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MLB pitcher R.A. Dickey* slings an erratic knuckleball pitch, posing a challenge for batter and catcher alike. The ball has been colorized to highlight its almost total lack of spin, which usually serves to stabilize the ball's trajectory.
A baseball's seams make it an imperfect sphere, which can lead to some screwy flight behavior when there's no spin to steady things out. Ivan R. Dee provides a good explanation of knuckleball dynamics in chapter 1 of The Knucklebook:
In the action of the knuckleball... some stitches are moving toward the flow of air in the front, and others are moving away, at a slow speed. The stitches move around the ball in quire a complex curve on a knuckleball, and the ball may rotate at different rates in different ways. This causes the swirls of air to change size and direction, form and disappear, and move location on the ball, thus producing changing locations of low pressure that really can't be predicted. The wake behind a single knuckleball at various points in flight may look like this:
Last year, Reuters made a video deconstructing the knuckleball with the help of University of Illinois physics professor Alan Nathan, who studies the dynamics of the little-used pitching technique:
More on the physics of knuckleballs here.
*The same man who named his bat Orcrist.
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Document and Records Management Still LagsBy Ericka Chickowski | Posted 2008-07-30 Print
A new study appears to point to the challenges of managing unstructured data, as in electronic document and records management, in the enterprise.
Enterprises are still struggling to manage their unstructured information effectively despite a high penetration rate of enterprise content management solutions, according to the results of a new study released by Butler Group last week.
Written by Butler Group analyst Sue Clarke, "Document and Records Management (DRM)" found that although ECM (also known as electronic document and records management, eDRM or simply DRM) has a market penetration rate of more than 80 percent, more than 40 percent of organizations plan to invest in new systems or expand their current toolset in the next two years.
"This means that many organizations that have already implemented DRM are considering deploying a different product, either because the first implementation was less than successful and did not provide the business benefits expected, or because their requirements have evolved and their current solution can no longer address their needs," Clarke wrote in the report.
Many businesses initially chose DRM systems as point products to solve only one or two specific problems within the organization and failed to put in big-picture products that effectively manage all corporate unstructured data, which can add up to 80 percent of an organization's data pool, according to the report.
To make deployment a success, business needs—more than IT needs—should power DRM implementation, Clarke told Baseline.
"DRM has to be driven by business requirements, rather than an IT need, to reduce storage," she says. "It is only business executives and managers that understand the business requirements of the organization. It is vital that DRM is implemented to address the business requirements of an organization, or it will not deliver business value–[meaning] end-users will not buy into the system and will not use it, and it will not address the business issues faced by the organization."
Major drivers on the business side include information manageability and speed of information discovery, elimination of duplications and errors caused by ineffective versioning, and centralization for the purpose of data protection and disaster-recovery efforts, she says.
Clarke believes it is crucial that leaders on the business side work closely with technical staff throughout a DRM implementation to ensure their needs are adequately met.
"There are stages [in the DRM implementation model] that can only be carried out using business, rather than technical, expertise, such as building the file plan or classification system, and also deciding what legacy information needs to be imported into the DRM system," she says. "These two tasks can be combined, and there are specialist classification solutions that can automate much of this process and save the organizations many months of manual labor. The selection of a suitable product to achieve this is an area where technical and non-technical executives must work together."
Additionally, she believes users must also be involved in order to minimize resistance to change.
"It can be difficult to persuade end users to adopt a new system, particularly if this involves changes to their business practices," Clarke says. "It is important to consult with end users to see how they create, access, process and use information, and discuss how their current processes could be improved. If a user's main contact with information is through a single application, then examine how a DRM system could be used seamlessly by the user and discuss where tasks could be automated. If end users believe that they have a real say in how the system is designed, they are more likely to embrace and use it once it is implemented."
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North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis
RE/MAX Southern Shores sells homes at North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis
North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis is a community that features condominiums for year-round residents as well as beach vacation and golf-getaway rentals. Located less than a mile from the beach, this resort property is also close to all of the shopping, restaurants and attractions in North Myrtle Beach. A recent renovation that upgraded public areas has made North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis Resort more attractive than ever to price-conscious buyers. All of these improvements along with its location on Possum Trot Golf Course, make North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis an ideal community for affordable, southern living.
North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis is a few short blocks to the beach without the high prices associated with ocean front access. With Possum Trot Golf Course on one side of the development and the North Myrtle Beach Recreation Center on the other side, North Myrtle Beach Golf and Tennis residents have tranquil views and great amenities.
Home to one of the top three golf practice facilities in Myrtle Beach and a world-class golf academy led by PGA teaching professionals, Possum Trot Golf Club is the ideal setting for any golf enthusiast. Designed for the novice golfer up to the single digit handicapper, Possum Trot is particularly suited to diverse levels of play and lives up to its rating as "Friendliest Course on the Strand." A traditional, straightforward design with tree-lined fairways, rolling terrain, ponds, fairways, and greenside bunkers flanking large undulating greens pose a wide range of skills challenges and shot opportunities. These environmental features appeal to golfers also appeal to visitors and residents at North Myrtle Beach Golf &Tennis!
RE/MAX Southern Shores knows North Myrtle Beach real estate markets
As the #1 selling real estate agency on the Grand Strand, RE/MAX Southern Shores agents are experts when it comes to knowing where the best properties and best buys are in North Myrtle Beach. If you're looking for one of the most affordable communities in which own your dream condo, it doesn't get any better than the North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis. Contact RE/MAX Southern Shores at 843-249-5555 for more information about these beautiful condos in North Myrtle Beach.
By using the search page for RE/MAX Southern Shores you can find a property that meets your specific needs by searching all of North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina real estate or North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis. RE/MAX Southern Shores agents sell both residential and vacation homes in this quiet section of North Myrtle Beach. They w in particular. We have the condo that YOU are looking for!
North Myrtle Beach Golf & Tennis is an ideal community for year-round residents as well as individuals who want to invest in real estate for rental purposes. There are studio, one and two bedroom condos available that attract visitors year round because of the great winter weather for golfers, bright sunny days for beach-goers, and tennis for everyone. Some properties overlook the pool, some overlook the golf course, and others overlook the tennis courts. Community grills and picnic areas are placed strategically for everyone to enjoy.
Please contact our office at 843-249-5555 where RE/MAX Southern Shores agents are on available every day to assist with all your real estate needs. We'll help you navigate the touring, selection, negotiation, and purchase process for the property that is perfect for YOU!
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* All data pertains to single-family homes


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|Allan Breed Munroe
(1900 - 1962)
One of the photos found in the time capsule is this one of a small boy, labeled "Allan Greed Monroe, b. 3/1/19—son of Fred and Clara B. Monroe". On the reverse it reads "Looks like his mother!"
It is actually a photo of Allan Breed Munroe, son of William Frederick Munroe and his wife, Clara Bailey (Mansfield). He was the fifth of their nine children! Clara's mother was Rebecca Stacey Breed. It is an obvious transcription error, also the family name was always spelled Munroe with a "U". Our common ancestor was Luther Simonds Munroe, born on 10 May 1805 in Danvers, Massachusetts, and died 23 December 1851. He was my 3x great grandfather and Allan's great grandfather.
Allan would have been my second cousin, twice removed. He married Marjorie Green on 29 June 1929, and he died on 24 Sep 1962. He is one of those long list of George Peabody Merit Medal Scholarship winners I discussed in a post last year. He won his medal in 1917. (See this link for a story about some family members who have wond the George Peabody Merit Medal Scholarship http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/george-peabody-merit-scholarship-medals.html )
According to the Municipal History of Essex County, Massachusetts, Volume 3, by Benjamin F. Arrington, page 138 "…he entered the United States service in March 1918, and was honorably discharged in September, 1919. He was in training at the United States Radio Station at Cambridge, Massachusetts, prior to entering the service, being in the navy. He crossed the ocean three times and saw active service. Since the war he attended Eastern Radio Institute at Boston, Massachusetts, as a student, is now a radio operator, first class, and has again crossed the ocean three times."
The Century Chest not only contained letters and photographs from citizens, it also contained papers placed in the chest by the 1902 librarian of the Peabody Institute, Lyman P. Osborn. The date the chest was to be opened in 2002 was the 150th Anniversary of the Peabody Institute Library.
After the Century Chest was opened in 2002, a second chest was sealed and stored at the Peabody Historical Society in 2008. It was full of new items, including photo diaries created by Peabody High School students, letters and other items.
Generation 1. William Munroe, born about 1625 near Inverness, Scotland, died 27 January 1718 in Lexington, Massachusetts; married in 1665 to Martha George, daughter of John George and Elizabeth, born about 1636 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, died about 1672 in Lexington. William married also to Mary Ball in 1672 and Elizabeth Johnson in 1693.
Generation 2. George Munroe, born about 1672 in Lexington, died 17 January 1747 in Lexington; married to Sarah Mooer, daughter of Jonathan Mooer and Constance Langthorne, born about 1677 in Newbury, Massachusetts, died 4 December 1752 in Lexington.
Generation 3. Andrew Munroe, born about 4 June 1718 in Lexington, died 16 September 1766 in Lexington; married on 26 May 1763 to Lucy Mixer, daughter of Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball, born 21 November 1727 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, died 3 September 1783 in Burlington or Woburn, Massachusetts.
