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Mazda Protege Rust Problems
cski West Springfield, VAPosts: 1,542I have noticed rust on Mazda's in my families Mazda dealership. My moth-in-law is part owner of a local dealership.
I had a 2003 Mazda Protege' and loved the click-click of all the controls and it was very nicely done inside and out. I had no complaints that summer.
However, I drove with a lead foot and wore out my tires by fall. I ended up hydroplaning and slammed into a jersey wall full speed.
I thought it had all season radials. WRONG!
I thought it had all season radials too. WRONG!
I really thought that all cars had both of the aforementioned "features" and was sure at least that it had all season radial tires. So, my mistake, my insurance claim.
Chris Skalski: Network Engineer 2012 Kia Optima EX
We sold ours about 3 mos ago. We did get $5500 US for it. Only had 62k miles on it. Was in grand shape save the rust around one wheel well. I liked most things about the car, but the rust and Mazda's refusal to fix it left a bad taste. Never another. Leased a 13 Volt & I am smitten. Think it will be plug in hybrid/electric from this point on. Feel a lot better about using less gas and polluting a whole lot less.
frogmann777 Posts: 2The factory tires for 2002 and 2003 Protege5 were terrible in the wet.
I am running a summer set that is forgiving in the wet, and a winter set on separate wheels.
I put the car with original tires in a snowdrift up to my windows on all sides,
after spinning out on a curbless street and coming to rest by the side of the road, perpendicular to the road. I had serious snow tires mounted with a couple of weeks.
horrido Posts: 1
Well, at this point, Mazda should pay me to keep my Protege5 rust bucket off the road. This car has less than 100K miles, and is a junker due to rust problems. It's white, and the seal coat completely failed within 5 years. Rust began around both rear wheel wells at year 6. You don't see ANY P5 around here without rust in the same area. You see lots of other older cars without rust. I will buy those brands from now on.
I love everything about this car, except the rust. And yes, it lived in the garage, was washed/waxed regularly, never been in an accident (or even dinged), and I'm the original owner - bought from dealer. The year after we bought the P5, we bought a Pontiac Vibe (for the wife). Now, 11 years later, put those two cars side by side - one looks almost as good as a new car, the other looks like a junker. One car you can work on, the other - every time you try to turn a bolt it snaps off due to rust.
At another site, in a article titled TOP 10 BEST & WORST RUST-RESISTANT CARS, Mazda 3/5 took the top worst position, with the only 'very weak rust resistance' rating given. The ratings were based on data 'collected over 15 years by the APA (Automobile Protection Association)'
This point cannot be stressed enough. Mazda has the worst rusting cars of ANY car manufactured.
I will NEVER ever buy another Mazda. I will tell all of my friends and acquaintances to stay away from Mazda. If I ever hear of anyone considering buying a Mazda, I will ask them to google 'Mazda rust'. There is no excuse. Modern cars should last at least 200k miles, with 300k being easily achievable with care.
We just got back from sunny CA. Saw a few 02 and 03 Protégé 5s. Guess what? They did NOT have rust, which reinforces my belief that Mazda sold a car in certain regions of the country, and Canada, that it was not built for! They appear to be able to withstand warmer, more mild climes, but rust like the dickens in the salt belt in harsh winters. They never took ownership of that fact and that mistake. Which is why I shall never, ever buy another Mazda.
bharatp Posts: 5My Mazda protege 2002 is rusting badly but 1999 protégé has less body rust even though both were used in the same NE USA area. I think it is related to the FORD management, cost cutting to cover the Mazda purchase capital.
On my past 40 years of US Car experiences I have decided not to buy GM or FORD. Now I have added Mazda on my "Do Not Buy" list. According to my experience with GM and FORD cars and service/support are poor.


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The number of weddings has spiked in Los Angeles County now that gay and lesbian couples can marry again after the lawsuit for Proposition 8 was dismissed by the Supreme Court last week.
The spike occurred Monday, especially among couples who had planned to wed in 2008 but could not because of Proposition 8, according to the Los Angeles Times. The county received 606 online applications for marriage licenses over the weekend. The previous weekend, the county received 123 applications.
West Hollywood city leaders are temporarily deputized Monday in order to perform free same-sex marriage ceremonies. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted California's ban on same-sex marriages just three days after the Supreme Court ruled that supporters of the ban, Proposition 8, could not defend it before the high court. California governor Jerry Brown ordered all counties in the state to begin issuing licenses immediately.
Click through for more photos of Los Angeles couples celebrating the festivities...

subset: commoncrawl


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Salute to Seven's big day in
Visions splendid, with Damien Oliver a major contributor, overwhelmed the television screen from Saturday's Channel Seven Flemington coverage.
Whatever the future holds for Oliver it cannot take away the title - champion jockey. Oliver emphasised this with his success on Happy Trails in the Emirates Stakes - his first win in this particular group 1 race.
The guile, the touch and the power that made him great lifted Happy Trails, a South Australian cheapie purchased for $11,000, in a three-way photo finish in the $1 million event.
Sure, the triumph of Glen Boss on the import, Puissance De Lune, had spectacular appeal in the Queen Elizabeth, but more on the score of the grey than the navigator.
Great horses have triumphed in the Queen Elizabeth but none with the same disdain, even taking into consideration his weight, 54.5 kilograms. Boss was roaring, not at his mount but with the delight of a teenager on a roller-coaster ride.
For the first time in half a century, I watched the last day of the Flemington spring carnival on television and the experience made me wonder just how people can go to the racecourse.
No doubt it had lengths on the Royal Ascot television presentation, featuring Black Caviar, earlier this year. Saturday's views were spectacular: from overhead, up close and personal in the barrier, even legs at ground level before the start. The slow motion of Ollie absorbing the moment after the Emirates was superb.
Well behind Happy Trails in 12th Fat Al continued the Melbourne spring of discontent for Gai Waterhouse. Also back in the ruck was He's Remarkable, with Boss up, prompting the comment from the jockey: ''He's a five-year-old stallion that's gay.''
Maybe Fat Al had that seasick feeling some were getting from the rock and roll of jockey cam carried by Steven Arnold on Wall Street in the 1600-metre event.
But it was just another aspect of how Channel Seven takes you to the races, even the judge's box with Bill Quin. John Letts, too, does excellent work not only interviewing jockeys after the winning post but his last-minute comments behind the barrier. The station blundered not televising the final race at Flemington last Thursday, leaving punters stranded without vision, but overall racing would have benefited from the exposure last week.
Of course the advertisements, fashion and presentations sent me scuttling back to TVN and Richard Callander at Warwick Farm.
However, the presentation by Bruce McAvaney and his strong support team, including veterans Richard Freedman and Pat Welsh, not only provides an unprecedented service in turf knowledge but also comes spiced with the great entertainment value of Neil Kearney.
Possibly his magic moments will be remembered at least as well and Happy Trails and Ollie. Like the exposure of Prince Charles ''shaking the hand that cleans the dunnies at Dunedoo''. And following the exploits of ''Le Roy Brown'', the epitome of the Aussie knock-about, sartorial in a singlet, enjoying the delights of a day at Flemington.
No doubt the major attraction in the McAvaney team is Francesca Cumani, the best and most successful English import since the European floodgates opened for the Melbourne Cup carnival.
With former jockey Simon Marshall, Cumani walked alongside horses in the mounting yard pointing out their strong points and deficits and even supplied last-minute interviews with jockeys. Following the defeat of hot favourite Silent Achiever in the Matriarch Stakes she declared: ''Proves we know nothing.''
Hardly as pleasant on the eye, betting talent Glen Munsie for TabCorp interpreted the betting drift of Silent Achiever: ''Punters have run out of coin.''
Earlier on the program, the Patinack Farm Classic lacked the Black Caviar lustre of recent years, but winner Mental, headed to Dubai soon, could provide Godolphin with a worthwhile acquisition.
''He'll be a better horse in 12 months,'' trainer Peter Snowden told Peter Donegan, smooth and polished, in the media ruck.
Cumani felt the point he was a gelding could work in his favour over other Snowden exports that were colts.
The trifecta of the highlights? Like the Emirates: A three-way photo: Ollie, Francesca and Le Roy Brown.
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Sarah M. Jackson '01, founder and principal of Sarah J Consulting, was recently named the 2013 North of Boston Businesswoman of the Year in the Small Business category. The 13th annual ceremony and luncheon was hosted by The Daily Item at the Holiday Inn in Peabody, Mass., on October 23, 2013. Jackson was selected from 11 nominees by an independent panel of accomplished businesswomen.
"Being nominated by my colleagues for this award was an honor in itself," Jackson said through a press release on her website. "It is incredibly motivating to know that others believe in and support my work. I am encouraged to grow as an entrepreneur by helping more nonprofit organizations to fulfill their missions."
When Jackson launched Sarah J Consulting in January 2012, she sought to help nonprofit organizations in medicine, education and the arts raise more money and tell their stories in the most compelling way. She helps strengthen her clients' fundraising knowledge and skills, identify their opportunities for growth and equip them with the tools they need for fundraising success. With her clients, she has raised more than $700,000 in foundation support, partnered on more than 50 major gift, foundation, and corporate solicitations and crafted clear content to inspire giving.
Prior to launching Sarah J Consulting, Jackson served as Managing Director of Institutional Giving at Harvard University, where she managed prospective donors capable of giving at least $1 million to the institution, and as Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where she helped to raise $14 million over six years to support its $1-billion Mission Possible campaign. Throughout her career, Jackson has worked on more than 600 charitable solicitations.


