text:
Double posting with the second half of our drabbles.
Part II:
In the stands, Harry clapped along with everyone else, though he found himself constantly watching Malfoy, waiting for him to make a mistake.
Ginny saw Smith punch the air, and Bradley clap his hands gleefully. She grinned, and flew back to the centre of the pitch, waiting for the chance to grab the Quaffle again. Suddenly, she heard a whooshing sound behind her and, instinctively, she ducked. She felt the Bludger miss her head by inches, and looked up to see it hit Oliver Wood. She watched as he fell towards the ground.
She winced, and wheeled round to see who had hit the bludger. Behind her, holding the bat up high and looking stunned, was Bloxam.
Merlin! the Cannons captain breathed, almost dropping his bat.
Not wasting a moment, Ginny accepted a quick pass from Smith to streak towards the goal. The empty hoop was just too tempting. Pulling to a stop, Ginny tossed the Quaffle directly through the middle hoop even as Healers swarmed around Wood below.
The Hogwarts crowd cheered, even as Ginny heard a resounding crack. Glancing back, she saw Bloxam nearly lose his seat as a bludger rammed into his back, hit by Crabbe.
Way to hit them when theyre down, Crabbe! Smith called sarcastically, but the big Slytherin only grinned proudly.
The Cannons quickly brought in a reserve; the only one they had which accounted for every position. He flew up to the goal and play resumed. Valblatsky took possession of the Quaffle and shot off towards the Hogwarts end of the pitch, determined to score.
Valblatskys going for the goal . . . and hes almost there . . . wait! Bludger to the head of Valblatsky hit by Crabbe again. Now, its Hogwarts in possession. Bradley passes to Weasley, who swerves to miss Radfords Bludger and- Weasley scores! Hogwarts leads 50-30! Ludo exclaimed.
The Hogwarts Chasers once again began to head to towards the goal. Ginny caught the Quaffle and looked ahead to judge the distance to the goal. Suddenly, to her surprise she saw Radford flying straight at her, at full speed. Unsure if she had lost control of his broom or was trying to distract her, Ginny attempted to swerve out her path. Radford was flying so fast, however, that Ginny couldnt get out of the way quick enough and the end of Radford's broom collided with her own, sending her veering off course and causing her to drop the Quaffle.
FOUL! Ron called from the end of the pitch, ears reddening.
Charlie Weasley hesitated, whistle pressed to his lips before finally blowing. Foul, he admitted.
WHAT? Radford exclaimed, veering her broom around to approach Charlie. That was a complete accident! How
Careless flying, Weasley continued, Just because it was careless doesnt mean it wasnt a foul. Penalty to
But Radford already had her wand out as she was overcome with outrage.
The audience gasped just as Charlie blew the whistle a second time. Two penalties to Hogwarts. One for Blatching, one for threatening the referee.
Smith flew forward to take the penalties. Twice, he scored, twice the crowd below roared their approval and twice Krum let out a chain of swearing and cursing in anger. It seemed that the Hogwartians growing success was enraging the professional team and causing them to play dirtier than ever. Ginny supposed that they were becoming desperate after all, she doubted that the Cannons would be proud of being beaten by students.
She dived down and yelled, boo! at Gorgovitch, who dropped the Quaffle in surprise. Ginny snatched it quickly, laughing, and sped over to the goalposts.
Ginny took aim and scored.
Ten more points to Hogwarts! called Bagman as the Cannons came back into possession.
Bradley, look out! Ginny yelled as a Bludger soared towards the Chaser.
Luckily, Bradley heard Ginnys warning and swerved to the left. However, his narrow escape outraged Bloxam so badly that he threw his bat, hitting Draco in the head. Draco dropped a few feet in the air, but recovered quickly, scowling at Bloxam, who had gone to fetch his bat.
Another penalty shot to Hogwarts for unsportsman like conduct by the Cannons, Charlie announced.
With every foul committed, the Cannons seemed to become even more desperate; pulling out all the stops to try and ensure that Hogwarts lost. After a whirlwind half an hour of play, the scoreboard read one hundred fifty to fifty for Hogwarts.
Things are starting to look bleak, Bagmans voice droned. Even he seemed overcome with disappointment as he commentated the Cannons turn from bad to worse. Another fifty points for Hogwarts and theres no hope. Krum better catch that snitch soon
Krum! Bloxam cried desperately. Stop watching the game and find the snitch!
So far the Seekers had had very little to do other than hover above the rest of the players. Since his foul on Malfoy earlier in the game, Krum had kept his head down but he was becoming increasingly frustrated with his teams inability to score goals.
When Hogwarts scored again bringing the score to one hundred and sixty to fifty, Krum decided it was time to liven things up a bit. Suddenly, as if he had seen the Snitch, he began to dive, weaving in and out of the Hogwarts Chasers, stopping them from passing to one another.
Malfoy began to zoom after him, eyes scanning frantically for any sign of the Snitch.
Malfoy! yelled Ron. Hes faking it! Theres no Snitch! Years of Quidditch matches, magazines and debating with his brother had given Ron a very clear idea of the style of both the Canons and high-profile Quidditch players. At his call, the Hogwartian team kicked into action, and ignored Krum, much to his annoyance.
Smith seized the Quaffle, and scored once, only for the Quaffle to be picked up by Ginny and thrown through the large hoop again.
Malfoy, however, was determined to catch Krum.
Looks like Krums seen something! Bagman called. Here they go! Theyd better get there quick before the kids can score again! One hundred eighty to
But whatever Bagman would say next would be drowned out by an enormous gasp from the audience as Krum braked, swerved, and pulled up from him dive. Malfoy didnt.
The crowd parted to make way for the Hogwarts Seeker to come smashing through the stands. He had no time to break before the collision, but only blink, and let out a scream
The crowd gasped as Malfoy collided with the stand, before falling the short distance to earth. Madam Pomfrey, who was on hand to treat injuries, rushed onto the pitch and began waving her wand over the unconscious Seeker.
Gorgovitch took advantage of the Hogwarts team distraction to grab the Quaffle and started flying in the direction of the Hogwarts goal. Noticing just in time, Ron flew back into position and easily saved the poor shot. With Malfoy having regained consciousness the rest of the team seemed to remember they were in the middle of a game and quickly reformed.
Ginny, fired on by a sudden new spurt of determination, lay flat along her broom handle, and punched the Quaffle out of Wintringhams arms, where it was seized by Bradley. They flew at breakneck speed to the goal posts, where Bradley passed to Ginny again. She dodged Valblatsky easily (who could not manoeuvre his broom very quickly) and threw the Quaffle through the centre hoop.
The Hogwarts team is certainly taking advantage of the lack of Keeper! shouted Bagman, laughing as Ginny punched the air. One hundred ninety to fifty. I hope the Cannons are just being polite!
Just being polite? Ill show you polite! called Radford, swinging her Beaters bat back and launching it at the small ball. The Bludger flew forward with intense speed, but the force of impact had sent the bat backwards right into Lucretias face. Blood poured from her nose, as Smith scored again for Hogwarts.
Oi, can you not see she is bleeding? Bloxam yelled to Madam Pomfrey, who was still fretting over Draco. The woman seemed to have ignored him, so he motioned for Krum to listen. Take Lucretias bat and hit Weasley!
Krum took the bat, and soared towards Ginny.
Ginny didnt see him until it was too late. She felt the crack of the wooden bat against her head as he sped past and for a moment she saw stars in front of her eyes. She could vaguely hear the sound of a whistle and Charlie shouting, Penalty to Hogwarts! Smith and Bradley flew over to her but she couldnt make out what they were saying. All she could think was that she needed to get down to the ground. She began to descend but the movement made her feel sick and the ground seemed to move further away.
It seems as though the Cannons are trying to even out the numbers after the loss of Wood, Bagman called. Ms. Weasley will leave the pitch.
Monster! Ron called.
Harry, below in the stands, felt anger well in his stomach as he watched Ginny clutch at a split scalp. Even the boos resonating from the audience didnt help him feel any better. Now do you agree with Ron about Krum? Harry demanded Hermione, who sat beside him.
Oh shut up, Hermione snapped. Thats all done with. Whats important is Smiths just scored. Harry, Hogwarts might win.
I meant to for you to hit a Bludger at her, Krum; not to hit her with the actual bat! Bloxam scolded. You just scored their team another goal!
Yes, but zat girl is out, and they have no reserve player, Krum sneered as he flew upward to search for the Snitch.
Youd better pray they dont win, threatened the captain.
Spare me, the Bulgarian retorted.
Just fly. Bloxam then flew back to the other end of the pitch to back up his Chasers.
And play resumes as Gorgovitch enters the scoring zone with the Quaffle, Bagman commented.
All eyes were on Gorgovitch as he flew towards the Quidditch hoops. He looked down at the crowd, who were all watching him intently, whimpered, and dropped the Quaffle out of his fumbling fingers. It was seized immediately by Bradley, who zoomed down to the other end of the pitch, and threw the Quaffle through the centre hoop with such force, it was nothing but a red blur.
Two hundred and twenty to fifty! shouted Bagman. It's looking bad for the Cannons! I- are they diving for the Snitch?"
Krum had gone into another dive and this time it seemed he actually was chasing the Snitch. Having just returned to the pitch, Malfoy began to follow but couldnt keep up with international Seeker. Bagman was following the chase animatedly.