Generation 4. Andrew Munroe, born 31 March 1764 in Lexington, died 7 August 1836 in Danvers; married on 22 March 1785 in Burlington, Massachusetts to Ruth Simonds, daughter of Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse, born 13 April 1763 in Woburn, died 29 January 1840 in Danvers.
Generation 5. Luther Simonds Munroe, born 10 May 1805 in Danvers, Massachusetts, died on 23 December 1851 in Danvers; married on 3 Sept 1826 in Reading, Massachusetts to Olive Flint, daughter of John Flint and Phebe Flint, born 27 Jul 1805 in Reading, died 26 November 1875 in Peabody. Six children. Luther and Olive were my 3x Great Grandparents, and I am descended from their daughter Phebe Cross Munroe (1830 - 1895) who married Robert Wilkinson (1830 - 1874).
Generation 6. William Calvin Munroe, born 21 December 1833 in Salem, Massachusetts, died 10 August 1891 in Salem; married on 20 November 1859 in Danvers to Adeline Bradley Jones, daughter of Justus Jones and Sphronia Wood, born about 23 February 1835 in Hampstead, New Hampshire, died on 23 April 1864.
Generation 7. William Frederick Munroe, born 31 March 1864 in Peabody, died 10 June 1912 in Peabody, married on 2 June 1892 in Salem to Clara Bailey Mansfield, born 14 September 1868 in Wakefield, Massachusetts, died 25 March 1939 in Peabody. Nine children.
Generation 8. Allan Breed Munroe, born 1 March 1900 in Peabody, died on 24 September 1962; married on 29 June 1929 to Marjorie Green, born 14 October 1899, died 10 April 1961.
For the truly curious:
A post from the Peabody Historical Society blog showing a snowstorm in the winter of 1901-1902. These photographs were found in the Century Chest http://peabodyhistorical.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/here-we-snow-again/
The link to the photo gallery of the items found in the Century Chest at the Peabody, Mass. Archives website http://www.peabodymassarchives.com/galleries/centurychest.html. This is where the photo of little Allan Munroe was found.
In the book Then & Now Peabody, by William R. Power, Acadia Publishing, 2008, there are several examples of photos found in the Peabody Century Chest. Mr. Power has taken old photos and new views in Peabody of the same scene to display side by side. This book is available for view online at Google Books.
Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo


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Spring Has Sprung, the Pitches Are Zinging and the Bats are in Bloom
Silly as it sounds, after Sunday's game I felt somewhat deflated. But two better spring training outings for the Angels was all it took to return the buoyancy to my mood. First and foremost, the regular pitchers and most of the core bullpen candidates both days looked good – a little rust here and there, a couple of instances where the pitch placement could still use a little work, but on the whole very good.
I got to see the debut of our most likely new outfield configuration – all centerfielders, all the time with Vernon Wells in left, speedy Peter Bourjos in center and Torii Hunter in right. I loved it! Between the three of them they cover a lot of ground and seem to work well together. Bourjos seemed to have a little trouble calling off Wells at first, but he came around much like he did last season with Torii and Bobby Abreu.
I think I have now seen the real Mike Trout and I too am impressed. That was a heck of a catch at the end of this afternoon's game and he made it look absolutely effortless. And when he does get the bat on the ball, you can see the power there. I like this all centerfielder outfield idea and think Trout will fit in just fine when the time comes to replace one of the centers currently in the corners.
We're nailing the double plays!! One of the first indications I had that things were amiss in 2010 was how few and far between the jaw dropping double plays, once an Angels hallmark, had become. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see the guys nailing that 6-4-3 or 4-6-3 again! Also, the fielding so far has been error free, which is especially nice to see so early in spring training.
We have bats! Everyone who should be hitting has had at least one good solid hit in the last three games (remember, each player in question has only played about one full game worth of innings in those three games) except Torii, and Torii's bat usually doesn't really heat up until late April. I would jump for joy if it happened earlier, of course, but I'm not going to panic when it doesn't. Yes, this does mean that Jeff Mathis, Peter Bourjos, Erick Aybar and even Brandon Wood all had hits – Wood's a hard hit double in his spring training debut today. I don't know if this will last in all cases but it sure was good to see.
Certain old bad habits were still evident. Eighth and ninth inning excitement: Monday's game against the A's was 8 to 2 Angels going into the eighth inning and the final score was 8 to 7. Stranding runners on the bases: seven runners were left in scoring position in today's game against the Reds. Failing to strike again: today's game was another score in the first inning and never again outing. Aybar's base running: he's like the little girl with the little curl and today's game was one of the horrid outings. But I'm not really concerned about this, this early on. These observations, good and bad, are all based on one two-game snapshot and I think early spring training games, where the pitchers change every one to two innings and all of the regular position players are out of the game by the 6th inning, are not the best representation of how the regular season will progress. I'm just grounding myself by taking note of the worrisome things along with the hopeful ones.
The baseball fever is so thick in my house that my husband actually convinced me to go play catch with him in the park the other day. Seth never played baseball growing up, not beyond the usual neighborhood pick-up games. I played softball in the local park and rec ponytail league from t-ball up through the beginning of high school but I haven't touched a glove with any intent beyond catching a ball at batting practice in more than 15 years. So it was odd that he would ask and odder still that I would accept. I think that maybe seeing all of the young minor leaguers play a day game in such a small setting brings more nostalgia for the games you played in your own youth than a regular baseball game.
Playing catch? It's not like riding a bicycle. Not after more than 15 years anyway. My arm is so much spaghetti, it's embarrassing and, after this much time, it actually stings to catch the ball bare handed. But I'm still reasonably reliable with the glove and was even able to jump and stretch high to catch a few like back in the old days. And the unmistakable thunk of a perfect throw landing solidly in his glove the few times I managed a good one is absolutely addicting – childhood, laughter and fun all bottled up in a single sound. Yes, I will do this again. It was a lot of fun and I am way too stubborn not to give it another try. Besides, I'm not talking trash here but, um, I'm not the one with the sore shoulder today…he he he.


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May 4, 2008
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The MIT lightweight varsity crew capped its 2008 regular season with a win against Pennsylvania. Taking the lead in the first 30 strokes and never relinquishing it, the varsity rowed the Schuylkill course in a time of 5:48.1 to the Quakers 5:49.0.
At 700 meters the Engineers commanded a boat length lead that would require considerable determination to sustain. As the crews completed 1000m, Penn began a gritty charge in the second half of the race.
Penn and MIT sparred throughout the tilt with Penn making impressive moves to narrow the margin to four seats in the final quarter. In the last 300 meters, both crews raised their stroke rates and intensity but it was MIT who was able to rebuff moves by Penn to ensure the win.
In the freshman race, the Engineers conceded an aggressive start by the Quakers that ended up making the difference. At the half way point, it was Penn by a little more than a boat length. In the second half, MIT worked hard to get overlap with about 800 meters to go, but could not overcome the early race deficit. Penn finished the circuit in 6:02.2 while MIT closed in 6:06.8.
Next race for MIT Lightweight Men is the Eastern Sprints Regatta held on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester on Sunday May 18.


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If Anika was your girlfriend, you'd be a proud man (or woman). She's a striking Teutonic wonder. She'd probably write you little poems and stories, sing you to sleep and make you collages out of old newspapers and macaroni pieces. How you would love it. But you'd best return her phone calls promptly. Woe betides you if you're seen out with another girl. And if you decide to leave her, you'd better change the locks, your Facebook password and most likely your identity quick-snap.
Because Anika's debut record is unhinged to the point of requiring prompt sectioning. It is obsessive, devoid of any sense of rational thought and purpose. It rattles with anger, spits with contempt and handcuffs itself to you and swallows the key while continually proclaiming how 'we're made to be together'. It is frequently terrifying, plainly unsettling and isn't the best thing to listen to alone in the dark. It is also quite, quite brilliant.
Over a scant 36 minutes, Anika hangs between tautly stretched wires of tension, a profound study in controlled intensity. The music is threateningly minimalist with a whispered Unknown Pleasures sense of vague implication; deep sub-bass lurching menacingly over lonely carnival piano and all manner of eerie sounds and samples that fade in from nowhere and then depart in an equally startling manner. Yet despite the ever-present paranoia, the songs run abundantly with sweet folk melodies that could be considered beautiful, were they not tied back-to-back with sounds from the depths of a nightmare. The juxtaposition of the two makes the album eminently fascinating, drawing you towards the danger like a bag of gold in the middle of a busy motorway.
And then there is her voice. Nico comparisons are obvious in the drawl of her dispassionate delivery but with Anika, there is a certain sense of ghostly withdrawal from emotion, an equal measure of robot and seductress. The vocals always skim just beneath the layers of music, giving the impression that you are listening through a heavy velvet curtain. And throughout the trajectory of each song, you feel a chill of unease at your neck as they unfurl in a way which suggests someone writing merely to maintain some vague semblance of sanity. Opener 'Terry' seems to be a yearning plea to a recently deceased lover. 'No One's There' sounds like Anika conversing with her fears in the mirror, trying to allay them with the never-convincing words "Stop looking over your shoulder, no-one's there". And then there is the final knot in the straightjacket arms: the teetering-on-the-edge infatuation of 'I Go To Sleep'. Over a series of simple piano figures, she repeats the lines "I go to sleep/and imagine that you're there with me". It could come across as sweet or devastatingly sad. Instead it comes across as disturbing and psychotic; you can almost see the mirror, photo album and voodoo doll strewn around her on the bed.
