text:
The merger is the latest in a trend of nonprofit organizations forging new partnerships and collaborations in order to survive. Donations plummeted after the 2008 economic crisis, and many organizations have not been able to recover, the heads of foundations and nonprofit groups have said.
InnVision, which formed in 1974, had a roughly $7 million budget last year and sheltered 4,000 to 6,000 people, according to the agency. Among its programs, the organization runs the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto. It also served thousands more at-risk and low-income through food, counseling and other programs at two dozen sites, agency officials said.
Shelter Network last year served 4,600 clients in San Mateo County through six facilities with an $8 million budget. Founded in 1987, the majority of its clients are families and veterans.
Shelter Network CEO Karae Lisle will run the merged agency. InnVision CEO Christine Burroughs has retired after 24 years but remains a consultant for the new organization.
Burroughs said she approached Shelter Network last fall about a merger.
"It was a combination of factors. I decided it was time to step down. I felt with the economy being what it is, it would be better to partner," she said by phone last week.
InnVision had been struggling financially for some years. Net assets for the years ending June 30 dropped $220,672 in 2008, rose slightly in 2009, then plunged $626,188 in 2010 and by $1,011,862 in 2011, according to financial statements. An independent auditor did not find any deficiencies in InnVision's financial reporting.
Burroughs offered perhaps a prescient outlook on InnVision's future in May 2009 during an interview: "I'm on pins and needles, to tell you the truth," she said.
On April 30, 2011, the organization closed the Clara-Mateo Alliance homeless shelter on the grounds of the Veterans Affairs' Menlo Park campus because of the lean economy, she said at the time. The shelter offered transitional housing for families and single adults, and 67 percent of the single residents were veterans.
Lisle said the merger offer came at a time when Shelter Network was looking to increase its ability to house people. Over the past two years, an average of 50 families and more than 70 individuals have been turned away every night for lack of space, she said.
"With more than 18 major facilities, we can increase the capacity of the people we serve by three-fold. ... We don't have to start from scratch," she said.
San Mateo County provides families with children with a hotel voucher if there is no room at a shelter, she said. But that does not achieve the goal of getting them into a stable environment and then permanent housing. The merger will allow more people to quickly gain access to shelter and housing at a fraction of the cost, Lisle said.
Both agencies hold similar philosophies, she said. Both have a no-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol and offer comprehensive services such as counseling for drug and alcohol addiction, unemployment and mental illness.
Approximately 60 percent of both agencies' homeless clients are families, and of those more than half are children under age 18. Roughly 40 percent of transitional-housing clients are single adults, spokesperson Maria Duzon said.
While InnVision charged fees for shelter, the new organization is offering shelter at no charge. It will adopt Shelter Network's "Beyond the Bed" program, in which clients must work toward an education, job and saving 50 percent of their budget for housing and other essential living expenses. More than 90 percent of families graduating from "Beyond the Bed" have found and maintained permanent housing in about 120 days — less than half the national average.
InnVision's clients stayed in shelters slightly longer than the national average of 232 days, Duzon said.
Lisle said she plans to hire 10 to 20 more caseworkers to aid clients. There are no planned staff layoffs or program closures.
Palo Alto services are not expected to change, she said. The agency has just renewed a contract with the Opportunity Center for another five years.
The merger did not come as a surprise to leaders at the nonprofit Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which has provided grants for InnVision's food and housing programs for the past few years.
"We were aware that the merger was happening," said Erica Wood, vice president of community leadership and grant making.
In 2008 the foundation held a conference that predicted many nonprofits would look for new partnerships in order to survive.
Porcia Chen Silverberg, executive director of Thrive: The Alliance of Nonprofits for San Mateo County, a membership organization, said the financial crisis for nonprofits is not over.
Providers of "safety net" services, such as InnVision, initially received boosts from donors to help close funding holes in 2008, she said. But in the last couple of years people have pulled away from giving, although it's not clear why.
"It's not getting better any time soon, even though the economy is getting better and starting to turn around. It's just like city governments. You see fire departments are merging between cities. Funding is being cut in every direction," she said.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation is itself the product of a merger. It formed from Santa Clara County-based Community Foundation Silicon Valley and Peninsula Community Foundation in San Mateo County in 2007.
CEO and President Emmett Carson said last February that it took time to rebuild the trust of donors, some of whom feared the merged foundation would no longer fund the projects they supported. Lisle said she is aware of that similar challenge for InnVision Shelter Network, but Silverberg lent her support to the merger.
"Their missions align pretty well," she said.
One of the biggest challenges is creating one board of directors out of two organizations. Board members are deeply passionate about their own organization, and sometimes boards can't reconcile those differences. That's a big reason why mergers can fail, she said.
"That these two boards are willing to come together — that says a whole lot to me about this merger," she said.
Dan Coonan, InnVision board president, said he supports the merger.
"Karae is absolutely the perfect person to carry on the tremendous work Christine has been doing for decades in this area. ... It is a very good day for this critical cause in the Bay Area," he wrote in an email.
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text:
Compiled by Cara Bailey
Among reports recently taken by the Pope County Sheriff Office:
n March 23 - A Dover complainant reported strangers entered his unlocked home during the course of a number of days. The strangers took a compressor and two-way radio. The complainant has removed a suspect off his property twice, and indicated he believed the suspect is the thief.
n March 27 - A Russellville resident complained he received a threatening letter a week ago. The letter didn't have a return address. The complainant located a telephone number for the female suspect's name, which was listed in the letter. The complainant reported receiving another letter with the same name, and said the letter contained human excrement.
n March 28 - A Russellville complainant reported March 26 someone destroyed headstones at a Hector cemetery. The cost of damage is unknown.
n March 28 - A Dover resident complained two diamond rings were stolen and sold to her neighbor. The rings are valued at $100, but the neighbor, who purchased the rings last month, said she would sell them to the complainant for $40, according to the report. The complainant purchased the rings.
n March 23 - An Atkins resident reported someone stole three Disney moves and a Netflix movie from her mailbox. A $38.73 personal check also was reportedly stolen from the complainant. She was advised to contact the postmaster general in Little Rock.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
American National Election Study: 1995 Pilot Study (ICPSR 6636)
Principal Investigator(s): Rosenstone, Steven J.; Miller, Warren E.; Kinder, Donald R.; National Election Studies
A number of pilot studies have been conducted by the National Election Studies (NES) for the purpose of developing new instrumentation. The 1995 Pilot Study is part of this effort, which also includes studies conducted in 1979, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, and 1993. As in earlier pilot studies (except for 1979), the 1995 study respondents were a subset of the previous year's traditional time-series respondents. The study is a one-wave reinterview of a randomly selected subset of respondents with telephones from the fresh cross-section portion of the AMERICAN NATIONAL ELECTION STUDY, 1994: POST-ELECTION SURVEY [ENHANCED WITH 1992 AND 1993 DATA] (ICPSR 6507). The 1995 Pilot Study was conducted between August 3 and September 10, 1995. The content of the study reflects the NES commitment to improve measures of candidate evaluation, the impact of the campaign, values and predispositions, the comparative study of elections, and other responses to a stimulus letter calling for ideas for content sent to the user community on November 4, 1994. Specific topic areas in the study include: (1) an experiment using different measures of affective reactions to political figures, (2) a module of items being concurrently tested in many other nations as part of a comparative study of politics, (3) a set of 12 items asking respondents to make tradeoffs among programs, taxes, and the budget deficit, (4) a set of items designed to measure attitudes toward the environment and environmental policy, (5) a new measure of "humanitarianism," and (6) an extensive set of items regarding attention to the media intended to capture exposure to the political campaigns. In order to include all of the content, and to test between competing instrumentation, there were two forms of the questionnaire. Rosters of items, such as the thermometer, were randomized in administration to minimize order effects.
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup
Study Description
Rosenstone, Steven J., Warren E. Miller, Donald R. Kinder, and National Election Studies. American National Election Study: 1995 Pilot Study. ICPSR06636-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1999. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06636.v2
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR06636.v2
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- National Science Foundation (SOC77-08885, SES-8341310, SES-8808361, SBR-9317631)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: candidates, congressional elections, domestic policy, economic conditions, environmental policy, federal budget deficit, foreign policy, government performance, government programs, media use, national elections, political affiliation, political attitudes, political campaigns, political efficacy, political elites, political participation, presidential elections, public approval, public opinion, taxes, trust in government, voter expectations, voter history, voting behavior
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1995-08-03--1995-09-10
- 1995
Universe: A subset of respondents with telephones from the cross-section portion of AMERICAN NATIONAL ELECTION STUDY, 1994: POST-ELECTION SURVEY [ENHANCED WITH 1992 AND 1993 DATA] (ICPSR 6507).
Sample: The sample consisted of a randomly selected subset of respondents with telephones from the fresh cross-section portion of ICPSR 6507. Panel respondents from 1994 who had been interviewed in 1992 were not eligible for reinterview in the 1995 Pilot Study. The randomly selected sample consisted of 704 respondents from 1994, 486 of whom agreed to be interviewed in 1995. The number of refusals was 95. The remainder of the noninterviews are persons with whom contact was lost, or who were unavailable during the study period, for reasons such as illness or absence from home.
Original ICPSR Release: 1995-12-21
- 1999-08-20 The data for this study are now available in SAS transport and SPSS export formats in addition to the ASCII data file. Variables in the dataset have been renumbered to the following format: 2-digit (or 2-character) year prefix + 4 digits + [optional] 1-character suffix. Dataset ID and version variables have also been added.
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text: Hi everyone, I am new to the K family and I was wondering if I can get some advice. My wife had a 2010 F650gs and we traded it of on a 05 K1200s and after a while I just had get one also. Long story short I picked up an 06 K1200s with only 5k miles. My wifes bike have MVerholen 85mm handlebar risers on it and it is very comfortable since I'm used to my 1150 gs. My K12s have the original handlebars on it, (I think). The bars are tilted forward and I just want to know if thats normal or are they bent? Shouldn't they be straight in line with the triple tree????? This position is killing my wrists and very uncomfortable on 500 mile a day trips. I tried to adjust them but it does not appear to be possible. Any help would be appreciated. I also want to ask you guys if you take all the slack out of the throttle cable??


