text:
In two days' time, Larry Means already had put in 20 hours at his "part-time" job.
In two days' time, Larry Means already had put in 20 hours at his "part-time" job.
Means, who was sworn in Monday evening as mayor of Attalla, already is pursuing his agenda for the city and has made some changes in departmental leadership, including naming a new police chief.
Means, 65, a former state senator who was mayor for six years before going to the statehouse, said he's an aggressive person who wants to "bring pride back to Attalla."
"That's no reflection on anyone else, or not than anyone else couldn't do it," he said.
Part of that agenda includes cleaning up the city, fixing sewer issues and having more police presence. Means has hired Chris Jones, who worked for 15 years at engineering firm Jones, Blair, Waldrup and Tucker, as the new head of public works, and promoted Deputy Police Chief Dennis Walker to chief of police.
"I just want to go in a different direction," he said. "It seemed like people elected all new council members except two, so I felt like people were ready to start anew."
Means said he met with former Police Chief Lamont Tucker, who had served in that role since February 2010, and told him change wasn't personal, he simply he wanted to go in a different direction.
Means was elected in August with 69 percent of the vote, defeating three opponents without a runoff.
However, the once-embattled legislator wasn't sure he would run for office again after being acquitted this year on gambling corruption charges following two highly publicized trials.
"After our trial, I never thought about running for office again," Means said. "It's not the first thing on your mind."
But then, he said, people started asking and telling him he should run.
"My main concerns were how people would perceive me after what we've been through, and would I still have the fire to want to," Means said of running for office. "Those were my two main concerns."
Since being sworn in, Means also has brought in retired former Police Chief Joe Hereford to work part time as the city's public safety director. He said Hereford was brought in to answer people's phone calls and make a plan to address them.
Means said he worked 10-hour days Tuesday and Wednesday, even though the Attalla mayor's position is considered part time.
He jokingly said his wife, Karen, says he's never done anything just part time.
Means, who served District 10 for three terms in the Alabama Senate, said his friends in Montgomery were one advantage he used in the campaign. He said he'll be making more trips to the state capital than most mayors.
"I'll be pushing them to help us with some things," he said. "I know from being there for years that the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
As for plans to seek re-election to the State House, Means said he never says never, but his main concern now is the city of Attalla.
"... That's not in my mind, I never think of that now," he said. "... The good Lord chose for me to do something else, (and) that's what I'm doing. I think it's where I'm supposed to be now."


text:
Dozens of Tenants Will Be Evicted to Make Space For Pinterest
Pinterest moved into new offices two years ago, but thanks to venture capital-fueled growth, the San Francisco-based company is already planning another relocation. Only this time, the move would be into an already occupied building, forcing dozens of home design businesses out.
The company has already signed a deal to move into the San Francisco Design Center, the anchor of the city's Design District "Showplace Square." Zoned for "production, distribution and repair" (PDR), the building serves as a showroom for many skilled trade companies—and currently has a 90 percent occupancy rate. But as property owners across the city enviously ogle at SoMa's high office rents, other neighborhoods are looking to cash in, city Supervisor Malia Cohen told the San Francisco Chronicle.
"The market is changing and the landlords are seeing dollar signs," Cohen said. "They want to push everyone out. That kind of displacement sickens me, and it's the kind of displacement that has San Francisco in a crisis."
Ordinarily a tech company couldn't move into a building zoned for PDR. However, SocketSite reports the landlord is having the building designated as a historic landmark, exploiting a loophole that allows historic structures to be rezoned for preservation purposes.
[Another] key objective of the Showplace Square/Potrero Hill Area Plan is to ensure the economic viability of historically significant buildings, providing an exception for the conversion of such buildings to office use. And as such, the owners of [the SF Design Center are] planning to seek a Landmark Designation for the building which would clear the way for its conversion.
The move might be entirely legal, but it is a raw deal for San Francisco's middle class:
While the showrooms may not have the on-site blue-collar jobs commonly associated with PDR, the buildings are the underpinning of an ecosystem of skilled trades for people who are able to earn a living wage without a college education, [Jim Gallagher, general manager of Garden Court Antiques] said.
"There are upholsterers, refinishers, manufacturers, fabrication workrooms and movers, all of which are good-paying PDR jobs throughout the city," Gallagher said. "We are at the heart of that network. If you shrink us down, you shrink those jobs. Not just in this building, but all across the city."
The issue is not without debate. While some designers feel the Pinterest move could be good for area businesses, as the site often serves as a digital showroom for designers, others feel losing its anchor would mean the "death of the district."
Regardless, Supervisor Cohen is considering an amendment to the loophole which would reduce the amount of office space allowed in converted historic buildings. She's also holding up the building's landmarking until the legislation is introduced, potentially killing the Pinterest move altogether.
[Photo: Google Street View]

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rosecrans' successful Tullahoma Campaign turned Bragg out of his positions in Tenn. North of Chattanooga and opened the way for the capture of that vital communications hub. The town was too well fortified to be taken by frontal assault, so Rosecrans planned another strategic envelopment. He decided to operate west of the town, rather than to the east, so as to make the best use of the rail lines to Stevenson for supplying his forces. Bragg expected his opponent to shift his line of operations to the other side of Chattanooga, where he would be in a better position to secure the assistance of Burnside's forces in east Tenn.