The Seekers have definitely spotted the Snitch and its Krum in the lead with Malfoy following. Ooh good shot there by the Hogwarts Beater but Krum ducks out of the way. Hes getting closer now, I think he might just yes! I dont believe it! Krum has caught the Snitch! Hogwarts win by two hundred and twenty to two hundred!
What are you doing, Krum? Youve just cost us the game! yelled Bloxam as the team flew towards the Bulgarian.
On the other end of the pitch, the Hogwartians could be seen landing on the ground and being hoisted back into the air by the excited students. Even Harry joined in the celebration, lifting Ron higher up in the air with the help of Dean Thomas.
Harry, we won! We actually won! he chimed, eyes lit with glee.
I know. It was a great game.
As the Hogwarts team was lowered back onto the grass, the Cannons grudgingly greeted them.
The two teams mingled, shaking hands, the Cannons muttering good game at their feet. Ginny took Viktor Krums hand and shook it, watching his grumpy expression. Why did you catch the Snitch? she asked.
He grunted. Do you really think that ve vould have von with the record holder for the most Quaffle drops on our team? I vould rather lose with dignity.
Ginny smiled. Good theory. I think you would have won if you hadnt lost your Keeper.
Krum shrugged. Maybe. But I think I vould have won if my last Captain hadnt transferred me to this pathetic team.
Well if you foul people like you did today then Im not surprised that they wanted rid of you, interrupted Harry who had put Ron down and was listening to Ginny and Krums conversation.
I vas only doing as my captain instructed, Krum retorted before moving on to shake the hand of the next player.
Harry, you cant talk to him like that! Ginny scolded.
Why not? He could have killed you doing what he did.
Well he didnt, and Im fine. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up in a few minutes. Now arent you going to congratulate me?"
Harry felt extremely guilty all of a sudden. Of course, he began quickly. Ginny, Ron everyone. Congratulations. You did a really great job. II wish hadnt been so stupid and skipped those first practices. It would have been so amazing to fly with you today.
And I vanted to fly against Harry Potter, Krum interjected, returning to join the conversation. I vas disappointed by you, Potter. I vas looking forward to beating you.
What is it with Quidditch players and a complete lack of humility? Hermione demanded suddenly.
As the cheering from the students began to die down, Albus Dumbledore took Bagmans place in the commentating stand.
If I may have everyones attention please, he began happily. First, I would like to say congratulations to the Hogwarts team on their win. You have made us all very proud, indeed. Second, on behalf of Hogwarts, I would like to extend my gratitude to the Chudley Cannons for showing their sheer kindness to our staff and students. Third, a feast shall begin in the Great Hall in thirty minutes to celebrate this historical game. Lastly, if I may, Hogwarts rules!


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Is it just me, or is there something about this year, in particular? It seems there are so many 100-year anniversaries of note this year – already, and it is only April. What was it about 1912 as a time in this country?
The news is always reporting about one or another anniversary. The sinking of the Titanic is a big one, getting a lot of coverage right now. And in my area, Boston, it is also the One Hundredth Anniversary of Fenway Park, home of our Boston Red Sox. It is also the one hundredth anniversary of the Bread and Roses Strike in Lawrence Massachusetts. Textile factory workers, many young immigrant women, went on strike for more than 2 months looking for higher wages in response to a new law shortening the work week. Massachusetts had passed a law limiting the work day to 8 hours. And the first cherry tree saplings which inspired the annual Washington DC Cherry Blossom Festival were presented by the City of Tokyo to the City of Washington one hundred years ago.
So what does all of this have to do with Aunt Freda?In thinking about 1912, I went looking to see who in the family was born that year. It turns out, of the birth information I have, the closest relative in our family born in 1912 was my father-in-law's younger sister, Freda Greenberg. She was born in January 1912, in Syracuse, New York. There is no family history that I have yet found that mentions who she might have been named after. My current favorite notion is that her father wanted her named after his mother, Feige. Sounds reasonable – not a shred of evidence.
Freda started school as a five year old, speaking only Yiddish and being left-handed. This was probably the Fall of 1917. The teacher tied her left hand behind her back — all the while speaking English to her. What an introduction to formal education!
Nevertheless, she must have liked school, and she was a good student. When she was about 12 years old, the family moved from Syracuse to Buffalo, New York, in about 1924. So she went to high school in Buffalo.
We think she finished high school in 3 years. Her high school quote was: "And still they gazed and wonder grew that one small head could carry all she knew." We know she had aspirations to more education, and she went on to college, even though it was the Great Depression.
Her brother, Iz, remembered this disruption during her college days: "When she was in college, we were subject at University of Buffalo to a tuberculosis check. You know, they gave everybody this tuberculosis check and they inject it, stuff under your skin and if you showed a positive reaction, then you were told to go and get x-rays, have your lungs x-rayed. Well some crazy x-ray specialist in Buffalo sent her a written report to the effect that he had never seen one so young with so much infection, TB infection in her lungs. Now you can imagine how horrified my parents were. And the family doctor read that report and said, "Look, she's got to drop —" She was majoring in chemistry. She's gotta drop out of college right away and, you know, rest in bed for months. Maybe we can forestall having to go to a sanitarium." Well, we found out that night that the Arbeiter Ring, which had a great deal of strength in New York City among the garment workers, and TB was rampant among them and they worked in sweat shops and there was all sorts of lint flying around. The Arbeiter Ring had established a TB sanitarium in Liberty, New York, in the Catskills and he got the bright idea of sending my mother and my sister up to the Catskills for vacation. And in the meantime — somewhere near Liberty — and in the meantime they would make an appointment to have her examined at the TB sanitarium. I remember I drove up there, I drove them up. And I went to the sanitarium with my mother and my sister and there was — the doctor in charge of the sanitarium was extremely understanding and very nice and said, "Well, now, don't, don't get too upset, Mrs. Greenberg. I have had TB myself. That's why I am in this work. I'm going to take your daughter away and give her some x-rays and so forth." He came back in about a half an hour and said, "The guy was all wrong. She doesn't have the slightest case of TB. What she has is some calcified spots on her lungs." And he said, "Everybody over the age of 21 — practically anybody — cause we all come in contact with some TB germs, bacilli. And what happens in the normal body is that, as a defense, the lungs form calcified spots around there and that's the end of it. That's all she's got."
There was no more family history about this possible disruption to her college days. In fact there is some thought that she managed to finish in 3 years rather than the usual 4. We do know that she graduated in June 1932. (I wrote some about this a couple of years ago – click here if you want to go back to the first post about education in this family.) She was just 20 years old. Freda had aspirations to medical school – she was the scientist in the family. But because it was the Great Depression (and perhaps because she was expected to help support her brother's additional schooling) the family could not support her in this. No matter the reason, it was a bitter disappointment to her.
It seems likely that the family hoped/expected that she would go to work as soon as possible and help support the family. I was told by the registrar's office at University of Buffalo that it was not uncommon for young adults to stay in school as long as they could due to the scarcity of jobs during this time. Her first job out of college was at DuPont in Buffalo. She had competed with a huge group of people for one of two jobs they had available. She worked in a lab testing the permeability of what was to become cellophane. We don't know exactly how long she held this job, but it was a major feat that she got it.

subset: commoncrawl


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I think I was where you're currently at last year (a casual/fair-weather fan transformed into a more serious/studious one), but for all intents and purposes, I'm where you're at. I'm going to focus on programs under the COP because they interest me more. I'll edit in more when I'm less lazy.
Patrick Chan's short program (@ 4CC)
Evan Lysacek's long program (@ worlds)
Yu Na-Kim's short program (@ worlds)
Savchenko/Szolkowy's short program (@ worlds)
Delobel/Schoenfelder's free dance (If you're in Canada, you can see their performance at the grand prix final online through the CBC, otherwise, here's the French Masters). Let me know if you want the the CBC version I can't direct link it because of how it's embedded.
Virtue/Moir's free dance (@ worlds)
Samuelson/Bates original dance (@ worlds)
Davis/White/s free dance (@ worlds)
Shibutanis' free dance (@ junior worlds)
Jeff Buttle's long program (@ worlds)
Daisuke Takahashi's short program (@ worlds)
Carolina Kostner's short program (@ worlds)
Yu Na Kim's long program (@ worlds)
Mao Asada's long program (@ worlds)
Zhang/Zhang's short program (@ worlds)
Dube/Davison's long program (@ worlds)
Virtue/Moir's free dance (@ worlds)
Virtue/Moir's original dance (@ Skate Canada)
Delobel/Schoenfelder free dance (@ worldsl)
Daisuke Takahashi's long program
Stephan Lambiel's long program
Yu-Na Kim's short program (@ worlds)
Carolina Kostner's short program (@ worlds
Mao Asada's long program (@ worlds)
Shen/Zhao's short program
Denkova/Staviski's free dance
Dubreuil/Lauzon's free dance
Virtue/Moir's free dance ( @ worlds)
Brian Joubert's long program (@ worlds)
Stephane Lambiel's long program (@ worlds)
Shizuka Arakawa's long program (@ Olympics)
Totmiannia/Marinnin's long program (@ Olympics)
Navka/Kostomorov's free dance (@ Olympics)
Dubrueil/Lauzon's free dance (@ worlds)
Virtue/Moir's free dance (@ junior worlds)
Delobel/Schoenfelder's free dance (@ Olympics)
Drobiazko/Vanagas' free dance (@ worlds)


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By Thomas Guengerich
SOCORRO, N.M., Feb. 9, 2009 – New Mexico Tech faculty, staff and students will be celebrating a significant scientific day Thursday and Friday, Feb. 12 and 13. Darwin Day is an international celebration of the life and work of the supreme English naturalist Charles Darwin.