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Phone Comparison Archive
Mobile Phone Comparison!
September 6, 2010
There are many retailers in the UK that sell mobile phones, from standard phone shops and now even networks having their own stores. Due to low overheads the best place to pick up a new phone is quite often online. With online retailers you can reorder phones before their release and many retailers will offer


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The vintage equipment is apropos considering Gordon Biersch's Palo Alto location at 640 Emerson St. was the company's first, opening in July 1988. There are now more than 40 nationwide. Held, brewmaster of Gordon Biersch Palo Alto for nearly a decade, beamed with a youthful enthusiasm while describing the brewing process that is organic at its core despite the heavy mechanical element.
"To make beer you use four ingredients. You use malted barley, hops, water and yeast," Held said.
Brewing in large amounts is a time-consuming and complex undertaking — Held uses roughly 1,000 pounds of malted barley to brew 600 gallons of beer — but Held's appreciation for the craft is apparent. He begins with "base malt" before adding other malts (for certain brews), water, hops and finally yeast in varying amounts depending on the final product. If he is brewing the lighter Export beer, he will use 100 percent pale malt as his base. The opaque Schwarzbier calls for pale malt plus a small percentage of black malt that "gives the beer that deep rich color," he said.
Of course it's much more involved than it sounds, with boiling, sterilizing, condensing, aging and filtering all part of a process that can take more than a month to get from base malt to beer glass.
"A lot of people say brewing is a combination of art and science, and I'd agree with that," he said.
At 42, Held has an amiable demeanor and somewhat contagious joie de vivre. An appreciation for organics can be traced to Held's roots, as both of his older brothers are now farmers in Cayucos. But Held tapped into his interest in brewing while in college at U.C. Davis, where he met fellow student Jeff Alexander, who was studying fermentation science. After graduating with a degree in economics in 1992, Held went to Sugar Bowl in Tahoe to "be a ski bum for a winter" before figuring out what he wanted to do. That same year, Alexander opened Los Gatos Brewing Company.
"During that time it was the boom of the brew pubs and they were really hopping busy," Held said.
Alexander offered Held a job at Los Gatos Brewing Company where he would bartend for 30 hours a week and spend another 10 learning how to brew.
"I knew I liked beer. I didn't know that much about brewing," Held said.
Held spent a year and a half studying under Alexander while realizing he wanted to make a career as a brewer.
"I found a passion for the brewing and knew I wanted to take that full time, so I interviewed with a bunch of different places so I could be a full-time brewer and ended up getting a job with Sudwerk back in Davis," he said.
Held worked at Sudwerk from 1994 to 1995, learning from brewmaster Dave Sipes, who now works for Boston Beer Company of Samuel Adams fame. In 1995 Held was hired as the head brewer — and the only brewer — at Pacific Brewing Company (later called Willow Street Brewery) in San Rafael. But Held was constantly striving to advance in the profession, so in 1998 he returned to U.C. Davis for an intensive six-month master brewer program. Ironically, the class was held at Sudwerk.
"Everything's very cyclical at Davis," he said.
Held's return to Sudwerk proved life-changing. A chef he had befriended while working at Sudwerk introduced Held to a manager named Roberta — the woman who would later become his wife. The couple was married in 2001 and have two daughters (Alison, 5, and Caroline, 2), with a son on the way.
Held returned to Willow Street Brewery from 1998 to 2001, leaving to become brewmaster of Gordon Biersch Palo Alto in 2002. He'll celebrate 10 years there next May. The more than 15 years spent brewing both lagers and ales have turned Held into a true connoisseur.
"Different times call for different beers. If I'm sitting on the beach or if I'm at a golf course, I may want to drink the lightest beer and drink a lot of them. Whereas if it's a cold winter night I may want to sit by the fire and have a dark beer," he said.
Held cited Sierra Nevada and Firestone as two brewing companies he has developed an affinity for, aside from the Gordon Biersch selection of beers he has come to know so well.
Held grasped his glass of Marzen, lifted it to his lips and took a long, steady gulp.
"It's been almost 20 years of doing this and I don't see myself going to anything else. I like all aspects of it," he said.
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Agency focusing on capital campaign to fund new clinic, continue to provide client services
From Staff Reports
Officials with AIDS Arms this week announced the hiring of a new director of development and the election of officers for the agency's board of directors for 2011.
Attorney and former Dallas City Council member and former Deputy Mayor Pro Tem John Loza was elected as chairman of the AIDS Arms board. Other board officers are David Pass as vice chair and Ken Morris as second vice chair. Dennis Felhman was re-elected as treasurer, and Jesse Garcia was re-elected as secretary.
The board officers are tasked with overseeing the funding and stewardship of the agency during the expansion of medical care services, including a new clinic that is expected to open this summer.
Loza, who works as a criminal defense attorney, holds a degree in government from Harvard University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
Pass has a bachelor's degree in science from Indiana University, and a master's degree in health administration master's degree in information management from Washington University in St. Louis. He is a senior account executive with Aetna.
Fehlman, serving his third year as treasurer, is a senior vice president at Comerica Bank. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Grand Valley State University in Michigan.
Garcia, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, has a bachelor's degree in communications arts from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a master's degree in communications arts from St. Mary's University.
The new development director is Don Macey, a native Dallasite who recently returned to the area after holding senior development positions with the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.
"We are very pleased to have Dan Macey join AIDS Arms. His knowledge of health care, the needs of HIV-positive people and a close connection to the Dallas area will be beneficial to our vision and goals for increasing access to quality HIV care and support for our community," Loza said.
"We have much to accomplish in combating the HIV epidemic on behalf of our clients, and we know Dan will add great value to that effort," he added.
According to a statement released by AIDS Arms, Macey is tasked with "increasing awareness for the needs of both HIV-positive and high-risk individuals in the community by building the resources required to continue providing medical care, case management, HIV prevention and testing and many other programs."
Macey's primary focus will be the Call to Arms Campaign to pay for the new 15,000-square-feet outpatient medical care clinic for people with HIV. He will work with his team, including Sheila Bryant and Karen Campbell, and with the board of directors and
AIDS Arms Executive Director Raeline Nobles toward that goal.
AIDS Arms provides HIV testing and prevention services, case management, community education and support services to more than 7,000 people a year within a 10-county area in North Texas.
The agency also operates The Peabody Health Center, which is the only private, nonprofit HIV outpatient medical facility in Dallas, and the only community-based AIDS clinical research site in Texas for the National Institutes of Health.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition Jan. 28, 2011.


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Sclerosing cholangitis refers to swelling (inflammation), scarring, and destruction of the bile ducts inside and outside of the liver.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis; PSC
The cause of this condition is usually unknown.
The disease may be seen in patients who have:
Genetic factors may also be responsible. Sclerosing cholangitis occurs more often in men than women. This disorder is rare in children.
Sclerosing cholangitis may also be caused by:
The first symptoms are usually:
However, some people may have no symptoms.
Other symptoms may include:
Some people do not have symptoms, but blood work shows that they have abnormal liver function. The doctor will look for:
Tests that show cholangitis include:
Blood tests include:
Medications that may be used include:
Surgical procedures:
How well patients do varies. The disease tends to get worse over time and sometimes patients develop:
Some patients develop infections of the bile ducts that keep returning.
People with this condition have an increased risk of developing cancer of the bile ducts (cholangiocarcinoma). They should be checked regularly with a liver imaging test and blood tests.
Gordon FD. Primary sclerosing cholangitis. Surg Clin North Am. 2008;88:1385-1407.
Ross AS, Kowdley KV. Sclerosing cholangitis and recurrent pyogenic cholangitis. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2010:chap 68.
1000 Johnson Ferry Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30342
(404) 851-8000
450 Northside Cherokee Blvd.
Canton, GA 30115
(770) 224-1000
1200 Northside Forsyth Drive
Cumming, GA 30041
(770) 844-3200


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We live at the bottom of an ocean of air that constantly exerts a pressure on us. We experience the sensation of sound when our eardrums are stimulated by sound waves in the air around us. Sound waves are vibrations created when an objectsuch as a car engine, a loudspeaker, our vocal cords, or a tuning forkcauses a disturbance or change in the air pressure around it. Acoustic experts measure sound waves in a variety of ways, but sound waves are commonly described in terms of frequency and amplitude. Most of the sounds we hear are a complex mix of different and overlapping frequencies and amplitudes.
Each sound wave increases and decreases the background air pressure many times per second. The number of wave cycles per second is the sound waves frequency or pitch, which is typically measured in Hertz (Hz). Each Hz represents one wave cycle per second. If our ears are working perfectly, we can hear frequencies from about 20 Hz (for example, the largest organ pipe) to 20,000 Hz (for example, some dog whistles). As we move away from the source of a sound, the pressure drops approximately in proportion to the distance. As the distance from the sound source doubles in length, the sound pressure level is reduced by half.
The height and depth of sound waves is referred to as amplitude or loudness. As the amplitude increases, the volume increases. Our ears can detect sound over a very wide range of amplitudes, which are often measured and described in terms of decibels (dB). The softest sound humans can hear is approximately 0 dB.
Sound waves collected by the Pinna (outer ear) are funneled down the ear canal and set the ear drum in corresponding motion. The malleus, incus and stapes (also known as the hammer, anvil, and stirrup) transfer these vibrations to the spiral shaped structure called the cochlea. The cochlea is a fluid filled chamber lined with minute hair cells that are sensitive to different frequencies. When exposed to the vibrations caused by various sound waves, the hair cells send nerve impulses to the brain and the brain interprets those nerve impulses as the variety of sounds we hear.
Exposure to loud sounds may cause temporary or permanent damage to the hair cells in our ears and, accordingly, damage our hearing because the hair cells cannot transmit sound to our brain. A single, very loud soundsuch as a gunshot or an explosioncould cause immediate hearing loss. Prolonged exposure to other loud sounds over an extended period of time could also cause hearing loss.
Given the potential risk of temporary or permanent hearing loss associated with exposure to loud sounds, it is wise to be conservative and use common sense in your listening habits. For example, you should use earplugs when operating noisy machinery or firearms. Keep your distance from heavy construction equipment or jet engines. When listening to music or other audio (with or without a headset or headphones), keep the volume at moderate levels and limit the amount of time you listen.
Although there is no single volume setting that is appropriate for everyone, you should always use your headset or headphones with the volume set at moderate levels and avoid prolonged exposure to high volume sound levels. The louder the volume, the less time is required before your hearing could be affected. You may experience different sound levels when using your headset or headphones with different devices. The device you use and its settings affect the level of sound you hear. If you experience hearing discomfort, you should stop listening to the device through your headset or headphones. To protect your hearing, some hearing experts suggest that you:


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Originally published February 2, 2013 at 8:00 PM | Page modified February 4, 2013 at 11:11 AM
Decorating with debris
A New York artist reconfigures trash into a home's structure.
The New York Times
BUFFALO, N.Y. — In 2009, Dennis Maher, a professor of architecture at the University at Buffalo, bought an abandoned property from D'Youville College for $10,000. It was a Buffalo double house, built just before the turn of the 20th century, as common a sight here as a maple tree.
Its ramshackle and orphaned condition was familiar, too. With the city's vacancy rate at more than 15 percent — one of the highest in the state — it seems that every block in Maher's West Buffalo neighborhood had at least one empty house. (Like that of many Rust Belt cities, Buffalo's population peaked at midcentury and has been declining ever since.)
In response, the city has pursued a policy of demolition, frustrating preservationists, in a program that aimed to raze 5,000 buildings over the last five years (to date, the number may be closer to about 3,000).
Maher, this year's artist in residence at the Albright-Knox Gallery, has been making sculptures out of the byproducts of that demolition, using materials like ductwork, plywood, lath and PVC pipes in huge, dangerous-looking pieces that resemble photographs of explosions caught by a high-speed camera. He is interested, he said, "in exploring the space between erasure and reconstruction."
For many years, Maher, 36, worked for a local construction company, which made it easier for him to harvest building scraps. He recalled sneaking back into a "significant mansion" after work to make ephemeral art from the refuse, which he would photograph and then carefully disassemble, "so no one would be the wiser," he said.
When Maher began working on his own house, his methods and concerns were not exactly those of a typical renovator. After he sorted through the junk he found inside, he began to build, reconfiguring the pieces of things like a home entertainment center, old deck chairs, fish tanks, dollhouses and dollhouse furniture, model train set pieces, jewelry boxes, brooms and silverware.
He attached the structures he created to the floors, walls and ceilings, like Joseph Cornell sculptures run amok, and he began aggressively collecting objects to add to those structures, scouring flea markets, Dumpsters and thrift stores. "I look for anything house-like, or things in miniature or objects that have an inside, like jewelry boxes," he said.
Once the neighbors figured out what he was up to, they began leaving their castoffs on his front porch. As a result, he said, "I now have an abundant collection of things like bird cages."
As these interior structures grew and multiplied, Maher sliced open sections of the second floor to give them more room and to let in more light. In an upstairs room he has fitted out like a library, the objects, he likes to say, cling to the bookshelves like mold. "It's getting tougher to reach the books," he admitted.
There is seating, of a sort: Half of a black leather Breuer chair has been spliced to a midcentury Danish chair.
"Most people when they're working on their house say, 'I'm going to work on the kitchen,'" he said. "For me, it was more like I'd find something that needed to go in a spot, so a room was never really finished."
Picking your way through the carapaces of old chairs with cigar boxes, globes and tools grafted onto them, you do feel like the house is sprouting tentacles, generating its own cities and landscapes. It's hard not to think about vacuuming.
Maher, an energetic man who vibrates a bit as he speaks, and pulls his hair into tufts when he's excited, which is often, invoked the Surrealists. "They had a good attitude about dust," he said. "To them, it was patina, a veil or a vapor, signifying the passage of time."
You can sense dust bunnies everywhere swelling with importance. Nonetheless, Maher said, this kinship with the Surrealists is not to suggest the house doesn't require maintenance. "I have to go out every day and look for things to add to it," he said.
He visits flea markets the way the rest of us shop Costco for supplies. Without this influx, he said, "the house would become static," he said. "Stuff goes out, and sometimes it comes back, and sometimes it doesn't. Also, it's really important to me what happens when use and function aren't the primary things we design for: Could other roles for a house emerge once we suspend our attachment to everyday use?"
The reader will not be surprised to learn that Maher's girlfriend recently moved out. "To share a space with someone while the whole environment was constantly collecting and reforming was, at a personal level, inspiring but also destabilizing," he said. "I really respect the amount of time she was able to last here."
Maher would like his house to question the functionality of architecture. "Think of a warehouse that gets turned into apartments, these things are shifting all the time," he said. "Function is fluid." (Take that, Modernists.)
Still, he has assigned labels to various rooms. (The capital letters are his, and recall Hogwartian terms.) Downstairs, there is the Entertainment Core, so named for the entertainment center he took apart to make his first collage, as he calls his structures. Above, watch your step in the Bridge Room, as whole sections of floor have been removed to let the aforementioned Entertainment Core bust through.
The Room for the Image and Reflected Image is a kind of mezzanine space whose walls are covered with mirrors, medicine cabinets, cigar boxes and cutup postcards. Maher opened a medicine cabinet and showed off a little stash of postcards and scissors. "I can add to it at any time," he said.
In the two years since Maher moved in, his house has become something of a local celebrity. He gives tours to friends with out-of-town visitors, civic groups and schools on a regular basis. "It's been a challenge to my privacy," he said.
Mark Goldman, an urban historian and author who has been a frequent visitor to Maher's house, said that when he first saw the place, he was overwhelmed.
"I saw it as a self-indulgent arts project," Goldman said. "But then I began to understand there's an idea behind it. We have a whole genre of work I like to call Rust Belt porn, a fascination with rust and decay for its own sake. People love taking pictures of rusty structures. But Dennis is trying to make a larger statement about regeneration and renewal, and bring an artistic point of view towards what other people have thrown away."
Maher is not the first to use Buffalo's abundant stock of empty houses as material for civic commentary. A few years ago, for their master's theses, four architecture students bought a house at a city auction and built a 650-square-foot structure inside, into which they moved along with their dog.
And last year, another pair of students bought a derelict house for $800 and moved in without fixing it up. Their experience of living there without heat, electricity or plumbing was the last in a series of what they called "squatting experiments" that became their master's theses.
Maher's show at the Albright-Knox Gallery is a collaboration between him and eight local building tradespeople, whom he invited to make pieces inspired by his house using the materials of their trade. Jamillah Green, a plumber, made a delicate Jungian house from copper pipes with a tree growing inside it.
Using a single door, Dan Farrell, a window and door installer, made a model that's part house, part guitar. He told Maher that he thought houses carried sound, "and that the sound calibrates the wood in a house the way it does in an old instrument," Maher said. "You can take the roof of his model and play the guitar. It's just amazing."
Not one of the tradespeople questioned Maher's sanity when they visited his house?
"Not one," he said proudly.
The only room without a fancy moniker is the kitchen. Still, it's been worked over a bit: The linoleum floor has been excavated, parts of it sliced off and the subfloor that's revealed polyurethaned. Window frames are layered three deep on the wall over the sink. "The kitchen is kind of tricky," he said. "The use patterns are more severe. You have to dig a bit harder here."
This reporter raised an eyebrow, and Maher tried another tack.
"What I mean is, the objects have to work harder to infiltrate this room," he said. "This house is a conflict between my everyday activities and the instability of objects."
The kitchen, he suggested, is a room for detente.


