text:
Before getting started, I just want to make something clear: despite the fact that my character is magical, she won't actually pursue a magical education. Therefore, any magic-related questions will be suppositions only, seeing as she'll never actually enroll in Hogwarts. Also, her favourite subjects and such won't be magical - instead, they'll be normal, Muggle subjects.
Name: Wendy Sommers
Birth date & age during story: May 23rd, 1980. 11 at the beginning
Basic Appearance: Slim, small, brown eyes, long black hair with a fringe
Parents: Jude Sommers and Lucy Sommers (deceased)
Parents Occupations, if employed: Jude is an accountant and Lucy was a lawyer specialized in Family and Business. They ran an office together.
Siblings, if any: None
Other known blood relatives, if any: Lucy's parents, who live in France and don't keep in touch anymore since Lucy's death; Jude's father, who lives in the town's nursing home
Pets, if any: None; Wendy had a goldfish once, but it died, because goldfishes rarely last more than a month.
Area of Residence: Ramsgate, Kent
Blood type [Muggleborn, Pureblood, Half-blood]: Muggle-born
Hogwarts House [and why]: If she went to Hogwarts, she would be a Ravenclaw
Best school subjects [and why]: Maths, Science, History, PE.
Worst school subjects [and why]: French, Music
Interests: Reading, swimming, camping
Internally Damaging Traits [Negatives/Weaknesses that mainly affect the character]: Too stubborn, follows something else just because she thinks it's more important than what she really wants.
Outwardly Damaging Traits [Negatives/Weaknesses that mainly affect others]: Due to her quietness and awkwardness, she tends to come off as too cold.
Internal Positive Traits [Strengths within the character]: Focused, has a clear head
Outward Positive Traits [Strengths in dealing with or affecting others]: Kind, worries about others
In Depth Magical Metaphors
What would your character see if he/she looked in the Mirror of Erised? She would see herself standing with her parents.
What would their Boggart be? Her father, dead.
What would their Animagus form be? N/A
What would their Patronus be [keep in mind the Patronus represents a protector or guardian to the character, rather than their own personality]? N/A
What scent would the character get from Amortentia? The smell of the sea and the smell of the earth
What memory would they relive in the presence of a Dementor? Her 10th birthday, the one she last spent with both her parents.
In Depth Relationships
How does your character act around his/her friends? Wendy, despite being quiet, actually has a very bubbly personality. As the years pass, her quietness tends to disappear and only show itself when something is wrong with her or when she doesn't know the people she's with very well, but other than that, she is a lot of fun to be around, and she quite enjoys gossiping with her girl friends.
How does your character act around teachers? When Wendy is learning, she is learning. Around teachers she is focused, obedient, and interested.
How does your character act around his/her parents? She acts normal. She enjoys going out for walks with her parents, even if it's just to the grocery store, but she tends to spend her nights alone, reading, watching tv.
How does your character act around his/her enemy? She doesn't like to get into confusions, so she tends to ignore him/her.
Is your character in love with anyone [or have they ever been]? Other than a few small crushes, she's never been in love.
How does your character express platonic love, if at all? As was stated earlier, her quietness often leads her friends to believe she is cold. She's not a very 'huggy' person, and she doesn't tend to call any pet names to her friends. Overall, she only expresses platonic love on rare occasions.
How does your character express romantic love, if at all?
How would your character react if he/she would be betrayed by his/her best friend? She would be hurt - so hurt she wouldn't even talk to the person anymore, not even to find out the reasons behind the betrayal.
In Depth Personal/Emotional
How does your character react under pressure? When upset? When angry? When under pressure, Wendy will try hard to come up with solutions, but she'll never be able to come up with the perfect one, because it will just elude her. When upset, Wendy closes in on herself and doesn't want to talk about it, opting instead to deal with it alone. When angry, Wendy's neck will get very red, and she'll start screaming at whoever/whatever made her angry in a high-pitched voice.
What makes your character angry? I.e., what are his/her buttons? Injustices.
How does your character react to teasing? How much does he/she get teased, and if so, how is it meant? She gets teased, but in a friendly way, so she just laughs about it. Wendy was never an object of bullying.
What hurts this character? What penetrates so deeply that it makes him/her want to cry (regardless of whether he/she actually does)? Her mother's death. She was young, but not young enough to not know what was happening, so that really affected her. Also, tv shows and movies. And books.
How does your character handle his/her own emotions? Are they controlled? Bottled up? Obvious? Is he/she a loose cannon? Bottled up.
How does your character handle other people's emotions? Does he/she feel awkward? Comfortable? Does it depend on the person? She's a very awkward person.
In Depth Personal/Biographical
What was the character's childhood like? It was a very happy childhood. Despite the occasional demonstrations of oddness (magic), Wendy always fit in well with her friends, and she was always loved by her family.
What major traumas did the character have to go through, and how did they deal with it? Only her mother's death. She accepted it, but decided to go into medical researching because of it, in order to help whoever gets as sick as her mom as well. Oh and one time, she went camping with some schoolmates and, when trying to fall asleep, she heard a lot of noise and thought she would get eaten by a bear, but it was just one of her schoolmate's dog, who had followed them.
Did anything happen that drastically changed the character's personality, subconscious or not? No.
Which events in the past define your character's personality? (trauma's etc...) None.
Do they have trouble talking about their past? No.
In Depth Personal/Moral & Ethical
Does the character follow the same actions or have the same beliefs as his/her parents and/or family? Kind of. Her parents don't really care much for religion, but since her private school requires her to take religious classes, she ends up having those beliefs.
How does your character feel about the political situation in the time-frame of your story? At first, and since she 'gave up' the magical world, she has no idea about it, but when she gets captured by Death Eaters, she ends up knowing all about it, and obviously doesn't really like the way things are.
Would your character identify more with the cause of the Death Eaters or the Order of the Phoenix? The Order of the Phoenix.
How strong is his/her conscience? Strong enough.
What is their stance on Marriage? Adultery? Like all girls, she's always dreamed of getting married. Adultery to her is a no no.
Stance on the Unforgivables? She's not sure.
In Depth Personal/Future
If still in school, what is their career ambition? She wants to be a medical researcher.
What other career/business goals/aspirations do they have? Secretly, she would much prefer being an archaeologist or an historian.
What social/relationship goals do they have? She just wants to find true love.
What internal/personal goals do they have? She wants to 'avenge' her mother's death.
What do they wish to accomplish before they die? She wants to cure cancer.


text:
By Douglas B. Reeves
When I ask people to tell me the imperatives for effective systemic change, one of the most frequent responses is that "you have to get buy-in from all the stakeholders." I would like to challenge that notion.
Elected policymakers, such as school board members, often are expected to listen to a wide variety of opinions, but they are not compelled to agree with all of them. What community members need are leaders and policymakers who will listen and also challenge us. Don't ask us to buy in to your ideas for change; challenge us to envision a future that is better than today.
Challenge us to consider improvements in our educational systems that will happen only if we replace the skepticism associated with the buy-in imperative with the hope and optimism associated with new ideas, practices, and policies.
How do we replace the stagnation of buy-in with the hope for effective change? Education leaders must consider three new ideas for improving practice and policy.
Subscribers please click here to continue reading. If you are not a subscriber, please click here to purchase this article or to obtain a subscription to ASBJ.
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Copyright © 2018, National School Boards Association. American School Board Journal is an editorially independent publication of the National School Boards Association. Opinions expressed by this magazine or any of its authors do not necessarily reflect positions of the National School Boards Association. Within the parameters of fair use, this article may be printed out and photocopied for individual use, provided this copyright notice appears on each copy. This article may not be otherwise, linked, transmitted, or reproduced in print or electronic form without the consent of the Publisher. For more information, call (703) 838-6739.
American School Board Journal. The Source for School Leaders.1680 Duke Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, USA (703) 838-6722
© National School Boards Association

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cowlishaw: Bad idea for UT to snoop around NFL for its next head coach
My guess all along was that once Mack Brown was gone, the search for his replacement at my alma mater would go poorly. The hunt is underway. And the Texas Longhorns have done nothing to suggest I was wrong.
I don't pin it on new athletic director Steve Patterson that all these NFL head coaches are being listed as candidates. I really don't think Patterson is the one putting the names out there. But I don't doubt that someone tied to the university — maybe even members of Patterson's eight-person search committee — thinks the NFL ranks are where this search begins.
Specifically, I think that's the case with Jon Gruden being portrayed as interested in the Texas job … without Gruden ever actually saying a word about it.
The whole pursuit is built on the notion that "this is Texas, by gosh, and we have more money to spend than anyone so we'll settle for nothing but the best." And it's a terribly flawed way to go about looking for a coach.
Remind me of all the successful NFL head coaches who have gone back into the college ranks and won any sort of championship. Go ahead. I've got a minute; take your time.
You know who comes to mind when I think of this approach to hiring? Bill Callahan at Nebraska. Yes, the beleaguered Cowboys offensive coordinator had his day in the sun with the Oakland Raiders (after taking over a team built by Jon Gruden) and somehow landed in Nebraska.
In four years there, he produced a pair of losing seasons (the first one being the first in more than 40 years) and he gave up 76 points to Kansas without being in Allen Fieldhouse. I think he won an Alamo Bowl in there somewhere during his 27-22 run before getting his $3 million buyout and moving on.
In the case of San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh, I get the interest. His success at Stanford is very recent, and he has excelled in the pros. But what makes someone at Texas think he leaves the 49ers and jumps at the opportunity to have his own show on the Longhorn Network?
Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, also rumored to be a candidate along with Baltimore's John Harbaugh and the Eagles' Chip Kelly, said it best. "I think once you're exposed to football at this level, you realize there's only one bowl game — the Super Bowl. The rest of that stuff is nice trips and sweat suits and watches."
No man enjoys a good sweat suit more than me, but Tomlin's right. Even though there are some NFL jobs I would trade for a shot at a major university (Jacksonville and Buffalo come to mind), you don't cash in your Super Bowl chips for one.
It's especially true in Tomlin's case. The Steelers aren't going to the playoffs, and he got hit with a $100,000 fine for nearly tripping Baltimore's Jacoby Jones. But Tomlin works for a franchise that has had three head coaches in 45 years. Compare that stability to Texas where you aren't really certain whether to suck up to the AD, the regents or powerful boosters to keep your job.
And, yes, there are college coaches taking their turns at expressing their lack of interest in UT. From UCLA's Jim Mora: "It's flattering. I think it says a lot about our program and the direction we're heading."
Jim, it probably says more about your agent's ability to get your name tossed into the mix.
There are good, logical candidates for Texas to pursue. One is right up the highway in Waco. But can Texas bring itself to acknowledge that Baylor got something right and that Art Briles could win even bigger championships than this year's Big 12 in Austin?
Louisville's Charlie Strong makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. If there is a desire to hire a black coach to compete with Texas A&M's Kevin Sumlin for this state's prized recruits, he fits the bill. If race is viewed by those in charge as irrelevant, that's fine, too. He just happens to be an excellent and experienced coach.
Strong won 11 games each of the last two seasons and won the Sugar Bowl last year. If he can do that at Louisville, what might he accomplish at Texas?
But will Texas be OK making the logical hire of Briles or Strong and not convincing the world it just used all of its admirable financial power to hit a grand slam?
I have had my doubts. And as long as there remain hints that the school is snooping around the NFL for its next coach, this thing is going in the wrong direction.
Follow Tim Cowlishaw on Twitter at @TimCowlishaw.


