text:
By Ben Golliver
• Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reports from Amar'e Stoudemire's season debut for the Knicks against the Blazers on Tuesday. Stoudemire had been sidelined for months with a knee injury.
"I was nervous," Stoudemire admitted. "My heart was beating fast. I had butterflies in my stomach. I felt like I was a rookie all over again."
Finally, with 3:31 remaining in the opening quarter, it happened: Stoudemire, two months removed from left knee surgery, eight months from his last NBA game, made his season debut, playing 17 minutes in New York's 105-100 loss to Portland and kicking off a pivotal stretch of the Knicks' season.
Ultimately, it didn't matter what Stoudemire did for the Knicks on Tuesday. The Blazers have an All-Star power forward in LaMarcus Aldridge and a vastly improved center in J.J. Hickson, both of whom took turns humiliating Stoudemire defensively. Aldridge drove past him on the perimeter, Hickson outworked him in the paint. Stoudemire was rusty and, said Knicks assistant coach Herb Williams in a halftime interview, "looked mixed up." He missed his first four shots, finishing 3-for-8 from the floor, and collected just one rebound.
"The game," Stoudemire said, "felt like it was going 100 miles an hour."
•Seth at Posting and Toasting writes that -- surprise, surprise -- Stoudemire's defense wasn't up to snuff in game one.
(And while Amar'e Stoudemire can hopefully provide some better weak side help, his pick-and-roll defense seems likely to cause even more problems. It definitely did tonight.).
I missed Amar'e and expect those offensive ills to heal considerably with repetition, but I did not miss the paralyzed ball-watching while someone soars past him for an easy dunk and have little hope that he'll improve in that regard. At this point, it's just about finding the right lineups to augment Stoudemire's assets and allay his weaknesses. A healthy Rasheed Wallace might help.
• Jared Zwerling of ESPNNY.com reports that Stoudemire is fully ready to pass the puck when it comes to his defense, as he took a veiled dig at former coach Mike D'Antoni.
"I think just having a defensive coach for the first time in my career is going to help," he said. "I've never been taught defense in my whole career, so to now have a coach that actually teaches defense and teaches strategies, and knows positioning and posture, how to guard different plays, it's going to be helpful. I'm going to take it as a challenge, and I'm going to accept the challenge and try to improve as a player."
• Ken Berger of CBSSports.com writes that, all in all, Stoudemire is buying into the program.
"I didn't want to interrupt anything at all," Stoudemire said. "Those guys have been playing well all season. So however coach feels my role fits, then that's when I'm going to get to play. If he needs me, I'm there. If not and those guys are playing well, then we'll take that as well."
The Knicks couldn't ask for a less disruptive, more positive approach from a multi-year All-Star -- the only one who dared accept the burden of uplifting the Knicks in 2010 -- than what they've gotten from Stoudemire. Coach Mike Woodson did the right thing here, bringing him off the bench and easing him back in slowly. As for when Stoudemire might warrant or deserve his rightful place in the starting lineup, Woodson said, "We'll figure that out as we go along."
Let one thing be clear: No pressure, no disruption will come from Stoudemire. The pro that New York got two years ago when he filled the free-agent vacuum left when LeBron James chose South Beach over Madison Square Garden is the same pro who checked into his first game of the season with 3:31 left in the first quarter Tuesday night.
• Dave McMenamin of ESPNLA.com reports that Kobe Bryant got straight to the point in assessing the Lakers after a Tuesday loss to the Sixers.
"Cause we're old as s---," said the 34-year-old Bryant when asked why a lack of energy has been a problem for the Lakers all season. "What do you want? We just got to figure out how to play when we don't have that energy. We got to change things up a little bit defensively. We got to figure out what we want to do offensively, figure out what we want to do on nights when we don't have those legs or have that energy."
• Scott Sterling, son of Clippers owner Donald Sterling, has died. The Associated Press reports the death is being called a "possible drug overdose."
• Stephen Jackson was too much to handle for Bucks coach Scott Skiles. Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News reports that Jackson has some parting shots for his former team.
"I just wanted to be around a positive organization that's used to winning and plays the game the right way," Jackson says now. "Milwaukee, they're not used to winning. I just wasn't going to go for it at the end of my career."
"It just wasn't a good situation for me," said Jackson, who still keeps in touch with former Bucks teammates Drew Gooden and Brandon Jennings. "I didn't want to be a part of no rebuilding team."
• For the true blue basketball nerds out there, Mark Deeks runs down the best available D-League talent, including the ex-NBA likes of Chris Quinn, Christian Eyenga and Jamario Moon.
• Check out Rob Mahoney's comprehensive All-Improvement team here at The Point Forward.
• Tom Haberstroh writes on ESPN Insider that the corner three-pointer is the "most important" shot in hoops, noting that the Heat and Spurs are among the teams most centered around setting up the shot.
Believe it or not, a team's frequency of corner 3s is more closely linked to successful offenses than the frequency of shots in the restricted area, even though they boast similar payoffs (1.16 points per shot versus 1.19 points per shot, respectively). In fact, when we look at shot frequency from the five shot areas on the floor designated by NBA.com's StatsCube -- restricted-area, in the paint non-restricted-area, midrange, corner 3s and above-the-break 3s -- the strongest correlation with offensive efficiency over the past 17 seasons is the corner 3-pointer.
• Celtics guard Avery Bradley is set to return, finally, from a shoulder injury that ended his 2011-12 season prematurely, writes Jason Mastrodonato for the Boston Globe.
"Just like any other day, I'm going to prepare today, go through practice, go over the plays and make sure I know what's going on," Bradley said Tuesday. "Tomorrow I'll go out and play like I can. Prepare like I normally do.
"I'm excited, the team is excited, I'm sure the fans are excited. I'm just going to go out there and play Celtics basketball."
• Royce Young of DailyThunder.com explores Russell Westbrook's inconsistent shooting.
With Westbrook, the mid-range game is off, but he's also not finishing. And it's killing his shooting percentage, which is down to 40.4 percent, close to his rookie level of 39.8 percent.
Part of it is that Westbrook lacks consistency. Consider this: Westbrook hasn't had back-to-back games where he's shot 50 percent or above from the floor yet this season. In fact, Westbrook has only hit 50 percent of his shots six games out of 30.
• Tom Ziller of SB Nation likes what Brook Lopez is giving this year.
Lopez was one of three Class of 2008 draft products to sign a max deal last summer as restricted free agents, along with Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert. Needless to say, Gordon nor Hibbert have played up to their deals. Lopez pretty much has: he's averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game, and the Nets are much, much better when he's on the floor. Health was going to be a concern due to his 61 missed games last season; Lopez has played in 24 of Brooklyn's 31 games, and in near the 50 percent mark in percentage of possible minutes played. (Starters should be between 50 and 70 percent.)
Lopez is much better on offense than defense, but it's worth noting that the Nets have been three points per 100 possessions better defensively with the center on the court.
• Zach Lowe writes at Grantland that his two favorites for Defensive Player of the Year are Grizzlies center Marc Gasol and Bulls center Joakim Noah.
That leaves Gasol and Noah as heavy-minutes anchors on two of the league's best defensive teams, and in what amounts to a coin flip, I'm going with Gasol's space-eating size over Noah's productive mania. It's worth noting that even the candidacies of these two stalwarts bring complications, since each plays significant minutes with two very good defenders -- [Tony] Allen and Mike Conley in Memphis, and Luol Deng and Taj Gibson in Chicago. Separating contributions on defense is notoriously difficult. But an elite big trumps an elite wing, and these two are as steady as it gets in the NBA; I'm not sure there's a larger gap between the level of nationwide fan appreciation for a player and the level of appreciation from coaches/scouts/league executives for that player than the gap for Gasol. People inside the league adore this guy.Michael McCann wonders Rockets Royce White rejected a D-League assignment


text:
Bedourie meaning 'Dust Storm' is another historic Outback town, Bedourie started life in the 1880s as a major watering and rest stop for drovers and cattle. Cobb and Co coaches serviced the town.
Bedourie is an Oasis in the Desert. Bedourie is the administration centre of the Diamantina Shire Council. Covering 94690 square metres, it is the second largest shire in Queensland and is twice the size of Denmark. Excellent town facilities include motel, hotel with meals, cabins, caravan parks, restaurant and tavern, general store, fuel and auto services, police station, and a medical clinic.
A particular favourite is the 22 person therapeutic spa with the warm, fresh, crystal-clear water coming directly from an artesian bore. To soak up the historic atmosphere of Bedourie is a 'must do' experience. The Royal Hotel was first licensed in the early 1880s and has since traded continuously.
The famous Bedourie Camp Oven, invented in the droving camps of a bygone era, can still be purchased in town. In contrast to all the history, the modern Simpson Desert Oasis motel, ensuite caravan park and bar offer visitors every convenience.
Just a day trip from Bedourie is the fabulous Diamantina National Park, well known for its fishing (Hunters Gorge), birds, wildlife and scenery. Overnight camping is also permitted.
Bedourie is home to many events. In the second weekend in September, Bedourie hosts its annual race meet as part of the famed Desert Racing carnival. July sees the gymkhana, campdraft and rodeo and all the fun of camel racing draw a large number of sport loving visitors.
Permanent water in the nearby creek means numerous species of birds can be observed at Carcory Ruins. Cuttaburra Crossing is a renowned wetland area, with prolific birdlife.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I installed the 8.0.298.000 update to ZAISS.
After installing the update on a Vista Home Premium SP1 laptop, when WindowsUpdate downloaded and installed the batch of Critical Updates, ZAISS once again reported errors with Antivirus, Antispware and Program updates with the familiar 'unable to contact update server'.
Subsequently, I followed GeorgeV's (guru) procedures to resolve the problem.
I have followed the procedures exactly, but still receive 'unable to contact update server'.
To summarize my four attempts to fix the issue:
Reset ZAISS 8.0.298.000 from the tray icon.
After a reboot, problem still persisted.
Used ZAISS 8 'clean tool' to uninstall, including deleting Internet Logs, etc.
After a reboot, did a reinstall, automatic configuration, full scan,
In Safe Mode, did a deep scan wtih no problems found.
Rebooted to Normal Administator-equivalent login.
'Unable to contact update server' error still persisted.
Downloaded a fresh copy of 8.0.298.000 to a new directory.
Download the standalone 'clean tool'.
Unchecked 'load a startup'.
Rebooted, did a clean tool uninstall using the fresh copy of the clean tool, rebooted.
Did a clean install, automatic configuration, rebooted to Safe Mode.
In Safe Mode did a deep scan with no problems found.
Rebooted to Admin-equivalent login.
Problem status unchanged.
4. Finally, followed GeorgeV effective steps procedure, same as Step 3.
Download the suggested CCleaner and did the default Registry Scan and cleanup.
Did the Clean Install of ZAISS 8.0.298.000 with automatic configuration, reboots, etc.
As suggested,
manually added all the Microsoft Programs and Services not automatically discovered by ZA, and confirmed ZA Program Files settings had Green Checks on everything suggested by GeorgeV.
Ensured my Router root IP, ZoneAlarm, ZoneLabs, Microsoft key web sites are in Firewall Trusted Zone.
Did the Safe Mode reboot and Deep Scan, no trouble found.
ZAISS 8 automatic discovery on and Green check still OK.
After confirming ZAISS 8.0.298.000 was exactly configured as suggested, did another reboot.
However, Preference Program Update Check and AV/AS Update Check still give 'unable to contact update server' errors.
ZA and Windows Security Center both report AV/AS signatures are out of date.
Windows Firewall is NOT enabled, but ZAISS 8 IS enabled.
Only other tools on PC are Windows Defender and Google Toolbar.
The 'unable to contact update server' error occurs whether Windows Defender is on or off.
Web connection is 5MBps WPA2 WiFi LAN to 8MBps Linksys Router and Scientific Atlanta Cable Modem, running Internet Explorer 7.
BTW, error occurs even with hardwire ethernet connection to Router.
Let me know if you need additional configuration information or clarification of the troubleshooting procedures I have followed.
Operating System:Windows Vista Home Premium
Software Version:8.0
Product Name:ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite


text:
Rescuers Struggle to Save Trapped Whales in Russian Far East
MOSCOW Rescuers armed with fuel-powered saws hacked through the ice near Russia's far eastern territories Wednesday in a desperate bid to save the lives of three whales thrashing about in confined holes in the freezing Sea of Okhotsk, Russian media reported.
Dozens of volunteers from the island of Iturup, among the disputed Kuril chain that lies off the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, ventured onto the ice 70-90 meters (230-295 feet) from the coast to try to widen the holes to enable the killer whales to move freely.
Russian television reported that 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) of thick ice separated the giant animals from the open sea.
Of a group of six killer whales that got into the ice trap several days ago, three of the biggest have died, the Rossiya television channel said. The other three animals were bleeding from their heads and fins from trying to break through the ice.
"They've been offering them fish, but the whales have been through a lot of stress and they are refusing food. We are hoping that the wind will change and move the ice toward the open sea," local fire chief Yevgeny Sadovsky told Rossiya by telephone from remote Iturup.
Temperatures have dropped to -25 C (-13 F), making the rescuers' task harder. A vast slab of ice has formed along the coast, blocking the whales from the open sea. The mammals cannot move under the ice because they need air to breathe.
Source: Associated Press


text:
Hey kids! Are you ready for your big date with your grandparents?
- Details
- Published on Monday, 15 July 2013 20:14
Blue Suede Cruise features Jay and The Americans this weekend!
NORWALK, Ohio – Kids, did you invite your grandparents on a great date with you to the Wanda AkzoNobel Blue Suede Cruise July 19-21, 2013 at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio?
This fun event features hot rod cars and trick trucks from 1972 and earlier.
It's a great event for grandparents to remember old times and tell stories. By the end of the weekend, you'll have stories to tell, too.
More than 1,000 vehicles entered the Flaming River car show, and others roll into the park when the gates open at 7 a.m. on Friday.
Bring your camera, and photograph your grandparents in front of their favorite wheels from back in the day. You'll find a gem of a hot rod, too! Add the photo to your Facebook.com page.
Here's a hint for a conversation starter: Ask your grandparents what car they used for their first date.
On the track, we'll have fun runs. And old-style match racing returns!
The Great Lakes Nostalgia Funny Car Circuit adds floppers to the show. To check them out, click on: I love Funny Cars!
Famed racer Jim Oddy, who's mashed gas for 55 years, brings The Junk Yard Dog from North Carolina to compete with the Nostalgia AA Gassers.
Recently retired from his engine building shop in Buffalo, New York, Jim Oddy spends his days as he says, "fiddling around in the garage with old race cars. I've got one customer now, and it's just me. That keeps me plenty busy. I've got a couple of street rods and my Willys race car."
So when it's Jim Oddy's turn to speed down the track, remember to cheer, "Here comes The Dog!"
Another attraction pours on the power in Nostalgia Super Stock.
Doug Duell, president of Nostalgia Super Stock, expects about 30 Nostalgia Super Stock cars to roll into the staging lanes at the Wanda AkzoNobel Blue Suede Cruise.
"The Northern Ohio area is kind of a hot bed for these types of cars," Doug Duell said. "They're exciting '60s big block cars from the start of the muscle car movement."
Doug Duell races a white 1964 Plymouth Fury station wagon called, "The Drag'n Wag'n," originally owned and raced by his father, Dave Duell. Look for the red candy stripes on the roof.
On Saturday of the Wanda AkzoNobel Blue Suede Cruise, Jay and The Americans perform live in concert.
Listen to songs by Jay and The Americans by clicking on: Only in America!
Before the concert head to the Summit grandstands. Afterward there is a neon parade, a car flame throwing contest, and a smokey burnout contest.
Want to see Grandpa's eyes twinkle? Ask him about his best smokey burnout.
After the concert, snuggle close for Bader Family Signature Fireworks.
Sunday features car show judging, fabulous door prizes, and more great racing!
Does your grandpa's garage hold a special project that needs a sweet paint job?
The Wanda AkzoNobel company creates the colors, answers questions and offers workshops on paint and body work at the Blue Suede Cruise.
Muscle Products Corp. develops lubricants to smooth out the running of motors and transmissions; they'll be there, too.
Also, the Wanda AkzoNobel Blue Suede Cruise provides shopping places for Grandma at the Women's World, and for Grandpa at the Car Corral and Swap Meet.
The Blue Suede Cruise offers a unique perspective on the Golden Anniversary of Summit Motorsports Park. It's almost like 1963 is here again!
Do you like to dress up in costumes?
The employees at Summit Motorsports Park wear clothing styles from 1972 and earlier, just for the Blue Suede Cruise.
Some of the guys slick back their hair and wear leather jackets and jeans like The Fonz from the "Happy Days" television show.
The girls wear poodle skirts, bowling team outfits or bell bottom pants.
You can dress up if you want. If not, that's okay, too.
Just in case you'd like a T-shirt from back in the day, we sell Norwalk Dragway T-shirts in the Quarter Mile Clothing Company. Check out our other Golden Anniversary items.
Youth ages 14 and younger are admitted for free. Admission for adults costs $15 for one day or $35 for the weekend.
The Wanda AkzoNobel Blue Suede Cruise includes free parking, free camping, and free pit access.
Plus, Summit Motorsports Park serves great food at the concession stands.
You can even enjoy dessert. We serve one pound of delicious Velvet Ice Cream for a buck!
Here's how planning the date could work:
* Ask your parents for permission first.
* Call your grandparents and ask if they would like to go on a date with you. After they fall over from surprise, they probably will say, "Yes!"
* Did you know kids get in free? So depending on your age you may need to pay only for your grandparents' way into the event, and food and drinks.
* Now you may need your parents' help, again. Ask if you may do chores to earn money for the date. That way, it's a gift to your grandparents from you, and you'll feel great about it.
* Write your date on the calendar and count down the hours!
One more thing: You'll probably want to print the schedule and browse the rest of the event information. Click on: Best date ever!


text:
The latest news in the Ruby and Rails community.
Jemini, Amp, and Oria are covered in this episode of Ruby5. Also, Rails 2.3.5 has been released and projects are springing up making use of the Google Closure Compiler.
You have disabled auto-rotation for stories. Re-enable?
Jumpstart Lab offers corporate, private, and public training in Ruby, Rails, and supporting technologies. Public classes are constantly being held in Washington, DC, and corporate and private trainings can be scheduled anywhere, worldwide. These guys are not only great programmers, but they're also experienced teachers. Check out their site for more information and to view their training curricula.
Rails 2.3.5 has been officially tagged and released over the holiday weekend. This release addresses several bug fixes, Ruby 1.9 compatibility updates, MySQL stored procedure support, and more. It should be a simple upgrade if you're already running in the Rails 2.3 branch, and you're urged to upgrade as soon as possible as this release also addresses a known XSS vulnerability.
The team at Zerb has released google_closure_compiler, a plugin which makes using the Google JavaScript Closure Compiler simple. With this, and Jammit, and certainly others available, we have no more excuse for not compressing our assets.
GitHub produced a fairly thorough writeup on how they use Google's Closure Compiler in their custom asset compression and deployment setup. They also selectively deploy new asset files based on their modification date, and claim to be able to deploy, "a dozen times per day," with no end-users noticing a down/boot-up time.
Similar to memcached, Tokyo Cabinet, or Redis, Oria provides you with a large, memory-based key value store. What makes it different, however, is that it's designed for smaller, simpler sites, and it's written in Ruby.
The Amp project aims to pretty radically change the way we use version control systems. The long-term goal here is to allow you to use a front-end interface that you're already familiar with (git, for instance), but in reality, you may be controlling any other SCM (like Subversion, CVS, Mercurial, etc.). And, if you think of git's native subversion interface, the idea doesn't seem to be that far fetched.
We ran into Jay McGavren at RubyConf who was speaking about a project he's been working on - with others - called Jemini. Jemini provides you with a base platform for building games in Ruby. We spend just a few minutes talking with him about his talk.
Ruby5 is released Tuesday and Friday mornings. To stay informed about and active with this podcast, we encourage you to do one of the following:
The dreamy song in this episode was Travelling Light by Adam Fielding.
Recorded at SFO - the San Francisco International Airport - we recap some of the RubyConf 2009 presentations and even get a chance to talk directly with Nick Quaranto, Bryan Helmkamp, Tom Preston Warner, and Ilya Grigorik about their talks.
This week we look at a new authorization plugin from Ryan Bates, and the latest releases of MacRuby and YARD. Also ruby-gmail, the SimpleDB DataMapper adapter, and using mod_rewrite to serve maintenance pages.
There are several new screencasts being produced targeting the Ruby and IT community worth checking out. In addition, JetBrains, DocumentCloud, and others are still hard at work making your Ruby life easier.
If you are a Windows-running Rubyist, you are going to want to check out the new Ruby Installer. Munin monitoring, Pubsub reading and Hashie objects are also covered. Oh, and spam, spam, spam, spam-blocking with Defender.
Looking to learn about Ruby? Take a look at the Ruby Path on Code School
This podcast is produced and distributed by Code School. Copyright © 2018 Code School LLC


text:
Gosselin: Why the Cowboys would pass on Rob Ryan as next head coach but welcome Mike Holmgren
Columnist Rick Gosselin joined Norm Hitzes on KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket. Here are some highlights.
On if Rob Ryan would be a possible replacement for Jason Garrett:
"No. If you're going to get rid of Jason Garrett, you need to have a credibility hire. I think you saw that with (Bill) Parcells. I think you have to go out and hire a name. If this team collapses down the stretch, the fan base is going to be hostile. They're going to want a name. I don't think you can give it to Rob Ryan. I don't think you can give it to some bright young coach. I think you've got to go out and get a name like Sean Payton, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren. If Garrett doesn't work, you have to hire a legitimate name."
On if Rob Ryan would be a possible replacement for Jason Garrett:
"He's got a relationship with Jerry (Jones) from the competition committee. I think Jerry would probably inquire if he has an interest. What Mike said yesterday is he doesn't have an interest. But he's still in the Browns building. I hear Mike still wants to coach. If you want to coach, what's wrong with the Dallas Cowboys? It's America's team. I think Sean Payton would probably love to coach here at some point. I don't think he would have any trouble hiring a name. I think Holmgren would have an interest."


