text:
Fuentes at top of his game for Angels
Scioscia calls closer's 14th save 'best outing' of season
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
"Brian's always been command sensitive," Scioscia said. "Last night was a great example of when he has his command and what he can do. That's a tough threesome he faced. He made some terrific pitches to them. It's probably his best outing of the year with his command and the velocity he showed."
Fuentes struck out Ian Kinsler and Guerrero and retired Josh Hamilton, a Triple Crown candidate, on a grounder to seal a 6-5 victory for Joel Pineiro. Fuentes, the 2009 MLB leader with 48 saves, has converted eight consecutive save opportunities and has not yielded a hit in his past three appearances. He has 27 strikeouts against 10 walks in 22 1/3 innings, holding hitters to a .233 batting average.
"It's easy to play a video game and put the ball where you want it," Fuentes said. "When you're out there, you have to have some luck on your side. You want to change their eye levels by pitching up and down, in and out, change elevations so they don't lock in on a small zone. It was a positive outing."
Aybar, Andrus emerge as premier shortstops
ANAHEIM -- Rangers third baseman Michael Young has spent most of his career at shortstop, giving him uncommon expertise in evaluating how the position is played. He looks at teammate Elvis Andrus and the Angels' Erick Aybar as similarly dynamic performers destined to give their clubs quality performance for years to come.
"They're very similar, pretty comparable," Young said. "Both hit at the top of the order and run well. Both play a premium position defensively with good range and arm strength. The sky's the limit for both these guys. Their teams are in real good shape at shortstop, probably for a long time to come."
Andrus, a Venezuela native who turns 22 on Aug. 26, carries 200 pounds on a 6-foot frame. He is batting .296 with 52 runs scored in 73 games. He has 22 steals in 31 attempts and owns a .378 on-base percentage. He has committed nine errors in 73 games, demonstrating Gold Glove talents.
Aybar, coming around to top form after a slow start and a knee injury that sidelined him for a week and a half, is batting .273 with a .336 OBP. The 26-year-old Dominican Republic product, smaller than Andrus at 5-10 and 170 pounds, has 11 steals in 16 attempts and has made nine errors in 68 games, also showing Gold Glove skills.
"Andrus has made huge strides in a short amount of time," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "Erick took a while, like a Thoroughbred, to get himself under control. You're looking at two of the premier shortstops in all of baseball, certainly at the defensive end.
"They're vital to their teams. During the 10, 11 days Erick was sidelined, we felt that impact. I'm sure Ronny [Washington, Texas manager] would feel the same if Andrus was out for any period of time."
Wilson getting best out of Kazmir and Co.
ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia turned to Bobby Wilson as his catcher for southpaw Scott Kazmir on Wednesday night against the Rangers, hoping Wilson holds to form as a lucky charm for his staff and his team. The Angels are 11-1 in Wilson's starts and have a 2.57 ERA in his 101 2/3 innings, compared to a 4.44 overall team ERA.
Scioscia said it was a good night for Jeff Mathis, who caught the series opener and delivered a clutch RBI single, to take a break in his recovery from a fractured right wrist.
"We're trying to let Jeff get some games to where he can work off some rough edges," Scioscia said. "We have to be mindful he missed some time. We have to give him a blow. It's a good day, because of the rapport Bobby and Scott have. We don't anticipate this being a personal pitcher/catcher relationship."
Kazmir has worked three games with Wilson, putting together a 2.12 ERA. Kazmir's ERA is 6.52 with Mathis and 6.34 with Mike Napoli, the new first baseman. Three of the other four Angels' starters have better ERAs with Wilson than with the two veteran receivers, with Joe Saunders the lone exception. Especially successful with Wilson is Jered Weaver: 14 innings, no earned runs, five hits and three walks against 17 strikeouts.
Rivera's rest gives way to Willits in left
ANAHEIM -- With the Rangers starting Omar Beltre, a 28-year-old right-hander making his Major League debut against Scott Kazmir, the Angels rested left fielder Juan Rivera on Wednesday night, opting for the defense and plate discipline of Reggie Willits.
"It's just a little breather day for Juan," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "We know [Beltre] is a kid with a power arm. Like some young pitchers, you've got to be sensitive to command issues. You want to make him get the ball into a good zone.
"Reggie does bring an element of that. His plate discipline is going to match up well with a guy like that, and hopefully he'll get on base from the bottom of the order. Reggie also has a good defensive presence. A guy like Kazmir is going to elevate some balls."
Finally healthy after two injury-riddled seasons, Willits is batting .255 with a .359 on-base percentage, creeping up on his 2007 numbers when he set club rookie records with a .293 average and .391 OBP.
Worth noting
Angels right-hander Brian Stokes hopes to get clearance from the medical staff on Thursday to start working out again. Sidelined since May 10 with right shoulder fatigue, Stokes has been going through extensive rehab at the Sports Medicine Institute near Angel Stadium. "It's a strain in the back of the shoulder," Stokes said. "It feels great now. We're going to start a program and build up the muscles around it -- the sooner the better." Fellow reliever Jason Bulger, on the disabled list since June 11 with a right shoulder strain, threw a second bullpen session on Wednesday and said it felt better than his first session on Friday. "Last year was the most I've thrown in a season," Bulger said, "and I felt it late in the year. You don't want to push it. It's better that this happened now rather than in September or October. I have time to recover and get back out there." ... Since 2006, the Angels lead the Rangers, 41-37, in the season series, but they've lost eight of the past 11 in Texas. ... Angels manager Mike Scioscia participated in a popular cooking show, "Iron Chef America," along with his wife, Anne, on Wednesday and was dismayed they didn't win the competition claimed by Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher. Pitchers Joe Saunders and Kevin Jepsen and infielder Brandon Wood each brought family members as cooking partners along with Butcher, who was accused of bringing a ringer. "`Mike Scioscia's Italian Flag Shrimp Scampi' was the prize of the day," Scioscia said. "Mike Butcher had a professional chef with him, and it was really close. Anne and I put our hearts in this dish. She took [not winning] better than I did." Saunders brought his wife, Jepsen invited his mother and Wood teamed with his fiancee, as Butcher prevailed with professional assistance according to the vanquished entrants. "We all made pasta dishes, and Sosh's dish looked really good," Jepsen said. "Butch's sister-in-law is a chef, so he definitely had an advantage."
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: I had the opportunity to meet the couple behind this motorcycle blog this past weekend. Awesome people who have already had some great travels and are about to embark on a 2 year, around the world trip on their BMW's. I'm really looking forward to following along with their adventures.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I did these two blocks today trying to get better at cutting. The Basketweave block seemed simpler in the picture but I had the most problems with it.
I am considering Mr. Roosevelt's Neck Tie for the fall colors block swap. Is is too simplistic?
By the way, the fabric I'm using came from a box of stuff that was cleaned out of my great Grandma's house when she died 20 years ago. When I unfolded it to cut my pieces, I notice written on the back corners of each piece "WASHED AND READY TO GO JUNE '63". Yikes!


text:
Case Study - Interrogation: Electrician Steals $20,000.00 Worth of Tools
Courtesy of John E. Reid & Associates. John E. Reid & Associates, Inc. proudly congratulates Mr. McDaniel, a John E. Reid graduate, for doing an outstanding job using the "Reid Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation" to resolve the Featured Case.
Mickey McDaniel, Detective for the Caddo Parish Sheriff''s Office in northwest Louisiana
My name is Mickey McDaniel and I am a detective for the Caddo Parish Sheriff''s Office in northwest Louisiana. I have been a Caddo Parish Deputy Sheriff for 15 years and a detective for two years. I am a 1985 graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport. I have been married for 18 years and my wife and I have three children. I attended the Reid course in April 2002, at the Bossier City, Louisiana Police Department and quickly found that the techniques that I learned were extremely effective. I have been a continuing student since then and am currently reading Criminal Interrogations and Confessions. I am grateful to the Reid Institute and to Dave Buckley and Rick Sjoberg for their excellent guidance and training.
CASE FACTS: Electrician steals $20,000.00 worth of tools
On 4/23/03, a corporal on the Sheriff''s burglary task force called me and asked me if I had any outstanding theft cases from the construction site at the General Motors plant in Shreveport. I had several cases from the site, but despite my efforts, I had been unable to solve any of them. The building projects at and nearby the plant were quite extensive and despite 24 hour security, contractors were reporting thousands of tools and equipment as lost or stolen. The corporal told me that he had received information that an electrician working at the site and living in a town on the north end of the parish had been stealing hand tools and welders from contractors at GM. The electrician was allegedly a foreman who had access to a company vehicle and took the items off the site in the vehicle.
On 4/25/03, I was able to locate the electrician''s employer and due to his cooperation, set up an interview with the electrician that same Friday afternoon. The electrician was indeed a foreman and thought well of by his employer. Though he had been with the company for less than a year, it was not unusual for construction workers to be working for different companies at different times, due to the nature of the construction business.
It should be noted that prior to the interview, I spoke to the electrician''s former employer of whom he had worked for a year and a half. The former employer mentioned the electrician''s skill and expertise, but suspected that he had stolen some expensive items while on his payroll, though he said he could not prove it.
The electrician showed up for the interview and appeared to be relaxed and confident upon our initial meeting. The interview began with the Miranda reading. He unhesitatingly read and signed the acknowledgement form and signed the waiver below it, which read, "I have read the above statement of my rights and I understand each of those rights, and having these rights in mind I waive them and willingly make a statement."
Q: "We are investigating several thefts at the General Motors construction site. If you had anything at all to do with these thefts you should tell me now."
A: "No. I do my 40 and go."
Q: "Do you know who did?"
A: "No. I have heard of small tools disappearing at the site. I knew a guy that lost a drill. Silly stuff like that."
Q: "Is there anyone you feel may be involved with this?"
A: "No."
Q: "Is there anyone you can vouch for?"
A: "Everyone I work with."
Q: "How do you feel about being interviewed concerning this matter?"
A: "No problem."
Q: "Did you tell any of your family members about the reason for this investigation?"
A: "No."
Q: "Why do you think that people are saying that you are the one that did these thefts?"
A: "Who knows? A lot of people don''t like me."
Q: "Who would have had the best opportunity to do this?"