And we've not yet even mentioned the 'Dub Dylan' cover of 'Masters of War' which appears twice: firstly as a seven-minute exercise in minimalist reggae before reappearing at the end of the record as a brass-kissed dub remix. Bizarrely, it works perfectly, fortifying the bite of the original with a twitching, jaw-clenched paranoia. It's another example of why this record wanders far from the sphere of normality. The nearest comparison is the solo work of Syd Barrett, which from one angle appeared to be a collection of sweet acoustic songs and from another illustrated the remaining pieces of one man's mental armour falling swiftly away. Anika is an unhinged record that isn't easy to look squarely in the eye. But the reward is in the depth and sheer bewilderment of every single creak, croak and crackle. Pulp once sang about "The sound of loneliness turned up to ten". Well, this may very well be the sound of lunacy….


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What we liked
Chaba Thai Bistro – Beaumont
We were certainly overwhelmed by the lavish new location at 6434 Phelan; the dramatic sheer tapestries and the authentic kantoke dining room—complete with handmade Thai seating cushions—all enhance the experience of tasting the spicy flavors of Thailand. If you're new to Thai cuisine, we recommend Chaba Pad Thai or Pad Kee Mao—rice noodle dishes, each with their own unique flavor. The tastiest treat by far: Thai iced tea.
Carlito's Mexican Restaurant – Beaumont
Did you know they open at 7 a.m.? That's right, six days a week you can have Mexican food for breakfast! Lunch and dinner is great too for 'those who like it hot;' plus foosball, great drink specials and a great, cozy atmosphere make Carlito's—you guessed it—a great place to eat.
Sartin's Seafood – Nederland
You may remember Sartin's Seafood in Sabine Pass in the '70s for their all you can eat barbecue crabs — 40 years later, they still got the crabs! Folks now flock to Sartin's in Nederland for the legendary barbecued crustacean and traditional platter service. And when you sit down to eat your crabs, check and see if you've got a Jimmy or a Snook.
Amuny's Liquor and Deli – Port Arthur
The Messina family has a reputation for providing the best service and product knowledge in their liquor stores, but at Amuny's it's not the gin that keeps the regular customers regular. The deli in the back of the store has incredible sandwiches, po'boys, deviled eggs and stuffed jalapenos that make for a great lunch or an even better party tray.
Doug Nelson's Café – Beaumont
Now through the end of crawfish season, Nelson invites you to eat come out to his place with your pals and eat some crawdads for dinner every Saturday from 4-9 p.m. You don't need to wear your fancy clothes to Doug Nelson's Café. Of course, you can if you want.
Boomtown BBQ – Beaumont
Have you been bombed yet? Taco Bombed, we mean. If not, head over to Boomtown BBQ and try one of our favorite lunches in town — the Taco bomb, featuring pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, onions, jalapenos and your choice of one of Boomtown's signature sauces: queso blanco, chipotle mayo, salsa verde or orange jalapeno mustard. Grab the giant Jack Daniels bottle at your table and lay on several shots of that delicious Boomtown BBQ sauce.
Guadalajara – Beaumont
A lunch buffet served daily from makes popping in for a bite fast and filling, with chicken and beef fajita meat, cheese enchiladas, chile con queso, chalupas, charro bean soup, rice, beans and taquitos. For dessert, fresh made sopapillas are on the buffet as well — a unique Mexican treat featuring a puff of sweet bread traditionally dressed with honey, cinnamon and sugar. Ole!
Floyd's Cajun Seafood and Texas Steakhouse – Beaumont
Even if you don't do seafood, Floyd's serves one heck of a steak for the land dwellers. Those who love Cajun seafood in particular ought to know Floyd's boasts one of the best bowls of seafood gumbo in Beaumont, and it's the perfect atmosphere for some great crawfish. That seafood fondue isn't too bad, either.
Larry's French Market and Cajun Restaurant – Groves
The king of Cajun has it all — music, dancing, a mouthwatering seafood buffet, and big, yummy crawfish. Seasoned just right and served with corn, potatoes and dip. And if you overdo it on the buffet (it's been known to happen) just hop on the dance floor for and join a complimentary Cajun aerobics session.
Novrozsky's – Beaumont, Port Arthur
Well, what do you like? Cheese fries? Burgers? Mahi mahi? Their diverse menu is only one of the major draws for families. As if offering one of the most legendary burgers in town wasn't enough, baseball legend Nolan Ryan stepped in with his all-natural beef as part of the restaurant's storewide initiative to use premium quality ingredients in their recipes that are trans-fat and hormone free. And if you're not concerned with that part, it's just great food.
Pine Tree Lodge – Labelle
Just another one of Southeast Texas' picturesque destination restaurants with down home Southern cooking, this summer hotspot is the jewel of Taylor's Bayou with a newly enclosed deck overlooking the water while keeping out the skeeters. Live music every Sunday and neatest of all — gator sightings! Just don't let a gator sight YOU enjoying some of the restaurants famed gator bites — they're delicious.


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Updated: 2017-11-29 00:05
The Military Revolutionary Committee, with a fierce intensity, followed up its victory:
November 14th.
To all Army, corps, divisional and regimental Committees, to all Soviets of Workers', Soldiers' and Peasants' Deputies, to all, all, all.
Conforming to the agreement between the Cossacks, yunkers, soldiers, sailors and workers, it has been decided to arraign Alexander Feodorvitch Kerensky before a tribunal of the people. We demand that Kerensky be arrested, and that he be ordered, in the name of the organisations hereinafter mentioned, to come immediately to Petrograd and present himself to the tribunal.
The Cossacks of the First Division of Ussuri Cavalry; the Committee of Yunkers of the Petrograd detachment of Franc-Tireurs; the delegate of the Fifth Army.
People's Commissar DYBENKO.
The Committee for Salvation, the Duma, the Central Committee of the Socialist Revolutionary party-proudly claiming Kerensky as a member-all passionately protested that he could only be held responsible to the Constituent Assembly.
On the evening of November 16th I watched two thousand Red Guards swing down the Zagorodny Prospekt behind a military band playing the Marseillaise-and how appropriate it sounded-with blood-red flags over the dark ranks of workmen, to welcome home again their brothers who had defended "Red Petrograd." In the bitter dusk they tramped, men and women, their tall bayonets swaying; through streets faintly lighted and slippery with mud, between silent crowds of bourgeois, contemptuous but fearful….
All were against them-business men, speculators, investors, land-owners, army officers, politicians, teachers, students, professional men, shop-keepers, clerks, agents. The other Socialist parties hated the Bolsheviki with an implacable hatred. On the side of the Soviets were the rank and file of the workers, the sailors, all the undemoralised soldiers, the landless peasants, and a few-a very few-intellectuals….
From the farthest corners of great Russia, whereupon desperate street-fighting burst like a wave, news of Kerensky's defeat came echoing back the immense roar of proletarian victory. Kazan, Saratov, Novgorod, Vinnitza-where the streets had run with blood; Moscow, where the Bolsheviki had turned their artillery against the last strong-hold of the bourgeoisie-the Kremlin.
"They are bombarding the Kremlin!" The news passed from mouth to mouth in the streets of Petrograd, almost with a sense of terror. Travellers from "white and shining little mother Moscow" told fearful tales. Thousands killed; the Tverskaya and the Kuznetsky Most in flames; the church of Vasili Blazheiny a smoking ruin; Usspensky Cathedral crumbling down; the Spasskaya Gate of the Kremlin tottering; the Duma burned to the ground. (See App. X, Sect. 1)
Nothing that the Bolsheviki had done could compare with this fearful blasphemy in the heart of Holy Russia. To the ears of the devout sounded the shock of guns crashing in the face of the Holy Orthodox Church, and pounding to dust the sanctuary of the Russian nation….
On November 15th, Lunatcharsky, Commissar of Education, broke into tears at the session of the Council of People's Commissars, and rushed from the room, crying, "I cannot stand it! I cannot bear the monstrous destruction of beauty and tradition…."
That afternoon his letter of resignation was published in the newspapers:
I have just been informed, by people arriving from Moscow, what has happened there.
The Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, the Cathedral of the Assumption, are being bombarded. The Kremlin, where are now gathered the most important art treasures of Petrograd and of Moscow, is under artillery fire. There are thousands of victims.
The fearful struggle there has reached a pitch of bestial ferocity.
What is left? What more can happen?
I cannot bear this. My cup is full. I am unable to endure these horrors. It is impossible to work under the pressure of thoughts which drive me mad!
That is why I am leaving the Council of People's Commissars.
I fully realise the gravity of this decision. But I can bear no more…. (See App. X, Sect. 2)
That same day the White Guards and yunkers in the Kremlin surrendered, and were allowed to march out unharmed. The treaty of peace follows:
1. The Committee of Public Safety ceases to exist.
2. The White Guard gives up its arms and dissolves. The officers retain their swords and regulations side-arms. In the Military Schools are retained only the arms necessary for instruction; all others are surrendered by the yunkers. The Military Revolutionary Committee guarantees the liberty and inviolability of the person.