text:
Brooks House plan advances
BRATTLEBORO -- The local investment team that came together last year to purchase and redevelop The Brooks House knew it was not going to be easy to put together the deal to get Brattleboro's historic downtown landmark open again.
Physically, the 1871 Main Street property needed to be completely restored after an April 2011 fire severely damaged the structure.
There were new tenants to find for the apartments, old merchants to convince to come back or new ones to talk into committing to renting a storefront in the new space, and a high profile campaign to bring Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College into the project.
And then there was the little matter of coming up with the $22 million needed to pull the whole thing together.
Mesabi, LLC, the development team made of five local investors, hoped to start work in January but problems with the financing and with filling the empty storefronts, offices and apartments delayed the work.
Now the project is back on track and the developers say they are close to finalizing the deal that will allow them to start the work needed to reopen The Brooks House.
"It's not a matter of 'if,' it is a matter of 'when,'" said Mesabi, LLC, partner Bob Stevens. "There has been a lot of interest in this project and it is coming together now."
Mascoma Bank, which has its operations center in White River Junction, has agreed to be the lead lender in the complex deal which includes private and public investments, pre-lease agreements, tax credits, grants and loans.
The January start date was postponed because developers could not find a bank which was comfortable with the complicated arrangement and would act as the lead lender.
With Mascoma now on board, and commitments for about 60 percent of the space, Stevens said construction crews could be in the building as early as May to begin work.
"It's full speed ahead now," Stevens said. "We have taken the next step and are spending more money and sending out letters and getting lawyers involved. We're all in."
Even though Stevens says the project is moving forward there are still parts to get in place before work begins.
Before Mascoma agrees to sign on the bank wants to make sure enough of the space is going to be rented in the new Brooks Hose once it is open.
Stevens said Mesabi, LLC, has been preleasing the stores, apartments and offices and they only need tenant agreements for about three or four apartments and one more commercial space.
On Thursday, March 14 from 5 to 7 p.m., developers will host an open house and leasing party at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden to promote the project and try to get more people interested in coming on board.
Former Brattleboro resident Stephanie Bonin, who practically grew up in the Brooks House when her parents owned and operated the Book Cellar there for 20 years, is going to be moving in with her husband and partner, Keith Arnold.
The couple owns and operates a restaurant, Duo, in Denver, and they have decided to move back to the area.
Financing for the project includes using New Market Tax Credits, which Stevens said some local banks were uncomfortable with using.
The New Market Tax Credits put restrictions on how and when banks are able to take over a property in the event of a foreclosure.
After trying to work with local banks, developers sent out proposals to 16 banks, some as far as Boston, and ultimately received three positive responses.
Brattleboro Savings and Loan has been an important part of the financing, and will remain a key player, Stevens said, but Mesabi needed a lead lender, and with the announcement this week that Mascoma will take that role, Stevens says a start date has once again come into focus.
A closing has been penciled in for late April and Stevens said work could start in May.
"It's been a long slog, but we would not have gotten this far without all of the support we have received from the town and from the people here," Stevens said. "This has to happen. We have no choice. I am confident we will get there."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at email@example.com, or 802-254-2311, ext. 279. You can follow him on Twitter @HowardReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


text:
Pablo Sandoval is swinging to success
Giants hitter takes great pleasure in hacking often
Pablo Sandoval has never met a pitch he didn't like.
High and outside is fine with him. Low and inside works just as well. Strike or ball, it doesn't matter at all. The Giants' plumber-shaped third baseman explains his hitting philosophy with refreshing candor.
"I see the ball. I hit the ball."
The club has tried to change that, and Sandoval laughs at their efforts.
"They try to make me more selective," he said. "But you know, any pitch they throw, wherever it is, I like it."
That approach worked very well for Hall-of-Famer Yogi Berra, a notorious bad-ball hitter, and Sandoval, who knows all about Berra's reputation, has made himself successful with it as well. He once dug a pitch out of the dirt and hit it for a home run. He routinely swings at balls over his head and once doubled on a pitch that was supposed to be part of an intentional walk.
He does not believe in working the count. He is up there to swing and leads the Majors in first-pitch hacks. He was second in the National League in hitting in mid-August and is especially dangerous with two out, hitting better than .360 in those situations. He has quickly emerged as the go-to guy in the Giants attack, their leading long ball threat and their leading run producer.
And, boy, is he having fun in his first full Major League season. He plays with a perpetual smile, with the kind of ebullience and enthusiasm that spreads through a clubhouse.
"I always have fun," he said. "On the field, you forget everything else."
Sandoval jumped to the Giants last August after beginning the season in Class A and never had played above Double-A when he got to San Francisco. He was an immediate hit, batting .345 in 145 at-bats and carving a full-time role for himself.
"It has been an exciting year," he said. "I've been here one year, and when they call you up, you think maybe I'll be there a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks. They didn't tell me anything. They said, `Come and play.' So I play. I play on instinct."
And it works for him.
Sandoval lets nothing stand in his way. Growing up in Venuezela, he was left-handed. "My hero was Omar Vizquel. I want to play shortstop like him," he said.
There aren't too many left-handed shortstops, though, a problem Sandoval solved with refreshing simplicity. "I practiced every day throwing right-handed." he said. "Practiced for one month. Now I am right-handed."
He is also a switch hitter, among the very few who are also switch throwers. A third baseman, Sandoval has also been used as a first baseman and at catcher. Whatever manager Bruce Bochy wants, he'll do. "I just want to play," he said. "I want to be in the lineup every day."
And in a Giants lineup that is sometimes challenged offensively, the 23-year-old is a cornerstone. He keeps the clubhouse loose. When a pair of new cleats arrived in mid-season, Sandoval opened the box only to find them in Cardinal red colors. This did not go over well with the orange-and-black colors of the Giants.
"So I gave them to my brother," Sandoval said.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 246-pounds and equipped with an ample midsection, he comes to the plate looking like somebody out of a beer softball league. And he reminds his teammates that baseball is supposed to be fun.
When he sidestepped a tag at home plate with a neat bit of footwork last September, pitcher Barry Zito gave the fireplug-shaped Sandoval a nickname. In the clubhouse, he is Kung Fu Panda.
Some people might object to being named after a cuddly cartoon character. Not Sandoval. "I love that nickname," he said.
And the Giants love their cuddly third baseman.
Hal Bock is a freelance writer based in New York.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
SHEEN: Is it true that your Twitter name is HotForRob23?Read in full at Interview :)
GREENE: That's absolutely not true.
SHEEN: Okay, last question: In exactly 10 years' time, what would you like to be doing?
GREENE: I'll be 32. Maybe having a baby?
SHEEN: You'd like to be in hideous pain on this day in 10 years' time?
GREENE: I have a high tolerance for pain. No, I think something along the lines of doing a really incredible, inspiring film with a strong female character. I think when I'm around 32, I'll be up for things like that.
SHEEN: What are a couple of female performances in films that you watched that have inspired you?
GREENE: Charlize Theron in Monster [2003]. She's one of the most incredibly beautiful people alive, and when I was watching that movie, she scared the shit out of me. I thought she did a fantastic job.
SHEEN: I watched 500 Days of Summer [2009] the other day. I thought Zooey Deschanel was fantastic.
GREENE: She's the queen of indies. And, Joseph Gordon-Levitt transitioned really well, too.
SHEEN: You make it sound like he's an alien. "He transitions."
GREENE: No, I'm just saying that I might have a mini-crush on him. That's all I'm saying.
SHEEN: Well, this is an interview, not a dating agency. I'm not here to hook you up. But, on that note, I think we've taken up enough of your time. You can get back to your much more important life that you've got going on in the background.
GREENE: Like eating dinner.
SHEEN: By the way, you got the answer to the 10 years' time question wrong. The correct answer is: working with me.
GREENE: Oh, of course. Doing a fantastic film with Michael Sheen. Where he plays an elf.
- Lorabell