Biology professor Dr. Rebecca Reiss started the local celebration in 2005 and has organized the celebration ever since.
"The idea is to have a discussion about science, education and evolution," Reiss said. "To make people realize that evolution is real, that it's science."
The celebration kicks off Thursday, Feb. 12 – Darwin's actual birthday – with a special talk by Dr. Jonathan Wolfe, Executive Director of the Fractal Foundation. He will present "Fractals and the Evolving Patterns of Nature," at 4 p.m. in Workman 101.
The Friday celebration kicks off at noon with a birthday cake, followed by the speakers from 1 to 5 p.m. For a detailed schedule, visit infohost.nmt.edu/~biology/Darwin.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on Feb. 12, as well as the 150th anniversary of the initial publication of On the Origin of Species," his seminal work that first proposed the concept of evolution.
"On the Origin of Species was absolutely critical," said Dr. Dave Johnson, New Mexico Tech dean of graduate studies and geology professor. "It changed the biological sciences in ways we can't even recount. We'd still be in the dark ages if he hadn't done that. This is a chance to get into a group setting and brag on science a little bit."
Johnson will be among the speakers on Friday, Feb. 13. He will give his annual update on "Assaults on Science Education." Reiss will discuss genetics and evolution in "Why It's Good To Be a Mutt." She will focus on diversity in nature and the importance of understanding genetics as more and more bioethical issues are raised by modern genetic research.
Other speakers include Reiss, astrophysicist Dr. Eileen Ryan, Dave Thomas of IRIS-PASSCAL, paleontologist Dr. Donald Wolberg and Jesse Johnson of the Coalition for Excellence in Science Education.
Ryan will talk about "Asteroids: Their Impact on Evolution." Her discussion will not only talk about the history of asteroid impacts on Earth, but also the potential for future impacts and how they might alter our future.
Thomas will discuss "The Age of the Earth." Johnson will offer a student activist's perspective on evolution and science education.
Reiss said one of the main focuses of Darwin Day at Tech is to challenge the concept that evolution is a belief system.
"Evolution is a scientific theory developed from a wide variety of disciplines," she said. "It's a collection of facts. I don't believe in evolution because it's not a belief system. It requires no leap of faith. That's the key. We're not asking people to jettison their spiritual beliefs. Many scientists who are quite religious teach evolution and research evolution and they understand the separation of science and religion."
Jesuit Priest Father George Coyle, former director of the Vatican Observatory, is a notable evolutionary scientist, Reiss said. He is among the religious leaders who see the distinction between scientific discovery and religious belief.
"A major misinterpretation of evolution is that it explains how life arose," Reiss said. "It actually does not. Evolution explains how life changed over time after it arose."
Johnson and Reiss said the theory of evolution should not be considered to be contradictory to or competing with religion.
"Evolution is not the big, scary thing that some people think it is," Reiss said. "Some students come into my class – especially genetics – thinking that this will contradict their faith. They realize that it neither contradicts, nor attempts to contradict their faith. With education, we can show people that it's not a threat to their belief system."
"Intelligent Design and Creationism are untestable hypotheses," Reiss said. "Those concepts may be appropriate in classes for comparative religion or philosophy. They have no place in science."
Johnson said Darwin Day is a logical time to sound the warning that scientists need to be vigilant about not allowing creationism to be taught as a science.
"I'm our resident, nasty evolutionist," he said. "Science depends on the process of continuously subject theories to scrutiny and testing. Anything that doesn't satisfy those challenges is thrown out. Feelings don't change science."
In a class he team-teaches on geobiology, Johnson gives two lectures on evolution. He's found that more than half of incoming students learned nothing about evolution in high school.
"This tension over teaching evolution has gone on since Darwin published On the Origin of Species," Johnson said. "And for the last 30 years it has resulted in many high school biology students learning nothing about evolution."
As a scientific discipline, the study of evolution and genetics is constantly being refined, Johnson said.
"Lots of people like to talk about Darwin's Theory," he said. "But, in fact, if I personally use that term, it's to honor the man. It's not to say that we are practicing the same theory that he spoke of 200 years ago. The study of evolution is a vibrant and thriving enterprise. Darwin wasn't right about everything. Many aspects have been modified. Like everything, evolution is growing stronger through testing and over time."


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This is the 37th in a daily series of in-depth evaluations on the top 40 prospects leading up to the 2012 NFL Draft, which runs April 26-28. Today: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Strengths: Kalil is a tall tackle with remarkable athleticism. He has excellent quickness and natural flexibility that enable him to set up quickly with leverage. As a result, he is able to slide out easily to block explosive pass rushers. (Vital statistics: 6-7, 306, 4.98 in the 40-yard dash)
Because of his arm length, he is able to quickly get his hands on pass rushers. In addition, he is able to control opponents by swiftly getting his hands between their shoulders. When he maintains his leverage in pass protection, he can react quickly to quick pass-rush moves inside. He consistently works well with the guard to switch off against a defensive lineman's stunts.
—2012 NFL Draft: SN's top 40 prospect countdown | First-round mock draft
He is able to hand off the man he is pass blocking to pick up a delayed blitzer. He does an excellent job of firing down the line of scrimmage on in-line run blocks. He also is able to drive his opponent down the line to create holes in the running game.
Kalil is quick to get outside to block cornerbacks on quick-hitting screen passes to wide receivers. He also swiftly gets through the line to block linebackers out of the play at the second level.
Weaknesses: Kalil loses focus at times, causing his technique to suffer. When this occurs, he takes an upright position in pass protection that doesn't allow him to adjust to quick pass-rush moves.
Because of his competitiveness and aggressive nature, he will attempt knockout blocks on linebackers at the second level. He often delivers a powerful initial blow but overextends and loses contact with the defender.
He does not establish good leverage on straight-ahead run blocks. Consequently, he can be jolted upright and backward. When this occurs, he is shed quickly by strong, aggressive defensive linemen.
Draft status: Kalil will be a top-five pick and has all the physical talent to start immediately at left tackle in the NFL. He will be a long-term fixture protecting his quarterback's blind side. The Vikings, Rams and Chiefs all are teams with interest in Kalil.
If young Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is going to improve in 2012, he needs better protection—and Kalil would provide a significant upgrade. Most mock drafts have the Vikings taking Kalil at No. 3 overall, but general manager Rick Spielman reportedly is shopping the pick.
During the 2011 season, Rams quarterback Sam Bradford took a lot of punishment because of poor offensive line play. If Kalil slips to No. 6, where the Rams are drafting after their blockbuster trade with the Redskins, St. Louis would be tempted to take him and make him Bradford's blind-side protector for the next decade.
If Kalil isn't selected by the Vikings, our sources tell us the Chiefs (who own the 11th overall pick) will attempt to trade up to obtain him. Kansas City recently signed former Texan Eric Winston to play right tackle and have 2008 first-round pick Branden Albert at left tackle. Albert is solid but not great and has only one year remaining on his contract. In 2012, Kalil could take over at left tackle, which would allow the Chiefs to move Albert to guard.


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Pastornicky eager to establish skills at second
By Mark Bowman and Eric Single / MLB.com
ATLANTA -- After logging 76 games and nearly 200 plate appearances while starting and ending the 2012 season with the Braves, Tyler Pastornicky came away from his first Major League season knowing he could hit at the highest level of the game. On Thursday, he got another chance to test his progress at his new position in the field, starting at second base for the second time this season.
After entering the big leagues as a shortstop, Pastornicky spent the opening months of the 2013 season adjusting to second base with Triple-A Gwinnett. He had played 52 games at second this year for Gwinnett before being called up on Tuesday, when Evan Gattis was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain.
"It's definitely different [from last year], with a position change and obviously being in Triple-A," Pastornicky said. "Other than that, I'm just continuing to work and trying to get better, trying to come up here and get established."
Before Thursday's game, Pastornicky pointed out that switching positions as a middle infielder comes with its positives and negatives: While the shorter throw to first base can provide the luxury of time for a former shortstop, Pastornicky has been drilling the all-important double-play turn with Andrelton Simmons to get more comfortable with his new role in that tandem.
"In Spring Training, I think we did it pretty much every day, and every time I've been up here, I come out here and turn them early," Pastornicky said. "Him being a great shortstop makes it about as easy as it can be on you."
Pastronicky also saw his name at the top of the batting order for just the second time in his Major League career on Thursday. The last time he hit leadoff for the big club was May 16, 2012, against the Marlins, and he has occupied the No. 3 spot in the order of late for Gwinnett.
"He gives you some athleticism," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "He gives you a guy that can run. He doesn't have [Jordan] Schafer's speed, but he's a little threat, and he can put the ball in play. He's here, he came up, and I'm a big believer in why sit around? Put him in there and get a chance to play with him."
With vision a concern, Uggla gets new contacts
ATLANTA -- When Dan Uggla was told during Spring Training that his vision was being blurred by an astigmatism, he ditched the contact lenses he was given after just a couple days. But after spending the first half of this season ducking out of the way of many curveballs and looking at far too many strikes, he opted to get assistance.
After undergoing a multitude of tests on Thursday afternoon, Uggla was fitted with another set of contact lenses that he hopes will be more comfortable than the set he tried in March. If this does not work, the second baseman might undergo LASIK surgery.
"I just know that I need LASIK or contacts," Uggla said. "So we're going to go with contacts first. They felt great all day, and I'm excited about it. I'm excited about hopefully being able to see the ball better."
