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Hardcover| 8 x 9.5 inches | 240 pages | 150 black and white photographs | West Virginia University Press, 2012 | $29.99
(Editor's note: a version of this review appeared on my blog on 2 December 2012. I received a free review copy from West Virginia University Press.)
Between 1934 and 1943, ten photographers: Elmer "Ted" Johnson, Walker Evans, Ben Shahn, Arthur Rothstein, Carl Mydans, Edwin Locke, Marion Post Wolcott, John Vachon, John Collier, Jr., and Arthur Siegel, visited West Virginia as part of Roy Stryker's Farm Security Administration (FSA) photographic unit. The FSA's primary attention during this time was on the northern and southern coalfields, the three subsistence homestead communities (Arthurdale, Eleanor, and Tygart Valley), and two wartime assignments in Nicholas and Mason counties.
What Betty Rivard, a retired social worker and planner for the state of West Virginia, offers in this beautifully presented book, is a collection of images by photographers (whose work I know well) of West Virginia at a time I never knew. I'm fascinated with how others see my home state. None of these photographers are from West Virginia, yet they managed to capture its essence, its livelihood. Perhaps one of the things I appreciate most about these pictures is that they were made at a time when photographs weren't nearly as a prevalent as they are today (Instagram, Facebook, and the like). Unlike the War on Poverty images of Appalachia, these pictures were made with a different intent, a different tone. I sense a true collective effort to document the people and stories of West Virginia when I look at these photographs and think about the photographers who made them. Rivard notes that, "The photographs in this book offer professional fine art photographs in support of these memories, snapshots, and stories."
She continues:
"It is beyond the scope of this book to explore why, especially in the past fifty years, the state became a poster child for a culture of poverty. Unfortunately, the media have focused on poverty and exaggerated backwoods-type images as representative of West Virginia. These images have left terrible scars on a number of people who have grown up in the state. They also continue to bring harm through the perceptions that some outsiders have formed of the state and its citizens."
Rivard does a more than fair job of including images from a variety of the photographers as well as the regions covered. As a Mingo County native, I was somewhat disappointed to not see any photographs of Williamson or outlying areas included in the Southern Coalfields section, given Mingo's rich coal heritage and importance in the labor movement. But I admit my bias and am including an image below (not in the book) by Ben Shahn made in Williamson in 1935. Logan and McDowell counties are well represented in pictures by Ben Shahn and Marion Post Walcott.
New Deal Photographs of West Virginia is a brilliant book, extremely well edited and designed. The photographic reproductions are sharp and well printed and with every image, the Library of Congress negative file number is included, which makes finding them online incredibly easy. I hope in the few years since this book was published that every county library and school in West Virginia has a copy. It is a treasure, and not in photographs alone. I can only hope for a second volume.
Betty Rivard is an award-winning fine art landscape photographer. She has researched and coordinated three exhibits of FSA photographs of West Virginia and contributed to articles about the FSA Project to Wonderful West Virginia, Goldenseal, and West Virginia South magazines. She is a Social Worker Emeritus and traveled to every county in West Virginia during her 25-year career as a social worker and planner with the state.
Here are a few of my favorites from New Deal Photographs of West Virginia:
1. Wives of coal miners talking over the fence. Capels, West Virginia. Marion Post Wolcott. September 1938. LC-USF34-050260-E. 2. Miner (Russian). Capels, West Virginia. Marion Post Wolcott. September 1938. LC-USF33-030077-M1. 3. Men in Sunday clothes with miners' clubhouse in the background. Omar, West Virginia. Ben Shahn. October 1935. LC-USF33-006200-M1. 4. Coming home from school. Mining town. Osage, Scotts Run, West Virginia. Marion Post Wolcott. September 1938. LC-USF34-050352-E.
Very special thanks to Elaine McMillion, director of Hollow: An Interactive Documentary, for arranging a review copy of New Deal Photographs of West Virginia.