The Confederate authorities considered another offensive into Tenn., but decided they lacked the means. They then ordered a reorganization of Bragg's forces in order to assure the defense of Chattanooga. Buckner was put under Bragg's command, and Longstreet was ordered from the Army of Northern Va. with the divisions of McLaws and Hood to reinforce Bragg.
After much unsuccessful urging, the authorities in Washington on 5 Aug. Sent Rosecrans and Burnside orders to advance and gain possession of the upper Tennessee Valley. On 15 Aug. Rosecrans issued orders for an advance to the Tennessee River, and Burnside ordered an advance on Knoxville and Kingston. Rosecrans' forces reached their initial objectives 21 Aug. And spent the rest of the month preparing to cross.
Bragg began concentrating his forces around Chattanooga when he learned from Wheeler's cavalry that the Federals were starting to cross the river. About 1 Sept. He was reinforced by two divisions from the Army of the Miss. (Breckinridge and W.H.T. Walker). Wheeler and Forrest remained in command of the cavalry carps. On the morning of the 18th three brigades of Longstreet's corps arrived, under Hood's command. Longstreet himself arrived the next night with two more brigades. The six brigade of the eastern troops and E.P. Alexander's artillery did not arrive in time for the battle.
Rosecrans crossed the river without opposition, completing the operation 4 Sept. Assuming from incorrect reports that Bragg was evacuating Chattanooga, Rosecrans advanced through the mountainous terrain on a 40-mile front to cut off Bragg's retreat. By 6 Sept. His three corps were in the valley of Lookout Creek, with the most advanced division in Steven's Gap. Burnside occupied Knoxville and Kingston this same day. It was also on 6 Sept. That Bragg decided to abandon Chattanooga, concentrate at LaFayette, and defeat the Federals as they emerged from the mountain passes. Hill moved the night of the 7th to LaFayette; Polk started the next morning for Lee and Gordon's Mill; Walker joined Hill near LaFayette; and Buckner took up a position generally between the two wings.
There followed a complex sequence of maneuvers in which the failures of Bragg's subordinates deprived the Confederates of their opportunity for defeating isolated Federal units in detail. The first failure was on the 10th when faulty coordination between the divisions of Hindman (Polk) and Cleburne (Hill) enabled Negley's isolated division at Dug Gap to be reinforced before the Confederates could attack it. Rosecrans now believed the entire enemy army was around LaFayette and started concentrating his own forces. Crittenden, who had taken Chattanooga and then moved to Ringgold, started westward on 12 Sept. To Lee and Gordon's Mill. Walker was ordered from LaFayette to reinforce Polk and to attack Crittenden. The forces of both commanders now began to shift north. Rosecrans order McCook to withdraw from Alpine and move west of Lookout Mountain to join Thomas at Steven's Gap. Both commanders shifted troops as bits of enemy information were reported. Bragg, having missed repeated opportunities for destroying isolated Federal forces, now was content to await his reinforcements from Miss. And Va.
Bragg ordered a dawn attack for 18 Sept. Against Crittenden's corps on the Federal north flank. This well-conceived plan was frustrated by Federal mounted brigades. Bushrod Johnson's division finally succeeded in forcing a crossing against Minty's cavalry at Reed's Bridge late in the afternoon. Wilder's cavalry inflicted heavy losses on Liddell's division (Walker's corps), succeeding finally in dismantling Alexander's bridge and forcing the Confederates to cross at Lambert's Ford. Polk was to attack Crittenden frontally at Lee and Gordon's Mill after the enveloping force of Forrest, Buckner, W.H.T. Walker, and Bushrod Johnson crossed the creek; the failure of the envelopment meant that Polk could not attack. As a result, Crittenden's corps was not engaged at all during the day.
The First Day (19 Sept. '63)
During the night preceding the battle both sides were shifting troops. "Neither army knew the exact position of the other....It is probable that division commanders on either side hardly knew where their own commands were, in the thick woods., let alone the other troops of their own arm, or the troops of the hostile army. The lines were at this time about six miles long."
On the morning of the 19th Thomas ordered Brannan's division, then posted on the road two miles north of the Lee and Gordon's Mill, to reconnoiter toward Chickamauga Creek. Brannan encountered and drove back Forrest's dismounted cavalry, which called on the nearest Confederate infantry for help. This brought on an all-day battle. Every division of the XIV, XX, and XXI Corps was committed. Of the Confederate forces, only the divisions of Breckinridge and Hindman, on the south flank, were not engaged. Neither side gained any decided advantage.
The Second Day (20 Sept. '63)
Battle Map
During the night the two opposing forces further rearranged their dispositions in the difficult terrain. Rosecrans prepared defensive positions, and Bragg planned an attack. Longstreet had arrived during the night; he was given command of the left wing of Bragg's army, and Polk was given command of the other.
Bragg's units were to attack successively from north to south. Breckinridge attacked on the north at 9 o'clock Sunday morning. Thomas, commanding the Federal left wing, called for Negley's division, which was supposed to be in reserve. Due to an error, however, Negley was in the line. Wood, whose division was in reserve where Negley's was supposed to be, moved up to relieve Negley, while the latter sent one brigade and then another to reinforce Thomas. For two hours the Federal left successfully held off heavy attacks.