3. To settle the question of disarmament, as set forth in section 2, a special commission is appointed, consisting of representatives from all organisations which took part in the peace negotiations.
4. From the moment of the signature of this peace treaty, both parties shall immediately give order to cease firing and halt all military operations, taking measures to ensure punctual obedience to this order.
5. At the signature of the treaty, all prisoners made by the two parties shall be released….
For two days now the Bolsheviki had been in control of the city. The frightened citizens were creeping out of their cellars to seek their dead; the barricades in the streets were being removed. Instead of diminishing, however, the stories of destruction in Moscow continued to grow…. And it was under the influence of these fearful reports that we decided to go there.
Petrograd, after all, in spite of being for a century the seat of Government, is still an artificial city. Moscow is real Russia, Russia as it was and will be; in Moscow we would get the true feeling of the Russian people about the Revolution. Life was more intense there.
For the past week the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee, aided by the rank and file of the Railway Workers, had seized control of the Nicolai Railroad, and hurled trainload after trainload of sailors and Red Guards southwest…. We were provided with passes from Smolny, without which no one could leave the capital…. When the train backed into the station, a mob of shabby soldiers, all carrying huge sacks of eatables, stormed the doors, smashed the windows, and poured into all the compartments, filling up the aisles and even climbing onto the roof. Three of us managed to wedge our way into a compartment, but almost immediately about twenty soldiers entered…. There was room for only four people; we argued, expostulated, and the conductor joined us-but the soldiers merely laughed. Were they to bother about the comfort of a lot of boorzhui (bourgeois)? We produced the passes from Smolny; instantly the soldiers changed their attitude.
"Come, comrades," cried one, "these are American tovarishtchi. They have come thirty thousand versts to see our Revolution, and they are naturally tired…."
With polite and friendly apologies the soldiers began to leave. Shortly afterward we heard them breaking into a compartment occupied by two stout, well-dressed Russians, who had bribed the conductor and locked their door….
About seven o'clock in the evening we drew out of the station, an immense long train drawn by a weak little locomotive burning wood, and stumbled along slowly, with many stops. The soldiers on the roof kicked with their heels and sang whining peasant songs; and in the corridor, so jammed that it was impossible to pass, violent political debates raged all night long. Occasionally the conductor came through, as a matter of habit, looking for tickets. He found very few except ours, and after a half-hour of futile wrangling, lifted his arms despairingly and withdrew. The atmosphere was stifling, full of smoke and foul odours; if it hadn't been for the broken windows we would doubtless have smothered during the night.
In the morning, hours late, we looked out upon a snowy world. It was bitter cold. About noon a peasant woman got on with a basket-full of bread-chunks and a great can of luke warm coffee-substitute. From then on until dark there was nothing but the packed train, jolting and stopping, and occasional stations where a ravenous mob swooped down on the scantily-furnished buffet and swept it clean…. At one of these halts I ran into Nogin and Rykov, the seceding Commissars, who were returning to Moscow to put their grievances before their own Soviet, and further along was Bukharin, a short, red-bearded man with the eyes of a fanatic-"more Left than Lenin," they said of him….
Then the three strokes of the bell and we made a rush for the train, worming our way through the packed and noisy aisle…. A good-natured crowd, bearing the discomfort with humorous patience, interminably arguing about everything from the situation in Petrograd to the British Trade-Union system, and disputing loudly with the few boorzhui who were on board. Before we reached Moscow almost every car had organised a Committee to secure and distribute food, and these Committees became divided into political factions, who wrangled over fundamental principles….
The station at Moscow was deserted. We went to the office of the Commissar, in order to arrange for our return tickets. He was a sullen youth with the shoulder-straps of a Lieutenant; when we showed him our papers from Smolny, he lost his temper and declared that he was no Bolshevik, that he represented the Committee of Public Safety…. It was characteristic-in the general turmoil attending the conquest of the city, the chief railway station had been forgotten by the victors….
Not a cab in sight. A few blocks down the street, however, we woke up a grotesquely-padded izvostchik asleep upright on the box of his little sleigh. "How much to the centre of the town?"
He scratched his head. "The barini won't be able to find a room in any hotel," he said. "But I'll take you around for a hundred rubles…." Before the Revolution it cost two! We objected, but he simply shrugged his shoulders. "It takes a good deal of courage to drive a sleigh nowadays," he went on. We could not beat him down below fifty…. As we sped along the silent, snowy half-lighted streets, he recounted his adventures during the six days' fighting. "Driving along, or waiting for a fare on the corner," he said, "all of a sudden pooff! a cannon ball exploding here, pooff! a cannon ball there, ratt-ratt! a machine-gun…. I gallop, the devils shooting all around. I get to a nice quiet street and stop, doze a little, pooff! another cannon ball, ratt-ratt…. Devils! Devils! Devils! Brrr!"
In the centre of the town the snow-piled streets were quiet with the stillness of convalescence. Only a few arc-lights were burning, only a few pedestrians hurried along the side-walks. An icy wind blew from the great plain, cutting to the bone. At the first hotel we entered an office illuminated by two candles.
"Yes, we have some very comfortable rooms, but all the windows are shot out. If the gospodin does not mind a little fresh air…."
Down the Tverskaya the shop-windows were broken, and there were shell-holes and torn-up paving stones in the street. Hotel after hotel, all full, or the proprietors still so frightened that all they could say was, "No, no, there is no room! There is no room!" On the main streets, where the great banking-houses and mercantile houses lay, the Bolshevik artillery had been indiscriminately effective. As one Soviet official told me, "Whenever we didn't know just where the yunkers and White Guards were, we bombarded their pocketbooks…."
At the big Hotel National they finally took us in; for we were foreigners, and the Military Revolutionary Committee had promised to protect the dwellings of foreigners…. On the top floor the manager showed us where shrapnel had shattered several windows. "The animals!" said he, shaking his first at imaginary Bolsheviki. "But wait! Their time will come; in just a few days now their ridiculous Government will fall, and then we shall make them suffer!"
We dined at a vegetarian restaurant with the enticing name, "I Eat Nobody," and Tolstoy's picture prominent on the walls, and then sallied out into the streets.
The headquarters of the Moscow Soviet was in the palace of the former Governor-General, an imposing white building fronting Skobeliev Square. Red Guards stood sentry at the door. At the head of the wide, formal stairway, whose walls were plastered with announcements of committee-meetings and addresses of political parties, we passed through a series of lofty ante-rooms, hung with red-shrouded pictures in gold frames, to the splendid state salon, with its magnificent crystal lustres and gilded cornices. A low-voiced hum of talk, underlaid with the whirring bass of a score of sewing machines, filled the place. Huge bolts of red and black cotton cloth were unrolled, serpentining across the parqueted floor and over tables, at which sat half a hundred women, cutting and sewing streamers and banners for the Funeral of the Revolutionary Dead. The faces of these women were roughened and scarred with life at its most difficult; they worked now sternly, many of them with eyes red from weeping…. The losses of the Red Army had been heavy.
"Do you still want to run away after what happened last night?"
Their relationship changes overnight. She tries to keep her distance from him, while he comes closer and closer.
Spoiling her, he gives her everything she desires. His only wish is to keep her around. The whole world is envious of what she has.
"Never rush in a relationship," she says calmly.
t a desk in one corner was Rogov, an intelligent, bearded man with glasses, wearing the black blouse of a worker. He invited us to march with the Central Executive Committee in the funeral procession next morning….
"It is impossible to teach the Socialist Revolutionaries and the Mensheviki anything!" he exclaimed. "They compromise from sheer habit. Imagine! They proposed that we hold a joint funeral with the yunkers!"
[Graphic, page 251: Questionaire for the Bourgeoioisie]
Distributed to all bourgeois households in Moscow by the Moscow Military Revolutionary Commitee, so as to provide a basis for the requisition of clothing for the Army and the poor workers. For translation see Appendix 3. (See App. X, Sect. 3)
Across the hall came a man in a ragged soldier-coat and shapka, whose face was familiar; I recognised Melnichansky, whom I had known as the watch-maker George Melcher in Bayonne, New Jersey, during the great Standard Oil strike. Now, he told me, he was secretary of the Moscow Metal-Workers' Union, and a Commissar of the Military Revolutionary Committee during the fighting….
"You see me!" he cried, showing his decrepit clothing. "I was with the boys in the Kremlin when the yunkers came the first time. They shut me up in the cellar and swiped my overcoat, my money, watch and even the ring on my finger. This is all I've got to wear!"
From him I learned many details of the bloody six-day battle which had rent Moscow in two. Unlike in Petrograd, in Moscow the City Duma had taken command of the yunkers and White Guards. Rudnev, the Mayor, and Minor, president of the Duma, had directed the activities of the Committee of Public Safety and the troops. Riabtsev, Commandant of the city, a man of democratic instincts, had hesitated about opposing the Military Revolutionary Committee; but the Duma had forced him…. It was the Mayor who had urged the occupation of the Kremlin; "They will never dare fire on you there," he said….
One garrison regiment, badly demoralised by long inactivity, had been approached by both sides. The regiment held a meeting to decide what action to take. Resolved, that the regiment remain neutral, and continue its present activities-which consisted in peddling rubbers and sunflower seeds!
