text:
Call or text? Apple patent wants to help you decide
0. phoneArena posted on 03 May 2013, 19:15
First things first: just because you see the words "Apple" and "patent" in the title shouldn't trigger blind rage. Apple works within the terrible, broken system created by the USPTO (read: don't hate the player, hate the game). Now, on to the real story... Most people say that you shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but Apple takes pride in finding a relatively small annoyance and finding a way to ease it. The newest issue the company wants to take on is that small annoyance where you're not too sure if you should call or text a friend...
This is a discussion for a news. To read the whole news, click here
1. Droiddoes (unregistered)
"First things first: just because you see the words "Apple" and "patent" in the title shouldn't trigger blind rage"
Yes, michael, it should.
"Apple works within the terrible, broken system created by the USPTO (read: don't hate the player, hate the game). "
What?! Hate both. Just because someone abuses the sh*t out of a broken system does not make them innocent. But of course you would defend them.
"The newest issue the company wants to take on is that small annoyance where you're not too sure if you should call or text a friend."
This...is really a problem people face? My god.
"Apple's vision seems to rely too much on users to put in all of the information of where they are and when and what to do"
Yeah, apple does like to spy and know everything right down to the color of your morning poo.
17. Trex95 (Posts: 1287; Member since: 03 Mar 2013)
They all Illuminati including Samsung.
19. TROLL (banned) (Posts: 4851; Member since: 13 Apr 2012)
Where's Darkjedi™
23. stealthd (unregistered)
And here's the blind rage. Everything you just said applies to Google and most other tech companies (especially that last line lol).
24. Droiddoes (unregistered)
That sounded like rage to you? Wow, grow a spine.
26. E.N. (Posts: 2610; Member since: 25 Jan 2009)
No it shouldn't. Its ridiculous to get pissed off blindly. There's nothing wrong with this patent at all, and I'm sure you know that.
"apple does like to spy and know everything"
- Don't be a hypocrite
2. twens (Posts: 1139; Member since: 25 Feb 2012)
Hmmm,I don't care.
3. InspectorGadget80 (unregistered)
jeeze now their patenting bout texting? doesn't that already exist? getting sick and tired of APPLE bogus patents. there was another one NOT too long ago. enough already
4. BREvenson (Posts: 240; Member since: 17 May 2012)
"...where you're not too sure if you should call or text a friend"
First world problems, if you ask me.
If it's a short, to-the-point piece of info you want to tell them, text. If it's going to take a minute or two (or if it's personal and/or requires voice contact), call. Simple as that.
5. Droiddoes (unregistered)
I think you're giving iDrones FAR too much credit
21. BREvenson (Posts: 240; Member since: 17 May 2012)
Perhaps, but it's not just iPhone users that fall into this category. Any smartphone user could be unsure how to effectively communicate with others.
I just feel it shouldn't have to take extra features/apps to help people use their phone for its most basic functions. Too much technological assistance these days...
6. FlushGordon (unregistered)
I'm willing to bet my house that there will be at least several to many iOs7 features that will be borrowed from Android.
16. Dingy_cellar_dweller (Posts: 298; Member since: 16 Mar 2013)
Only the ones Android forgot to patent or thought were so trivial that they thought it wasn't worth patenting.
7. Kreft (Posts: 84; Member since: 27 Dec 2012)
Michael is a bit slow it seems.
25. Droiddoes (unregistered)
Nah, he's just constantly drunk off of apple juice. He should seek help for that XD
9. tedkord (Posts: 15731; Member since: 17 Jun 2009)
I'm sick of this don't blame the player garbage. So I shouldn't blame the men who abuse women in countries where its legal? They're only operating within the system.
My father once told me that just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. But my father is a better man than Steve Jobs ever was.
13. quakan (Posts: 1405; Member since: 02 Mar 2011)
You don't know what kind of man Steve Jobs was. You only know what you've seen and heard through the media.
22. alouden (unregistered)
Perhaps not. But to borrow a quote: "attitude reflects leadership." We do know what kind of leader he was. So tedkord's comments are valid.
27. tedkord (Posts: 15731; Member since: 17 Jun 2009)
I know he was a man who denied his daughter for years and did not take care of her. I also know he berated and abused underlings. Thats all I need to know to know my father is a much better man.
10. Fuego84 (Posts: 356; Member since: 13 May 2012)
Really Microphone data, well while your at it why don't you go ahead and take some camera, video, data also to try and see what I'm doing too.
11. parkwaydr (Posts: 572; Member since: 07 Sep 2011)
So by that logic. We shouldn't be mad at dirty cops. Crooked politicians. And the greedy bankers who almost bankrupted the world in 2008? Ya know. Because its the systems fault they can do it. What ever happened to personal integrity?
12. VZWuser76 (Posts: 4933; Member since: 04 Mar 2010)
Hasn't been widespread since the 50s. Now you really gotta look for it.
29. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
In regards to banking, since 1912 with the inception if the Federal Reserve, the system has been faulty and crooked, by design.
14. thequota (Posts: 43; Member since: 02 Apr 2013)
ahh iphone always slightly hinting that their phone users are too dumb to make decisions or figure out things on their own. its like the whole phone is just one giant slap in the face...if you cant figure out if you want/need to text or call someone then you my friend have bigger problems.
15. Topcat488 (Posts: 1401; Member since: 29 Sep 2012)
Yeah... You Silly Apple. Stop "2why-n" to pull a "wabbit", out of a hat.
Agreeing @thequota
18. jacko1977 (Posts: 428; Member since: 11 Feb 2012)
great a ijunk saying im a dumb c**t f u apple
20. roscuthiii (Posts: 2346; Member since: 18 Jul 2010)
Is this applied for or granted?
You know what, never mind. We're first-to-file now anyhow. Hooray for throwing crap at the wall just to see what sticks.
28. networkdood (Posts: 6330; Member since: 31 Mar 2010)
I can do this already with a Moto Droid RAZR.....next


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The Cubs beat the White Sox today 5-1. The pitching was the difference as the Cubs staff only surrendered four hits today. Starting pitcher Travis Wood pitched well and so did Randy Wells who induced a bases loaded double play to Paul Konerko to end the 3rd. Also in relief today was Lopez, Rhee, and Castillo. The Cubs offense was powered by Edgar Gonzalez, Steve Clevenger, and Marlon Byrd who all hit their first homers of the spring. Soriano stayed hot leading the game off with a double later scoring on a Darwin Barney base hit. It is always nice to beat the Chicago White Sox whether it is spring training or not.
Full Box Score on its way.
Thanks for Reading
Mark Sorrentino

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hi everyone.
Glad to hear that everyone's safe from the horrid weather last night.
I didn't get to finish chapter 5 last night, and though I hope to work on it tonight, it's a bit doubtful because I have to be in bed early because I work from 9:30-1:30 tomorrow, and my grandma also has a doctor's appointment shortly after I get off work. I also only got online a few minutes ago in earnest because I had to help stack wood outside. At least that's out of the way now.
At least I'll get paid on Friday, and hopefully the last of that SSA back pay will be in my bank account tomorrow, too.
Other than that, I'll be reading, trying to work on my fan fic, and doing other things before I have to retire to bed.
I'll be back later


text:
Was going to try this place, but when I saw the menu and they charge $2 and $3 extra for a piece of gluten-free bread if you don't want the wheat bread, I realized the place must be run by an authenthic Paris frog.
Now you can get a frog rip-off without going to Paris.
If there were 16 slices of bread in a gluten free loaf, they are charging $48 extra for each loaf they sell at a $3 a slice.
Is this how you want to spend your money?
Ah, correction - the date was January 14, *2011*
The one time I was here, the owner (female) was very rude. The friends I was with agreed. She was short with us when asking questions (it was our first time there) and made us feel so uncomfortable after delivering our food with an angry disposition that we left without eating it. Needless to say, I can't recommend this restaurant.
We used to frequent Claire's for breakfast when we lived in NW area about 5 years ago. We had to be in Catalina early on a recent Saturday and thought we'd revisit. First clue should have been how empty the place was for a Saturday AM. Food and service sucked. Don't know what happened to this once great place.