text:
Great Smoky Mountains > Clingmans Dome > Climber's Log
Clingmans Dome Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|hardly a climb
Date Climbed: Mar 29, 2007
|and i could barely see anything. this was actually my 2nd visit to the mountain, the first being when i was a year old (got solid photographic evidence). spent the night in the mt. collins shelter.
|Posted Oct 4, 2009 5:10 am
|super easy summit
Date Climbed: Jul 30, 2008
|Jones family reunion with Cousin Mark and my Pops
|Posted Sep 17, 2009 2:45 pm
|from parking lot
|completed the short hike with mom, an enjoyable jaunt.
|Posted Aug 31, 2009 9:21 pm
Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2009
|I had a lot of fun climbing to the overlook tower with a couple of young nephews who found more joy in scaling every rock face that lined the paved walkway than the views from the top.
|Posted Aug 30, 2009 7:03 pm
Date Climbed: Oct 15, 2007
|I hate that there is a road to the top! We went to Charlies Bunion first and then walked up the paved path to the summit. It would be a lot better if there weren't so many people up there!
|Posted Aug 29, 2009 1:10 am
|"Smokies" Bear
Date Climbed: Jul 10, 2009
|Even in the clouds and fog it was still a great place. About 49 degrees on top in July was nice, especially if you're from Texas. Saw a Bear on the way down too!
|Posted Jul 14, 2009 4:05 pm
|Part Of A Hiking Trifecta!!!
Date Climbed: May 23, 2009
|I summited Clingmans Dome, Mount Love, and Mount Buckley all during the same hike. Clingmans Dome was my second State Highpoint of the day (Sassafras Mountain was the first), and my 34th State Highpoint reached overall.
|Posted May 26, 2009 8:48 pm
|Easy way up
Date Climbed: May 18, 2009
|With my 2 year old son and parents. Unseasonably cool. Fantastic views from the gaudy concrete structure at the top.
|Posted May 23, 2009 3:35 am
|"Hiked" to the summit
Date Climbed: Aug 9, 2008
|Man that paved half-mile "hike" was tough. Wish I had my rollerblades, that would have been a funny sight.
|Posted May 16, 2009 1:07 am
|Always foggy?
Date Climbed: Mar 10, 2009
|Came up on it after cutting over from Chimney Tops. It was super foggy and could not even see the ground once in the dome. we did a 19 mile hike round trip to get there too!
|Posted Apr 16, 2009 11:10 pm
|freeze out
Date Climbed: Jan 7, 2007
|i had ice in my shoes
|Posted Jan 27, 2009 1:56 pm
|Ted Eliason
Date Climbed: Mar 4, 1995
|I wish southerners would stop putting observation decks on their high points.
|Posted Jan 16, 2009 7:00 pm
|2nd times the Charm
Date Climbed: Nov 5, 2008
|This is my 2nd time up. The first time was on a backpacking trip in the smokies which yielded no view because the weather was so bad I could only see about 20yards. This time, even though I took the drive up, I could see the whole way to Mount Mitchell. Bummer I can't get to it's summit because it is closed for "construction".
|Posted Nov 27, 2008 12:16 pm
|Took the high road
Date Climbed: Jul 28, 2005
|Cheated and took the road, but hiked the steep path for about a mile. Nice views, even with the fog.
|Posted Nov 4, 2008 4:08 pm
|Busy busy busy
Date Climbed: Oct 26, 2008
|Probably won't be a busier day until...maybe Memorial Day. Everyone enjoying the last gasp of summer, with pleasant temperatures - borderline t-shirt weather. Interestingly, Americans seemed to be vastly outnumbered by international visitors.
|Posted Oct 26, 2008 8:49 pm
|As a kid
|with my family
|Posted Oct 3, 2008 6:47 pm
|Walked up on a cold day
Date Climbed: Nov 5, 2006
|We were driving through the NP and decided to see if the road was still open and this was the last weekend it was that season. I cannot pass up a chance to see any mountain view and take a picture so off I went. It was chilly, windy and almost no one was there so I felt like I was on top of the park; very pretty 360 degree views! I actually hiked very near here 26 years ago but didn't finish the trek up to the Dome.
|Posted Sep 24, 2008 10:39 pm
Date Climbed: Aug 30, 2008
|I was expecting a USGS marker somewhere but never saw it. Not a bad place.
|Posted Sep 1, 2008 4:28 pm
|HP #12 - from parking lot
Date Climbed: Jun 10, 2003
|I (with my wife (Tracy) and son (Alex), then almost 3 yrs old) did this as part of our second family HP trip.
Here's another mountain that I need to climb for real someday.
|Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:03 pm
|Carried my 80lb son
Date Climbed: Aug 4, 2008
|In the parking lot I saw the paved trail and kept my flip flops on. My son (7 years old, 80 lbs, asthma) had just woken up and was grumpy. He didn't want to hike the trail so I gave him a piggy back ride. What a workout! I had no idea the trail would be that steep in places. I carried him all the way up the tower and had sewing machine legs all the way down. My first highpoint.
|Posted Aug 11, 2008 7:29 am


text:
Hello! Does anyone have good suggestions on tools that check for broken links? My company's web site is hundreds of pages, and is quite outdated, so I would like to check for broken links.
Free is obviously preferred. And if it is hosted (ie. I submit our URL on the web, and a report pops up in browser), even better. But let me know what you all use!
There is the W3C link checker, I've not used it myself so can't say how good/bad it is.
That one will check the links on one page at a time. With the Xenu link checker installed on your computer (its a free download) you can check an entire site containing hundreds of thousands of pages with one call instead of having to check one page at a time.
You could also use free version of Advanced Link Manager, great tool...
try http://www.it-india.com/check-broken-links/
use broken link checker in iwebtool
it helps you to check broken link
Another free widget -http://www.websitegoodies.com/tools/linkcheck.php
If you're using a Mac, Integrity (http://peacockmedia.co.uk/integrity/) works pretty well.
I am using W3C link checker and it's really good to check broken links.
You can try this :linkchecker.sourceforge.net
As Felgall recommended - the Xenu linkchecker is very good for checking a whole site.
To do instant checks on individual pages I use the FireFox addin LinkCheck - it highlights all the good links in green, the broken ones in red.
u can check exactly in webmaster tool also
you can download Xenu and this is good software that you can check so many thing as well as broken links.
Following is the site where you can find the solution of your problem step by step.
How to Find and Remove Broken Links in Your Website


text: I should add here, since I'm recommending the Sena/earphones solution that I've never listened to the Sena speakers. I have no idea if they're any good or not. I have the Cardo G4 and the SRC installed in a couple of helmets and the sound on those is pretty good considering environment. I bought the Sena expressly for using with ear phones and haven't looked back.


text:
Abundant snow won't relieve drought conditions
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (AP) — With all the snow in parts of Minnesota, it seems surreal to think more than 80 percent of the state is in a severe or extreme drought.
Climatologists say that most of the snow will run off into rivers and lakes next spring because of the frozen ground, which doesn't do much for the dry soil.
Department of Natural Resources experts say the drought is affecting Minnesota's wildlife. In a state wildlife management area near Detroit Lakes, a beaver lodge is empty because water levels have dropped significantly. Wildlife supervisor Blane Kelmek tells Minnesota Public Radio News the family of beavers probably moved to a larger pond or lake, making them vulnerable to predators.
The drought conditions have also reduced food sources for many animals, including black bears.
Read more Wednesday in the Pioneer.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.


