's who.


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I think the polarized debate is unproductive ... there are win-win solutions ... lets find them.
Hmmm ... should we enlarge the city council by 2 for a total of 7 to help break up the block voting? More voices may broaden the council's perspective.
Original post made by Marianne Q. Dean, Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park, on Feb 9, 2007
Comments (7)
There are several ways to move the conversation from a polarized debate to a constructive solution. Many of our neighboring cities and towns have examined the idea of architectural review and have come up with successful solutions that respect neighborhood integrity and simultaneously allow for growth and enhancement of property values. I would welcome a chance to participate with others to find a good solution for Menlo Park. What do others think?
"...massive,ugly, poorly designed blocks for which there are many unfortunate examples" is a pretty general statement obviously meant to stir reaction. But I'd love to hear specifics. I have yet to see a design in my neighborhood that I'd describe as poor taste. Our extremely well educated, upper socio-economic class inhabitants are not out to make victims of those around them and alienate everyone who owns a rancher. The cries of suburban blight are a little too NIMBY for me.
So, Marianne, when you refer to "housing/building/density" together under a header that asks if we should have architectural review in Menlo Park, are you referring to downtown development that involves block-sized development (as in the Derry project), or are you talking about new homes in the R1 neighborhoods that are referred to derisively as McMansions?
I think J. Edgar thought you were talking about residential neighborhoods (I did, anyway).
In either case, architectural review would not be an outgrowth of increased council membership. This council is on the record in stating it is loathe to "design from the dais." Therefore, if you truly desire a city endorsed body to conduct architectural review, it would have to come, in my opinion, from a change in the mission of the planning commission. Barring that, the city would need to create a new commission with the mandate to conduct such reviews.
In order to preserve the non-urban small-town feel of Menlo Park we need an updated plan related to housing, traffic, parks, schools etc. And we need what nearly every other nearby community has - residential design guidelines and a process that encourages early discussions about potentially McMansions and other intrusive designs. I don't think we need an Architectural Review Board as long as the guidelines address the most pressing issues that get people upset. There are plenty of good models around so we don't start from scratch like Mickey Winkler's poorly thought out inventions.
You make a nice distinction, SmallTownNeighbor, between an architectural review board and residential guidelines. It's a step in the right direction away from a creating new layers of bureaucracy. That is, we could let a set of guidelines drive the development that we all hope to see (that respects neighborhoods and supports growth and value). I have to admit, I don't know all the good models other towns and cities like ours have used. What have you heard? I understand Los Altos developed design guidelines. Are their's a model in your mind?
I agree with the idea of residential guidelines that provide respectful design specifications that support our neighborhood communities. Let's look to neighboring communities as suggested and evaluate their models. No need to reinvent the wheel if there are models that will fit with our vision for Menlo Park.
Nearly all peninsula cities have guidelines and most of them use administrative approval process as long as the guidelines are followed and there aren't disputes. According to literature available during the referendum of 2004, such cities include Portola Valley, Burlingame, Campbell, Foster City, Woodside, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Palo Alto. Most of these use guidelines in an approval process that is administered by staff unless there are complaints or the guidelines are not followed. Then the project generally goes to a discretionary body like the Planning Commission.
Menlo Park is rather unique in that residential projects here are either reviewed by the Planning Commission (when the lot is substandard and a 2nd story is involved)or there is absolutely no neighbor notification or review. It appears that most other cities have taken a middle ground.
By the way, Atherton uses no guidelines but their rules are more strict than Menlo Park's. On the same sized lots, the houses in Atherton must be smaller and further away than in Menlo Park!
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We have spent a ton of time in the Fort Pierce Inlet lately fishing for a variety of species using a variety of techniques. Occasionally we get hooked into something very powerful and after a short fight it's gone. Pretty sure we were dealing with Goliath Grouper so we decided to gear up and drag one of these mystery bites to the surface. As you can see we were correct in our assumption. Bait was live Ladyfish.
Gently towed her to the shallows and removed the hooks lodged in her jaw then a few photos and off she went - healthy and jewelry free.


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As some of you know I bought a Yellow 1989 R100RT sight in seen. After replacing just about every seal on the engine and transmission it is now oil tight.
Only problem that I am now faced with is every so often the left Bing carburetor starts to p*#s out fuel. Talked to a mechanic who has been around since JC came to earth and the first question he asked, what was the condition of the fuel tank internally. My response was it appeared that someone tried to coat the internals with POR-15 fuel tank sealer and botched it very badly. The mechanic explained that very fine particles are getting past the in line fuel filters and are either clogging or hanging up on the float needle, thus causing the fuel to overflow. I know I will have to take apart the carbs and ultra sonically clean and rebuild them for a winter project.
Now back to the fuel tank. In your collective minds, how can I strip the POR-15 from the internals of the tank. I placed a flat bladed screw driver down the side and it seems to be able to scrape away very easily, which surprised me. My question is what would work to flush out the tank and reapply the POR-15. I have done a number of tanks with no issues, but I think the PO didn't take the proper time in the preparation, as I know it will take 2 - 3 days to complete the job.
Does anyone have any thoughts?