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Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, September 6, 2013, 12:00 AM
Town Square
On Deadline: Mayor Greg Scharff on 'home stretch,' but should mayor terms be longer?
Original post made on Sep 6, 2013
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, September 6, 2013, 12:00 AM
Comments (18)
a resident of Downtown North
on Sep 6, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Mr Scharff is a real estate lawyer.
>He envisions finding a way to build two new parking structures, one for downtown Palo Alto and one for the California Avenue business district.
So he approves of more construction. Developers will support him.
When will he stop approving construction without the required parking?
He voted to give the Chamber of Commerce Below-Market-Rate office space in the big office building at Alma/Lytton. And to allow that developer to underpark.
I will also look forward to his votes - not the sweet-talk - on the Arillaga project.
a resident of College Terrace
on Sep 6, 2013 at 2:30 pm
If Greg Scharff wants an easy win (low hanging fruit), one that guarantees his legacy, he could enforce the gas-powered leaf blower ban. All he needs to do is to get the council to tweak the ban, so that the property owners are fined, not the gardeners who use them (and ignore the ban).
Within a few years, he will have a bronze statue in his likeness, somewhere in Palo Alto, perhaps in a park in one of our neighborhoods.
The parking issue will go on forever....
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 6, 2013 at 2:30 pm
"In tough years, as in the early part of the last decade when a personal power struggle preoccupied the council, the mayorship can be a bit of hell. "
CAre to enlighten us, Jay as to what exactly you are referring to here?
And the poor Mayor. If it was so hellish, they could have resigned from the council
"Several mayors indicated they just would rather not talk about those times, thank you. One even suggested that I was asking that mayor to "spill my guts" about the experience."
Martyrdom becomes them, I guess. Why don't you do a story--you can call it: "My Life in Hell-One year as Mayor of Palo Alto"
"Just about every mayor in recent years has complained � many directly to me � that the one-year term limit as mayor is too short to accomplish any personal agenda as mayor."
Well, you might have told them, Jay, that being mayor is not a vote to push "personal" agendas. They need to be serving the city and the people that elected them. The ego and self-absorption of these self-centered individuals is mind boggling.
ANd why would they tell you, Jay?? Did they expect the weekly to launch an editorial push to change thins so that they would be satisfied?
After all, the weekly is and always has been partial to council members [portion removed.]
a resident of Crescent Park
on Sep 6, 2013 at 4:03 pm
Crescent Park Dad is a registered user.
The mayor position is not an elected slot by the public. So it goes that any PA mayor should not hold sway over the city...newsflash: you're not elected. Therefore you have no mandate from the people. Get over it.
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 6, 2013 at 4:48 pm
Definitely "No". We've had some really poor Mayors in the past and Palo Alto voters have been quite glad to get them out of Office. We even had a Mayor who ran for re-election to council the following year and lost. One year terms for Mayor is quite enough.
If you're going to change the City Charter for longer term Mayors, reduce Council from 9 to 7 members at the same time, and be prepared to pay the Mayor a high six figure salary.
a resident of Community Center
on Sep 6, 2013 at 5:04 pm
Let's be honest-- the mayor is a ceremonial post. All the council members have a self- serving love fest, where they heap prose on one another. Then they get to play mayor and push their little agenda-- most have little to do with palo altos needs or priorities-- remember yoriko and her climate change? Every one gets to be mayor-- even drekmeier!!!! Well almost everyone-- jack Morton was not elected mayor and was barely elected vice mayor.
Not sure why jay did not say anything about personal agendas for non- elected mayors. Well, I do understand- the weekly is the voice of the council. Ever seen the weekly push candidates for council to actually take a stand on issues? They just endorse the usual suspects
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Sep 6, 2013 at 7:06 pm
It is ridiculous, time consuming, and costly to have elections annually. How can any elected official be effective in just a o e-year term? Whose brilliant idea was this, anyway? is there ANY other city in the nation that does something so pointless?
last year, the City Council and mayor we had then were AGAINST the Maybell-Climo project when it was first introduced. After the elections, the Council shockingly passed it. What changed was not the plan--it still lacked enough e trances and exits, it would still cause too much traffic ( actually more traffic; by then Arastradero had been narrowed). The change was a new mayor and many new Council members.
Just plain Stoopid!
a resident of Crescent Park
on Sep 6, 2013 at 8:36 pm
You do understand that the council itself selects the mayor, right? They vote among themselves; no city-wide election.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Sep 7, 2013 at 12:57 am
Mr Scharff is a real estate lawyer.If I had a chance, I would not vote for him.
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 7, 2013 at 1:41 am
Stoopid says: "It is ridiculous, time consuming, and costly to have elections annually. How can any elected official be effective in just a o e-year term? Whose brilliant idea was this, anyway? is there ANY other city in the nation that does something so pointless?"
Our Mayors are elected by the other members of the City Council, they are not elected annually by the voters of Palo Alto. Our Mayor's job is to run Council meetings. Most small cities like Palo Alto rotate their Mayors annually because we have a City Manager who runs the City on a daily basis.
a resident of Community Center
on Sep 7, 2013 at 9:36 am
The mayor is elected, just not in an open election by the populace. Sounds like Palo Alto does not really NEED a mayor, it is just a silly ceremonial figurehead position, like the Queen of England.
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on Sep 7, 2013 at 9:43 am
Mayor is ceremonial. It's not to execute a policy agenda. Greg isn't the prime minister of Palo Alto he's the guy who shows up at events. Anyway to the extent that he is executing an agenda what is it? Pass an unconstitutional ordinance criminaling the homeless that will cost the city zillions in legal fees? Draw a referendum and divide the city over low income housing turning neighbor against neighbor? Throw 2 million into the PSN slush fund for a lunch club that does literally nothing with no transparency? Maybe it's to never fix potholes. Or perhaps it's to marginalized and exclude half the council. If Greg Scharff has a agenda I think a year was plenty. And who's the next mayor? Greg's hand picked crony nancy shephard who if she has a thought that is not given to her by Greg on any topic it would be shocking.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Sep 7, 2013 at 10:31 am
"costly to have elections annually."
WHy?! The people do not elect the mayor in Palo Alto!
Costs nothing, and worth nothing to switch every year, as far as I can tell.
City council elect the "Mayor". The "elected" person gets the "title" and OF COURSE tell the residents everything they want to hear, to then vote for the developers. I was not impressed with Scharff on the Arrillaga thing, he admitted that he met Mr. Arrillaga but it was a casual meeting. A Real Estate lawyer will go for overdeveloping, it is not in his dna to say no to developers or business owners, they are his clients. The development catastrophes in Palo Alto are because guys like him are so impressed with big words like "Gateway" (that ugly thing on Alma and Lytton) to justify just another ugly glass or just plain ugly building towering over the nano sidewalks and nano streets of PA.
Since the people do not vote, one year for the charade is PLENTY.
Not an issue,
"Let's be honest-- the mayor is a ceremonial post. All the council members have a self- serving love fest, where they heap prose on one another. Then they get to play mayor and push their little agenda-- most have little to do with palo altos needs or priorities-- "
Thank you!
a resident of Downtown North
on Sep 7, 2013 at 1:21 pm
A 2-year term for a mayor when public confidence in all levels of government is plummeting? I think an extended year for Greg Scharff is not only a good idea but essential. Palo Alto as a fully built out city is struggling in this economic boom. Like many Palo Altans I am waiting for greater leadership from the Council as a whole and so far in 2013 I am not impressed. However, I see enough potential in Scharff to warrant serious consideration for a second term. Three things need to happen quickly. The Council needs to show its receptivity to stronger continuity. And Mayor Scharff must lay out a practical, achievable vision for a better Palo Alto during the next 2-4 years. Finally, we citizens must step forward, say what we want and demand greater accountability from the elected folk who have to manage our city. Palo Alto Council must step up its game...changing horses midstream might not be a good idea. 64 thousand dollar question: Can Scharff dial back his pro-growth, real estate lawyer bias? I think he can if citizens demand it.
a resident of Midtown
on Sep 7, 2013 at 4:59 pm
Neilson Buchanan if you want a Mayor for longer than one year you'll have to get the City Charter changed by the voters of Palo Alto, this will not be easy because you'll have to start by collecting an ungodly number signatures on a petition.
a resident of Downtown North
on Sep 8, 2013 at 10:06 am
We will have ample time to see how Scharff votes on 27 University in a couple of weeks, on Maybell, on the big glass box proposed for 240 Hamilton, on giveaways to Chop Keenan, and lots of issues.
He started his term as Mayor as a strict disciplinarian, now he seems to be on a charm offensive.
But he seconded Burt's motion to give the Chamber of Commerce BelowMarketRate rent in the monster building on Alma at Lytton, so we need to watch how this chameleon develops.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Sep 8, 2013 at 5:37 pm
Less sweet talk,
"We will have ample time to see how Scharff votes on 27 University in a couple of weeks"
What is the upcoming vote on 27 University?
a resident of Downtown North
on Sep 9, 2013 at 1:13 am
Tentatively scheduled for Sept. 23:
>Traffic Impact Analysis for the Arts and Innovation District (27 University Avenue) (PLNG)<
The city keeps referring to the project with that pretentious name instead of just the address. Makes me wonder how much bias the city will have.
Burger chain Shake Shack to open in Palo Alto
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The Cost of Service
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This time we're not lying. HONEST! No, really!
By Douglas Moran | 11 comments | 836 views
Couples: When Wrong Admit It; When Right; Shut Up
By Chandrama Anderson | 0 comments | 730 views
One-on-one time
By Cheryl Bac | 0 comments | 555 views


text:
Topic: internal server error when typing recipient's address
as the topic, i got this problem when typing an address on the recipient's field. Usually, if I have a user named Bob on OpenLDAP, when I type 'b', it will suggest Bob's email address. But instead I got this 'internal server error' message. Where to check? I could not find any relevent error in /var/log/httpd/error.log


text:
Need a break from the bleak?
Spring is nowhere more vibrant than in Skagit County.
Having lived nearly 30 years on the route to the nearby tulip fields, I offer the following tips and recommendations for a day in Skagit Valley during this year's Tulip Festival.
For starters, don't go this weekend.
A quick look around my neighborhood in the past few days revealed not one field tulip in bloom.
Wait at least a week, unless you are interested in the tail end of the daffodil displays, which actually look pretty great against gray skies.
The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs April 1 through 30 with activities in Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, La Conner, Edison and Anacortes. Tons of information, including a listing of events, is available at www.tulipfestival.org.
Hundreds of acres of spectacular tulip fields will be yours to enjoy.
You won't want to miss out.
For the best experience, however, here are some suggestions:
Bring your boots. The rain will be with us for a while and the fields can be muddy.
Visit the bulb growers first. Stop at the Roozen family's Washington Bulb Co./ Roozengarde at 15867 Beaver Marsh Road or the DeGoede family's Skagit Valley Bulb Farm/Tulip Town at 15002 Bradshaw Road. Admission is $5 for adults but free for children at both places. Order bulbs, buy a bouquet, pick up a free field tour map and check out the display gardens.
Go in the morning or in the evening. You'll encounter less traffic and your tulip photographs will be better. High-noon photos tend to wash out the amazing floral color.
Visit on a weekday if you can. Weekends after 11 a.m. get crazy with traffic. Local people are mostly kind, helpful and patient unless you forget that all this is happening in their front yards.
The tulip fields are located primarily within a 15-mile triangle bordered by the north fork of the Skagit River, the Swinomish Channel and Highway 20. The tulips won't all bloom at once. You can count on about two full weeks of color once the individual fields start showing. Farmers have to behead the flowers at some point in order to keep the bulbs healthy, and that is after all, why they are growing them.
A few of the roads have 50 mph speed limits and that's how fast the locals tend to drive. Keep your children safe by keeping them in the car on these roads.
Shoulder parking is very limited. Obey the no-parking signs or expect a visit from a deputy with his ticket book. Parking should be ample at most fields. If you visit Roozengarde first, you will have a ticket stub to show for free parking near the various Washington Bulb Co. tulip fields.
La Conner isn't home base for the festival. If the town is crowded, remember that you can enjoy plenty of festival activities in the other cities.
Finally, check the Skagit Valley Tulips off your list from Buzzfeed's "29 Surreal Places in America You Need to Visit Before You Die." It's No. 4.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; email@example.com.
More than tulips
If the roads around the fields are packed, check out these festival activities:
- Anacortes Quilt Walk, on now throughout downtown Anacortes
- Art in a Pickle Barn, celebrating its 25th year, on now at Azusa Farm, 14904 Highway 20, west of Mount Vernon
- Art Bash at the Farmhouse restaurant, 13724 La Conner-Whitney Road
- WSU Extension and Research Station Discovery Garden, 16650 Highway 536, west of Mount Vernon
- Beginning April 5, see the Anacortes Arts Festival show, 611 R Ave., Anacortes.
- Art in the Schoolhouse at Christianson's Nursery, 15806 Best Road, west of Mount Vernon
- Art Walk along Fairhaven Avenue in downtown Burlington
- Woodfest, 1235 Third St., Sedro-Woolley
- Skagit County has many fine restaurants and little eateries, but you will do yourself a favor to hit the Kiwanis salmon barbecue, beginning April 5 at Hillcrest Lodge 1717 S. 13th St., Mount Vernon.
The Herald plans to run other Tulip Festival events in our Friday Arts &Entertainment guide throughout April.