Rosecrans' misunderstanding as to the true location of his units then led to a fatal error. He was trying to strengthen the defenses on his right while Thomas held the other flank. Thinking that Wood was on Reynolds' (right) flank, he ordered Wood "to close up and support Reynolds." Actually, Brannan was on Wood's left, and following his instructions, Wood pulled out of the line, passed behind Brannan, and fell in on Reynolds' flank. The divisions of Sheridan and J.C. Davis were closing to fill this gap at abut 11:30 when Longstreet attacked. By a strange coincidence, Longstreet hit the precise point left open by the Federal error. Sheridan's and Davis' divisions were shattered by superior force, and the Federal right was driven back on its left flank.
Rosecrans, McCook, and Crittenden, unable to rally the troops around them, fled to Chattanooga, thinking the entire army was being destroyed. Thomas remained on the field, turning Wood and Brannan to block Longstreet on the south. Bragg had failed to provide for a general, and so was unable to exploit Longstreet's success. Three brigades of Granger's Reserve Corps ("Army of the Kentucky") were near McAffee's Church with orders to remain there and protect the flank. In a splendid example of battlefield initiative Granger violated his orders and "at the moment of greatest need reported to Gen. Thomas with two brigades" (Whittaker and Mitchell from Steedman's division). Van Horne says "the opportune aid o these two brigades saved the army from defeat and rout" (Van Horne, I, 353). Thomas held the field until dark and then, on orders from Rosecrans, withdrew to Rossville Gap. Rosecrans withdrew his army into the defenses of Chattanooga. Bragg followed, occupied Missionary Ridge and laid siege to the town.
Although Bragg had won a decided tactical victory, his piecemeal method of attack and lack of a general reserve deprived him of the success that an outstanding general might have achieved under the circumstances--particularly the rare bit of luck occasioned by Longstreet's attack finding a gap. Failure to pursue the shattered Federals deprived Bragg of the fruits of his victory. The work of Thomas--the "Rock of Chickamauga"--the steadfastness of the troops on his wing, and the troops on his wing, and initiative of Granger, all helped make this a Pyretic victory for the South.
An evaluation of the statistics shows that the Union had 19.6 percent killed and wounded and Confederates 25.9 percent. Using Livermore's "hit by 1,000" system of comparing the combat effectiveness, Rosecrans' troops killed or wounded 292 Confederates for every 1,000 Federal soldiers engaged; Bragg's forces, on the other hand, killed or wounded only 172 Federals for every 1,000 of their own troops engaged. The battle, fought in a densely wooded area which permitted little or no tactical control of units, was one of the bloodiest of the war.
Chickamauga was a maker and breaker of reputations. Thomas's performance elevated him to top command, and Granger was also marked for higher responsibility. Rosecrans, Alexander McCook, Crittenden, and Negley were relieved: the last three were charged with misconduct but acquitted. The fractious Bragg, whose personality defect were large responsible for the poor cooperation of his subordinates, relieved Polk, D.H. Hill, and Hindman for unsatisfactory performance during the campaign.
Source: "The Civil War Dictionary," by Mark M. Boatner III


text:
Phillies finally win a series as they defeat the Braves once again in Atlanta, 7-3.
Adam Eaton finally gets his third win of the year as the Phillies defeat the Braves once again in their home ballpark, 7-3. The Phillies would score their first run of the game in the second inning, as Pedro Feliz (ground rule) and Chris Coste would hit back to back doubles to score Feliz and give the Phillies a quick 1-0 lead. The Phillies would try to make 2-0 when Coste would be sent home in an attempt to score on an Eaton single to left. Unfortunately, a strike to home from left fielder Gregor Blanco, and a tag by catcher Brain McCann, would instead end the inning and leave it 1-0 Phillies. The Phillies would add to their lead in the third as Ryan Howard would hit his twenty-first home run of the year, a three-run shot, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who has earlier singled, and Chase Utley, who has walked, to make it 4-0 Phillies. They would increase their lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth as Pat Burrell would hit a solo home run into left field, his twenty-first home of the year. The Braves would cut the lead down to 5-1 in their half of the fifth when pinch hitter Ruben Gotay would hit his second home run of the season. Then in the bottom of the sixth, the Braves would try to get back into the ballgame, loading the bases with a double by Mark Teixeira, a walk to McCann and a single to Kelly Johnson, with nobody out. That would be it for Adam Eaton, who had pitched a good game up to that point. Charlie Manuel would replace him on the mound with Chad Durbin. This would turn out to be a brilliant move as Durbin would get the first batter that he would face, the badly slumping Jeff Francoeur, to hit into a 6-4-3 twin killing, wiping out Johnson at second, while bringing home Teixeira, making it 5-2 Phillies. Durbin would then end the threat by striking out Mark Kotsay. The Braves would get another run in the eighth inning, as Chipper Jones hits his seventeenth home run of the year, a solo shot to center, making it a 5-3 game. The Phillies would then put the game away in the ninth, as they increased their lead. Eric Bruntlett would starts things off with a walk. After Bobby Cox sends out Royce Ring in place of Blaine Boyer, Rollins would greet him with a RBI triple, scoring Bruntlett, and increasing the Phillies' lead to 6-3. Two batters later, with Rollins still on third and one out, Utley would knock him in with a single, making it 7-3 Phils. That would turn out to be the ballgame, as Brad Lidge would come in and pitch a scoreless ninth, in spite of the Braves loading up the bases, thanks in part to two fielding errors committed by Howard, as Lidge would end the game by striking out Teixeira.