text:
A man who has been accused of manslaughter has been granted bail after his case was considered at Nottingham Crown Court.
Grzegorz Betleja, 28, of Nursery Avenue, Sutton-in-Ashfield, allegedly struck a colleague with a fatal punch following a day at work.
The court heard how Mr Betleja allegedly punched 39-year-old Jacek Golubek just after 5pm, on March 21. The defendant and deceased were Polish national, agency workers based at Wanzl, on Sawpit Lane industrial estate, Tibshelf.
Prosecuting solicitor Angela Hadfield claimed there had been a dispute and Mr Betleja allegedly punched Mr Golubek on a grass bank near the estate entrance. She added that Mr Golubek suffered a brain injury and was pronounced clinically dead on March 22. Betleja has not yet entered a plea. The case was adjourned until March 26 when Betleja was granted bail with conditions. His case was further adjourned until April 14.


text:
Dave Wimer ('99) is a finalist for teaching award at Penn State University
Dave Wimer ('99), an Ithaca College Psychology graduate, has been nominated for the annual Penn State University Undergraduate Teaching Award. It is a system-wide award for faculty who teach at the undergraduate level.
This recognition honors faculty members who have devoted substantial effort to undergraduate teaching.
Since his graduation from Ithaca College, Dave Wimer completed his doctoral degree at the University of Akron. He now teaches in the Penn State university system.
He has co-authored 5 journal articles and three book chapters since leaving Ithaca. One of the journal articles involved research he completed while an undergraduate here.
The accompanying photographs show him making a presentation at the University of Scranton Psychology Conference and at a separate poster presentation with co-authors at that conference.
Originally published in Intercom: Dave Wimer ('99) is a finalist for teaching award at Penn State University.


text:
OATS Overview Information
Oat is a plant. People use the seed (oat), leaves and stem (oat straw), and bran (the outer layer of whole oats) to make medicine.
Oat bran and whole oats are used for high blood pressure; high cholesterol; diabetes; and digestion problems including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diverticulosis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), diarrhea, and constipation. They are also used for preventing heart disease, gallstones, colon cancer, and stomach cancer.
People use oats for joint pain (rheumatism), fatigue, a fatigue-related condition called neurasthenia syndrome, withdrawal from nicotine and narcotics, and lowering high uric acid levels that can cause gout. Oats are also used for anxiety, excitation and stress; as well as for weak bladder and kidney ailments. Other uses include connective tissue disorders, skin diseases, fat redistribution syndrome associated with HIV treatment, and as a tonic.
Oat straw is used for the flu, swine (H1N1) flu, coughs, bladder disorders, joint pain, eye ailments, frostbite, gout, and a skin infection called impetigo.
Topically, oats are used for skin conditions including itchiness, dryness, oiliness, weeping eczema, and contact dermatitis. Oats are also applied to the skin for chicken pox, osteoarthritis, liver disorders, and added to foot baths for chronically cold or tired feet.
In foods, oats are used as a grain or cereal.
In manufacturing, oats are included in some bath products and soaps.
How does it work?
Oats might help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels and control appetite by causing a feeling of fullness. Oat bran might work by blocking the absorption from the gut of substances that contribute to heart disease, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
OATS Uses & Effectiveness
Likely Effective for:
- Reducing the risk of heart disease, when oat bran is used as part of a diet low in fat and cholesterol. Current FDA regulations and guidelines allow food products containing whole oats that provide 750 mg of soluble fiber per serving to be labeled with the health claim that the product may reduce the risk of heart disease when included as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.
- Lowering cholesterol. Eating oats, oat bran, and other soluble fibers can modestly reduce total and "bad" low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol when consumed as part of a diet low in saturated fat. For each gram of soluble fiber (beta-glucan) consumed, total cholesterol decreases by about 1.42 mg/dL and LDL by about 1.23 mg/dL. Eating 3-10 grams of soluble fiber can reduce total cholesterol by about 4-14 mg/dL. But there's a limit. Doses of soluble fiber greater than 10 grams per day don't seem to increase effectiveness.
Eating three bowls of oatmeal (28 gram servings) daily can decrease total cholesterol by about 5 mg/dL. Oat bran products (oat bran muffins, oat bran flakes, oat bran Os, etc.) may vary in their ability to lower cholesterol, depending on the total soluble fiber content. Whole oat products might be more effective in lowering LDL and total cholesterol than foods containing oat bran plus beta-glucan soluble fiber.
The FDA recommends that approximately 3 grams of soluble fiber be taken daily to lower blood cholesterol levels. However, this recommendation doesn't match research findings; according to controlled clinical studies, at least 3.6 grams of soluble fiber daily is needed to lower cholesterol.
Possibly Effective for:
- Reducing blood sugar levels in people with diabetes when oat bran is used in the diet. Eating oats and oat bran for 6 weeks significantly decreases before-meal blood sugar, 24-hour blood sugar, and insulin levels in people with type 2 diabetes. There is some evidence that consuming 50 grams of oat bran daily, containing 25 grams of soluble fiber, might be more effective than the moderate fiber diet of 24 grams daily recommended by the American Diabetes Association.
- Preventing stomach cancer when oats and oat bran are used in the diet.
Possibly Ineffective for:
- Preventing cancer in the large intestine (colon cancer) when oat bran is used in the diet.
- Lowering high blood pressure.
Insufficient Evidence for:
- Preventing fat redistribution syndrome in people with HIV disease. Eating a high-fiber diet, including oats, with adequate energy and protein might prevent fat accumulation in people with HIV. A one-gram increase in total dietary fiber may decrease the risk of fat accumultion by 7%.
- Blocking fat from being absorbed from the gut.
- Preventing gallstones.
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Diverticulosis.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Constipation.
- Anxiety.
- Stress.
- Nerve disorders.
- Bladder weakness.
- Joint and tendon disorders.
- Gout.
- Kidney conditions.
- Opium and nicotine withdrawal.
- Skin diseases.
- Other conditions.
OATS Side Effects & Safety
Oat bran is LIKELY SAFE for most people, including pregnant and breast-feeding women. It can cause intestinal gas and bloating. To minimize side effects, start with a low dose and increase slowly to the desired amount. Your body will get used to oat bran and the side effects will likely go away.
Putting oat-containing products on the skin can cause some people to break out.
Special Precautions & Warnings:Difficulty swallowing food or chewing problems: If you have swallowing problems (from a stroke, for example) or if you have trouble chewing because of missing teeth or poorly fitting dentures, it's best to avoid eating oats. Poorly chewed oats can cause blockage of the intestine.
Disorders of the digestive tract including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines: Avoid eating oat products. Digestive problems that could extend the length of time it takes for your food to be digested could allow oats to block your intestine.
OATS Dosing
The following doses have been studied in scientific research:
- For high cholesterol: 56-150 grams of whole oat products such as oat bran or oatmeal, containing 3.6-10 grams of beta-glucan (soluble fiber) daily as part of a low-fat diet. One-half cup (40 grams) of Quaker oatmeal contains 2 grams of beta-glucan; one cup (30 grams) of Cheerios contains one gram of beta-glucan.
- For lowering blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes: high fiber foods such as whole oat products containing 25 grams of soluble fiber are used daily. 38 grams of oat bran or 75 grams of dry oatmeal contains about 3 grams of beta-glucan.


text:
"Weird Al" Yankovic in "Fat"
Pigging Out On "Weird Al"
Welcome to Forgotten Videos, GRAMMY winners edition. For some, these videos are forgotten, for others just filed away, and for others still, a totally brand-new discovery. Our aim is to take you on a little trip down memory lane or help you discover new music, GRAMMY-style.
"Weird Al" Yankovic
If one thing is certain in the career of GRAMMY-winning parody master "Weird Al" Yankovic, he loves a good parody dish with a hearty side of the King of Pop. Based on Michael Jackson's No. 1 hit "Bad," "Fat" not only is an anthem for the calorie-challenged who have "more chins than Chinatown," its arguably Yankovic at his zany best.
Comedy fans will recall Yankovic first parodied Jackson's smash "Beat It" with the foodie-laced "Eat It" in 1984. Yankovic's song nearly reached the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him his first GRAMMY for Best Comedy Recording, so he fittingly decided to come back for seconds.
Starting with a vignette based on the extended video for Jackson's "Bad," a trim Yankovic is confronted in an empty subway by his former hippo-sized homies, who offer Ding Dongs, pizza and burgers and question his allegiance to their artery-blocking exploits. But Yankovic ultimately has enough and throws down the ultimate battle of the bulge in declaring, "You ain't fat, you ain't nothing!" In transforming into a tubby dancing bada**, Yankovic proceeds to wobble around with his portly posse, while scarfing down a ham sandwich on whole wheat and mimicking Jackson's moves and vocal nuances to a tee.
"Fat" is featured on Even Worse, an album with a cover based on Jackson's Bad album cover and containing parodies of songs by artists such as George Harrison, Billy Idol and Tiffany. Though the song could only manage No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, the "Fat" video tasted good enough to Recording Academy voters, who awarded Yankovic the GRAMMY for Best Concept Music Video in 1988.
While artists such as Paul McCartney and Prince have denied Yankovic permission for the use of their songs, Jackson reportedly was a big "Weird Al" fan, and bought copies of Even Worse for his friends. "[Jackson] doesn't have to let me do this kind of stuff," Yankovic once remarked. "The only reason he would let me is because he has a great sense of humor."
Taking his food obsession to the next level, in 1993 Yankovic released The Food Album, a compilation featuring "Fat" nestled alongside favorites such as his "La Bamba" parody ("Lasagna") and his parody of the Knack's "My Sharona" that helped launch his career in 1979 ("My Bologna"). In 2003 he won his third GRAMMY for Best Comedy Album for Poodle Hat, an album containing parodies of songs by Backstreet Boys and Eminem.
With a career spanning more than 30 years, Yankovic is showing no signs of slowing down. His most recent album, 2011's Alpocalypse, is the highest-charting album of his career, peaking at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. True to form, the album contains parodies of songs by current pop stars such as Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Ke$ha. And Yankovic is looking for a fourth GRAMMY helping, as Alpocalypse is a current nominee for Best Comedy Album for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.
In a 2011 interview with Maximum Fun, Yankovic intimated he is still carrying some serious weight: "It's a pretty heavy thing to realize that this far into my career I'm actually sort of peaking."
Have you ever seen the guy who says, "Yo Ding Dong man, Ding Dong yo," in the pastry aisle at the supermarket?
Got any Forgotten Video recommendations? Leave us a comment.