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Communities in Charge Survey, 2001-2003 [Alameda County, California, Austin, Texas, and Southern Maine] (ICPSR 4638)
Principal Investigator(s): McLaughlin, Catherine, University of Michigan School of Public Health
This three-wave survey was conducted as part of an evaluation of the Communities in Charge (CIC) initiative, a competitive grants program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). CIC provided funding and technical assistance to help communities design and implement new or expand existing approaches for supplying health care to the uninsured. Three of the 14 CIC sites funded by RWJF in 2001 were selected for the survey: Alameda County, California, Austin, Texas, and southern Maine. With CIC grant support, all three created programs that provided fairly comprehensive health benefits to low-income, uninsured participants, who were interviewed by the survey within three months of enrollment (Wave 1) and again at about six months and 12 months after enrollment (Waves 2 and 3). Conducted in English in southern Maine, English and Spanish in Austin, and English, Spanish, and Cantonese in Alameda County, the survey collected information on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health status, health insurance coverage, access to health services, and health services utilization. Additional topics covered by the survey include out-of-pocket spending on health care, unmet health care needs, and satisfaction with and opinions about health care. There are two data files for each wave, one with the data from the Cantonese interviews and one with the data from the English and Spanish interviews.
Access Notes
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions ; consult the restrictions note to learn more. You can apply online for access to the restricted-use data. A login is required to apply.
The data files are restricted from general dissemination for reasons of confidentiality. Users interested in obtaining these data must complete an Agreement for the Use of Confidential Data, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research. Apply for access to these data through the ICPSR restricted data contract portal, which can be accessed via the study home page.
Any public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
Study Description
McLaughlin, Catherine. Communities in Charge Survey, 2001-2003 [Alameda County, California, Austin, Texas, and Southern Maine]. ICPSR04638-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2007-03-01. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04638.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04638.v1
Export Citation:
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- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (038730)
- California HealthCare Foundation (00-4097)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: health insurance, health care, health care access, health care costs, health care delivery, health care services, health services utilization, health status, low income groups, program evaluation, poverty
Geographic Coverage: California, Maine, Austin, Texas
- 2001--2003
- 2001--2003
Universe: Low-income adult participants in the CIC programs in Alameda County, California, Austin, Texas, and southern Maine
There are different linking variables for the Cantonese data files and the English and Spanish data files. Use variable SampleID to link cases across the different waves of the English and Spanish interviews data. On the other hand, the Cantonese data files should be linked with the variable named "serial."
Sample: Participants enrolled during July-December 2001 in Alameda County, October 2001 to April 2002 in southern Maine, and December 2001 to June 2002 in Austin were included in the baseline Wave 1 sample. One individual per household was interviewed until the desired number for each site was reached. In all, there were 1,120 Wave 1 respondents: 472 in Alameda County, 348 in Austin, and 300 in southern Maine. Waves 2 and 3 attempted to re-interview everyone who participated in Wave 1 regardless of changes in their enrollment status.
Mode of Data Collection: telephone interview
Response Rates: Seventy-six to 93 percent depending on the site and wave.
Original ICPSR Release: 2007-03-01
Related Publications
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Darren McFadden will not return Sunday after leaving Oakland's game against Tampa Bay with a leg injury, and it's possible the Raiders will have to get by without their top running back for even longer.
McFadden suffered his injury on a second-quarter carry, then later jogged to the locker room. He had to go for X-rays, which came back negative according to FOX, but was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
It almost goes without saying that the loss of McFadden for any extended period of time would severely hurt their playoff chances. Mike Goodson picked up one carry in the first half for zero yards Sunday, and he will be asked to pick up the slack in McFadden's absence.
McFadden had more than 600 total yards over Oakland's first seven games, and he was coming off his best effort of the season -- 114 yards rushing and four catches for 23 yards against Kansas City.
The 25-year-old McFadden missed the last nine games of Oakland's 2011 season with a foot injury. The Raiders went 4-5 during that stretch, compared to 4-3 with McFadden in the lineup. The fifth-year back hasn't played a full 16-game season yet in his career, missing 19 games over his first four seasons.Michael Bush


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The East Point City Council announced that Reggie Taylor is the new East Point City Manager. Taylor was unanimously selected to hold the post and brings years of municipal experience from previous positions in Georgia as well as Illinois.
Taylor will succeed Siegfried Jones who stepped in and served as the City of East Point's Interim City Manager.
"I absolutely support [Taylor]," said East Point City Councilman E. Alexander Gothard, "and having a city manager will now allow us to focus on our long-term goals for the city.
Gothard added, "I am excited for the future of East Point. I am also very appreciative of the work of our interim city manger, Siegfried Jones. He stepped into a difficult role and performed well."
Prior to being named city manager, Taylor worked for the the Marietta Redevelopment Corporation, which he joined in 2008 as executive director. There, he was responsible for the management and operations of the corporation as well as administration of the city of Marietta's tax allocation districts, the Marietta fund for neighborhood and community revitalization and the quasi-organizational Marietta-Cobb New Markets Fund, Inc.
Professionally he has more than 10 years of urban planning, community and economic development as well as affordable housing experience. Before his appointment as the executive director of the MRC he served as a public service administrator with the state of Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, serving the northern stateline region.