"But worst of all," said Melnichansky, "we had to organise while we were fighting. The other side knew just what it wanted; but here the soldiers had their Soviet and the workers theirs…. There was a fearful wrangle over who should be Commander-in-chief; some regiments talked for days before they decided what to do; and when the officers suddenly deserted us, we had no battle-staff to give orders…."
Vivid little pictures he gave me. On a cold grey day he had stood at a corner of the Nikitskaya, which was swept by blasts of machine-gun fire. A throng of little boys were gathered there-street waifs who used to be newsboys. Shrill, excited as if with a new game, they waited until the firing slackened, and then tried to run across the street…. Many were killed, but the rest dashed backward and forward, laughing, daring each other….
Late in the evening I went to the Dvorianskoye Sobranie-the Nobles'
Club-where the Moscow Bolsheviki were to meet and consider the report
of Nogin, Rykov and the others who had left the Council of People's
The meeting-place was a theatre, in which, under the old régime, to audiences of officers and glittering ladies, amateur presentations of the latest French comedy had once taken place.
At first the place filled with the intellectuals-those who lived near the centre of the town. Nogin spoke, and most of his listeners were plainly with him. It was very late before the workers arrived; the working-class quarters were on the outskirts of the town, and no street-cars were running. But about midnight they began to clump up the stairs, in groups of ten or twenty-big, rough men, in coarse clothes, fresh from the battle-line, where they had fought like devils for a week, seeing their comrades fall all about them.
Scarcely had the meeting formally opened before Nogin was assailed with a tempest of jeers and angry shouts. In vain he tried to argue, to explain; they would not listen. He had left the Council of People's Commissars; he had deserted his post while the battle was raging. As for the bourgeois press, here in Moscow there was no more bourgeois press; even the City Duma had been dissolved. (See App. X, Sect. 4) Bukharin stood up, savage, logical, with a voice which plunged and struck, plunged and struck…. Him they listened to with shining eyes. Resolution, to support the action of the Council of People's Commissars, passed by overwhelming majority. So spoke Moscow….
[Graphic, page 254: Pass to the Kremlin]
By this the Military Revolutionary Commitee requests to give a pass for the purpose of investigating the Kremlin, the representatives of the American Socialist party attached to the Socialist press, comrades Reed and Bryant. Chief of the Military Revolutionary Committee For the Secretary
Late in the night we went through the empty streets and under the Iberian Gate to the great Red Square in front of the Kremlin. The church of Vasili Blazheiny loomed fantastic, its bright-coloured, convoluted and blazoned cupolas vague in the darkness. There was no sign of any damage…. Along one side of the square the dark towers and walls of the Kremlin stood up. On the high walls flickered redly the light of hidden flames; voices reached us across the immense place, and the sound of picks and shovels. We crossed over.
Mountains of dirt and rock were piled high near the base of the wall. Climbing these we looked down into two massive pits, ten or fifteen feet deep and fifty yards long, where hundreds of soldiers and workers were digging in the light of huge fires.
A young student spoke to us in German. "The Brotherhood Grave," he explained. "To-morrow we shall bury here five hundred proletarians who died for the Revolution."
He took us down into the pit. In frantic haste swung the picks and shovels, and the earth-mountains grew. No one spoke. Overhead the night was thick with stars, and the ancient Imperial Kremlin wall towered up immeasurably.
"Here in this holy place," said the student, "holiest of all Russia, we shall bury our most holy. Here where are the tombs of the Tsars, our Tsar-the People-shall sleep…." His arm was in a sling, from a bullet-wound gained in the fighting. He looked at it. "You foreigners look down on us Russians because so long we tolerated a medi?val monarchy," said he. "But we saw that the Tsar was not the only tyrant in the world; capitalism was worse, and in all the countries of the world capitalism was Emperor…. Russian revolutionary tactics are best…."
As we left, the workers in the pit, exhausted and running with sweat in spite of the cold, began to climb wearily out. Across the Red Square a dark knot of men came hurrying. They swarmed into the pits, picked up the tools and began digging, digging, without a word….
So, all the long night volunteers of the People relieved each other, never halting in their driving speed, and the cold light of the dawn laid bare the great Square, white with snow, and the yawning brown pits of the Brotherhood Grave, quite finished.
We rose before sunrise, and hurried through the dark streets to Skobeliev Square. In all the great city not a human being could be seen; but there was a faint sound of stirring, far and near, like a deep wind coming. In the pale half-light a little group of men and women were gathered before the Soviet headquarters, with a sheaf of gold-lettered red banners-the Central Executive Committee of the Moscow Soviets. It grew light. From afar the vague stirring sound deepened and became louder, a steady and tremendous bass. The city was rising. We set out down the Tverskaya, the banners flapping overhead. The little street chapels along our way were locked and dark, as was the Chapel of the Iberian Virgin, which each new Tsar used to visit before he went to the Kremlin to crown himself, and which, day or night, was always open and crowded, and brilliant with the candles of the devout gleaming on the gold and silver and jewels of the ikons. Now, for the first time since Napoleon was in Moscow, they say, the candles were out.
The Holy Orthodox Church had withdrawn the light of its countenance from Moscow, the nest of irreverent vipers who had bombarded the Kremlin. Dark and silent and cold were the churches; the priests had disappeared. There were no popes to officiate at the Red Burial, there had been no sacrament for the dead, nor were any prayers to be said over the grave of the blasphemers. Tikhon, Metropolitan of Moscow, was soon to excommunicate the Soviets….
Also the shops were closed, and the propertied classes stayed at home-but for other reasons. This was the Day of the People, the rumour of whose coming was thunderous as surf….
Already through the Iberian Gate a human river was flowing, and the vast Red Square was spotted with people, thousands of them. I remarked that as the throng passed the Iberian Chapel, where always before the passerby had crossed himself, they did not seem to notice it….
We forced our way through the dense mass packed near the Kremlin wall, and stood upon one of the dirt-mountains. Already several men were there, among them Muranov, the soldier who had been elected Commandant of Moscow-a tall, simple-looking, bearded man with a gentle face.
Through all the streets to the Red Square the torrents of people poured, thousands upon thousands of them, all with the look of the poor and the toiling. A military band came marching up, playing the Internationale, and spontaneously the song caught and spread like wind-ripples on a sea, slow and solemn. From the top of the Kremlin wall gigantic banners unrolled to the ground; red, with great letters in gold and in white, saying, "Martyrs of the Beginning of World Social Revolution," and "Long Live the Brotherhood of Workers of the World."
A bitter wind swept the Square, lifting the banners. Now from the far quarters of the city the workers of the different factories were arriving, with their dead. They could be seen coming through the Gate, the blare of their banners, and the dull red-like blood-of the coffins they carried. These were rude boxes, made of unplaned wood and daubed with crimson, borne high on the shoulders of rough men who marched with tears streaming down their faces, and followed by women who sobbed and screamed, or walked stiffly, with white, dead faces. Some of the coffins were open, the lid carried behind them; others were covered with gilded or silvered cloth, or had a soldier's hat nailed on the top. There were many wreaths of hideous artificial flowers….
Through an irregular lane that opened and closed again the procession slowly moved toward us. Now through the Gate was flowing an endless stream of banners, all shades of red, with silver and gold lettering, knots of crepe hanging from the top-and some Anarchist flags, black with white letters. The band was playing the Revolutionary Funeral March, and against the immense singing of the mass of people, standing uncovered, the paraders sang hoarsely, choked with sobs….
Between the factory-workers came companies of soldiers with their coffins, too, and squadrons of cavalry, riding at salute, and artillery batteries, the cannon wound with red and black-forever, it seemed. Their banners said, "Long live the Third International!" or "We Want an Honest, General, Democratic Peace!"
Slowly the marchers came with their coffins to the entrance of the grave, and the bearers clambered up with their burdens and went down into the pit. Many of them were women-squat, strong proletarian women. Behind the dead came other women-women young and broken, or old, wrinkled women making noises like hurt animals, who tried to follow their sons and husbands into the Brotherhood Grave, and shrieked when compassionate hands restrained them. The poor love each other so!
All the long day the funeral procession passed, coming in by the Iberian Gate and leaving the Square by way of the Nikolskaya, a river of red banners, bearing words of hope and brotherhood and stupendous prophecies, against a back-ground of fifty thousand people,-under the eyes of the world's workers and their descendants forever….
One by one the five hundred coffins were laid in the pits. Dusk fell, and still the banners came drooping and fluttering, the band played the Funeral March, and the huge assemblage chanted. In the leafless branches of the trees above the grave the wreaths were hung, like strange, multi-coloured blossoms. Two hundred men began to shovel in the dirt. It rained dully down upon the coffins with a thudding sound, audible beneath the singing….
The lights came out. The last banners passed, and the last moaning women, looking back with awful intensity as they went. Slowly from the great Square ebbed the proletarian tide….
I suddenly realised that the devout Russian people no longer needed priests to pray them into heaven. On earth they were building a kingdom more bright than any heaven had to offer, and for which it was a glory to die….
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The new iPad has garnered its fair share of abuse since launch. But for international users, there's a bigger concern than crappy charging or a little extra heat: it turns out that it's virtually impossible to use its LTE capabilities anywhere other than North America.