A: "It depends. Big tools are hard to get out."
Q: "Why do you feel that someone would have done this?"
A: "I don''t know."
Q: "Did you ever just think about doing something like this even though you did not follow through with it?"
A: "I would like to have, but it was just talk."
Q: "What do you think should happen to the person who did this?"
A: "Hard to say. I''m not the judge and jury."
Q: "Do you think the person who did this should deserve a second chance under any circumstances?"
A: "Everyone deserves a second chance."
Q: "Would you be willing to take a polygraph test concerning this matter?"
A: "I would suppose. Don''t see why not."
Q: "Once the full investigation is complete, how do you think it will come out concerning whether or not you were involved in doing this?"
A: "It will come out pretty clean."
The thefts from the construction site had been occurring on a regular basis for at least two years. It appeared logical that everyone working at the site was familiar with the problem due to the security measures at the site and from employers. Earlier this year, I interviewed about ten workers from one construction crew that had access to the entire location, making it safe to say that word of the thefts spread quickly to other workers. However when asked, "What have you heard concerning the thefts at the construction site?" the subject responded, "I haven''t heard any rumors and I don''t know anything about any thefts."
From the beginning of the interview, the electrician displayed shallow or no eye contact. He often kept his legs or his arms crossed. Upon hearing the first question I asked, his foot began to bob up and down, he would then stop after several seconds as if he were in deep thought. The foot bobbing continued off and on through out the interview. At times he would put both hands together at his waist in a sort of ''prayer'' position. There were at times significant pauses between his statements, as if he were attempting to be cautious about what he said.
The electrician did not have a criminal history other than minor traffic violations. The major theme of the interrogation was that he was basically a decent guy who had some financial problems and needed some extra cash. Along with this general theme was the alternative that he had a dark side that included drug abuse and black market tool sales. A second alternative was the extent of his involvement in the thefts, (was it just a few thousand dollars worth of missing tools or were there hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tools missing that he was responsible for?)
He did not respond to the direct positive confrontation statement that the results of the investigation clearly showed that he was definitely involved in the thefts. Once the themes were stated, he began offering answers to simple questions about his criminal history, involvement with drugs and his financial problems. Less than two minutes into the interrogation, I asked him if he had experienced a financial crisis that he needed money for. He responded that he had always been poor. I asked him if that was what the whole thing was all about. His response:
Yeah, I''ve taken a couple of things. I mean, I ain''t gonna sit here and lie no more. I mean, I have took a couple of small things and just ''cause I needed the money, you know, the extra money. I don''t do it for a living and I don''t do it for drugs.
After the initial admission, I began asking him about specific items he had taken. The process was slow and painstaking. He admitted that some items he had taken were at his home and others he had sold to an electrician in a town about 70 miles away. In his confession he downplayed the value and number of the items that he had taken.
The electrician''s excuse for his behavior was his financial problems, specifically his need for a new motor in his pick-up truck and his condition of being ''poor''. (Nevertheless, he was a foreman at his job and did better financially than average electricians.) His secondary justification was inferred by the low value that he placed on the items he stole, his claim that some of the items were given to him and his statement that, "What I got was just lying there." (In his mind the items seemed to be better suited in his possession, because he could make good use of them.)
The entire length of the interrogation was near 20 minutes, however, amazingly, the initial confession came in less than ninety seconds. After the stating of the positive confrontation statement and the presentation of themes, the electrician showed a willingness to talk. I asked him simple, straightforward background questions initially and when he answered them without any denial to his involvement in the thefts, I did not stop him from telling his story. Though it did not seem obvious during the interview, once the interrogation began it appeared obvious to me that the electrician was ready to talk. Once he began talking about the thefts, I directed him to specifics that would later corroborate his confession with the thefts at the site.
The electrician was arrested for felony theft and he lost his job. His case is still pending. Over $20,000 worth of tools, including two welders were recovered and all items were returned to the owners. Over 12 contractors had items taken in the thefts, some had never reported their tools as stolen. About $5000 worth of the tools were located at the electrician''s home, and another $15,000 were located at another electrician''s home, 70 miles away. The second electrician was able to provide a copy of a cancelled check where he paid almost $4000 for the tools from the first electrician. The second electrician was not charged.
Editors Notes
This is a good case to illustrate the importance of corroborating a confession. It sounds like after the interview and a brief interrogation the subject was ready to talk. However, this subject, like many, tried to minimize the extent of the thefts. Sometimes it takes more time and effort to get the details of the crime than it does to get that first admission of guilt. There is a good article in the investigators tip section of the John E. Reid website that discusses this issue. Click on this link to see that article.
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Back to the bull market?: $75b added to ASX200
- In Saturday's BusinessDay, Adele Ferguson and Mark Hawthorne examine the "return of the bulls", as global sharemarkets push upwards once again after the global financial crisis.
The bulls, it seems, are back.
January saw the longest winning streak on the S&P/ASX200 index in more than a decade – a 10-day rally – and more than $75 billion has been added to the value of the nation's 200 biggest companies since the start of 2013.
After slipping back for just one day, the ASX this morning defied global trends and started February by charging forward once again. At the close today, the ASX 200 was 42.3 points higher - 0.9 per cent - at 4921.1.
The rally has, after four long and lean years, sent superannuation balances back past their pre-GFC peaks, and stockbroking firms scrambling to fill empty desks.
CommSec's Craig James has already revised up his end-of-year forecasts for the Australian sharemarket to close at 5300. He had previously estimated an end-of-year close of 4900 to 5000 points.
"It does appear on current developments that we were too pessimistic, swamped by a 'perfect storm' of bad news," Mr James says.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch chief executive and country head Craig Drummond believes the turning point in the cycle was in late July when European Central Bank president Mario Draghi made his famous "whatever it takes' speech in relation to Europe.
"Those comments said to investors there isn't a lot of downside in taking on risk. Prior to that point there was massive uncertainty about what the ECB would do and whether they would provide the liquidity," he says.
All of the big mining, banking and retail stocks have surged in Friday trade, with the market up 11 out of the past 12 days.
Woolworths, which started the year at $29.33 per share, hit $31.39 in trading today.
BHP Billiton touched $37.87 per share this afternoon, up from $36.25 in mid-January. Rio Tinto was up 1.48 per cent, or 98 cents, at $67.34 in morning trade.
'We're seeing iron ore prices moving up once again so that's been a positive for that space,'' said Julia Lee, equities analyst at Bell Direct. ''The big four banks are also moving higher - we're seeing a gain of about 0.3 to 0.6 per cent.
The banks have performed strongly in the past three weeks.
Commonwealth Bank has risen $3.50 per share in a little over two weeks, from $61.37 to $64.87 this afternoon, catapulting the bank's market capitalisation above $100 billion.
- Saturday's BusinessDay canvasses the views of chief executive and country head of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Craig Drummond, Perpetual's head of equities, Matt Williams, Tyndall's head of equities, Bob Munster, Deutsche Bank's Scott Mailer and Craig James at CommSec for their views on the recent surge in share prices.
IG Markets market strategist Evan Lucas said the market was defying overseas leads.
"We're seeing the banks push up further. NAB jumped up pretty high," Mr Lucas said. "They've had a stellar run. They've been the outperformer of the market and they've been leading the way up."
In the past quarter, the ASX 200 has risen 12 per cent in lockstep with the surge in global equities markets. In the US Wall Street is 5 per cent off an all-time high and in Europe equity markets have similarly risen as the "rotation" from bonds to equities gathers steam.
Price to earnings ratios have jumped from 10.6 a year ago to 13.7 and volumes going through the market have almost doubled.
Caan Krsztew-Ivanow, a senior consultant in banking and financial services recruitment at Randstad, says the change in sentiment has been palpaple.
''The last eight months of the year were dead for the stockbroking industry.'' Mr Krsztew-Ivanow said.
''In the past two weeks, we've pretty much had every major firm in the country we deal with come to us and say 'get ready, we're hiring'. I can see March being very good for the industry.''
It is in sharp contrast to nine months ago when a number of brokers were struggling to survive as business dried up, corporate activity flatlined and margins continued to come under attack.
Mark Hawthorne is Senior Editor at The Age. Previously he was National Business Editor of Fairfax Metro Media.
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text:
Sex- F
Height- 5' 4''
Sign- Cancer
I am a avid Harry Potter Fan but I also Like Lukas Rossi and his band Rockstar Supernova. It was however a mistake that the band is breaking up. Honestly people, they're just changing their name. Lukas, you can play my heart strings like a virtuoso. i also am infinately grateful to my beta abbs866, she's wonderful
Which HP Kid Are You?
I'm up to challenges if the urge arises. Until I know when the next beta admissions test is I cannot advertise myself as a beta.
Here's a poem for all the betas of mugglenet, it's my way of saying thanks for all the work you guys do.
Betas are wonderful people
We all know it's true
You make our stories so much better
I wish I was one of you
Correcting grammar, adding bits
but that's not all you know
Loyal and true,as friends they'll tell you
Stuff you need to know


text:
Owner and brewer at Purple Healer Brewing Co. in Danville, Pa.
Member Profiles
Brewers Association member profiles. See who contributes to the creation of American craft beer, from bottling line technicians to brewers and CEOs.
Marc Buttera
Marc and Katina Buttera own O'so Brewing Company in Plover, Wis.
Curt Keck
Founder, co-owner, and brewmaster at HiJinx Brewing Co. in Allentown, Pa.
John Saller
Co-founder of Atlas Brewing Co. in Chicago.
Adam Robbings
Mike Pfeiffer, Adam Robbings, and Grace Robbings started Reuben's Brews in Seattle (photo courtesy of AmericanCraftBeer.com).
Adam Watson
Justin Taylor and Adam Watson are co-founders of Sloop Brewing in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Ben Slocum
Managing partner at Beards Brewery in Petoskey, Mich.
Monte Speicher
Co-owner and founder of Cutters Brewing Co. in Avon, Ind.
Christian Koch
Head brewer at Elevation Beer Co. in Poncha Springs, Colo.
Erik Lars Myers
Founder, CEO, and head brewer at Mystery Brewing Co. in Hillsborough, N.C.
Submit Your Member Profile
The Brewers Association would like to recognize all who contribute to the creation of American craft beer, from bottling line technicians to brewers and CEOs. Submit your profile today!