text:
Sophomore QB has Pilot Point off to fast start
PILOT POINT — When it came time for Pilot Point to recover from a disappointing 2011 season, the team's offense was placed in the hands of a sophomore who didn't have his driver's license, a kid who went winless in five starts as a freshman.
Last season, quarterback Travis Garrett was asked to fill in when necessary — a prescription for a team plagued with injuries. He was one of five freshmen on the field in Pilot Point's humbling 60-7 loss to Whitesboro in the season finale.
This year, with Pilot Point back in Class 2A after a short stint in Class 3A, Garrett and the Bearcats have put last season's woes well behind them.
This year's team already has surpassed the number of wins (two) from 2011, as its sophomore quarterback has led it to a 3-0 start.
"Last year he was nervous — he was real nervous," Bearcats wide receiver Mason Richey said. "But this year I think the nerves have gone away. He's more confident in his game, and more people need to trust him in order for him to feel good. I think he feels comfortable now."
In the past two games, it seems he's been comfortable when Pilot Point needs him to lead the offense in the fourth quarter.
Two weeks ago against Lindsay, he led the Bearcats down the field for two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 33-24 comeback victory against the Class A school. He only threw the ball six times and had two completions, but he ran for 213 yards two rushing touchdowns.
Last week against Sanger, he was needed late in the game again. Once again, he delivered.
Pilot Point trailed by one point late in the game and needed to drive 97 yards for a touchdown. With help from running back Tristan Jurecka and Richey, he took the team down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard run with 1:09 left.
The 6-0, 170-pound sophomore said that with everybody playing their roles, he hasn't had to bear any unnecessary burdens.
"I think it's not just me that has pressure; it's everyone that has pressure," Garrett said. "A bunch of the older people take pressure off of me by doing their job, and that's pretty much how I picture it. If everyone does their job, I don't have to stress about doing anything extra."
Coming into his own
Last season as a freshman, when most kids are on the junior varsity squad, Garrett was asked to help a varsity team in the midst of a daunting district schedule. Quarterback Aaron Buckingham was repeatedly suffering injuries, and Pilot Point head coach Rob Best moved Garrett into the starting role to fill in for Buckingham.
Garrett had come to Pilot Point from Bartlesville, Okla., in eighth grade as a running back. He got to Pilot Point and then played quarterback in his final year of middle school.
Last season, Pilot Point lost all five games he started. The fact that eight starters missed a combined 32 games last season didn't help.
The young quarterback took the struggles in stride.
Occasionally in practice, kids jokingly gave Garrett a hard time when he slipped up. But he knew it was all in good fun because the team felt like a close group of friends.
"Nobody looked down on me as a freshman," Garrett said. "Everybody was on the same level as a team."
Bearcats defensive back/wide receiver Austin Trinklein is one of 13 seniors returning from last season — a contingent wanting to end their high school days with a playoff run that was absent from last year's campaign. Trinklein said that with Garrett as the full-time starter, things feel much better than they did in 2011.
"I think we feel safer with him at quarterback," Trinklein said. "He's gained our confidence, from scrimmages, practice and all that."
Garrett has racked up 399 yards on the ground in three games, surpassing the 150 rushing yards he had last season. Garrett's head coach said the team's three wins have helped the young quarterback mature.
"Leadership happens through confidence and success," Best said. "He's experienced some success, so he's gaining in confidence. Also, the other players around you have to recognize your skills and be willing to follow. Being a leader is one thing, but you have to have followers, too."
Best is quick to note that his quarterback needs to improve in throwing the ball and not committing turnovers. Richey said Garrett has the tendency to drop his head and take his mistakes harshly before the team's senior leaders come over to cheer him up.
"He needs to improve on all kinds of things," Best said. "He's playing very well. I think he can improve his play exponentially. The physical skills are there; he just needs to continue to work on his fundamentals every day."
Back to the playoffs
When Garrett turned 16 on Tuesday, he was as nervous as he had been before any football game.
Garrett wasn't being tested by opposing defenses. He was being tested for his driver's license.
"If I did fail it, everyone would be like, 'Oh my gosh, you failed your driving test,'" Garrett said.
He ended up scoring a 98 on the exam, with two points possibly being deducted because he overshot a turn. He did, however, nail the parallel parking portion of the test.
As he walked up for his picture, he wore a broad smile across his face. The woman who took his photo told Garrett, "Try not to look so excited for your picture." He ended up staring sternly into the camera.
When the Bearcats travel to face Aubrey on Friday, Garrett will continue working on the task of leading a team with three state championships back to the playoffs.
"It's a big deal to be that young and to be the quarterback, especially for a Pilot Point football team with all the tradition here," Richey said. "I'm proud of him. He's done pretty well so far."
BEN BABY can be reached 940-566-6869. His e-mail address is firstname.lastname@example.com .


text:
Professional Development Opportunity Detail Page
Previous Page | New Search | Browse All
|Physical Science Modeling Workshop in Dallas TX
|Greenhill School
|Science Department
|Opportunity Type:
|Modeling Workshop
|Teacher Status:
|Teacher Level:
|Middle School
High School
|This workshop is for high school and middle school teachers who want to create student-centered, active-inquiry classrooms. Open to any 8th/9th grade teacher interested in Modeling Instruction in physical science or integrated physics & chemistry (IPC).
Content: Matter and Energy (Units 1 to 3 of physical science modeling materials)
Peer leader: Kay Fincher, science teacher at Amarillo High School
Time: 8am to 4pm MTWRF. Two 15-min breaks with refreshments plus an hour break for lunch offsite. Numerous fast food locales are within 5 minutes of campus.
For questions on registration, ask Jeff Funkhouser:
To exemplify effective instruction, this workshop is taught using a robust pedagogy, Modeling Instruction, developed at Arizona State University. Content is reorganized around basic models to increase its structural coherence. Participants are supplied with course materials (resources) and work through activities alternately in roles of student and teacher.
The Modeling Method is introduced as a systematic approach to the design of curriculum and instruction. The name Modeling Instruction expresses an emphasis on making and using conceptual models of phenomena as central to learning and doing science. Using models and modeling in science education is recommended by NSES, AAAS Project 2061 and state K-12 science standards.
Student activities are organized into modeling cycles that engage students systematically in all aspects of modeling. (A modeling cycle is described at http://modeling.asu.edu/modeling-HS.html.) The teacher guides students through each modeling cycle, with an eye to improving the quality of student discourse by insisting on accurate use of scientific terms, on clarity and cogency of expressed ideas and arguments. After a few cycles, students gain skill at conducting scientific investigations without excessive prompting from the teacher. The main job of the teacher is then to supply them with more powerful modeling tools. Lecturing is restricted to scaffolding new concepts and principles on a need basis.
* aligned with Common Core Math Standards and ELA.
* includes all 8 scientific practices of NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education.
* addresses multiple learning styles.
* addresses naive student conceptions.
* collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking.
* systems, models, modeling.
* coherent curriculum framework, but not a curriculum; thus flexible.
* compatible with Socratic methods, Core Knowledge, project-based instruction.
* science & math literacy.
* authentic assessments.
* high-tech and low-tech options for labs.
Click here to learn more about the Modeling Instruction Program and the American Modeling Teachers Association (AMTA) or visit http://modelinginstruction.org/teachers/workshops/ to find information on Modeling Workshops nationwide and strategies to seek funding (if needed) to participate.
|Start Date:
|End Date:
|Application Deadline:
or until filled
|Opportunity Website:
|Application Link:
|Sponsor Link:
Benefits and Requirements
|$450 (includes membership in American Modeling Teachers Assn)
|Professional Development/CEU
|Benefit Explanation:
|A Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza is next door to campus that provides rooms at $99/night if Greenhill is mentioned and there is availability. Ask for reduced rate for extended stay.
For these hotels, ask if they have a discounted Greenhill School rate. Ask also for a reduced rate for extended stay.
* Fairfield Inn (near Greenhill School; bkfst)
* Comfort Inn (bkfst)
* Homestead Studio Suites (has shuttle service)
* Homewood Suites (bkfst & buffet dinner)
|Other Prerequisites:
|One semester of college-level physical science.
Professional Development Opportunity Contact Information
Nicholas Park
Science Department
4141 Spring Valley
Addison, TX 75229
Phone: 972-628-5636


text:
King Kutter
Rear Tractor Blade - 7 Ft.
This item requires special shipping.
Total shipping cost is $ 160.33.
This item is shipped directly from the manufacturer.
King Kutter 7 Ft. Rear Tractor Blades are designed for value added performance. Uses include road grading and maintenance, landscaping, snow removal, cleaning livestock pens and much more. They are constructed of durable 1/4" thick by 14" high moldboard specially formed to roll dirt and prevent drag. The cutting edge is made of high carbon steel and is sharpened on both edges for double use. These rear blades feature a unique, reinforced, tubular frame for added strength. Each unit has five forward and five reverse angular adjustments for maximum efficiency.
- Width: 7'
- Approx Ship. Wt: 290 Lbs
- Hitch Category: Cat 1
- Adjustments: 5 Front & 5 Rear
- Features:
- 5 Forward & 5 Reverse Settings
- Parking Stand
- Special Formed, Fixed Moldboard
- Reinforced, 3-Point, Tubular Frame For Extra Strength


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A new report warns that doctors should not prescribe psychiatric medication to healthy people who use them as "cognitive enhancers." On the PsychCentral website, Rick Nauert writes:
"Researchers from the Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) led by Dr. Eric Racine base their recommendation on the professional integrity of physicians, the drugs' uncertain benefits and harms, and limited health care resources.
"The study report is found in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
"Currently, prescription stimulants and other pharmaceuticals are often used by healthy people to enhance concentration, memory, alertness and mood, a phenomenon described as cognitive enhancement. However, they are generally only approved for use to treat actual mental illnesses and psychiatric disorders, like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
"'Individuals take prescription stimulants to perform better in school or at work,' said Racine, a Montréal neuroethics specialist.
"Experts say the prevalence of cognitive enhancers used by students on university campuses ranges from 1 per cent to 11 per cent. Authorities warn that taking such stimulants is associated with risks of dependence, cardiovascular problems, and psychosis.
"'Current evidence has not shown that the desired benefits of enhanced mental performance are achieved with these substances,' explains Cynthia Forlini, first author of the study and doctoral student in Racine's research unit. 'With uncertain benefits and clear harms, it is difficult to support the notion that physicians should prescribe a medication to a healthy individual for enhancement purposes.'" (Read more here.)
What do you think? Should "smart drugs" be prescribed to people who don't suffer from a psychiatric condition?
If you're interested in learning more about "neuroenhancing" drugs, read Margaret Talbot's excellent article in the New Yorker, here.
DON'T MISS: How Technology Impacts Our Kids' Brains
Read the original article on The Brilliant Blog. Copyright 2012. Follow The Brilliant Blog on Twitter.


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My son and I found him in a hedge. We have no idea what he is. Thx
It is the caterpillar of a sawfly, perhaps gooseberry sawfly.
That name actually covers several species (including other genera, such as Arge and Tenthredo).
Here's one species - Nematus ribesii - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nematus_ribesii.
There's a photo of the adult on that page, too.
But yours has a pale (not black) head, so it could be birch sawfly, Arge pectoralis - http://bugguide.net/node/view/449538/bgimage.
Thank you very much for that ID Mike.