The Wall Street Journal reports that complaints are amassing from disgruntled iPad owners and regulatory authorities around the world. From the WSJ:
"In Australia, the company agreed to tell consumers more clearly about the tablet computer's capabilities and will head back to court in a fight to retain the iPad's 4G branding. Meanwhile, Sweden's consumer watchdog is considering whether to start an investigation into whether the labeling is misleading...
"The new iPad also is incompatible with 4G networks in Germany, where telecom operators have started to roll out LTE mobile networks in earnest. Consumer organizations said they weren't aware of complaints, however. Apple in Germany declined to say whether the incompatibility had affected sales."
Plenty of other countries, including the UK, just haven't rolled out 4G networks yet. But for the ones that have, consumers are complaining that Apple doesn't make a big enough issue of the lack of compatibility. Covering its back, on the Apple website it does mention that "4G LTE is supported only on AT&T and Verizon networks in the U.S. and on Bell, Rogers, and Telus networks in Canada." Clearly that's not enough.
The issue arises because the frequency bands used by 4G networks differ from country to country—and Apple has clearly decided to make the new iPad a US-centric device.
Essentially, anyone outside the US or Canada is paying a premium—in fact, the device costs more in Europe—to subsidize a technology they can't even use. That sucks. Currently, there seems to be no evidence that Apple is going to rectify the problem. [Wall Street Journal]


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Every year, Better Business Bureau receives thousands of calls and emails from consumers who have been scammed. The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Data Book estimates that Americans lost $1.4 billion to scams in 2012.
Unfortunately, this year was no different as scammers took advantage of the unsuspecting. Some scams are widespread, getting a lot of people for small amounts. Others are more narrowly focused, but take people for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.
Here are BBB's top 10 scams of 2013:
- Medical Alert Scam
- Auction Reseller Scam
- Arrest Warrant Scam
- Invisible Home Improvements
- Casting Call Scam
- Foreign Currency Scam
- Scam Texts
- Do Not Call Scams
- Fake Friend Scam
- Scam of the Year: Affordable Care Act Scam
The breakdown:
- Medical Alert Scam – A new twist to the telemarketing scam hit hard in 2013. With promises of a "free" medical alert system, the scam targeted seniors and caretakers and claimed to be offering the system free of charge since a family member or friend had already paid for it. In many cases, seniors were asked to provide their bank account or credit information to "verify" their identity and, as a result, were charged the monthly $35 service fee. The system never arrived and the seniors were left with a charge they had trouble getting refunded. Tip: Be wary of "free" offers that require your personal information upfront and always verify with the supposed friend or family member that the caller says paid for the service.
- Auction Reseller Scam – Many people turn to EBay and other online auctions sites to sell used items they no longer need and relatively new electronics seem to do especially well. But scammers have figured out a way to fool sellers into shipping goods without receiving payment. Usually the buyer claims it's an "emergency" of some sort – a child's birthday, a member of the military shipping out – and asks the seller to ship the same day. The seller receives an email that looks like it's from PayPal confirming the payment, but emails are easy to fake. Tip: Always confirm payment in your EBay and PayPal accounts before shipping, especially to an overseas address.
- Arrest Warrant Scam – This one seemed to really take off last autumn. In this scam, con artists take advantage of technology that can change what is visible on Caller ID, allowing them to pose as the office of the local sheriff or other law enforcement agency. They call to say there is a warrant out for your arrest, but that you can pay a fine in order to avoid criminal charges. Of course, these "police" don't take credit cards; only a wire transfer or pre-paid debit card will do. Sometimes these scams seem very personal. The scammer may refer to a loan or other financial matter. Tip: Don't be fooled into thinking you are about to be arrested.
- Invisible Home Improvements – Home improvement scams vary little from year to year, and most involve some type of shoddy workmanship from unlicensed or untrained workers. The hardest for homeowners to detect, and therefore the easiest for scammers to pull off, are repairs or improvements to the areas of your home that you can't see: roofs, chimneys, air ducts, crawl spaces, etc. Scammers may simply knock at your door offering a great deal because they were "in the neighborhood." But more and more they are using telemarketing, email and even social media to reach homeowners. Helpful videos on YouTube can add legitimacy to a contractor, but consumers have no way of knowing if the video is real or "borrowed" from a legitimate contractor. Tip: Check out home contractors at bbb.org before saying yes.
- Casting Call Scam – This is not as widespread as some other scams, but it seems to have really been on the increase in recent years, thanks to the popularity of television talent shows like "American Idol" and "Project Runway." Scammers pose as agents or talent scouts looking for actors, singers, models, reality show contestants, etc., and use phony audition notices to fool aspiring performers into paying to try out for parts that don't exist. It can simply be an unscrupulous way to sell acting lessons, photography services or it can be an outright scam for things like fees for online "applications" or upcoming "casting calls." Even worse, the information provided on an online application could be everything a scammer needs for identity theft.
- Foreign Currency Scam – Investing in foreign currency can sound like a great idea and scammers frequently use real current events and news stories to make their pitches even more appealing. They advertise an easy investment with high return and low risk when you purchase Iraqi Dinar, Vietnamese Dong or, most recently, the Egyptian Pound. The plan is that when those governments revalue their currencies, increasing their worth against the dollar, you just sell and cash in. Unlike previous hoaxes, you may even take possession of real currency. The problem is that they will be very difficult to sell and it's extremely unlikely they will ever significantly increase in value.
- Scam Texts – With online and mobile banking skyrocketing, it's not a surprise that scams quickly follow. One major tactic recently is the use of scam texts, known as "smishing," to steal personal information. A smishing text looks like a text alert from your bank, asking you to confirm information or "reactivate your debit card" by following a link on your smartphone. Banks of all sizes have been targeted, and details of the scam vary, but the outcome is the same: scammers get your banking information, maybe even your ATM number and PIN. You may even inadvertently download malicious software that gives the scammer access to anything on your phone.
- Do Not Call Scams – The National Do Not Call Registry (U.S.) offers consumers a free way to reduce telemarketing calls. Scammers call anyway, of course, and they've even found a way to scam consumers by pretending to be a government official calling to sign you up or confirming your previous participation on the Do Not call list! In one variation, scammers ask for personal information, such as your name, address and Social Security number. In another, scammers try to charge a fee to join the registry. Tip: Just hang up. These services are free, but sharing personal information with a scammer could cost you a lot.
- Fake Friend Scam – Did you ever get a Friend Request on Facebook from someone you already thought was your Friend? If you hit Accept, you may have just friended a scammer. A popular recent scam has been the theft of people's online identities to create fake profiles, which can be used in a variety of ways. A new friend can learn a lot about you to scam you later, "recommend" sketchy websites that download malware, use your account to scrap information on your other friends, even impersonate a military officer or other trustworthy person to perpetrate a romance scam. Tip: Be careful on social media, keep your privacy settings high, and don't share confidential information. You can't always be sure that your Friends are really your friends.
- Scam of the Year: Affordable Care Act Scam – Scammers had a field day with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), using it as a way to fool Americans into sharing their personal information. Scammers called, claiming to be from the federal government telling the would-be victim needed a new insurance card or Medicare card. However, the scammers said they needed to collect personal information before they could mail the card. Scammers do a lot to make their requests seem credible. For example, they may have your bank's routing number and ask you to provide your account number. Or, they may ask for your credit card or Social Security number, Medicare ID, or other personal information. But sharing personal information with a scammer puts you at risk for identity theft.
To learn more about how to avoid scams this year:
- Go to BBB Scam Stopper, sign up for our Scam Alerts and learn about new scams as soon as we do.
- Go to BBB Smart Investing, a partnership with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation for more on how to make good investment decisions.
- To search for a business in the U.S. or Canada, or to find your local BBB, go to http://www.bbb.org.
- For information on charities, go to Give.org.
- For information on U.S. government services, go to: USA.gov.


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In light of the fact that the new Zelda came out yesterday, I will upload another character from the franchise that has had a lasting print on my mind. Today, you will learn "how to draw Midna true form", step by step. I have a lesson on Midna already but she is in her imp form. In that tutorial I talk all about the character and even some fun facts too. I just thought that it would be cool as well as appreciated if I provided a lesson that you guys can have fun with, as well as complete a character collage that you may have been creating over time. I really didn't anticipate having so much fun drawing a character from one of the oldest video games I know. I realize that there are much older game consoles out there, but since I'm still in my teens (nineteen), I don't have the luxury of experiencing older video games that came out before my time. Have fun with drawing Mida in her true form guys, and I will get busy with uploading more tutorials for you all. Peace out and enjoy!
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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This may be the last summer for operation of the Monticello City swimming pool. New regulations may result in the closure of the pool, which was built by a community effort more than 50 years ago.
"The jury is still out on the closure," said Monticello City Manager Myron Lee. "The regulation is that we can't open the pool without a second drain in the pool or a drain shutoff valve."
The city parks and recreation board is scheduled to meet in August to discuss the future of the pool. In the meantime, the city is pursuing the possible construction of a new pool facility.
At the July 21 meeting of the San Juan County Commission, Commissioners contributed $50,000 to help fund a study of a new pool in Monticello.
The City of Blanding is moving forward on a $5.5 million project to construct a new community wellness center. The facility would include a 29,000 square foot gymnasium, a proposed 2,400 square foot indoor lap pool and a seasonal outdoor splash pool.
The project will be funded, in part, by a new .35 percent sales tax that was approved by voters in November and became official on April 1.