text:
Huiyuan's question as follows.
Kumārajīva replies to this by introducing the idea of an illusory body.《鳩摩羅什法師大義》卷1:「遠問曰。佛於法身中為菩薩說經。法身菩薩乃能見之。如此則有四大五根。若然者。與色身復何差別。而云法身耶。經云法身無去無來。無有起滅。泥洹同像。云何可見。而復講說乎。」(CBETA, T45, no. 1856, p. 122, c6-10)
"Huiyuan asks, 'The Buddha as the dharmakāya teaches sūtras to the bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas are able to see the dharmakāya. If it is like this, then it would have the four elements and five faculties. If so, what difference is there with a form body, and why call it a dharmakāya? The sūtras state that the dharmakāya is without going and without coming. It has no arising and no cessation, always like nirvāṇa. How are they able to see it and furthermore [how is it] able to teach?'"
The thing to note here is that the illusory bodies are described as extensions of the dharmakāya. In one sense, they are the dharmakāya, but the true dharmakāya is not actually being perceived, but just a provisional manifestation of it. These illusory bodies, like the dharmakāya, are further described as having the quality of an image in a mirror.《鳩摩羅什法師大義》卷1:「什答曰。佛法身者。同於變化。化無四大五根。」(CBETA, T45, no. 1856, p. 122, c11-12)
"Kumārajīva replies, 'The Buddha's dharmakāya is the same as an illusion. It is without the four elements and five faculties.'"
The relationship between the two as noted above is akin to the sun and sunlight. See the following.《鳩摩羅什法師大義》卷1:「如鏡中像。水中月。見如有色。而無觸等。則非色也。化亦如是。法身亦然。又經言法身者。或說佛所化身。或說妙行法身。」(CBETA, T45, no. 1856, p. 122, c20-23)
"Like the image in a mirror or a moon in the water, it appears to have form, but there is no tactile [quality] to it, therefore it is not form. The illusion is also like this. The dharmakāya is also so. Again, the sūtras speak of a dharmakāya, others explain an illusionary body of the Buddha, while others explain it as a dharmakāya of excellent practices."
He also explains a difference between the "true body" of the Buddha and the innumerable illusory ones which arise from the former. The former is also beyond the three realms. Again, in his words:《鳩摩羅什法師大義》卷1:「真法身者。猶如日現。所化之身同若日光。」(CBETA, T45, no. 1856, p. 123, a9-10)
"The true dharmakāya is like the sun manifest. The illusionary body is like the sunlight."
So, as to whether these nirmaṇakāyas are philosophical zombies or not, I would say judging from Kumārajīva's ideas, that this would be the case.《鳩摩羅什法師大義》卷1:「真法身者。遍滿十方虛空法界。光明悉照無量國土。說法音聲。常周十方無數之國。具足十住菩薩之眾。乃得聞法。從是佛身方便現化。常有無量無邊化佛。遍於十方。隨眾生類若干差品。而為現形。光明色像。精麁不同。如來真身。九住菩薩尚不能見。何況惟越致及餘眾生。所以者何。佛法身者。出於三界。不依身口心行。無量無漏諸淨功德本行所成。」(CBETA, T45, no. 1856, p. 122, c29-p. 123, a8)
"The true dharmakāya pervades the empty dharma-realm of the ten direction, its light completely illuminating immeasurable lands. The sound of the dharma being taught always encompassing innumerable realms of the ten direction. The masses of bodhisattvas fully abiding on the tenth stage are able to hear [that] dharma. From the Buddha's body there provisionally (upaya) manifest illusions, there always being immeasurable and unlimited illusory buddhas pervading the ten directions, manifesting forms appropriate to the differences in dispositions of sentient beings, differing in brilliance, physical appearance, fineness and coarseness. The true body of the Tathāgata is not even capable of being seen by ninth stage bodhisattvas. How much more so those who have achieved non-retrogression (avaivartika) and other sentient beings? The reason for this is that the Buddha's dharmakāya is beyond the three realms, not relying upon karma of the body, speech or mind, having been perfected by immeasurable and untainted pure merit and past deeds."
From an Abhidharma perspective, one needs a certain set of faculties for ordinary perception and awareness. As the nirmaṇakāya is made up neither of elements or faculties for that matter, we may infer that it would not have an awareness or perception, being an illusory body of the dharmakāya. It has the quality of a moon in the water or a reflection in the mirror. Visible, but not tangible. One might also suggest it is a non-volitional reaction (hence not karma as volitional action) spurn from the immeasurable qualities of the dharmakāya, though not relying on karma of body, speech and mind.


text:
Redding Man Stabbed by Nephew Celebrates Birthday; Continues to Heal
REDDING, Calif. - A Redding man brutally stabbed by his nephew celebrates his birthday as he continues to heal at a rehabilitation center.
Doctor Ron Zufall, a close friend of Bob's, visited him for his birthday Thursday afternoon. He told us he is looking great and is determined to keep getting better.
Zufall said Bob loves all the letters and cards he's been getting and that they encourage him to stay positive.
He says Bob might have a long road to recovery ahead of him, but is making steady progress everyday.
His daughter, Dawn, said the rehabilitation center is working on getting him back to eating and drinking solid foods. She said his wounds are starting to heal and the normal color of his face is coming back.
68 year old Bob Watson was stabbed several times in his home on Boston Avenue on June 8th.
His wife, 66 year old Candace Watson, was also stabbed multiple times. She was found dead in the garage of their home.
30 year old Cody Nash of Portland, Candace's nephew, was back in a Shasta County Courtroom Thursday morning. The case was put on hold because the lead prosecutor is out of the office.
Nash pleaded not guilty last month, even though investigators say he admitted slashing the Redding couple with a knife as a way to get up the guts to kill himself.
Nash is expected back in court July 26th when a decision to move forward to a preliminary hearing will be made.


text:
Heart Rate Variability to Detect Equine Transport Stress
- Jun 8, 2012
- Topics:
Researchers monitored heart rate and heart rate variability, finding that both air and ground transportation create stressful environments for horses.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse
A fear of flying can lead to such extreme stress that many people find themselves unable to board an airplane. While horses aren't likely to show a true "fear of flying," they are undoubtedly stressed by air travel, according to a recently completed study of in-flight horses.
In addition to revealing stress levels of horses during air and road transport, the study led by Hajime Ohmura, DVM, PhD, of the Japan Racing Association's Equine Research Institute, also provided the researchers an opportunity to better evaluate the usefulness of heart rate variability (HRV) in analyzing equine stress.
Using an electrocardiogram, Ohmura et al. measured heart rate and heart rate variability of six healthy Warmblood horses during:
- A 24-hour pre-transportation quarantine;
- A 4 ½-hour trailer ride;
- A 5-hour waiting period after the trailer ride; and
- An 11-hour flight.
The team found that both air travel and road travel both caused major spikes in the heart rate of study horses compared to rest in quarantine. They also learned that the HRV (variations between heart rates) could be an even more "sensitive" indicator of the kind of stress that horses experience during transport, Ohmura said. HRV determines how much the beat-to-beat interval (the heart rate) changes in a given amount of time.
Heart rate readings alone did not provide reliable information about the horses' stress levels, Ohmura reported in his study, as it had certain peaks and lulls that might suggest that the horse wasn't stressed at certain times of transport. For example, the six Warmblood horses used in the current study had very high heart rates during the first hour of road transportation, but then their heart rates dropped dramatically as though they had just gotten used to the travel.
Study author James H. Jones, PhD, DVM, of the school of veterinary medicine at the University of California-Davis in Davis, California, relayed, "We could detect stress from the HRV pattern throughout travel, compared to stall rest. In fact, in a previous study we noted that there is a modest occurrence of (ground) transport stress related to respiratory disease (in horses that travel for) up to about 10-12 hours. After that, the occurrence of 'shipping fever' shoots up dramatically. That seems to be a key duration for lots of horses."
Air transportation was no less stressful, despite the horses appearing calm during an uneventful 11-hour flight from Belgium to Japan, Jones added. HRV readings confirmed high levels of stress for these equine passengers. "Horses do not seem to like being confined in an air stall in a noisy bumpy environment," Jones said.
It's too soon to compare the kinds of stress horses experience between air and road transport, Jones added. More data on air transport could lead to a better understanding of this particular source of stress.
The study, "Changes in heart rate and heart rate variability during transportation of horses by road and air," appeared in the April 2012 issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research. The abstract is available online.
About the Author
Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA
Christa Lesté-Lasserre is a freelance writer based in France. A native of Dallas, Texas, Lesté-Lasserre grew up riding Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Shetland Ponies. She holds a master's degree in English, specializing in creative writing, from the University of Mississippi in Oxford and earned a bachelor's in journalism and creative writing with a minor in sciences from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She currently keeps her two Trakehners at home near Paris. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.
Related Content
Imported Horses: Prevalence of Fevers Examined (AAEP 2011)
Study Evaluates Pheromone Gel's Calming Effects on Horses
Travel Documents: Know What You Need to Travel with Horses
Shipping Fever: Prevention is Key
Tips for Winter Horse Hauling
Mass Transit; To the World Equestrian Games We Go!
Horses Unlikely to Spread Arboviruses to New Areas
2009 Year in Review: Staff Picks
TheHorse.com Nets Five AHP Awards
Providing Horse Transport Breaks
POLL: Checking for Gastric Ulcers


text:
Serve grapes, apples and figs alongside.
- Yield
- Serves 6
- 2 very ripe Bartlett pears (about 7 ounces each), peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, cut into 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons brandy
- 1 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry (2 sheets), thawed
- 6 tablespoons crushed amaretti cookies
- 6 blanched almond slivers
- 1 large egg, beaten to blend
- Combine pears, sugar and brandy in large bowl. Toss to coat.
- Draw one 4 x 4-inch pear shape and one 4 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pear shape on parchment paper. Using scissors, cut out shapes.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out 1 pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Using 4 x 4-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Transfer pear-shaped pastries to baking sheet, spacing evenly.
- Sprinkle half of crushed cookies over pastries, leaving 1/2-inch border. Arrange pear slices over crushed cookies. Sprinkle remaining cookies over pears. Roll out second pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 14 1/2-inch square. Using 4 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch parchment template, cut out 6 pear shapes from pastry. Brush edges of pastries on baking sheet with water. Arrange larger pear-shaped pastries atop pears, pressing pastry edges together to adhere. Press edges with fork to seal. Using skewer, poke small hole in top of each turnover to allow steam to escape. Press 1 almond sliver in tip of each turnover to represent stem. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush turnovers with egg. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)
Related Video
Nutritional Info
- Calories548
- Carbohydrates53 g(18%)
- Fat33 g(51%)
- Protein8 g(15%)
- Saturated Fat8 g(42%)
- Sodium231 mg(10%)
- Polyunsaturated Fat4 g
- Fiber3 g(13%)
- Monounsaturated Fat19 g
- Cholesterol31 mg(10%)