Uggla sat out of Thursday's 4-3 loss the Mets. But he believes he will be ready to play when the Braves open a three-game set in Milwaukee on Friday.
"I've always thought I've had pretty good eyes, and I've always had, up until probably late last year," Uggla said. "But it's nothing that's not fixable. So it's better to identify the problem now and get it solved now."
Uggla has traveled a rocky road since the Braves signed him to a five-year, $62 million deal before the start of the 2011 season. The 33-year-old batted .173 during his first 86 games with Atlanta and then proceeded to hit .291 with 34 home runs and a .938 OPS in his next 134 games. But in the 166 games that have followed, he has hit .189 with 22 homers and a .673 OPS.
"I guess now looking back, I kind of noticed it last year," Uggla said. "It was harder to focus, even out in the field. This year I was just trying to battle through it, thinking it's going to come like it always does, not thinking, 'Maybe you're not seeing the ball.'"
Uggla set the franchise record with 156 strikeouts in 2011 and then upped that total with 168 last year. He is currently on pace to strike out more than 201 times this season.
"It's just been building," Uggla said. "I haven't been able to pull the trigger on a lot of the pitches I've made my money on and done a lot of damage on. For me to not be able to even pull the trigger on any of those pitches for this amount of time and to also be ducking out of the way of so many pitches that are strikes, my eyes aren't telling me the right thing. So I've got to do something."
Heyward's celebration tug a growing ritual
ATLANTA -- Braves fans have grown accustomed to seeing Freddie Freeman hug teammates before games and after key moments in games. But many of these fans are still getting used to the new collar-tugging ritual started by Jason Heyward.
When in the field at the end of a victory, the Braves' outfielders converge in center field and simultaneously jump while grabbing the back collar of their jerseys. Heyward has also brought the tradition to the dugout, where he occasionally raises the back of a teammate's jersey after they hit a home run.
But Heyward has also performed this ritual after seeing something goofy, like the Upton brothers colliding in left-center field during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mets. Once he saw both were not hurt, Heyward marked the occasion by tugging at the back of his own jersey.
"It's just like Freddie's hugs, it's just goofy," said Heyward, who actually began this ritual during his high school playing days. "We just have fun with it."
Brian McCann actually helped fuel this tradition by laughing whenever he saw Heyward grabbing the back of a teammate's jersey over the course of the past couple seasons.
"Whenever I hit a homer, BMac will start doing it to me," Heyward said. "He said, 'Whenever I hit a homer, you've got to lift me up.' So I do it to him. It's just fun. There's nothing more to it. We see people all around the game do whatever. There's nothing more to it. We're just having fun."
Worth noting
• Right-handed reliever Luis Ayala began his Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett by tossing a scoreless inning in Thursday's win over Buffalo. Ayala has been on the disabled list since being diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in late April. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said there is not a definite timetable for Ayala to return to Atlanta's bullpen.
• When the Braves conclude Sunday's series finale in Milwaukee, they will have played 48 games over the course of the previous 50 days. They will then have three off-days during the eight days that follow. Gonzalez said he is not planning to shuffle the rotation. He said he would rather give some of his starters an extra day or two of rest between starts at this point of the season.
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. Eric Single is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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|© 2010 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Brewers announce 2010 Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year awards09/25/2010 2:31 PM ET
The Milwaukee Brewers today announced the recipients of the 2010 Robin Yount Performance Awards which recognizes the Brewers Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year. Outfielder Erik Komatsu was selected as the club's Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
Komatsu, 22, spent the entire season with Class-A Brevard County, where he batted .323 with 5 HR, 63 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 130 games with more walks (68) than strikeouts (61). Komatsu led the Florida State League in runs scored (90), on-base percentage (.413) and walks and ranked second in the league in batting average and hits (157). He was selected to the Florida State League Midseason and Postseason All-Star teams.
Komatsu played all three outfield positions, making 73 starts in center field, 30 starts in right field and 22 starts in left field. He had a 13-game hitting streak from July 15-30 and reached base safely in 23 straight games from May 3-27. Komatsu was drafted by the Brewers in the eighth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Cal-State Fullerton and was signed by area scout Josh Belovsky.
Odorizzi, 20, spent the entire season with Class-A Wisconsin, where he went 7-3 with a 3.43 ERA (120.2ip, 46er) in 23 games (20 starts). His ERA ranked ninth-best in the Midwest League. He was selected to the Midwest League All-Star team and was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week for August 23-30.
As a starter, Odorizzi went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA (112.2ip, 40er). He made three relief appearances, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA (8ip, 6er) and one save. Odorizzi was drafted by the Brewers in the supplemental first round (32nd overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of Highland (IL) High School. He was signed by area scout Harvey Kuenn Jr.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Brewers Homepage | MLB.com


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The Looks
Behind the Scenes of a New York Fashion Show for Spring 2015
Stowaway Cosmetics Makeup Set Small Enough for Your Pocket
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Irene Kim's spring beauty tips
This fashionista popped on the American fashion radar in 2014. Her rainbow hair and mysterious persona set her apart from the fashion wannabes. At the very outset, Irene comes across as a girl who holds her own image. This Korean-American model calls herself a 'banana' yellow on the…
Old remedy made new: Olive Oil for beautiful skin
Hundreds of years ago, women did not have access to beauty products. They were putting different powders as make-up on their faces, they were using plants to make their lips red and different mixtures to have smooth skin. Olive Oil is one of the oldest secrets for a beautiful and glowing skin. Women…
The dangers of eyelash extensions
For many women, eyelashes are a very important and they struggle to take care of them as well as they can. They use mascara, growth treatments and in the last years, eyelash extensions. This is a great alternative to regular fake eyelashes, as you don't have to care for them every day or be…
5 things men do not consider attractive in women
It's fairly easy for women to notice all the flaws in other women, whether it is her outfit, her hair or her makeup; anything amiss will surely be noticed by women. But one does ponder; do men see the same things as women do? Do they find different things unattractive about women that other…
2016 Spring Fashion Trends - What To Wear and How To Style
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Sunlight is very important for the human body because it provides Vitamin D. Provided the exposure to sun rays is moderate but often, Vitamin D aids the body in releasing endorphins, which elevate moods. Vitamin D also treats some skin diseases, such as psoriasis and treats Seasonal Affective…
Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty Makeup
The fact that Rihanna created her own beauty line is not really a surprise. The artist has talked about this for years, and all her fans waited to see what she can come up with. With a great sense of style and a little bit of craziness, Rihanna's beauty collection will be one of a kind.…


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This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Constituency Electioneering in Britain, 1966 (ICPSR 7016)
Principal Investigator(s): Kavanagh, Dennis; Rose, Richard
This study surveyed members of Parliament and candidates for office in British constituencies in the 1966 general election. The questionnaire elicited information about the candidates' ties with their constituencies, their sources of information about their constituencies, their campaign strategies, the operation of the campaigns, and perceived effects. The organization of the local party operation and the candidates' own attitudes and feelings toward election campaigning were also investigated.
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Study Description
Kavanagh, Dennis, and Richard Rose. Constituency Electioneering in Britain, 1966. ICPSR07016-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2009-07-24. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07016.v2
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Scope of Study
Subject Terms: campaign strategies, candidates, constituencies, elections, Great Britain, members of Parliament, parliamentary elections, political attitudes, political campaigns, political issues, political perceptions, political representation
Geographic Coverage: Global
- 1966
Universe: British members of Parliament and candidates for office in the 1966 parliamentary elections.
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Privileged Password Management: Step by Step
Much has been written about the benefits of Privileged Password Management (including by me) and the risks that it addresses, but there may be a lack of a definitive definition of what that is. I will try to solve that right now.
Privileged Password Management is the lifecycle management of the passwords for privileged accounts. This includes accounts such as "root" on Linux and "Administrator" on Windows.
These accounts are not typically owned by any one individual, but must be shared by various people who require the access to perform system functions. This leads to issues of individual accountability, as the account password may be known by more than one individual.
Frequently, these powerful accounts also have the ability to bypass other security controls on the target system. Tracking the usage of these accounts is critical to maintaining control of the system.
The first thing the credit union must do is identify who will lead the process to implement Privileged Password Management. If the credit union has an IT security officer, this would be the normal person to take this role. Otherwise, this may need to be the IT manager, risk officer, or even the CIO.
The person who implements Privileged Password Management may not be the same person involved once the process is defined.
Privileged Password Management involves the following five steps:
1. Identify the Privileged Accounts.
2. Identify the users who should have access to these accounts.
3. Define the process to control the Privileged Account Passwords.
4. Define the review procedures for the process defined.
5. Communicate and train the individuals who will be involved in the process defined.
Step 1. Identify the Privileged Accounts
A good starting point is Item 41 (Inventory list of IT equipment (include servers and a list of services offered on each)) on the "IT Items Needed" section of the NCUA IT Questionnaires Workbook. This will show you the list of all of your servers, and each server will have at least one Privileged Account ("Local Administrator" if Windows, "root" if Unix).
The deciding points of whether or not an account should be on this list are the following:
1. Does the account have the ability to bypass controls on the system? This would apply for Local Administrator on Windows, root on Unix/Linux, enable on Cisco routers, admin/root on firewalls, sa on databases.
2. Is the account shared and capable of making changes that should be done with individual accountability?
3. Does the account have application level change capabilities that should require additional approval or dual control prior to use?
The basic rule is that any server will have at least one Privileged Account. Additional Privileged Accounts will be based on the services running on the device.