text:
OCEAN CITY — As of
January, the Ocean City bus will still "get you there" but it's going to cost
an extra buck.
As part of the revenue
increases in the FY2011 Ocean City budget that was voted through to first
reading on Wednesday, the City Council voted to increase the fare for both the
Ocean city bus to $3 and to raise the fare to use the Park-n-Ride in West Ocean
City to $2 and will earn the town six figures of added revenue in the short
term and more like seven figures in the long term.
In addition, the council
voted to trim the number of buses running from November to April, saving an
additional $100,000.
"The bus changes were
probably one of the biggest keys in us being able to hold the tax rate the same
as last year," said Council President Joe Mitrecic. "The $300,000 in additional
revenue that we will make this fiscal year by raising the bus fare from $2 to
$3 was probably the biggest key in my mind. It was huge."
Historically speaking,
an all-day bus pass was just a dollar from 1991-2002, before the Mayor and
Council voted (via a split 4-3 decision) to raise the fare to $2 in 2002.
Although Mayor Rick Meehan voted against the dollar raise when he was a
councilman back in 2002, and concurrently stated that his feelings on raising
the bus fare hadn't changed since, he said that he understood the council's
position in making the change.
"If I had a vote, I
would probably fight you guys on this, but I understand the logic behind it,
and it might be time to make the tough call to raise the rate," the mayor said.
Public Works Director
Hal Adkins told the council that although the town expects a decrease in
ridership because of the change, similar to the 680,000 loss when the price was
hiked in 2002, he said the added revenue would be substantial.
"Based on the formula
that we use to determine how much revenue would be created despite the slight
loss in ridership, we estimate that your projected revenue over the next
calendar year by making the price to ride the bus $3 to be about $1.1 million,"
said Adkins.
Adkins' predictions
accounts for almost a 33-percent rise in revenue despite a 18.5 percent or
555,000 decrease in ridership. Budget Manager Jennie Knapp attributed $300,000
to the town's proverbial bottom line after estimating the revenue that would be
brought in from January, when the price hike would begin, to the end of the
fiscal year on June 30.
The Park-n-Ride price
hike from $1 to $2 will reportedly add an additional 47 percent in revenue or
$96,000 despite an expected decrease of 73,000 passengers or 25 percent. The
additional fee for the Park-n-Ride will not take effect until Sept. 1,
according to the council's unanimous vote.
As for the winter bus
schedule, the council had considered potentially cutting the entirety of the
service on the graveyard shift (10 p.m.-6 a.m.) during the week, but opted to
trim the daytime buses on the road from three to two and the night bus down to
"We believe that by
trimming the bus schedule to two during the day and one on the late night
shift, you will no longer be able to keep the current 30-minute headway," said
City Manager Dennis Dare, "but with the 2-2-1 schedule, you would be able to
keep a bus coming every 40 minutes."
On average, less than
150 people used the bus during the so-called graveyard shift in 2010, and those
numbers were down significantly from prior years, perhaps enabling the council
to pull the trigger on the decision to trim the fleet, but not eliminate the
late night bus altogether.
"If you look at other
areas, $3 is still a tremendous value to ride the bus all day and all night,"
said Meehan. "We haven't changed the fare in eight years, and public
transportation is a service that is costly. I hope that the residents realize
that we tried to do all we could not to add prices to their amenities while
balancing their budget, but despite doing so in certain areas, we got the tax
rate to where we believe they wanted it to be."


text:
Marissa Mayer can finally add mom to her already impressive resume.
The current CEO of Yahoo (former VP of Google) and her husband Zachary Bogue welcomed their baby boy on September 30.
Marissa, who just received her position of CEO just a few months ago, caused a stir when she said she would work through her maternity leave and even planned on bringing her baby into work with her. TechCrunch called her Marissa the "first-ever pregnant CEO of a Fortune 500 tech company."
No name was reported yet for the couple's son, but the new mom has been emailing colleagues for baby name suggestions. We may not be able to take such a short maternity leave and run a company, but if Marissa Mayer can do it and be happy more power to her!
Would you take such a short maternity leave?


text:
Kazem El Saher new clip in black and white
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Prominent Iraqi composer and singer Kazem El Saher is filming his new video clip with The Jordanian producer Hussein Dia'bis. The producer has come up with a new idea to film the clip in black and white.
This is the second time that the leading singer has worked with Di'abis. Kazem's previous song "Sabahak Sukar," which got first place in the Rotana music channel, was also produced by Di'abis. Kazem is hoping this won't be the last time.
Kazem has been unique in most of his music video; however, this clip is taking a new face. It will show a philosophical image of Kazem. The clip, which is filmed in both Dubai and Egypt, will show Kasem as being lost and he's searching for his identity.