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Enough low-income housing
Kathy Gaffney
Regarding the assertion by selectman Nelson Brownell in the Banner article of Jan. 26 that Pownal somehow requires yet more low-income housing is both befuddling and astounding.
The town of Pownal is currently home to approximately 10 sizable mobile home parks -- far surpassing the number extant within the vast majority of towns in the region. In addition, at least one-third of Pownal's present populace already reside in low-income housing as legally defined by the state of Vermont -- an overwhelmingly high percentage compared to other towns within the state. So whilst an argument might effectively be made that "gold" towns such as Bennington County's Dorset or locales such as Stowe or Woodstock ought to seek to perhaps increase their offering of affordable housing, Pownal has, with utmost certainty, more than met the obligation of any municipality in providing such stock. In fact, a petition to the town circulated approximately five years ago and signed by many hundreds of registered voters within Pownal requested the town cease from allowing, through Vermont state sanctioned moratorium, additional mobile home parks from becoming established within our borders with that very reasoning in mind.
Most importantly however, the residents living within a number of the presently existing mobile home parks here have attempted in vain for years to mitigate the myriad of issues that chronically plague them, including dilapidated trailers, over-crowding, oft non-potable drinking water and sewer problems, routine flooding due to particular parks being situated in designated flood plains and ever increasing incidents of crime. In fact, a Bennington Banner staff writer once compared specific Pownal mobile home park conditions to the deplorable living conditions often encountered in third world countries. And several years back, when Green Mountain Mobile Home Park was being eyed as a potential purchase by an agency within Vermont state, so the park's badly degraded infrastructure could be entirely reorganized and renovated, select board members effectively managed to dissuade the sale from taking place, which was inevitably what ultimately transpired. As the appointed and salaried zoning enforcer of Pownal for well over a decade -- instead of this official addressing the plethora of problems adversely impacting the quality of life that current residents live amidst under such sub-standard and in many instances illegal sanitary and rental conditions both within and outside the parameters of the mobile home parks, this former select chairman and current zoning administer merely apparently advocates for yet more of this for this small town as opposed to even attempting to grapple with the ever-present issues at hand.
In fact, with criteria long ago met and far surpassed under Vermont state requirements to provide for lower and affordable income housing, yet with Pownal continuing to not be in compliance with requisite minimum health and safety statutes/bylaws -- what the town of Pownal obviously instead needs is an infusion of more high end and particularly second home housing that will invigorate the tax base and reduce the present high tax burdens faced by most homeowners. As is widely understood, for example: second homeowners pay the highest tax rates to both their individual towns and the state than do primary homeowners yet utilize little to no services in return. Expansive and expensive homes absolutely do not in and of themselves increase taxes for a town as is sometimes mistakenly propagated, but rather traditionally decrease the tax burden on the rest of us due to these homeowners' making what is akin to essentially a much higher contribution to the aforementioned tax base from a taxation standpoint. Conversely, because mobile homes historically tend to unfortunately decrease in value over time, the assessed property values and therefore the amount contributed via taxes by those particular homeowners to the tax base also decrease -- thereby forcing any shortfall to be made up by the remaining taxpayers in town. So while our current housing stock ought certainly to be upgraded to suit the needs of our residents, building additional units is indubitably detrimental to the controlled growth of this rural town.
As far as Mr. Brownell's myopic vision for a town not only bursting at the seams with a preponderance of low-income housing, but it being transformed into some type of countrified version of an inner-city industrialized wasteland brimming with factories -- such an ideal also does not bode well for the rural lifestyle and environs so many presently treasure. Pownal not only possesses deep roots in both agriculture and farming, but demonstratively remains a town wherein such pursuits are still a mainstay today.
The fact that the elected in Pownal continue to turn a blind eye to the sub-par living conditions of so many, actually seek to over-burden the general populace with more of the same, and continue to intentionally turn away opportunities for positive and attractive business growth within the designated village center(s) may just be the reasons why the "gateway to Vermont" on our southwestern border here in this otherwise lovely New England town affords to all who enter the unmistakable impression of a town distressed, downtrodden, and just plain down on its luck.
Kathy Gaffney lives in Pownal.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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#RSL Tweets of the Day (@RealSaltLake)
Young in age, mature in mindset: http://soc.cr/sjhLJ pic.twitter.com/i0YBf3GNwU
Congrats to my boy @luisitogil21 on his first #USMNT call-up! Well deserved. #chorizo
Back at it! #USMNT pic.twitter.com/6ZFBxqMtIo
Congrats to all the #RSLFam national team call ups @NickRimando @KyleBeckerman @al_saborio (cont) http://tl.gd/n3sko3
Robbie Findley @RobbieFindley
Congrats to my boy @kylebeckerman and @mskpap on the marriage! Wish y'all good health and happiness.… http://instagram.com/p/ixBEfsSSuu/
Real Salt Lake News & Notes
RealSaltLake.com: RSL's Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando and Luis Gil called to US national team January camp
RealSaltLake.com: Real Salt Lake signs Jordan Allen to a Homegrown contract
RealSaltLake.com: Real Salt Lake announces 2014 preseason schedule
MLSsoccer.com: World Cup: Real Salt Lake's Luis Gil eager to seize opportunity despite being youngest in USMNT camp
MLSsoccer.com: Sporting KC's Erik Palmer-Brown, 3 Real Salt Lake AZ academy players highlight US U-18 roster
The Salt Lake Tribune: Real Salt Lake: Beckerman, Rimando, Gil chosen for U.S. team camp
The Salt Lake Tribune: A look into RSL trio getting called into USMNT camp
The Salt Lake Tribune: RSL signs former AZ-Academy star Jordan Allen
Deseret News: Luis Gil receives first-ever USMNT call-up, will attend January camp
KSL.com: USMNT call-up trio of RSL players: Luis Gil gets first senior honor
ABC 4: Three RSL players picked for USMNT duty
RSL Academy: Grande Sports Academy student-athlete Jordan Allen signs with Real Salt Lake
For the Fans, By the Fans
RSL Soapbox: Luis Gil set to join Beckerman, Rimando at USMNT January camp
RSL Soapbox: RSL connections abound in United States youth teams; Allen, Lopez make U-20 roster
RSL Soapbox: RSL signs Jordan Allen to homegrown contract
RSL Soapbox: Three resolutions for Real Salt Lake in 2014: Momentum and development
Real Nation: 3 RSL Players Called Into January Camp
Real Nation: The Jordan Allen Signing
RSL Perspective: The top Real Salt Lake moments of 2013, the year of "almost"
MLS, Other News & Notes
MLSsoccer.com: Kick Off: If Oscar Pareja is stepping down for the Colorado Rapids, who will replace him?
MLSsoccer.com: Monday Postgame: January littered with hope for players looking to advance their careers
MLSsoccer.com: Report: Mexican side Queretaro welcome Camilo Sanvezzo as Vancouver Whitecaps deny deal
MLSsoccer.com: DC United's offseason overhaul continues as club inks Homegrown defender Jalen Robinson
MLSsoccer.com: World Cup: Colorado Rapids' Shane O'Neill "shocked" by USMNT call, but not closing door on Ireland
MLSsoccer.com: World Cup: Can Houston Dynamo's Tally Hall sneak into a goalkeeper spot for USMNT?
MLSsoccer.com: World Cup: Sporting Kansas City's 5 USMNT call-ups a "testament to how successful we've been"
MLSsoccer.com: Chivas USA expect to have new head coach "in next week or two," according to club spokesperson
MLSsoccer.com: American Exports: Oguchi Onyewu set to move on after talks with Queens Park Rangers break down
ESPNFC: Jurgen Klinsmann pleased with loans
SI.com: Donovan, Gonzalez, Zusi, Besler headline U.S. January camp roster; Magee earns call-up
Pro Soccer Talk: DeRosario agrees to terms with Toronto FC (again)
Pro Soccer Talk: Oguchi Onyewu hasn't agreed to new deal with QPR; Could he be coming to MLS?
American Soccer Now: Who in the January Camp Has a Legit Shot for Brazil?


text:
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) has asked Congress for an extension to
finalize the new regulations that require automakers to improve rear visibility
in all new models by 2014.
The new
regulations were supposed to be completed by today, but the NHTSA has requested
more time in order to finish the new rules that are meant to save
the lives of those involved in backup crashes.
new regulations, which were proposed in December 2010, aim to eliminate
blind spots in vehicles by improving overall visibility or adding backup
cameras in all new vehicles by 2014. The proposal is meant to be a solution to
the 300 fatalities associated with "backover" accidents that occur annually. It
is also a response to the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Act, which is
a 2008 law named after a young boy who was accidentally ran over by his father,
and was meant to address such issues.
100 out of 300 fatal backovers consist of children ages five and under, and
one-third of the deaths involve senior citizens who are 70 and older. Blind
spots behind vehicles can make it hard to see pedestrians or cars approaching
while backing up, and while automakers have already added
video cameras and other detection sensors to vehicles, these devices
are optional on many vehicles, and only about 20 percent of new models have
such equipment.
is no more tragic accident than for a parent or caregiver to back out of a
garage or driveway and kill or injure an undetected child playing behind the
vehicle," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
The new
rules, if finalized, would cost the auto industry $1.9 billion to $2.7 billion
per year. The regulation would add $159 to $203 in costs to each vehicle
without a display screen (those with in-car navigation systems), and $58 to $88
to each vehicle with a display screen.
to a cost-benefit analysis conducted by the NHTSA, "the costs per life
saved ranged from $11.3 million to $72.2 million - above its comprehensive cost
estimate for a statistical life of $6.1 billion."
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers,
which is a trade group representing the Big Three automakers in Detroit as well
as other auto companies, has stated that it needs more time to comply to the
new regulations.
the alliance supports the need for improvements in rearward visibility, the
regulation as proposed involves a significant additional cost
per vehicle," said the group earlier this month.