text:
Front Range > Green Mountain (Denver) > Climber's Log
Green Mountain (Denver) Climber's Log
[ Sign the Climber's Log ]
|Rest day hike
Date Climbed: Sep 13, 2015
|I took a break from the mountains that day down in Denver and went out in the evening to stretch my legs. This hike fit the bill. Seeing Denver in twilight down below was a treat.
|Posted Oct 7, 2016 11:34 pm
|Green Mountain & Hayden Trails
Date Climbed: Nov 24, 2015
|This was my 4th time on Green Mountain. I took the same route (more or less) as last time. We had a pretty good snowstorm last week, so the trail was still muddy in spots, and there was a little leftover snow on the north facing slopes and alcoves. It was sunny, a little breezy, cool but not too cold.
|Posted Nov 24, 2015 3:26 pm
|Climbing Jack
|Training Run
Date Climbed: Mar 14, 2011
|Done as a training run many times.
|Posted Jul 21, 2014 10:36 pm
|Boriss Andean
|A bit muddy
Date Climbed: Apr 5, 2014
|Nice bike ride and views!... a bit muddy.
|Posted Apr 6, 2014 5:07 pm
|Thanksgiving run.
Date Climbed: Nov 28, 2013
|Beautiful Thanksgiving day in Denver, nice little hike.
|Posted Nov 28, 2013 4:36 pm
|Loop from Utah Ave TH
Date Climbed: Nov 22, 2013
|Fun hike close to town. Love the new snow. http://www.coloradoascents.blogspot.com/2013/11/green-mountain.html
|Posted Nov 22, 2013 11:55 pm
|After work
Date Climbed: Jul 5, 2013
|Very pretty area...
|Posted Jul 5, 2013 10:02 pm
|from the front door
Date Climbed: Nov 13, 2009
|Nice running trails. Watch out for rattlesnakes.
|Posted Jun 3, 2013 8:25 am
Date Climbed: Apr 13, 2013
|I've been driving past this quick & easy hike for almost 20 years on my way to other ski and climbing trips in the Front Range. Stopped off today on my way home from a day of skiing and finally did it. What a view of the city; didn't realize just how expansive Denver is.
|Posted Apr 14, 2013 12:16 am
|Green Mountain & Hayden Trails
Date Climbed: Mar 30, 2013
|I was supposed to meet some other hikers at the Florida trailhead, but they never showed. So I took the Green Mountain Trail to the summit, then took the Hayden Trail back to the trailhead. The trail was muddy in spot thanks to last Saturday's snowstorm, but it was mostly fine. It was a nice day, sunny and a little windy. Quite a few bikers and hikers up there.
|Posted Mar 30, 2013 1:29 pm
|Summer and Winter
|Up twice, once in the summer once on skis in the winter.
|Posted Nov 4, 2012 7:36 pm
|Pete Castricone
Date Climbed: Apr 5, 2012
|Nice area for trail running and easy mountain biking. Been out here many times.
|Posted May 31, 2012 3:36 pm
|After work standard
Date Climbed: Nov 27, 2011
|Hiked, Biked, Ran. Great peak for getting some elevation when short on time from the Denver area.
|Posted Mar 30, 2012 3:53 pm
|Ted Eliason
|Trail Run or Ride
Date Climbed: Jan 1, 2001
|This is a trail run or mountain bike ride with several route options
|Posted Oct 13, 2011 4:01 pm
|Boriss Andean
|Nice full moon and sunset over Denver.
Date Climbed: Oct 12, 2011
|Daniela and I got back to Green Mountain. Being just 10 minutes away from home it's the best place for us to go for a walk in the afternoon hours.
We had the best sunsets and views of Denver from up there.
|Posted Oct 12, 2011 9:52 pm
|Boriss Andean
|Nice views and sunset.
Date Climbed: Oct 2, 2011
|Nice views of Denver and surroundings. Daniela and I hiked for a while up on the very well maintained trails. We had an awesome sunset. We're so happy we found this place just 10 minutes away from home. We'll be back soon.
|Posted Oct 2, 2011 10:04 pm
|a great hike close to town
|I've done this several times, primarily as part of the "triathalon" with the hogback and Mt. Morrison. It's a good spot to get views of metro Denver.
|Posted Aug 21, 2011 5:27 pm
|Sarah Simon
|Forsberg / Iron Spring parking
Date Climbed: May 22, 2011
|Frustrated on summiting Colorado Mines and missing out of Flora, AGAIN, due to weather, AGAIN, I headed up Green Mountain to burn off some excess energy. I was not disappointed! This is a beautiful and singular mountain and reminded me quite a bit of the south Bay Area. Nice views, good hike.
|Posted May 22, 2011 8:45 pm
|Green Mountain in the evening
Date Climbed: Apr 12, 2011
|As an after-work hike.
|Posted Apr 12, 2011 10:30 pm
Date Climbed: Mar 26, 2011
|Went up from the south parking areas then headed over to Mt Morrison, nice trail network here, I can see why its so popular.
|Posted Mar 26, 2011 8:22 pm


text:
did Obito use his transparent jutsu on th jubii or did the jubii just somehow use the same jutsu?:shrug:
if u looke at http://www.mangareader.net/naruto/609/16 last panel u see that obito has both hands on the ground and coments on kakashi question + the chakra of the jubii has completly disapered like obitos does when he uses his jutsu.
but if tobi can do this why hasnt he done it before?


text:
Sweeney selected to fifth All-Star Game
Royals captain last chosen to AL team during 2003 season
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
Sweeney was named Sunday to the American League All-Star squad as Kansas City's only representative for the July 12 game.
He also was named an All-Star reserve for four straight years, 2000-03.
Sweeney matches Amos Otis and Frank White for the second-most All-Star selections in franchise history with five. George Brett was a 13-time All-Star.
"I got the call this morning from [team travel director] Jeff Davenport and he said, 'George Brett.' I said, 'What do you mean? George Brett?' He said, 'Number 5, George Brett. It's your fifth one, you're going to the All-Star Game,'" Sweeney said.
"George Brett is Kansas City baseball and, obviously, I want to follow in his footsteps. And to go to my fifth All-Star Game is an honor and a thrill."
The All-Star Game, to be held at Detroit's Comerica Park on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m. CT, will be televised nationally by FOX and televised around the world by Major League Baseball International. ESPN Radio will provide exclusive, national radio coverage, while MLB.com will provide extensive online coverage and MLB Radio will provide exclusive play-by-play coverage of the game on the Internet.
Batting .299, Sweeney led the Royals with nine home runs and 19 doubles and was tied with right fielder Emil Brown for the club lead with 37 RBIs before Sunday night's game.
"He's the best player on this team," infielder Tony Graffanino said. "I know he's been hurt and missed some time over the course of the season but he probably has just about the best numbers of anybody on the team anyway. But if you take away stats and look just at one guy who should be an All-Star, it would be him."
In each of his first three All-Star Games, at Atlanta, Seattle and Milwaukee, Sweeney had one at-bat without a hit. In 2003, at Chicago, he sat out because of a back injury. So he'd like to break through with an All-Star hit.
"I've faced some pretty good pitchers in the past and I'm sure I'll face another one in Detroit but I'd like to get on the board," he said. "I want to go out there and try to make a splash. Try to do something great on the field to put Kansas City back on the map."
Getting hits has never been much of a problem for Sweeney, except when he's battled injuries. A rigorous offseason program last winter seemed to cure the back problems he had the previous two seasons. This year, however, he missed 10 games because of a rib-cage strain and 13 more while on the disabled list with left-arm injuries suffered in a baseline collision.
Yet, in 56 games, he still had 66 hits.
"He's definitely the captain of our team," center fielder David DeJesus said, "and when he was in the lineup, he was a force. He drove in the runs when we needed them so he's definitely deserving of the honor and I hope he has fun there and does well."
Sweeney had his biggest season in 2000 when he batted .333 with 29 homers and 144 RBIs. A popular figure in Kansas City, he is under contract through 2007.
"I think it's a matter of Mike's track record and he's got some good numbers even though he's been hurt the last month," manager Buddy Bell said.
Brown, a longtime Minor Leaguer, has had a storybook season, emerging as a .293 hitter with eight homers, 16 doubles, 37 RBIs and a team-leading 41 runs. Those numbers surely made him a viable choice, too.
"I haven't really thought about it," Brown said. "Maybe next time I'll have better numbers. ... He's a good player. He's deserving."
Sweeney was named to the team by AL manager Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox. In balloting by fans, Sweeney finished seventh among AL first baseman with 510,385 votes
"Every year it's a little different honor," said Bell, also a five-time AL All-Star. "Every year you go there, you're with some new All-Stars and that's what I enjoyed about it most. Seeing guys that are there for the first time, really sucking all of it up and talking to some of the older guys."
Sweeney has his own special memory from his first All-Star Game in Atlanta.
"At the time my little sister, Tara, was 7 years old and I got to take her on the field with me for the national anthem," he said, "and I'll never forget the feeling of holding her in my arms and seeing the F-16 fighter jets flying overhead and thinking, 'Man, this is something special.'"
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
More than 1,500 students, including some from the Czech Republic, gathered this weekend at Tustin High School for the 20th Model United Nations Conference.
Members of Model United Nations from schools across California, plus 15 students and teachers from the Czech Republic, held mock trials and acted as world leaders during the conference.
The students tackled historical and current topics, including World War II, war crimes and child abduction in Uganda, and the impact of Mexican drug cartels.
The conference at Tustin High is the largest west of the Mississippi, said Tustin High MUN Director Linda Levine.
The Tustin High School team is made up of about 250 members and will be competing in the Czech Republic in January and St. Petersburg in March.


text:
I was wondering if anyone here has coded Microsoft Agents before? (www.microsoft.com/msagent). I'm trying to code up one using c++ but i can't even get the sample code to run - i downloaded the header and include files and put them into the include folder. All i get is errors - 74 of them :
d:\Dev-Cpp\include\AgtSvr_i.c conflicting types for `typedef struct _IID
The rest say about the same thing - conflicting types etc.
Can anyone help?


text:
Yeah. I keep forgetting: RTFM. Three pumpkin years to go by November 8.
And that's Perl tenure: old fashioned alacrity like the one practiced and perfected by Randal and Schwern. With a bunch of smiles, of course, because that's rgs. (Fortunately, he's not that fierce yet.) Congratulations again!
Yes, thank you, this is timely. I'll be turning x30 (or \060) in x0C days, but I had forgotten this was a divisible cycle. [I had noticed [perl.org] 2 years ago.]
As an old C and PDP8/11 hack I *should* have been counting down the days
(Does no one train kids to count in binary on their finger
perl -le '@X=(0..9, 'a'..'f');
sub d2b {my ($b,$x)=@_;
my ($q,$r)=(int($x/$b),$x % $b);
($c,$q)=(int($q/$b), $q % $b);
return ($c?$X[$c]:" ")."$X[$q]$X[$r]"; }
$,=" ";
while ($n = shift) {
print $n, map {d2b($_,$n)} @B;}
INIT {@B=(6..16); printf "dd";
printf " %3d",$_ for @B;print "";


text:
31.0604 Meetings and hearings.Cite as [A.S.A.C. § 31.0604]
Regular meetings and hearings of the board shall be held in the Office of Development Planning, unless otherwise announced, on the second Wednesday of the months of January, April, July and October at 3: 00 p.m. Such other meetings and hearings as are necessary for the efficient conduct of its business may be held at such times and places as determined by the chair. All meetings and hearings shall be open to the public unless otherwise determined by the chair.History: Rule 4-88, eff 16 Jun 88, § 2.