Taylor is also a former two-term member of the Illinois Winnebago County board serving the citizens of District 12 from 2000 to 2004. While on the county board, he served as chairman of the legislative committee and a member of the public safety and economic development committees. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps.
As of his appointment, his name must be posted for two weeks and he will begin serving pending background and reference checks.


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- Mercedes news
Hamilton pace will 'shock' - Button
- Drivers:
- Jenson Button
- |
- Lewis Hamilton
Jenson Button believes Lewis Hamilton's pace will "shock" Mercedes once it gets the car to his liking.
Hamilton has struggled over one lap compared to Nico Rosberg so far this season, with just one pole position to Rosberg's three as he admits he isn't comfortable under braking. Asked in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport if he was surprised by Hamilton's lack of pace, Button said it was just a matter of time until his former McLaren team-mate was able to show his full potential.
"You have to be fair, he has at least collected significantly more points than Nico," Button said. "Lewis is incredibly fast, but for him it's the same as all of us; if he does not have the right balance in the car that suits him, and that he was used to for many years, then it is not easy. And of course Nico is also fast, but Lewis has not lost his speed. It is still there, he will come back and then he will shock you all."
With the Mercedes tyre test still to go to tribunal, Button was asked if he felt Mercedes had been helped by getting time on track with the 2013 car.
"Both drivers say no. You have to believe them otherwise they would be a liar if they did. So I believe them."


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Why is linear causality (pleasure or pain is caused by past actions and present actions will cause future pleasure or pain) deterministic? Would it be like being asleep, unable to appreciate the process of life?Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:The Buddha expressed this/that conditionality in a simple-looking formula:
(1) When this is, that is.
(2) From the arising of this comes the arising of that.
(3) When this isn't, that isn't.
(4) From the stopping of this comes the stopping of that.
There are many possible ways of interpreting this formula, but only one does justice both to the way the formula is worded and to the complex, fluid manner in which specific examples of causal relationships are described in the Canon. That way is to view the formula as the interplay of two causal principles, one linear and the other synchronic, that combine to form a non-linear pattern. The linear principle — taking (2) and (4) as a pair — connects events, rather than objects, over time; the synchronic principle — (1) and (3) — connects objects and events in the present moment. The two principles intersect, so that any given event is influenced by two sets of conditions: input acting from the past and input acting from the present. Although each principle seems simple, the fact that they interact makes their consequences very complex [§10].
To begin with, every act has repercussions in the present moment together with reverberations extending into the future. Depending on the intensity of the act, these reverberations can last for a very short or a very long time. Thus every event takes place in a context determined by the combined effects of past events coming from a wide range in time, together with the effects of present acts. These effects can intensify one another, can coexist with little interaction, or can cancel one another out. Thus, even though it is possible to predict that a certain type of act will tend to give a certain type of result — for example, acting on anger will lead to pain — there is no way to predict when or where that result will make itself felt [§11].
The complexity of the system is further enhanced by the fact that both causal principles meet at the mind. Through its views and intentions, the mind takes a causal role in keeping both principles in action. Through its sensory powers, it is affected by the results of the causes it has set in motion. This creates the possibility for the causal principles to feed back into themselves, as the mind reacts to the results of its own actions. These reactions can take the form of positive feedback loops, intensifying the original input and its results, much like the howl in a speaker placed next to the microphone feeding into it. They can also create negative feedback loops, counteracting the original input, much like the action of a thermostat that turns off a heater when the temperature in a room is too high and turns it on again when it gets too low.
Because the results of actions can be immediate, and the mind can then react to them immediately, these feedback loops can at times quickly spin out of control; at other times, they may act as skillful checks on one's behavior. For example, a man may act out of anger, which gives him an immediate sense of dis-ease to which he may react with further anger, thus creating a snowballing effect. On the other hand, he may come to understand that the anger is causing his dis-ease, and so immediately does what he can to stop it. However, there can also be times when the results of his past actions may obscure the dis-ease he is causing himself in the present, so that he does not immediately react to it one way or another.
In this way, the combination of two causal principles — influences from the past interacting with those in the immediate present — accounts for the complexity of causal relationships as they function on the level of immediate experience. However, the combination of the two principles also opens the possibility for finding a systematic way to break the causal web. If causes and effects were entirely linear, the cosmos would be totally deterministic, and nothing could be done to escape from the machinations of the causal process. If they were entirely synchronic, there would be no relationship from one moment to the next, and all events would be arbitrary. The web could break down totally or reform spontaneously for no reason at all. However, with the two modes working together, one can learn from causal patterns observed from the past and apply one's insights to disentangling the same causal patterns acting in the present. If one's insights are true, one can then gain freedom from those patterns.
From: Wings to Awakening by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Thanks / dhammapal.


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(LOL, I had to suck in my laughter when I read what you wrote Fatima. I wasn't even thinking about that! )
(So does that mean I should wait for Derek to post? ...I guess it would be helpful to get ino the cave first. This is going to be a long post since I'm trying to make it cohesive to the twilight mafia thread...long story. Just skim if you get lazy. )
"May I enter first? I could explore the cave while I'm invisible and come back outside." The new vampire spoke up as they were about to enter.