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Debris Month of Action – It's a Wrap?
September's Debris Month of Action was a month chock full of underwater cleanup and data reporting activity. To date, more than 130 committed AWARE leaders reported data from the underwater trash they found last month. In total, data was reported from 160 Dive Against Debris surveys held at 90 locations around the world.
For those who submitted valuable data and those about to report, we salute you! In the meantime, what happens to all the information you collect on underwater trash? Why does Project AWARE care how many tires, fishing nets, plastic bottles and weird debris items divers find down there?
First, there is no Dive Against Debris without your data. If we're going to help change waste management policies, we need data that paints a true picture of debris beneath the surface. We can't do it without the involvement of citizen scientists like you.
And rest assured, your data didn't vaporize after submission or disappear into a big black hole of lost information. We have it in hand and we're hard at work to bring about the next stage of Dive Against Debris.
This is still a new program and a new way to analyze data for meaningful results. So once testing phases end this year, we'll begin to visualize the data you submit online, and place it on a map so that we can all begin to see what data we have and where additional data is needed most.
In the meantime, please keep Diving Against Debris and sharing your feedbackwith us. This is not just an event held in September – you and your dive buddies can Dive Against Debris anytime, anywhere. In fact, our ocean depends on it.
Join the ranks of dedicated divers around the globe. See what it takes to Dive Against Debris today. Start here, with this informational guide.


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Discussion in 'College Tennis Talk' started by IlliniSky, Feb 14, 2011.
Time to rebuild. Starting to look ugly.
A little credit to The Golden Gophers is in order. When healthy, they've only lost to top 10 teams (only one loss outside top ten).
Stacking doesn't work against The Golden Gophers as they can go 7 or 8 deep and still compete.
When I was at the U of M, we never lost to anybody other than Michigan. Everyone has their day and Minnesota is on the rise.
Yeah, I didn't mean to take anything away from the Gophers' win. They are definitely improved this year.
In an interview, Dancer says;
"We don't stay calm. We don't execute. We lose control. We are very disappointed. We have got to rebound."
Isn't it the coaches job to calm the players down and stay in control?
"Clearly the coaches have to do better and reach each individual player a little bit more. Our guys have to play smarter and tougher and the coaches have to figure out what's not happening to make it work better than today's match."
Figure out what? The season is over. The team's streak of 20-win seasons is over, we're going to fall out of the top 20, we are not going to be hosting the regionals and we only have one more game in the regular season, and you think we need to figure out things now?
At this rate, Illinois will be hosting the 2013 NCAA championships and watching from the sidelines. Has this ever happened in the history of NCAA tennis? What an embarrassment.
Based on recent results, I don't see the stack. I think you are getting a bit irrational on the subject of Illinois tennis. I understand the disappointment, but your posts are just becoming one rant after another.
Yeah, maybe you're right. I'll come back when I can rationalize what is going on with the team.
not so loud, bro! clarkc thinks only the top 2 on any team can compete!!!
Actually, I think stacking is quite clearly against the rules. But, I think what constitutes stacking isn't simply the number next to a name, i.e., just because one player's ITA rank is higher than another player's doesn't mean it's a "stack" to place the lower ranked player higher IF the lower ranked player can actually beat the higher ranked player or be very competitive with him.
So, let's say Nos. 3 and 4 get some decent individual tourney play during the fall season and earn an ITA rank. Then they play some dual matches against highly ranked teams who also have ranked 3 and 4 players and they perform well, thus solidifying their rank. But, then let's say, No. 4 starts to play bad, maybe loses a set in practice to No. 5 (or loses an actual match). If No. 5 can actually beat No. 4 (even if he doesn't always do it), I don't think it's stack to put that player higher.
Likewise, you see highly ranked teams with their top 3 players all ranked in the top 30 or 40 and they'll all switch around a lot because they are all competititive. Also, not stacking.
Stacking is when the clearly superior player is placed lower and the lower player is placed higher knowing that he has no chance at winning. Stacking involves purposely throwing away matches so that other matches can be won.
Anyone know the technical rules.
For example: Ohio State putting Van Engelen at 3 when he routinely loses or struggles against lesser opponents, while 4-6 blaze through.
I think we all agree that stacking is against the rules. I don't think Illinois stacked in the Minnesota match. KU, Kalmanovich and Hamui have played higher than Souza the whole year. The only issue would be with Hoh playing 5. From what I have seen lately, I think Hoh was playing better. I admith this is debateable. I thnk Dancer has been looking for more out of the 5-6 spot the whole year. Souza, Hoh and Abdelnour have switched in and out of those spots. Typically, Souza and Hoh have played more than Abdelnour. While Souza probably has played more matches at a higher spot than Hoh, the question really goes to who is playing better. By the way, was anyone at the OSU-IU match? OSU won 5-2 but I think that is a good result for IU.
There is a rule for stacking, a couple of years ago, Northwestern forfeited a match against Wisconsin that they had won 4-3 because of stacking. As a result, Wisconsin won 4-3.
Didn't Wisconsin itself also get a match forfeited because of stacking in the past few years?
Out of curiousity, does anyone know how stacking rules are determined/enforced?
Bluetrain, I know it was the Wisconsin-Northwestern match. I may be wrong on which team was forfeited. In regards to the enforcement of the rule, the coach of the other team files a protest which is then ruled on for interpretation. Unfortunately, I don't know who rules on the protest. It sould be the ITA officials at the match or the conference. I think Woodrow is a college official. He can give us the answer.
1) I am not one of those who thinks stacking is OK.
2) Stacking is against the rules.
3) When I see allegations that a certain player should have played several spots higher in the lineup, but the scores indicate he struggled to win in three sets down where he played, then I don't see the stacking.
4) ITA rankings are heavily influenced by fall play. Some players miss the fall entirely, while others have one hot tournament in the fall that pumps up their ranking but then play at their normal level the rest of the season. You cannot insist that the lineup follow ITA rankings. KU Singh would have to play #6 for the whole spring just because he missed the fall season.
I think only the top 2 on any team can compete? Care to cite any posts of mine that say that?
The only thing that raised my eyebrows when I saw the box score was Hoh playing 5 and Souza playing 6. Notice that Hoh won the first set and Souza lost the first set. At that point, I wonder if anyone was still thinking that a stack was going on? Sure, Hoh then lost in 3 and Souza won in 3, but assuming that Minnesota's #5 is better than their #6 this does not indicate that Souza is definitely playing better than Hoh right now. Looks like they are about even.
If Souza had breezed through in straight sets while Hoh lost in straight sets, we would all be in agreement that the lineup looked fishy.
It is subjective. Players are supposed to play in order of "ability" per ITA rules. There are specific clauses that you cannot claim that a player is returning from injury so he is playing several spots down, etc. When he is healthy, he goes back to his spot. Not healthy, don't play him yet. Players cannot change more than one spot in the lineup from one match to the next.
If an opposing coach protests before a match, both coaches present their arguments to an ITA official. The official then has to make a judgment call based on the evidence from this season, weighted towards more recent results. Because of the subjectivity, most ITA officials are not willing to force a lineup change unless a distance of more than one spot is obviously involved and the decision does not look that close. As a result, rather minor stacking flies under the radar. Egregious stacking (#4 player is playing #1 today because "he has been winning in practice") will be overturned.
Teams can move their lineup up or down one spot; however, the order still needs to be based on order of ability.
If one team is protesting the line-up, then the coach tells the head referee on-site that they are playing the match under protest. The referee/umpire has NOTHING to do with lineup enforcement except to read the rules in question. The officials on-site do not make any decisions regarding validity of the lineup. After the match, the protesting coach files a protest with the NCAA if a non-conference match, or with the Conference office if it is a conference match. It is handled from their.
I wish they would have enforced stacking rules when I was in high school. Two years in a row we got stacked on by the team that beat us and went to state. One year it was so bad that our 1st and 2nd singles players both won 6-0,6-0 and were competing to see who would win their match first.
right here buddy!
Vandre, do you really think that "no team can survive injuries to their top two players" says the same thing as "only the top two players can compete"? Surely you cannot be that stupid!
Dancer continues to struggle to put a team together. KU Singh apparently has decided to leave to try the tour or who knows what, and Brian Alden has transferred to Florida State. With three seniors gone, this leaves only 6 players on the team, including the two new freshmen coming in.
What is it about Dancer? Why do these players continue to quit on his program? I've heard he has a bit of an overbearing coaching style and nitpicks every point. Since the great Tiley era, he has continued to drag the Illini down. We host the NCAA championships in 2013 but it's starting to look like the Illini will be waiting tables instead of playing on the stage. Time for a new coach?
The attrition is pretty remarkable at Illinois. I have absolutely no inside knowledge of why the players are leaving, but it does not make the coach look good.
Florida and Illinois do seem to be the worst schools about transferring
Let's say there is a bit of urgency in recruiting now for Illinois, to say the least. With 6 players on the roster, I think recruits are being sought for January admission. The top two players in the spring, Nevolo and Kalmanovich, are seniors, and the next two (Hoh and Abdelnour) are juniors. A big influx of high quality recruits has to occur in the next 12 months to keep this program from slipping into mediocrity (and I don't mean mediocrity by Illinois standards, which they are already achieving, but middle-of-the-conference mediocrity).
ClarkC, I understand your viewpoint but I can assure you that the staff is on top of the recruiting. I also don't know for sure that Singh will not be back. I think he is playing some tournaments in India for the fall semester. Alden was not going to crack the singles line-up and he knew that. I have also heard that they are looking at a couple of really good players for January as you mentioned.
I also think it hard to complain about the team when no matches have been played yet. Heck, as of earlier today the schedule was not posted. Illinois is hosting a tournament in Chicago in a couple of weeks and that will include Notre Dame, Alabama and someone else. While I understand that the one poster wants better results I don't understand his annimosity to Dancer. It just seems like the poster has a personal issue with Dancer over something he has not explained.
One thing that is not as well publicized is the fact that the University is not giving as many preferential admissions to the tennis team as had been given in past years. For example, Jean Anderson was not admitted by Illinois but then admitted to Texas on a faxed transcript. Singh's issues getting into the school are also well documented.
Getting back to recruiting, the staff has two very good recruits verballed for next year and Illinois is also in the mix for two more highly rated recruits. I guess I just think we should wait until matches are played and then rate how the season went. I am going to try and not post many responses on this thread because i know I will not change anyone's mind and I don't want to get into an internet argument over the topic.
Ona side note, I am going to the Open for the first time this weekend. I will take pictures and try to post them.
While it is hard to say exactly how good the team is when no matches have been played, it is possible to say right now that the roster attrition has been among the worst in the country. I think that is what has a lot of the Illini fans upset. (Note that I am an outside observer, a Virginia fan, and it is not an emotional topic to me.)
Another question is whether Illinois is recruiting at the level of Dennis Nevolo lately. After Nevolo graduates this year, you don't want to have a roster of 6-8 good players, none of whom look like they belong in the top two spots in the lineup. If Singh does not come back, I don't think that lower blue chips and higher five stars will have Illinois competing at the level they expect when Nevolo and Kalmanovich are gone.
1. Singh has been taken off of the roster on the official site. I heard on another site that he left. But he might be back? Where did you hear this?
2. Who are these "couple of good recruits" that they are looking for in January? Where do you hear this?
3. As for the issue with Anderson, Dancer doesn't seem to have very much backing from the university does he?
4. Alden won't be missed much. He's at a school more his level now.
5. You're right about not changing my mind about Dancer. He can't keep players on the team. It's become a very obvious and disturbing trend. Why do these players leave? We have great facilities, we're in one of the top conferences in the country, we are one of the greatest tennis programs in the B1G, and we are hosting the NCAA championships in 2013. But Dancer can't get the top ten recruits and he's losing the ones he finds. Illinois hasn't won the B1G since Tiley left and the rankings are droping further each year. And you're wondering why I have animosity towards him? Is it that hard to figure out?
Folks, off-topic a bit (and my apologies in advance for that) but I have an Illinois Tennis Nike shirt w/tags that secretly made its way into this Big East alum's (and husband of a Nittany Lion) closet.
Will let it go if anyone's interested..
On a positive note...
The Daily Illini has this great article on junior Bruno Abdelnour.
Observing from a distance, it seemed to me that Abdelnour was improving rapidly at the end of last season. If that continues, it will be a big boost to Illinois' chances for a good season.
KU Singh shows up in the ITA Preseason Rankings at #100, but they list him as being from Georgia. However, the Georgia 2011-2012 roster has been updated and does not list Singh.
Please let that be an error. If Singh transfered to Georgia I am going to be p***ed.
There needs to be some list that tracks all the transfers. Cause a lot of players do it and I tend to find transferes about midway through the year that I was unaware of. Like "Hey I didin't know he transferred"
Aoba, I will see if i can find out what is going on with KU. I had not heard anything about Georgia, but anything is possible. His facebook page still says he lives in Champaign. Georgia and Georgia Tech have updated their webpages and he is not listed for either school. He also was not on the list for the ITA All-American. At the very least, he would have made the qualifying with that ranking. I had heard he was taking off the fall because with the upcoming tournaments near his homeland in India and Asia he wanted to try and earn some points. My source could be wrong but he is usually right about these things. ClarkC is right about January positions. From what I am told, Illinois, Stanford and a couple of other schools are looking at some January players. I don't follow Stanford too much but I can't remember any past January enrollees. As a side note, if anyone gets a chance to attend they should go to the U.S. Open.
Thanks Lefty. Appreciate the news when you get it.
A poster called "sectennis" posted on the UVa tennis board that K.U. Singh will miss the fall and begin playing for Georgia in January.
But I thought that players sitting out the fall season are not ranked yet. If Singh is not playing this fall, what's he doing in the rankings?
I'm guessing Dancer didn't handle his injury well last year.
The only way to atone for this is to bring in 2 or 3 good players in January. There is no way we have a chance at anything with the bare minimum of players on the roster. And 2 of those being freshman. And who knows if the ones he brings in are any good? It has become very hard to keep the faith with this situation.
Very Upbeat Article Interviewing Illinois Assistant Coach
The Fighting Illini Invitational starts today and The Daily Illini interviewed some of the Illini about the start of the season. Not one word is mentioned about losing two players and the assistant coach Marcos Asse says the Illini are "bigger, badder, and better."
Tried sending questions to official site, facebook site, the Daily Illini; nothing. We always find out when a basketball player gets a hangnail but it's like pulling teeth to find out what happens with the tennnis players. :neutral:
At the Olympia Fields Country Club Fighting Illini Invitational, the Illini did fairly well. They finished 10-6 in singles and 1-3 in doubles. Dennis Nevolo (4-0 singles, 1-1 doubles), Stephen Hoh (2-2 singles, 0-2 doubles), Bruno Abdelnour (3-1 singles, 0-2 doubles) and Tim Kopinski (1-3 singles, 1-1 doubles) participated in the tournament. Nevolo was named most outstanding player. Roy Kalmanovich and Ross Guignon did not participate.
The Illini will take part in the Baylor Invitational and the Virginia Invitational starting Friday.
It's also pretty much confirmed that Singh has transferred to Georgia. Illinois now down to the bare minimum of 6 players. Let's see what Dancer can pull out of his hat.
Also, Illinois' two recruits for next year, Jared Hiltzik and Alexander Jesse have both been moved up to blue-chip status. Hiltzik is currently No. 16 nationally and No. 2 in Illinois. Jesse is currently No. 28 nationally and No. 1 in Wisconsin.
purdue can take them
Since Illinois' record all-time against Purdue is 93-10-1 and they have won the last 21 meetings, if Illinois falls that far and loses to Purdue, I will give up tennis and move on to curling or tiddlywinks or something.
Well, it's confirmed that Singh is gone. He is a Georgia Bulldog now. Good luck to him for the rest of his college career. It will be interesting to see what Illinois does now.
Sure hope no one transfers out in January.
It's entirely impossible. They're on the edge as it is now. Maybe we can establish a pipeline to Serbia like Florida has to France.
I'm sure Dancer will come up with something. I was surprised when Kalmanovich came back last year (didn't know what to expect with him) so Dancer probably has someone lined up to join the Illini in January.
The Illini certanily don't hide from pain. They're headed to the Virginia Invitational this weekend. The Cavaliers beat the Illini three times last year, including a complete thrashing in the Sweet 16 at the NCAA tourney. You have to say one thing for Dancer; he likes to play the best. That's one thing I like about him.
Separate names with a comma.