Step 2. Identify the Proper Users
Again, a good starting point is Item 36 (Listing of personnel and vendors with special access privileges to administer operating systems, networks, and applications) on the "IT Items Needed" section of the NCUA IT Questionnaires Workbook. This will list all of the people who have the requirement for access to Privileged Accounts.
The challenge is mapping which individuals identified in Step 2 should have access to the Privileged Accounts identified in Step 1. If the security officer is tasked with making these decisions, he or she should look at who has used these accounts in the past and under what circumstances as a baseline for moving forward. This list will become an important control for the release of these Privileged Account Passwords.
Step 3. Define the Process
Controlling Privileged Account Passwords consists of four basic tasks:
a) Storing the Privileged Account Password.
b) Changing the Privileged Account Password.
c) Checking the Privileged Account Password.
d) Releasing the Privileged Account Password.
a) Storing the Privileged Account Password
The Privileged Account Password should be stored in a manner that it cannot be known prior to it being released to the authorized user. A process that has been used for years is to write the password on a piece of paper and store the paper in a sealed envelope. The seal on the envelope will indicate that the password has not been released.
The envelope should then be stored in a container that provides protection – the classic example is a safe. Using a secure container prevents loss, damage (hopefully), and provides an additional measure of control for the release of the password. Depending on your disaster recovery requirements, you may also need to have off-site storage in a similar fashion.
b) Changing the Privileged Account Password.
The process to change the password will depend on the target system. The key controls are the following:
1. The Privileged Account Password should be changed by someone who will not be an authorized requestor of the password. If the Security Officer has the ability to change the passwords, and is distinct from the IT users defined in Step 2, then they are a good choice.
2. The Privileged Account Passwords should be changed to strong, random passwords in accordance with the credit union's password policy. Since random passwords are not easily created by humans, I recommend a random password generator such as this free tool.
3. The Privileged Account Passwords should be typed to avoid confusion over handwriting issues (i.e., "l" versus "1" and "0" versus "O"). Obviously, it is important that the document is securely deleted after it is printed to avoid disclosure of the passwords.
4. Each Privileged Account Password should be on a separate piece of paper in a separate envelope to ensure that only the password requested is released when needed.
5. The decision on when the Privileged Account Passwords will be changed must be made. Best practices have shown that these passwords should be changed periodically (i.e., every 30, 90, or 180 days) as well as after each use. Changing the password after each use ensures that the credit union can provide individual accountability over a shared account since only the requestor will know the password until reset.
c) Checking the Privileged Account Passwords
The Privileged Account Passwords are most often needed in critical situations (e.g., fire call since regular access is not working) and therefore it is critical that these passwords will work. The process to change the passwords should also ensure that the new password is checked before being stored.
Depending on the target system, this can be difficult to accomplish, but experience has shown that confidence in the integrity of the stored passwords justifies the extra time needed for password changes.
d) Releasing the Privileged Account Passwords.
This is typically the most process intensive part of Privileged Account Management. This will define how the authorized users defined in Step 2 get the Privileged Account Passwords defined in Step 1. This will vary widely depending on your IT environment. A typical process is as follows:
1. A trouble ticket or other notification is created that dictates that a Privileged Account Password is needed. This may be created by IT operations, IT staff, support, etc. The main control is that a record of the requirement is created.
2. The authorized user (defined in Step 2) requests the Privileged Account Password from the organization that has control of the storage of the passwords. This could be IT operations, the security officer, a manager, etc. This person will then check the list (the mapping done at the end of Step 2) to see that the authorized user is allowed to have the Privileged Account Password requested. They would also note if any additional approval or notification is needed. They then would provide the envelope to the authorized user.
3. The trouble ticket would serve as the notification to the person responsible for changing the password if the process dictates the password should be changed after each use.
4. Once the authorized user has finished using the Privileged Account Password, he or she should return the opened envelope back to the person who released the password to ensure that no other individual has access to the password before it is changed.
4. Define the Review Procedures and Timeframes
The review procedures should include at least the following:
1. Review the Privileged Account Password list against the list mentioned in Step 1, to ensure that newly added systems have their Privileged Accounts identified. This should also eliminate Privileged Account Passwords that are no longer needed due to system decommissioning.
2. An entitlement review of the list created in Step 2 to ensure that all authorized users are still valid for the Privileged Account Passwords defined. This should take into account changes of roles or responsibilities.
3. A review to ensure that periodic and usage based password changes are happening as defined in the process.
5. Communication and Training
Once the process has been defined, it must be explained to all affected individuals so they know the procedure moving forward. As explained before, these Privileged Account Passwords are often needed in critical situations, so it is important to run through the procedure prior to putting the process in place. The procedure must also be coordinated with the DR team to ensure that DR is not adversely affected by the changes.
Privileged Account Password Management has been a key control point for IT since the introduction of distributed systems in the 1980s. While this was initially addressed in large scale environments, the issues are the same whether you have 20 systems or 20,000.
It is also important to know that technology solutions, whether commercial product solutions or service solutions, only serve to automate Step 3. Product and service solutions may also provide better solutions for reporting, notification and disaster recovery.
Kris Zupan, CISSP, is CTO at Rallypoint Solutions LLC in Wilmington, Del.


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Skip to comments.Leno to Host Carlin, Coulter on Wednesday
Posted on 06/13/2006 3:01:11 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
"Tonight" host Jay Leno might want to consider wearing referee stripes on Wednesday's show when Ann Coulter and George Carlin are his guests.
Coulter, the acid-tongued conservative with a new book out, and Carlin, the quick-witted, antiestablishment comedian who's in the voice cast for the new animated film "Cars," were booked at separate times for the NBC late-nighter, a spokeswoman said Monday.
But the duo's meeting could produce serious fireworks for "Tonight," which usually limits its political fodder to Leno's bipartisan monologue jokes.
Coulter, author of "Godless: The Church of Liberalism," has drawn fire for attacking the four New Jersey widows who pushed for an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks in which their husbands died.
In her book, Coulter accuses the women of "reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by grief-arazzis. I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much."
An appearance by Coulter on another NBC series, "Today," led to a prickly exchange with host Matt Lauer over her comments on the widows.
Also scheduled for "Tonight" Wednesday is Scottish singer and songwriter KT Tunstall.
I'm old enough to remember that. Suskind's best line about Winters: "She's everybody's first wife."
On Wednesday's Tonight Show, the guy who really deserves our sympathy is Scottish songwriter KT Tunstall!
Nor stupid, either.
So, going up against someone who might actually give her a fight is stupid? Or cowardice?
Be more fun to watch Carlin and Maher together. Seeing who is angrier, more hatefilled, and more anti-American.
I've seen Carlin's routine(s) on HBO. He's a disgusting hate-filled liberal.
You know Carlin will be loaded for bear. I hope Ann is too.
Leno's show is Maher's squared as to the liberal slant, including the audience in the peanut gallery.
Ann will win. She put those money-whoring 9-11 widows in their place
There are only two reasons to go on a show like this, to defend your POV, or sell books. Her book is number one, and her POV will not be allowed to come through. George Carlin would complain about a stint as the lone male, in the Kit Kat Club with a bottle of Viagra, and a case of condoms. He would spend most of the night hating his age and Bush, then the rest of the time railing against pesticides that caused his dysfunction.
So big brave Coulter should stick to conservative shows and shows where she's only facing no-talent talking heads? Carlin could give her a fight, so she avoids it. Where is the courage in that.
I've seen Carlin's routine(s) on HBO. He's a disgusting hate-filled liberal.
And on that side Coulter is a disgusting hate-filled conservative. They have that in common, so a debate between those two would be a site to see. If I were Leno, I'd cancel everything including the monologue, set two chairs in a boxing ring, and let those two have the entire hour.
Leno's show is Maher's squared as to the liberal slant, including the audience in the peanut gallery.
Mahr is an amature compared to Carlin. Coulter would clean his clock.
Ya got that right! that whiney little s**t is a klinton suck up.
It all depends on who's scoring the match (if there is one). Liberals will give Carlin points for a misinformed bon mot, while scoring Ann off for quoting facts (because we all know she's mean-spirited and horrid /sarcasm).
There is a third reason. Showing you're not afraid to defend yourself against those who hold their beliefs as strongly as you hold yours. Coulter doesn't want to defend her point of view. She wants to go on conservative talk shows with fawning hosts so she can spout her point of view without fear of contradiction. And she wants to go on puff-pieces like The Today Show so she can smack Lauer around and hawk her book. There is no hardship involved with that, no chance of failure or embarassment. Coulter is taking the easy road.
He would spend most of the night hating his age and Bush, then the rest of the time railing against pesticides that caused his dysfunction.
No, I think Coulter vs Carlin would be a pretty good show. Pity she won't do it.
burbank is close to the nest where they breed these liberals.
It would be embarrassing for her. The audience is there to laugh. Carlin will score more on the laugh meter (for the typical Leno crowd), therefore, he will win. Coulter is probably well aware of this and chooses not to subject herself to it, any more than Carlin would dare go on a forum where he's scored on his grasp on reality.
he didn't write this either. i didn't think so.
Subject: Bad American by George Carlin
Well....make your own judgment!
I Am Your Worst Nightmare. I am a BAD American.
I am George Carlin.
I believe the money I make belongs to me and my family, not some midlevel governmental functionary with a bad comb-over who wants to give it away to crack addicts squirting out babies.
I'm not in touch with my feelings and I like it that way, damn it!