text: So... I just strung my racquet up and then tied off the last cross before I released the clamps. I then noticed that I didn't have a clamp next to the tie-off knot, which made me realize that I never pulled tension on the last cross! I just weaved it and then tied it off by accident. Obviously I can't untie and do it over since the knot is already done. What does this do to the racquet's playability, if anything? I'm an idiot. Thanks, VeeSe


text:
"This is classic mainstream Coltrane and belongs in every serious jazz fan's collection, especially with the primo packaging."Audiophile Audition
"In addition to charting Coltrane's growth as a soloist
[these] are all early period hard bop works of the first order. As well as saxophonists Coltrane, Rollins and Ammons, and pianists Hope, Waldron, Garland and Dameron, the collective soloists include saxophonists Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Sahib Shihab and Pepper Adams, trumpeters Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman, flautist Jerome Richardson, and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Art Taylor. Greats all of them, here in hard bop's first flush of glory. The material used at the sessions ranges from originals, mostly written by the leader on the date, to jazz standards, tunes from the American songbook, and
classic blues structures."All About Jazz


text: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it Joral can't understand how Dukat could make decisions, and in result lose his family - she lost hers and would do everything to have them back and/or everything to keep them. Not the same situation, but from her point of view - which is far from normal, after all they were murdered in front of her eyes, that must influence a person - he did something imaginable for her, and she blames... Ziyal. You surely noticed her relations with Dukat is all but simple and clear; a mixture of negative and positive feelings. Jarol idealizes Damar, so most likely she didn't read correctly what he meant by "ladies". She'd rather assume Weyoun can't tell apart one Cardassian woman from another (her from Damar's wife), just like she doesn't tell apart most of other races faces (eg. Weyoun from Allaran - j/k). I like your new avatar!


text:
[blip.tv http://blip.tv/play/geQ9gbnVLwI%5D
In a special bonus edition of HDNet Fights Video Vault, we again turn the spotlight to Alistair Overeem, who's one of the featured competitors at tonight's HDNet-televised "Dynamite!! 2009" event in Japan.
The Overeem vs. Thompson fight was a late booking for the October DREAM.12 card, which was the organization's first to use a cage rather than a traditional ring.
The heavyweights met at a time when their careers were headed in very different directions; Overeem (30-11) hoped to claim his sixth straight win while Thompson (14-10) hoped to snap a four-fight losing skid and pick up just his third win in 12 fights.
Each week HDNet and MMAjunkie.com release a new and exclusive fight from the ever-growing HDNet Fights video library. Stunning knockouts, slick submissions, shocking finishes and legendary brawls are the norm for this weekly feature. And Overeem vs. Thompson is no exception.
In fact, between the two fighters, 41 of their 43 career wins remarkably had ended via stoppage heading into the DREAM.12 fight.
Their bout, which was expected to end early, didn't disappoint.
Check out the embedded clip to see if the hard-hitting Overeem could keep his win streak alive or if Thompson could rebound for a much-needed win over a world-class opponent.
And don't forget to check out Overeem in action early tomorrow morning (3 a.m. ET), when he meets Kazuyuki Fujita at Japan's latest New Year's Eve extravaganza. HDNet's live broadcast of "Dynamite!! 2009: DREAM vs. WVR" airs in North America at 3 a.m. ET (midnight PT).
Each week MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) and HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com) team up for "HDNet Fights Vault," which offer a new and unique video from the organization's ever-growing fight library. The weekly feature is a continuation of a long-standing partnership between MMAjunkie.com and HDNet. For more information on HDNet, which broadcasts more MMA events than any other TV outlet, visit www.hd.net.


text:
I'm running VirtualBox for a class lab, and VirtualBox on Ubuntu appears to be missing the "Bridge Interface" feature for a network adapter - so the instructions we were given won't work for me, and the TA's don't know much about IP tables, so I'm pretty much on my own to get this working.
I need my virtual server to be accessible from remote servers. My host machine has a publically routable address and can access the virtual machine through the local (and static) address 192.168.100.254, and so I figured I could just forward a port from my host machine to the virtual machine. My host can access the virtual machine through IP address 192.168.100.254, and I want to forward any tcp traffic on port 5345 (chosen at random) to my virtual machine. So I'm trying the following iptables commands on my host. I modified commands explained at Port forwarding for iptables (DMZ), changing just the ports and the address.
The commands appear to execute successfully, but localhost:5345 and a similar request from a remote machine recieve no response. I haven't done anything else to the default iptables in Ubuntu, and the policy for FORWARD, INPUT and OUTPUT are all accept.Code:iptables -A PREROUTING -t nat -i eth1 -p tcp --dport 5345 -j DNAT --to 192.168.100.254:80 iptables -A INPUT -p tcp -m state --state NEW --dport 5345 -i eth1 -j ACCEPT
Can anyone see anything wrong with the commands above (from my limited understanding of iptables - I dont see a problem), or am I going at this the completely wrong way?
I have set /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward to 1 (despite previous edits with problems I was having)


text:
Japan on a Shoestring – Kyoto to Osaka
About Japan
Transport yourself to somewhere truly otherworldly. This quick six-day tour takes you through the very best of southern Japan so you can see the top hits, without sacrificing your wallet. Immerse yourself in the serenely traditional culture of Kyoto before learning about Hiroshima's fascinating, and fraught, history. Wrap up your adventure in Osaka, where both delicious cuisine and stellar nightlife are bountiful. Your time in Japan might be short, but none of it will go to waste. It's all waiting for you.
What's Included
Miyajima Island visit. Free time in Hiroshima and Osaka. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities.
Important Notes
1. Core Tour
Please note that this tour combines with other G Adventures tours to form a longer combo tour. As such, the CEO and some group members on your tour may have previously been travelling together with G Adventures, prior to Day 1 of your tour. Likewise, the CEO and some group members may be continuing on together on another G Adventures tour, after your trip concludes.
Group members on the combo tour, have a 7-day rail pass included in their tour. It will be valid for a portion of your tour and you'll notice it grants them unlimited access to some transport links. If you're interested in exploring more of Japan with G Adventures, be sure to check out our 'Epic Japan' tour!
Group Size Notes
Max 16, avg 14.
Meals Included
No meals included
Train, ferry, walking.
Hostels (5 nts, multi-share).
• Flight info (required) (Printouts of e-tickets may be required at the border)
• Insurance info (required) (With photocopies)
• Passport (required) (With photocopies)
• Required visas or vaccination certificates (required) (With photocopies)
• Vouchers and pre-departure information (required)
• Binoculars (optional)
• Camera (With extra memory cards and batteries)
• Cash, credit and debit cards
• Day pack (Used for daily excursions or short overnights)
• Ear plugs
• First-aid kit (should contain lip balm with sunscreen, sunscreen, whistle, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, bandaids/plasters, tape, anti-histamines, antibacterial gel/wipes, antiseptic cream, Imodium or similar tablets for mild cases of diarrhea, rehydration powder, water purification tablets or drops, insect repellent, sewing kit, extra prescription drugs you may be taking)
• Flashlight/torch (Headlamps are ideal)
• Fleece top/sweater
• Footwear
• Hat
• Locks for bags
• Long pants/jeans
• Moneybelt
• Outlet adapter
• Personal entertainment (Reading and writing materials, cards, music player, etc.)
• Reusable water bottle
• Shirts/t-shirts
• Sleepwear
• Small travel towel
• Sunglasses
• Toiletries (Preferably biodegradable)
• Watch and alarm clock
• Waterproof backpack cover
• Windproof rain jacket
Minimum Age
Minimum age of 18 years for this trip.
International Flights
Check-in times and baggage allowances/restrictions vary by airline and can change at any time. For the most up-to-date information for your flight, please contact your airline. We recommend checking in online in advance to avoid potential delays at the airport.
Terms, conditions and restrictions apply; pricing, availability, and other details subject to change and/ or apply to US or Canadian residents. Please confirm details and booking information with your travel advisor.
Day 1 Kyoto
We highly recommend booking pre-accommodation to fully experience this metropolis.
Included Activities:
Arrival Day and Welcome Meeting
Day 2 Kyoto/Hiroshima
Travel to Hiroshima and opt to visit the Peace Park and Museum to learn more about the tragic history of this city.
Bullet train (2.75 hour(s))
Day 3 Hiroshima
Take a ferry to the sacred island of Miyajima to see the famous floating torii gate and meet the friendly local deer. Opt to go for an easy hike around Mt Misen, and be sure to sample some oysters – a regional specialty.
Included Activities:
Miyajima Island Visit
Day 4 Hiroshima/Osaka
Osaka has heaps to offer including Osaka Castle Park, Shinsaibashi shopping street, and the Dotombori Bridge. Osaka is a unique culinary destination – be sure to try "takoyaki" the city's famous squid snack or opt for a group meal of "kushikatsu."
Bullet train (3.00 hour(s))
Day 5 Osaka
Get out and explore the city. Opt to tour a ramen museum, visit the Osaka castle, relax in one of Nakazakicho's artsy cafés, or browse Umeda's many shops. Be sure to experience Osaka's buzzing nightlife on a final night out with the group.
Day 6 Osaka
Depart at any time. We highly recommend booking post-accommodation to fully experience this vibrant city.