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Are the school counsellors aware of this, and is there something that can be done to give our kids a normal childhood? My kids are bright, but I want their free time to be free for their own activities and down time. I do want them to do well in school, but when these highly motivated kids are becoming the norm, it is making my kids look bad. Is there any sense to this or am I over concerned.
Town Square
We are over stretching and over stressing our kids!!
Original post made by Parent, Midtown, on Feb 11, 2007
Are the school counsellors aware of this, and is there something that can be done to give our kids a normal childhood? My kids are bright, but I want their free time to be free for their own activities and down time. I do want them to do well in school, but when these highly motivated kids are becoming the norm, it is making my kids look bad. Is there any sense to this or am I over concerned.
Comments (6)
a resident of Midtown
on Feb 11, 2007 at 1:14 pm
I meant to mention that with the talk of Gunn students cutting themselves, and also the possible trend, according to Little League, of less boys in the south trying out for baseball, that this could be something that is happening in the south and west schools, not just Paly which is where I have noticed it.
a resident of South of Midtown
on Feb 11, 2007 at 7:46 pm
We sent our kids (7th and 8th grade currently) for "enrichment" in 4th and 5th grade. Being comfortable with their studies caused them less stress. The regular school programs (spelling, vocabulary, math) were leaving them frustrated and the enjoyment of learning was being lost. I am sure the teachers are all wonderful, but it was very difficult for my kids to get the attention they needed. I did not enjoy paying the extra fees or spending the extra time for these classes, but in the end I felt it was a stress reducer for my kids. I wish my kids could have received everything they needed in the public school system, but it did not happen. Also, we've been in Little League for the past eight years.
a resident of Gunn High School
on Feb 12, 2007 at 4:49 pm
The number of tutoring services in Palo Alto is sparse compared to other locations in the south bay. Ever been to Cupertino or Fremont? Along a two mile stretch on De Anza Boulevard there has to over forty businesses of SAT I/II prep centers, AP exam prep, cram classes, tutoring, college admissions, etc. Pick up a Chinese newspaper (e.g World Journal) and just browse the ads... dozens of prep class ads on each page!
In general, most of these centers act as complements to public education and help students to be better prepared for AP tests and SATs. I personally thought that some of these centers were superior to Palo Alto tutoring centers like Kaplan, Princteon Review, or Sylvan. For 3/4 the price of Princeton Review, I could receive almost twice the # of sessions.
a resident of Midtown
on Feb 14, 2007 at 7:19 pm
The companies are O.K., but Stanford student tutors have done real good to some I know.
a resident of Downtown North
on Feb 16, 2007 at 6:55 am
Our foundation (the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, based in Palo Alto) recently released a survey of how Bay Area parents think their kids are faring, and I thought some of the results from that survey would be of interest to people reading this discussion. It was a wide-ranging survey, and we found that stress in Bay Area kids is among the top concerns of parents. That's true across the Bay Area, including in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
We also ask parents to identify the sources of stress in their kids, and academic issues, particularly the amount of work and the pressure to succeed, were labelled as the top two stressors.
The results are available online at Web Link
Andy Krackov
Senior Director of Public Information
The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Mar 5, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Burger chain Shake Shack to open in Palo Alto
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The Cost of Service
By Aldis Petriceks | 1 comment | 1,218 views
This time we're not lying. HONEST! No, really!
By Douglas Moran | 11 comments | 853 views
Couples: When Wrong Admit It; When Right; Shut Up
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One-on-one time
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text:
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Child Abuse, Neglect, and Violent Criminal Behavior in a Midwest Metropolitan Area of the United States, 1967-1988 (ICPSR 9480)
Principal Investigator(s): Widom, Cathy Spatz
These data examine the relationships between childhood abuse and/or neglect and later criminal and violent criminal behavior. In particular, the data focus on whether being a victim of violence and/or neglect in early childhood leads to being a criminal offender in adolescence or early adulthood and whether a relationship exists between childhood abuse or neglect and arrests as a juvenile, arrests as an adult, and arrests for violent offenses. For this data collection, adult and juvenile criminal histories of sampled cases with backgrounds of abuse or neglect were compared to those of a matched control group with no official record of abuse or neglect. Variables contained in Part 1 include demographic information (age, race, sex, and date of birth). In Part 2, information is presented on the abuse/neglect incident (type of abuse or neglect, duration of the incident, whether the child was removed from the home and, if so, for how long, results of the placement, and whether the individual was still alive). Part 3 contains family information (with whom the child was living at the time of the incident, family disruptions, and who reported the abuse or neglect) and data on the perpetrator of the incident (relation to the victim, age, race, sex, and whether living in the home of the victim). Part 4 contains information on the charges filed within adult arrest incidents (occasion for arrest, multiple counts of the same type of charge, year and location of arrest, and type of offense or charge), and Part 5 includes information on the charges filed within juvenile arrest incidents (year of juvenile charge, number of arrests, and type of offense or charge). The unit of analysis for Parts 1 through 3 is the individual at age 11 or younger, for Part 4 the charge within the adult arrest incident, and for Part 5 the charge within the juvenile arrest incident.
Access Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
Study Description
Widom, Cathy Spatz. CHILD ABUSE, NEGLECT, AND VIOLENT CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN A MIDWEST METROPOLITAN AREA OF THE UNITED STATES, 1967-1988. Compiled by Depts. of Criminal Justice and Psychology, Indiana University. ICPSR ed. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [producer and distributor], 1994. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09480.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09480.v1
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (86-IJ-CX-0033)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: arrests, child abuse, child neglect, criminality prediction, juvenile crime, offenders, victims, violent crime
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1967--1988
- 1986-08-01--1989-12-31
Universe: All children under 12 years of age during the period 1967-1972 in a metropolitan area in the Midwest.
(1) The data contain duplicate case numbers. (2) Parts 2 and 3 appear to contain a large amount of missing data. (3) The data apply only to reported and substantiated cases of childhood victimization. (4) Misdemeanor criminal behavior for individuals may not show up in the records checked.
Sample: Prospective cohorts research design matched with a control group cohort.
adult arrest records at the local, state, and federal levels, county juvenile court and juvenile probation department records, birth records (control group), Bureau of Motor Vehicle records, and marriage license bureau records
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 1991-03-05
- 2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 6 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.
- 2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.
Related Publications
- List all ~62 citations associated with this study
Most Recent Publications
Metadata Exports
- Citations exports are provided above.
Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


text:
Movie Review
Chasing Ice
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. 1 hour, 16 minutes.
Publication date: Dec. 14, 2012
Review by Peter Canavese
Released: (2012)
Jeff Orlowski's documentary feature uses emotional appeal and a measure of science to provide what it characterizes as definitive evidence of global warming. Orlowski follows James Balog, a photographer with a master's degree in geomorphology. Balog's commitment to environmental photography has, of late, refocused primarily on melting glaciers, which Balog calls "the canary in the global coal mine."
Orlowski observes Balog at work with his Extreme Ice Survey, a project recording receding ice-lines and crumbling glaciers in Greenland, Iceland, Alaska and Montana. The presentation of Balog's often hauntingly beautiful imagery -- and the fully committed approach he takes to capturing it -- go a long way toward the photographer's career mission of reconnecting city dwellers to our presence in and interaction with nature. Now driven to promote environmental crisis management, Balog muses, "The story is in the ice -- somehow." As artwork, each photo is unique. But as far as being an argument for global warming, if you've seen one melting glacier, you've seen them all, which might account for the film's compact 76-minute running time.
Orlowski makes up the balance partly with a smattering of talking-head commentary paying too-brief lip service to the science of global warming and the effects of global climate change. Mostly, though, the film hero-worships Balog, a passionate and talented artist whose work has taken a physical toll (and also one who gives off whiffs of self-congratulation and vanity).
The facts show that global warming is a reality of the status quo, but facts aren't always enough. Balog explains that his work has led him to a more "seductive approach" in depicting nature to man. It's anyone's guess whether hardcore deniers would be convinced by anything, including dramatic time-lapse record of disappearing glaciers, though the film provides anecdotal examples (one interviewee offers that he quit his job, at Shell Oil, on viewing Balog's evidence).
"Chasing Ice" stakes its claim on that seductive approach, and while more detailed scientific analysis and greater discussion of impacts would have been welcome, the film's visual rhetoric is solid. Plus, Balog talks of taking environmental action for the sake of his daughters, a gesture likely to make hearts melt as quickly as glaciers.