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San Francisco Giants 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 0: All-Star night for Giants
Melky Cabrera showed why he should be an All-Star.
Cabrera belted a solo home run in the fourth inning, and that's all the Giants would need as they shut out the Dodgers for the second consecutive night. It's the first time since 1987 the Giants have posted back-to-back shutouts against the Dodgers.
Earlier Tuesday, it was announced that Cabrera slipped out of the No. 3 outfield spot in the latest All-Star voting.
Ryan Braun has 3,168,617 votes, just 122,733 votes ahead of Cabrera, the closest margin between two All-Star candidates for a starting spot.
Buster Posey continues to lead at the catcher spot with 3,335,982 votes, 216,452 votes ahead of the Cardinals' Yadier Molina.
At third base, David Wright (2,687,818) leads the Giants' Pablo Sandoval by 464,549.
Posey went 2 for 4 with a double in the Giants' win Tuesday, and Sandoval 1 for 4 with a double and an RBI.
Cabrera is lock to be selected to the NL All-Star team as a reserve if he doesn't win the voting. Posey also stands a good chance, given that usually three catchers are picked. And with third base being a bit thin this season in the NL, there's a chance Sandoval could earn a selection.
The Giants were on the road when in-stadium balloting ended last Friday. They are home now, but all the voting is being done online through 11:59 p.m. Thursday.
But Giant fans have always been electronically savvy, so maybe that can swing the vote. MoreSplashHits has voted 50 times (25 times on two different emails).


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Cubs minor league recap for 6-22
Boise got their second win in as many nights winning 6-4 on Friday. Lead off hitter Gioskar Amaya went 4-for-4 with two RBI's and run scored on the night. Jeimer Candelario hit his third home run of the season, a three run bomb in the first. Eduardo Gonzalez had the other RBI on the night as he went 2-for-4 at the plate. Matthew Spencer got the win as he pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Rafael Diplan pitched a good 2.1 innings and Bryce Shafer recorded his second save of the season.
Peoria was back in action on Friday dropping the game to Quad Cities 5-3. Jose Rosario pitched well early, but took the loss as he pitched 7.1 innings and gave up four runs on six hits while striking out three. The Chiefs got all their scoring in the fourth when Paul Hoilman hit a two-run homer and Yasiel Balaguert had an RBI double. Javier Baez went 1-for-4 with a run and a stolen base and Dustin Geiger had double and run scored in the loss. Peoria will be back in action tomorrow looking to get their first win of the second half.
Daytona got another well pitched game as they won 3-1. Winning pitcher Frankie Del Valle was unhittable as he pitched six perfect innings and struck out 11 Clearwater batters on Friday night. Tony Zych recorded his sixth save of the season pitching a perfect ninth. The Cubs got the scoring started in the first on a Greg Rohan two-run homer. He now has 12 home runs and 60 RBI's on the season. Rebel Ridling and Arismendy Alcantara each had two hits and Alcantara had an RBI in the win. Another positive note on the evening was that Matt Szczur played in his first game since coming of the DL and got on base three times as he had one hit and drew two walks.
Tennessee just could not get the bats going on Friday as they lost to Jacksonville 2-0. James Adduci and Junior Lake were the only two Smokies to record hits on the evening. On a positive Dae-Eun Rhee pitched well in a loss. He allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings of work. Casey Harman threw a nice inning as he struck out two batters in a perfect eighth.
Iowa blitzed Round Rock on Friday scoring three runs in the first and seven more in the fourth as they won 12-2. The Cubs offense was the story as Alfredo Amezaga, Anthony Rizzo, Josh Vitters, and Juan Apodaca all had three hits a piece. Rizzo must missed hitting for the cycle as he did not hit a homer tonight, he also had three RBI's. With Vitter's three hits he raised his average to .287. Brett Jackson hit his ninth home run of the season, he also walked twice and score two runs on the evening. The offense was very good, but the pitching was pretty good as well as Chris Rusin got his sixth win of the season. He gave up two runs on seven hits in five innings. Jay Jackson threw well out of the pen striking out three in three innings of work.
It was a good night for the Cubs minor league system going 4-1 on Friday.
Thanks for Reading,