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How receptive are literary agents to getting media tie-in novel queries? Is there a reason they aren't listed in the genres that the agent will accept, or are tie-ins considered just part of the 'fiction' genre?
To answer this question, you have to understand what a tie-in is: it's a piece of fiction using characters licensed from a rights-holder like a movie studio, a literary estate, a gaming company, etc.
Usually the way a tie-in novel comes about is that the rights-holder will approach publishers with a property or publishers will approach the rights-holder. Several publishers, for instance, sought the rights to do "Monk" novels and Penguin/Putnam eventually won out. Only after the rights are licensed to a publisher do editors seek out authors to write the books. That's when an agent might enter the mix.
So it wouldn't make any sense for you to query a literary agent with an idea for a tie-in novel...or the manuscript itself... unless you are the person who holds the rights to those characters. Otherwise, what you're asking an agent to do is sell your fanfic...and no agent will do that. That's why tie-ins are not among the genres that agents are willing to consider for submissions.
If what you'd like to do is write for an existing line of tie-in novels (like, say, the STAR TREK series), querying an agent isn't the way to go. Agents simply aren't looking for new clients to take to the editors of tie-ins...for one thing, there isn't enough commission money in it to make it worthwhile. If an agent is going to suggest someone for tie-in assignment, it will be one of their current clients.
So, in general, you need to already be on a editor's radar to get an assignment for a tie-in... it's the editors you need to reach, not agents.

subset: commoncrawl


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text: 1st Row: CapitalOne Quicksilver One, $4000, Chase Sapphire Preferred, $13,000 (what I went with after my previous financial posts). 2nd Row: Gunma Bank and Japan Post atm cards. 3rd Row: SoftBank Otohsan/Doge T-Point Visa (T-points become usable cash via Visa), Sailor Moon Crystal Special Edition T-Point card. 4th Row: Suica Tokyo area train IC card.


text:
Multiline Message Sifting With DFSORT
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (14770)
Frank Yaeger of DFSORT Development suggested I pass this tip along to y'all. It's his solution to a problem set by Brian Peterson of UnitedHealth Group... In z/OS Release 12 two new messages were introduced: IEF032I and IEF033I replace IEF374I and IEF376I. The older messages were single-line step- and job-end messages. The new ones are their multiple-line analogues: IEF032I is 3 lines and... [More]
DFSORT - Now With Extra Magical Ingredients
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (19772)
Thanks to Scott Drummond for reminding me of last Autumn's DFSORT Function PTFs - UK90025 and UK90026. They're mentioned in the preview for z/OS Release 13 so now is not such a bad time to be talking about them. So let me pick out a few highlights: Translation Between ASCII And EBCDIC, And To And From Hex and Binary For a long time DFSORT has been able to translate to upper case (TRAN=LTOU), to... [More]
Workload Manager Policy in XML Format - Part IV
MartinPacker 11000094DH Visits (11468)
So here's yet another way of parsing the WLM XML Service Definition. This time it's on z/OS, using DFSORT. Relatively recent features in DFSORT have made it easier to do useful things with XML. In this example I've made some attempt to make the output pretty - by creating a HTML table. Below is the SYSIN you need to parse the <SchedulingEnvironment> elements. I'm assuming you know how to... [More]
New DFSORT Functions
MartinPacker 11000094DH Comments (3) Visits (31966)
Yesterday DFSORT announced a new set of functions - as PTF UK90013. The documentation for it can be found here . Every year or so there's a new set of DFSORT functions - and generally they're "out of cycle" with z/OS releases - although they are incorporated into subsequent releases of z/OS. This means that fewer of you will know about the functions, particularly as we don't make a big fuss about... [More]


text:
Rider Elite Team
Founded in 1992, we've served over 9,000 satisfied homebuyers - individuals, couples and families - in four states and several metropolitan markets including Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Phoenix and Tampa.We've done this by remaining true to the Ryan family tradition. At William Ryan Homes, We Make It Easy in every phase of the business. It's evident in every home we build. Our focus on architectural design, our flexible floor plans, our science-based building systems and our commitment to operational efficiencies - all allow us to deliver the visual appeal, livability, quality, and value today's homebuyers demand.
Everything we do is driven by our goal to make it easy, so you can enjoy your new home.