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Each member of the G-RAID family integrates the latest storage technologies, and features universal connectivity to Mac and PC laptops and workstations. They provide content creation professionals with reliable, scalable and high-performance solutions to capture, protect, edit and stream media content in an all-digital workflow.G-RAID Pro - Affordable RAID-Protected Storage for Digital Video Editing WorkflowsMedia professionals who seek a fast, fail-safe and affordable way to meet the exploding demand for high-definition video can now tap into the power of the new G-Tech G-RAID Pro drive. Featuring a triple interface (FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0) and storage capacities up to 4TB, the G-RAID Pro drive easily handles the bandwidth and storage-intensive requirements of today's compressed HD formats while providing peace of mind with RAID data protection. The G-RAID Pro drive's on-board, hardware RAID controller supports both RAID 0 and fail-safe RAID 5 operation with auto-rebuild functionality, and utilizes four hot-swappable 7200 RPM SATA 3Gb/s disk drive modules. Available in June, the G-RAID Pro drive will be available in 1, 2, 3, and 4 TB configurations with prices starting at $999 (U.S. MSRP).
G-RAID 3 - Fast Storage for Professional Content Creation ApplicationsIn its third generation, the G-Tech G-RAID 3 drive now features a quad interface (high-speed 3Gb/s eSATA, FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0) with performance up to 120 MB/second and storage capacities up to 2TB. It uses the latest-generation Oxford 936 chipset in a RAID 0 configuration, which supports simultaneous playback of multiple layers of video in Final Cut Pro, Premiere and Media Composer/Xpress Pro. A new soft on/off power switch and quieter "smart" fan roundout the new upgraded feature set. Shipping in May, the new G-RAID 3 drive comes in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities with prices starting at $499 (U.S. MSRP).
G-RAID mini 2 - RAID-Protected Portable Storage SolutionsThe all-new G-Tech G-RAID mini 2 drive now features both RAID 0 and fail-safe RAID 1 operation, and a high-speed quad interface. It is the ideal portable storage system for safe guarding content downloaded in the field from solid-state based cameras, including the RED ONE and Panasonic P2. Production houses and creative studios will appreciate its small compact size and tough, all-aluminum enclosure, which make it perfect for capturing and editing on the go or while working on location. The G-RAID mini 2 drive is capable of delivering an unprecedented 100+ MB/second transfer rate when used with eSATA in RAID 0. Eliminating the need to carry an external AC power supply, the G-RAID mini 2 drive is FireWire or eSATA bus-powered. Capacities include 500GB, 640GB and 1TB. The G-RAID mini 2 drive will ship in June with prices starting at $599 (U.S. MSRP).
"From individual creators and videographers to high-end production studios, people have been creating award-winning work using G-Tech drives," said Roger Mabon, vice president of sales and marketing for Fabrik's G-Technology Product Group. "We take pride in offering the fastest storage systems, with the high throughput and high capacity required to take advantage of the latest digital applications. Enhancing our G-RAID product line gives our customers even more tools to use in a completely digital environment. These superior products reduce customers' total cost of ownership and increase their return on investment."
All G-RAID products come with a standard three-year factory warranty and unlimited free technical support from representatives who are experienced with the latest content creation applications. For more information, click here.


text:
Postal expert Michael Schuyler has released a follow-up to his January paper that compared the recent financial performance of the U.S. Postal Service to foreign postal service providers. Not surprisingly, the USPS has fared relatively poorly in comparison to its foreign counterparts. In his new paper, Schuyler looks at the role government micromanagement plays and finds that "Foreign posts have much more flexibility than USPS to adjust operations to keep costs in line with revenue."
Downsizing Blog
The Truth About Paul Ryan's Tax Plan
When House Budget chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released his tax reform plan recently, liberals pounced on it as an unfair giveaway to the rich. In The Washington Post, E.J. Dionne claimed that Ryan's tax plan would increase the deficit and "expand benefits for the wealthy," while Dana Milbank said that the plan would "disproportionately help the rich." A New York Times editorial said that under the Ryan plan, "the rich pay less in taxes than the unfairly low rates they pay now."
How Not to Make the Case for Terminating Federal Programs
Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney recently gave the following response to a reporter's question on what programs he would cut:
Conservative House Republicans' Budget Proposal
The Republican Study Committee released its fiscal 2013 budget proposal this week and it's not horrible. That's probably a compliment given that the bar is so low on Capitol Hill that one would trip on it. According to the RSC's numbers, federal spending as a percentage of GDP would recede to a bit over 18 percent in 2022. That's a level of spending that hasn't been achieved since George Bush and his fellow Republicans in Congress initiated the federal spending spree of the past ten years.
Stop Ignoring Higher Ed Reality
Like most political discussions, the student aid debate is driven far more by sentiment than reasoned analysis. If we used the latter, we'd be demanding big aid cuts for the sake of students and taxpayers alike.
More Evidence that Uncle Sam Is Uncle Sucker (but U.S. Voters Aren't)
As has become an annual tradition, my colleague Charles Zakaib has sifted through the data from the latest edition of the International Institute for Strategic Studies' The Military Balance, and created several illuminating charts. They are enclosed below and show U.S. security spending as a share of the global total, U.S. per capita spending as compared with some of our leading allies, and U.S. spending vs. the rest of NATO as a share of GDP.
Paul Ryan's Budget: It's Still Big Government
Chris Edwards provided an ample overview of Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) budget proposal, so I won't rehash the numbers. Instead, I'll just add a few comments.
Paul Ryan's Spending Plan
House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has introduced his annual budget blueprint. The plan will likely pass the House but won't become law this year. However, the plan signals the direction that House Republicans want to go in budget battles with the Democrats this year, and it also shows the likely thrust of policy under a possible Republican president next year.
DOT Moves to Support Even More Wasteful Transit Projects
The Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing new rules that would allow it to fund exceedingly wasteful rail transit projects that do nothing to relieve congestion. While the existing rules require transit agencies to demonstrate that proposed new rail lines are at least minimally cost effective, the proposed rules focus instead on such vague criteria as "livability" and "environmental justice."
Should the Small Business Administration be Abolished?
That's the question being debated at the Wall Street Journal's website. Representing the pro-abolition position is Cato adjunct scholar Veronique de Rugy. Veronique and I wrote an essay for Downsizing Government that makes the case for terminating the Small Business Administration.


text:
Dombrowski will wait and see on bullpen mix
By Jason Beck and Bobby Nightengale / MLB.com
DETROIT -- The question posed to Tigers president/general manager Dave Dombrowski was a potential snafu: Does he think his bullpen is good enough?
Dombrowski answered it about as well as could at this point.
"We'll find out," he said.
With Jose Valverde designated for assignment, potentially heading to Triple-A Toledo to work out his issues if he accepts an outright move, and Joaquin Benoit at the head of a closer-by-committee, the Tigers have just under six weeks to figure out what works and what they need with their relief mix before the July 31 Trade Deadline.
Part of that will be Benoit as Plan A at closer. Part, too, will be the just-recalled Al Alburquerque in the eighth inning, and Drew Smyly likely in the seventh. The Tigers could go into the final week of July with any number of relief parts they could use, or they might actually go into August liking what they have.
Until then, Dombrowski is keeping his outlooks short-term.
"We're comfortable with this group right now," Dombrowski said. "I can't speak for August. I'm not a fortune-teller. As it is, we're comfortable with this group as we stand now. But you never know what happens with anything.
"I never know what happens with any position on this team. That's why I watch us play day in and day out. But we like this group. We think it has a chance to win for us."
Dombrowski rarely announces positions of need in the middle of the season. He will not discuss potential closing options on the trade market, but his observation on the state of bullpens around baseball might well make a point: Acquiring a closer isn't as easy these days as scanning the rosters and finding a team in selling mode.
The fact that the other team at Comerica Park this weekend, the American League East-leading Red Sox, changed closers Friday from Andrew Bailey to Koji Uehara, reinforce that even other teams with World Series aspirations are still sorting out their ninth innings, often with multiple relievers.
"I understand the bullpen questions, because we've all been living through it," Dombrowski said. "However, you live in a vacuum with your own club. If you look out there right now, there are not a lot of shutdown, lockdown closers out there anywhere. There's very few of them, and a lot of people have struggled with the back end of their bullpens. So it's a situation where if you sometimes mix and match, it can work for you. We think we have guys with the ability to do so."
Alburquerque could be the most critical among them, even more so than Benoit. The Tigers have struggled for right-handed relief depth since late April, when Octavio Dotel went on the disabled list and Alburquerque lost command and ended up in Toledo. Thursday's eighth inning showed that void perhaps as well as any game this year, with Phil Coke left to face switch-hitter Shane Victorino and the right-handed-hitting Dustin Pedroia.
They're not sure Alburquerque's command is back, but they have to find out.
"His slider's been very good," Dombrowski said. "His fastball has been thrown with more consistency. I don't think he's going to be pinpoint. That's not how he was even when he was effective. He feels good about himself. He feels like he's ready to come back here and help us."
Intercostal strain lands Tuiasosopo on disabled list
DETROIT -- Matt Tuiasosopo was poised to become a bigger member of the Tigers' starting lineup, earning more playing time against right-handed pitchers in addition to the lefties he has been pummeling all year. Instead, with a bad swing in the batting cage, he became the latest casualty in the club's outfield.
What was hoped to be a minor rib cage strain that scratched Tuiasosopo from Thursday's starting lineup instead landed him on the 15-day disabled list Friday. Avisail Garcia, just optioned to Toledo on Wednesday, was recalled to take his place.
The injury is officially listed as an intercostal strain, the same issue that sidelined fellow outfielder Andy Dirks for a good chunk of Spring Training.
The DL move came on the night when the Tigers faced Jon Lester, one of the toughest left-handed starters in the league.
Garcia, who started in center field Friday for Austin Jackson, will take Tuiasosopo's role as a left fielder against lefties on most nights. Manager Jim Leyland said he could also end up getting starts against right-handers, much like he was pondering with Tuiasosopo. Garcia started against several righties in center while filling in for Jackson earlier this month.
Tigers agree to terms with Ziomek, Kubitza
DETROIT -- The Tigers used this year's Draft to add advanced pitching, and it turns out they will get some immediate help as the team agreed to terms with two top selections in the First-Year Player Draft.
Detroit's second-round pick, left-hander Kevin Ziomek from Vanderbilt, and fourth-round selection, right-hander Austin Kubitza from Rice University, agreed to terms Friday. The Tigers have now signed nine of their first 11 picks from this year's Draft.
Both Ziomek ($956,600) and Kubitza ($401,200) signed at slot value.
Ziomek led the Commodores with a 2.12 ERA in 17 starts while striking out 115 in 119 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .188 average. He made an impression last year with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, striking out 36 batters over 28 1/3 innings in five starts, and is expected to start his pro career at short-season Class A Connecticut of the New York-Penn League.
Kubitza increased his Draft stock after being selected in the seventh round of the 2010 Draft by the Pirates, and choosing not to sign. He struck out 134 batters in 109 1/3 innings, including eight in seven innings against North Carolina State in the NCAA Super Regional on June 8.
"We certainly think of him as a starter," said David Chadd, the Tigers' vice president of amateur scouting. "He's got a live fastball that has a lot of sink. He's got a slider that's certainly an out pitch. I think he does have a feel for a changeup, and again, he's another guy in this year's Draft that had unbelievable numbers, especially strikeout numbers. When you're evaluating college pitchers, one thing that jumps out at you is their ability to strike out college hitters."
Jackson held out of lineup with left leg soreness
DETROIT -- Austin Jackson had seven straight days of healthy, productive play since his return from the disabled list a week ago. His absence from Friday's starting lineup against the Red Sox was a reminder that the pulled left hamstring that sidelined him for a month remains a concern.
Manager Jim Leyland said he held out Jackson with soreness in his left leg. Jackson said it was in the same area where he pulled his hamstring in May.
"Same spot," Jackson said. "We just want to be cautious with it and not push it."
Jackson said the soreness didn't become an issue until Thursday. He was set to spend Friday getting treatment on it with the hope of returning to the lineup Saturday.
Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason. Bobby Nightengale is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text: Fuck sakes. We should not be signing this guy just because he's buddy-buddy with DeRozan. C'mon, he's a below average point guard who isn't going to bring much more than what Banks would anyway. Calderon is gonzo and I'd rather Banks back up Jack than Brown, doesn't make any sense to add a player like him. If we want to address the PG, do it right, go get Rubio or another PG who can actually feed the ball to DeRozan/Weems, not Bobby Brown.