Blanding City Manager Chris Webb estimates that the sales tax will generate $175,000 per year to operate and service debt for the recreation facility. Webb says that the existing swimming pool in Blanding eventually will be closed if the new facility is constructed. The swimming pool in Blanding is not impacted by the new regulations that affect Monticello, since the Blanding pool was constructed with two drains.
The City will pursue funding through private and public sources. Blanding will make a formal funding presentation to the Utah Community Impact Board on August 7.
At the July 14 meeting of the San Juan County Commission, Commissioner Lynn Stevens reported that the costs of maintaining the swimming pool in Montezuma Creek have increased dramatically. The pool is scheduled to close today (July 30).
Utah Navajo Health Systems (UNHS) operates the pool from a lease with the county. UNHS is investigating the concept of converting the facility into a gymnasium, with practice space for winter sports teams.
UNHS estimates it has spent more than $400,000 over the past seven years to operate the pool. In addition, UNHS support for other Montezuma Creek-area recreation programs over the past seven years has been an additional $300,000.
The Montezuma Creek pool was constructed in the 1980s and has been operated by UNHS for the past seven years.


text:
|Trey Fairchild contributed 81
receiving yards and a score to Otterbein's win over Baldwin
Wallace, which is so far the Cardinals marquee win of the
Otterbein athletics photo
Trey Fairchild was like a lot of athletes. He dreamed of playing a sport at the Division I level, and coming out of Dublin Coffman High School in Ohio, he was given his shot at living the dream.
Fairchild began his career at Syracuse, but when head coach Greg Robinson was fired before the end of the 2008 season, the wide receiver knew it was time to find a new place to showcase his talents.
Eastern Kentucky was his next stop. He saw action in four games with the Colonels, and yet, he didn't feel like it was the right place to be.
So he looked toward a return to Ohio.
"My parents went to Otterbein, and I had friends who played there," Fairchild said. "I felt like it was a good place to go. I felt lost the first two years and didn't know if I was even going to continue playing. I found a home at Otterbein."
It has worked out well.
Fairchild, an All-American last season and a preseason All-American this year, has been part of a revival season for the Cardinals, who have won their first five games and are in contention for their first Ohio Athletic Conference championship since 1946.
The Cardinals were 3-7 a year ago but have turned things around in a hurry as they look to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
Not bad for a team that was projected to finish near the bottom of the conference.
"We know we weren't expected to do much this year, but we didn't pay attention to any of it," Fairchild said. "We worked hard in the offseason, and we have been winning the close games that we lost last year. We have a chip on our shoulder, and we are focused on playing one game at a time."
The senior wide receiver has done his part to keep the Cardinals on the right track. He is second on the team in receptions with 17 and has racked up 256 yards to go along with three touchdowns. He has also returned six kicks for 177 yards.
Fairchild usually faces double teams at receiver, but at times it doesn't matter because he is merely running to give another player a chance to make a big play.
"As a receiver, you would always love to have the ball more, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help the team," Fairchild said. "I feel like I'm a better player than I was last year, and I just focus on making every play I can."
If there was anyone who could have rested on his laurels this season, it was Fairchild. He was the 2011 Ed Sherman Award winner, an award given to the top receiver in the conference, as he came through with six 100-yard receiving games and averaged 213.8 all-purpose yards per game.
His efforts earned first-team All-Conference honors.
It wasn't enough. He spent time in the offseason improving every aspect of his game with trainer John Westenhaver, a former NFL scout. He also did a lot of speed training with John Lopresti.
"Those guys were a big help to me," Fairchild said. "They made a difference in helping me get better timing with the quarterback this year."
His return to the field this season, however, was delayed. An offseason leg injury kept him sidelined in the opener, and he made only five catches for 53 yards in the second game of the season.
"The injury wasn't anything too serious," Fairchild said. "I was disappointed I had to miss the first game, but I've been playing well since coming back."
That includes in the upset of nationally ranked Baldwin Wallace. Fairchild caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals knocked off the Yellow Jackets 31-17 for only their fifth 4-0 start since 1950.
"It was a great win for us, but coach reminded us that it's only one win," Fairchild said. "Every game we play is a big game, and we have to be ready to play every week."
Otterbein head coach Tim Doup is in his first season at the helm after spending nine seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Cardinals. He is also a former offensive lineman at the school and takes a lot of pride in what the Cardinals have been able to accomplish so far this season.
Their latest victory was a 23-13 win over Muskingum on Saturday.
"The win over Baldwin Wallace was a big stepping stone for us,
especially after our program had taken some steps back after the
playoff year," Doup said. "I've enjoyed being able to coach this
team, and the guys are behind me all the way. The key for us is
staying focused."
The Cardinals have been able to win behind an offense that is cranking out 321.2 yards per game and has turned the ball over only five times.
Aaron Kingcade is in his first year as the starting quarterback and has thrown for 770 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 141 yards and seven scores.
Brock Burzanko is the leading rusher for the Cardinals, churning out 193 yards, and Steven Carpenter has made 19 catches for 323 yards and two touchdowns.
The defense has been nothing short of opportunistic, forcing 17 turnovers and holding opponents to 246.4 yards per outing.
Zack Grieve leads the team in tackles with 27, and Chad Pepper is second with 25. Patrick Seesholtz has tallied 21 tackles. The three have combined for 9.5 sacks.
"We have been very smart with the football and have been able to step up and make plays in the running and passing game," Doup said. "Our defense has a different mindset this year. They are a lot more physical and a lot more aggressive."
The next two weeks will tell the story of this Otterbein team. The Cardinals will play at unbeaten Heidelberg on Saturday and will host No. 1 Mount Union in two weeks.
"We know we have a tough road ahead, but the only game we can focus on right now is the next one on our schedule," Doup said. "We have kept the guys even keel, and they have done a good job of not looking ahead to anyone."
Fairchild is certainly focused. He does dream of one day playing in the NFL, but for now, he is only concerned with the 2012 season.
"I'm only thinking about this season right now," Fairchild said. "I love being a part of this team and that we are having success. I'll think out my next step once this season is over."
Remembering Tim McNerney
The Washington and Jefferson football team took the field on Saturday against Thomas More with heavy hearts. Less than 48 hours earlier, the Presidents learned that senior running back Tim McNerney was the victim of a homicide.
McNerney and a friend were mugged by up to six men while walking home from a bar early Thursday morning. The cause of his death was blunt force trauma to the head. As of Tuesday, police were still searching for leads.
It is a senseless act of violence, and I don't understand why someone would feel the need to take the life of another person to steal a cellphone.
"It's tragic the way it happened," Washington and Jefferson head coach Mike Sirianni said.
"The people that did this are cowards. I really pray that this is the worst thing the players on this team ever have to deal with in life."
Yet, even with heavy hearts, the Presidents took the field, running the first play of the game with only 10 men on the field in honor of McNerney, who rushed for a team-best 483 yards and four touchdowns in the five games he played in this season. The backfield was empty on the first play.
Washington and Jefferson lost the game 56-18 and are now 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference.
Sirianni did not use the tragedy as an excuse for the tough performance. He also thought Thomas More handled the situation with a lot of class and respect as well.
Thomas More "was in a difficult position, too, and they showed tremendous support for us," Sirianni said. "I thought emotionally we were ready, but it shows you how tough this was on the players mentally. I thought our guys played hard and I'm proud of the effort they gave."
Sirianni said McNerney was not only one of the team's best
players, but he was one of the most popular players on the team. He
noted that the support the entire Washington and Jefferson
community provided during the tragedy has been nothing short of
amazing. School president Tori Haring-Smith even sat in the stands
in the rain during the junior varsity game.
As tough as the ordeal has been on the football team, Sirianni said his thoughts and prayers are with the family of McNerney as well.
"Our football family is hurting, but for Tim's parents and family members, I can't even imagine what they are going through right now," Sirianni said. "I pray that they find the strength to get through this."
In the poll
Mount Union served up one more reminder as to why it's the No. 1 team in the nation after crushing Wilmington 66-0 on Saturday.
The Purple Raiders, who are 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the OAC, have blanked their last four opponents and have stretched their regular-season win streak to 68 games. Mount Union rolled up 587 yards of offense and limited Wilmington to 92 yards.
T.J. Lattimore and Jake Simon rushed for two touchdowns apiece and combined for 100 yards, while the Purple Raiders were nearly perfect passing the ball. Kevin Burke completed 14 of his 15 passes for 134 yards and one score, while backup quarterback Roman Namdar was 9-of-9 for 79 yards and a touchdown. Taurice Scott went 2-of-2 for 20 yards.
Shawn Riley and Nick Driskill led the defense with four tackles apiece.
Wabash kept itself in the hunt for the NCAC championship after knocking off Wittenberg 27-24 on the road Saturday. The No. 16 Little Giants saw their lead cut to 27-24 but killed off the final 9:32 of the game with a 17-play drive.
For Wabash head coach Erik Raeburn, it was the 100th win of his career, including his second consecutive win over Wittenberg.
Chase Belton hit on 12 of his 17 passes for 218 yards, and Tyler
Holmes rushed for 76 yards.
Cody Buresh racked up 10 tackles to pace the Wabash defense. Nate Scola tallied nine tackles, and AJ Akinribade tallied eight tackles. The Little Giants moved up to No. 15 this week and are 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the conference.