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David Rooks is still on leave - hence the radio silence on this stuff from Segala. Paul > -----Original Message----- > From: email@example.com [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] > On Behalf Of Phil Archer > Sent: 26 March 2007 12:02 > To: Public POWDER > Subject: Musings on resource grouping > > > The method by which we can group resources is a key part of what the > POWDER WG is trying to define. > > The following few lines of RDF/XML indicate the beginnings of one > possible approach but also throw up a lot of questions so I wanted to > put this in the public domain. Comment is very welcome on this - > absolutely none of it is set in stone! > > > 1 <wdr:Scope> > 2 <wdr:hasScheme>^http$</wdr:hasScheme> > 3 <wdr:hasHost>example.org$</wdr:hasHost> > 4 <wdr:hasIP>126.96.36.199</wdr:hasIP> > > 5 <wdr:hasPath>foo</wdr:hasPath> > 6 <wdr:hasPath>bar</wdr:hasPath> > > 7 <wdr:hasProperty> > 8 <wdr:Property> > 9 <ex:colour>red</ex:colour> > 10 </wdr:Property> > 11 </wdr:hasProperty> > > 12 <wdr:propLookUp rdf:resource="http://sparql.example.com" /> > > 13 <wdr:hasNotURI>http://www.example.org/foo/bar.png</wdr:hasNotURI> > 14 </wdr:Scope> > > > The basic idea of an RDF Class containing the definition of the Scope > seems straightforward enough?* > > For a given URI, we wish to find out whether the resource to which it > resolves is in scope or not. So first split it up into its component > parts and then do some pattern matching using (Perl 5) regular expressions. > > Line 2 uses a regular expression to indicate the the scope applies to > resources fetched using HTTP. The caret and dollar sign require an exact > match so that, for example, HTTPS is not in scope (^https?$ would cover > exactly either HTTP or HTTPS). > > Line 3 uses a similar approach to define the scope as being resources on > the example.org domain or any subdomain thereof (if you want to restrict > it specifically to example.org, put a caret in front of it). > > Importantly, the dollar sign at the end avoids example.org.phishing.com > being in scope. > > 4. Line 4 restricts the scope to resources delivered from the given IP > address. This could be given as an IP range. Useful for large scale CMS > that generates numeric URIs with no easy pattern matching ability?? > > Lines 5 and 5 define two elements that must be in the path if a resource > is to be in scope. The intention is that, as with all elements here, > these should be combined using logical AND. If logic OR is required, > they can be presented readily in a single RegExp (foo|bar). > > Lines 7 - 11 are an attempt to handle scoping by property. POWDER would > provide a framework for properties to be used in this way but mustn't > step over the line to define what kind of properties should be used. > > In line 8 a Property Class is defined. > > Line 9 provides an example to say that a resource must have the property > of having the colour red. > > Line 12 is intended to indicate that you can find out whether the > resource is red by sending a SPARQL query to http://sparql.example.com. > Such provision would be optional since it must cover several use cases: > > - where the content provider is making DRs available and is able to > provide a look up data table for its resources to facilitate grouping. > > - where the content provider is unable to provide such data and wishes > to state that the Description only applies to resources that are red - > and you have to fetch the resources to find this out. > > - where a third party is providing DRs and is making an assertion that > is only true of red resources. > > For example, they may wish to say that "all documents written in red ink > are really hard to read on Mars." In such cases, the assertion remains > consistent with or without the look up table/service. > > Is this approach workable? Should we demand SPARQL or make it more > generic? In which case we may need something more complex like: > > <wdr:hasPropLookUp> > <wdr:PropLookUp> > <wdr:propLookUpURI rdf:resource="http://sparql.example.com" /> > <wdr:propLookUpType > rdf:resource="http://www.w3.org/TR/rdf-sparql-query/" /> > </wdr:PropLookUp> > </wdr:hasPropLookUp> > > This is more flexible and extensible but it means that a "generic POWDER > processor" couldn't be built since it would have to deal with an > unbounded number of mechanisms for retrieving property data. > > Specifying SPARQL may limit usefulness for some? Where SPARQL is used, > should we actually embed the SPARQL query? > > Back to the original example, line 13 simply states that > http://www.example.org/foo/bar.png is not in scope, despite it meeting > the other criteria. This serves to exemplify the idea of simply listing > URIs as being in/out of scope, and of including negation for all elements. > > As I said at the top - comments welcome. > > Phil. > > > * As discussed in the WCL-XG, it would, of course, be perfectly possible > to encode Scope using another format, such as XML. This is still being > considered by the WG - we could point to an XML literal from the RDF > graph, for example. > > > -- > Phil Archer > Chief Technical Officer, > Family Online Safety Institute > w. http://www.fosi.org/people/philarcher/ > >Received on Monday, 26 March 2007 11:13:11 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 20:06:02 UTC