But the
NHTSA is pushing for the new rules regardless of cost, arguing that the cost
automakers have to pay per vehicle is worth saving a life. So far, the plan
proposes that 10 percent of the United States' new fleet will have to meet the
new standards by 2012, while 40 percent will have to meet these standards by
the 2013 model year, and then all new vehicles must comply by 2014.
public comment period on this safety proposal only recently closed, and NHTSA
has asked Congress for additional time to analyze public comments, complete the
rule-making process and issue a final rule," said the NHTSA in a statement


text:
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There are a couple big problems with that theory:1) Wheat (and corn) crop yields increased steadily though the period of "global warming" (~1975-1997).2) Global warming stopped 16 years ago.
Yep, the general trend for the past 100 years is up and it's very steady. Case closed. Man was not doing anything between 100 and 50 years ago that the alarmists can blame for warming back then - it's a recovery from the little ice age. There are three groups of people heavily vested in the idea of global warming: 1) "scientists" who see an endless string of grants, 2) politicians who see an limitless source of power - if you can regulate CO2, you can regulate all aspects of life, and 3) third world countries who see cash from the first world for global warming related "damages." Global warming is the biggest scam in the history of the world, IMHO.
Carbon credits are just another bankster scam, and do nothing for the environment. They were a scam when the Republicans started them and they are a scam now when the Democrats favor them.
Science is purely science. Opinions are just opinions.
I don't pretend to know the science behind it all, but I'll put my trust in the people with the education, knowledge, and dedication to collect and analyze the data.
But you choose to trust the results of "scientific studies" that are 100% sponsored by the coal industry , the petroleum institute and our old friends the Koch boys.No agenda there ?
The data points between 16 years ago and now are equal. That doesn't necessarily mean global climate change stopped. If you look at data back further, like 100 years, there are several instances where the temp went down, but the general trend is up. Climatologists look at long term trends, not recent.
I dont trust people...
Everything you listed is general, anecdotal, and not scientific. The fact is despite all the red herrings, Al Gore wannabees, and Photoshopped Facebook reposts, there are plenty of published peer-reviewed studies supporting it, and to call it an outright scam isn't being objective. When you cut through all the bull and the sins of both sides of the debate, there are more published peer-reviewed studies supporting AGW than not.
I don't claim AGW is absolutely determined at this point. However to claim it's a scam and support that with claims that scientists have vested interests in it being real while there are several orders of magnitude more individuals with a vested interest in it being not true, and actively outspending those with scientific interests, the claim doesn't hold water.
Unlike you, Ive watched this issue closely for the past 5+ years...Try turning off the TV and doing a little research of your own.
Any discussion of AGW that involves discussing politics, religion, jobs, costs, or the motives of others isn't worth having.
It is a social problem, not a political one.


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President Barack Obama and Governor Pat McCrory are in the same box.
Criticized by their opponents for being radical and divisive, they are, at the same time, dismissed by partisans in their own political parties as too moderate and too accommodating.
Both came into office promising, and genuinely aspiring, to bring a new spirit of conciliation and peace to a disrupted political order. Both hoped to bring an end to petty partisan divisiveness.
Now both find themselves characterized as demons rather than healers.
What happened?
"There's not a liberal America and a conservative America; there's the United States of America," are the words Obama used in his keynote speech to the Democratic convention in 2004 to gain the hopeful attention of the entire country.
Those hopeful words previewed his 2008 presidential campaign, in which he promised bipartisanship and an effort to heal the country's political divide.
It did not work, of course, and within months of his election victory, polls already were showing the greatest polarization of opinion about presidential performance in 40 years, with 88 percent of Democrats approving Obama, while only 27 percent of Republicans did so.
Obama supporters blame Republican partisans for opposing Obama at every turn and rejecting his efforts to find common ground. Conservative voices blame Obama. As the Washington Times wrote last year, "The arrogance of power overwhelmed the better angels of his nature. Those who questioned his policies were labeled extremists, or worse."
In an election year interview with Charlie Rose, Obama conceded, "I haven't been able to change the atmosphere here in Washington to reflect the decency and common sense of ordinary people."
Much like Obama in his first presidential campaign, McCrory promised a bipartisan approach in his campaign for governor. After his election he said he was reaching out to leaders on both sides of the aisle to ensure a smooth transition.
"I don't want to make the mistake of any party, which is become arrogant with your power or majorities," McCrory said. "I think that's a huge mistake both parties have made in the past."
Today, after the passage of a partisan legislative program that is unpopular with many North Carolinians, McCrory's bloom, like Obama's, has faded.
A poll by High Point University showed Obama and McCrory tied with approval ratings of 39 percent in the state. A similar poll by Elon University showed McCrory's disapproval rating dropping to 46 percent, not far behind Obama, who registers 51 percent disapproval.
Feelings go beyond mere disapprovals. A friend of mine who has little respect for the president or his policies told me he would have a hard time being civil to Obama, but would try since he is the president of the United States.
Maybe being civil is a start.
Maybe those of us who oppose McCrory's policies should think about accepting a cookie the next time he offers us one, taking an opportunity to communicate civilly instead of rushing to demonize the gesture as patronizing and sexist.
Maybe there is a good example in a new book by NBC's Chris Matthews, "Tip and The Gipper: When Politics Worked," about the relationship between Republican President Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill.
Matthews writes, "Why won't our leaders work to accommodate each other, employing civility as they cooperate to accomplish goals in the country's best interests? Why must we continue to suffer their relentless gumming up of the works? What in our national character, in the ways we choose to deal with one another and respect different viewpoints, has changed so since the days of Reagan and O'Neill? How can we win back the faith that our republic is working?"
Reagan and O'Neill, Matthews says, "disagreed on the role of government, knew it, admitted it face-to-face. But they put concentrated effort into trying to get along even as they challenged each other. Why, we wonder, can't it be that way again?"
Why, indeed?


text:
washington state, zone 8, where the blackberries will someday rule when us pesky humans are gone
i'm trying salmonberries alongside my raspberries this year
― toandos, Sunday, 25 March 2012 22:48 (five years ago) Permalink
We (and by "we" I mean Mr. Jaq) spent several hours today ripping out the blackberries that were taking over the side of the house. They're definitely pernicious - come up out of nowhere in the middle of the yard, drill into the concrete blocks of the foundation, wedge their way into the siding of the house. I do keep thinking about planting raspberries and marionberries along the back fence though.
― Jaq, Sunday, 25 March 2012 23:36 (five years ago) Permalink
Time to think about some autumn/winter planting here! Rocket, spinach, and bok choy are up for starters.
― zooey bechamel (Trayce), Monday, 26 March 2012 00:15 (five years ago) Permalink
I also spent a chunk of today digging up brambles (that predate our moving-in) and can't imagine ever intentionally inviting them into the garden.
― James Bond Jor (seandalai), Monday, 26 March 2012 00:18 (five years ago) Permalink
I've tried growing dill a few times in past years and gotten nowhere, but my daughter is in charge of the garden this year and the dill she planted looks great. Anybody have any tips on how to keep it productively producing leaves/fronds and not bolting? Just pinch the blooms out, as with basil?
― Biff Wellington (WmC), Tuesday, 12 June 2012 17:57 (five years ago) Permalink
so lately my dad has taken to saving all our dishwater for watering our vegetable garden with.
my concern: all the fat, oil, sugar, salt, etc. will have bad effects on the plants
yay? nay?
― Faith in Humanity: Restored (dayo), Sunday, 24 June 2012 19:13 (five years ago) Permalink
WmC: I have read you're supposed to keep the plants small, mine usually end up running to seed when I go off dill for a few weeks.dayo: as long as it's not too soapy or too salty it might be ok. Maybe the water contains lots of nutrients from the food?
― recordbreaking transfer to Lucknow FC (seandalai), Sunday, 24 June 2012 19:35 (five years ago) Permalink
The salt can, and oil if there's a whole lot of it, but the rest won't really. What it can do is attract lots of things you don't want in your garden, especially if the fat and oil go rancid and start to stink.
― Jaq, Sunday, 24 June 2012 19:36 (five years ago) Permalink
I'd say nay, but the rinse water would be OK.
― nickn, Sunday, 24 June 2012 20:32 (five years ago) Permalink
I have fungus gnats on my herb plants. FUNGUS GNATS! Gross. What do I do?
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:18 (five years ago) Permalink
Burn them down and salt the earth.
― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:21 (five years ago) Permalink
Hard to get rid of them once you get them tbh. I take it your herbs are indoors? They don't do any harm, but it's not great having a room full of flies. I always start off my seeds by the window in the bedroom and inevitably these guys show up and I get into trouble for bringing down pestilence upon the house.
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:25 (five years ago) Permalink
More seriously...spray them with vinegar? Will that hurt the plants? I don't know. :(
― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:26 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, they're indoors. I was perplexed by the fruitflies that seemed to come out of nowhere until I googled it and realized they aren't fruitflies at all. I'm sad because the herbs are doing really well but, like you said, it's not great having a bunch of flies hanging around. I just read something about putting a thin layer of sand on top of the soil to discourage them from breeding in the soil (again, gross) and I happen to have some sand at home from something else so I may try that. It sucks though.
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:29 (five years ago) Permalink
Hmmm vinegar? I'm gonna do some more googling. I love the fresh herbs so much but these pesky flies are bumming me out.
Apple cider vin will actually attract the files, maybe no dice. But there must be something that will make them not like it there.
― check the name, no caps, boom, i'm (Laurel), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:31 (five years ago) Permalink
Nooooooooo on the vinegar! Neem oil may do the trick, but not good if you're going to be eating the herbs :(
― quincie, Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:32 (five years ago) Permalink
"To make FG larvae go away pour a generous layer of sand on top of the soil and cover with cedar mulch. FGs are attracted to the top layer of wet soil. Because sand drains quickly, adults are confused by the new dry top layer of soil, even though your plant is good watered. The cedar mulch is ornamental and most insects hate the smell."
I don't have any cedar mulch but I'm going to see what the sand accomplishes.
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:35 (five years ago) Permalink
I tried putting sand over the soil last year and it didn't really help much at all :(
Think you'll probably have to throw out the pots and start again if you really want to get rid of them. Or put the pots outside if you're able where the flies won't be a problem. I *think* that what encourages them in the first place is if you keep the soil too wet cos they really seem to love those moist conditions.
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:36 (five years ago) Permalink
I tried putting sand over the soil last year and it didn't really help much at all
Maybe I was doing it wrong though, so might be worth a shot.