text:
As the dust settles after the passage of the historic comprehensive health care reform package known as Obamacare, the American public appears to favor its immediate repeal as 54% support such a repeal while 42% oppose repeal:
One week after the House of Representatives passed the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, 54% of the nation's likely voters still favor repealing the new law. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% oppose repeal.
Those figures are virtually unchanged from last week. They include 44% who Strongly Favor repeal and 34% who Strongly Oppose it.
Repeal is favored by 84% of Republicans and 59% of unaffiliated voters. Among white Democrats, 25% favor repeal, but only one percent (1%) of black Democrats share that view.
Americans also simply do not believe the Obama health care talking points, strongly repudiating the main claims made by Obama about the benefits of Obamacare by a wide margin:
Only 17% of all voters believe the plan will achieve one of its primary goals and reduce the cost of health care. Most (55%) believe it will have the opposite affect and increase the cost of care.
Forty-nine percent (49%) believe the new law will reduce the quality of care. Sixty percent (60%) believe it will increase the federal budget deficit. Those numbers are consistent with expectations before the bill was passed.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, notes that "the overriding tone of the data is that passage of the legislation has not changed anything. Those who opposed the bill before it passed now want to repeal it. Those who supported the legislation oppose repealing it."
As noted by Scott Rasmussen above, little has changed regarding public opinion Obamacare since its passage, repudiating the media's "conventional wisdom" that the Democrats would see a surge in public support after its passage. The ABC/Washington Post poll confirms Rasmussen's findings that few Americans believe Obama's health care talking points and that majority opposition continues that is "virtually identical to the pre-vote split" regarding Obamacare:
More people see the changes as making things worse, rather than better, for the country's health-care system, for the quality of their care and, among the insured, for their coverage. Majorities in the new poll also see the changes as resulting in higher costs for themselves and for the country.
Most respondents said reform will require everyone to make changes, whether they want to or not; only about a third said they believe the Democrats' contention that people who have coverage will be able to keep it without alterations. And nearly two-thirds see the changes as increasing the federal budget deficit, with few thinking the deficit will shrink as a result. The Congressional Budget Office said the measure will reduce the deficit.
About half of all poll respondents said the plan creates "too much government involvement" in the health-care system, a concern that is especially pronounced among Republicans.
Senior citizens, who typically make up about one in five midterm voters, represent a particularly valuable but tough audience on this issue. More than six in 10 of those 65 or older see a weaker Medicare system as a result of the changes to the health-care system. Overall, seniors tilt heavily against the changes, with 58 percent opposed and strong opponents outnumbering strong supporters by a 2-to-1 ratio.
Considering these numbers, President Obama has a steep uphill climb to convince Americans that this broad claims that Obamacare will be a "historic" deficit reduction plan, that Americans can keep their doctor and plan if they like it, and that Obamacare will reduce costs and increase the quality of American health care. Key Democrats are not making the President's job easier by explicitly stating that the true intent of Obamacare is to redistribute wealth in America, something that went unmentioned by Democrats prior to the passage of Obamacare.
Indeed, such wealth redistribution policies are strongly rejected by Americans, with 84% rejecting that approach according to Gallup:
When given a choice about how government should address the numerous economic difficulties facing today's consumer, Americans overwhelmingly — by 84% to 13% — prefer that the government focus on improving overall economic conditions and the jobs situation in the United States as opposed to taking steps to distribute wealth more evenly among Americans.
First, Democratic Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) announced that Obamacare is intended to redistribute wealth:
It seems Senator Max Baucus let slip the real purpose of health care reform efforts – the redistribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. Baucus said of the health care bill, "This legislation will have the effect of addressing that mal-distribution of income in America." According to the influential Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, "The last couple three years, the mal-distribution of income in American is gone up way too much, the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy and the middle income class is left behind."
Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean then chipped in on Thursday March 25, 2010 by admitting that "this is a form of redistribution" and Obamacare is intended to cause wealth redistribution in the American economy because the economy is "like a machine. You always got to tune it right." Of course, as the establishment media is well aware such explicit Democratic admissions that Obamacare is intended to tinker with the economy to bring about wealth redistribution would be damaging to Obamacare's popularity, so the claims of Dean and Baucus have gone virtually unreported in the media. However, Americans continue to oppose the Obamacare package, as evidenced by today's poll showing 54% favor its repeal.


text:
A couple of weeks back a friend mentioned she had found a fruit juice sweetened yogurt at Earth Fare (my new favorite store). She picked a few up because they were on sale and she is trying to cut back on sugar. I happened to see they were still on sale the next time I was in Earth Fare, so I picked up a couple. The yogurt is made by Cascade Fresh, a company started 25 years ago. More about Cascade Fresh:
Our Goodness
It starts with our philosophy and ends up in the cup
Did you know all yogurts are not created equal?
That's 100% true. Just like our yogurt. Being family owned, we follow our hearts, instead of a corporate
formula. Each wholesome batch contains only the freshest natural ingredients. No preservatives. No
artificial sweeteners. No refined sugars. Our cows are as special as our yogurts, enjoying lush pastures
and humane handling at every level to produce luscious, wholesome milk that's totally free of rBGH
(Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone).
The yogurt was on sale for $.50/cup, so I picked up the lemon chiffon and blueberry (both fat-free).
The stats:
Sun ripened fruits. Natural fruit juice flavoring only. Our 6-ounce yogurts contain about ¾ oz. of fruit juice concentrate by weight (about 70% natural sugar)
Each of our yogurts is cultured slowly, right in the cup, resulting in the highest number of beneficial Acidophilus cultures of any yogurt available.
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Lactobacillus rhamnosus
Lactobacillus casei
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Bifidobacterium bifidum
Bifidobacterium Longum
Bifidobacterium infantis
Streptococcus thermophilus
FAT FREE: 2 points per serving
I have to say that this was some of the best yogurt I have ever tasted! I have been a Greek yogurt convert for a couple of years, but this stuff may have changed that. There was just enough sweetness in the yogurt without that overly sweet taste that is in some other sweetened yogurts. I loved eating the blueberry straight from the cup, while I added in 1/4 cup of Enjoy Life Beach Bash seed & fruit mix in with the lemon chiffon for a substantial snack packed with 11 grams of protein! The fat-free variety comes in 14 different flavors. They also have a low-fat and whole milk varieties. All of the Cascade Fresh yogurts are gluten-free and kosher.
Have you tried any of the Cascade Fresh yogurts? I need to get some more as soon as possible!
Don't forget to enter to win Kinnikinnick's summer grilling giveaway – today is the last day to do so!