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The Los Angeles school superintendent is demanding an explanation how movie prankster Sacha Baron Cohen was allowed to do a publicity photo shoot at Birmingham High School, wearing not much more than a paper cup as a jockstrap and pretending to sexually abuse a prone football player.
Cohen apparently had school permission to pose with the Birmingham Patriot football team for an upcoming publicity campaign for his second major release, "Bruno," where he portrays an over-the-top gay fashion journalist.
The Daily News reported that photos of Cohen's character will appear as a part of a racy GQ magazine photo shoot with him wearing a shiny, form-fitting swim trunks, and an attached external athletic cup, working out with students in full uniform, the Daily News reported.
One of the photos features "Bruno" in a sexually-suggestive pose with a high school student, in uniform, doing pushups, the paper reported.
"I hold the principal and the athletic director accountable, and I have asked the local district superintendent to take appropriate action,'' said Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Ramon Cortines, in an interview with the Daily News.
District officials told the newspaper that principal Marsha Coates and Athletic Director Richard Prizant were aware of the photo shoot.
"Permission was obtained from the athletic director, who is the school's point person for Film L.A. Ultimately, the principal is responsible," Jean Brown, the local district superintendent for schools in the West San Fernando Valley area of the district, told the Daily News.
"Bruno" is scheduled to be released in theaters July 10. As part of the publicity buildup for the movie, Cohen appeared on the MTV Movie Awards May 31 in a similarly revealing costume.


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PHOTOS: Sen. Scott Brown promoted to colonel
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was on hand Wednesday to promote Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) to colonel in the Army National Guard in a ceremony at the Capitol. Brown's family, top military brass and nearly 20 Senate colleagues looked on.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) greets various military officers after Sen. Scott Brown's promotion ceremony. (Photo: John Shinkle/POLITICO)
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When I got the opportunity to review 150 Best Donut Recipes: Fried or Baked, I jumped on it! When the book came in the mail, my husband was like "DONUTS?! What do donuts have to do with fashion?!!" I exclaimed, "Donuts can be fashionable! Somehow..." Okay, well maybe donuts can't be fashionable, but we can MAKE them fashionably... Allright, maybe not that either.... but for crying out loud, at least they were YUMMY! I corralled my brother in law into helping me make the donuts since … [Read more...]
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Put 400G Ethernet on the Fast Track
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A new standard is being developed that addresses growing backhaul bandwidth concerns. Let's hope it gets done quickly.
A lot of excitement is brewing in the electronics industry about the so-called Internet of Things and the huge market opportunity it represents: 50 billion devices connected by 2020, according to some estimates. But add that traffic to the dramatic rise in wireless networking and entertainment streaming, and you have a problem. The backhaul infrastructure is going to clog unless something is done, quickly.
The potential for a clogged network is no surprise to some. Last year's "IEEE Ethernet Bandwidth Assessment Report" spelled things out clearly. The report expects a 100-fold increase in network traffic by 2020, requiring networks to support up to 10 Tbit/s. The report concludes that the network will need 400G link speeds (or their equivalent in parallelism) as early as 2015.
With the need thus clearly spelled out, the IEEE has begun the first steps toward creating a 400G Ethernet standard. A 400G study group was formed in April this year and has already had its first meeting. The next is set to occur in July. The meeting materials from the first study group gathering are now online.
Clearly there is a great deal of work to do in defining a new standard, not the least of which is determining the underlying architecture. Will the link use ten 40G lanes in parallel? How about four 100G lanes? What makes the most sense in terms of implementation cost and complexity?
One of the arguments made in the presentation, "Scalable 400GbE Architecture" by Ali Ghiasi of Broadcom, is that adopting the approach of sharing the 400G PMD (physical medium dependent) sub layer with 100G Ethernet links could help speed deployment of the technology. The approach is similar to one taken in leveraging 10G Ethernet to implement 40G.
Ghiasi estimated that there has been a four-year lag in the ramp-up of 40G and 100G port shipments. A similar lag in 100G to 400G shipments would push the volume deployment of equipment out beyond 2020 -- much later than the Bandwidth Assessment report estimates it will be needed. Following the 4x100G approach could speed the process, Ghiasi stated.
There are alternative suggestions on the table. One possibility is to use a 4x25G structure for installing 100G ports, and then use a 16x25G structure, technically feasible today, for 400G. Or perhaps an 8x50G. The 10x40G approach seemed to be favored by the attendees.
Whatever approach finally gets settled on, it seems essential that the choice be made with a strong bias toward what is within the grasp of today's technology (no breakthroughs required). The need to increase capacity rapidly is beginning to become pressing, and the industry needs a clear standard on which to build. 400G Ethernet needs to be on the fast track.
For the moment, anyway, it seems to be. In the pre-meeting materials for the July gathering is a strawman Project Authorization Request (PAR) for development of a 400G Ethernet standard: IEEE 802.3bs. Completion and approval of the PAR are the next steps needed in the run towards 400G.
What are your thoughts about 400G Ethernet?


text:
Matrox Graphics Inc. today announced the availability of PowerDesk for Mac, a new desktop management software for Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) used with Apple® Mac systems. PowerDesk for Mac improves how—and where—windows are arranged, making it easier to use multiple applications on a Matrox DualHead2Go or TripleHead2Go multi-monitor set up.
The PowerDesk software—which comes with an easy-to-use interface for setting supported GXM multi-display modes—offers time-saving features that eliminate the need to manually position applications on a multi-monitor configuration. With a keyboard shortcut you can move windows between monitors while maximizing a window to fit a single display. In addition, the Dock can be dedicated to the bottom left, center, or right hand side of your preferred external display.
"PowerDesk allows multi-taskers to comfortably manage numerous applications across many monitors," states Caroline Injoyan, Business Development Manager, Matrox Graphics, Inc. "By quickly cycling through and re-sizing windows, desktop space can be organized so you can focus on the task at hand, whether it's to complete a work project or simply perusing your latest photo albums while surfing on the web."
Availability The PowerDesk for Mac software is available for download on the Matrox website. For additional software information, visit PowerDesk for Mac.


text: I seem to have lost my favorite square ruler. I can not find it anywhere. Between wrapping and presents under the tree and baking and cooking and working on the sewing for my last runner it has disappeared. I wanted to do some cuttting and try a new block today, but not without my ruler darn it!!!


text:
Before mankind even existed, the Arthrox were already navigating around the galaxy. The Arthrox are a biomechanical race in Kalypso's new Legend of Pegasus coming out on PC the 14th of this month. This space game utilizes both real time and turn based elements. While planet colonization, planet infrastructure, and military creation happens in a turn based manner; battles will be decided with a combination of tactics and skill.
The Arthrox were once the defenders of their creators, "The Forgotten." After the parent race mysteriously vanished, the race has lost part of its direction. War broke out and they found need to defend their planets from these other alien races. Infighting from within their own tribes is tearing the species apart. They have for so long lived in harmony with the universe with a symbiotic connection with the planets they inhabit. What will be in store for the Arthrox in the future?
Check out the video below, pick up the game on the 14th, and answer the question on your own.
Historian, teacher, writer, gamer, cheat master, and tech guru: follow on Twitter @AndrewC_GZ


text:
Hi guys,
I need to group search results. while I can use "Group By (column_name)", my problem is when a search result is returned how to see what rows are within a group so i can do smomthing like:
we found 5 matches in group A, click here to see all
how you have you done this? can you pelase give me some ideas?
select count(column_name) as found ...
thanks, but i know this. My problem is when say I get 5 rows within a group, how do I then do something like this?
x matches found click here to seee all
x is the number of rows found
hope i make myself clear
perhaps post the query/code, not entirely sure what you want.
ok, i'll explain again:
lets say i have a table with these values:
id | price1 | 202 | 203 | 204 | 30
so I have a sql statement count(price) and group by price, this now returnscount | price3 | 201 | 30
my question is what is the best way to show the individual rows within each group like in this format:
Found 3 rows with price 20 click here to see all rows (if clicked will show all 3 rows that have price 20)
Found 1 row with price 30 click here to see all rows
Slightly different example but I believe it still achives what you want (just change the table and field names to suit - you would need to add any required WHERE clause).
The table and sample data:
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `members` (
`id` int(11) NOT NULL,
`member_type` varchar(20) NOT NULL
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=latin1;
INSERT INTO `members` (`id`, `member_type`) VALUES
(1, 'New Member'),
(2, 'New Member'),
(3, 'New Member'),
(4, 'Junior Member'),
(5, 'Junior Member'),
(6, 'Junior Member'),
(7, 'Junior Member'),
(8, 'Senior Member'),
(9, 'Senior Member'),
(10, 'Senior Member'),
(11, 'Senior Member'),
(12, 'Senior Member');
The script (quickly put together and not tested at all):
// database connection stuff here
, COUNT(*) as number_of_members
$result = mysql_query($escaped_sql);
while ($row = mysql_fetch_assoc($result)) {
echo "There were $member_count member(s) found for membership type '$member_type'.
<form method='get' action='script_that_displays_the_members'>\
<input type='hidden' name='member_type' value='$member_type'/>\
<input type='submit' value='View Them'/>
</form>View them";
Use the count query to get table two above, use php to create links for each row, pass the price in the link, use a where query to get all rows for that price. Is that what you mean?
,COUNT(*) prices
my_table t
t.price) p
my_table t
p.price = t.price
The other solution is to eliminate the subquery and count the number of number of rows per price in PHP. In either case your going to need to format the result set on the application side. So I would run a simple select for everything then handle the aggregate calculations on the application side while parsing the result set into a price => rows pair. You could also do as hash said and run the count query then a query for each individual row that pertains to the given price.
SpacePhoenix, the less code you write, the less errors you have.Try to think of mysql_real_escape_string use in your code. And usefulness of other code too. I bet OP has his table with data already.
oddz, you don't need such a query. There can be huge amount of data. And we do not know, what type we well need. So, if you want scalable application, it must be done with different queries.
ma201dq, make a hyperlink.
It was an example for the OP on how to do it, instead of mysql_real_escape_string on a live site they would use prepared statements. How do you suggest the OP does it?
There is no use for mysql_real_escape_string, nor prepared statements in this code.Why not to learn PHP a bit?
Shrapnel_N5, I suggest that you get some better glasses. If you had read ma201dq's original post (quoted above) you would have seen the it is to do with search results which might well mean the use of a form where the user selects something to search for that means user input and user input should never be trusted, hence the use of mysql_real_escape_string or preferably prepared statements.
Too much words.Try to run your code once at least.
Fewer words: Security, never trust user submitted data including search parameters. It's not rocket science.
You've a lot of proper words, but not a bit of understanding what does it mean There is no connection between your words and your code.Yes, there may be use of escaping. And even with no user input at all. But, of course, not in the way you wrote it. I wonder why don't you want to read mysql_real_escape_string page in documentation or at least run your code (with printing out mysql_error() added to it) to see actual result of it.
@Sharpnel_N5 What is SQL injection?
Space, you don't escape the query, only the variables, try your code to see results.Perhaps more obvious with this
SELECT 1 WHERE name = 'hash'
That's getting funny
Ok, I made a mistake. For a live site I would use prepared statements anyway as mysql_real_escape_string does not always make a query safe.