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:37 (five years ago) Permalink
Oh, bummer. We'll see. If it doesn't work I may just put them outside and see how they fare there. Starting all over again wouldn't be the end of the world, just a bit sad.
― (✿◠‿◠) (ENBB), Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:42 (five years ago) Permalink
Putting them outside means natural predators should keep them in check!
― quincie, Tuesday, 24 July 2012 16:44 (five years ago) Permalink
Terrible year, crop-wise. Even the runner bean plants - only planted because they always grow well, rather than particularly liking them - have been demolished by slugs. Was going to buy some Nemaslug but notice it has sold out everywhere ...
― djh, Sunday, 5 August 2012 16:52 (five years ago) Permalink
Did one dose of Nemaslug a few weeks ago but the bastards are still around.
Peas have worked ok, beans under combined slug/earwig attack and still not flowering, courgettes starting to crop, potatoes not all dead, beetroot and salady stuff more or less ok, tomato plants coming along slowly but surely (I hope).
― recordbreaking transfer to Lucknow FC (seandalai), Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:21 (five years ago) Permalink
I gave up on the watering early on, thus bad year for my veggie patch as well. I did pick a few carrots today.
― quincie, Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:22 (five years ago) Permalink
my french beans were looking great, then we had all that rain and they just totally vanished. three whole wigwams worth! thank you sluggy dudes. they've been so prolific that they ate all the foliage of my new potatoes. when i got round to digging them up, i ended up with fewer spuds than i originally planted. this is unheard of cos normally i get buckets full of the things. my maincrop are still hanging in there though, so all is not lost.
what has been thriving in the wet are salad leaves. mostly grow these under nets which exclude most of our gastropod friends, so have been getting bags of rocket, mizuna, lettuce, chard etc. have been picking loads of raspberries for weeks too, but have to go for these every other evening or else the snails find them or they start going mildewy in the humid conditions. just started getting blackberries from the hedges round the site and it looks like anaazing yer for them. on the other hand strawberries, cherries, plums, apples and pears have all been. complete wash out - i think the problem was either bumper crops last year sapping their energy or all that shitty weather kicking in round about pollination time.
anyhow, goes to show how important a diversity of crops is, seriously don't know how farmers relying on just a few different maincrops are surviving this year
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:41 (five years ago) Permalink
ipad fucking with my sentence construction there
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:44 (five years ago) Permalink
Don't think the blackberries are there yet around our way but I'll have a look this evening. Meant to do something with elderflowers when they were out but in the end we were too lazy/distracted - bring on the elderberries.
― recordbreaking transfer to Lucknow FC (seandalai), Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:44 (five years ago) Permalink
we're probably a bir earlier than most of the country here, but def worth a check. getting fat on blackberry crumble already
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 5 August 2012 17:49 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, actually rocket and raspberries are fine although even the latter are attracting snails. Have managed to grow two courgettes (protected by copper tape).
― djh, Sunday, 5 August 2012 19:01 (five years ago) Permalink
bravo! don't eat them all at once. have only just got around to planting mine out, fingers crossed they're still there
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 5 August 2012 19:05 (five years ago) Permalink
i must confess, i *will* feel under pressure to enjoy them, the effort that has gone into growing them (and the frustration at all the plants that have been eaten this year).
i'd managed to keep the raised beds relatively slug free (with copper tape all the way round) but i've been a bit half-hearted this year and didn't repair the gaps/torn pieces.
― djh, Monday, 6 August 2012 18:36 (five years ago) Permalink
The heat got to most of our stuff except for the cherry tomatoes...we have cherry tomatoes overrunning the kitchen. Running the cucumbers up trellises instead of on the ground was a big success.
I focus on vegetables mostly but I do want to say how beautiful our hibiscuses have been. They're really enjoying the heat and humidity after a bit of transplant shock. Huge yellow blooms with crimson centers, and lately there have been 5-6 new flowers per day on each plant. I may plant more than 2 next spring, because they are a color riot all summer long.
― Your sweet bippy is going to hell (WmC), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 02:05 (five years ago) Permalink
Have never had any success at growing cucumbers outdoors...been thinking I won't bother next year.
― Cong rat ululations (seandalai), Tuesday, 7 August 2012 02:26 (five years ago) Permalink
Our compost bin is nasty due to a lack of regular turning and lack of leaves and lawn clippings, so I'm going to take a different tack: vermiculture. Bins have been acquired, just need to find a bait shop that sells Red Wigglers. (Or mail-order a pound.)
― How's My Modding? Call 1-800-SBU-RSELF (WmC), Monday, 3 September 2012 20:49 (five years ago) Permalink
I've had excellent luck buying them online. You can even buy them from Amazon now.
― Jaq, Monday, 3 September 2012 20:58 (five years ago) Permalink
In totally neglected garden news - I spotted a very large tarragon plant in the weedhaven of my sadly abandoned hay bale garden. Also, 2 chard plants.
― Jaq, Monday, 3 September 2012 21:00 (five years ago) Permalink
The first time I tried to grow cukes: great success under seemingly unpromising conditions. When I tried to grow cukes under seemingly promising conditions: great failure.
See also: eggplant
― quincie, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 01:50 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm about to pull up my bolted winter crops and start some seedling pots for spring/summer. now, how do I prep/treat the strip of soil meantime to kill the damn weeds?its like the whole soil patch is full of weedseed. sick of pulling em up!!!
― frances boredom coconut (Trayce), Tuesday, 4 September 2012 02:37 (five years ago) Permalink
Hand weed and heavily mulch is what I do. There are chemical options, but they only kill exiting weeds and won't prevent new ones from springing up. If you mulch heavily enough, any weeds that make it through will be easy to pull out. Some people do the black plastic, heat-the-hell-out-the-soil method, but I think that is too disruptive to a good soil ecosystem.
― quincie, Tuesday, 4 September 2012 14:27 (five years ago) Permalink
USS Shitpile* has been christened and launched...I think the main learning curve is keeping the moisture levels right -- not too soupy, not too dry. It looked right this morning, but I noticed there hasn't been any "worm tea" runoff in the lower bin, so got my hands into the pile up to my forearms and realized there were pockets of dry grass clippings, so I've added water and tried to mix it all up better. The worms seem happy and active enough.
*No actual manure, I just liked the name.
― Irwin Dante's Towering Inferno (WmC), Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:31 (five years ago) Permalink
I use a short pitchforky thing to stir mine up, no way do I stick my arms in there! If mine gets too wet, all the worms decide to leave en-mass. Which was freaky when we had the bin inside the apartment! I mix in some aspen shavings every so often in addition to newspaper (as little color ink as possible, no shiny coated magazines). Egg shells are also U&K to keep things from getting too acid.
― Jaq, Sunday, 16 September 2012 17:43 (five years ago) Permalink
What's worth putting in a garden/raised beds at the moment? (UK)
― djh, Sunday, 16 September 2012 20:57 (five years ago) Permalink
Cabbages and their cousins? I wonder if it would be possible to get mustard, collard and turnip green seeds over there. Mustard greens are the best and would surprise the hell out of any UK palate.
― Irwin Dante's Towering Inferno (WmC), Sunday, 16 September 2012 22:56 (five years ago) Permalink
Yeah, now is a great time to sow lots of winter salads like rocket, red mustard, mizuna and other oriental greens, kale, winter spinach, swiss chard. I always do this under a net to keep the frost and the pigeons off. Might be slow in getting going and when the weather cools right off, but they'll all grow like crazy when spring comes round.
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 16 September 2012 23:03 (five years ago) Permalink
Also you can start sowing broad beans in a couple of months.
― mod night at the oasis (NickB), Sunday, 16 September 2012 23:04 (five years ago) Permalink
Looks like I added a little too much water to the worm bin -- some of them, not all of them, are climbing the sides of the bin. Jaq, should I add some dry stuff, or just leave them alone and let the bin dry out on its own?
― Irwin Dante's Towering Inferno (WmC), Sunday, 16 September 2012 23:32 (five years ago) Permalink
They like a damp sponge level of wet - you might toss some grass clippings or shredded paper in there to soak up some of the extra. I just shred paper in a layer on top - a couple of inches deep - then lay a full sheet of newsprint over that before I put the lid on.
― Jaq, Sunday, 16 September 2012 23:51 (five years ago) Permalink
These little dudes are loving their new home. The ones I bought must have been weanlings, because they've gotten a lot bigger in the last eight days. By next spring, I'm going to have buckets full of castings and such for the raised beds.
― The Jesus and Mary Lizard (WmC), Tuesday, 25 September 2012 03:19 (five years ago) Permalink
Gutted about this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/allotment/2012/oct/05/allotments-gardens"After five years, Allan Jenkins and Howard Sooley bring the Observer Organic Allotment Blog to a gentle close ..." My main source of gardening information.
― djh, Saturday, 6 October 2012 10:53 (five years ago) Permalink
Worm bin is smelling a bit fecal, and it's still too wet, but there are a lot of healthy active wigglers in there. When I mix the pile, I usually find them paired off, giving each other special adult hugs.
― WmC, Tuesday, 9 October 2012 21:09 (five years ago) Permalink
― djh, Wednesday, 16 January 2013 21:50 (five years ago) Permalink
I'd go for the second one because sweet peas and iceland poppies. Don't know if those are worth the extra price though!
― Jaq, Wednesday, 16 January 2013 22:40 (five years ago) Permalink
Does anyone want to get any seeds from Tomatofest? I want to get some Boxcar Willie seeds, but that's only $3 and they have a $15 minimum order. I can place the order and send the seeds along, you can Paypal me your part of the cost.
Thought about starting a 2013 thread the other day, but I didn't have any updates other than "my worms are happy."
― Jah Creature (WilliamC), Thursday, 17 January 2013 00:38 (five years ago) Permalink
PS, Tomatofest has extended their annual seed sale until the 21st.
― Jah Creature (WilliamC), Thursday, 17 January 2013 00:39 (five years ago) Permalink
I'd probably be interested
― 乒乓, Thursday, 17 January 2013 00:54 (five years ago) Permalink
I'm super bummed that I will not have a real gardening season this year due to decamping to the Mexican desert--I won't even have time to get a crop of greens or peas or radishes to harvest before leaving :(
I have no idea what, if any, garden setup I'll have south of the border, but I figure at the very least I can try my hand with container-grown stuff. And hey, cactus.