text:
CodePlexProject Hosting for Open Source Software
We include the same features as Box2D, you can view their
manual here
Are you completely new to Farseer Physics Engine? Take a look at the Hello World project in the Downloads tab.
To simulate a moving body that can collide with another moving body, you need 4 things: The world, a body, a shape and a fixture.
The world object is the manager of it all. It iterates all the objects in the world each time you call the Step() function and makes sure everything is consistent and stable.
The body keeps track of world position. It is basically a point is space that is affected by forces such as impulses from collisions and gravity.
A shape is what extends the point in space to a 2d shape in space. The
centroid and stuff like area, inertia and mass is calculated for the shape.
A fixture attaches (fix) the shape to the body so that the centroid of the shape becomes the body's position. Whenever you move the body, you also move the shape. Once a collision occur to the shape, the force is calculated and applied to the
Her is the code to create a World with a single body:
1: //Create a World object with a normal gravity
2: World world = new World(new Vector2(0f, 9.82f));
4: //We create a body object and make it dynamic (movable)
5: Body myBody = world.CreateBody();
6: myBody.BodyType = BodyType.Dynamic;
8: //We create a circle shape with a radius of 0.5 meters
9: CircleShape circleShape = new CircleShape(0.5f);
11: //We fix the body and shape together using a Fixture object
12: Fixture fixture = myBody.CreateFixture(circleShape);
Now, that is what is needed to create a single body in the world. However, this does not show anything on the screen and the body does not move. To get a fully working sample, take a look at the HelloWorld project with each release of the engine.
To make everything move, we need to update the Wold.
To make the world update with a timestep of 30 FPS (Frames Per Second) it is as easy as:
1: // 1/3 = 0.033333 …
2: world.Step(0.033333f);
Now it updates 30 times each second and each body in the world will move a small amount on each update.
You can be notified about a specific collision in a couple of ways.
The broad phase keeps track of the bodies in the world using a
tree of
AABBs. At some point you might need to know when a body is near by (or colliding with) your game character, but a precise collision is not required. Then you should use the OnBroadphaseCollision delegate. All you have to do is to subscribe to the delegate
like this:
1: protected override void LoadContent()
2: {
3: _world.ContactManager.OnBroadphaseCollision += MyOnBroadphaseCollision;
4: }
And then you need to create the MyOnBroadphaseCollision method:
1: public void MyOnBroadphaseCollision(ref FixtureProxy fp1, ref FixtureProxy fp2)
The OnCollision delegate gives you the information about a collision when it is happening. It is a lot more accurate than the OnBroadphaseCollision delegate, but at the cost of performance. You also have the ability to cancel a collision by returning
false in the method you subscribe. To subscribe you just do the following:
3: Fixture myFixture = FixtureFactory.CreateCircle(_world, 0.5f, 1);
4: myFixture.OnCollision += MyOnCollision;
5: }
And the MyOnCollision method looks like this:
1: public bool MyOnCollision(Fixture f1, Fixture f2, Contact contact)
3: //We want the collision to happen, so we return true.
4: return true;
5: }
Farseer Physics works with the KMS (Kilo, Meter, Second) system and does not directly translate to pixels. It is your responsibility to convert between meters and pixels. This has the advantage that you are able to dynamically scale your physics world (zooming
f.eks.) and with a small scale, you will get a faster and more stable simulation. Farseer Physics is fine tuned for objects between 0.1 and 10 meters in size. F.eks. if your screen is 768x1024 pixels in size, you need to scale your units to meters to fit the
fine tuned sizes.
1: // 1 meter = 64 pixels
2: ConvertUnits.SetDisplayUnitToSimUnitRatio(64f);
4: //If you object is 512 pixels wide and 128 pixels high:
5: float width = ConvertUnits.ToSimUnits(512f) // 8 meters
6: float height = ConvertUnits.ToSimUnits(128f) // 2 meters
So the rules are:
If you follow those simple rules, you will have a stable physics simulation.
The factories make your life easier by providing a unified way of creating common objects like bodies, shapes, fixtures, paths and joints. Each object type has it's own static factory with a lot of overloaded methods to give you the flexibility you
need, to create an object with different parameters.
To create a body that is positioned 10 meters to the right:
1: Body body = BodyFactory.CreateBody(_world, new Vector2(10, 0));
In Box2D you would create a body, a shape and then bind them together with a fixture object. Here we create the following:
1: Body body = BodyFactory.CreateBody(_world, new Vector2(10, 0));
2: CircleShape circleShape = new CircleShape(0.5f);
3: Fixture fixture = body.CreateFixture(circleShape, 5);
In Farseer Physics Engine you can create all 3 objects using a single line of code like this:
1: Fixture fixture = FixtureFactory.CreateCircle(_world, 0.5f, 5, new Vector2(10, 0));
The JointFactory provides an easy way of adding joints to the world. We have fixed and non-fixed joint types in Farseer Physics Engine; fixed joints take in world anchor coordinates and non-fixed take in local anchor coordinates.
Here is how you create 2 balls and connect them with a DistanceJoint:
1: Fixture fix1 = FixtureFactory.CreateCircle(_world, 0.5f, 1, new Vector2(-5, 5));
2: fix1.Body.BodyType = BodyType.Dynamic;
4: Fixture fix2 = FixtureFactory.CreateCircle(_world, 0.5f, 1, new Vector2(5, 5));
5: fix2.Body.BodyType = BodyType.Dynamic;
7: JointFactory.CreateSliderJoint(_world, fix1.Body, fix2.Body, Vector2.Zero, Vector2.Zero, 10, 15);
Since Farseer Physics Engine 3.0, we only support
convex polygons. If you need to add a concave polygon, you will have to decompose it to smaller convex polygons first. We provide a couple of different decomposition tools; all of them returns a list of convex polygons that can be used in the engine.
Ear clipping
ear clipping algorithm in Farseer Physics Engine is provided by
a contribution to Box2D. It is easy to use but does not support holes and runs in O(n^2) time. Here is a picture of a concave polygon before and after ear clipping.
To use the Ear clip algorithm, you simply call the EarclipDecomposer like this:
1: // We just imagine that this list contains a concave polygon
2: Vertices verts = new Vertices();
3: EarclipDecomposer.ConvexPartition(verts);
The Bayazit algorithm is another convex decomposition tool created by Mark Bayazit. The algorithm does not triangulate the polygon and then combine the triangles to form convex polygons like
the ear clip algorithm, instead it decompose directly into convex polgyons. It does not officially support holes, but sometimes you get lucky and it works with holes. Here is a picture of before and after decomposition:
To use the Bayazit algorithm, you simply call the BayazitDecomposer like this:
3: BayazitDecomposer.ConvexPartition(verts);
Besides the two described, we also have:
Convex hull algorithms can come in handy when working with polygons. A
convex hull algorithm takes in a point cloud and then returns the convex hull. We provide two different algorithms in Farseer Physics Engine:
Melkman algorithm is a very fast convex hull algorithm. Our implementation runs in O(n) time and it is restricted to simple polygons. It is very easy to use:
1: //We imagine that this list contains a simple polygon
3: Vertices hull = Melkman.GetConvexHull(verts);
Giftwrap algorithm works with point clouds and runs in O(N*S) time where S is the number of sides of the resulting polygon.
1: //We imagine that this list contains a point cloud
3: Vertices hull = GiftWrap.GetConvexHull(verts);
Farseer Physics Engine contains a clipper that supports union, difference and intersection of polygons. The algorithm used is created by
Yu Ping; it is fast and flexible, but may yield unexpected results if the polygons contain collinear points. Here is an example of two polygons (green and red) after being merged:
To use the YuPengClipper, use the following code:
1: //We imagine that this list contains the first polygon
2: Vertices first = new Vertices();
4: //We imagine that this list contains the second polygon
5: Vertices second = new Vertices();
7: //Contains the error if the union operation fails.
8: PolyClipError err;
9: List<Vertices> union = YuPengClipper.Union(first, second, out err);
You can cut shapes using the boolean tools, however, if you just need to slice a polygon in two, then it is easier and faster to use the cutting tools. It is a great tool for lasers and the like. Here we cut a pyramid of rectangles using the cutting tools:
You just have to do the following:
1: CuttingTools.Cut(World, start, end, 0.001f);
The start/end arguments is the cutter starts and stops. The last argument is the thickness of the cutter. Beware that the cutter performs the operation on all bodies that it touches in the world object.
Farseer Physics Engine likes simple polygons with a few points. Sometimes it is necessary to simplify your polygons to speed up collision detection and make the collisions more predictable. We have many different algorithms inside the SimplifyTools class:
Simplifies the polygon by finding collinear points and removing them.
Simplifies the polygon using the
Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm. If you supply 0 as the tolerance, it will remove collinear points in the polygon.
A method contributed by
Eric Jordan to Box2d and then ported over to FPE. It merges parallel edges to a single edge.
Reduces the number of points by area
Reduces the number of points by distance between the points
Reduces the number of points by removing the n'th point.
You can detect the shape of a texture using the texture-to-polygon tool. This tool enables you to create the graphics for a game and then import it as a shape into Farseer Physics Engine. It is one of the more advanced tools to use in FPE; take a look at
the following code:
1: //load texture that will represent the physics body
2: Texture2D polygonTexture = GameInstance.Content.Load<Texture2D>("Texture");
4: //Create an array to hold the data from the texture
5: uint[] data = new uint[polygonTexture.Width * polygonTexture.Height];
7: //Transfer the texture data to the array
8: polygonTexture.GetData(data);
10: //Find the vertices that makes up the outline of the shape in the texture
11: Vertices verts = PolygonTools.CreatePolygon(data, polygonTexture.Width, polygonTexture.Height, true);
13: //For now we need to scale the vertices (result is in pixels, we use meters)
14: Vector2 scale = new Vector2(0.07f, 0.07f);
15: verts.Scale(ref scale);
17: //Since it is a concave polygon, we need to partition it into several smaller convex polygons
18: _list = BayazitDecomposer.ConvexPartition(verts);
20: //Create a single body with multiple fixtures
21: List<Fixture> compund = FixtureFactory.CreateCompoundPolygon(World, _list, 1);
22: compund[0].Body.BodyType = BodyType.Dynamic;
Note: The algorithm used to convert your texture data to a polygon is only as good as the data you give it. Make sure to clean up your textures (remove artifacts) and use the alpha channel (transparent) as the background in your texture.
We have several different decomposing algorithms in Farseer Physics Engine:
Each of them can be found in the FarseerPhysics.Common.Decomposition namespace.
Note: It is recommended that you don't use the tools as part of your game loop. Run the tools once when the game starts and save the data for later. The tools are not 100% reliable and may crash or give unusable output on invalid input.
Path and the PathFactory is a flexible tool that can create ropes, bridges, tracks and more. You can declare a path that a body need to follow like the platforms in Mario or create a soft body like the one on the picture below (the green rectangle is the
anchor point).
Here is how you create the soft body from the picture:
1: //We define the path
2: Path path = new Path();
3: path.Add(new Vector2(0, 10));
4: path.Add(new Vector2(2.5f, 7.5f));
5: path.Add(new Vector2(10, 9));
6: path.Add(new Vector2(7.5f, 0.5f));
7: path.Add(new Vector2(-2.5f, 7));
8: path.Closed = true;
10: //It consists of two shapes: a rectangle and a circle
11: List<Shape> shapes = new List<Shape>(2);
12: shapes.Add(new PolygonShape(PolygonTools.CreateRectangle(0.5f, 0.5f, new Vector2(-0.1f, 0), 0)));
13: shapes.Add(new CircleShape(0.5f));
15: //We distribute the shapes along the path
16: List<Body> bodies = PathManager.EvenlyDistibuteShapesAlongPath(World, path, shapes, BodyType.Dynamic, 20, 1);
18: //Attach the bodies together with revolute joints
19: PathManager.AttachBodiesWithRevoluteJoint(World, bodies, new Vector2(0, 0.5f), new Vector2(0, -0.5f), true, true);
The PolygonTools class creates all sorts of polygons. We currently support the following polygons:
All the methods in the class returns a vertices collection that you can use in a PolygonShape.
We have the same settings as Box2D, however, we simplified the engine and moved some settings from inside the engine and into the Settings file. At the same time we added a few new settings.
All of them are described inside the Settings file.
In order to get the most out of the engine, you should try and follow the guidelines below:
Enable sleeping
Sleeping enables you to have large number of bodies in the world. It can also increase the stability of the engine since small movements in a stack of bodies don't spread in the stack. A sleeping body has little overhead, so enabling it is recommended.
Disable CCD
Continuous Collision Detection prevents tunneling but at the cost of performance. If you don't have problems with tunneling, you should disable CCD all together.
Minimize the number of position and velocity iterations
A high number of iterations makes the engine more stable at the cost of performance. You should tweak the values to fit your game.
Last edited Oct 22, 2012 at 9:07 PM by genbox, version 129


text: Art has always been our tough dog in the fact he see's a person he goes nuts, unless he's at the dog park then he doesn't care about people. He's been that way since he was a puppy, he's now 4 yrs and we've worked so he can go in public without much issue. Within the past year he's even let some people pet him for a few seconds. He's never been cuddly with a stranger, but he's also never been a biter, even when he was the worst he was. So, last weekend I brought Art and Talon to a family get together with my sister and brother and people he knows. No problem, but then my Aunt, someone Art has NEVER seen, suddenly showed up out of the blue. I was caught seriously unaware and since we were there when she arrived and no one told me she was coming Art went nuts. He barked, huffed, and growled at her feriously for a few minutes. I immediately ran to grab him but by the time I got there my aunt bent down and started petting him. I've never let anyone do this with Art when he's in that mode, I don't even let them near him just in case. Artimis immediately turned into a wiggling, squirming, "love me!" type dog. He jumped up to her arms (which caught her unaware) and anytime she sat down he was immediately on her lap licking her face and being super cuddly. I was like.....really!? What happened to my dog with serious stranger danger? However, everytime she would walk around after he didn't see her for a few minutes he would run up to her barking, but immediately turn to a wiggly, cuddly butt while still barking. I guess I'm just not sure how to take this? Does this mean that this entire time he was fixable? He didn't act any different than he does with other people he see's that he doesn't know, so it's not like she was much different. He isn't allowed up to people when he acts that way though, so did we make a mistake not allowing him to investigate people more? I guess I'm just questioning if we've been doing it all wrong for all his life and by not giving him the chance to see people, we've been part of the problem?