Adam Eaton would get the win, as he pitch well for six innings plus three batters, giving up only two earned runs on five scattered hits. His record is now 3-6 with a ERA of 4.79. Chad Durbin would pitch two innings, giving up no runs on no hits. J.C. Romero would pitch two-thirds of an innings, giving up an earned run on one hit, Chipper Jones' home run. Ryan Madson would pitch a scoreless, hittless third of an inning, striking out the only man he'd faced. Brad Lidge would pitch a wild, but scoreless ninth inning, giving up a hit while striking out the side. Jorge Campillo took the loss, as he pitched five innings, giving up five earned runs on eight hits. His record is now 3-3 with a 2.99 ERA. Jeff Bennett would pitch an inning and a third of scoreless ball, giving up just two hits. Will Ohman would pitch two-thirds of an inning of scoreless ball, giving up no hits. Blaine Boyer would pitch an inning plus one batter, giving up an earned run on one hit. Royce Ring would pitch an inning, also giving up an earned run on two hits.
It would appear that the Phillies' bats have awaken from their interleague play slumber as they got thirteen more hits last night, six of which were for extra bases (3 (2B), 1 (3B), 2 (HR)), something that was missing during the slide. If the bats have indeed come back to life, then this is going to be a long summer, for Phillies' opponents. Also, Adam Eaton might have turned a corner, as he has finally gotten the runs support that has been missing in most of his previous start. If he has been listening to Jamie Moyer for pitching advice, like the previous night's starter Kyle Kendrick, then the starting rotation might end up getting better as the season progress. But, even with the win, there is one present cause for concern, Ryan Howard's fielding, as he single handedly almost got the Braves back into the ballgame because of a pair of fielding miscues, especially on the one that lead to the bases being loaded on a ball that he should've let Utley field for the final out. Someone may need to take Howard out and help him get the feel of playing first base before it can really hurt the Phils.
The Phillies (46-39) will conclude their three games visit with the Braves (40-45), with a chance for a sweep and, surprises of surprises, a winning road trip. The game will be played tonight at Turner Field, with a start time of 7:10 pm Eastern. The Phillies' starter will be their ace, Cole Hamels (8-5, 3.38), who is coming off a good start against the Rangers on June 28, where he went seven innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits, in the Phillies' 8-6 win. He has already faced the Braves this season, pitching a four-hit shut out against them on May 15, going all nine innings, in the Phillies' 5-0 win. He will be shooting for his ninth win of the year and to complete the Phillies' second sweep of the Braves in their own home ballpark. The Braves will be sending Jair Jurrjens (8-3, 2.94) to the mound to try and prevent the sweep. He is coming off a victory against the Blue Jays on June 27, where he would pitch eight innings, giving up no earned runs on three hits, in the Braves' 4-0 win. In his last four starts, he has won three of them, with a no-decision in the fourth, which was also won by the Braves. In those games, he would give up only five earned runs in twenty-seven and two-thirds innings of work, while giving up no earned runs in the last twenty-three and two-thirds innings, while also giving up only twenty-five hits. He will also be shooting for his ninth victory, while seeing if he can stop the Phillies' just reawaken bats and keep the Braves from being swept for the second straight time by the Phillies.
With the victory, the Phillies stay a game and a half ahead of the Marlins, who had earlier in the day beaten the Nationals. The Phils lead the Mets now by four and a half game as they'd lost their game to the Cardinals. The Phillies lead over the Braves is now at six games with their win. The Phillies will now try to leave Atlanta with a sweep of the Braves, before coming home to Citizens Bank Park to start a three teams, ten games in ten days, home stand before the All-Star break, during which they hope to create some breathing room between them and their nearest opponent.


text:
It's been ten years since I decided to add a blog to my website, and I don't think then that I expected to still be blogging ten years later. Yet here I still am still plugging away and still with a loyal band of readers who
hang on my every word can't be bothered to go through with the faff of deleting me from their feeds.
However, while I'm still blogging, the look back I've taken over the last couple of weeks has shown me that what we mean by 'blogging' has changed a lot over that time. For those of you who don't know, 'blog' originates from 'web log', and the original blogs were essentially lists of links the blogger had found, occasionally with some added commentary. By the time I started blogging that had already begun to shift in favour of blogs being much more about the content than the links, but you can still see in my early archives that longer posts were interspersed with lots of 'here's an interesting link' posts.
It's important to remember how different things were back then – there was no Facebook, no Twitter, no YouTube and even MySpace didn't start until a few months after I started blogging. Most people were going online via dial-up and most phones didn't have cameras on them, let alone the ability to connect to the internet. And, of course, all this were fields, we had to get up two hours before we go to sleep and everyone respected each other in the morning.