― quincie, Thursday, 17 January 2013 09:25 (five years ago) Permalink
Bump for tomato seeds -- anyone else want to go in on an order?
― Jah Creature (WilliamC), Friday, 18 January 2013 14:55 (five years ago) Permalink
(multiple x-post)
No, Jaq, I don't really think I can bring myself to spend that much ... Usually just grow veg but the garden could do with a bit of a lift.
― djh, Saturday, 19 January 2013 19:58 (five years ago) Permalink


text:
Supercharging partnership
Supercharging partnership
Nissan already lets its customers charge at their dealerships, at least in Oregon and Washington. Not only do they let Leaf owners charge up but any EV owner for that matter.
I'm glad to see that you already addressed the fact that the gripes are from non-EV owners who aren't close to considering an EV anyway, and thus probably don't understand the various pros and cons between EVs and gas cars.
I think the partnership you propose could be interesting. However, there are already chargers that can service the Leaf and all other EVs popping up all over the place.
The Superchargers depend on hardware and software that is built into the vehicle. So while it would be interesting if Tesla partnered with other car manufactures to enable them for Supercharger access (and used the investment to build an appropriate amount of new stations to handle the higher demand), I don't think it would really happen.
Right now, the Superchargers are going to be a key differentiator for Tesla, and it might be an important competitive advantage for Tesla to keep. It will be especially important, I think, if they have a large, robust Supercharger network already in place by the time Gen III arrives.
I mean, even if BMW came out with a Model S killer tomorrow, they're not going to have supercharger stations across the country. I think that's a significant advantage for Tesla.
Also, while I don't think your partnership idea is a bad idea, I don't think that Nissan dealerships would be a good location. I don't want to stop at a car dealership. What am I going to do there?
Just curious - can Nissan Leaf owners charge their cars at a Tesla SuperCharging station?
I think they may have or desire a deal with outlet malls throughout the country.
The good thing about Outlets is that they are away from City centers.
Tesla has to be careful about how their brand gets associated.
So no Walmart, no McDonald's, no Gas stations.
Yes to Malls, Outlets, businesses with good highway access
@ Panoz - No. They cannot. Only Tesla Model S's can use the Superchargers.
Samo, have to disagree. You need those brightly lit safe gas station/fast food outlets right off of major highways. Great to have stations at high end POIs, but you need chargers along the way as well.
You want to have to drive to malls, circling around dark deserted parking lots looking for chargers? Sit there in the dark, alone, waiting for a charge at 2am? What about your kids, wife doing this? No thanks, I'll go to the Shell station, get some coffee at McD or a Red Bull at the mini mart. Use the bathroom...just a better idea and far more convenient.
Go to google maps, and widen your view to show the entire united states. Then search for Outlet Malls.
You'll find them on EVERY SINGLE major highway throughout the US. Less than 200 feet from highway exit ramp. The car knows where the charging is. There should be no need to circle.
This isn't sufficient by itself, but it is a single contract that could immediately net 200-300 Supercharger locations.
You blew it. That stupid scenario is never going to happen. Troll. Flagged.
Although I also believe carigo's scenario is extreme and highly unlikely, I agree with his basic premise: malls, whether high end or outlet, are generally deserted after 9PM, and they do not have bathrooms or eating facilities after those hours. Another big drawback is a predictable parking problem during winter holiday season business hours, e.g., the whole month of December into early January. Since that's when many families travel longer than usual distances, SC availability would be paramount. Getting ICE'd would be much more likely.
Tesla is making going out of their way and scouting Supercharger locations that are highly visible, well travelled at all hours and not isolated.
HPWC's at high end grocery stores.
The big advantage of a mall is that there's a lot to do there. So if I could park my car at Aventura Mall near Miami, and return from my shopping expedition with the car fully charged and ready to go, that would be pretty awesome. The scenario of being in an empty mall with no stores open after 9:30 (in the case of Aventura) is unlikely since I'm sure there's plenty of security there 24/7.
I wouldn't recommend Simon as a partner because I think they are a lousy mall operator. They ran Century III in Pittsburgh and Palm Beach Mall straight into the ground - and probably others I don't know - by skimping on security. But that's just me :).
Much better than gas stations or car dealerships where there's basically nothing to do but look at cars. Of course it might be cool to hang out at a Tesla dealership.
One interesting dilemma is setting up superchargers in places where parking is rare or expensive.For instance, I'd love to see a supercharger in Lincoln Road in Miami, but the big advantage would be free parking more than the charge :). And the big problem would be, what happens when someone wants to spend three hours at a supercharger site, because it's really being used as free parking? Might be tricky, since I know Tesla would hate to tow a customer's car, however justified it might be ...
@David Dennis,
Malls are great during business hours. Maybe they get turned off during the night and they show as inactive on the Model S app.
You could actually partner by putting HPWCs at certain parking garages. You still have to pay for parking, but you get spots valet'd or up front in a prime location.
Yes, the trouble with having too much to do (at a mall, e.g.) is that you will, as you note, be more likely to take 3 hrs. than ½ hr.
So there needs to be enough nearby to hold interest for a stop, but not an afternoon!
I believe SC usage should (mostly) cater to travelers on 100+ mile trips. As such they should be conveniently located less than 5 minutes fromf major arteries like interstate highways, the Florida Turnpike, etc. L2 chargers should be made available and used in malls like Aventura.
Like Brian H, I don't believe SC's should be installed where motorists are likely to be away from their cars for greater than 45 minutes or so. As we've all read, there are already backups at some California SC's. This will only get worse with the increasing sales projected.
I should also have said I do NOT favor any usage restrictions based on where owners live.
Powaker: "I'm specifically looking at how to roll out Superchargers across the country in a quicker and strategically placed network as possible"
You want to place them in places where people WANT to stay for half an hour to an hour. So, most gas stations are out, as well as most non-Tesla car dealers.
Cracker Barrel has strategic locations close to most highways (but lacking in California).
Truck stops are another good idea. Love's, Pilot, Petro, and other truck stops are designed for people to stay and eat, relax, stretch, whatever. Most have shops and restaurants similar to the Milford Travel plazas.
I had been thinking about Cracker Barrel for the south and midwest. Partnering with a gas or diesel station is logical but I don't think Tesla sees that as befitting the brand.
I think he'd rather do IHOP for the late night traveler.
If Tesla spends $50M for 200 Superchargers, then the U.S. is blanketed every 80 miles.
When someone asks me about range anxiety, I find the question a little easier to understand when you ask it a different way. I ask them "How many times have you ever had to fill your gas tank twice in one day ?"
It is essentially the same question, without the awkward wording, and it is easier for them to wrap their head around it.
Great way to put it Haeze! I'm going to borrow that if you don't mind.
Whoa. +1 Insightful for Haeze. Instead of trying to argue so much hypothetical about maybe and what-if, that is nice and specific, and makes them actually try to remember when they've actually done that.
Wow, just realized I was called a troll way back when because I wrote that chargers and swappers should be at convenient places like gas stations. Hmmm, sort of the OPPOSITE of being a troll because I KNOW a more easily accessible charging system would entice more people to buy Teslas.
Real trolls would want a more limited charging availability so that potential buyers would be apprehensive and less likely to buy a Tesla. Hmmm, again, who here have been arguing for very limited charging options?
Perhaps some trolls assume the guise of Tesla fans. It would be the smart way to troll I would think. I cannot think of an easier way to derail the Tesla brand than to limit the ways to charge it conveniently.
Maybe the shorts are at work here? If I were shorting the stock, I would do all in my power to make sure charging was as difficult as possible. Range anxiety is after all the biggest concern people have.
Flagged indeed!
As for being careful about the associations with the Tesla brand...yeah, I know, commoners are often found at gas stations. Therefore, when I gas up my Bentley or Ferrari, I wear a disguise in case somebody sees me. I was at a Chevron in Santa Barbara and in front of me were two newish Ferraris and behind me was a gull wing MB. Whew, coulda been surrounded by primered Camaros or, gasp, food trucks.
Maybe there should be exclusive gas stations for owners of expensive ICE vehicles as well. And they would have to have the gate code to get in. How about chargers at some place like that? ICE or electric, the drivers would at least be worthy of each other, although the snot all over the place might result in a safety hazard.
Lest some people lose track, Musk wants to electrify transportation and hopes Tesla is instrumental in starting that revolution. He does not strike me as a person who wants Tesla to be some sort of exclusive device, accessible and useable only for certain people.
The real question is whether reasonable charging options have to be in place first, to attract buyers, or whether people will buy the cars and charging options will then come along to meet the demand. This is a chicken or egg question. I believe that convenient and fast charging options have to be in place. Those hoping for limited and exclusive charging option are evidently hoping Tesla lays an egg. What other explanation could there be?
Who wants to hang around a gas station?
I don't know that it necessarily needs to be some place people would WANT to hang around. People generally have their phones with them, so you've got an e-reader to read a book or some news for a little while, etc. So it's easy to entertain yourself no matter where you are. I just think it needs to be some place that will have services available even late at night. The thing about outlet malls and shopping centers is that they close at night, and you can't get in for bathrooms or food.
ha ha ha ha


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News & Events
For the Media
Clarkson University Hosts Canadian & American Conference on Technique, Technology and Therapy in the Brain and Mind Sciences
Last weekend, Clarkson University's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences and Center for Canadian Studies hosted a joint Canadian and American conference on "Technique, Technology and Therapy in the Brain and Mind Sciences."
Supported by Clarkson University's Honors Program and the School of Arts & Sciences, the international conference featured scholars with anthropological, historical, literary, philosophical, and sociological expertise in the brain and mind sciences.
The invited speakers included two Clarkson undergraduates, Rachel Fulton of Colton, N.Y., an honors sophomore majoring in history, and Rebecca Schilling of Lakeville, Conn., an honors senior majoring in biology and bio-molecular science.
The speakers also included scholars from Clarkson University, Harvard University, Hunter College, McGill University, the National Institutes of Health, Penn State University, Princeton University, Yale University, and York University at Toronto.
When looked at across time, techniques, technologies, and therapies in the brain and mind sciences raise many puzzling questions for humanists and social scientists.