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The Kansas City Chiefs had perfect attendance on the opening of voluntary workouts on Monday, save for one notable absence.
According to NFL.com's Albert Breer, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said left tackle Branden Albert was not at team headquarters.
Albert's absence is notable considering the uncertain nature of his future in Kansas City. With the Chiefs likely setting their sights on Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher with the first overall draft pick, Albert's days at left tackle are numbered. He has been vocal in his wish not to flip to the right side.
Albert signed his $9.8 million franchise tender with the Chiefs last week, but he's seeking a long-term contract.
The Chiefs are looking for a second-round pick in return for Albert, a five-year starter who was the 15th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. It would be a surprise if the Chiefs failed to unload him before they're on the clock next month at Radio City Music Hall.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.


text:
Christopher Flavin, President Emeritus
Senior Fellow and President Emeritus
Christopher Flavin is Senior Fellow and President Emeritus of the Worldwatch Institute. He previously served as Vice President for Research and President.
Flavin is a well-known expert on strategies for transforming energy systems to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and power a low-carbon future. He advises governments, businesses, and international financial institutions, and lectures widely around the world.
Mr. Flavin has authored three books: Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution, Running on Empty: the Future of the Automobile, and Renewable Energy: the Power to Choose. He has also published scores of articles for popular and scholarly publications.
He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy and serves on the Advisory Boards of the American Council on Renewable Energy and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. He has a cum laude degree in economics and biology from Williams College.
Selected Publications
- "Building a Low-Carbon Economy," in State of the World 2008 (W.W. Norton & Company, 2008).
- "China, India, and the New World Order," in State of the World 2006 (W.W. Norton & Company, 2006), co-authored with Gary Gardner.
- "Changing the Oil Economy," in State of the World 2005 (W.W. Norton & Company, 2005), co-authored with Tom Prugh and Janet L. Sawin.
- Rising Sun, Gathering Winds: Policies to Stabilize the Climate and Strengthen Economies, Worldwatch Paper 138, November 1997, co-authored with Seth Dunn.
- Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution (W.W. Norton & Company, 1994).


text:
Free Shipping on all orders over $40
Crafted from rustic wood and metal this convenient caddy keeps your McCormick Grill Mates Seasonings in one handy place.
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text:
Felix Mendelssohn
News about Felix Mendelssohn, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times. More
The composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-47) enraptured the royal courts and concert halls of Europe before dying at 38, shattered by the sudden death of his beloved sister and musical soul mate, Fanny Hensel.
His grandfather, Moses, a peddler from Dessau, a city between Berlin and Leipzig, became a renowned Jewish philosopher. But Moses's son, Abraham, a wealthy Hamburg banker, converted the family to Lutheranism, adding a new family name, Bartholdy. Young Felix, who later declined the addition, studied the piano, composing comic operas by age 11 and two of his most enduring works, the String Octet in E flat and ''Overture for a Midsummer Night's Dream,'' in his mid-teens.
Darkly handsome, with sensitive features and a sweet nature, he charmed Goethe, captivated young Queen Victoria and romanced Jenny Lind (along with some other women not his wife, Cécile). He popularized George Frideric Handel and revived a dormant Johann Sebastian Bach; led the renowned Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig; wrote (and rewrote) the symphonies known as the ''Reformation,'' ''Scottish'' and ''Italian''; completed the incidental music to ''A Midsummer Night's Dream,'' with its famous wedding march; wrote chamber music and songs; composed the oratorios ''St. Paul'' and ''Elijah''; and painted and drew some 300 pictures.
While Mendelssohn himself published only 72 works with opus numbers and another 31 minor, unnumbered pieces, his compositions actually total more than 770, according to Stephen Somary, who has devoted many years to the Mendelssohn Project, whose goal is to win Mendelssohn a firmer place in the standard canon. In the view of many scholars, Mendelssohn was victimized by history. A neo-classical Romantic, Mendelssohn fell afoul of other Romantics like Franz Liszt and Wagner, whose judgments were clouded by anti-Semitism. Wagner, five years Mendelssohn's junior and consumed by jealousy, denounced Mendelssohn, after his death, as a bourgeois, a mere note-spinner and maker of drawing room music.
Since Mendelssohn's bicentenary in 2009, some of the composer's works have been performed for the first time.