text:
May 15, 2010
Eclipse Merch for Pre-Order at Hot Topic - And lookie what I can see...
6 comments:
I want it ALL!
This stuff is wayyyy cooler than the New Moon merch!
I'm LOVIN it all!!!!
YaaaY!!! I will have to bust out of my Twicloset for this stuff LoL XD Which last night probably did it for me...my fiance got me a Twilight cake for my birthday, so I think that took care of it LoL I love it all too ;)ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 16, 2010 at 1:46 AM
I agree!! No faces on merch! I prefer the symbols and quotes (short ones).ReplyDelete
I totally agree with the no faces thing. Being an older Twihard, I am not going to run around with Robert Pattinson's face on my chest, but a cool logo and/or phrase from the books, totally would rock that.ReplyDelete
Also, where is all the Jasper merch? Eclipse is very Jasper oriented and I am looking forward to "Jasper's Army" stuff. I got some when I was in Forks last year, but I was expecting a lot more once this movie came out. So where is it? I saw a "Team Emmett" shirt, where is "Team Jasper?"
I agree with no faces >.< heheReplyDelete
I love Jasper too, I think they need more of his stuff.
Hmph...being from Australia,it won't let me pre-order for some reason. Grr....ReplyDelete


text:
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Kristin Tutino
Creative Services Department
Press Releases
Tuesday, February 3 at 9 p.m. –
Frontline: My Father, My Brother and Me
(Rochester, NY)
In 2004,
correspondent Dave Iverson received the same news that had been delivered to his father and older brother years earlier: he had Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder that affects more than one million Americans, the causes of which remain largely unknown and the cure for which has proved frustratingly elusive. In
My Father, My Brother and Me
, a
co-production with ITVS, airing Tuesday, February 3 at 9 p.m.
WXXI-TV 21 (cable 11)
and WXXI-HD (cable 1011 and DT 21.1)
, Iverson sets off on a personal journey to understand the disease that has taken such a toll on his family.
Along the way, he meets some remarkable people — a leading Parkinson's researcher whose encounter with "frozen" heroin addicts led to a major breakthrough; a Parkinson's sufferer given a new lease on life by an experimental brain surgery; and a geneticist who helped identify some of the gene mutations responsible for Parkinson's and who is now working on drugs to fix them.
Iverson also has intimate conversations with fellow Parkinson's sufferers actor Michael J. Fox and writer Michael Kinsley, who describe how they became caught up in the politics of Parkinson's research after the Bush administration greatly restricted federal funding for promising stem cell research in 2001, three years before Iverson got his diagnosis.
"When you're talking about the potential to heal and cure and it's not going forward because of its value as a political wedge issue," Fox says of his reaction to the Bush stem cell restrictions, "it pissed me off, and I wanted to do something." In speaking about the funding restrictions that President-elect Obama has signaled he might soon reverse, Kinsley tells Iverson, "Six years have gone by [since the stem cell restrictions were imposed], and those are pretty important years for people like me." At the same time, Iverson talks to others like the syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer, who suffers from a spinal cord injury. While Krauthammer is generally supportive of stem cell research, from which he might directly benefit, he believes President Bush drew an important moral line in the sand. "The fact that [an embryonic stem cell] has the potential to become human, and if unmolested and implanted, it will become human, deserves a certain kind of respect," he says.
Until recently, genetics was thought to play no real role in Parkinson's disease at all, but Iverson's family history led him to enroll in a genetic study at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. To date, researchers have identified at least six genes where mutations can cause Parkinson's, and while the familial form of the disease remains unusual, it may provide researchers with a ready-made target to fix the genes. "We're a lot closer than we were 10 years ago," says Mayo Clinic geneticist Matthew Farrer, "a lot closer."
Finding a cure for Parkinson's disease may still be on the distant horizon, but in the interim, millions of Americans find ways to live with the condition. Iverson examines one of the experimental surgical interventions that attempts to compensate for the lack of dopamine that characterizes Parkinson's: a fetal brain cell transplant. "Now we talk about the concept of brain repair," says surgeon Dr. Ivar Mendez. "Brain repair, when I was in medical school, was not even something that was thought about. So we have advanced tremendously over these years to be able to understand there's the possibility that we can potentially repair the brain." While some forms of fetal cell transplant surgery appear to have yielded positive results, others have proved disappointing, in some cases even making patients worse. Dr. Bill Langston of the Parkinson's Institute tells Iverson: "There's an old saying in science that research is the process of going up alleys to see if they're blind. And more often than not, they are. But that's what we do."
Toward the end of the film, Iverson finds a new source of hope in a very unlikely place: new research that indicates that regular exercise may help delay or slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Says one leading researcher: "It's not at all hard for me to imagine that the results of a properly designed exercise program are going to be more effective than many of the medications and surgeries we have now."
For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/frontline.
Pictured: David Iverson with his father, Bill, in Palo Alto, California, in 1949.
Photo Credit: David Iverson
WXXI is the essential, life-long educational media resource for the Greater Rochester area. WXXI puts the community first with programming that stimulates and expands thought, inspires the spirit, opens cultural horizons and promotes understanding of diverse community issues. Log on to wxxi.org for more information about our services and programs.


text:
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Authorities in California have found a woman's body in an area where investigators are searching for a missing federal investigator.
Oakland police say the body was discovered around 2 p.m. Friday near Laguna Valley Park in Vacaville, where crews have been looking for 50-year-old Sandra Coke of Oakland.
Officer Johnna Watson says the body has not been identified and will be taken to the Solano County Medical Examiner.
Coke, a capital case investigator for the federal public defender's office in Sacramento, was last seen in Oakland on Sunday.
On Thursday, Oakland police identified Coke's former boyfriend, 56-year-old Randy Alana, as a person of interest in the case. He and Cooke were seen together Sunday.
Alana, a registered sex offender, was arrested on an unspecified parole violation on Tuesday.