Conference presenters addressed such weighty questions as: What is the relationship between technique, technology and therapy? How have each separately constructed the medicine of the mind and brain? Why did shock therapies and psychoanalytic therapies disappear from American science and medical practice?
The complex questions required trans-disciplinary approaches, a style that, while common to Clarkson's Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, is not typically found in many university environments across North America.
"I greatly enjoyed my experience at the conference, which introduced me to a group of truly outstanding historians and gave me an exciting glimpse of academic life," said Fulton. "Attending this conference taught me as much about the culture and practice of academia, as about the history of medicine, and greatly strengthened my desire to pursue a graduate degree in history."
"Attending and participating in the conference was one of the most intellectually stimulating events I've been to while attending Clarkson," said Schilling. "I felt privileged to be able to listen to others present and presenting my thesis at the conference was enlightening."
The 18 conference attendees pre-circulated drafts of their papers before the conference and then during hour-long presentations, debated and challenged each other's arguments and claims about the answers to those questions. The contributors hope to produce an edited monograph from the conference.
The event may lead to a second conference in Canada next year that would allow Canadian and American scholars, whose research interprets and contemplates neuroscience, to continue the work begun at Clarkson.
Clarkson University Humanities & Social Science Professor Stephen T. Casper and Delia Gavrus of McGill University's Department of Social Studies of Medicine organized the conference.
Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.


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4 second
I'd have said that 4 second is a minor delay, yes.
Sorry, was there a story underneath?
Mozilla has delayed the second beta release of Firefox 4 by about a week. The open source browser maker had tentatively planned to sling out Firefox 4 beta 2 late last week. However, Mozilla has now pushed that release back to Thursday, 29 July. "Hi! We're glad you're interested in Firefox 4 Beta 2 - it's not quite ready yet …
I'd have said that 4 second is a minor delay, yes.
Sorry, was there a story underneath?
They're simply going back to a multi process model which they should never have left instead of the trendy (for people who don't have a fucking clue) multi threading model which was the bandwagon that they jumped on and meant that a bug in one page could crash everything.
Netscape / Mozilla has only ever used multi-process for some crypto and that was to avoid some licencing issues that were later resolved.
Traditionally for plugins they have run in-process with some system traps to try and cope with certain kinds of recoverable exceptions. The reason they plugins run in-process is because its incredibly difficult to run them out of process. For starters, plugins can be scriptable so JS calls have to be marshalled in both directions, accounting for issues like recursion. Then there is the general issue of dealing with unresponsive / dead plugins. How do you know when the plugin is dead / unresponsive as opposed to merely busy? How do you deal with plugins which are firing possibly hundreds of events out via callbacks? How do you deal with WINDOWLESS plugins where the plugin expects to draw directly into the HTML view? How do you feed the plugin with data from a URL while keeping your cache consistent and correct etc.
Mozilla feels it has resolved most of these issues but just ranting away as you did shows you have no understanding of why things are the way they are.
"Underlying code in that beta included an HTML5 parser, called WebSockets,"
I don't think 'WebSockets' is an HTML5 parser. It's one of the new technologies under the 'HTML5' banner.
I guess you meant something like "...included an updated HTML5 parser and support for WebSockets..."
A 4 second Beta? Wow, that's a mighty quick beta! How long was it delayed for.. 5 seconds?
... but all i want from a browser is for it to be secure, to be able to run the sites i want to visit smoothly, for it not to be a resource hog and for it not to be a bloated pile of crap! Is that too much to ask?
I dont need to be able to integrate a million piles of web2.0rhia per page, or have a thousand tabs open, or any of the other bloat inducing excesses that keep being introduced in Firefox recently.
Here's an idea, add those things as add ons which a person can download to customise their firefox experience, and leave the basic functionality (and size and memory usage) as low as possible so that those of us who dont give a flying f*&k about Stephen Fry's latest Twittergasm can just use Firefox as a browser and not have to sacrifice half our system performance to view a single bloody page!!!
[/End Rant]
"not have to sacrifice half our system performance to view a single bloody page!!!"
Unfortunately the people who develop web browsers don't see their bloatware as just an internet client - they see it as an operating system in waiting. And thats the way they're pushing things. Not just firefox devs - all of them. They're not smart enough to do kernel hacking so they hack browsers instead and try and pretend that one day it'll be the One True Platform. Yes they're deluded but thats nothing new for web types.
... if "4 second beta" was the time taken for the firefox beta to load and be ready for use.
Most of the things that currently happen during startup (including checking for updates) should be performed some other time. More important is to display the address bar and be ready to start browsing to the chosen address.
Anything else can be performed later. For example, when shutting firefox down (or, even better, when shutting windows down).
When Armageddon is here. I might have a chance to try out the final release then.
I've been checking it out for about a week now. I went to the FTP site and downloaded it. When I first installed it, I was all prepared to give the new Firefox a thumbs down for being too much like Office 2007. Luckily, I noticed the orange Firefox icon in the upper right hand corner with the down arrow. Click on the icon, go to customize and click on Menu bar, and BAM, you have the menu bar back. To disable it again, click on view, go to Toolbars, and click on Menu bar again. Quite easy, and much better than what Office has done. So far in testing, I have not run into a problem.
Written using Firefox beta 2.
.. putting Firefox 3 to rights. Mine jumped from 3.6.6 to 3.6.7 and 3.6.8 within a week. Is this a record ?


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A big debate amongst Husker fans over the last few weeks is can you label this 2011 season a success without a trip to the Big Ten Championship game or a BCS bowl berth?
For the third year in a row Nebraska has been close to turning the corner as a program, but they just can't take that next step.
The positive as you look at things going forward is head coach Bo Pelini has brought stability to the program. Pelini has won 37 games in four seasons and has the chance to finish with 39 wins before it's all said and done this year.
Compare that to Bill Callahan who won just 27 games in four years, that's an average of 2.5 to 3 wins more per season.
Another interesting stat when you talk about the stability and progress with this program under Pelini is heading into this season Nebraska was just one of 10 schools to win nine or more games from 2008 to 2010. The Huskers joined TCU, Oregon, Boise State, Oklahoma State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Alabama, Utah and West Virginia in that exclusive club heading into 2011.
Noticeably absent from that list were Oklahoma, Texas, USC, Florida, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State.
With another win this season they could be just one of seven teams to win nine or more games over the last four seasons as Ohio State is already out of that mix and both Utah and West Virginia currently sit at seven wins.
By no means am I trying to say it's ok to get blown out at Michigan or Wisconsin or drop a home game as a big favorite against Northwestern.
What I am trying to say step back in look at the big picture. Have some perspective. Things are not as bad as people make them out to be. Husker fans tend to only look at the now, but the numbers and facts speak for themselves.
Tom Osborne built Nebraska's program by consistently winning nine games every year and when he finally got a run of special players he took things to another level during his championship run in the 90's.
Pelini will be the first person to tell you he's not happy with an 8-3 record right now, but he's still been able to consistently keep Nebraska as a team that will compete and win nine or more games every year regardless of the injuries and other obstacles they may have to overcome.
Nebraska shafted by Groza voters again
Nebraska kicker Brett Maher was not named a finalist for the Groza award, but when you break down his numbers compared to the other finalists he's clearly the best candidate at this point.
Of the top nine semifinalists, nobody has missed a kick less than 29 yards. Maher is just one of two semifinalists who have not missed from under 40 yards and he's the only candidate that has not missed from under 50 yards.
All three of Maher's misses have been from over 50 yards, but he's also only one of three finalists that have made multiple kicks from 50 yards or longer.
Then you add up his kickoff average of 67.4 yards, and he's only one of three finalists with an average of over 67 yards. Maher also leads the Big Ten with 17 punts of 50 yards or longer, he's placed 20 punts inside the 20 yard line and he's had just two touchbacks on the season.
It's really a shame that neither Maher or Alex Henery were never finalists for the Groza award, despite the seasons they had in 2010 and 2011.
Plenty of ties to Nebraska on the Iowa roster
As you watch Friday's Iowa vs. Nebraska game there are quite a few familiar faces to Husker fans on the Hawkeye roster.
***Iowa quarterback James Vandenberg attended Nebraska's elite quarterback camp and was actually a late Husker offer in January of 2008 when Blaine Gabbert de-committed from Nebraska. Vandenberg probably would've ended up at NU, but Iowa followed up Nebraska's offer and he eventually committed to the Hawkeyes.
***Hawkeye starting tackle Riley Reiff was identified early in the process back in 2007 by Iowa, but Nebraska followed with an offer and Reiff actually gave his commit to former coach Bill Callahan. Reiff would then de-commit from Nebraska and switch to Iowa, and then he switched back to Nebraska before eventually deciding to sign with Iowa. Reiff is considered one of the top tackles in the country and could declare early for the NFL draft after this season.
***Starting Iowa cornerback Shaun Prater is an Omaha Central product that was never offered by Callahan's staff, but immediately offered by Pelini and Marvin Sanders in January of 2008. Prater stayed loyal to his commitment to Iowa though, as the Hawkeyes fell in love with him after a strong showing at their summer camp in June of 2007.
***Cole Fisher, the brother of Nebraska linebacker Sean Fisher is currently a true freshman that's redshirting at Iowa as a linebacker. The younger Fisher was never offered by NU or heavily recruited by the Huskers.
***Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt was offered and recruited by Nebraska in 2007 as a quarterback/athlete, but more than likely would've moved to wide receiver if he picked NU.
For the stat geeks
***The race for Big Ten offensive player of the year could be a toss-up between Wisconsin running back Montee Ball and Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson. Ball has 1,466 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns to lead the Big Ten, while Wilson has 2,506 yards passing and 26 touchdowns. Wilson has an incredible quarterback rating 199.3, which is 50 points higher than the next closest quarterback in the Big Ten.
***If the Hawkeyes were still in the race for the division, you could make a case for McNutt as Big Ten offensive player of the year. McNutt leads the league in receiving yards with 1,240 and he's second in receptions with 74. He also leads the Big Ten in receiving touchdowns with 12.
***Both Wisconsin linebackers Mike Taylor and Chris Borland lead the Big Ten in tackles and rank ahead of NU's Lavonte David. My guess is this trio will make up the first-team All-Big Ten linebackers.