Matilda looked at the others for their judgment before lingering on Johanna. Even the Santiago's light seemed to stop moving to wait for them.
"There is no danger in the cave, but you may go in if you think that is best," Johanna said to the new vampire.
The girl seemed to ponder this a moment before declining and returning to her original place behind Matilda and the others. As they continued to walk through the cave, Matilda thought more and more about how quickly Christmas was approaching. Sure, she would spend Christmas with her family at the Volturi but she couldn't help but miss her own. Mabel, Charlotte, her mother...even Quintessa. Her eyebrows furrowed together as she recalled the first time they had met since they were both human. Suddenly, a familiar pale light caused her to tense as she spotted it pulsing from the corner of her eye. Matilda pushed it out of her mind. As much as she wanted to burst out of the cave altogether, they had an issue at hand--and unfortunately, her job as a guard came first.
Matilda's mouth pulled into a frown as she turned her attention back to the icy light in front of her. It seemed to be the only source of guidance that led the way through the dark, dark cave. Finally, it slowed and hovered over what seemed to be a pile of...holy crap.


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We triple-dog dare you to pretend you can't recall the iconic cinematic scene.
The northwest Indiana town of Hammond on Tuesday is unveiling a new statue immortalizing the character of Flick's fateful acceptance of a dare to put his tongue on a flagpole in the yard of Warren G. Harding Elementary School, the fictional Hohman, Ind. school featured in the classic holiday film "A Christmas Story," the AP reports.
"Hohman" was based on Hammond, the hometown of Jean Shepherd, whose childhood stories the movie was based on.
According to NBC Chicago, Scott Schwartz, who played Flick in the 1983 film, attended the unveiling of the bronze statue at the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority's welcome center located at 7770 Corinne Dr.
The statue was made by Rotblatt-Amrany, the company also responsible for the Michael Jordan statue at the United Center, CBS Chicago reports. The statue will also be a part of the center's annual "A Christmas Story" Comes Home exhibit, which this year is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the film and opens on Nov. 6.
Read more http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/29/christmas-story-statue-hammond_n_4175260.html?utm_hp_ref=chicago&ir=Chicago


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Fans' turn to pick Aaron Award nominees
Voting under way to choose club selections for hitting honor
By Mark Newman / MLB.com
Now you can help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the newest piece of major postseason hardware by starting the process of determining which two players should receive this as best overall performers in each league.
The first phase of voting is under way exclusively at MLB.com for the Hank Aaron Award presented by Sharp, with each club having three nominees. This is the seventh consecutive year that fans have had a voice in selecting the award winners, and your responsibility is expanded in the 2009 process.
Vote through Sept. 15 to determine the club nominee, and then vote in the second phase from Sept. 16-30 to select the winner in each league. The winners will be announced as always before Game 4 at the World Series, a tradition that annually includes Hammerin' Hank himself seated at the podium alongside the offensive stars.
There are even more incentives to vote this time. By voting in the first phase, you will be entered for a chance to win prizes from Sharp, including 46- and 40-inch Aquos LED-TVs and a Blu-ray Disc Player. By voting in Phase 2, you will be entered for a chance to win a trip for four to Game 4 of the 2009 World Series.
Last year's winners were Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis and Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez. There is much more ball to be played this season, but you can start narrowing down the list of finalists now. Do you go with brute-force power? Do you tip your cap to a .400 chase or a single-hitting legend? Will it matter whether the winners were slugging for contenders or is it strictly an individual thing?
American League candidates include such stars as Twins M&M sluggers Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau; Yankees newcomer Mark Teixeira; imminent MLB record-breaker Ichiro Suzuki of the Mariners; Evan Longoria of the Rays; breakout slugger Kendry Morales of the Angels; Miguel Cabrera of the Central-leading Tigers; and Aaron Hill of the Blue Jays. Yankees or Red Sox players have won it in this league five years running.
National League candidates include sluggers like apparent MVP front-runner Albert Pujols of the Cardinals; possible 50/30 trailblazer Mark Reynolds of the D-backs; league RBI leader Prince Fielder of the Brewers; league batting leader and MVP candidate Hanley Ramirez of the Marlins; Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres; Raul Ibanez and Chase Utley of the Phillies; and Adam Dunn of the Nationals.
"This award ... was bestowed upon me many years ago, and I want to thank the Commissioner for doing it in perpetuity," Aaron said. "The one thing I want to say about this award is that it goes further than just a ballplayer hitting and batting in runs. You look at this award and you say, 'What does it exemplify?' It exemplifies the fact that each one of these players meant so much to his team, not only hitting the home runs or batting in the runs, but simply manufacturing wins for their respective teams."
Aaron has been consistent in that message every year. His advice to you in voting is to think pretty much like MVP voters think -- except it's only about what happens when these candidates are in the batter's box. Offense only.
"For the last ten years, Major League Baseball has paid tribute to the spectacular career of one of our greatest players, Hank Aaron, through the Sharp presents the Hank Aaron Award," said John Brody, Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales & Marketing, Major League Baseball Properties. "The new voting process will give our fans an even greater voice in selecting the best offensive players of the year."