text:
Discussion in 'Pro Match Results and Discussion' started by Agassifan, Nov 11, 2012.
Rafa: 1-1
Nole: 2-2
Murray: 3-2
Not bad I'd say
He's just about hanging on. Only 2 of the wins are important though.
I'd say 3 of those are important. On the same token, only 3 of the losses are important... I am talking about ******* here. Not Federer.
But then you could say only 2 of the losses are important (or 3 I guess if you want to include Olympics).
He's 2-2 in majors against the top 4 this year, what are you talking about? At the same time Nadal had 2 big wins this year, Djokovic had 3 while Murray had 1.
Like the finest wine, he ages so well! 70+ wins, a major, 3 MS1000's and 16 weeks at #1...all at age 30-31, spotting his main competitors 5 years...he's a classic worth watching over and over again!
Those are brilliant stats, though. Even if he loses tomorrow he's at 50% of matches won against the whole younger generation of top players aged 24-26 while he himself is 31.
I wanna see Murray or Nadal have a 50 % record against the next great 25-year olds when they hit 30+. Well, Nadal won't be playing obviously, but Murray.
Murray at 31 will go 0-10 vs the top 5 players, oh and he won't even be top 5 himself.
vs. Nadal (1-1)
2012 Australian Open SF: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer (6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4)
2012 Indian Wells SF: Roger Federer def. Rafael Nadal (6-3, 6-4)
vs. Djokovic (2-2)
2012 Rome SF: Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer (6-2, 7-6)
2012 French Open SF: Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer (6-4, 7-5, 6-3)
2012 Wimbledon SF: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic (6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3)
2012 Cincinnati F: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic (6-0, 7-6)
vs. Murray (3-2)
2012 Dubai F: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (7-5, 6-4)
2012 Wimbledon F: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4)
2012 London Olympics F: Andy Murray def. Roger Federer (6-2, 6-1, 6-4)
2012 Shanghai SF: Andy Murray def. Roger Federer (6-4, 6-4)
2012 World Tour Finals SF: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (7-6, 6-2)
2012 Australian Open SF: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer (6-7, 6-2, 7-6, 6-4)
2012 Dubai F: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (7-5, 6-4)
2012 Indian Wells SF: Roger Federer def. Rafael Nadal (6-3, 6-4)
2012 Rome SF: Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer (6-2, 7-6)
2012 French Open SF: Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer (6-4, 7-5, 6-3)
2012 Wimbledon SF: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic (6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3)
2012 Wimbledon F: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4)
2012 London Olympics F: Andy Murray def. Roger Federer (6-2, 6-1, 6-4)
2012 Cincinnati F: Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic (6-0, 7-6)
2012 Shanghai SF: Andy Murray def. Roger Federer (6-4, 6-4)
2012 World Tour Finals SF: Roger Federer def. Andy Murray (7-6, 6-2)
So Fed is 6-5 this year against the other top 4 members. But notably 0-2 on clay.
Primerer you mean.
Chance to go 3-2 vs Djokovic tomorrow..
This is an impressive record against those guys considering the stage of Federer's career. Hopefully he makes it 3-2 against Novak tomorrow. Before Fed retires I want to see him and Nadal battle on some of the faster hard court surfaces and Wimbledon again, I feel like Fed can avenge some losses.
Well it's hardly noteworthy he's 0-2 on clay. He's only beat Nadal twice in 14 attempts even in his prime, and you'd have to give him the edge against Murray. So he's 0-2 against Djokovic. Hardly shocking.
Did anyone else beat Nadal twice on clay? Ever?
He's only lost 6 or so matches on clay in his career since he became a regular on the tour.
(I did look up all his clay losses one time, but don't feel like doing it now)
You mean in a calendar year?
Federer beat Nadal in '09 Madrid and in '07 Hamburg.
Djokovic beat Nadal in '11 Madrid and Rome (and would've beaten if they faced each other in RG).
You are right. I think when I looked it up it was before Djokovic also did it.
Can't say one way or another about RG that year, though. It is Nadal's playground. It does say something for Federer, though, that he did manage to beat Djokovic and end the streak.
That's what happens when Roger doesn't meet Nadal on clay all the time.
.500 isnt bad, but Serena Williams was something like 8-0 vs the so called (lol) top 2 women in the World. She truly is one a kind. No women or man in history has been that dominant over her main competition at that age.
Her competition is much weaker though. Federer is up against 2 all time greats in their own right (I expect Djokovic to bag around 9 majors or so) and an extremely talented player in Andy Murray (who honestly probably should have the career of someone like Boris Becker, just unlucky that he is playing against such monsters).
Although I cant stand her Sharapova will probably end up with about 7 majors and be regarded as an all time great, on par or above Venus and Henin due to her career Slam. Azarenka will probably end up with 5 or 6 and be regarded a borderline all time great atleast. Not neccessarily far behind Djokovic's eventual standing in the mens games, and likely well above Murray's when all are said and done.
Even evaluating all as currently are Sharapova has won 4 majors and has the Career Slam, Djokovic has won 5 and doesnt have the Career Slam. Azarenka is a slam winner and year end #1, and was within a whisker of her 2nd slam in the same year. Murray is a slam winner who has never reached #1. I dont see the edge, unless you consider Nadal who apart from the early slow hard court season was an irrelevance to Federer this year (they didnt play on clay, then Nadal was AWOL the remainder). Anyway if you believe most of this forum Nadal is washed up off of clay (possibly true when he hasnt won a non clay title since 2010 now) and Federer is probably washed up on clay, so they barely co exist anymore.
Sharapova is such a hot and cold player. She has no middle game, if she on she's great, if not she's average. Basically she probably wouldn't have the same amount of slams if there was anyone good around. Serena can't win every slam, but she is the only truly world class player out there. It's like if Nadal was the only world class player (Fed, retired in 2007 and Djokovic and Murray don't exist) Nadal still wouldn't have won everything. Someone else would have won AO 2010 and 2011, RG 2009, Wimbledon 2012, US Oen 2009 for instance. Maybe Soderling or Berdych or Tsonga would have a few slams. Wouldn't make them any better as players.
Serena is now dealing with players who offer her as much competition as people like Tsonga offer Federer. At one time she had henin, Venus, Clijsters really giving her a hard time, but now no-one has the game or guts to stand with her.
Again not a Sharapova fan but lets not delude yourself into thinking she only won slams since someone had to. She denied a peak Justine Henin (who this forum seems to think is some god) 2 slams at the 2006 U.S Open and 2008 Australian Open. She arguably played a large role in ruining Henin's career and legacy to an extent as it left Henin with the stigma of a 1-3 slam finals year at her peak, and with only 1 year as the clear and undisputed #1 (2007, as 2003, 2004, and 2006 all now have question marks, whereas 2006 would be clear had she won that U.S Open final over Sharapova), while the 2008 Australian Open beatdown was part of the start of her loss of confidence, poor string of early 2008 results and subsequent retirement. Meanwhile for all the years of humiliation now at the hand of Serena beatdowns, she even denied Serena the 2004 Wimbledon title and 2004 WTA Championship title. The only major title you can maybe say she won since someone had to was the 2012 French, but then again she could have just not won it and allowed another Schiavone or Na to, but she didnt and instead won a slam on her worst surface (never easy for a non GOAT caliber player regardless your competition) to complete her Career Slam. So as much as I cant stand Sharapova one must give credit where credit is due. She is clearly much more than some random default Champion.
One would have to dispute your notion Serena is the only World class player out there. Sharapova won 3 of her current 4 games from 2004-2008 when Venus, Henin, Serena, Mauresmo, Davenport, Clijsters were all mostly at a given time around and going strong. She proved herself a World class player a long time ago. Azarenka as well is a World class player, if the field she is ranked #1 (and yes I know Serena is hands down the real #1 and isnt ranked there since she doesnt play enough to cater to the WTA ranking system but that is aside the point of Azarenka being a worthy World class contender) over lacks depth it isnt her fault. The mens is the same as the womens now anyway, 3 or 4 really strong, and nothing after that, no difference.
Djokovic is a much greater player than Sharapova ever will be(and I like Maria and dislike Cvac). He's had much more consistency over the last 5 years and has been no one's pigeon. He'll end up with more majors and more titles overall, as well as going deep in basically every event he's played in for the last 5 years as well as total domination last year. Compare their career prize money so far for a comparison of their overall career (fair because they are the same age, so inflation isn't a factor), Djokovic has much more frequently been a factor at the latter end of tournaments for years now.
Murray again has been a much bigger factor for the past 4 years than Azarenka and his problems were to do with the players in front of him rather than just having a weak game like Azarenka.
And we haven't even mentioned Nadal yet, who IMO is probably a better champion than Serena herself (not to invoke TMF, but Tennis Channel agrees, having Serena at #14 all time and Nadal at #6).
I know you are a big fan of the WTA and Serena in particular it seems, but there is a big difference in level and ability between the top of the WTA and ATP right now.
Like I said Nadal and Federer practically dont co exist anymore. Nadal seems washed up outside of clay, not even having a tournament on a non clay event since 2010 now (soon to be 3 years). Federer was never a threat to Nadal on clay, and is even less of one now. This year they played twice early on the year on slow hard courts, each winning one, never again after March, and Nadal did not play any tennis after June, so he can barely even really be counted as Federer's competition this year. Either way overall Serena 2012 >>>>>>> Nadal 2012 (even ignoring the fact Serena produced that at 31), and Djokovic, Murray, Azarenka, Sharapova, Federer in 2012 all > Nadal in 2012 as well. Sharapova and Azarenka are who Serena predominantly faced, Djokovic and Murray who Federer predominantly faced, and at this point Sharapova is on a level with Djokovic, and Azarenka on one with Murray, if you are comparing their careers and places amongst their gender in history.
If Sharapova ends up with 7 or 8 slams (probably a good guess) and Djokovic ends up with 8 or 9 (probably a good guess) their places in history per their genders will be about the same, especialy if Djokovic never gets the Career Slam which Maria managed. Azarenka probably has an even better chance to win 4 slams or more than Murray does.
Serena btw was ranked #14 before her last 2 slam wins, Olympic Gold, and WTA Championship, all at 31. Looking at the list of names I would already be certain she is atleast risen to #10 now if they redid the list. Serena's career is likely only going to keep getting better and Nadal's has probably already virtually ended. It is likely Serena will not be behind Nadal on any list in a year or twos times, and I am just as big or bigger a Nadal fan as I am a Serena fan but that is reality. Also regardless of the Tennis Channel list many by the U.S Open were starting to talk about Serena as the best female player in history, something that nobody says or ever will say about Nadal when it comes to the men.
How in God's name is Sharapova on the same level as Djokovic? Djokovic has more titles and more majors, won against much better competition as well. Djokovic has DOUBLE the career prize money of Sharapova, DOUBLE. Even if some ATP tournaments pay a bit more than WTA tournaments, it shows that he's been infinitely more consistent than Sharapova and has been stopped by Federer and Nadal many times at the USO and RG before his breakthrough in 2011.
Unlike Serena, who basically plays as a part time player and couldn't really dominate over a long period, Federer and Nadal have true professionals for many years and that's why it took a truly superhuman effort for Djokovic to break through in 2011 and beat them. Inferior players couldn't sneak by and win majors (like Kuznetzova and Ivanovic on the WTA) in the Fedal era. I have huge (grudging)respect for Cvac in achieving what he did among such legends. It's a huge insult to Djokovic to say Sharapova is on the same level as him.
Like I said Sharapova has 4 slams and the Career Slam. Djokovic has 5 slams and no Career Slam. Unless you dispute the worth of a Career Slam, that is approximately equal. Many would take 4 slams and a Career Slam over 5 and no Career Slam in fact. Now there are other factors to consider of course. However one cant say Sharapova wasnt consistent for many years too. From 2004 to 2008 in slams:
2004 Wimbledon- win
2004 U.S Open- 3rd round
2005 Australian Open- semis (lost to eventual winner after 3 match points)
2005 French Open- quarters (lost to eventual winner in eventual winners closest match of last 3 rounds)
2005 Wimbledon- semis (lost to eventual winner)
2005 U.S Open- semis (lost to eventual winner)
2006 Australian Open- semis
2006 French Open- round of 16 (lost to Safina one of best clay courters of era, after having match point)
2006 Wimbledon- semis (lost to eventual winner)
2006 U.S Open- win
2007 Australian Open- finalist
2007 French Open- semis
2007 Wimbledon- 4th round (lost to eventual winner and 5 time Wimbledon winner)
2007 U.S Open- 3rd round
2008 Australian Open- win
2008 French Open- 4th round (lost to eventual finalist Safina, for second time at RG after having match point ironically)
Then the long injury period where she was either not playing or unable to play at her normal level cost her about 3 years. Since then:
2011 French Open- semis (lost to eventual winner)
2011 Wimbledon- finalist
2011 U.S Open- 4th round
2012 Australian Open- finalist
2012 French Open- win
2012 Wimbledon- 4th round
2012 U.S Open- win
Also her results at the WTA YEC and Olympics:
2004- win
2005- semis
2006- semis (lost to eventual winner)
2007- finalist
2011- RR exit
2012- finalist
2012 Olympics- finalist
So Sharapova herself was extremely consistent for many many years, in addition to producing big wins she was constantly a factor. The WTA from 2004-2008 was extremely strong, unlike today btw, and Sharapova still won 3 majors, a YEC, and contended to win and made it deep in almost every slam she played even against that field. A myth some people seem to have is this is Sharapova's best ever tennis we see before us now, and it is barely enough to win the very odd slam vs a really weak field. Neither is the case, Maria in fact was a much better tennis player before all her shoulder problems in 2008 (started in early 2007 in fact), and was winning big and always right at the top even when womens tennis was at its height with Serena, Henin, Venus, Davenport, Clijsters, Mauresmo, Sharapova herself, and others all going strong. That (the field of 2004-2008 I am referring to) is overall a much stronger field than the mens field today which is a strong 3 or 4 and nothing after that, and Sharapova had most of her career greatness and almost all her major titles vs that formidable 2004-2008 field. Lets also remember we have an old Federer and a clearly fading Nadal who was partly inactive this year, and still an until recently slamless Murray making up that so called dream group that people are trying to hype up as such a historic top 4. The one big thing Djokovic has over Sharapova is his 2011 year. Sharapova never had a year anything like that.
Also prize money is only equal for men and women (well close to equal) at the slams. Check out the prizes offered on the regular WTA and ATP and you will see an enormous difference.
Sharapova is a brainless ballbasher who only knows how to bash hard,harder,and hardest. She is not on the same level as Djesus(as much as it pains me to say so).
Goat worthy at 31
You know, one H2H is changed a little...
It's simply impossible to compare WTA to ATP. The level of competition is not even remotely the same. To me, Sharapova is a ball basher. Djokovic is a definitely more complete player. Then again, there aren't that many WTA players that could be labeled that way.
No I'm not saying Sharapova won slams because no one else was there, but I am saying she is wildly inconsistant. She has won 4 slams in 8 years, and is perhaps a bit fortunate to have one of each which gives her a slightly higher standing than if she just had 4. She was a good enough player to be a threat to the other to players but only on her best form was she able to win slams, and that form very rarely occured. Now she is even less likely to pose any threat and it perhaps makes sense she won a slam where where Serena and other players suck, because she'd probably never get past them on a surface thay play well on.
But from now on, I think her winning more slams as a regular occurance is out of the question unless there is no one to really give her a match.
As for people like Azerenka, good player, but not in the same league as Serena, Venus, Henin, Clijsters and a prime Sharapova (a few others too) especially mentally, and not really better than a Tsonga or Soderling from the men's game, it's just easier to be number one in the women's game the way it is and the way Serena hardly lays sometimes. But Henin and Venus could stand up to serena mentally, the newer players are like Ivanovic and Jankovic, they don't quite have the guts. You saw that in the US Open final where Azerenka almost won despite being well below serena in winners, but choked serving for the title.
Wow, Federer sure is hanging on.
Yeah I'd call being world #2 "barely hanging on".
imo you have to look at the statistics federer is doing a hell of a job to stay with these guys and #2 is great mad props to federer
I never said he was "barely" hanging on. He isn't dominating anymore, so it's incredible that he's still ranked that high this late in his career.
You're being inconsistent here. In your post, you also later stated that Serena is currently behind Nadal on the "greatness list"...EVEN though she has 4 more slams than Nadal. Why? Because she is a woman and therefore that has to be factored in?
Then you must use that same logic and apply it to Djoko/Pova. How can Sharapova be on par with Djokovic when she is one slam BEHIND Djokovic (while you feel that Serena is behind Nadal even though she has 4 more slams than Nadal). Wouldn't Sharapova need to be at least around 3 slams ahead of Djokovic as well?? (if you factor in her Career Slam).
So no...as per gender I believe Djokovic is quite a bit ahead of Sharapova.
Not to mention, Sharapova was never a dominating force on tour like Djokovic was able to produce in 2011.
*******'s real problem right NOW is Djokovic and DelPo/Berdych if they get hot.
Please see 2012 Cincy Final. ******* can take out Djoker. It can go either way. It's a coin flip right now.
Delpo is more of a challenge, I think, for *******.
Delpo is getting better and will challenge Roger better moving forward, but as for 2012, Federer obliterated DelPo.
6-2 this season including the important matches at the FO and Olympics... 13-4 overall... Not to mention the second loss at the ATP finals barely counted since pwnerer didn't even need that win to advance.. so of course he wasn't going to dig deep
i realize DelPo is getting legit though and that that head to head is going to narrow, but they are highly unlikely to meet 8 times in a season again... that's insane.
Del Potro is more of a challenge, yet (other than an odd upset) loses almost every time he plays against Federer.
Djokovic has a 7-3 record vs ******* the last 2 years, yet is less of a challenge than Del Potro who has only beaten him once in I forget how many matches, and runs out of gas after a set and half of any physical match he plays. Only on Planet TW.
Djokovic-Federer H2H 3-2
Del Potro-Federer H2H 2-6
lol wut ?
federer beat delpo @ the AO, FO and olympics
their H2H this year is 6-2 with one of the 2 delpo wins coming in a RR match that was inconsquential for federer ....
djoker was 3-2 vs federer with them splitting FO & wimbledon meetings and djoker beating him @ the YEC ...
doesn't take a genius to figure out who's the bigger threat/challenge ...
When he's on, Delpo can overpower Federer more than Djoker can, making it seem like he's a bigger challenge than he is to Federer.
Separate names with a comma.