The point I'm trying to make is that while I've had a blog throughout that time, the way I've used that blog has changed considerably. After all, if I just want to show people an interesting link or make a quick snarky comment about something, then I've got Twitter, Facebook or Google Plus to do that. A blog post now is something longer and (supposedly) more thought through. Indeed, I think the blog itself is much more fragmented than it was ten years ago. Back then, you tended to visit someone's blog by going to the main page and looking through all their latest posts, now visits and links are much more to individual posts rather than the site as a whole.
The changing nature of the web has also broken down the sense of a community of blogs. Or 'blogosphere', which is a term that's fallen out of favour. There's a lot of my early posts which are on the lines of 'in response to what X said, commenting on Y's post about Z's article in the Observer' (and X and Y's blogs have since disappeared from the web, of course) and in that sense, blogs were an early form of the public conversation that's now moved to Twitter. In that period before the 2005 election, there was also a sense of blogs not being as partisan as they became afterwards. Sure, there were some people who seemed to be only interested in scoring party-political points, but they were in a minority with the more important division being whether you were for or against invading Iraq. I think some of that was down to the rarity of British political bloggers, though – because there were so few of us around, it was in most people's interests to maintain good relations. As blogging grew, and little like-minded bubbles could support themselves, things became much more fragmented.
For those first couple of years, blogging was still very much a niche activity, and like a lot of internet niches then, it didn't really interact with the wider world around it. Despite the initial idea of blogging being about finding interesting stuff and sharing it with people (the Netscape What's New and What's Cool lists were amongst the first blogs in form, if not in name) it became quite self-referential, with people sticking in their little bubbles and occasionally letting new people into them, but never taking more than a glance at the other bubbles they were floating alongside.
In some senses, of course, the blog won the internet. Twitter, Facebook and all the rest are, at their heart, ways of sharing content and making a log of things you've found on the web. However, the name of blogging remains attached to just one element of that, which has now almost entirely shed its original reason for existence. Who reads a blog for the links instead of the content nowadays?
On a personal level, it's been very interesting to go back through these posts catching the little references to things I was doing, and remember where I was at certain points in time. It's odd to think that I've had this blog in its various forms for about a quarter of my life, and it doesn't show any signs of disappearing just yet.
So, to all those of you who've visited here over the last ten years, whether you've been coming here regularly since I started or you're just here because Google sent you and this post has none of the information you wanted, thank you for reading, commenting, linking and sharing the things I've done over the last ten years. It's been fun, it's been interesting, it's put me in touch with people I never would have met otherwise and information I'd never have known about, and has also justified a number of visits to various pubs, which have definitely been worthwhile.
And I promise to try and wait ten more years before doing another series of long retro posts.


text: Bjorn Tore Sund wrote: ... > > I've been wanting to test these out, both in the previous versions > and this, but as long as Intel are only releasing them as RedHat > rpms, they are fundamentally useless on a SuSE system. Or at least > a lot of hassle to install. Anyone know if Intel are going to come > to their senses and start releasing tarballs, or am I going to have > to go through that hassle? > > Bjørn At least on Mandrake 8.2 no particular problem occured. The installation just detect which kernel and glibc versions are there and install using rpm the files (by default, but modifiable, in /opt/intel/) The installation script warns that on a non RedHat distribution the compilers have not been tested, etc.. There is also an uninstall script that use rpm too. On Intel based computers the compilers are sufficiently interesting in boosting performance (sometimes by over 100% w.r.t. gcc/g77) to invest perhaps 30min for their installation and preliminary testing. The remaining "hassle" is perhaps to extend the PATH and LD_LIBRARY variables, or add a line in /etc/ld.so.conf + run ldconfig Dan


text:
The Knicks and Nets met with Marcus Camby on Sunday and are the front-runners to acquire him in a trade with the Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
There are no details on what each team would part with for Camby, who is 38 years old, and we're not drawing any conclusions until a deal is agreed upon. As per previous reports, the Spurs, Clippers and Celtics are also pursuing Camby.
Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter
poster formally know as JeffVanGundyPLEASE!
If he doesn't extend his contract with the Lakers, Andrew Bynum reportedly has a short list of teams he would consider as a free agent in 2013 -- the Rockets, Mavericks and Cavaliers.
This might throw cold water on the Lakers' attempts to package Bynum in a deal for Dwight Howard, since Bynum "has shown no inclination to agree to an immediate extension if sent to Orlando." The Nets could face a similar conundrum in a package centered around Brook Lopez, since Lopez would have to agree to join the Magic -- so far he's been remarkably silent about his constant inclusion in trade talks. Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter
the Magic and Hornets have agreed to a sign-and-trade sending Ryan Anderson to New Orleans and Gustavo Ayon to Orlando.
It seems the Magic felt they couldn't match an impending offer sheet, so by working a sign-and-trade they'll at least get Ayon, who proved more than serviceable last year and comes with an unguaranteed $1.5 million salary next season, a $1.5 million team option in 2013-14, and a $1.9 million qualifying offer in 2014-15. The Hornets may renounce their rights to Chris Kaman and Carl Landry to make this work financially, but they're still expected to match the Suns' max offer sheet for Eric Gordon. Anderson's contract is reportedly worth about $36 million over four years. Source: Joshua Robbins on Twitter
poster formally know as JeffVanGundyPLEASE!