Around the state
***Crete quarterback Derek McGinnis picked up another offer this past week from South Dakota State. McGinnis now has offers from both SDSU and North Dakota State.
***Grand Island quarterback Ryker Fyfe has only received one offer thus far from Division II Nebraska-Kearney.
***I'm hearing grumblings that Kansas State would like to place Omaha North wide receiver Terry Grigsby in a junior college like they did with former Viking safety Travis Green last year.
***Millard West has a 2014 prospect to keep your eyes on for the future. Wide receiver Skyler Monaghan had a huge season for the Wildcats. Against Class A No. 1 Omaha Burke he had 13 receptions for 271 yards and four touchdowns.
Sean Callahan can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com and he can be heard each day at 6:50 am and 4:50 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 TV in Omaha during the fall and each week he appears on NET's Big Red Wrap Tuesday's at 7 pm.


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'A deep sense of purpose' -- Remembering Lt. Mark Dooley
WILMINGTON -- Lt. Mark Dooley was killed in Iraq on Sept. 19, 2005.
He had been riding in an armored vehicle when an improvised explosive device killed him and two other Army National Guard soldiers. Mark was 27 years old at the time.
Before going overseas, he wrote a letter to his mother, father and brother, Charlie. He had prophesied that he would not be returning but hoped it would not be true.
"Everywhere he went, everyone thought he was their personal friend and that he was always there for them," said Mark's mother, Marion Dooley. "Everybody thought he was their very best buddy and he was. It was amazing how many people he had in his short life that he was really close to."
Mark attended high school is Wallkill, N.Y., then went on to graduate from Norwich University in Vermont as well as the Vermont Police Academy.
Eventually, Mark found his place as an officer in the Wilmington Police Department. He was friends with fellow officers, Greg and Matt Murano. They considered Mark a brother.
On duty or off duty, Mark would stop for anyone. He would carry a rope and jumper cables at all times to assist people who went off the road or needed help with their vehicles.
Marion told the Reformer of a time when a deer was on a small bridge with people coming at it from both sides.
"He got on the middle of the bridge and patiently herded the deer to the side," she said. "No one else would stop and do something for the deer. He was just helpful that way."
While Mark's father was in Saudi Arabia, on full-time active duty as a National Guard pilot, Mark would drive three hours to plow his mother's driveway then drive back to Vermont to make it to work.
There was no limit to what Mark would do to help others. When he went overseas, he went out of a deep sense of purpose and desire to serve his country.
"He was so into it, so responsive. He was always right there," said Marion. "We never expected anything to happen to him."
Mark was killed on his day off. He had been traveling with two other men. Marion said those three soldiers were the type of people who wouldn't say no when called upon.
Mark was First Lieutenant with the Vermont Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 172nd Mountain Infantry Regiment, 42nd Infantry Division, of Jericho.
"Mark went because it was in his heart since he was 2 years old. He just loved the military and police -- anybody who did those kind of jobs. Not just the uniform but what they did -- the morals, ethics and values and eventually the camaraderie and support. That's really where he stood in life," said Marion.
The Dooley family decided that Mark should be buried at Arlington after part of his letter to his parents was read by President George W. Bush on Memorial Day in 2006.
"Remember that my leaving was in the service of something that we loved, and be proud. The best way to pay respect is to value why a sacrifice was made," wrote Mark.
There are two races in Mark's name. Both events go toward scholarships in his name for high school students who want to go into service work.
In March, there is a race in Wallkill, where he was a captain of his high school track team. He would also come back to assist with coaching on his days off from school.
The other race is in Wilmington, which is being held on Sept. 21. Marion told the Reformer that Wilmington had become Mark's hometown. She and his father, Peter, would visit him there. They still attend the Brattleboro July 4 parade each year in memory of Mark.
Chris Mays can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 273, or email@example.com. Follow Chris on Twitter @CMaysReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Lochte into 100 freestyle semis as Phelps withdraws
Michael Phelps took a rare morning off at the US Olympic swimming trials on Thursday after withdrawing from the 100 metres freestyle heats.
Phelps, who has already qualified for the London Games in the 400 individual medley and 200 freestyle and is through to the 200 butterfly final later on Thursday, has never swum the 100 freestyle at the Olympics and only entered it as back up in the unlikely case he flopped in one of his other events.
Although he will not swim the individual 100 in London, the 26-year-old will still be involved in the 4x100 freestyle relay, just as he was in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008.
Phelps's withdrawal from the 100 leaves him with a maximum of nine events for the Olympics although he is expected to drop the 200 backstroke and stick with the same eight events he competed in at the last two Games.
His rival Ryan Lochte did enter the 100 heats and qualified fifth fastest in the hope of making the 4x100 relay team for the first time.
Lochte, who has also qualified in the 400 medley and 200 freestyle, teamed up with Phelps to win gold medals in the 4x200 freestyle relay at the past two Olympics but has never swum in the shorter relay.
He won his 100 heat on Thursday in 49.33 seconds, storming home after turning in seventh place.
Scot Robertson set the fastest time (49.08) ahead of Adrian Nathan (49.17) and Matt Grevers (49.24), with the top 16 advancing to the semi-finals.
Jason Lezak, the 36-year-old whose stunning anchor leg swim in Beijing set the platform for Phelps's record eighth gold medal, was ninth overall in 49.40 and needs to finish in the top eight from the semi-finals to make the final.
Clark Burckle (2:10.30) set the fastest time in the men's 200 breaststroke heats while cancer survivor Eric Shanteau (2:11.57) and 100 breaststroke winner Brendan Hansen (2:12.14) were third and fifth respectively.
Kim Vandenberg (2:08.78) led the way in the women's 200 butterfly preliminaries.
There are three finals scheduled on Thursday night - the men's 200 butterfly, women's 200 freestyle and women's 200 medley.


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Pope County Treasurer-elect Donna Wall clutched her 14-month-old grandson Tyler as a family member relayed the latest election numbers to her Tuesday night at the county courthouse. As the vote margin widened over her opponent, Wall fought back tears and accepted hugs from the friends and family surrounding her.
Wall became the first Republican to ever be elected to an office in the Pope County Courthouse, an office that she previously worked in as the chief deputy treasurer. Final numbers indicate Wall defeated Democrat Paula Coffman Lowe 11,033 to 9,390.
The race was one that Wall said she contemplated entering 20 years ago when she was working in the office. But various circumstances kept her out of politics until current Treasurer Gail Lutrell announced that she was retiring earlier this year.
"When Gail said that she wasn't running again, I felt like this was my opportunity to run," said Wall, a previous employee of Lutrell's. "God gave me the faith to try and the strength to sustain through the election."
Wall said she gave serious consideration to which party she would represent before filing for the position. But she said her conservative values led her to run as a Republican.
"I knew that this was traditionally a Democratic county," Wall said. "But I ran in the party that fits my convictions. It was a hard decision to make, but I'm glad that I made it."
Wall becomes the third Republican official in the county, joining coroner Leonard Krout and surveyor Danny Hale. Krout won re-election without opposition Tuesday while Hale defeated Democrat Cary Metz 12,781 to 7,316.
In races for the Pope County Quorum Court, Democrat Kyle Drown unseated incumbent Republican Larry Pettus for the District 9 position on the court, 640 to 538. Drown is an Arkansas state trooper who has lived in Pope County much of his life.
Republican Don Daily defeated Democrat Pearl Crow, 645 to 490, for the District 8 Quorum Court position. Republican Madelyn Jean Ginsberg beat Democrat Polly S. Hardin 1,001 to 819 for the District 13 position on the court. Scott Sanders, a Republican, ran unopposed for the District 10 Quorum Court position, replacing Democrat Scott Simmons, who did not seek re-election.
The Quorum Court will now be divided with seven Democrats, five Republicans and one independent. Ginsberg, Daily and Sanders join Republicans Roger Freeman and Michael Burden, while Drown joins Democrats Jack Freeman, Nell Warren, Edwin Shinn, Bill Jones, Phil Bourne and Neil Jackson. Jerry Williams of Pottsville is the court's lone independent.
Other voting totals from Pope County included:
President - Republican George Bush, 13,614; Democrat John Kerry, 7,100; Other candidates, 188. Bush won Arkansas' six electoral votes.
U.S. Senate - Republican Jim Holt, 10,824; Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln, 10,034. Lincoln defeated Holt in state-wide totals.
U.S. Congress, Third District - Republican Congressman John Boozman, 12,794; Democrat State Rep. Jan Judy, 7,287; Independent Dale Morfey, 622. Boozman won the district overall.
State Supreme Court, Position 4 - Jim Gunter, 10,913; Collins Kilgore, 7,024. Gunter won overall in the state.
Wilson Township Constable - Democrat Phillip Hubbard 996, Republican Wayne Webster, 430.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 1 (Term limit extension) - For, 5,348; Against, 15,342. The issue was defeated statewide.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 2 (Economic development bonds) - For, 12,759; Against, 7,273. The issue passed statewide.
Proposed Constitutional Amendment 3 (Gay marriage ban) - For, 16,506; Against, 4,218. The issue passed statewide.
Referred Question 1 (28 mill minimum tax for education) - For, 5,959; Against, 14,061; The issue failed statewide.


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Irish Fertility at the Turn of the Twentieth Century (ICPSR 34517)
Principal Investigator(s): Guinnane, Timothy W., Yale University. Department of Economics
The goal of this project was to use the case of the Irish at the beginning of the twentieth century to investigate several explanations offered for the timing and pace of the European fertility transition. Using a sample constructed from the manuscript schedules of the Irish census of 1911 and the already-extant samples from the United States census of 1910, this study examined the roles of religion, class, migration, and neighbors in the Irish fertility transition.
Access Notes
These data are not available from DSDR. Users should consult the data owners directly for details on obtaining these resources.
Study Description
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: birth rates, census, fertility, population growth
Geographic Coverage: Global, Ireland, United States
These data are not available from DSDR or ICPSR. Researchers should consult the principal investigator directly for details on obtaining access to the data and documentation:
Dr. Timothy W. Guinnane
Department of Economics
Yale University
New Haven, CT 06520-8269
email: email@example.com
web site: http://pantheon.yale.edu/~guinnane