text: I am getting to the point where I am creating have pretty deep roots attached to components of my program. At this point, I am finding it hard to just clip these things out of my project and just try them out in another program. Do you guys have any special things you do or use to test out pieces of the projects you are creating seperate from the rest of everything else?


text:
Stevie Wonder will take his United Nations Messenger of Peace position to the next level, leading an all-star concert at UN headquarters in New York. In celebration of the 67th anniversary of the UN's founding, Wonder and famous pals including Sting and Paul Simon will perform this Wednesday (Oct. 24).
In addition to Wonder, Sting and Simon, R&B/hip-hop stars Wyclef Jean, Elle Varner and BeBe Winans will perform, with more "international artists" to be announced. Celebrities including Susan Sarandon, Malcolm-Jamal Warner (best known as Theo Huxtable from The Cosby Show) and Michael Bivins (of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe) will also make appearances amidst the performances.
While the concert is not open to the public, it will be streamed live online on the UN's website starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, lasting approximately two hours. The show will also be broadcast in the new year, airing February 23, 2012 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on both BET and Centric.
– Jillian Mapes, CBS Local


text: OVERVIEW: I have created a set of Excel Worksheets to correlate which Spotbeam is broadcasting into each DMA LIL (Local Into Local) market. There is a large amount of data that went into creating this project; it may seem overwhelming at first glance but I wanted to explain the process so it can be useful to all in a number of ways. One might reasonably ask, "Why?" Or "Who cares?" I'll address this first. As the HD LIL rollout is finishing its 6th year, with more than 50 DMA's still awaiting HD locals, I see many questions: 1. Why aren't channels available in my market? 2. If I have some channels, why not all?The larger answer has to do with contract negotiations, delivery systems and ground infrastructure to accommodate 210 DMA's and in excess of 2500 distinct channels. I am attempting to shed light on what physical bandwidth limitations from the available satellites may be part of the limitations. Another burning question is that some larger western DMA's HD LIL's were available then "turned off", reportedly because the entire zip code area of that DMA wasn't able to be serviced by the applicable spotbeam. This may be a topic to explore further, but I need some outside help to search and document specific events. Some of this data comes from assumptions: I'll try to explain where possible. But most data comes from sources within DBSTalk and from references to public FCC documents. THE TPN MAPS My saga starts with the Transponder Map data that is found here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=194886 I've been fortunate to work for almost 2 years on this project and understanding the AGP/PID data stream got me to asking more questions, such as those above. I have also been interested in LIL markets and channels ever since Detroit came online 10/2005 and followed newshawk's/bamaweather's thread here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=180503 BEAM FOOTPRINT MAPS The spotbeam Google Earth maps were amazing and the recent update to the interactive format allowed me to manipulate the information to find patterns. Those spotbeams are here: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=194072 ANTENNA AND BEAM MAPS So I thought, why not try to put them all together! After a long study of the FCC documents and reviewing the data I was already collecting, I realized that the 49 spot beams of D10/12 and D11 had a set pattern of: Antenna 1 = TPNs 16/19/20 Beams B1 to BC Antenna 2 = TPNs 15/23/24 Beams B1 to BD Antenna 3 = TPNs 17/18 Beams B1 to BB Antenna 4 = TPNs 21/22 Beams B1 to BD This is outlined well in The FCC document Exhibit 43 of D10's LOA and Grant: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...&acct=857096&id_form_num=12&filing_key=-73819 I then sorted my data by TPN, then DMA and cross referenced each Spotbeam (I numbered the beams 1-13 (as opposed to the hex #'s B1 to BD) and created a set of 8 worksheets: (4 Antenna worksheets for D10/12 and 4 Antenna worksheets for D11) each correlating DMA/channels to Spotbeams A*B1 to A*BD. We do not have a full set of spotbeams for D-11 because the FCC file size limitations at the time of D10 and D11 FCC filings. A key was to recognize that D12 and D10 were almost identical and the full set of beam data was available from D12's LOA/Grant: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...acct=624514&id_form_num=12&filing_key=-173039 We have corresponding beams A1B1, A1B7 and A1B9 from D12 and D11. Mapping the D11 beams, they line up 200 miles northeast of the D12 corresponding beams. I assume this to be true for all 49 beams. I confirmed that the D12 A4B5 Jackson, MS beam moved 200 miles Northeast covered my DMA, Birmingham, AL and indeed 99S TPNs 21 and 22 are my highest spotbeams, giving apparent validation to my assumptions. We can get an idea regarding capacity and local area availability of LIL channel space. Our approach does not assume any "hold back" for redundancy, assuming 110 TPNs are available to each slot (99W and 103W). The technical data in Exhibit 43 maps 6 uplink sites. Site 1 is the Los Angeles Broadcast Center (LABC) and has one LIL uplink set. The other sites S2 to S6 have two uplinks sets (national channels not repeated). Site 2 is Castle Rock, CO (CRBC). Sites 3, 4, 5 and 6 in no particular order are NEUF, MWUF, SWUF and NWUF. Thus there are a total of 11 reproductions of the 10 spot TPNs available for 110 total LIL TPNs per orbital slot. They are allocated three (3) TPNs per beam on Antennas 1 and 2 and two (2) TPNs per beam on Antennas 3 and 4. Not all 49 beams can be active at one time. The theoretical maximum is 123 TPNs. Technically only 105 are listed on the schedule S technical data report but I see no reason that 110 is not the true maximum. Looking at the spotbeam set one can see that the Havana, New Orleans (actually centered in the Gulf) and Marfa, TX beams can easily be skipped since they don't correspond to populated areas. Several other beams can fall out as well. Spaceway Satellites I have begun an initial attempt to understand the Spaceway satellites but the "infinite" variability of the 1500 element phased array antenna makes exact projections difficult. Review the Spaceway technical data, Exhibit D here: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...&acct=857096&id_form_num=15&filing_key=-69307 I found the Spaceway satellites are capable of any combination of up to 24 spotbeams. The D12 utilization of the A band for 16 Conus TPNs on 103 has reduced the LIL bandwidth to 6 (3 sets of R/L) TPNs. Assumed to be wider that D*'s 36 MHz Maybe 62.5 MHz, or to correctly fit into remaining bandwidth, some combination between 36 MHz and 62.5 MHz. Beam size is a minimum of 0.5 degrees and is adjustable in 0.5 degree increments. Quick geometry gives a 0.5 degree beam 22,236 miles above the earth's surface a diameter of approximately 200 miles. This seems a comfortable fit with the spacing I assumed. The Results So here it is! I have provided a document of 10 excel sheets: 4 forD10/12, 4 for D11 and one each for SW-1 and SW-2. I have placed a couple of rough outlines of what SW spotbeams probably look like. The lookup process is the same as that used for the TPN Map data: DMAs are identified by their DIRECTV NETWORK numbers, ranging from 512 to 723. http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=194886 In the TPN Domestic Map, LIL Market List Page, note DIRECTV NETWORK (NET) number. The LIL TPN map will tell you which Satellite your SD and HD (if available) channels are on. Scroll through the worksheet to find the Satellite and Antenna as appropriate. (This is dictated by TPN as noted above). The spotbeam will be given in the Beam column and you can look up the interactive Spotbeam reference. Download the appropriate GoogleEarth Beam Footprint display. You of course must have the GoogleEarth application installed. Not all D11 spots available. Use corresponding D12 files and remember that D11 beams are centered approximately 200 miles to the northeast. The naming convention is A*B*, where A* is Antenna # (1 to 4) and B* is Beam # (1 to 13 in Hexadecimal format 1 to D). The total range is A1B1 to A4BD. My disclaimer is that I am not a communications scientist. I am open to all comments and hope this information will encourage dialog to help us understand more of the DIRECTV Satellite System we enjoy. This Data is from 7/14/2011 Download. The Spaceways are undergoing a LOT of re-balancing/market/transponder shifting. I'll update when shifts stabilize. A great deal of thanks and inspiration goes to gct, psmith, newshawk, bamaweather, spears61 and all at DBSTalk! Doctor J


text:
Some time ago I wrote a small program in C to help me prepare the invoices for my business. I've been using it successfully for about a year now. It's an executable which I start from the command line, giving a directory path as an argument. Never once have I had any problems. About three months ago I installed Windows 7, no problems at all.
However just recently I've reinstalled Windows 7, have done nothing differently yet when I try to start the program as before, I get a "the application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect" error.
Can anyone tell me, in simple "layman" terms (I can knock out simple programs in C but don't know much about systems) why this might be happening and how I can fix it? The program was compiled with Visual C++ Express, which I don't have installed in my new OS installation yet. Could this be the problem? I did think of this but then again I didn't install it on my last install of Windows 7 and yet my program worked fine.