"We are excited to give fans more involvement in the selection of this award, with the expansion on the voting process for this important honor, said Judah Zeigler, associate vice president, Retail and Consumer Marketing, Sharp Electronics Corporation. "As presenting sponsor of this prestigious award, we look forward to the voting results as we recognize the most outstanding offensive performers in each league."
Past winners of the award include: Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa (1999); Carlos Delgado and Todd Helton (2000); Rodriguez and Barry Bonds (2001, 2002); Rodriguez and Albert Pujols (2003); Manny Ramirez and Bonds (2004); David Ortiz and Andruw Jones (2005); Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard (2006); and Rodriguez and Prince Fielder (2007).
A-Rod is tops on that list with four, followed by Bonds with three and Manny with a pair, but none of those three will be able to pad those totals in 2009. A-Rod, who missed more than the first month of the season, was not nominated by the Yankees, who list Teixeira, Jeter and Robinson Cano as your choices. Manny was suspended for 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance, and the Dodgers' nominees are Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Casey Blake. Bonds has not played since 2007.
Howard had 30 homers and 91 RBIs through Tuesday's action for the defending World Series champs, but he cannot add a second Aaron Award because the Phillies' third nominee besides Ibanez and Utley is Shane Victorino. You know you are having a great season when you have to leave Howard off your Aaron Award nominee list.
Not coincidentally, perhaps, the other team from the 2008 World Series also had to make a tough omission among its nominee list. The Rays' choices are Longoria, Carl Crawford and Jason Bartlett. That means the player who was leading the AL in home runs through Tuesday, Carlos Pena, will not be considered. Pena was weighted down by a .211 average, and Bartlett has been a steady face among MLB batting leaders.
It will be interesting to see if fans give Ichiro a shot at this award. He is not the first guy you think about when you think of Aaron. But like the Hammer, Ichiro is prone to make some offensive history. Within the next few weeks, the nine-time All-Star should reach the 200-hit mark for the ninth consecutive year -- something never done before in MLB's 133-year history.
Going into Tuesday night's game against the Tigers in Detroit, Ichiro had a MLB-leading 175 hits, putting him on the doorstep of replacing Hall of Famer Willie Keeler at the top of the list for the most consecutive 200-hit seasons. Ichiro and Keeler are tied now.
Also keep an eye on Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. He just missed out on 2009 All-Star recognition but became something of an Internet sensation during the dramatic Sprint All-Star Final Vote race won on the NL side by Victorino. Maybe Giants fans will pick up their campaigning where they left off then.
"Just to be nominated for an award that carries Hank Aaron's name is a great honor," Angels nominee Torii Hunter said. "He's one of the greatest players -- and men -- to ever play our game. He's what baseball is all about."
So you are entrusted with a major decision here, and take those words into consideration. It is time to celebrate a 10-year anniversary by deciding it all for yourself.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor for MLB.com. Lyle Spencer contributed to this story. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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COURSE: 26-303 Statistics for the Social Sciences (3)
This course covers the fundamental skills necessary for a complete understanding of statistics as a tool of science. Topics covered include data collection and organization, measures of central tendency, measures of variability, probability, correlation, hypothesis testing, t-tests, analysis of variance, chi-square and nonparametric tests. Prerequisite: 13-115 or equivalent. Offered: Every semester.


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These professional-grade 50-foot rubber water hoses are the highest quality and most colorful hoses that we've ever used. Naturally strong and durable, rubber garden hoses won't crush or kink like vinyl hoses, and they coil up easily even in cold weather. The hexagonal shape ensures a good grip. Crush-proof nickel-plated couplings for a secure, hassle-free fit.
(based on 161 reviews)
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Nice real rubber hoses.
By Robert
from Bend OR
About Me Master Gardener
Comments about : Colorful Rubber Hose:
You pay more for real rubber hoses because they should be expected to last almost indefinitely. I have some rubber hoses from the 1970's that are still going strong, so this is the material to look for if you are a serious gardener. I don't believe you can expect any hose not to kink, and these seem about average in that respect. I bought the blue and purple colors, and in 3 years in our desert climate, their colors have shown no sign of fading. It's hard to find rubber hoses in any color other than black or red these days, so if you are looking for a pleasant color, these are the way to go. Listed as out of stock at the time of this review, but worth searching around for.
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Was this review helpful? Yes / No
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Best Hoses Ever
By Gary
from Los Angeles
About Me Avid Gardener
The greatest thing about these hoses is they are naturally kink free and they stand up to the elements, especially sun. Also the connectors are solid and do not fall apart, like many hoses.
Most durable, highest quality, hose I have ever owned
By Eileen
from Corvallis, OR
About Me Getting Started
I have owned this hose for several years now, and unlike cheaper hoses it has not deteriorated at all. It is easy to connect such that there is no leakage at the connect point. I like the color, and have not been able to find another high quality hose in a color I like (I got mine in Purple before Purple became not available). I did find this hose harder to handle than other hoses, but it does not kink easily either.
wonderful product
By Sharon
from Inland Northwest
Spent far too many gardening seasons wrestling with the old hose that kinked multiple times during each watering. This hose kinks far, far less, and when it does, with just a gentle tug from where I am holding the spout, it almost always unkinks quickly. Plus, the purple color makes me feel so cheery.