text:
The page protectors that are compatible with this album are:
SEI 6 x 6
I ordered 2 of these for my girls for Christmas so that they will have their own scrapbook stuff. They are the perfect size and I LOVE the band part...it will make it so much easier to add too for them! The color is very pretty and will be just right for them! All in all I think it is a wonderful product!
When I received this scrapbook I was not sure what it was going to look like but when I received the book it was perfect. This was a perfect scrapbook for kids to do for their friends. There is not alot of pages and it is small.
The name of this album series--"Preservation Series"--is extremely misleading. This album is essentially a notebook, with a soft cardboard cover that could easily get bent, torn, or soiled. Because of the low cost, it would be OK for a child's first scrapbook or for a school project, but certainly not to preserve precious memories. The description of this product needs to state clearly that the album has a "notebook-style" or "cardboard" cover.
I bought these albums for my end of year class scrapbooks--I make a book for each student with photos from all year
They serve the purpose very well and I know the children will love them
As I do it for a whole class (of17 preschoolers) the price was right especaily with the discount
This was my first order and I have already ordered again
I which I had ordered more! ! ! !


text:
The ad tech space is one of the most confusing industries around. To get some insight, we recently spoke with Traffiq CEO Nick Pahade.
He talked about his company, the future of the ad tech world, and why the recent merger between Donovan Data Systems and MediaBank is such a good thing.
What is Traffiq doing differently then everyone else?
We've evolved the business to being an end-to-end media management workflow platform that allows for you to execute big campaigns across guaranteed display, real-time video, paid search, mobile video, and social. The difference for us is that we're not trying to focus on areas where there's already a tremendous amount of competition and really good companies. We're not a DSP audience based buying optimization as it relates to paid search. We've chosen to work with a variety of different partners. Ultimately, we'll integrate what our clients ask for. We've built this end-to-end foundation to allow all this activity to happen within one interface.
The second piece is we've created an architecture and a platform, and I'm sure you hear this a lot, but it's truly open. It allows us to integrate any third party application, on behalf of our client base, so that's what the platform really is. We've done a variety of integrations. From there, we've built a few products that we think are interesting. We built a budget allocation engine that we're currently piloting with 10 different agencies that we think is a different approach to how guaranteed display on and RTB is currently happening."
At the AppNexus summit last week, Felix Salmon made a splash because he was wondering if the stats the ad tech industry measure are actually valuable or is the industry saying it's valuable because you can measure these things, and then you put it into a product? What are your thoughts on that?
We agree and AppNexus is a really good partner of ours. A lot of the products that we've built sit on top of the AppNexus infrastructure. I think there is definitely a difference between very good data that's insightful versus what's out there that could be packaged together and say is interesting. There's a great debate. I look back to what marketers are doing in terms of how they are leveraging different data segments, and how affiliate marketers aren't leveraging data. Affiliate marketers are some of the most shrewd marketers out there. If they don't move the needle right away, they walk away. Are they willing to pay a premium for these data segments because it's delivering value? I still think where the industry made a mistake is that we continue to focus on the direct return, which is the very low-hanging fruit.
Do you think there are things you would like to do that you're reluctant to do because the industry as a whole is not ready?
Yeah, I think it's a difficult mindset. Every banker, analyst, marketer that I talk to, we all say the same thing, 'There's way too much fragmentation. The market is ripe for consolidation, and there are a lot businesses out there that aren't standalone businesses.' The industry is starting to move, starting with the integration of MediaBank and Donovan. Yahoo will continue to make some acquisitions as well, but I still think we built our platform in a way that lets companies that are great at what they're doing join our ecosystem. Nothing would make me happier than for them to build on top of something we've created versus having to do it ourselves. And I think that's the big difference that hasn't happened to this industry. There's no Salesforce model, where there's a true open platform versus a lot of out of the box, full closed solutions. Agencies don't want that. They've said that for a very long time, and it's one of the reasons that many of them complained about some of the legacy systems in the space. Agencies typically aren't very well centrally led organizations. Even within the same holding company, one agency chooses to work with one partner and another agency chooses to work with another partner, so rather then trying to disintermediate, we embrace that. Bring the power back to the publishers and the agencies and embrace the fact that they may want to work with 18 different systems but rather than cobble them together, are there ways we can do a deeper integration on their behalf so that they can effectively make a buy across all different things?
Where is Traffiq in 18 months?
I hope we've made significant headway and moving up the food chain with larger agencies. I recognize this uber-platform strategy is not a decision that's made overnight, so we've built our business where there's multiple entry points. There are different ways to engage with us. Holding companies aren't leaving MediaOcean anytime soon, for a variety of reasons, whether it's contractual commitments but we don't see them as competitors. We're actually very happy to integrate with them and then power other components. We're hoping to see significant headway by broader influence over the ecosystem and then wider adoption on our products and ultimately, what would make me happy, is to see agencies and marketers build on top of our tool set that we're offering the market.


text:
I upgraded to ZA 7.0.337.0 through an update message i got. I then restarted the computer and i get a winlogon error and the computer crashes and goes into the blue screen. I then went into safe mode and uninstalled ZA and reloaded windows and everything worked fine. I then d/led ZA 7.0.337.0 again in order to make the file wasnt corrupt. same thing happened. So now I took off the "load zonealarm on startup" and I load it manually after windows starts and everything works fine but im afraid ill forget to load it every time i restart so has anyone had the same problem and was able to resolve it?
Operating System:Windows XP Pro
Product Name:ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite
Software Version:7.0


text:
Students from Swansboro Elementary School�s beautification committee made a trip to Municipal Park recently to celebrate trees.
SWANSBORO � Students from Swansboro Elementary School�s beautification committee made a trip to Municipal Park recently to celebrate trees.
The students participated in the town�s annual Arbor Day celebration and had the chance to help plant a crepe myrtle donated by H & H Landscaping to honor the school.
�I think this shows how the school cares about the environment,� said fifth grader Bailey Nelson.
The tree was one of 11 planted April 26 as part of the town�s Memorial Tree Program, which allows people to donate trees to be planted around the town in memory of friends or loved ones or to honor a special activity or organization.
Swansboro Elementary School fifth grader Chris Pickering liked the idea of the tree planting program. The school�s tree lined the entrance along the Recreation Center along with trees in memory of F. Randy Fowler, the late grandfather of his classmate Grant Russell.
�I think it�s nice that they�ll be able to walk by and see the trees,� he said.
Shannon Russell said Fowler, her father, passed away three months ago and she donated three trees in his memory.
Her father lived in Hope Mills and having the trees planted in Swansboro gives her a place locally where she can also go and feel closer to her father.
�This is a living memorial for me,� she said.
The trees are also adding to the beauty of the town and provide many benefits, from cleaner air and improved storm water management to increased property values.
This year�s Arbor Day Celebration was also the first since the town�s designation as a Tree City USA community.
The program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
To receive the designation the town had to meet four criteria, including the formation of a tree board or department, completion of a three-care ordinance, an annual community forestry budget of at least $2 per capita and holding an Arbor Day observance.
Representatives of the N.C. Forest Service from were on hand from Onslow County to recognize the town for its Tree City accomplishment.
Josh Cumbo, assistant forest ranger, presented town officials with a plaque, flag and a sign that can be posted along the road side.
�I think (the sign) is the best part because it lets everyone know,� Onslow County Forest Ranger Ricky Adkins said.
Cumbo said the designation is one that takes community support.
�For the Tree City program to be effective it takes the whole community coming together,� he said.
There are approximately 3,400 Tree City communities across the United States.
The Forest Service provided Atlantic white cedar seedlings, with each of the Swansboro Elementary School students attending able to take one home to plant.
In addition to donating the tree in honor of the school, H & H Landscaping also donated landscaping at the newly opened recreation center.
Contact Daily News reporter Jannette Pippin at 910-382-2557 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
The Atlanta NAACP will hold its annual Jubilee Day in observance of the Emancipation Proclamation on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at Ben Hill United Methodist Church, 2099 Fairburn Road, SW.
During this celebration of the 150th anniversary of the publishing of the Emancipation Proclamation parishioners will pay tribute to Dr. C. Clayton Powell, a community champion for civil rights.
"Emancipation 2013: Honoring Our Past; Embracing Our Present; Empowering Our Future" is the theme for this year's celebration which is chaired by Dr. Marie Robinson-Metze. The vice chair for the occasion is Rev. Dr. Michael D. Stinson.
The Reverend Dr. Timothy Tee Boddie, former pastor of Atlanta's Friendship Baptist Church is the speaker for Jubilee Day. Previously, Dr. Boddie served 11 years as University Chaplin and Pastor of the Memorial Church at Hampton University in Hampton, Va.
Dr. Boddie is an honor graduate of Morehouse College and holds a master's degree from Stanford University and a doctorate degree from Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, Va.
"We are thrilled to have this opportunity to host the Emancipation Proclamation," said Pastor Richard Winn of Ben Hill United Methodist Church. "We invite and encourage all communities of faith to show up and be united as one front for liberation. We commend the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP for their efforts for freedom."
Atlanta NAACP President, Reverend Dr. R. L. White, also weighed in on the celebration.
"It is always a great time to reflect on our history and to celebrate freedom and thank God for another year," said White. "This is not the time to turn away from our past, because if we do, we are setting ourselves up to repeat the same mistakes. We invite everyone to come out and share in the Sesquicentennial Jubilee Day as we celebrate the gains we've made as a people."
For further information, please contact the NAACP local office at 404-756-5447.