text:
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 12:00 AM
Town Square
Atherton: Fired finance director seeks to block investigation report
Original post made on Nov 7, 2007
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, November 7, 2007, 12:00 AM
Comments (18)
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 7, 2007 at 8:43 pm
There is so much information to the events of the past year that the residents of Atherton should know and understand. Information obtained from my Freedom of Information requests should be shared and residents informed.
1. Interim City Manager Wende Protzman has down an amazing job, stepping in to a difficult situation three months ago and thinking clearly how to proceed. She has consulted with knowledgeable specialists in human relations issues, made solid decisions, keep council informed, and acted in the best interest of Atherton.
2. Regarding the Police ticket to John Johns. This is unfortunate. Mr. Johns was placed on leave and advised not to return to Town offices during the investigation. He violated that requirement and was told to leave the premises. However the Police already knew he had an expired driver's license, and when he started his car, they were required to issue a Fix-it ticket. Had they not done so and had he been involved in an accident on the way home, the Town would have been at fault.
For Mr. Johns to claim a Fix –It Ticket as unlawful search and seizure is an overkill. He drove to town and when he attempted to leave; the police simply did their duty to the Town.
3. The subtitle of this story: "Johns says report on him is flawed; he denies allegations" I am sure if asked Retired Building Official Mike Hood would have denied allegations by John Johns. Mike Cully, Building Department consultant, and Gary Binger, from the Association of Bay Area Governments, who were brought in by City Manager Jim Robinson; would agree with Mr. Hood there were no improprieties, as alleged by Mr. Johns.
4. As a Council Member I attend the many philanthropic activities and events of Atherton Residents. Often I am asked about the high cost of permits and fees. During his tenure as Building Official Mr. Hood did his best to keep fees down, to run on a small a budget as possible, and still provide the best service. He had a reputation in the Peninsula as being tough but fair by taking the time to meet and advise residents in advance of plan changes needed before they spent ten of thousands of dollars with architects designing plans that would not meet Atherton codes and he would later have to reject. I have heard story after story from residents of these experiences with Mr. Hood.
Mr. Hood required something more than most Building Officials- new homes are required to have height and setback independently verified by a licensed civil engineer.
Though all of Mr. Johns' Audits of the Building Department and inspection of 6,600 permit files he did not find any instances of undercharging- all he could come up with was to allege that Mr. Hood should have been charging a wrongful fee increase a week before it went into place.
The recommendations to have increased controls and cross checks in the Building Department will come to residents at a price. This past June's budget done by Mr. Johns included a large fee increase on some permits to cover the costs of the restructuring needed for greater reports and controls on building permits and fees. Atherton Residents may have been happy with the lower fees and not felt the need for more audit reports on building projects.
5. My Freedom of Information Requests on Mr. Johns' expenses and town cell phone usage show many items that concern me. During the six months the town provided him a cell phone, calls made during working hours were frequently made from outside Atherton. Recently a resident provided a copy of a February 2007 contract for Mr. Johns to do 400 hours consulting for Sutter County.
On his expenses Mr. Johns put an IPOD, a digital camera (when the town already has two), a laser printer and a photo printer. There are meals in restaurants in Menlo Park, and several hundred dollars in copy expenses at a Kinkos in Santa Clara.
There are several hundred dollars in expenses reported as "Fraud" and a new card was issued. It took Mr. Johns months to get the paperwork in to the Credit Card company and he never reported the identify theft to the police, which are fifty feet from his office and have a specialist in Identify Theft. Several of the charges were to web sites that require the user to leave an email address or shipping address. I would think Atherton PD would have located the user given the chance.
It is clear to me, Atherton needs increased controls and cross checks on expense reports.
6. On his resume to obtain the Sutter contract in February 2007, he writes how he implemented a $700,000 Off-Haul fee. He does not say that residents challenged as to weather is was a fee or tax and it was rescinded and repaid by the council.
7. Another Atherton fee increase on Mr. Johns Sutter County Contract resume is that he changed and increased the business license tax for contractors and sub-contractors adding $300,000 in revenue. We have now discovered this could be a wrongful interpretation of State business license fees as he changed it from a one year fee to per job site. Some contractors paid multiple fees for the same year. Did these increases to the residents of Atherton help him gain outside consulting work by adding to his resume?
My appreciation to all Atherton Staff for enduring this period of turmoil and serving the residents of Atherton well as shown by survey last year that 97% of residents are satisfied and 82% are very satisfied with services.
Charles Marsala
Council Member
a resident of another community
on Nov 8, 2007 at 11:53 am
"However the Police already knew he had an expired driver's license,"
Mr. Marsala, Could you explain how the Atherton Police knew the above information?
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 8, 2007 at 1:38 pm
How much more is this latest shenanigan of Mr. John's going to cost our town?
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 8, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Mr. Johns was required not to return to Town Hall during his leave. The Police Station and Town Administrative offices use the same front door to Town Hall. The Police were advised of his leave.
Procedure requires that police dispatch have a photo of Mr. Johns to identify him should he violate the conditions of his leave and appear at Town Hall.
To obtain a photograph the Police pulled his driver's license, at which point they became aware it was expired.
Charles Marsala
Council Member
a resident of another community
on Nov 8, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Thank You for your response, I live in San Carlos and our City also shares the same building with Police and City Council. Are you suggesting that your Police Department and officers didn't know what Mr. John Johns looked like. He is the man who wanted to audit the Police Department, you don't think that upset Chief Bob Brennan. I hope your story is true and no law enforcement officer used the criminal computer system without proper authority. You can just imangine if every time a citizen upset your Police Chief and there was a routine background check done on them.
I'm not sure if you can comment on this subject anymore, as of Tuesday afternoon the Hon. Judge Robert Foiles granted a TRO involving the Town of Atherton which I think means you and a few others.
It seems strange that it is not good enough for the town of Atherton to fire the finace director who wanted to audit the PD, he gets a ticket and now a few individuals want to publish more stuff.
Web Link
Best of Luck to the Town of Atherton
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 8, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Nine hours ago you asked me to explain a comment, which I did. Two hours ago you ask if I should be commenting on the subject. What is up with that?
To your last question; not every staff member of the police knows what Mr. Johns looks like. Night shift may never have met him; so a photo was needed.
No-I do not think Mr. Johns wanting to audit the police dept upset the Chief. I have seen many reports on the Police Department and they are used to being reviewed. The Chief is proud of last year's record breaking 97% satisfaction rating from a town survey; with 82% being very satisfied.
The public has a right to know how their government is working, hence the Freedom of Informamtion Act. If they want to hear what this recent event is about; they are entitled to exercise those rights.
Charles Marsala
Council Member
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 9, 2007 at 12:05 pm
The people of Atherton need to be told what's going on. The report should be aired. Of what is Mr. Johns afraid?
a resident of another community
on Nov 9, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I'm sure that your Police Chief Bob Brennen got a very nice survey from residents who live in Atherton, They would have to be idiots to complain about him and still live there as his behavior has demonstrated.
Atherton happens to be the location of a multi law enforcement computer investigative unit. This information was made public during the Mike King trial
Several different Police Departments are involved as I am sure you are aware. this unit has the ability to access computers and the skill.
Your police Chief Bob Brennen also happens to be a member of the Service League of San Mateo County...which has no official affiliation to San Mateo County. He is the only Police Chief member.
google it and look up the members.
His statements regarding the routine backgroud check on Mr. John Johns and the tickect are simply not believable. Would he be willing to make the same statements under oath?
editor of The Almanac
on Nov 11, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Richard Hine is a registered user.
I've taken some comments off line because they seem to be muddled and off-topic, or disparaging of other posters. Please stay on topic, avoid belittling remarks about other posters, and vague guilt-by-association references. Let's make this an intelligent exchange of ideas. If you have evidence of public misfeasance, malfeasance, etc., please submit it to the Almanac.
Richard Hine, managing editor, The Almanac
650-854-2626, x. 213
a resident of another community
on Nov 12, 2007 at 6:36 am
Outrageous! The Country Almanac is a farce. The paper chose to back the wrong horse in this controversy. It publishes stories which are biased toward its choice. Now the Managing Editor filters its forums to remove free speech which is counter to his view.
"Muddled and off-topic" and "vague guilt-by-association" accurately describes the postings of Mr. Stogner, yet they remain online. Astonishing.
The Almanac is selectively purging its readers' speech and it should give up the protections of the ECPA. The Almanac should be held liable for the content of all of the messages in these forums, as it has demonstrated a practice of reviewing messages for "appropriateness".
editor of The Almanac
on Nov 12, 2007 at 9:15 am
Richard Hine is a registered user.
My comment refers to a Stogner post that was taken offline. Posts need to comply with terms of use. See this link: Web Link
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Nov 12, 2007 at 3:50 pm
Once again, John Johns' antics have managed to entangle the town in a mire of legal bills and to divert everyone's energy from pursuing what's best for Atherton. As for Sam Goodman, Chair of the Audit Committee, he's supposed to be a representative of the town, not an aider and abettor of frivilous lawsuits and studies which have already extended Atherton's legal budget well beyond its boundaries.
a resident of another community
on Nov 17, 2007 at 7:43 am
What if Sam Goodman, Chair of the Audit Committee became aware of some information.
Is he supposed to just keep quiet? Pretend he doesn't know it. Hope it will go away. Don't tell anyone or he will loose his job.
That is why we have WhistleBlower laws.
it sounds like he became aware of some information through his position as Chair of the Audit Committee, and as a private citizen he is standing up and offering funding to correct it.
Sounds like a very good man.
Best of Luck Mr. Goodman
a resident of Menlo Park: Felton Gables
on Nov 17, 2007 at 11:01 pm
The censorship by the Almanac is really out of hand. Note the thread
Web Link which has thus far led the censors to clip or remove 2 posters comments (one of which was mine)...
a resident of Atherton: other
on Dec 11, 2007 at 5:18 pm
Mr. Marsala, enough is enough. This has gone on for months. Let the City Council get on with their jobs. Let them find a permanent city manager. And a permanent finance director. Let the Grand Jury investigate as needed. All the official results are in. Find something else to write about.
I, for one, would like to see the elected officials focusing on their job of making the town a nice place to live and work.
a resident of Atherton: West Atherton
on Dec 12, 2007 at 10:54 am
Ms. Parker,
Philanthropy in Atherton
I agree with you that we need to be focusing on making the Town a better place to live. If you read page 169 of this month's Gentry there is a story of what Atherton resident Mike Derylo and I did in 2005 and we continued in 2006 to help in New Orleans rebuild from Katrina. The story is called "The Power of One."
I have served on the non-profit boards of the Selby Education Foundation, the Peninsula Volunteers, the Stanford Delt Legends for Youth Programs, Menlo College's Built to Last Program, and the Heart of Silicon Valley.
The Heart of Silicon Valley has raised over $150,000 at my home for Autism, the Community School of Music and Art, and the Support Center for Battered Women with their home concert series. The San Francisco Symphony has out reach Bar-B-Ques to recruit peninsula members here.
As a member of the Knights of St. John, I helped raise a $200,000 donation for a new kitchen this year for the Peninsula Volunteers Meals on Wheels program. When I was part of Silicon Valley Venture Fund, I helped secure a $150,000 for Yes Reading to open at Selby Lane School, teach English skills, and improve Test Scores.
I have also helped the Dames and Foundation raise funds for our Park.
Atherton has a multitude of Philanthropists, raising millions of dollars and doing great work to help the community and world; one of our roles as council members should be to facilitate and promote the works of these residents.
Last year as Mayor, I was working along with fellow council members on many important issues for Atherton: Improving Emergency Preparedness, Greening and Conversation of Natural Resources, Facility improvements, Train and Housing Issues.
Then we were distracted by the Audits:
At the end of June last year, sixty hours before Mike Hood's retirement, the first Audit Report was released. I found the report to be erroneous, undermining of the City Manager, and distracting to addressing the other needs of the Atherton.
The Audits did not find any funds not collected- only charged that the Building Department should have been collecting off-haul fees before their effective date. By law the Building Department was doing the right thing. Other findings were that that Mr. Hood required extra building reviews that other cities do not: such an independent registered professional signing that the home meets Atherton height requirements and set back requirements.
Mr. Hood argued that the Off-Haul fee was wrong, needed to be recinded, and eventually he was proved right.
When I left the Arts, Waste Reduction, and Park and Recreation Committees to become a council member it was to address the needs of the Town. Last year's Witch Hunt on the Building Department and this year's Witch Hunt on the Police Department have distracted us.
Although in 2005 we did a preliminary study on a new Town Hall, and began talks on new Library designs; 2006 was lost due to the time spent on abatements and issues from the Audits. I look forward to having time to spend working with our great staff on positive issues in 2008.
I am sure all wish to focus on Housing, Train, Emergency Preparedness, Capital projects on roads, and drainage rather then focus on the waste and abuse of Town funds on IPODs, cameras, and printers in the Finance Department. But our fiduciary responsibility to the residents requires we investigate these purchases.
Charles Marsala
Council Member
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Dec 12, 2007 at 4:02 pm
Nice spin, Charles - a "Bush-worthy" effort, but alas one that only the Bushies (or, in this case, the Athertonians) could actually believe in their "make-believe" world.
To really make the grade on this one, however, I'd like to see you try to say it in person in its entirety without at least once laughing out loud!
a resident of Menlo Park: Suburban Park/Lorelei Manor/Flood Park Triangle
on Jun 3, 2017 at 3:36 am
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Farage ready to enter coalition
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage has said he would be ready to enter coalition with either Conservatives or Labour after the general election if it guaranteed a referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.
Mr Farage was speaking after a YouGov poll for LBC radio suggested Conservative supporters would be ready to back a Tory-Ukip coalition if next year's elections end in a hung Parliament.
Asked which party Ukip should form a coalition with if it held the balance of power, 76% of Tory voters said the Conservatives, compared with 48% of Labour supporters and 40% of Liberal Democrats who said Mr Farage should seek a deal with their parties.
Among Ukip voters, 40% said the eurosceptic party should go into coalition with Tories, against 12% who would prefer a pact with Labour, 8% with the Lib Dems and 35% who said Mr Farage should reject any coalition deal.
Mr Farage told LBC: "If we get to a position where Ukip is able, because it's got the numbers, to get the people of this country a referendum, we would do a deal - not just with the Conservatives, we'd do one with Labour if it came to that - if it meant we'd get that vote."
Commenting on the survey findings that Tory voters are keener than supporters of other parties to see a coalition deal with Ukip, Mr Farage said: "What this poll shows you is that Conservative voters don't particularly like the deal with the Lib Dems, which is hardly surprising.
"I think what it also tells us is that Conservative voters are recognising in big numbers that their party is not going to win a majority at the next election. That's why the figure is as high as it is. That's why it's a much, much higher figure than anything we've seen over the course of the last 12 months.
"Most Conservative voters are closer to what Ukip stands for than what Mr Cameron stands for and that essentially has been a major problem for him."
Some 41% of those questioned in the poll said Britain would better leaving the EU, against 37% who think its interests are best served by remaining a member. Among those questioned, 39% said the UK was a better place to do business because it was an EU member, compared with 24% who said membership made it a worse place to do business.
About 29% said the UK was "less safe" as an EU member and 26% "safer".
EU membership was more popular among the young, with 18 to 24-year-olds agreeing by a margin of 49%-26%, and 25 to 39-year-olds by 39%-34% that Britain was better off in.
Exit from the EU was preferred by a margin of 43%-37% among 35 to 59-year-olds and by 53%-32% among over-60s.
Ukip said its membership has reached a record of more than 34,000 as 2,000 new members had joined so far this year.