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
Pretty and Productive
By Helen the Midwife
from Elmira, NY
I use this hose to water my flower beds. At first I kept it coiled in a basket, but it required a lot of untwisting. Now I have it on a wind-up holder, and it works better. I like the flexibility and color.
(0 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
kinks every time
By god
from new england
heavy duty but it kinks every time I try to use it
Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Merchant response: We are so sorry to hear about this reviewer's experience! Unfortunately, we were unable to find the original order with the information that was provided. We stand behind our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee on every product, so a quick call to our friendly customer service staff at 1-800-876-5520 will get this issue resolved right away!
Great hose
By Dog lady
from Charlottesville, Virginia
Got this hose to serve as supplement to my raised beds irrigation system and for use on the patio. Love the color(blue)and "heft" of the hose. I always argue with hoses when coiling and uncoiling them. The weight of this hose makes it a little easier to handle and keeps it from kinking as easily as others do. I also have a featherweight hose but I like this one best!
The Best Hose
By Laurel
from Danville, VA
I have never found a hose that is completely kink free but this hose comes closer than most. I also like the pretty color (I chose green)
(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
Great quality hose
By CK
from Bellevue, WA
This is a great high quality hose. We have high water pressure so our other hose bulged slightly when the water is on. This hose doesn't buldge at all and the hose wall is flexible even when the water is at pressure. The metal fittings are much higher quality that our previous hose and fit with the spiggot and the sprayer nozzle without any leaks (or previous hose leaked) they also haven't corroded at all (2 months). Definitely recommend.
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
A hose in the sun
By Hoser
from Sonoita AZ
Tried one of these and liked it so much I bought another!
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As I packed for this weekend's trip to New England this morning, I came to the realization that I've never been to Boston. I decided to sit down with the Fire's resident Boston expert, Millford Mass. Native Michael Videira to get his view of returning to his hometown, playing against his former team and learn a little bit more about our destination....
Jeff Crandall: Vito, thanks for joining me here at the gate inside O'Hare Airport. In your time with the Fire, I've noticed that you're usually the only one wearing short sleeves when it's cold outside. Today, sitting at the gate, you're the only player that has shunned the full tracksuit for the Fire-issued golf shorts. Are you trying to be different or just hot all of the time?
Michael Videira: (Laughs). Having grown up in the northeast I think I'm just conditioned for the cold. While some guys look like they're freezing, I feel pretty normal. Maybe it's a Boston thing.
JC: One former Fire player I remember always wearing short sleeves in the cold was Tony Sanneh. Any connection?
MV: Tony was a great player but I don't derive any inspiration in that way from him. I remember there were a couple games at the beginning of the season where it was cold. I always want to wear short sleeves but I usually will wear them with gloves. Our equipment guy Charles [Raycroft] won't let me do it anymore because he says it's not a good look. I disagree.
JC: How does it feel to be going back to your hometown for a game against your former team?
MV: It's definitely exciting. I haven't been back there to play in a while. It's going to be good to get back – see old teammates from my club and youth soccer days, former teammates with the Revs and a lot of friends.
JC: I had a higher than normal comp ticket request on Tuesday in Detroit. How much have you bugged [Team Administrator] Ron Stern to make sure all your friends are there on Saturday?
MV: I don't need too many comp tickets, at least that I know of right now. I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of requests probably tonight. A couple buddies will come for sure. It's usually a last minute thing, I'm expecting a barrage of calls the next 18 hours…
JC: You joined the Fire last year with your former Revs teammate Cory Gibbs. Another former teammate, Kheli Dube, signed with the Fire earlier this year… Do you guys ever reflect on your time in New England?
MV: It's funny because we talk about those old, memorable locker room stories. We talk different teammates and how the organizations compare and contrast. It's nice to have that sort of connection carry on in another club When these sort of ridiculous stories come up in a conversation with your new teammates, you have someone else to back you up with the stories you have.
JC: Could you enlighten us?
MV: I believe "Always on the Inside" should remain PG.
JC: Fair enough! What's your favorite Boston team?
MV: The Bruins, no question. I just love watching hockey. Its hard living in Chicago when you're rooting for a team in Boston. It was much easier there. In a lot of ways, the two cities are very much alike in the passion for their teams. You'd be hard pressed to walk into a bar in Chicago during a Blackhawks game and ask them to turn on the Bruins. It would be the same if the tables were turned in Boston.
JC: Aside from Massachusetts, you've lived in North Carolina, Scotland and Chicago. How's your Boston accent doing?
MV: Not great. I don't think I have a good Boston accent at all. I have a few words that some people would notice but it's sort of left me over time. One thing to note is that I've lost the word wicked since I've moved to Chicago… My other buddies that live in Boston won't stop using it and its wicked annoying.
JC: This was a wicked good interview, Mike!