I believe no one ever died because of something Ozzy Osbourne, Ice-T or Marilyn Manson sang.
I think owning a gun doesn't make you a killer.
I believe it's called the Boy Scouts for a reason.
I don't think being a minority makes you noble or victimized.
I believe that if you are selling me a Big Mac, you'd better do it in English.
I don't use the excuse "it's for the children" as a shield for unpopular opinions or actions.
I think fireworks should be legal on the 4th of July.
I think that being a student doesn't give you any more enlightenment than working at Blockbuster. In fact, if your parents are footing the bill to put your pansy ass through 4-7 years of college, you haven't begun to be enlightened.
I believe everyone has a right to pray to his or her God or gods, just leave the rest of us out of it. This also applies to sexuality.
My heroes are John Wayne, the Simpsons, and whoever canceled Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
I don't hate the rich. I don't pity the poor.
I know wrestling is fake and I don't waste my time arguing about it.
I think global warming is a big lie. Where are all those experts now, when I am freezing my ass through a long winter?
I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so shut-the-#$%!-up already.
I want to know which church is it exactly where the Reverend Jesse Jackson preaches. And where does he get his money. And why is he always part of the problem and not the solution.
I think the cops have every right to shoot your sorry ass if you're running from them. I also think they have the right to pull your ass over if you are breaking the law, regardless of what color you are.
I think if you are too stupid to know how a ballot works, I don't want you deciding who should be running the most powerful nation in the world for the next four years.
I hate those bastards standing in the intersections trying to sell me crap or trying to guilt me into making 'donations' to their cause. These people should be targets.
I think if you are in the passing lane, and not passing, your license should be revoked, and you should be forced to ride the bus until you promise to never delay the rest of us again.
I think beef jerky could quite possibly be the perfect food.
I believe that it doesn't take a village to raise a child, it takes two parents.
I think tattoos and piercing are fine if you want them, but please don't pretend they are a political statement.
I think Dr. Seuss was a genius.
I'm neither angry nor disenfranchised, no matter how desperately the mainstream media would like the world to believe otherwise.
I believe if she has her lips on your willie, it is sex, and it is sex for both of you. This even applies when you are President of the United States.
If that makes me a BAD American, then yes, I'm a BAD American.
If you too are a BAD American please forward this to everyone you know. We need our country back!
Comments: As of this writing (mid-2003), versions of this paean to political incorrectness have been floating around for three years, falsely attributed to George Carlin, Ted Nugent, Andy Rooney, Denis Leary and others. Carlin disavowed it on his Website. A variant ran in Ted Nugent's Adventure Outdoors Magazine in early 2001, but the politically outspoken rock star didn't take credit for it and other versions had already appeared elsewhere on the Internet.
More than one person has laid claim to authorship of the piece, but the likeliest candidate to date was a frequent contributor to FreeRepublic.com under the nickname "Bootyist Monk." The earliest known posting, entitled "I Am a Bad Republican," was dated September 1, 2000.
so let's clear up this rumor
You're wrong. Coulter doesn't want to defend her views? Come on. She wasn't physically attacked by the audience at the Heritage Foundation.
Anyone who's seen Coulter versus the numerous leftists she's debated knows that Carlin is simply a pathetic scare quote "rebel" whose "edginess" comes from questioning whatever leftists think should be questioned. Check out the debates between Ann and Peter Beinart in front left-leaning college crowds if you can still find the video-- she absolutely destroys him. True, Ann shows up on H&C a lot, but she hardly gets puff treatment from Colmes and she's usually on with a leftist to balance her.
The idea that the Today Show does puff pieces when it comes to conservatives shows you don't watch it that much. You know what--- I don't blame you. But the fact is, while Lauer is an annoying quasi-Stalinist with delusions of moderation, he is much better informed than, say, Carlin. Lauer is at about the same level or just below Steffie, Russert and Bob-- in other words, he's a knowledgable, partisan hack, just like they are-- but far above mere Carlin/Andy Rooney level.
Kick ass Ann!...doses of reality always anger liberals.
Well, that explains Carlin's sychophant crowds in his crappy over-hyped HBO specials.
Then Carlin or no Carlin, what is Coulter doing there? She going to do a stand-up routine? Or just looking for another easy appearance to shill her book?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Rollins chats with Action Teams
Phillies shortstop encourages captains to help those in need
Jimmy Rollins joined Action Teams from across the country in a recent teleconference to answer questions and share stories and insights about volunteering and community service.
The Phillies' All-Star shortstop spoke with Action Team captains from West Deptford (N.J.) High School and other schools about his own volunteering experiences and the lessons he learned by getting involved in his community.
"When I was 16, I volunteered in nearby West Oakland (Calif.). West Oakland at the time was not a great place to be, with lots of drugs and weeds everywhere on the streets. I volunteered to help clean up the area block by block. We cut down the weeds and cleaned up the streets. We wanted to lift the neighborhood's spirits the best we could."
The monthly teleconference, hosted by baseball announcer George Grande, is a feature of the Action Team national youth volunteer program, which was founded in 2003 by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America to inspire the next generation of volunteers. The Action Team connects high school students with Major League players to promote community service.
More than 26,000 Action Team student volunteers in 150-plus high schools nationwide have helped improve the lives of more than 111,000 people in need since the program's inception.
Rollins told the high school students that "seeing a need and being blessed with talent" inspired him to become active. "I asked myself, 'What can I do to make a difference and put a smile on someone's face?'"
The West Deptford Action Team fashioned a similar program to help in their Southern New Jersey community. In December, they hosted Operation Blessing, organizing a food and clothing drive for the needy during the cold winter months. The drive sparked a positive competition among the students gathering the much-needed supplies.
The discussion of Operation Blessing dovetailed with Rollins' message that anyone can help out.
West Deptford High School's advisor praised the students for organizing their own events and their effective use of social media to mobilize their student body to aid their community. The underlying theme was that no project was too small.
When students asked about the need to be a professional athlete or celebrity to effectively volunteer, Rollins quickly squashed the sentiment.
"You just need the willingness to help. To have an impact on someone's life, you need a smile and an open heart," Rollins said.
Rollins also called on the students to keep broadening their outreach efforts. "It's easy and natural to help people who you know," he said. "The challenge is to help those who you don't know."
Action Team captains from Thornton Academy of Maine inquired if Rollins could have imagined a life without volunteering. Rollins replied, "Yes, it would be selfish. I would have regretted it. I would have been a self-centered, greedy person.
"I have come to understand the impact of being there. Off-days are usually for a teammate's charity event. Small acts like just giving a kid a hug really helps," Rollins said.
Like many Action Teams, West Deptford continues to serve its community and is already planning an event for May. Rollins left all of the students on the conference call with some parting advice:
"What you do is what people remember. People are going to look for that testimony. You're a leader even when someone may not be looking, and you are your biggest promoter."
For more information on the Action Team program, please visit www.VolunteersofAmerica.org/actionteam or send an e-mail inquiry to firstname.lastname@example.com.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Even though many manufacturers are
looking to hybrid vehicles to boost the fuel economy of their
automotive fleets, advances in traditional internal combustion
engines can also lead to increased in fuel economy. Last week, we
told you about the Chevrolet
Cruze Eco which achieves a healthy 28 mpg in the city and a
whopping 42 mpg on the highway.
Not to be overlooked, Hyundai has
announced that its all new 2011 Elantra will also reach the magic 40
mpg mark. According to Autoblog,
the Elantra is powered by a brand new 1.8-liter "Nu family"
engine that generated 148hp at 6,500 rpm and 131 pound-feet of torque
at 4,700 rpm.
Trend reports that these power figures and fuel economy are
achieved using a 10.3:1 compression ratio and traditional port fuel
injection. Direct injection is no doubt a feature that will be added
down the road and should further improve power and fuel efficiency.
The resultant fuel economy is 29 in the
city and 40 mpg on the highway. Those figures are for all models of
the Elantra, and not just specific trim levels like the Cruze Eco.
For example, while the Cruze Eco is rated at 28/42, other trim levels
are rated at 24/36.
Hyundai made the bold claim earlier
this year that it wants to meet a self-imposed
CAFE of 50 mpg by 2025. Vehicles like the Hyundai
Sonata hybrid and new Elantra should help it inch closer towards
those goals.


text:
By Samuel Morison, a criminal defense attorney in Washington, D.C., and a former staff attorney at the Office of the Pardon Attorney.
For most of this country's history, the practice of executive clemency has quietly functioned as an ancillary feature of the criminal justice system, without attracting much attention. The purpose of the pardon power, as the Founders envisioned it, was to fill the inevitable gaps in the just and humane infliction of punishment. In addition to being a failsafe to correct injustices that escaped judicial scrutiny, executive clemency was conceived as an equitable vehicle for bestowing legal "forgiveness" in appropriate cases. As the Supreme Court observed in Ex Parte Grossman, "[t]he administration of justice … is not necessarily always wise or certainly considerate of circumstances which may properly mitigate guilt." Hence, "[e]xecutive clemency exists to afford relief from undue harshness or evident mistake in the operation or enforcement of the criminal law."
Beginning in the 1970's, however, under the influence of the "new retributivism," the prevailing rehabilitative paradigm began to collapse, along with the traditional practices of discretionary sentencing and parole. In its place, we have witnessed the ascendance of determinate sentencing schemes, including strict mandatory minimum penalties for a broad array of offenses, most notably the distribution of illegal drugs. However well intentioned, the rhetoric of retribution quickly degenerated into a crass endorsement of punitive incapacitation for its own sake, with little regard for what any particular offender actually deserves. The result has been a burgeoning federal prison population of more than 200,000, coupled with thousands more ex-felons who labor under the burden of lifetime collateral disabilities.