text:
OCEAN CITY — In a fitting tribute to a beloved Ocean City resident who lost her battle with cancer last August, a bill introduced in the Maryland General Assembly last week in her name would level the playing field for insurance coverage for both the intravenous and oral forms of chemotherapy.
Last Friday, State Senator Catherine Pugh (D-40), with co-sponsorship by 25 other state senators including Sen. Jim Mathias (D-38), introduced the Kathleen A. Mathias Chemotherapy Parity Act of 2012, legislation aimed at ensuring insurance companies, health service plans and health maintenance organizations provide equal levels of coverage for chemotherapy regardless of whether or not the treatments are administered intravenously or orally. The bill is named in honor of the late Kathy Mathias, the long-time municipal employee and the wife of Sen. Jim Mathias, who succumbed to cancer last August after a 14-year battle with the disease.
The legislation, if approved, would prevent insurance carriers, health service plans and HMOs from placing limits on coverage or expanding co-payments on chemotherapy treatments administered orally. While most carriers cover intravenous chemotherapy treatments entirely, orally administered treatments often come with higher co-pays, big deductibles or coverage limits. The Kathleen A. Mathias Chemotherapy Parity Act of 2012 is an attempt to make both forms of treatment equal in terms of insurance coverage.
"There are a variety of reasons why doctors believe in some cases the pill is better than the drip," said Mathias this week. "This bill would ensure parity when it comes to coverage and put the decision in the hands of the doctors to make a determination of what is best for their individual patients."
Mathias said this week when both forms of the same chemotherapy treatment are available, the insurance carriers often cover the IV form completely while putting coverage limitations on the pill form, which often cost hundreds of dollars per pill. Since the pills are a fairly recent treatment option, many of the insurance carriers are uncertain how to fit them into their traditional coverage areas, resulting in higher premiums or deductibles, lower coverage limits and greater out-of-pocket expense for the patients and their families.
Mathias said this week he was somewhat taken aback when approached by his colleagues about putting Kathy's name on the legislation. He said the idea was first presented to him last Tuesday, ironically Kathy's birthday.
"All I can say is I'm very, very touched," he said. "They came to me with this on her birthday, even though they didn't know it was her birthday. Talk about divine intervention. This is a gift from heaven."
Well before Kathy Mathias was diagnosed with cancer, she was heavily involved fighting the disease and spreading awareness in Ocean City and across the Lower Shore. She was the founder and first president of the Worcester County branch of the American Cancer Society and spent countless hours advocating for awareness and fundraising. Even after her diagnosis and her continued battle, she remained at the forefront of the awareness and advocacy campaign in the resort area and across the Lower Shore. For that reason, it is fitting a piece of legislation aimed at helping those in the same battle should bear her name.
"Throughout Kathy's battle, we promised the American Cancer Society and the Pink Ribbon ladies we could continue the fight," said Mathias this week. "Throughout the fight, Kathy benefitted from people whom she had never met and now, hopefully, people who she never met with benefit from her. I promised I would remain committed to the fight and I hope to see this through."


text:
2018 Long Range Weather Forecast for Fogo, NL
Search for Other Locations
See long range weather forecasts for the next 60 days from The Old Farmer's Almanac! Our forecasts can be used to make more informed decisions about future plans that depend on the weather, from vacations and weddings to sporting events and outdoor activities.
To see long term forecasts for the entire year, pick up a copy of the annual Old Farmer's Almanac, available online and in stores.
Note: Long range forecasts are regional, not city-specific. If your city is located inside a region, the region's forecast will apply to you.
Free 2-Month Weather Forecast
|Weather Conditions
|Jan 1-8
|Flurries, cold
|Jan 9-13
|Rain and snow showers, mild
|Jan 14-18
|Rainy periods, mild
|Jan 19-22
|Snow showers, cold
|Jan 23-26
|Rain to snow
|Jan 27-31
|Rain, then showers, mild
|temperature -4°C (avg.)
precipitation 80mm (20mm below avg.)
|Weather Conditions
|Feb 1-5
|Rain to heavy snow
|Feb 6-10
|Periods of rain and snow, mild
|Feb 11-15
|Flurries, mild
|Feb 16-18
|Stormy, rain to snow
|Feb 19-25
|Snow showers, cold
|Feb 26-28
|Rainy, mild
|temperature -2.5°C (1° above avg.)
precipitation 100mm (30mm above avg.)
Annual Weather Summary: November 2017 to October 2018
Winter will be rainier than normal, with slightly above normal temperatures and near- to below-normal snowfall. The coldest periods will be from late December into early January and in mid- to late January, with the snowiest periods in late December and early and mid-February. April and May will be rainier than normal, with near-normal temperatures. Summer will be warmer and rainier than normal, with the hottest periods in early July and mid-August. September and October will be slightly warmer and drier than normal, despite the threat of a tropical rainstorm in late September.
About the Atlantic Canada Region
The Atlantic Canada long range weather region includes all or part of the following provinces: NEW BRUNSWICK (Bathurst, Edmundston, Fredericton, Moncton, Saint John), NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR (Bay Roberts, Corner Brook, Saint John's), NOVA SCOTIA (Glace Bay, Halifax, Kentville, New Glasgow, Sydney Mines, Truro), PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (Charlottetown, Summerside), QUEBEC (Baie-Comeau, Hauterive, Matane, Rimouski).
Atlantic Canada Neighboring Regions
Here are the regions that neighbor the Atlantic Canada long range weather region:


text:
Stacy Adams Moderns Fashion Socks - 3 Pack S215UHR
Sorry, no other customer-recommended styles found.
This product was discontinued December, 2013 and is no longer available. Please consider one of the Customer-Recommended Replacements above, or try a new search.
Stripe it rich with wide horizontal bands and contrast color at top edge, heel and toe. Made of polyester/cotton/other.
Try these keyword searches with similar features:


text:
USA County Highpoints > Oregon County Highpoints > South Saddle Mountain > Climber's Log
South Saddle Mountain Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Brian Jenkins
|Throw In
Date Climbed: Oct 30, 2017
|Not into the list thing. This was a throw-in on a trip to the beach day. Lots of people shooting at the quarry site on the way in. On my way down, paramedics and fire rescue were coming up the road there. White people..............
|Posted Oct 31, 2017 1:30 am
|again, super pretty
Date Climbed: Jun 6, 2012
|long drive out there, but worth it.
|Posted Dec 28, 2012 4:54 pm
|Lots of hunters out
Date Climbed: Nov 17, 2012
|Gunfire all around, people sitting in cars waiting for elk to jump out of the fog and onto the road so they could execute them; and tons of people driving 4x4's on the OHV trails. Helped one guy who hit a tree on a quad drag his wrecked 4 wheeler back up onto the road. Gate was open for the west summit and drove right to the top. East summit was a quick walk up.
|Posted Nov 19, 2012 10:53 am
|Back at the Saddle Again
Date Climbed: Feb 11, 2006
|Snow got kind of deep so I parked a mile or two before the saddle. Tagged both summits.
|Posted Jul 15, 2012 11:35 am
|CoHP Outing
Date Climbed: Jun 8, 2012
|Climbed with other CoHPers while attending Oregon Highpointers Convention. A lot of logging activity going on near this highpoint. Cold, wet, windy and blustery day.
|Posted Jun 12, 2012 1:46 pm
|South Saddle
Date Climbed: Mar 31, 2007
|There was some interesting debris on one of the summits so this was kinda intriguing by lowland peak standards. Had to walk some snow covered roads to get close as I recall because I did this in March.
|Posted Oct 14, 2011 2:24 pm
|Forested cohp
Date Climbed: Aug 8, 2003
|Two visits in 2003
First Visit: August 8th - I remember this one vividly thanks to a trip report I posted on cohp.org I had a lot of pics which were posted on my fototime account but they were lost when fototime cancelled my membership and deleted ALL my pics because my check for renewal didn't get to them in time. Always, always back your stuff up, this was a painful lesson. I lost a lot of other pics to other peak visits that I can't ever replace. duh
2nd Visit: On November 1st, I returned with Bob Bolton and Trapper and Roxanne. We did this one after doing Rogers Peak and we did this one in the dark with headlamps. Since I knew the road from my August visit, I got us to the correct spot and we had a hoot doing both highpoints in the dark. Earlier in the day we had done Lincoln's counties two highpoints and Bob joined Trapper, Roxanne and I for Rogers and this one.
|Posted Oct 6, 2011 12:42 am
|My 100th USA CoHP
Date Climbed: Oct 2, 2011
|South Saddle Mountain has the distinction of being my 10th OR CoHP, but my 100th USA CoHP overall. WOW!
This was part of a bigger 1350 RT excursion I took from eastern Oregon to western Oregon, reaching various CoHPs and CoGPPs along the way. The fog and drizzle ruined any possible views.
Side-Note: At the four-way intersection, I accidentally continued around what turns out to be C-Line Road. It still worked in my passenger car. Here are those directions:
After 8.3 miles from the "T" intersection, I veered left. Only 0.2 miles later, the road hits a "T" intersection with Seven Cedars Road. Turn left (almost like a U-Turn) onto Seven Cedars Road, and then follow it ENE. After 1.2 miles from that intersection, I turned right and uphill. After 0.5 miles further, I reached the saddle between the two HP contenders.
The gate was open for the western summit, so I drove until at the base of the towers and walked to the highest point. Then I drove down to the saddle and parked. Then I hiked up to the eastern summit. The old fireplace near the summit was a nice sight.
|Posted Oct 6, 2011 12:10 am


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All I'm thinking, get my Grandma off that dirt road
All I know is getting all my niggas out the hole
My partner got a L, still juugin down the road
I got clientele and I juug without a phone
I got Truck Loads (x4)
I got hot stoves, tan dope
It was water whipped, I hit it wit the coca cola
[Verse 1: Young Scooter]
Word on the street: Young Scooter signed to Gucci
Word on the street: Young Scooter signed to Future
Word on the street: What the fuck is Scooter doing?
Giving ya street knowledge from every angle, I been through it
I drop a album, 5 dollars off a CD
You used to be a boss, now you hood memories
All year round I just juug christmas trees
My partner got a plug but he really wanna fuck with me
They took a loss gambling, trying to play them backstreets
He know I'm a roadrunner, run them packs like track meets
I could get 'em to you though its gone cost a tax fee
Give me a million dollars, you'll see three trucks a week
[Verse 2:]
I got truck loads, I got truck loads
Expressways, over-sized loads
I got juug houses, with no doors
Every room in it got a gold stove
Fucked the plug money up, I bought it for my grandma
I paid him back and re'd-up, now I'm answering the phone for her
Every truckstop in my city, yeah, I own all of em
Every real nigga in Atlanta, yeah, I know all of em
I got truck loads, I make 4-4s
What you need nigga? Thats a 10-4
I got plug numbers, boy your trap's slow
Truck loads: free bankrolls
Of of Young Scooters voice of the Streetz mixtape.