text:
Peerless Federer knocks over another cocky challenger
THE tournament sets them up, and one by one, Roger Federer knocks them down; it has been that way for how long now?
This year, some first-round fodder, a grizzled veteran and two ambitious tyros so far have been ground beneath Federer's heel, now playfully pink-trimmed. Canadian Milos Raonic is a '90s-born, Serbian-backgrounded contemporary of Bernard Tomic, two years older with two more year's worth of accomplishments, seeded 13th here, but equally cocky. He is at an age and stage where he might begin to imagine making a name for himself at Federer's expense.
Ha! Raonic, like Tomic, stands 196 centimetres but otherwise is a different proposition. He is chubby-faced, still to lose the last of his puppy fat, and builds his game around a thumper of a serve, producing 1002 aces last year, second only to John Isner.
He reintroduced himself to Federer last night with a 238 km/h fault, followed by a 187 km/h swinger, acing the great man. Could an omen ever have been more misleading? Federer knuckled down to business. A previous victim of Raonic's had described their encounter as ''not really a match, just serve and return''. But any time Federer got past Raonic's first serve, they played a different match, requiring knowing and precise groundstrokes. At this, Federer has no master.
The serve issue became a red herring anyway. Federer got through Raonic's spasmodically, but always at exactly the right time - in the last game of the first set, in the tie-breaker in the second, and twice in a hurry at the start of the third set to leave the Canadian scratching his headband.
Federer's serve, though less arched-back spectacular than Raonic's, was utterly impregnable. In the first two sets, he lost only four points on it, total. He was never so inconvenienced as to have to save a single break point. He has not lost his serve in the tournament yet, nor a set.
The second set tie-breaker can speak on its own for the idea of the match. In it, Raonic served three aces, but won only one other point. Federer won points every which way. This night, unlike the Djokovic-Wawrinka marathon of the previous night, rallies were rare. Winning Raonic rallies were rarer still.
Generous as ever, Federer had said beforehand that his three previous matches against Raonic had been tight, and really, he should have lost a couple of them. On Monday night, there were no ifs, buts or maybes. This was a rout.
Done, Federer had time to make jokes, self deprecating. He wore a particular T-shirt, he said, so as not to alarm opponents with his over-developed musculature. "That's all the opponent sees when the big left arm goes up when I'm tossing the ball," he said. "Scary, scary stuff." Even in this joviality, there was a message: physical prowess alone will never get you past Roger Federer.
At 22, Raonic is still gathering experience, this night bitterly hard-won. At 31, Federer is getting younger. He is deep into the tournament now, his regular place. In a quarter-final, he plays France's energetic Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. With a certain combination of admittedly improbable results, he could finish the fortnight not just as champion, but back at No 1. It has been like this for how long now?
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text:
Had just one of those ties been a victory, the Vikings would have finished second instead of fourth in league play. Paly wound up with an unusually high eight ties this season.
Despite all the problems, the No. 6-seeded Vikings (9-3-8) have advanced to the CCS Division I quarterfinals and will face No. 3 Menlo-Atherton (13-3-2) on Saturday at Gunn High at noon.
Paly lost to the Bears on Dec. 9 and went 12 more matches without another loss until falling to division champ Mountain View on the final day of the regular season.
"To say the least, there is a lot more at stake in this game," said Paly coach Don Briggs.
The Vikings gave themselves the opportunity to avenge that loss to M-A by defeating No. 11 Milpitas, 2-0, in a CCS opener on Wednesday. The host Trojans, from the SCVAL El Camino Division, finished 12-7-2.
"We received a fortunate break five minutes into the second half when a Milpitas player hit the ball with his hand in the penalty box," Briggs said.
Senior John Richardson took the penalty kick and placed it into the upper left corner.
"The keeper guessed right, but could only get a hand on the ball," Briggs said.
Palo Alto survived a few scary moments after that, including a direct-kick goal that was called back due to an offside. The Vikings got a little breathing room with five minutes remaining when Matt Waymouth sent a cross to James Maa, who finished with a shot into the left corner of the cage.
Paly played without junior standout defender Gerrit van Zyll, who had to sit after receiving a red card in the previous match. He'll be back for Saturday's quarterfinal. Austin Smith replaced van Zyll at center back and teamed with fellow senior Nattai Malchin and sophomores Grant Shorin and Peter Laminette to stop the counter-attacking Trojans, who had gotten 24 goals in 12 league matches from Ramiro Ceja and Andrew Shin. Both were blanked on Wednesday.
Richardson and freshman Josh Totte did a nice job of controlling the midfield for Paly, while Shiau had several nice saves in goal against Milpitas corner kicks.
Should Palo Alto advance to the semifinals next Tuesday or Wednesday, the Vikings may have a chance to avenge another loss in a rematch with No. 2 Mountain View.
Division III boys
Sacred Heart Prep had the second-best record of any team, boys or girls, heading into the CCS playoffs. The Gators were 17-1-1.
A superlative record like that, however, provides no guarantee in the postseason. In fact, the CCS playoffs already are over for the Gators, who dropped a 3-2 decision to visiting Soquel on Wednesday in a Division III opener in Atherton.
Sacred Heart Prep first-year coach Armando del Rio had hoped for much better than Wednesday's result. In fact, when he signed on to be head coach, he had a specific goal.
"I wanted to win league, of course," del Rio said, "but my biggest goal was to get that first (CCS) match."
Prior to del Rio's arrival, Sacred Heart had won back-to-back West Bay Athletic League titles under Matt Dodge, advancing to the CCS playoffs and losing in the first round each time.
This season, the Gators won their third straight WBAL crown — going 12-1-1 — and once again qualified for the Division III playoffs.
On Wednesday, with Dodge on hand to see if history could be made, the No. 7 Gators suffered their early exit at the hands of No. 10 Soquel (10-7-1) despite grabbing an early 1-0 lead. SHP finished the season 17-2-1, frustrated and unfulfilled.
"When we were ahead, I thought we were going to win," del Rio said.
SHP senior Alec Mishra gave the Gators that lead when he made a nice run down the right sideline and ripped a shot from 20 yards out that found net with 17:32 left in the first half.
Soquel, however, tied things up with a penalty kick with less than five minutes before halftime, after a player was pushed from behind while standing in the penalty box.
"I think it rattled our team," del Rio said. "We never really seemed to bounce back from that."
Soquel scored twice more in the second half, once at 32:55 and again at 16:52, on what del Rio described as "two unbelievable goals that no goalie could stop."
The Gators made a game of it with under 12 minutes to play when Kyle Scherba took a free kick from just outside the penalty box. The shot initially was stopped by the Soquel keeper, but the ball squirted loose from his grasp and SHP's Andrew Liotta was there to tap it in for a 3-2 match.
Sacred Heart Prep had two more decent chances to tie, but ran out of time as Soquel's defense hunkered down and clogged passing lanes while playing defensively.
"It was hard to watch us being controlled like that," del Rio said. "When we're pressured like that in the midfield, we've struggled. It was difficult to find good passing lanes."
Sacred Heart Prep dominated the WBAL again this season and that's part of the problem.
"I don't feel like we improve in league play," he said.
The other concern for del Rio is how his team was prevented from playing the kind of game it wanted to play. Soquel stayed back on defense, allowed SHP to attack and then counterattacked. The Gators didn't react well in the second half and it cost them two goals, albeit great shots.
The final whistle signaled the end of the prep soccer careers of SHP seniors Robert Ojeda, Marcelino Perez, Christian Thaure, Caleb Young, Jack Odell, Mishra and Scherba.
In another Division III match, Priory saw its first-ever appearance in CCS end in a 5-4 loss to host and No. 8 seed Gonzales (10-7-1) on Wednesday. Priory was seeded 9, finishing with a 12-7-1 record.
Division I girls
Alyssa Perreault took a pass from Caroline Anderson and scored with two minutes left in the second overtime to lift Gunn to a dramatic victory over visiting Carlmont in a first-round match on Wednesday night.
Had Perreault not scored, the game would have gone to penalty kicks. The No. 8-seeded Titans (10-6-5), who have won four straight, will host No. 1 St. Francis (14-3-3) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
"St. Francis is a doozy," said Gunn coach Damian Cohen. "This girl going to Stanford . . . that girl going to Santa Clara. We are in for a dogfight."
Gunn will have the services of freshman standout Sarah Robinson, who missed Wednesday's match while away in Costa Rica at a national team training camp.
"I know what Sarah has meant to our team and I know we wouldn't be in CCS without her," said Cohen, who did miss Robinson but clearly understood the situation. "She gains experience with the ODP/national camp experiences and shares such with the other girls. In turn, we improve."
While Robinson will be back, Gunn won't have Perreault.
"Sadly, there was a death in her family," Cohen explained. "She will be attending the funeral."
Division III girls
Fifth-seeded Priory advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-0 romp over No. 12 and host Anzar on Wednesday in Hollister. The Panthers (12-3-4) will face No. 4 Santa Catalina (13-4-1) on Saturday at Valley Christian at noon.
Sophomore Mariana Galvan, who missed a week of the WBAL season while away at a U-18 national team training camp, led the Panthers with four goals.
Darrah Shields and Sarah Zuckerman scored the other goals while Eugenia Jernick, Alyson Perna, Shields and Galvan all provided assists.
In another opener:
Menlo School saw its season end in a 2-0 loss to host Valley Christian in San Jose. Ninth-seed Menlo (6-5-9) had six first-half corners and nine first-half shots but could not find the back of the net. The No. 8-seeded Warriors (12-3-4) had two first-half shots and scored in the last 10 minutes of the half.
In the second half, both teams created opportunities but again only VC scored — the goal coming with 13 minutes left. Menlo was led by defenders Shannon Lacy, Sophia King, and Alex Tom and forward Amanda McFarland.
The Knights, however, lose only two seniors from this team — starter Kelly Cavan and reserve Ali Hahm — while returning 18 players, including sophomore keepers Kelly McConnell and Julia Dressel.
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text: We talk about the iPad's role in healthcare pretty regularly. Many physicians and health care practices have found innovative ways to integrate the iPad into daily patient interactions. According to a new study, the pharmaceutical industry has discovered that the iPad is an excellent tool for promoting new medications and that it can influence the prescribing habits of doctors.


text:
6:00 - 7:30
Main Library
Latino/Hispanic Community Room A/B
100 Larkin St.
This event presents perspectives and provides a forum for remembering significant gay community organizations and their relationship to the AIDS crisis. Moderated by Jim Van Buskirk, co-author of Gay by the Bay. The panelists include: Rev. Elder Jim Mitulski who served as pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in the Castro, John Karr the first entertainment editor (1981-1984) of the Bay Area Reporter, Sister Vicious Power Hungry Bitch from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Joe Castrovinci from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Related exhibit: Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws, San Francisco Gay Culture in the 1980s. Main Library, Jewett Gallery, Dec. 1, 2012 - February 10, 2013.


text:
Liberty shut down the school's Democratic club (because of unGodly support for gay rights, pro-choice views, etc.) The school's Republican club is still intact and receiving school support.
AU says that's bullshit since, as a tax-exempt institution, Liberty is barred from showing preference for one political party over another.
An excerpt from the letter AU sent the IRS:
By banning a Democratic club while permitting a Republican club to exist and offering funding to the latter but not the former, university officials appear to be operating in violation of federal tax law.
Here's the letter (.pdf) AU sent the IRS.
Our view: the Church of FSM believes religious organizations should not be exempt from paying taxes. Or perhaps that the application for tax exemption was not so ridiculously long. Or that someone would volunteer to take over the paperwork for me.
What do you think – would the Church of FSM find trouble with tax officials, were it to achieve tax exemption? We pay a retarded amount in taxes right now and the IRS still came to my door and asked me a bunch of questions. Jerks.


text:
How-to: Upcycled Toy Charm Necklaces–They're Toys You Can Wear!
April 30th, 2013 | by Julie Finn
These toy charms can be worn on a necklace or bracelet, one at a time or in a whole herd. They make fine jewelry on their own, but the secret trick to these little charms is the latch that allows you to release them from their jewelry status. In the blink of an eye, you've gone from having a necklace full of toy dinosaurs to a handful of toy dinosaurs, ready to make standing in line at the grocery store SO much more bearable. Here's how to make your own


text:
Bill Parcells had 4 criteria for drafting a QB. I always thought it was interesting when looking at QBs. I don't believe Sanchez has any of these. I'll be interested to see, if the Jets do draft a QB, how he measures up.
1. Be a three-year starter
2. Post at least 23 wins
3. Be a senior
4. Be a college graduate


text:
A man with Minneapolis ties who's accused of aiding terrorists pleaded with a federal judge Tuesday to release him.
Mohamed Warsame, a Canadian citizen of Somali descent, has spent more than five years in prison while awaiting trial. Warsame lived in Minneapolis as a community college student in 2002. He has waited for his case to go to trial since he was arrested in 2003.
In January 2004, the federal government charged Warsame with providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations by participating in military camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and lying to the FBI.
Specifically, the government accuses him of fighting with al Qaeda-trained members alongside Taliban forces in Afghanistan, teaching English to several al Qaeda operatives, and sending $2,000 to a former military camp instructor.
Warsame has denied these charges, saying that he never knowingly attended an al Qaeda training camp but was on a spiritual journey seeking a "utopian" society in Afghanistan.
When the marshals walked Warsame into court Tuesday, he smiled and gave the "thumbs up" sign to about a dozen family members who were seated in the gallery.
Attorney David Thomas argued for Warsame's release, because at some point, he said, incarceration before trial becomes punishment.
Thomas said after five and a half years, this "endless incarceration must come to an end." He said Warsame deserves a chance to be released on electronic monitoring with any kind of conditions, since he's been a model prisoner and has never received even a traffic ticket.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Anders Folk told the court that Warsame is still a flight risk and a danger to the community.
Judge John Tunheim said he was very concerned about Warsame's length of time in prison, and would take the issue under advisement and rule as soon as possible. He said he was hamstrung because he was waiting for the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to decide a critical issue in the case.
Warsame's case cannot go forward until that court decides to uphold or reverse Tunheim's May 2007 order, in which he ruled that FBI agents failed to read Warsame his rights.
As a result, Tunheim said some, but not all, of Warsame's statements to the FBI could not be used against him in court. Federal prosecutors appealed that ruling, and the 8th circuit still has not issued its decision.
Before Tuesday's hearing ended, Warsame stood up and pleaded with Tunheim to let him out of prison. Two marshals took hold of him by both arms and told him to sit down. Tunheim told the marshals to let Warsame talk.
Warsame accused the prosecutors of "prosecutorial misconduct." He said he loves "Minnesota, the Twins, the Vikings," but this was unfair.
"I respect you, sir," Warsame said to Judge Tunheim, but added, I've been "treated unfairly."
Tunheim said he understood and would do what he could as soon as possible.
The hearing was supposed to consider other motions related to Warsame's case, but both sides agreed right before court to put those on hold until a status hearing on May 20.
Warsame's attorneys want access to high-ranking al Qaeda members held at Guantanamo Bay, who would presumably say they've never heard of Warsame. They also want to call another witness to say that Warsame was in Afghanistan solely to teach English at a medical clinic.
Prosecutors also have a request in to depose a person in Canada, named in court documents as "Foreign Witness A," who they say can testify that Warsame knew he attend an al Qaeda training camp.