MV: Oh man…


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As starters struggle, Cisnero strong in long relief
By Richard Dean / Special to MLB.com
HOUSTON -- A concern for the Astros has been the lack of innings they are getting out of the starting pitching. Entering Tuesday's game, six Houston starters in the previous seven games failed to pitch beyond the fifth inning. Three starters did not make it out of the first.
"We just got to do a better job of attacking the strike zone and minimizing our pitches per at-bat," said Astros manager Bo Porter. "There's an underlying theme there. If you attack the strike zone, you make the hitters swing the bat.
"From a pitching standpoint, the more people you put on base, the more opportunity the other team has to score. The deeper you get into counts, the more advantage it goes to the hitter."
In Monday's 7-1 loss to Seattle, right-hander Jose Cisnero made his Major League debut in relief and pounded the strike zone. In 3 2/3 scoreless innings, Cisnero allowed two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Of Cisnero's 47 pitches, 33 were strikes.
"Look at his stat line," Porter said. "He looked composed and in control. He did a tremendous job."
Cisnero was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday. Last season, Cisnero went 13-7 with a 3.70 ERA (148 1/3 innings) and 148 strikeouts in 28 combined starts between Oklahoma City and Double-A Corpus Christi.
"He has an explosive fastball, a plus changeup and he has secondary stuff that he can control," Porter said. "When you're able to throw three pitches for a strike and you can get a hitter with a change of speed and then also have a fastball that has late movement, you have a chance to pitch at this level."
Maxwell on DL after getting hit by pitch in hand
HOUSTON -- Astros center fielder Justin Maxwell fractured his left hand on Tuesday after being hit by a pitch in the third inning by Seattle pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Maxwell's spot on the roster will be filled by outfielder Robbie Grossman, who was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Grossman will be in uniform for Wednesday afternoon's game against the Mariners.
"He's been outstanding," Astros manager Bo Porter said of Maxwell. "Defense, big hits. We'll need other guys to step up."
"It's tough," said Bud Norris, who got the win in Tuesday's 3-2 victory. "He's a staple in center field. We'll miss his bat in the lineup and his leadership."
Maxwell was hit with the bases loaded and two outs, making the score 3-1. Maxwell, who is batting .234 with six RBIs, was removed between the fourth and fifth innings and replaced by Brandon Barnes, who will most likely get most of the time in center field.
"I've had things happen before," Maxwell said. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."
Grossman, a switch-hitter, was hitting .324 with 13 runs scored and a .452 on-base percentage in 19 games for Oklahoma City, going 9-for-22 in his past five games. Acquired from the Pirates in the Wandy Rodriguez trade at the Trade Deadline last year, he hit .267 with a .371 on-base percentage in 36 games at Double-A Corpus Christi.
Known for offense, Laird showing worth on field
HOUSTON -- Playing third base in place of Matt Dominguez on Monday, Brandon Laird made a couple of fine plays defensively at the hot corner.
Laird, who is known more for his hitting, was called up by the Astros last Thursday when slumping Brett Wallace was sent down to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Laird did not make the Astros out of the spring despite batting .328 in Spring Training. In 12 games at Oklahoma City this year, Laird was batting .353 with 14 RBIs.
Astros manager Bo Porter has started Laird at first base twice since being called up.
"He said they want me to play first, third, and want me to work in the outfield," Laird said. "Hopefully, pretty soon I'll see a couple of games out there. That's four positions. Any way to get my bat in the lineup."
Laird came up in the Minor Leagues as a third baseman and feels comfortable at first base, too.
"I want to show them I can play any position," Laird said, adding, "I know my bat's going to be there."
Laird gives Porter options. Porter said Laird would be in the starting lineup Wednesday, either at first base or designated hitter.
"He can play both corner infield positions," Porter said. "He can DH, he's had success against left-handed pitching. And we're going to give him an opportunity to get in the lineup at different stages."
Dominguez OK after taking game off
HOUSTON -- Matt Dominguez was back in the Astros starting lineup Tuesday. Dominguez sat Monday as a precaution after being hit on the left elbow by a pitch from Cleveland's Chris Perez on Sunday.
After being hit by the pitch in the ninth inning, Dominguez was removed from the game. An X-ray Monday showed no fracture to the elbow.
"He was actually fine yesterday," Astros manager Bo Porter said. "But a guy getting hit in the elbow and you have an opportunity to give him a day of treatment and an extra day, we just took advantage of that. Matt will be fine moving forward."
Dominguez was back at his regular position at third base Tuesday. He batted eighth in the lineup.
Worth noting
• Former Astros lefty Xavier Cedeno was claimed off waivers by the Washington Nationals. The Astros had designated Cedeno for assignment on Thursday.
• Entering Tuesday's game, Rick Ankiel had nine hits and five home runs in 38 at-bats with a team-leading 11 RBIs.
Richard Dean is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Bang & Olufsen BeoLab 5 Speaker
My first encounter with the BeoLab 5 was on an international audio-press tour of the Bang & Olufsen factory in Streuer, Denmark. It's out in quiet, flat, farm country something like the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. But our introduction was anything but staid. "Theatrical" would be a better description, since our initial listening preceded the usual technical seminars and was done with the speakers hidden behind a curtain.