Raja Bell is finalizing a buy-out with the Jazz,he's interested in returning home to Miami but thats likely not an option
Could be a great replacement in for Shumpert as our defensive specialist
Nets found a 3rd team to trade with and it is apparently The Cavs that would take Humphries but trade him for picks and assets.
Camby would not start on the Nets but he would have the same role as the Knicks, however I still believe the Nets would not have enough money to get Camby.
Camby wants money, atleast 3 million mid level exception and the Nets used it on Mirza Teletovic so right now I would say the Knicks are the favorite. I just hope this is not another Steve Nash scenario.
The Knicks can trade Douglas, Harrelson, Jordan, and Gadzuric would give Camby a max of 6 million per year.
"The Knicks are back" - Amare
RT @WojYahooNBA: Proposed trade would send Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark to Brooklyn, sources tell Y! Sports.
poster formally know as JeffVanGundyPLEASE!
poster formally know as JeffVanGundyPLEASE!
Quick question I saw this online and I wanted to ask did landry get fouled in this gif?
anyhow on another note Let the Nyets rebuild. That team looks good on paper but if looking good on paper equaled wins why the heck would anyone play the game. If the knicks get Camby I am ok with the Nyets going forward. The Knicks would be one of the few teams out there with enough decent bigs to be able to make dwight work and arguably try to draw him into foul problems.
Also Shumpert ate Derons lunch last year and made him play sloppy everytime they faced off. That crazy scoring game Deron had on the Knicks was because shump missed that game and Deron took advantage of it. Every other time they met it led to Deron having to play conservatively because shump was ripping the ball away from him every time he tried to set something up in the half court. Initially yeah Deron will be a problem but going forward the Knicks roster should be able to compete with and even beat this team. They have the players who have shown that they can potentially defend against the Nyets best players.


text:
Ignoring the lessons of history inspires, cultivates and enables aggressors who are never short of, nor shy with, self-serving justifications.
So it was March 25-26, when several shipper organizations, self-described as captive to, and abused by, railroads, implored the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to restore the old way of doing things. They asserted that circumstances, as defined by them, justify restoring government's heavy hand in place of limited regulatory freedoms. They seek a regression to the regulatory regime of the late 19th century and most of the 20th century, when bureaucrats predominantly determined the level of railroad rates and service, and the timing of any changes.
History well records how things turned out. Hint: Not well at all, which was the reason for the Staggers Rail Act of 1980, which (another hint) was overwhelmingly supported by the same shipper groups whose memory now appears impaired. Absent the Staggers Act, the debate today would be led, also, by shipper groups, but rather focused on how to un-nationalize the rail industry and make it more flexible and responsive to market demands.
Attempting to rewrite history for the consumption of current STB members Dan Elliott and Ann Begeman—both of whom were in high school when the Staggers Act was debated and passed, and who now will determine the future (a third member of the agency awaits Senate confirmation)—are the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL), the American Chemistry Council and the Chlorine Institute. These shipper groups argued that the restoration of government's heavy hand is a cure-all for their dismay over the level of railroad rates, railroad profits, and railroad stock-dividend payouts, which they perceive as too high.
In examining their arguments, it is instructive first to consider just who these return-to-the-past advocates are.
The NITL, contrary to implied declarations, does not speak for all of its dues-paying members, which include, yes, railroads, and many shippers quite supportive of reduced government intervention in railroad rate making. Indeed, shippers with first-hand or studied knowledge of history understand painfully the flight of investment capital and rail service deterioration in the pre-1980 Staggers Act era when regulators substituted their decisions for arms-length negotiations between those buying and selling rail transportation.
In fact, it was a previous NITL leadership team—one with notable pre-Staggers hands-on rail shipper experience—that expounded that price has meaning only in the context of service quality, and that higher freight rates are justified by increased capital investment and service improvements. That white paper seems to have conveniently disappeared from NITL files.
More telling is that the NITL objective—forcing railroads to open their privately owned and maintained networks to competitors for the sole purpose of driving down freight rates, and absent any demonstration of anticompetitive conduct—has not previously been sought by any NITL member. Of course, this is because shippers with real knowledge of railroad operations understand that the NITL proposal would recreate the very inefficiencies that past mergers and STB-attached conditions were intended to—and did—eliminate. Equally illuminating is that NITL members already have an effective rate grievance forum at the STB, and are in the winning column with a 78% success rate.
The NITL's two fellow travelers are the American Chemistry Council and Chlorine Institute, whose members make products that go boom and are instruments of mass destruction when mislabeled or otherwise mishandled, and thus impose great liability risks on railroads. These hazmat shipper groups' assault on railroad rates and profits defies explanation, as it is railroad profits that make possible safety enhancing renewal of plant and equipment, which includes the costly design, development and implementation of Positive Train Control, and improved handling of the dangerous cargoes their members tender railroads.