text:
Young likely nearing rehab assignment in Arizona
By Jane Lee / MLB.com
SEATTLE -- A depleted A's club could soon be welcoming back one of its ailing outfielders, as Chris Young is expected to begin a rehab assignment within a few days.
Young, nursing a strained left quad, could potentially be Arizona-bound this weekend should the A's decide he's ready to pick up a handful of at-bats in game action via extended spring camp. That puts Young on track to possibly return to the A's when eligible on Wednesday.
Coco Crisp, meanwhile, doesn't appear to be as close to rejoining the club, though he may not be too far behind, manager Bob Melvin said Friday in Seattle.
"He's maybe a day or so away from running," Melvin said. "Once he starts to recover, based on my experience with him, it can be pretty quick. But no timetable as far as when we expect him back here."
Unlike Young, Crisp could end up skipping a rehab assignment, as he's done in the past, instead jumping right back into the A's lineup when deemed healthy enough to do so. He's also eligible to return from the DL on Wednesday.
"I would say that that's one of the few guys that not only doesn't need it, but doesn't want it -- just wants to get back in there," Melvin said. "Our tendency is to get him back as soon as possible."
Oakland's third injured outfielder, Josh Reddick, is back in the Bay Area receiving treatment on his sprained right wrist and avoiding most baseball activity for the time being.
A's recall Chavez, option Scribner to Triple-A
SEATTLE -- On the same day Evan Scribner's second stint with the A's this season came to an end, Jesse Chavez's began.
It's a trend that will likely continue for the two right-handed long relievers, who have bounced between Triple-A Sacramento and Oakland.
Scribner tied a career high with three innings pitched in Thursday's loss in Cleveland, so the A's, in need of a fresh bullpen arm for this weekend's three-game series in Seattle, called up Chavez on Friday to take his roster spot. Oakland also recalled Chavez and optioned Scribner back in April.
"It would be at least two or three days before [Scribner] would be able to pitch again, and unfortunately that's just part of that long role," manager Bob Melvin said. "That's the way it goes. We've flipped these two a couple times now, and Jesse gives us that starter-type of length, where you're not afraid to run him out there for four or five innings if something were to happen."
Chavez was initially recalled from Sacramento on April 20 and gave up four runs in 4 1/3 innings over three appearances before he was optioned on April 29. He was 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA in two starts with the River Cats following his demotion, and is 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts overall for them.
Worth noting
• Infielder Hiroyuki Nakajima (left hamstring) was scheduled to play nine innings for Sacramento on Friday, marking the first time he's played back-to-back days since his rehab stint began.
Nakajima is 3-for-12 with the River Cats and is expected to pick up several more at-bats before even being considered as an option to join Oakland's big league roster.
Jane Lee is a reporter for MLB.com. Read her blog, Major Lee-ague, and follow her on Twitter @JaneMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
SAN CLEMENTE – Worries about alcohol, drugs, litter, loud music and sex have led 12 hilltop residents in San Clemente to petition for parking restrictions at a popular lookout point on their street.
City planning commissioners voted, 6-0, Wednesday night to ask the City Council for a six-month ban on parking between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily at 790 Avenida Salvador to try giving residents relief.
What it is: A wide vacant lot between homes along a San Clemente hilltop that affords a view of much of the city.
Why the concern: Residents said youths drive there at night to hang out, play loud music, dance and party, leaving trash including alcohol containers, broken glass and cigarette butts. They said trash on the hillside is "disgusting" and draws rats. They claimed drug deals also take place.
Incidents: One resident reported discovering a couple having sex on top of a parked vehicle. Another said a car doing "doughnuts" on the street flipped over and that youths got it upright and fled before sheriff's deputies arrived. On summer nights, residents said, noise will awaken them at 2 a.m.
Resident's quote: "It's three or four (cars) at a time," Kelson McDaniel told commissioners. "But they come frequently. They come to party after a ballgame or something like that, and then 20 or 30 kids will show up and they start dancing in the street and they're drinking beer and they're raising Cain. Sometimes we hear their noise over our TVs."
Different view: Resident Susan Pierce said only six households are requesting a parking restriction and that the measure could move the problem in front of other homes. "The parking on Salvador is fine," she said.
Lot owner's view: Jerry Anderson said a parking ban won't work, as people will park nearby and walk to the lookout. He said he will need curb parking when he develops his property. He had no timeframe for that.
Response: McDaniel, a former San Clemente police chief, said youths won't park elsewhere and walk, as they want their cars with them.
Survey: City staff said it mailed 34 questionnaires to area property owners and got 18 back. Fifteen wanted no parking from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Two wanted a full-time ban. The lot owner, Anderson, wanted to leave parking as is.
Sheriff's Department view: A city staff report quoted deputies as saying the spot is like any other lookout – youngsters are apt to park, make out, smoke and litter. There are pockets in the bushes where they might take beer. Some likely are parking elsewhere and walking because they know residents will call when cars park at the lookout. Some residents have been seen walking to the lookout with glasses of wine to watch the sunset.
City staff's advice to the Planning Commission: Request more police presence. Restrict parking at the commission's discretion.
Commissioners' takes: "It's not a parking problem, it's a law-enforcement problem," said Commissioner Jim Ruehlin. Commissioner Don Brown believes a late-night parking ban is worth trying because it would give deputies reasonable cause to approach a parked vehicle.
Commission's decision: Ask the City Council for a six-month parking restriction and then review the results. It could go to the council April 16.
Contact the writer: 949-492-5127 or firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
I just started to learn win32 using the forge's tutorial,
I know c++ and c at least enougth and nothing about win32 api programming,
i'm just trying to figure out how a second window is handled,
ok to create and show the "main" window i dont have any problems and to handle the events from a winproc function, but i dont know how to handle the events of another created window in the same program,
thi is done in the same winproc function of the main window?
must i create a new winproc for each new window i create?
are the "rest" windows treated as "dialogs"?and not exactly as another window?
i ask this because in this tutorial and the rest of tutorials i have they only gives examples for a single main window, and mdi but is not mdi what i need know
thanks for any idea
i just need a little theory how is this achieved
please excuse my poor english


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, June 13, 2008, 10:53 AM
Town Square
Alameda County sheriff turns to gamblers' Web site for help in solving murders
Original post made on Jun 13, 2008
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, June 13, 2008, 10:53 AM
Comments (7)
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Jun 13, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Interesting conflict:
The son owes enough to do in his own parents, making it, let's assume, a fairly large sum and a debt he feels requires serious attention, possibly to save himself from a fate not less brutal than that of his dear mother and father at the hands of the person or persons who have bested or financed him at the poker table.
How interested would such people be in seeing this guy behind bars, where his earning potential would be severely limited?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 16, 2008 at 7:04 pm
What is the official definition of "person of interest"? Is it merely someone who could have been involved but hasn't been cleared? Or is it more serious than that? I'm guessing the latter, but don't really know for certain.
Mike, you asked a really good question. I wonder what the experts would say about this. On one hand you would think that people wouldn't want him behind bars because as you said, his earning power would be limited. On the other hand, if they think the son won't pay up, they might be inclined to provide evidence that would put him behind bars for the rest of his life, or net him the death penalty.
If the son did do this what would he gain by it if there wasn't any money in the house for him to steal? If killing them wasn't going to net him instant cash, I don't see why it would be worth the risk to do what he did. If he was in the process of stealing money or arguing over it and they threatened him I could see why he might do something rash with his adrenaline going. However to do something brutal makes no sense to me unless he was on drugs or was extremely spiteful. If he did do it, he is really stupid or egotistical to think he could do something so sinister and get away with it.
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 16, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Referening my comments above, if someone wanted to do the son in, they could do so indirectly by providing evidence if they have it. Essentially put the guy away for life (at a minimum) without taking any risks themselves such as they would have if they would have one the job on their own.
a resident of Amador Valley High School
on Jun 17, 2008 at 5:28 pm
"Person of interest" is a phrase often used by law enforcement when announcing the name of someone involved in a criminal investigation who has NOT YET been arrested or FORMALLY accused of a crime. It is often used as a euphemism for suspect.
Scott Peterson was a person of interest. That tell you anything?
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jun 17, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Regarding the above: Umm, yeah, it says that the son is basically a bleepin' bleepty-bleep.
a resident of Highland Oaks
on Jun 20, 2008 at 5:41 pm
The fact that this person is a "professional gambler" says something about his character. With gamblers, a lot of times the motive can be sheer desperation.
a resident of Birdland
on Jun 23, 2008 at 12:42 pm
It looks like the good ol apple dosent fall far from the tree.
Salami, Salami … Baloney
By Tom Cushing | 24 comments | 759 views
Time for new collaboration between city and school district
By Tim Hunt | 2 comments | 532 views
Holiday Fund raises $70,000 for 12 Tri-Valley nonprofits
By Jeb Bing | 0 comments | 126 views


text:
The early summer case involving two deputies and the fatal shooting of a young man in Summerfield will be forwarded to a grand jury.
The early summer case involving two deputies and the fatal shooting of a young man in Summerfield will be forwarded to a grand jury.
Chief Assistant State Attorney Ric Ridgway said Tuesday his office is not filing any charges in the case and cannot comment on the findings in a Florida Department of Law Enforcement report.