text:
miyazaki-style deep-fried chicken with sweet & sour sauce
- Serves: 2
- Calories: 583 kcal
- Total Time: 30 m
- Prep: 10 m
- Cook: 20 m
- Japanese: Chikin-namban
- metric
- u.s.
- 200 g boneless chicken breast or thigh
- a little salt
- a little pepper
- salad oil for deep frying
- 1 beaten egg
- 30 g wheat flour
sweet & sour sauce:
- 5 tablespoons rice vinegar or vinegar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
tartar sauce:
- 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 boiled egg
- 40 g pickles
- 10 g parsley
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 70 g lettuce
- 1/2 lemon
step 1:
Make the tartar sauce. Chop the boiled egg, pickles and parsley. Mix them with the mayonnaise and white wine vinegar (or freshly squeezed lemon juice) in a bowl.
step 2:
Make the sweet & sour sauce. Put the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a pan, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat.
step 3:
Remove the skin of the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Dust them in the flour.
step 4:
Beat the egg in a bowl. Coat the chicken with the egg.
step 5:
Heat the oil to 170 °C and deep-fry the chicken pieces about 5 or 6 minutes until golden brown.
step 6:
Remove and drain. Place the pieces in the sweet & sour sauce and soak for about 1 minute.
Remove from the sweet & sour sauce and serve the deep-fried chicken with the garnish. Pour tartar sauce beside the deep-fried chicken.
The unique thing about Miyazaki-style deep-fried chicken is that two kinds of sauces are used. The combination of the deep-fried chicken and the sauces is very delicious! Miyazaki Prefecture is in the Kyūshū region, the southernmost island of mainland Japan.
other meat recipes
Japanese foods recipes
Int'l. recipes with a Japanese twist


text:
They should of kept Lowry or Dragic.
Let him walk
Resign him and keep him long term
Resign him and trade him January 2013 with Amare
They should of kept Lowry or Dragic.
Like you said marketing. Lin is now a spokesman for KFC China. Rox are going to milk him for all the Chinese money they can get but he needs to play like he did at the height of Linsanity for that to happen.
Lin had 2 points tonight and 5 assist in 30 min....still miss him....lol
lin will not be as good as everyone is saying. houston fans "LIN WILL BE THE NEXT NASH, I PREDICT 25 POINTS 9.5 ASSISTS, and 2 STEALS" i am 100% happy on his replacements in Felton Kidd and Prigs(more Prigs and Felton) they are more than capable of running this team, and in my opinion they are better then lin.
did prigs steal lins magic on his way out? prigs should start
I think Im going to make a glen grunwald jersey. and instead of numbers just two $$.
So much better than Donnie Walsh its not even funny. He knows how to not get ****ed on trades and contracts. Everything hes done since he came in has been probably the best possible thing a gm could have done given the situation he was in.
love the scouting our team has done to bring in prigs and cope and white...A+ for them
prigs, is way better than Lin, alot of ball safety, im ok with Lin leaving now, Prig is going to be big for us, and Felton is playin better
"I'm more concern how Melo is gonna play with Lin" Joe Budden
Felton is a warrior and plays with way more heart than Lin. I think he's going to play better than his first stint in O&B, I have a lot of confidence in Felton this season. Go Ray!
so last night lin had 30 minutes, 1 out of 8 shots made, 5 assists, 6 turnovers and 2 points, uummm glad he is gone, felton will kill him this year
So when he struggles in pre-season, you fellas bash him.
After 3 REGULAR SEASON games:
15.3 points
7.3 assists
5.7 rebounds
2.3 steals


text:
History comes alive in this engaging and lavishly illustrated chronicle, which spans world events and people from ancient times to the 21st century. The voices of the great and humble speak to us through songs, documents, edicts, poetry, letters, menus, and even graffiti, revealing each era's conflicts, daily life, arts, science, religion, and enduring influence. Interactive design focuses on the tangible artifacts of history, and magnificent illustrationsincluding period art, archival photographs, and expertly rendered scenes of long-ago eventsbring vivid immediacy and appeal to every colorful spread.
Patricia S. Daniels, a freelance writer and editor, has contributed to many books, including the bestselling Almanac of World History and The Encyclopedia of Space for National Geographic.
James Reston, Jr. (Foreword) is the author of 13 books, three plays, and numerous articles in national magazines, including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Time, The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, and Esquire. His last four historical books, Galileo: A Life, The Last Apocalypse, Warriors of God, and Dogs of God have been translated into 12 foreign languages and several have been optioned by Hollywood. In 1976-77, Reston was David Frost's Watergate adviser for the famous Frost/Nixon Interviews, seen by 57 million people worldwide. His narrative of that experience, published in 2007 and entitled The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews, was the main inspiration for the hit London play, "Frost/Nixon," in which Reston is a major character. The Hollywood adaptation of the play, directed by Ron Howard, featured actor Sam Rockwell as Reston. In recent years Reston has lectured widely at the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress (previous scholar in residence), and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC, where he is a senior scholar.


text:
Asia workshop
From OLPC
OLPC Asia Workshop
PLEASE VISIT: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Learning_Workshops
The OLPC Asia Workshop, the first of several OLPC regional workshops, was held in Bangkok, Thailand at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) from July 28, 2008-August 1, 2008. Participants came from across Asia and the South Pacific to participate; learn more about the future of learning, technology and, of course, the XO laptop.
The primary objectives of this workshop were to:
- a progressive deepening understanding of the learning process;
- how the XO laptop enables more effective learning through construction, expression, and collaboration;
- the roles of technology in general and one-to-one environments in particular;
- the pragmatics of children, laptops and learning;
- introduction to and participation in a regional and international network of practitioners of 1:1 environments
There were five types of activities at the workshop:
- Talks by renowned theorists and practitioners
- Mini-courses on the laptop and activities with the laptops
- Hands-on projects by participants
- Small group discussions
- Reflection and discussion by larger group
OLPC greatly appreciates the synergy, enthusiasm and collaboration that was achieved during this workshop. We hope you have walked away from this experience with your questions answered and will continue to be champions for education in your respective countries.
Please feel free to contact the OLPC Learning Team if you have any questions or concerns as you move forward:
- David Cavallo, Vice President of Learning: email@example.com
- Nia Lewis, Manager of Learning Team: email@example.com
- Julia Reynolds, Asst. to Learning Team: email@example.com
Or members of the OLPC International Team:
- Anthony Wong, Director, Asia: email@example.com
- Michael Hutak, Director, Oceania: firstname.lastname@example.com
Dr. David Cavallo, Vice President of Learning, OLPC coming shortly
Dr. Arnan "Roger" Sipitakiat, Professor, Chiang Mai University: "File:Using Computational Thinking as means for human comprehension.ppt"
Dr. Barbara Barry, Learning Consultant, OLPC: "File:BB Slides OLPC Bangkok 7 28 08-1-.pdf"
Mr. Paron Isarasena Na Ayudhaya, President, Darunsikkhalai School for Innovative Learning & Dr. Suchin Petcharugsa, Teacher, Northern Region Non-Formal Education: "File:Khun Pisuth Learning Community part1-1-.pdf"
List of Participants
File:OLPC ASIA WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS.xls
Workshop Discussion
Please feel free to use this space to post ideas, suggestions, comments and share information
- Ms. Paola Dimaio has set up a google group for all participants. Feel free to join:
- Khun Pisuth Paliboonrat has set up a wiki page for the workshop:
General OLPC Information
OLPC's mission is to provide a means for learning, self-expression, and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education. While children are by nature eager for knowledge, many countries have insufficient resources to devote to education—sometimes less than $20 per year per child (compared to an average of $7,500 in the United States). By giving children their very own connected XO laptop, we are giving them a window to the outside world, access to vast amounts of information, a way to connect with each other, and a springboard into their future. And we're also helping these countries develop an essential resource—educated, empowered children.
Give 1 Get 1 Program
Purchase a laptop for the child in your life and, in turn, a laptop will be donated to another deserving child in a developing nation
Please Note: OLPC has begun planning for the next Give One Get One (G1G1) program which will be available to the US, Canada, and several other countries. It is expected to launch later this year. Please check our website for more information after September 1.
Give Many
http://laptopfoundation.org/en/participate/givemany.shtml To give 100 or more laptops and direct them to a location you designate, send email to firstname.lastname@example.com
|End date
|1 August 2008 +
|Start date
|July 28, 2008 +


text:
VIENNA, June 15 (UPI) -- Further declines in crude oil prices may force Saudi Arabia to reduce production following an OPEC decision to keep production quotas in place, an analyst said.
Oil prices spiked in the first quarter of 2012 after Iran threatened to close key oil shipping lanes in response to tightened sanctions. As more countries move away from Iranian crude, meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has ramped up production to meet market demands.
Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, during their regular meeting in Vienna this week, opted to keep production quotas in place despite slumping crude oil prices.
The International Energy Agency described oil markets as well-supplied. Jason Schenker, president of commodity research company Prestige Economics, told Bloomberg News that Saudi Arabia would have to clamp down on supplies should oil prices slump further.
"It puts some of the onus on the Saudis but, at the end of the day, they're going to remain very responsive to what happens in the world market," he said.