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(CNN) -- Every few days since the start of the school year, Scott Bedley has posted a message on Twitter, looking for classes around the country that might want to meet his.
His California fifth-graders are hoping to video chat with students from all 50 states and other parts of the world. It's part of the geography game, Mystery Skype: Students gather before a computer and try to deduce each other's locations by asking questions and consulting maps.
By early January, Bedley had found several teachers in other states. Then, he received a message from a film director, asking to shoot his class during a Mystery Skype session. Bedley was a little wary -- who sends a request like that to a public school teacher? -- but after a flurry of OKs from parents and Irvine Unified School District leaders, a camera crew arrived.
My 5th grade class in CA has a goal to #mysteryskype or GH w/ all 50 states! We'd be stoked to connect! Thanks for RT #edchat #elemchat— Scott Bedley (@TASFair) December 31, 2013
They shot students on both sides of the screen: His students at Plaza Vista Elementary School, and a class from Mexico City. Bedley was delighted; it was his class' first foray into international Mystery Skype, and the video might train and inspire other teachers. Maybe, he thought, it would show up on YouTube some time.
About two weeks later, he received a text message that said there were, in fact, plans for the footage. It would be in a commercial -- one that would air during the Super Bowl.
The revelation was so short-notice, Bedley was calling parents the morning of the big game to suggest they watch.
Soooo excited for my students to be in Microsofts #empowering Super Bowl Ad! http://t.co/iRkLfqCqOT— Scott Bedley (@TASFair) February 2, 2014
Until he saw it, he wasn't even sure it could be real. But when Microsoft's one-minute "Empowering" ad debuted, there was former NFLer Steve Gleason narrating over footage of a boy romping on prosthetic legs, a woman hearing her children for the first time, a military member witnessing his baby's birth over a computer -- and Bedley's students, waving hello.
Weeks after the commercial aired, Bedley still seems dumbfounded.
"You just don't think they're going to come film you for a Super Bowl commercial," Bedley laughs.
So crazy huh?! @edtechavenger hard to believe the kids were in the Super Bowl ad and are @Microsoft twitter background #empowering— Scott Bedley (@TASFair) February 13, 2014
But those couple of seconds, seen by a record-breaking Super Bowl audience and more than 3.5 million so far on YouTube, are just a sliver of what it's like to be Bedley's students.
Here's a peek at the real classroom behind the commercial and the teacher at its helm:
He's willing to take risks
Bedley has been teaching for 20 years, 10 of them to fifth-graders, and was named one of the teachers of the year for 2014 in Orange County, California. He says he's a risk-taker inspired by his father, a long-time educator, and his brother, a teacher of the year for nearby Riverside County in 2013.
"I've always been kind of an explorer, somebody that tries some different things," Bedley said.
He's been lucky to have supportive administrators, he said, but he's also got results to back him up. As he's taken more creative approaches in the classroom, test scores have risen -- and his students like it, too.
Take Mystery Skype: It wasn't his idea, but as soon as he read about it, he knew it could hit several state standards his students needed to learn. There could be glitches and pitfalls, but if they're going to learn geography, why not try it this way?
"Just drilling them, that's not always the best in my mind, as far as teaching pedagogy," Bedley said. "I wanted to expose and connect them with kids all over the United States."
Each time they run the exercise, students are assigned particular jobs: Among them, a "think tank" tracks maps, fact-checkers confirm what's said, note-takers and runners make sure everyone has the information they need, and "on-camera talent" asks and answers questions. A student supervisor watches the whole process and looks for ways they can improve next time. A reporter-blogger documents the process.
"Organized chaos," Bedley calls it. He rarely appears on camera.
The whole thing takes about 20 minutes and touches on critical thinking and problem-solving his students need, not to mention geography know-how. Students' questions have gotten better as they've practiced more, and they've actually added new rules to make it tougher: No more Googling and guessing based on a city name they spotted in the other classroom.