text: Re: the state of sf/f TV development for 2012-13 "The Magicians" could be great if they get a really sharp team on it. While it isn't an easy adaptation, it isn't a particularly hard one either and one can assume they'll be taking the basic premise and running pretty wild with it, using mostly the middle of the book where they've all graduated from Brakebills and are enjoying all the perks that magic and the modern world can provide. Basically: What does Harry Potter do after Hogwarts, if Harry Potter were a manic depressive genius surrounded by equally damaged magical geniuses? The rest of the book is a bit too plot-driven to turn into an ongoing storyline, not to mention expensive as hell(and too quirky for primetime) once you start including talking bears, giant ram gods, a generic version of Narnia, etc. In any case, I doubt it'll get past the early development stages.


text:
Re: Greatest club side ever?
smashdad wrote:flares_and_an_anorak wrote:
Invincibles would have wiped their arse with them, or anybody else for that matter.
Arsenal's 'invincibles' lost 4 of the 5 competitions they entered in 2003-04.
they lost the Charity Shield too...
Deeply muddled thinking from a confused individual. Here, let me show you where you went wrong...
Firstly, you can't 'lose' a competition unless you're the reigning champion of it. In this regard, Arsenal did indeed 'lose' the FA Cup that year because we'd won the previous two in succession. Similarly, Ushited 'lost' their precious Premier League crown to the elemental force which was our superior team that year. We weren't holders of the Champions League or League Cup therefore didn't 'lose' those titles - by your logic, Grimsby Town 'lost' the FA Cup that year...what a bunch of cunts eh?
Arsenal's 'invincibles' failed to win 4 of the 5 trophies available to them in 2003-04.


text:
New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Nail Yakupov potted the game-winning goal with 1:38 remaining as the resurgent Edmonton Oilers exited Madison Square Garden with a 2-1 triumph over the New York Rangers.
Yakupov's late score and a stout 35-save performance from Ben Scrivens improved Edmonton, which still sits last in the Western Conference, to 5-1-0 over its last six outings and halted the Rangers' season-high win streak at four games.
"I think that was our top game of the season," said Yakupov. "Not too many turnovers and our goalie played an awesome game."
Ryan Smyth had the other goal for the Oilers, with Derick Brassard recording the Rangers' lone marker and Cam Talbot finishing with 29 saves in a losing cause.
Scrivens kept it knotted at 1-1 entering the third period by stoning Ryan Callahan on a shorthanded breakaway try just past the midway mark of the second, then came up with 12 more stops in the final frame to help set up Yakupov's clincher.
The go-ahead goal came after Taylor Hall won a battle for the puck behind the New York net and sent it out to Sam Gagner, whose centering pass from the left corner was rocketed past Talbot by a charging Yakupov.
"It was one of those games where we had to scratch and claw for everything we got," Hall remarked. "Sometimes those games are a lot more fun than the 8-2 wins or the wins where you're ahead off the bat."
Edmonton carried a 1-0 lead into the first intermission behind 11 saves from Scrivens and Smyth's early goal, which came as the result of a Rangers' turnover less than three minutes after the opening faceoff.
New York defenseman Kevin Klein had a clearing attempt intercepted by David Perron, whose initial shot was blocked by Talbot and followed up by Smyth for a uncontested tap-in.
"We were a little bit sloppy through the neutral zone, and when you do that against a team like that it'll cost you," said Callahan.
The Rangers wasted little time drawing even in the second period, as Brassard fired a rising one-timer of a Mats Zuccarello feed past Scrivens a mere 22 seconds into the session.
Game Notes
The game was the 6,000th in the history of the Rangers' franchise. They also lost in their 4,000th (Dec. 12, 1987 to Philadelphia) and 5,000th (Oct. 26, 2000 at Philadelphia) outings ... The game contained only one penalty, a slashing call on New York's Dan Carcillo 10:22 into the second period. It marked the first time the Rangers did not receive a power play since a 4-1 loss at St. Louis on Dec. 15, 2011 ... Brassard has a goal in three straight games and extended his point streak to five consecutive contests, as did Zuccarello ... Scrivens posted a 37-save shutout of the Rangers at Madison Square Garden back on Nov. 17, while then a member of Los Angeles.