Along with the neutral and decidedly unboxy sound quality and the ability to play really loud with considerable heft in the very clean and smooth-sounding bass, I immediately noticed that the stereo stage was conveyed with an unusually realistic depth and solidity, and that the image didn't collapse to one side as I listened from off center. In fact, I got a reasonable stereo image even while listening from directly in front of one of the speakers. I had encountered this phenomenon only a couple of times before, first in a speaker invented by Mark Davis and made by dbx in the late 1980s. Its claim to fame was an unusual radiation pattern designed to produce this wide-seating-area effect, so I knew that the BeoLab 5 was not a conventional box speaker. But it didn't sound like a flat-panel dipole or bipole model either, since the sound was clearly not coming from a tall source. It also lacked the sometimes excessive spaciousness you get with such speakers.


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The topic has been broached many times before at Siesta Key Association meetings, but new residents raised it again July 7.
Detlef Zimmerman, who, with his wife, Katherine, moved about two months ago to the Key from Switzerland, said everyone with a seawall in front of their home must be concerned about damage from the wakes of boats that do not comply with the "slow" signs in the canals.
The Zimmermans said they regularly call out to folks on fast-moving boats to ask them to lower those engine rpms.
"The ones who speed in the canals don't care," said SKA board member Joe Volpe. All anyone can do, he added, is take down the boat registration number, note the time of day and call 365-TAGS to lodge a complaint.
The state will send the offender a notice about the incident, Volpe said.
When the Zimmermans said they didn't believe enough "slow" signs are posted in the canals, Sarasota County Commission Chairwoman Nora Patterson said, apparently, restrictions exist regarding the number of signs that can be put up. Still, she agreed that more signs would be helpful.
Zimmerman said he thinks the public needs more education about boating regulations.
"I've been dealing with this for 11 years," board member Ann Kaplan said, especially as an advocate for manatee protection.
Adding that she lives on the Grand Canal, Kaplan said that because that canal is so narrow, "it's dangerous to do anything more than 'no wake.'"
When she served on the county's manatee protection committee, Kaplan added, she learned that plans called for changing all the "slow" signs in the canal to "no wake." She had not been on the canal in months, she said, "So I'm gathering (the signage) hasn't (been re-marked)."
Katherine Zimmerman said Kaplan was correct.
"Well, that's actually news to me," Patterson said.
When she had checked on the issue of "slow" versus "no wake" more than a year ago, she said, she was told that the canal could not have "no wake" signs.
"I'll get back to you on that," Patterson added.
When SKA President Catherine Luckner asked if anyone knew what the speed of a boat should be to comply with the "slow" signs, Patterson said she thought it is 6 mph.
Luckner then asked her boating vice president, Peter van Roekens, if he knew the speed. He elicited some laughter when he responded that, having had a sailboat, he never had kept track of the speed.
Patterson also pointed out that an adult in the state does not have to be licensed to drive a boat; only youth under a certain age have to take a safe boating course to be allowed legally to operate a boat.
Zimmerman told the group that a friend of hers had related to her an incident about a 52-year-old male tourist from New York who had come to the area and rented a boat. Her friend later saw him towing it on U.S. 41.
"The beer cans were falling off the boat" onto the road, she said.
Patterson noted that each of the county's municipalities on the water has a marine patrol officer, and the county has its own marine patrol. A minimum of $1 million a year goes to those enforcement efforts, she said.
Because the county has excellent resources in its U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Patterson said, the SKA could ask someone from the auxiliary to make a presentation on boating regulations at a future meeting.
As far as she knew, Kaplan said, the U.S. Coast Guard has just has one person responsible for all boating in Sarasota County. "So, good luck to us on (enforcement matters)," she said.
The day following the SKA meeting, I made a couple of attempts to reach the Coast Guard about the "no wake" speed and a couple of other matters raised at the meeting. The Washington, D.C., office referred me to the St. Petersburg office. I left a voicemail, but I had heard nothing by late that afternoon.
I also tried searching for the Coast Guard's public affairs office in Fort Myers. The computer search simply bombed out on that one.
Keep those doors locked
During the SKA's July 7 meeting, Deputy Chris McGregor, of the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, reported that since June 1, the Sheriff's Office has had 20 reports of thefts from vehicles on Siesta Key — the majority of them were unlocked vehicles.
Most of the victims lost loose change and electronic equipment, such as laptop computers and GPS systems, he said. The electronics end up at pawn shops, he added.
"We do have a suspect," he told the audience. He said an arrest was anticipated soon.
When Kaplan asked him if any home burglaries had been reported, McGregor said he did not know of any on the Key.
Now that the Fourth of July holiday is over, McGregor said, the Sheriff's Office is anticipating the usual lull until Labor Day weekend.
The holiday itself
Regarding July Fourth events, McGregor said the Sheriff's Office recorded just a "handful of arrests."
As for traffic after the fireworks show at the beach, he said, the rain late in the day cleared out a lot of the visitors before the show. All of the fireworks crowd was off Siesta within 90 minutes to two hours after the show ended, he added; in years past, that process has taken as long as four hours.
Kevin Cooper, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, said the VIP picnic and the fireworks show "went off without a hitch," except for the rain.
Contact Rachel Brown Hackney at [email protected].