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The GT2 RS is completely different. It is almost 1000 pounds lighter, rear wheel drive, and it has a 6-speed manual rather than a dual clutch transmission. It's the fastest car in the Porsche lineup and absolutely spectacular in every way.
Now the cars are compared around the track and thankfully the EVO editor doing this piece for Car and Driver gives us very well detailed laptimes. As usual, it is a damp track as this is England. So, conditions favor the Juke. The GT2 RS wins the lap battle but it is closer than one would expect. 1:21.56 for the GT2 RS to 1:22.62 for the Juke-R. There is absolutely no shame for the Juke-R in losing especially when it is so close with much less power going to the tires and much more weight. Impressive, definitely.
The cars also are drag raced and the Juke-R loses pretty badly making how close it was on the track even more impressive. We have no complaints about driver skill as the GT2 RS is launched just about perfectly jumping out ahead even against the all wheel drive Juke-R with its launch control. Right about now is when normally we would complain about not having acceleration figures but those are provided by Car and Driver with a breakdown to 10 mph, 20 mph, 30 mph, etc. Very nicely done!
The Juke-R is able to win the sprint to 60 despite trailing slightly at the launch due to the shift in the GT2 RS and the dual clutch mitigating that time. 0-60 for the Juke-R is an eye opening 3.51 seconds with the GT2 RS hitting 3.66. After this point the GT2 RS simply takes over with its higher horsepower, lower drivetrain losses, lower weight, and superior aerodynamics.
1/4 mile numbers are firstname.lastname@example.com for the GT2 RS and email@example.com for the Juke-R. The top end of the GT2 RS is simply something the Juke can not match. It only gets worse the longer the race goes.
We would like to commend EVO contributing editor Jethro Bovingdon for this piece which is one of the highest quality automotive comparison videos we have seen this year. This beats the pants off anything we have seen from Chris Harris for example who just does not detail or provide supporting data anywhere near as well. Incredibly well done and we feel this sets a high standard. If we had the opportunity, this is exactly how we would like to do it. Check out the video below.


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Columbia Parks and Recreation
Creating Community through People, Parks and Programs
Browse Como.gov Skip top Navigation. Translate this page
This 20-acre piece of land and the adjacent 20-acre West Boulevard School grounds were formerly the Boone County Fairgrounds. Annual fairs were held at this site from 1948 through 1991. The Boone County Fair Board then traded the fairgrounds at Clinkscales and Ash Street for 226 acres known as the Cotton Woods Airport. In 1994 Ron and Vicki Shy donated 20 acres to the City of Columbia for recreation use.
Efforts to develop a recreation center in Columbia began in 1998 with Mayor Darwin Hindman's appointment of a 37 member Mayor's Recreation Center Citizen's Committee. Citizens passed a 1/4-cent sales tax to raise $10.5 million for the recreation center in a November 1999 ballot. Construction on the ARC begain in spring of 2001. The facility was dedicated on December 15, 2002 and was opened for public use on December 16, 2001. (Click here for more information on the ARC's history.)
In 2000, the City of Columbia sent out requests for proposals for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an ice skating facility on this site. No acceptable proposals were received. In 2001, Sustainable Farms & Communities, Inc. had plans drawn up for a Farmers Market Community Center for proposed construction on the Ash and Clinksales site.
In November 2005, a ballot proposal was put before the voters to extend the Park Sales Tax for two years to fund a multi-use recreation facility that would house an indoor ice rink, covered farmers market, and indoor sports complex. The ballot issue was defeated. (Click here for more information on the 2005 Park Sales Tax Ballot.)
In 2006, the Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA) approached the City with a proposal to raise the necessary funds to construct a 61,000 sq. ft. youth sports facility to be located on the Ash and Clinkscales property. Upon completion of the building, it would be turned over to the Parks and Recreation Department for operation and programming. The proposed building would include eight indoor basketball courts. The proposal went before the City Council for consideration.
After reviewing the proposal, the City Council directed the Department to contact other organizations which had expressed interest in the potential development of the Ash and Clinkscales site and allow 30 days for those entities to provide updated information as to the status of their project and/or proposals. The department was also directed to advertise to the public soliciting statements of interest for use of the property. Agencies were contacted by the department and a request for statements of interest was advertised. Four groups submitted proposals: Boone Ice Group (BIG), Columbia Farmers Market (DFM), Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA), and Positive Regional Impact Development Enterprise (PRIDE).
After the proposals were reviewed and a public hearing at the Park and Recreation Commission meeting was held, the Parks and Recreation Department and Commission recommended the CYBA/Rising Stars and the Farmers Market facilities for the site. The City Council held public hearings on the subject and ultimately approved a Memorandum of Understanding for both of the recommended organizations.
The original Memorandum of Understanding with Sustainable Farms and Communities granted two years to raise $900,000 for the construction of a permanent facility to house the Farmers Market. The funds would be given to the City to administer the construction of the facility. The City would be owner and operator of the facility with an agreement in place outlining Sustainable Farms' cooperative use of the facility. At the March 17, 2008 Council meeting, the Market requested that the City provide an option to extend the lease to a total of seven years in order to qualify for Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) tax credits from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. The tax credits are essential for organizations attempting to raise funds. In order to qualify for the tax credits, the Farmers Market had to be the owner for five years after the tax credits expire. If the tax credits are not used, the original agreement remains in effect. At the April 21, 2008 meeting the Council approved an ordinance granting the extension of the lease.
Similarly, a Memorandum of Understanding gave the Columbia Youth Basketball Association (CYBA) two years to raise $4 million to fund the construction of an indoor multi-court, multi-use recreation facility. The funds would be given to the City to administer the construction of the facility. The City would be owner and operator of the facility with an agreement in place outlining CYBA's cooperative use of the facility. CYBA commissioned a feasibility study that unfortunately indicated they would not be able to raise the required funds considering the current economic climate. Consequently, in a letter dated September 8, 2008 to City of Columbia Officials, CYBA officially terminated the Memorandum of Understanding. (See also Timeline - 2006-2008)
On May 7, 2010 the City Council approved Clary-Shy Community Park as the official park name. (See related Council item.)
On November 3, 2015 Columbia voters approved the extension of the 1/8-cent Park Sales Tax primarily used for capital improvement projects. After the tax extension was approved, the City Council adopted an implementation plan that includes $400,000 for improvements at Clary-Shy Park. Preliminary project plans propose using the funds toward the development of a permanent Farmers Market Structure, educational urban farm, demonstration gardens, an outdoor classroom, playground, walking trails, and a building for Farmers Market and community events. The $400,000 in Park Sales Tax funding would need to be supplemented with private donations and grants in order to bring the plan to fruition. Park staff began holding interested party meetings in 2016 to gather public input on the proposed project. Click here for more information about the project and its status.
As capital improvement projects are scheduled for Clary-Shy Park, they will appear in the list below. (For a list of ARC capital improvement projects, click here.)
|Year Completed
|Project Description
|Activity and Recreation Center Development
|Parking Lot Expansion
|ARC/West Jr. High Fence
|Solar Parking Lot Lighting
|FY 2010 Annual Roads and Parking - Parking Lot Repair and Conversion to Concrete, Phase I
|FY 2011 Annual Roads and Parking - Parking Lot Repair and Conversion to Concrete, Phases 2 & 3
|FY 2014 Annual Roads and Parking: Remove section and replace w/concrete
|Clary-Shy Park Improvements
The following outlines the timeline for the Ash and Clinkscales property use issue from 2006-2008:
See Council Agenda Items for more information.
Suiters are lining up for city's ARC land
May 17, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
Basketball group plans open house
June 19, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
Rinks, growers add bids for ARC land
June 28, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
Advocates pitch ARC land plans
August 18, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
Parks Board favors youth group for ARC site
September 26, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
Council gives OK to youth basketball
January 17, 2006 - Columbia Daily Tribune
City okays youth sports complex
January 17, 2007 - Columbia Missourian
Ice rink backers set sights on 2008
January 23, 2007 - Columbia Missourian
See also related Council Items.


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One of the very first insects that I identified as a young gardener was the pine sawfly. We had planted over a hundred white pine seedlings over 30 years ago and after a decade or so we started to lose a couple each year to one problem or another. Daddy charged me with inspection duty. Looking for and plucking bagworms; collecting beetles in jars for identification at the County Extension Service; or closely noting the color, legs and chewing habits of the various caterpillars I encountered.
Over the past few weeks, there have been several deceased animals diagnosed in our area by drinking water that has been contaminated by blue-green algae. Dr. Gerry Dill alerted me to this and I appreciate him letting me know about this. He also passed along the following information. Dr. Cynthia Gaskill, DVM, PhD, clinical veterinary toxicologist at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, provided this information.
Congratulations to Kelsey Bishop and Madison Goodlett for representing Spencer County 4-H at the State 4-H Horse Show in July at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center's Broadbent Arena. They both did a great job and were recognized at this wonderful state event.
Showmanship Classes:
Keaton Baird
Tyler Tindle – first
Abby Watts – second
Kelly Baird
Jackson Baird
Bryce Sipes
Stetson Baird – first
Dylan Tindle – second
Division: Ayrshire
Heifer Classes:
Intermediate Calf
1. Kim Knasel, Taylorsville
Intermediate Yearling
1. Kim Knasel, Taylorville
Junior Champion
Lady's Dress
Patti Davis Blue 1st
Lady's Blouse
Patti Davis Blue 1st
Clothing Article, Other
Patti Davis Blue 1st
Polar Fleece Article of Clothing
Patti Davis Blue 1st
Table Runner – any fabric
Shirley Thomas
Blue 1st
The 2013 State Communications Day was July 13 at the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington. I am so proud to say that everyone from Spencer County did an outstanding job, and Lilli Hanik was a state demonstration winner.
Junior Animal Science Demonstration: Blue ribbon – Casey Montgomery demonstrated "How to Prepare for A Hog Show."
Senior Performing Arts Demonstration: First place and blue ribbon – Lilli Hanik demonstrated "The Beautiful Noise Maker."
Senior Job Interview: Blue Ribbon – Lilli Hanik
Who among us is guilty of not noticing something until it's too late? Yes, all of a sudden there is nothing left of your blue spruce or arborvitae. Bagworms have been munching on the needles for weeks and we wonder how it all happened. Well, they are at work right now so go outside and take inventory of your evergreens because that's what the bagworm likes the most. Now is the time they do their damage unless we put a stop to it.
Likely as a child, you, too, collected fireflies in a jar and took them to bed to light up your room on a warm summer night. I remember getting my parents to puncture the lid of a mason jar so the magical insects could breathe. Well, it turns out that all that light flashing wasn't meant for our entertainment, but rather about entertaining love.
Farm Service Agency reminds producers that the deadline for crop acreage reporting for crop year 2013 has been extended to August 3rd. If you have not filed a 2013 acreage report, please visit the local FSA Office soon! Acreage reports are required for participation in many FSA Programs.
Signup for the DCP program continues through September 15.
Copyright © 2018
The Spencer Magnet is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Spencer County, KY and the surrounding area.