text:
When MLSE extended Colangelo, they did it for two years only. Clearly they were putting him on a short leash. In other words he was given two years to turn the team around. His task was probably to build a play-off caliber team. A fairly reasonable expectation considering it's Bryan Colangelo. People may have their views and opinions but the truth is that the board of directors at MLSE see things strictly from a business perspective.
As the Raptors stand now, has MLSE seen enough or should they wait a little longer?


text:
so what do you guys think? does she resemble Bella more in these pics than in the actual Twi movies?
p.s. i'm just really glad that William Hurt wasn't cast as Edward. anyone else?
via Robert and Kristen Online!
I completely agree! she looks 'softer' so to say in these pictures, more bella likeReplyDelete
OME! That was me who said that. lol
hehe :D
@Alycya: Lol, I remember :)
- Lorabell
Uhhhm...there's wolves in the painting in the background as well! thanks for bringing to me yet another coffee on the keyboard spit-take! AND, all kidding aside, I am amped about the movies she has in the works!ReplyDelete
I really loved the shout-out to CW&IA...god, I loved that scene too! *whew*....And YES thank God...William Hurt...um, no...lol...However, can you imagine a parody of select Twilight/New Moon scenes with him & Kristen...Now that might be good for a laugh!ReplyDelete


text:
It fits
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
I actually used the speakers in my car. I was able to use the custom mounting brackets available for these speakers. They fit great and sound excellent
Pros: Light weight, well made, and sound great when used with a subwoofer
Cons: Couldn't really find any


text:
Andrew Brown City of London Information CentreWatch
"I could tell you a million different facts, none of them would be as interesting as being here."
London is a city brought to life by its people and the unique and fascinating stories they have to tell.
Watch and share their stories now!
Scroll down to discover more
"I could tell you a million different facts, none of them would be as interesting as being here."
"The beauty about London is I'm still learning about the city..even though I've been here 20 years"
"Portobello Road is a treasure chest of incredible vintage finds"
"When I did get the part it was a dream come true for me."
"It's lovely to be able to share the stories of our English tea ceremony with other people."
"There's so many places to come and explore around Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park…I've moved to Stratford…and I really am loving it."
"What we believe is really unique here in London is that the city is so open to people from all over the world."
"I worked as an extra on the Harry Potter films and that was absolutely incredible."
"For a long time I lived near Holland Park which is, I think, one of the best kept secrets in London."
"If the ravens ever leave the Tower of London the White Tower will crumble to dust…"
"There is no point in having a bespoke suit made anywhere else in the world apart from Savile Row."
"Just like the Natural History Museum where every time you visit you see something new I think that's the same with London"
"Kew Gardens is 300 acres, it's a real oasis in London."
"We're so lucky to live in this wonderful city. London is spectacular."
"There is nowhere better to eat anywhere in the world than in London"
"My favourite time to take the cable car would be sunset..it's absolutely phenomenal to see."
"Every day I come here with a group of people, walk them out and they're awestruck…"
"You have that real feeling of having an adventure and going on a journey…"
"I'm a real city girl…I just love cities and London is the best."
"London has always been an inspiration to me, it's what got me into music…aspiring to play some of the venues."
"The city's got so many secrets and surprises and beautiful things and we hope we're one of them."
"It's interactive. A lot of people don't realise that…you can touch them, you can hug them."
"There are so many unbelievable hidden jewels in London"
"The Cheapside Hoard is an amazing discovery…There's nowhere else in the world that you can see such magnificent jewellery."
"My favourite part of the job is when I work nights…I'm now known as the wakey wakey man."
"Coming here to Tate Modern has totally opened my eyes…"
"It's already become one of the icons on London's skyline"
"There's some absolutely great cycle routes around London…what better way to get around than jump on a cycle and ride and see everything hands on"
"Our gin process is unique..we're taking honey from London..we get all the beautiful flavours and characters of the specific postcode"
"When it comes to pubs, London does it best."
"All my family have worked on the river…it's not just a job it's a way of life."
"So many famous people have come... through the ages. We know that Winston Churchill definitely shopped here."


text:
METAIRIE — The overturning of the players' suspensions in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal on Tuesday did little to slow down the talk about the most talked-about subject in the NFL for the past 91/2 months.
On Wednesday, linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith met with reporters for the first time since the suspensions for their role in an alleged pay-for-performance scheme involving Saints' defenders were vacated by former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
Before they did, quarterback Drew Brees sharply criticized Commissioner Roger Goodell for his handling of the investigation and suspensions handed to Vilma and Smith and two former teammates — linebacker Scott Fujita and defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove.
Brees, the face of the franchise, said during his weekly news conference that Goodell has "very little to no credibility" with players and fans because of the way the situation was handled.
Vilma was suspended by Goodell for the season, while Smith was banned for four games. Hargrove, currently a free agent, received an eight-game ban and Fujita, who is with the Cleveland Browns, was suspended for three.
Goodell also suspended Saints coach Sean Payton for the entire 2012 season, General Manager Mickey Loomis for eight games and assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Vitt for six games.
Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who was hired by the St. Louis Rams in January, was suspended indefinitely.
The players' suspensions were overturned Tuesday by Tagliabue, a lawyer who was appointed appeals hearing officer by Goodell, after listening to testimony last week in Washington D.C. and New Orleans.
"The unfortunate thing is I feel like the NFL through this whole process, including Commissioner Goodell, has been all about an outcome as opposed to a fair process," Brees said. "That's all we wanted this entire time. That's what we fought for. And finally, we got that."
Brees said Goodell took the word of two disgruntled former employees — Williams and defensive assistant Mike Cerullo — in making his decisions.
"I know throughout this whole case, our coaches, our players, were lied to on many occasions by the league office, the investigators, as to where they were getting their information and everything else," Brees said.
"They made it seem like they had this rock-solid case made up of other coaches and players when in reality, they had the testimony of Gregg Williams and Mike Cerullo."
Brees said the case turned when Tagliabue was appointed in October to hear the appeals, saying it seemed staged and that the league wanted to get itself out of the mess by letting the players off.
Despite lifting the suspensions, Tagliabue agreed with the league's findings that Vilma, Smith and Hargrove were involved in a pool that provided cash rewards for big plays and hard hits called "cart-offs" and "knockouts."
Fujita was exonerated by Tagliabue of conduct detrimental to the league, saying he found the NFL's contentions against Fujita to be "lacking in merit."
Brees said Tagliabue's decision was serious vindication for the players involved because they've had to go through a lot.
"What I'd like to see is a level of accountability on the part of the NFL and Commissioner Goodell in regards to mishandling this entire situation," he said. "We as players hold ourselves, and are held to, a very strict code of conduct both on an off the field.
"We have to be accountable to that, as it should be, and I feel like they should be held to the same standards. If someone would just come out in the league office and admit that, 'You know what, we could have handled this situation better,' it would go such a long way with both players and fans."
Tagliabue noted the case was contaminated by Saints' coaches and other members of the organization because they encouraged players to participate in the system, did nothing to stop it or misled investigators.
Brees said it was unfortunate the coaches and Loomis didn't have the same opportunity to be supported the way the players were by the NFL Players Association throughout the process.
"The coaches are told the way it's going to be, and they have no way to fight back unfortunately," he said. "I'd say certainly Mickey Loomis, Joe Vitt and Sean Payton didn't deserve what they got. That's the way I feel about that."
Goodell, who was attending a league meeting in Dallas on Wednesday, said he fundamentally disagreed with, but respected, Tagliabue's decision to not discipline the players.
"Commissioner Tagliabue said there's no one here that should feel good about their role in this with respect to the Saints," Goodell said. "To have a bounty program where you're targeting players for injury is completely unacceptable in the NFL, and it's clear that occurred for three years despite all the denials."
Vitt would not comment on Tagliabue's decision, but said he was happy the players were vindicated.
As two of the four players who were identified as ring-leaders in the bounty system, Vilma and Smith were relieved to have it behind them even though they weren't exonerated by Tagliabue.
"Well, the most important part of it is me being able to play now and not having to worry about a lingering suspension … that part is over," Vilma said. "I'm excited about that."
Vilma does plan to continue pursuing a defamation-of-character lawsuit he filed against Goodell in May, about 21/2 months after the NFL announced its initial findings, to clear his name.
"The next part is really ... that's outside of football," Vilma said of the suit. "That's talking about attacking a man's character, attacking a man's integrity."
"I'd tell you to just go check my Twitter account," he said when asked if he felt he was defamed. "You still have people saying there still was a bounty. 'You're still a liar.' Things like that. It's unfortunate."
"For the most part, I'm happy I don't have to serve a suspension," Smith said. "I thought it should have been that way from day one. People actually think we went out and did this, and we didn't do this.
"You know, they said all along I was the guy that started it, which Gregg said I didn't. They said I was the guy that encouraged other players to be a part of a pay-for-performance scheme. I never did that. All the stuff they're accusing me of doing, everyone said I didn't do."
While Vilma steered clear of talking about Goodell, Smith said he didn't have anything negative to say about the commissioner.
"Whatever information he received from whoever he received it from, obviously was false," he said. "He may have overreacted, but he has a tough job. He has to make tough decisions and tough rulings at times.
"He's a human being. He makes mistakes, so I'm happy that finally we don't have to sit out the four games. … We can move on with our careers and put this behind us."