text:
UT Dallas supports its chess team through competitive scholarships. Students may apply by submitting a recruitment form directly to the program director after reading the important information here.
If you are interested in applying:
Please fill out our Recruitment Form to become a member of the UT Dallas Chess Team.
Chess Scholarships
Undergraduate Students: There are three categories of Chess Scholarships for undergraduates: Chess I, Chess II and Chess III. To read more details about the chess program scholarships, please go to Chess Program Scholarships. These undergraduate scholarships are not limited to entering freshmen. See Transfer Students below.
Graduate Students: There are a limited number of scholarships available to students for graduate studies. High rated titled players (GMs and IMs), pursuing a master's degree program, should contact Director Jim Stallings for more information.
Admissions Process: It is very important that both U.S. and international students understand the steps in the admissions process to become eligible to be considered for a Chess Scholarship. Everyone must complete an on-line application in order to be recognized as an applicant by the University system. Decisions on admission to UT Dallas and Chess Scholarship awards are made continuously upon receipt of completed application materials. Students who are awarded a Chess Scholarship will be informed of their award soon after receiving notification of admission to UT Dallas. Funds available for each year's new scholarship awards are limited, and admission applications that are completed after February 1, will be considered for scholarship awards contingent upon availability of funding.
|February 1
|To guarantee an admission decision prior to the March 31 deadline, applicants should submit a completed application for admission with all required materials prior to February 1.
|March 1
|Priority consideration for scholarships is given to students who are admitted to the University by March 1.
Mandatory for all students: UTD Chess Scholarships are available only to students who are accepted to and matriculate at UT Dallas. Thus, it is very important to be admitted to the University as soon as possible in order to be considered (see Admissions above). To maintain the award, the student must earn at least 15 credit hours per semester and maintain a semester grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale.
Transfer Students: The Transfer Student Admission Process requires that students follow guidelines that will vary according to the number of transferable hours. Please read these requirements to determine whether an SAT exam is needed.
International Students: The MOST CRITICAL factor is that students allow time to schedule, study, and take the TOEFL and SAT exams, which are listed on the admissions webpage. Ideally, a student will start reading this webpage the spring semester (March-May) the year before a scholarship is to be awarded. International students need extra time since TOEFL and SAT exams are not always easy to schedule.
Academic performance must be high. Thus, students may wish to take the exams a second time to improve their scores. Please read My Experience with the SAT Exam by IM Marko Zivanic. In the spring semester, even after admission to the University and the award of a scholarship, there will still be some time required for paperwork to submit for visas.
Maintaining Chess Scholarships: Once a scholarship is granted, these guidelines will apply to ensure a student is still eligible to continue benefitting from the scholarship.
Titled Players: International Masters and Grandmasters are invited to contact Jim Stallings. The U.S. Chess Federation rule restrictions for titled players, such as International Masters and International Grandmasters, have been amended to allow older students to compete on college chess teams. For more information, see Chess Eligibility.
More information: If you have questions on any of the above, please contact the Chess Program Director, Jim Stallings.


text:
Sun Prairie, Wis., wing Nick Fuller wasn't supposed to come to Lincoln for another three weeks, but a sudden break in his schedule allowed him to make an impromptu trip for an unofficial visit on Thursday and Friday.
As it turned out, that chance opportunity ended up landing Nebraska its first verbal commitment of the 2013 class.
The 6-foot-7 three-star prospect had already narrowed down his top two schools to Nebraska and Minnesota a couple weeks ago. But it wasn't until he was able to see the campus for himself and see just where the program is headed under head coach Tim Miles that he knew NU was the place for him.
"I just decided to take an unofficial just to kind of see everything and see where everything stands," Fuller said. "I came to Nebraska, and everything was just a great fit. Everything felt right, so I popped the commitment."
Fuller had already scheduled an official visit with the Huskers for the weekend of Aug. 31-Sept. 2, in which he would attend Nebraska's football season opener against Southern Miss. The Sun Prairie High School standout didn't need all the hoopla of game day to confirm what he had already been thinking for some time, however.
"Definitely I came in seriously interested in both Nebraska and Minnesota, but we went through all the facilities and everything and I got to talk with Coach Miles a lot, and I think that's when I kind of knew this would be it," Fuller said. "Then today we talked with Coach Miles for about an hour and a half, and everything went great. Everything felt great."
Interestingly enough, Nebraska's coaches got a little help from another recruit to help convince Fuller to commit. Four-star 2013 Omaha power forward Akoy Agau, one of NU's top targets, came down to Lincoln and met with Fuller during his visit.
Agau was just on campus Wednesday for an unofficial visit, during which he said Miles asked him to come back and help show Fuller and another unofficial visitor, 2013 Texas guard Nathan Hawkins around.
"They said they had some players coming in today, and they asked me if I would come in while they were here," Agau said. "So I made my way back down there and just kind of talked to them and stuff. I just met them, and I've been down to Lincoln so much that I already know everything. I just gave them some advice."
Said Fuller:
"When I told him I committed, I could tell he was really excited about that. I know he's excited about Nebraska basketball. We just kind of talked and built a good relationship."
Along with Minnesota, Fuller also had offers from the likes of Illinois, Creighton, Marquette, Butler, Northern Iowa and Drake. He definitely raised his stock this summer playing with his Wisconsin Swing AAU team, catching the eyes of many college coaches including Miles, who attended nearly all of Fuller's games this spring and summer.
Fuller averaged 23 points and eight rebounds for Sun Prairie last season.
"I loved Coach Miles and the coaching staff, and just everything felt right," Fuller said. "I knew I just had to commit then."
Fuller said he still plans to make it down to Lincoln for his official visit, but will move his visit date back to the weekend of Nebraska's Big Ten Conference football opener against Wisconsin on Sept. 29
With the addition of Fuller, the Huskers now have four scholarships available for the 2013 class. With the first piece now in place, the Husker coaches are hoping Fuller can be the foundation to continue to build for the future.
"I think the one thing was really Coach Miles and coaching staff," Fuller said. "I mean, Coach Miles really has a great passion for the game and has a drive to win and turn the Nebraska program around. I felt like this was a great chance to step in and play a big role and possibly play as a freshman. I think that's something that really made me feel that this was the place for me."


text:
ArtsWatch: Streaming Without A License
The Recording Academy actively represents the music community on such issues as intellectual property rights, music piracy, archiving and preservation, and censorship concerns. In pursuing its commitment to addressing these and other issues, The Recording Academy undertakes a variety of national initiatives. ArtsWatch is a key part of an agenda aimed at raising public awareness of and support for the rights of artists. To become more involved, visit Advocacy Action @ GRAMMY.com and sign up for Advocacy Action E-lerts.
On March 29 Amazon.com launched Amazon Cloud Drive — five free gigabytes of Internet memory storage, with higher capacities available — accompanied by the Amazon Cloud Player music streaming application, with one version available for Web access and another for Android smart phones. Music labels were disappointed the service launched without specific licenses but Amazon Director of Music Craig Pape expressed his company's position that licenses were unnecessary. "The real reason we're doing this... is that we're trying to solve a customer pain point that affects how much people buy digital music," said Pape. By avoiding label negotiations, Cloud Drive was able to launch before highly anticipated music locker services from Apple and Google. Amazon's bold move is also very basic, offering useful storage for all file types and simple streaming playback for music files but little more than that — except for purchasing options. One observer suggested Cloud Drive's strategy could find its greatest success among the growing population of Android smart phone users. Unlike smaller or newer companies faced with potential lawsuits from major labels, Amazon likely knows its corporate strength should buy it time to discover how consumer adoption of its cloud products justifies its handling challenges from content owners.
Time Warner Cable launched a popular iPad app for live streaming on March 15 that at least one television programming network responded to with a cease-and-desist letter. TWC Chief Programming Officer Melinda Witmer said, "We certainly did not anticipate that programmers would be unhappy about this in any way." On March 28 the company launched an app-advocacy website and TWC Director of Digital Communications Jeff Simmermon blogged, "The entire concept of television is melting right now." This rhetoric sounds more like a statement that may have been made by digital advocates, rather than what one would have expected from a Fortune 500 company spokesman in the past. It seems TWC has relied on its contract language with programmers, granting broad leeway to provide screens in homes with content delivered over TWC's digital network infrastructure. While the company also hopes to provide programs over the Internet to customers wherever they are (the TV Everywhere model), TWC believes it is already licensed to stream TV shows over a subscriber's home WiFi network to any kind of device with a viewing screen. Whatever courtroom arguments over contract language or renegotiated licensing terms ensue, both Amazon and TWC have found it advisable to blaze ahead without their content partners' blessings — hopefully these gambits are not the beginning of a trend.
On March 29 MPAA's new Chairman/CEO Christopher Dodd gave his first public speech on behalf of the movie industry to the National Association of Theater Owners' CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas. The former senator emphasized the mutual reliance of theater owners and filmmakers, the unique communal experience of "families and friends settling in for two hours in a darkened theater," and the harms caused by content piracy. Calling on his audience to become antipiracy educators, Dodd said, "After three decades in Congress, I have some idea how to attract the attention of a congressman or senator. When you return to your states, invite your local governor, state legislator, congressman, and senator to your theater and fill it with those who work with you along with video store employees and their families. Tell them about the importance of these issues to you and to your communities. If you become that educator, you will leave a lasting and indelible impression on those who will make decisions about your future." The next day MPAA and NATO joined with major studios and entertainment unions to write a letter to every congressman and senator commending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Operation In Our Sites antipiracy efforts.
The owners of BlueBeat.com agreed to a $950,000 settlement with EMI in the damages phase of the label's lawsuit on March 25. EMI won by summary judgment in U.S. District Court last December when the judge rejected the website's claim that the Beatles tracks it had sold were non-infringing, "psycho-acoustic" simulations.
The Copyright Office announced that it has scheduled a roundtable for June 2 to assist its inquiry into whether pre-1972 recordings should be covered by federal copyright law. The reply comment phase of the inquiry remains open until April 13. The RIAA opposes the change.
Baidu spokesman Kaiser Kuo has led an antipiracy goodwill offensive for China's leading search engine. On March 24 Reuters quoted Kuo's statement that Baidu's digital library will implement antipiracy technology on May 1 after testing it in April. On March 30 Kuo told Agence France-Presse that the site deleted 3 million infringing works from its book library after a three-day crackdown. Separately, on March 25 recording industry leadership, including IFPI CEO Frances Moore, took the unusual step of writing a letter to the Financial Times. The letter concluded, "Our members welcome the commitment of the Chinese government to improve enforcement of intellectual property rights. It is now time for corporate role models like Baidu to lead this initiative from the front."
On March 25 Canada's parliamentary session came to a close when the government lost a no-confidence vote. Regrettably, Bill C-32, the Copyright Modernization Act, has now died — joining the two previous unsuccessful efforts to reform and update Canada's copyright laws. Hopefully, after a new government is established, a fresh attempt will succeed.