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London, March 2013. The charismatic 23-year-old Austrian clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer has entered an exclusive recording partnership with Mercury Classics/Deutsche Grammophon, making him the first ever solo clarinettist to sign an exclusive agreement with the Yellow Label.
Acclaimed for the great depths of his playing, his musical versatility and stunning stage presence, Ottensamer has been widely recognized as one of the leading clarinettists of his generation.
His first album, Portraits Ė The Clarinet Album, will be released this summer. Andreas has selected a programme of wide-ranging musical styles, with concertos from Copland and Spohr as centerpieces. From the operatic elegance of Cimarosa and the early-Romantic intensity of Spohr to the jazz inflections of Copland and Gershwin, Portraits shows the endless musical variety of the clarinet as much as its player. The album was recorded with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra led by Yannick Nťzet-Sťguin.
Dr. Alexander Buhr, Managing Director of Mercury Classics, said: ďAndreas is one of the most naturally musical characters Iíve ever met and a clarinettist with heart and soul. His dedication to the quality of music-making, as soloist, chamber musician or as orchestral musician, is truly inspiring. I am very excited to welcome him to the label and convinced that with his passion and drive, he will champion the clarinet on new grounds.Ē
Andreas Ottensamer said: ďHaving the opportunity to work with such an extraordinary team is a great privilege. It is very exciting to be accompanied by these prestigious labels from such an early stage on. Iím looking forward to everything to come.Ē
The beauty of tone and distinct musicality over a wide range of styles have won extensive critical plaudits for Andreas Ottensamer. Sybill Mahlke wrote in Der Tagesspiegel of his ďlimitless dynamic range . . . he plays with a vitality that pushes boundaries.Ē NRC Handelsblad said: ďAndreas Ottensamer melts with his clarinet . . . he is an Ď‹bersolistí and a phenomenon.Ē Rebecca Schmid wrote for MusicalAmerica.com: ďSolo clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer played with particular finesse . . . and a touch of melancholy.Ē As principal clarinettist Andreas Ottensamer has played with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from July 2010 to February 2011 and with the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Born in 1989, Ottensamer comes from an Austro-Hungarian family of musicians and was drawn to music early, receiving his first piano lessons when he was four. At the age of ten he began studying cello at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, then changed to the clarinet under Johann Hindler in 2003.
Ottensamer gained his first orchestral experience as a deputy player in the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic and as a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester. In 2009 he interrupted his liberal arts studies at Harvard University to become a scholar of the Orchestra Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
In March and May 2013 Andreas Ottensamer will be touring Korea and Japan, playing repertoire from his debut album.