Otterbein remained tied at No. 25 in the nation after taking down Muskingum 23-13 on Saturday. The Cardinals had to rely on backup quarterback Ben Sizemore after starter Aaron Kingcade went down with an injury in the opening quarter.
Sizemore filled in nicely, throwing three touchdown passes. He was 12-of-21 for 201 yards in the win as Otterbein improved to 5-0 overall and to 4-0 in the OAC.
The Cardinals were solid on defense as well, forcing four turnovers and limiting the Muskies to 275 yards. Muskingum was just 3-of-12 on third-down conversions.
Heidelberg, the other 25th-ranked team, dominated another opponent on Saturday, scoring the first 31 points of its game against Capital en route to a 45-10 win. The Student Princes are 5-0 for the first time since 1993 and are very much alive in the hunt for a conference championship with a 4-0 OAC mark.
Heidelberg head coach Mike Hallett moved into a tie with Armin "Pete" Riesen for fourth all-time on the school wins list with 30.
The Student Princes shredded the Capital defense for 601 yards of offense and Michael Mees helped pave the way as he completed 17 of his 33 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. C.J. Powell caught six passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.
The defense got a big lift from Stephen Fejedelem, who racked up eight tackles, including a pair of sacks and four tackles for a loss. Fejedelem and the Heidelberg defense limited Capital to 198 yards of offense.
Inside the MIAA
Trine made a statement on Saturday when it knocked off defending Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion Albion 27-22 in Angola.
The Thunder got a huge lift from Ryan Hargraves, who completed 11 of his 15 passes for 166 yards and opened the scoring for Trine when he ran 83 yards for a touchdown. Trine only managed 300 yards and allowed 356, but the Thunder defense came up with three turnovers, including a 79-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by Myron Puryear. Puryear racked up five tackles. Blaek Combs led the defensive effort of the Thunder with 17 tackles. Combs also picked off one pass.
Trine has won four of the last five meetings against Albion and is one of two unbeaten teams in conference play. The Thunder is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the league.
Adrian stepped up defensively as it rolled to a 27-3 win over Alma on Saturday. The Bulldogs limited the Scots to 116 yards and did not allow a touchdown against an MIAA opponent for the second consecutive game.
Shaun Hladki racked up six tackles, and Hunter Juntunen tallied five tackles. Taylor Copacia made his first start at signal-caller and looked good, completing 15 of his 25 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Adrian actually trailed 3-0 after one quarter but took a 10-3 lead into halftime and never looked back. The Bulldogs are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the league and will take on Trine this Saturday in a battle for first place.
Inside the NCAC
Ohio Wesleyan is still in the running for the NCAC championship after a 26-22 win over DePauw on Saturday. The Battling Bishops are 3-0 in the conference and are 5-0 for the first time since the 2001 campaign.
Mason Espinosa delivered a stellar performance, completing 31 of his 55 passes for 346 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and 10 of his completions found the hands of Calvin Cagney. DeVaughn DuBose racked up 10 tackles to pace the defense, which limited DePauw to 198 yards. Ohio Wesleyan rolled up 391 yards.
Kenyon is off to its best start since 2006 after knocking off
Oberlin 30-13 on Saturday. The Lords are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in the
conference. Kenyon also started 3-2 six years ago.
Carlo Gagliardo caught seven passes for 55 yards to pace the receivers on a day when six players caught at least one ball. Dan Shannon threw for 176 yards on 20-of-29 passing and completed three touchdown passes.
Kenyon limited Oberlin to 242 yards and Kollin Sullivan paced the defense with 12 tackles, including two for a loss. He also picked off one pass.
Quick look at the Tartans and Spartans
Carnegie Mellon went over the 400-yard mark for the fifth time this season as it surged past Denison 41-21 on Cindy Lackner Memorial Football Day.
The Tartans (5-1) jumped on top 13-0 in the opening quarter and led 27-14 at halftime on a day when they tallied 427 yards. Denison finished with 394 yards.
Patrick Blanks rushed for 155 yards and scored three touchdowns for the fourth time in his career. He also moved into seventh all-time on the school rushing list with 1,900 yards. The Tartans tallied six sacks in the win, and Awkesi Brefo led the defense with nine tackles while Jack Butler and Alex Basinski came through with seven tackles apiece.
Case Western Reserve built an early 17-0 lead against Wooster and then held on for a 31-28 victory over the Scots on Saturday in the final Baird Brothers' Trophy Game. The Spartans have won their last six games against Wooster and are 3-3 on the season.
Erik Olson was 12-of-26 for 224 yards and three touchdowns while Ricky Hanzlik rushed for a career-high 77 yards on 17 carries. Adam Watson, Kevin Nossem and Ryan Ferguson all had big days defensively, tallying 13 tackles apiece. The Spartans, who won 12 of the 25 games in the annual trophy battle, finished with 413 yards while holding Wooster to 303 yards.
Inside the OAC
Baldwin Wallace needed to step up defensively in crunch time to hold off Ohio Northern 22-20 in a thrilling OAC game on Saturday. The Polar Bears had a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion but Max Wagner and Joe Fitch applied enough pressure to force Tate Humphrey to throw an incomplete pass.
Wagner tallied five tackles and Fitch added three tackles for the Yellow Jackets, who held a 276-270 edge in total yards. Ryan O'Rourke completed 15 of his 26 passes for 140 yards and one score.
Clinton Orr rushed for 110 yards and two scores for Albion in its 27-22 loss to Trine on Saturday. Orr is the leading rusher for the Britons this season, tallying 569 yards and 12 touchdowns...John Douglas was one of four players to tally eight tackles in Allegheny's 10-0 loss to Chicago on Saturday. Douglas tallied two tackles for a loss and a sack as he pushed his TFL total to 11. The Gators were shutout for the first time since a 3-0 loss to Westminster in 2003. Douglas has racked up 24 tackles on the year...Michael Atwell threw three touchdown passes to pace Hope to its first MIAA win of the year. Atwell completed 19 of his 30 passes for 261 yards, including a pair of touchdown passes to Taylor Brynaert. Atwell is 120-of-220 on the year and has thrown for 1,372 yards and 11 touchdowns. Brynaert has caught 34 passes for 427 yards and four scores....Mark Myers threw for 309 yards on 18-of-31 passing and completed one touchdown pass to pace John Carroll to a 61-14 win over Marietta on Saturday. The Blue Streaks won their second consecutive game and Myers is 96-of-158 for 1,367 yards on the season. He has thrown 11 touchdown passes.
Contact me
I love hearing from the readers and feel free to share your thoughts in addition to potential story ideas. Also, don't hesitate to let me know something remarkable a player or team did in a game. You can reach me at email@example.com or follow me on Twitter: @BLester1993.


text:
I am attempting to study for a test, but I forgot how to do all the stuff from earlier in the chapter.
I am attempting to find the intervals where $f$ is increasing and decreasing, min and max values and intervals of concavity and inflection points.
I have $f(x)= e^{2x} + e^{-x}$. I don't really know what to do. I know that I have to find the derivative, set to zero to find the critical numbers then test points then find the second derivative and do the same to find the concavity but I don't know how to get the derivative of this. Wolfram Alpha gives me a completely different number than what I get.


text:
Safety cars vary pretty diversely in the world of motorsports, but there's almost always a guarantee that if Mercedes builds a safety car it'll be loud, badass and stunning.
This weekend's 2012 Formula 1 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix is almost a promised time that the SLS AMG GT will head out onto the track in Singapore's Marina Bay. As an official F1 Safety Car the SLS has to be able to both keep and set pace and get somewhere fast while having the ability to stop in an instant.
The SLS AMG GT has had an increase in output, now 591hp, along with faster shift times and the new AMG Ride Control Performance suspension.
Bernd Mayländer will be behind the wheel and he's in love with the car. ""The SLS AMG GT is the best Safety Car I have driven!" he said. "The combination of increased performance, optimised transmission shift times and the new AMG Ride Control Performance suspension takes the driving dynamics of the gullwing model to an even higher level. I have now been driving the different Safety Cars since 2000, and with each new vehicle I notice a significant enhancement over the previous model. This is where the pursuit of high performance and precision, which is so typical of Mercedes-AMG, is clearly evident again."
The Official F1™ Safety Car has been deployed six times to date in the 2012 Formula 1™ season, with the drivers spending a total of 138.1 kilometres under Safety Car conditions. The longest Safety Car phase so far in 2012 came back in March during the second Grand Prix™ of the season at Sepang in Malaysia, lasting for a total of eight laps (44.3 km) before and after the race restart, owing to torrential rainfall. The 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship™ saw the Safety Car deployed a record-breaking 21 times, for a total distance of 452.3 kilometers.
The cool thing here, though, is that the SLS AMG is so goddamn good in stock trim that it barely needed changing for the duties as Saftey Car. There are only subtle differences between the standard and GT version including a black wing-shaped cross fin, matching the fins on the hood and wings, all flowing with the darkened headlights and tail lights. Inside there's a black gauge cluster fascia and the AMG Performance steering wheel with a flat-bottom and high-gloss black solid metal insert, with grip areas trimmed in Alcantara. To finish it off there's a GT badge next to the factory AMG badge. Sounds perfect, we'll take two.