On July 6, at least two 911 calls were made about Joshua Salvato, 21, causing a disturbance in the 10400 block of Southeast Sunset Harbor Road in Summerfield.
At approximately 10:45 p.m., deputies Lauren Miley and Norman Brown found Salvato in the road behaving aggressively. That's when Salvato attacked the deputies, according to initial reports.
It has not been revealed if Salvato was armed or if he was trying to take a weapon from Miley or Brown. Days after the shooting, it was revealed that Miley fired the fatal shot.
The sheriff's office's use-of-force guidelines, which mirror Florida law, state that the use of deadly force is the last resort but can be used when the subject — regardless of if they are armed — has the ability, opportunity and intent of causing death or great bodily harm to them or another.
Both deputies, who were cleared by a psychologist, later returned to work and were placed on limited duty.
Court records show that Salvato had only had a minor previous brush with law enforcement.
Ridgway said the final FDLE report is not being released because it has to be presented in front of the grand jury. That jury, he said, has broader authority to review and comment on what occurred, which would include criticism if appropriate, or commendation if they saw fit.
Ridgway said Salvato's family, the Marion County Sheriff's Office, the deputies and their attorneys all have been notified about the grand jury.
A final outcome may not be known for several weeks because the term of the grand jury panel that would normally hear cases expired the first Tuesday of this month. The grand jury term usually lasts six months. A new panel will be selected and will hear this case, Ridgway said.
He said this is not the first time a deputy shooting has been sent to a grand jury for a review. The next-most-recent case involved former Ocala Police Department officer John Glicher, who shot at a moving vehicle, killing Walter James Cook Jr. in a west Ocala neighborhood in early 1999. Although no charges were issued by the grand jury, Gilcher was fired by the department on grounds of violating deadly force policies.
There have been two other cases this year in which deputies were involved in shooting incidents. In January, deputy Steve Simpson shot and killed Michael Lyell Smith, 26, after a traffic stop, during which Smith drove off with Simpson dangling from the window of his truck. Simpson was cleared.
In April, Deputy John Lightle shot a man armed with a double-barreled shotgun. The man survived. Lightle was cleared.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118 or email@example.com.


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 12:41 AM
Town Square
Palo Alto finds willing partners in Shanghai
Original post made on Dec 18, 2012
Read the full story here Web Link posted Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 12:41 AM
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 18, 2012 at 10:48 am
It's difficult to understand what the City of Palo Alto government thinks it is doing here. The local government can't seem to manage its own finances, keep the streets properly paved, and has shown now evidence of understanding "technology". (Just last week it was revealed that its primary database/systems vendor claimed that the City underpaid it over one million dollars for improper use of its SAP product.) Additionally, the recent revelations regarding the secrecy, and possibly improper use of City employees to push the huge project of property developer John Arrillaga under the so-called "radar" proves that the City Manager is not one who believes in openness, or fair play. Perhaps that's why there is so much interest in the Communist leaders wanting to partner with men like Keene—given the underlying nature of corruption that has always been the bedrock of Chinese culture.
The Weekly's article did not seem to offer us any insight into how much this trip cost, who actually paid the bills, and what the Palo Alto "delegation" signed, in terms of legal/binding documents.
Given how geographically small Palo Alto is, it's difficult to see any possibility of the City's enticing a Chinese property developer to open a "technology park" in Palo Alto. Given the long-term financial issues facing the City, it's difficult to understand how spending any money on "Sister Cities" makes much sense. That said, given that the Internet allows people to interact with people all over the world--using tools like Skype—creating, and maintaining, "relationships" in faraway places can now be easily done without spending a lot of money. However, the City of Palo Alto does not yet seem to have understood that possibility, as it has not yet offered Skype service to its own residents.
It makes sense for business groups to want to explore business opportunities in the growing Chinese economy. Unfortunately, China seems to be more of a "closed door" (at least at the moment) than a "two way street" for American/European business interests (just ask Google). So, it makes little sense for local governments to be sucked into some sort of "Sister City" relationships that allow Chinese business (meaning the Communist Chinese Government/Army) to gain access to local markets, while American businesses are effectively shut out of Chinese markets.
This matter is probably more of a publicity stunt for the "local delegation" that wangled a (hopefully) free trip to China. Given how spectacularly unsuccessful the "Destination Palo Alto" campaign turned out to be under government control—it's difficult to believe that much will come out of this "opportunity" with the same stewards at the helm.
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 18, 2012 at 11:02 am
It's more like a real estate sales tour than anything else. Unlike San Francisco, we just don't have enough tourist attraction places around here. In any cases, we have to fix our potholes first
a resident of Crescent Park
on Dec 18, 2012 at 11:36 am
Wholeheartedly agree with Fix Our Streets First
a resident of Barron Park
on Dec 18, 2012 at 11:41 am
Leave it to business...manage the city govt. only..
a resident of Southgate
on Dec 18, 2012 at 12:30 pm
Unbelievable waste of money. Typical of the manic schemes our Council preoccupies itself with.
a resident of Jordan Middle School
on Dec 18, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Waste of money and shameful, given what we know about China and how they are trying to eat our lunch.
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm
[Post removed due to same poster using multiple names]
a resident of South of Midtown
on Dec 18, 2012 at 2:40 pm
[Post removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of South of Midtown
on Dec 18, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Wasn't it in the newspaper that council was considering paying a company $90K for a study/survey of for another tax increase, so they can put infrastructure work costs on the ballot?
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 18, 2012 at 2:58 pm
hey... how about doing next a Palo Alto downtown Chinatown ?Like they have in SF... and Japan town?
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 18, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Gethin is a registered user.
Horrible waste of money, pols no doubt feeling they are doing wonderful work on behalf of PA, which I seriously question.
Great excuse for flying around the world on the taxpayers dime.
I suggest this program is stopped until somebody justifies the expense.
a resident of Midtown
on Dec 18, 2012 at 3:20 pm
I am wondering what "We did walk away with some areas where we feel we can take some concrete steps in moving forward," actually means, it would be nice to have some specifics. I have heard about a lot of Chinese companies investing in Real Estate here. This has helped drive up the costs and drive out the natives.
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Dec 18, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Palo Alto has a sister city organization called Neighbors Abroad.Neighbors Abroad has 6 sister cities including a sister city in Enschede The Netherlands. The other 5 cities are: Oaxaca, Mexico; Palo, in the Philippines; Linkoping, Sweden; Albi, France; Tisuchira, Japan. Neighbors Abroad and Enschede have been sister cities since 1980. In 2007 the cities of Palo Alto and Enschede signed an Economic Alliance. Since 2007 officials from Palo Alto have made visits to Enschede and scientists, professors hi-tech and entrepreneurship from Enschede have visited Palo Alto. We already have a viable relationship with a highly technological city in the Netherlands for 32 years. We have had student exchanges with Enschede and other sister cities, but the city of Palo Alto has never assisted Neighbors Abroad by discussing exchange options with the PAUSD regarding Neighbors Abroad student exchanges. Neighbors Abroad operates under the auspices of the city of Palo Alto. Neighbors Abroad is celebrating our 50th anniversary with a series of events starting in February, 2013. Look at our website. The city has functional, operating, and loyal sister cities for 50 years. Ask yourselves Palo Altans, do we really need another one?-even if it is deemed a "partner" city?
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 18, 2012 at 5:42 pm
Does Neighbors Abroad receive any funding from City of Palo Alto?
a resident of Mountain View
on Dec 19, 2012 at 8:58 am
Palo Alto, you voted them in. Now shut up and eat your soup!
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 19, 2012 at 10:03 am
The origin of the China visit was set up by the Bay Area Council which includes Oakland - who has a major port and airpott, as well as a market area for Chinese culture. San Francisco has a major port and airport, as well as a Chinese market area. San Jose has a Asian Community as well, and a major airport. Those cities have a tax and cash flow with Asian business centers which are on-going and based on massive infrastucter. Palo Alto is a small city - no major airport, no major port, no centralized Asian Community to conduct business. In the mingling with the big boy cities Palo Alto does not have the infrastructure to generate the same type activity. We need to look at the city charter and financial budgeting for the upcoming year to determine the hows and whys that city budget is allocated to this activity - that menans something else is going to suffer in support of this activity. Our schools. parks, etc? Other recent city ativity attacks corporations which provide the tax base for the city. In this PA utopia everything would be "non-profit" - AKA tax exempt which does not contribute to the city coffers, county, or state. The budgeting system for the city needs to be based on the realistic incoming revenue and expected expenditures which are specific to the infrastructure of PA. And we are not transferring technology to the Chinese as a mandate of the city - this all needs to be reviewed within the legal context of technological patent activity.
a resident of Community Center
on Dec 19, 2012 at 11:28 am
@Taxpayer, 90K is nothing for a return of 150M funding. Futhermore the money comes from the sucker fund. It's like buying a lotto with other people's money. Awesome!
a resident of Palo Verde
on Dec 20, 2012 at 9:09 am
In the SF Chronicle 12/20/12 it reports that China is funding development to Hunter's Point and Treasure Island - both US Navy base closure sites. The Bay Area Council is made up of organizzations which previously reported interest in development of those sites. At Moffatt Field the Navy is currrently cleaning up the site and has carved out Hanger 1 and the air field as questionable to outcome, despite Google offering to support that location for use. Proximity to PA and same players (US Navy, Bay Area Council organizations) suggests that intentions be surfaced now as to outcomes. Moffatt Field is central to the technological center of the bay area.
a resident of Southgate
on Jun 5, 2017 at 5:19 am
Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?