Here's a reality check: Could the representative of Dow Chemical, who appeared before the STB in support of the NITL, be serious in reinforcing NITL complaints about railroad rates, profits and monopoly power? In its own communications with investors, Dow emphasizes a 71% boost in Dow's stock price over the past year, a 31% improvement in earnings per share, and the value of its own monopoly — patents, which, unlike sole-served rail points, cannot be broken by manufacture elsewhere, its threat, or the use of trucks.
As for the American Chemistry Council, it boasts representing a $770 billion industry that generates 25% of gross domestic product, employs 800,000, and whose profits fuel $39 billion annually in capital investment — numbers that dwarf railroad industry financial statistics and belie any insinuation of excessive bargaining power in the hands of railroads when rates are negotiated bilaterally.
For sure, the battle advanced by those seeking to restore the footprint of government leviathan is a battle on behalf of their own members' stockholders, as any artificially forced rollback of railroad rates will accrue not to consumers, but to corporate stockholders.
Annual reports of the STB, its predecessor Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), dozens of readily available authoritative, footnoted and indexed text books, and scores of similarly scholarly journal articles tell well the wretched story of railroading under the heavy hand of government.
An early failure to understand high fixed-cost, network industries spawned 19th century ruinous competition; a mismanaged attempt at government-directed rail mergers accelerated bankruptcies during the Great Depression and slowed the market-generated merger process afterward; and sloth-like rate regulation after World War II prevented railroads from timely adjusting, both upward and downward, their prices and service levels to meet growing truck and barge competition.
By the 1970s, the straight-jacket of regulation into which railroads had been forced spawned a wave of bankruptcies approaching the level of the Great Depression. Regulatory freedoms, supplemented through mergers that produced network paring of redundant track, yards, and terminals, restored the then deeply troubled railroad industry to financial health. Yet at the core of the NITL's objective is repatriation, through government fiat, of the time-consuming, excessively costly, and productivity-sapping interline and yard switching that once propelled railroads down a fast track toward nationalization.
No matter how the shipper arguments are chopped, cubed, diced, minced, sliced, shredded or otherwise presented, the substitution of government fiat for market-based solutions will adversely affect traffic flows, swell the number of time-consuming and costly interline and yard switches of freight cars, reduce network reliability, and cause an overall reduction in service quality. Any immediate price reduction will be transient, at best.
The shipper groups assert the NITL proposal will barely dent rail profitability, but if that is so, the question is begged as to why so much shipper money is being plowed into the effort. As for shipper assertions that such a scheme exists also in Canada, and has not dented Canadian railroad profitability, there are many differences between the more extensive and complex U.S. rail network and the Canadian rail, highway, and waterway systems. To proclaim, "Canada does it, so we should also," invites the silliness of importing, without appropriate analysis, the Canadian national health system, its different form of national and provincial government, and the metric system.
What is being proposed by the NITL goes well beyond any action ever taken by the STB or its ICC predecessor in the 127-year existence of the regulatory agencies. In fact, there is no statutory language on which to base an affirmative ruling. This is not lost on Congress. The bipartisan leadership of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee recently issued a stern written warning to the STB about the chutzpah of treading on congressional turf. If pragmatic heads know better than to tug on Superman's cape, spit into the wind, or pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger, they correspondingly comprehend why one doesn't defile the front lawn of Congress.
Judge Thomas Cooley, the ICC's first chairman, left for his inheritors some sage advice: "A fanatical or sensational course rarely leads to good results."
Given the bitter economic lessons of previous government interference with market-based solutions, and the proven effective grievance machinery already available to shippers, the STB would be mocking Judge Cooley by embracing the radicalism advanced by the NITL, American Chemistry Council, and Chlorine Institute.


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ROYAL OAK - FBI officials and police are looking for a man who is accused of four armed robberies in Oakland County.
In less than a month, police say they believe the man has robbed four businesses at gunpoint in Royal Oak and Madison Heights, including two PNC Banks, a Charter One bank and a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Officials said the man robbed the 7-Eleven store on 11 Mile Road in Madison Heights on Dec. 18. Two days later, he allegedly robbed the PNC Bank in Madison Heights, and on Christmas Day, he robbed a PNC Bank in Royal Oak.
On Tuesday, police said they believe the same man walked into the Charter One Bank in downtown Royal Oak armed with a hand gun, threatening workers and demanding money.
"It's a little scary. Yeah I'd say that," said Kyle Issacson.
After looking at surveillance photos, police said it appears the robber wore the same black pants, black coat, black ski mask and hat with a small brim during every robbery.
Because of the similarities, police said they believe they have a serial robber on their hands.
In addition to police, FBI said they are investigating this case.
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Bob,Different MM locations do have lots of neat artwork. I think I saw a picture at that MM location, (referenced in the link) that you could sit in a bus inside their pizzeria. That was on their facebook page.Norma
Ha! That sounds like MM alright....my local one is a pretty groovy scene inside too man. I'll post up some pics next time I'm there my sister!
Bob, Next time if you are at MM with your sister, try to get some pictures of the dough balls and look how fermented the dough balls look if you can. A few pictures of your MM location pizzas might also be helpful.Norma
Ha! That sounds like MM alright....my local one is a pretty groovy scene inside too man. I'll post up some pics next time I'm there my sister!