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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.
LEADERS: Azerane Bam BinkyBunny JerseyGirl LBJ10 LittlePuffyTail LongEaredLions RabbitPam
My girl Frosty pees a lot and likes to use the litterbox as a bed. Then my Shamrock, he's 9-1/2 and sometimes he pees on his tail or gets it on his stomach, don't ask me how!
I'd like to find a safe baby wipe to use with them. I hear conflicting things and I know bunny skin is ultra-sensitive. I'm wondering about a formula I could make with very gentle soaps or ingredients - castile? baby shampoo? aloe vera? others? and pure water and keep handy or make up as needed then use with cloths or shop towels (paper towels do tend to disintegrate, I've found). Any suggestions?
I also welcome suggestions on a ready-to-go product for bunnies if you've found one; I'm just thinking if there were a DIY formula that would save a lot of money for us bunparents.
Thanks for any ideas!


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Crutchfield should not be selling this POC
2006 Toyota Tundra
Crutchfield Customer Review (What's this?)
So the first warning sign was when the box showed up with no user manual and Crutchfield support also did not have one. Next red flag was when the vendor "CarshowElectronics" did not accept any emails from the public (vendor registered email domains only may contact support!). Then I learned that the Sirus Satelite Raadio would not work, because Sirus upgraded to XM and the old adapter is not compatible... I regrettably percerviered thinking "it will be cool to have the factory size NAV/DVD in my truck... After a half-day professional install, I learned that this unit has no HOME key in the menu GUI! Meaning, once you are using NAV, you have no easy way to switch to CD or Bluetooth or Radio! Add to that it ate my DVD! It is brand new and already Broken! I am so ticked off today. Crutchfield! You better never sell another Carshow product after today! And be happy I am too lazy to attach a video version of my rant!
Pros: Crutchfield RMA process saves the day.... but I am still out $160 for the professional install charges!
Cons: No satellite radio capability, terrible user interface design, device was broken upon install (could not eject DVD)!


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The Daily Bagel is your dose of the interesting reporting, writing and quipping from around the Internet.
• Video: Highlights from Bernard Tomic's win over Andreas Seppi 7-6 (10), 6-4 in Sydney to make his first ATP final. Tomic played smart in hot conditions, saving break points and set points in the first set. Check out the set point he saves at the 2:10 mark.
• Donald Young is on the verge of qualifying for the Australian Open main draw after beating James Blake 7-5, 6-4 on Friday. He'll play Britain's Jamie Baker next.
• The AITA has snubbed the rebellious group of players who threatened to boycott the Davis Cup team unless their demands for better prize money distribution, new staffing resources, and better communication were met, instead choosing to nominate Leander Paes and a slew of unknowns to compete against South Korea next month. AITA actually conceded to the players' demands, but the rebellious eight, led by Mahesh Bhupathi, were unhappy with AITA's coaching selection.
As Bhupathi's twitter makes clear, this isn't over.
• In The New York Times, Christopher Clarey draws attention to the fact that Roger Federer is chasing down yet another record: most consecutive Grand Slam singles tournaments. The current mark of 56 is owned by South African Wayne Ferreira. This Australian Open will be Federer's 53rd straight.
• Linda Pearce of the Sydney Morning Herald looks at "The Softer Side of Superwoman." Would Serena Williams still be playing tennis if she hadn't taken all those breaks (voluntary or involuntary) during her career? Serena's not so sure.
''Would I [have won more]?'' she counters. ''Or would I have won less, because I would have been tired or burned out? It's a good question to ponder.'' Well, does she think she would even be playing now had she been more active in past years? ''Exactly. Would I still be playing now? I don't know. Am I playing now because I haven't played all the time and because I've had some unfortunate injuries. Maybe. Hmmmm.''
• Is the Novak Djokovic-Andy Murray rivalry the best in tennis? Writing for ESPN.com, Peter Bodo says yes. I'm not sure I buy that. It may be the next great rivalry, but I don't think it's the best one we've got going.
• Based on his resurgent form, Tennis Australia is already patting itself on the back for its decision to suspend Tomic. I wonder how/if Tomic will respond. Correlation does not equal causation, mate.
• Check out Jarkko Nieminen's horrific double-fault on match point in his loss to Tomic in Sydney. Where exactly was he aiming?
• Want to know when and where you can watch the Australian Open? The ATP has put together a handy television schedule.what the world wants to know how to do


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Metra calls Chicagoland its home. Some call Metra the best regional railroad in the U.S. Such high praise, offered privately by those within the passenger rail industry and more vocally by many rail advocates nationwide, honors an organization charged in 1984 with rescuing, resuscitating, and seaming together the faltering commuter operations of numerous Class I operators serving the Windy City.
It's done more than just excel at patchwork. Even as it secured and improved its role as a traditional "commuter" railroad, Metra has kept abreast of shifts in the region's job market to locations in six Illinois counties outside the central business district—and the countercurrent of residential revitalization within Chicago's downtown core.
And it's kept faith in the ever-elusive Suburban Transit Access Route *(STAR) Line, a circumferential 55-mile rail route that would link numerous suburbs with each other, existing Metra radial lines, and Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Metra New Starts Project Leader David Kralik continues to detail the STAR plan to regional municipalities and residents despite the current global economic malaise and its unavoidable tendency to diminish expectations. "We're seeing a lot more job growth in the suburbs," Kralik said. "And we need a better system in order to be able to connect where people are at in the suburbs and where they live to the jobs that they want to go to in the suburbs."
Foundation with freight railroads cited
But even as Metra showed its willingness to expand its potential customer base, it first moved decisively to solidify its hold on the traditional commuter market. That's no small task; as Marketing Director Jim Bonistalli told Railway Age in 2009, "We probably turn 15% to 18% of our customer base over every year. We're constantly building from an eroding customer base."
Metra has succeeded, and Executive Director Phil Pagano identifies four items that he believes have guided the organization tosuch success through its first quarter century.
Point No. 1, Pagano says, is recognizing Chicago's overall rail history, and Metra's role within it. "We interface with the freight railroads on every line," Pagano says.Both within Metra and within freight railroad partners, "Those people were still around, a strong railroad tradition was still there; we interfaced with them and took ownership."
More than many comparable U.S. regional rail operations, Metra relies on its freight rail partners in a joint mix of infrastructure and operations. "By us owning and operating a portion of our system—say 50% as a round figure--we're able to discuss items with the freight railroads where we have credibility," Pagano notes. "We can talk to them; they can talk to us concerning new projects, infrastructure projects, service windows or limitations, etc."
Labor, Metra board lauded
Pagano cites good union relations as Metra's second key factor. "We have a labor management process that this year celebrated its 25th anniversary," where labor and management meet monthly to review and examine numerous items, including employee assistance programs, safety programs, and capital programs. "We do not talk contractual matters" in those meetings, Pagano clarifies, but the parties do seek a collegial approach on problems or potential problems. As a result, he notes, "In our area, [when] there have been national freight strikes, or an Amtrak strike, or something similar, Metra has avoided a similar fate." The collaboration also has bolstered Metra's safety record, allowing it to land 11 Harriman awards, he says. Pagano cites the Metra Board of Directors as a third ingredient for success. "The board holds the staff responsible for running the railroad. They set policy goals and objectives, but they don't get into day-to-day operations," he says.
Metra staff seek to honor that implicit trust through performance, and Pagano says the staff has delivered. "I've been blessed since 1989 with the best staff possible; they're hard-working people, they've been with us a long time. They know what the goals and objectives are."
As a "four-legged stool" so constructed, Metra currently operates over 11 lines, serving 239 stations that serve roughly 322,000 riders on weekdays, and about 125,000 on weekends.
Concepts beyond 'commuter'
An ongoing challenge is to expand Metra's territory and reach within it. "It made perfect sense to 'fix it first' prior to any expansion during the early 1980s," he says, "but then, as now, our system runs into the question of 'What have you done for us lately? We have to maintain and upgrade what we have. But the pressure is on to expand." It's a challenge Pagano says Metra welcomes, even during tough economic times. "We've completed numerous projects under budget and ahead of schedule," he says. "The state gas passed the capital bond program, [but so far] the bonds have not yet been released."
Assuming money flows, Metra's 2010 plan includes replacing 160 cars in its electric car fleet . Washington may play a role here: "The new transport bill succeeding SAFETEA-LU may be key," he says. Metra capital spending also will include bridge rehabilitation work and "four new STAR projects we'll be working on. That's long-term," he adds, seemingly almost as an afterthought but without apology, symbolic of Metra's determination to reinvent itself, and grow in the process, as it prepares to meet the regional rail passenger needs of Chicagoland in the 21st century.