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Yanks make coaching, player-development moves
By Paul Casella / MLB.com
The Yankees on Friday officially added some managerial experience to the organization in a series of coaching and player-development personnel moves. The club has brought onto its staff, in various roles, Gary Tuck, Trey Hillman, Mike Quade and Matthew Krause.
Tuck, who has 31 years of professional baseball experience between playing, coaching and scouting, will take over as the Yankees' bullpen coach. The 59-year-old previously served as manager Joe Girardi's bench coach for the 2006 Marlins and more recently spent six seasons as the bullpen coach for the Red Sox from '07-12.
He also has had three previous stints with the Yankees, first serving as the organization's Triple-A strength and catching coach in 1989 and the Yankees' catching and bullpen coach in '90. He returned as New York's Major League catching instructor from 1996-99, and returned in the same role again in 2003-04.
Hillman, meanwhile, returns to the Yankees as the club's special assistant of Major and Minor League operations. He spent 12 years managing at various levels in the Yankees' farm system from 1990-2001, compiling an 855-771 overall record. He later served as manager of the Royals' Major League squad for parts of three seasons from 2008-10 before spending the last three seasons as the Dodgers' bench coach.
Quade, named the organization's roving outfield and baserunning instructor, also brings previous managerial experience to the Yankees. He most recently held the Cubs' managerial gig from 2010-11. Along with his big league experience, Quade has 19 years of Minor League coaching experience to his name, including 17 as a manager.
Lastly, Krause joins the Yankees as the team's strength and conditioning coordinator after spending the last 11 seasons with the Reds, including the past nine in the same role.
Paul Casella is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @paul_casella. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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i knew he was a bust once his fat ass signed the contract and ended his holdout with 2 games left in his rookie year
i knew he was a bust once his fat ass signed the contract and ended his holdout with 2 games left in his rookie year
DaTPRiNCE...That EGYPTiAN Fella, #MeloMafia
Raiders fan are REJOICINGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hallejuahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhh
The Raiders will now be a respectable franchise. I think Al Davis is close to seeing the light. The Raiders finally had a good draft, and Al was willing to part with the biggest bust in NFL history! I can now start enjoy a Raider game. Before I had to watch with squeamish disgust seeing JaWalrus throw pick after pick. And get sack and leave out fumble after fumbles.
He'll likely have one more chance. Some team is gonna jump on him. To his only credit, the Raiders have been absolutely dysfunction over the past 6-7 years. Maybe if the right team picks him up, he'll end up alright? I don't believe it will happen, but he has one more chance to prove me wrong. Otherwise this thread has been an absolute success lol.
I am not going to lie, but I do like what the Radiers this offseason. I believe that Campbell is one of most underrated QBs in the NFL today. McClain is a solid player, but I thought they should hold onto Morrison and drafted another positional need. Don't be shocked if the Radiers go .500.
He and Eddy Curry can team up
He seriously is the "Eddy Curry" of the NFL. It's scary how similiar they're body shapes are lol. Had he busted because his arm wasn't strong, or something like that I probably wouldn't have disliked him. But just the fact that he busted because he's so fat and lazy, just like "E-City", is why I feel the need to let people know how much he sucks. Anything Eddy Curry-like is a NO-NO in my book lol.


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Complexation Reaction Using Ammonium Based Chloride Compounds for Preparation of Eutectic Mixtures
In this study, we are interested in the eutectic processing of chloride compounds, and decided to focus on ammonium based compounds that can provide sufficient insight in the fundamental chemistry. 14 types ammonium based chloride compounds namely ammonium chloride, methanaminium chloride, dimethylammonium chloride, trimethylammonium chloride, tetramethylammonium chloride, dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, carboxytrimethylmethanaminium chloride, phenyltrimethylammonium chloride, benzyltrimethylammonium chloride, (vinylbenzyl)trimethylammonium chloride, 2-acetoxytrimethylethanaminium chloride, (2-acetoxypropyl)trimethylammonium chloride and 2-(benzoyloxy)trimethylethanaminium chloride were used in this study. This research led to a hypothesis that the ammonium based chloride compounds could be react with the urea by complexing the hydrogen groups that are hydrogen bond donor giving eutectic mixtures. However, functional groups have plays an important role to influence thermal properties of those eutectic mixtures. This is regarded to be a motivating finding that will be important to most future research work involving complexation reaction for the production of eutectic mixtures.
Full Text:PDF
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ijc.v3n1p161
International Journal of Chemistry ISSN 1916-9698 (Print) ISSN 1916-9701 (Online)
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Topic: Cannot send mail from iRedMail server to other domains except itself
I'm stuck at something that bothers me a few weeks now.
I successfully installed server with 2 domains and emails are coming in ok,
But whenever the user tries to send from Roundcube webmail to some other person (let's say to any domain you can imagine - gmail.com, yahoo.com etc.) the mail cannot be sent.
The error log says (I replaced SERVERNAME and servername.fqdn.com for my reasons not exposing real domain name and server):
May 24 14:21:56 SERVERNAME roundcube: [24-May-2010 14:21:56 +0200]: Successful login for firstname.lastname@example.com (id 2) from 192.168.0.254
May 24 14:22:07 SERVERNAME postfix/smtpd[3385]: connect from servername.fqdn.com[127.0.0.1]
May 24 14:22:07 SERVERNAME postfix/smtpd[3385]: NOQUEUE: reject: RCPT from servername.fqdn.com[127.0.0.1]: 550 5.1.1 <firstname.lastname@example.com>: Recipient address rejected: User unknown in virtual mailbox table; from=<firstname.lastname@example.com > to=<email@example.com> proto=ESMTP helo=<servername.fqdn.com>
May 24 14:22:07 SERVERNAME roundcube: Invalid response code received from server (550):
May 24 14:22:07 SERVERNAME postfix/smtpd[3385]: disconnect from servername.fqdn.com[127.0.0.1]
May 24 14:22:07 SERVERNAME roundcube: [24-May-2010 14:22:07 +0200] SMTP Error: SMTP error: Failed to add recipient 'firstname.lastname@example.com' in /var/www/roundcubemail-0.2.1/program/steps/mail/func.inc on line 1296 (POST /mail/?_task=mail&_action=send)
Also as I'm administrator/root I can't send mail from SSH terminal session with same error.
My /etc/hosts :
# Do not remove the following line, or various programs
# that require network functionality will fail.
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost
::1 localhost6.localdomain6 localhost6
192.168.0.14 servername.fqdn.com SERVERNAME
Please help me with this, because I need to be able to send emails outside (some aliases must be redirected to gmail.com) and it doesn't work the way I wanted.
If needed I will post other config. files.
Thank you