PeterI do not have access to high Gluton flour. But I do have KA AP flour, KA Bread Flour and Kaputo 00 pizzeria flour and also vital wheat Gluton flour.How much I would need to mix vwg to these flours to derive high gluton flour for 14' MM#7 pie. Would it affect hydration formula of MM#7? Thanks
kerty9,If you do not have any high-gluten flour on hand, I think you can go with the King Arthur bread flour (KABF) alone, in which case you can decrease the formula hydration by about 1%. If you want to replace part of the KABF with vital wheat gluten (VWG) so that the effective protein content is around 14.2%, you can use the Mixed Mass Percentage Calculator at http://foodsim.toastguard.com/ to determine how much vital wheat gluten you will need to achieve that result. I used a combination of KABF and vital wheat gluten mainly for testing and experimental purposes, simply to have an effective protein content that is the same percentage-wise as a high-gluten flour. With a KABF/VWG blend, you don't really need to change the formula hydration so long as you are using the expanded dough calculating tool. For a 14" MM clone, you will want to be sure that you are using the correct dough ball weight or thickness factor for that size. You don't want to use the Caputo 00 flour. It might work but some changes would most likely be necessary. Peter
kerty9,I dont know if this will help you with future attempts at a MM pizza, but at Reply 331 http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,14928.msg152801.html#msg152801 is where scott123 explained to me how to use the mixed mass calculation tool.Best of luck with your first MM attempt!NormaSorry, that might not help you if you are using VWG. If you need more help, let me know.
Even though you are thinking about using only a starter in the future as a leavening agent, eschewing wet and dry commercial yeast is a vow of abstinence I have heard many times before but rarely fulfilled or honored. Those who come close are likely to be avid bread makers who have the time to maintain their starters so that they are always at their beck and call. I think that natural starters have a high position in the spectrum of leavening agents, but I also have a great deal of respect for other forms of yeast. To me, they are all tools in the toolbox.Peter
I have been reading this thread very slowly for the last week. (I have two kids, and one is an infant.)I'm only on page 20 of this thread, and found this site in my search for the MM dough recipe. It's been so uch fun to read so far.Hopefully, I'll eventually make it through this thread, and can give my own MM dough a try.
FWIW, I am not done on my attempt to find what "molasses" they use. I will find out. Just let me get back to Atlanta.


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Was it the ferocious, edgy punk sounds of the [mp3com-artist]Melvins[/mp3com-artist] or the experimental noisemaking of New York City's [mp3com-artist]Sonic Youth[/mp3com-artist] that had the biggest impact on the music of [mp3com-artist]Kurt Cobain[/mp3com-artist]? In this week's MP3.com Spotlight, the site commemorates the 20th anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind by highlighting some key artists who inspired the music of [mp3com-artist]Nirvana[/mp3com-artist]. Plus, get a free MP3 download from one of those artists!
Punk-rock music proved to be a huge influence on teenage Kurt Cobain's artistic style. However, [mp3com-artist]The Beatles[/mp3com-artist] had an impact as well.
"My aunts would give me Beatles records," Cobain told Jon Savage in 1993, "so for the most part I listened to the Beatles as a child and if I was lucky, I'd be able to buy a single." (Source: The Lost Interview/Jon Savage)
Cobain also called [mp3com-artist]John Lennon[/mp3com-artist] his "idol" and admitted that he wrote the song "About a Girl" from Nirvana 1989 debut album Bleach (Sub Pop) after spending endless hours listening to Meet The Beatles.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Nevermind, we give you five bands that heavily influenced the music of Nirvana.
1. [mp3com-artist]The Melvins[/mp3com-artist]
Both Nirvana and the Melvins were big fans of each other. During the 80's the two bands often interchanged guitarists, bassists, and drummers. Dale Crover and Buzz Osbourne were part of both bands at one point in time.
BONUS: Download a free MP3 of "The Kicking Machine" from the 2008 album Nude With Boots.
2. [mp3com-artist]Sonic Youth[/mp3com-artist]. This NYC band was responsible for getting Nirvana to sign a major record deal with Geffen Records.
3. [mp3com-artist]The Vaselines[/mp3com-artist]. Nirvana covered three Vaselines songs including "Song Of A Gun." Do you know the other two?
4. [mp3com-artist]Neil Young & Crazy Horse[/mp3com-artist]. Kurt's suicide note contained a lyric from Young's "My Hey Hey (Into The Black)." It quoted the line, "It's better to burn out than to fade away."
5. [mp3com-artist]R.E.M.[/mp3com-artist] Sadly the two never got together to record music, but we do know R.E.M.'s early sounds had an impact on Nirvana. In 1993, Cobain said of R.E.M. "If I could write just a couple of songs as good as what they've written … I don't know how that band does what they do. God, they're the greatest. They've dealt with their success like saints, and they keep delivering great music."
Come back tomorrow for more featured guest playlists and free MP3s!
Read more about the Melvins and see 2011 tour dates
Visit Last.fm and win the 20th Anniversary of Nirvana's Nevermind
Nevermind 20th anniversary (and free Nirvana MP3s)
Nirvana exhibit at EMP in Seattle
Free Album: Nirvana Tribute, "Newermind"
20th Anniversary Edition of Nirvana "Nevermind" to Feature Butch Vig Mix
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