text:
I've been using ZA for years and nothing like this has ever happened to me. Lately, the TrueVector service has been crashing (I know this was supposed to be a problem with newer versions, but I didn't upgrade - using v 6.5.737.000). Now, this morning, I get up, my computer is frozen on a black screen and when I restart, ALL of my programs secured for internet access have been removed from ZA and so has my home network! **bleep**??? Help??
Operating System:Windows XP Pro
Product Name:ZoneAlarm (Free)
Software Version:6.5


text:
Okay, you'r just lucky that I currently have no work to do in class and we have laptops today!! Anyways, let's get to the RPGing people!!!!
Didn't we have a whole plot planned??????? Whatever happened to that? Does anyone remember????
Well I gotta go, but I may check back later... Don't get your hopes up though, I'm swamped with studying :/
Anyways, <3 ya!!! (:


text:
KONG's Air KONG Dumbbell Squeaker - Large is a new spin on an old favorite! Air KONG Toys are 100% pure tennis ball in fun shapes and an assortment of different sizes. Air KONG toys bounce erratically on land and float high on water! This Air KONG Squeaker Dumbbell is one of many top quality items in our Dog Toys department.
Very Important - No Dog Toy is Indestructible Supervise your dog's use of KONGS until you are confident they can be used safely without supervision.


text:
We continue our coverage of spring football practice with a look at the players who have and haven't been performing up to par. At the end of each week of practice and before the start of the next week, GatorBait.net will take a look back and identify those who are and aren't performing well in a weekly on fire and misfire.
On Fire: It's already becoming redundant. Over the first week of practice, take a sampling of who spectators thought was one of the top five players on the day and the name Percy Harvin would likely be one of the first names mentioned.
He hasn't been in the backfield at all, but that hasn't stopped him for making play, after play, after play, after play. Each and every practice – he's had at least one (and sometimes two or three) plays that drew a reaction from the crowd.
On Fire: In most cases when a five-star prospect comes in, no matter if he is good or not, he doesn't quite live up to the advance billing because so much is expected of him in the first place. That wasn't the case this first week when it comes to evaluating the performance of receiver Carl Moore.
No he isn't as big as advertised, but he has been every bit as good.
On Fire: Before the pads go on, there's really not a lot that can be learned from a running back. You might see some acceleration and explosion, but that can be seen looking at a track star. You might see a player make a cut, but you know he's doing so knowing he isn't cutting back into a collision.
Only when the pads go on and the banging starts can you really get a feel for what a running back brings to the table.
It's only been one practice, but Emmanuel Moody doesn't hit top gear as fast as a Chris Rainey or cut as well as a Brandon James, but he has more size than either of them.
Over the first week he's shown that he has very good hands, the ability to run inside and out and he holds on to the ball (something Mon Williams didn't do on Saturday).
Kestahn Moore is still lining up some with the first team, but if Moody keeps up this pace, he'll have separated himself from the pack by the end of spring drills.
On Fire: Coming off a season finale' in which they were eaten up by the Michigan Wolverines on the field and beaten up by the UF fan base for their part in the Capital One Bowl loss, the young secondary has played well over the first week.
Particularly some of the young cornerbacks.
Joe Haden, Jacques Rickerson, Moses Jenkins and Janoris Jenkins have all had their moments during the first three practices.
If Florida can improve the pressure they put on the quarterback, some of these youngsters will have a chance to prove they can become a defensive strength rather than a weakness.
On Fire: When discussing the potential transfer of James Wilson, one of the names Urban Meyer brought up as an example of a player who started off slow and wanted to transfer was that of offensive tackle Jason Watkins.
Now he is not only one of the leaders of the offense, he might just be one of the best offensive linemen in the SEC if he continues to progress the way he has.
Watkins has not only completely transformed his body from when he first arrived, he is much more technically sound as well.
On Fire: It was sort of a mixed bag over the first two practices for Cameron Newton. He did enough good things – especially with his feet – to be worthy of holding on to the backup job behind Tim Tebow – but make no mistake he wasn't exactly setting the world on fire.
That continued over the first half of Saturday's practice, where he was solid, but unspectacular. That all changed though during the last ¼ of the practice session when the team went to 11-on-11 drills. Newton, who had been running with mostly the second team offense, saw extensive action with the first team line and receivers and responded in a very positive fashion as he looked very comfortable running the offense and made plays with both his feet as well as his arm.
Misfire: Other than track, where not only does Urban Meyer permit his football players to participate, but he encourages it as well because of the carry over effect it has for his squad, there isn't a strong recent history of football players excelling at two sports while at the University of Florida.
From Cornelius Ingram to Gavin Dickey – it just hasn't worked out. And now coming up to bat is wide receiver Riley Cooper – who if the schedule holds true, could end up missing more football practices then he participates in this spring.
Cooper, who has played well when healthy – is a good athlete, but unless your name happens to be Bo Jackson, there's virtually no chance whatsoever of a player being a difference maker in two different sports in this day and age. The games are played at too high a level to think that, regardless of who you are, you will be able to compete against players who are focusing all their energy on just one sport.
He missed two valuable practice sessions to accompany the baseball squad to Oxford, where he had one pinch hit appearance in three games. This week alone, Moore, Deonte Thompson and Justin Williams have out performed Cooper on the practice field. Can he afford to continue missing practices and hope to stay ahead of them in the rotation?
Misfire: It is somewhat befitting that UF defensive line coach Dan McCarney was asking players about their 'star ranking' during Saturday's warm-up. While they were right on the mark by ranking Moore as highly as they did, it's only been a week, but it looks as if those at Rivals.com who were responsible for the junior college rankings missed the boat when it comes to Troy Epps. Not only is he starting, he has consistently been the best of the bunch this spring along the line. A line which includes a couple of players who Rivals.com deemed five-star worthy. Epps might have only been three-stars coming in, however he has outperformed all of those around him who had more stars next to their names.
Misfire: Speaking of McCarney, he displayed his displeasure in the way defensive end Jermaine Cunningham performed this past week when he called Cunningham out in a very public way while standing not 10 feet away from the media contingent.
McCarney told him that he had been quiet all week and he was expecting more.
Because of his play last year, so was everyone else. Cunningham did little – very little – the first week. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for the Gator Nation, none of the other defensive ends did enough to come close to supplanting him on the starting line.
Misfire: After a couple of miscues between the quarterback and center during 11-ion-11 drills, the first thought was that perhaps Tebow simply wasn't comfortable being under center and that was the reason for the fumbles.
However, even after Newton took over, they continued.
Last year Drew Miller, who like Maurkice Pouncey and Corey Hobbs, had to get used to snapping the ball. After a slow start, he eventually got the hang of it.
It goes without saying that Pouncey and Hobbs should also get better as time goes on.
However, the two centers for UF had enough poor snaps (it isn't the quarterback's fault when the ball is skipped back to him time and again while in the shotgun position) this week to earn their spot on our misfire list.
Misfire: He's still not in the greatest shape and whether or not he gives 110% each time out is better answered by the coaching staff and Torrey Davis – but he didn't come out and have the best first day of spring.
Then, as Meyer indicated beforehand that he would, he sat out the second practice.
On Saturday, he played much more, and better, but he's still not where you would think someone with his ability would be.
On Wednesday he was trying to come out late in the practice, and McCarney sent him right back in. That's what he has to learn to do. It is much easier said than done, but he has to block out the part of the brain that tells you you're winded and fight through it. When he learns to do that, with his talent level, he'll likely be a fixture in the 'on fire' list.
On Fire: Going strictly off of completion percentage and putting the ball where it needed to be put, when it needed to be there, John Brantley probably had the strongest week of practice of the three quarterbacks. Yes all three of them, including a certain Heisman Trophy winning quarterback.
The problem is, he has only taken part in throwing 1-on-1 and 7-on-7 drills – portions of the practice where the offense has a distinct advantage over the defense and where the quarterback is going to go with the ball is all but predetermined before the snap.
We haven't seen him yet during 11-on-11 drills and because of his shoulder injury, he wasn't anything more than a spectator during 11-on-11 drills when the pads were on, the lines were in front of the quarterbacks, linebackers and corners were blitzing and quarterbacks had to look for 2nd and 3rd options.
Will he be as good under that type of pressure, we don't yet. But as far as his performance in the drills he has taken part of, he has definitely performed over the first week of practice.


text:
Yoot Saito, the creator of nutty Dreamcast title Seaman is about to begin work on a Nintendo DS title.
"Nintendo DS is a wonderful handheld," Saito told Nintendo's European website. "I'm glad it comes with a built-in microphone. That's why we have things planned for it. We're working on a title that will use the network and microphone, but unfortunately I can't really discuss it yet."
Saito's currently completing development of Odama, a curious and long-standing GameCube project that mixes, of all things, pinball with medieval Japanese combat. Much like Seaman, a barmy virtual pet game that involved chatting to a man-faced fish using Dreamcast's microphone, Odama makes use of the player's voice via an included mic.


text:
Ellis grounds out to Cozart.
Ellis grounds out to Cozart.
Ding ding
This is the ol Left Hander rounding third and heading for home.
Hairston hits a 93 MPH fastball over the left field fence for a HR.
A groundout to Frazier ends the inning. 1-0 Dodgers.
Frazier strikes out swinging on a low pitch out of the zone.
Heisey grounds out to 3B.
Cairo strikes out swinging.
A lot of excitement on here tonight
This is the ol Left Hander rounding third and heading for home.
Loney lines a single into CF.
Uribe walks on 5 pitches. Runners on first and second with no outs.
Dusty has to quit taking the team out for Tommy Burgers before games in LA
Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand
Boy oh boy Bailey not looking good already.
Thanks Uribe for getting caught napping. 1 out.
Van Slyke lines a single into right centerfield. Bruce threw the cutoff throw to Cairo, Cairo threw to Cozart and Uribe was out at second. Runners on first and third with 1 out.
Sacrifice fly to CF, there was a pretty close play at home, but the runner was definitely safe.
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