So far, it's working. "They'll go home and research on their own, without assigning homework or anything," Bedley said.
His students just finished their 17th state, Minnesota. As a reward for all their hard work, they've recently earned a class pet. (A huge, sometimes smelly, risk, any educator will agree.)
It's a tan hamster. Bedley's students named him Hashtag.
Don't call him a 'techie'
Bedley can understand why teachers and schools are wary of the latest-and-greatest technology: They've heard it all before.
"The technology that was being provided for schools to use to help kids learn was disastrous. We were limited to word processing or 'Oregon Trail,' " he said of his early years in education. "The tools available for teachers now are what I wish I would have had my first year teaching."
Now, he's got BYOD (bring your own device) classrooms where students can use cell phones, iPods, tablets or laptops from home, as long as they've passed a course on how to use them appropriately. They have access to a few school computers, and Bedley has raised money or landed grants for big-ticket items, such as iPads, netbooks, a webcam and a desktop computer for the classroom.
"I know (my district) would want to provide the funds, they just don't have them," he said.
Like a lot of teachers, he relies on free tools, too. He first tried using Skype in 2009, when budget reductions cut back on arts education for his students. He connected his classroom with working artists in other parts of the country, so they could still had a chance to learn. Last year, his students Skyped with docents from Fort Meigs, a War of 1812 battlefield in Ohio.
When they revealed the armory, "the kids just gasped," he said. "Those kinds of moments just drive me to find more learning opportunities."
He's one of nearly 78,000 teachers using Skype in the classroom, the company reports.
Sometimes, yes, there are glitches, technical failures and lessons that don't go as planned. Often, he can just hop on Twitter to ask for help, and another teacher will offer up lessons from their own experiences.
"I take little steps to integrate technology," Bedley said. "I don't consider myself a techie at all."
He sees opportunities now
Exploring, risk-taking -- it's actually easier than it used to be, Bedley said. As his school shifts from its former curriculum to the Common Core standards, there's a lot of room for creativity and experimentation in teaching, he said.
He teaches science, writing and history, and he'll make sure the material is covered, but he likes to give students options to show what they've learned. When they studied the body's organ systems, students could take a traditional test, or create an infographic using Piktochart software, or record a lesson for another student. They had to share everything they knew about, say, the nervous system. Some students spoke for 10 minutes, and sometimes recalled facts Bedley said even he couldn't remember.
"A lot of it aligns with how they best learn -- they learned way above and beyond," Bedley said. "They felt like they were experts."
He works outside his classtime, too. With his brother, he hosts an online talk show dedicated to education innovation, the Bedley Bros. #EdChat Show. A couple of years ago, he created the Technology Applied Science Fair, a souped-up science fair that asks kids to identify problems and solve them.
Since it launched, it has expanded from his school to 10. One student designed a social network for charities in India to share extra resources. Another couple of students, "great kids who always forget their glasses," created a program that would automatically adjust computer screens so they could read, no matter what.
"It's all on my own. If you look at the innovations going on, it's teacher-driven activities," Bedley said. "I love that there are some incredible educators out there, teachers and principals taking the lead rather than letting people outside of education define what we do.
"I really, honestly believe we're in a time that's going to redefine education."
Are you feeling optimistic about the education your children are receiving? Tell us why in the comments, on Twitter @CNNschools or on CNN Living's Facebook page!


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Global Population Reduction: Confronting the Inevitable
Global Population Reduction: Confronting the Inevitable
Looking past the near-term concerns that have plagued population policy at the political level, it is increasingly apparent that the long-term sustainability of civilization will require not just a leveling-off of human numbers as projected over the coming half-century, but a colossal reduction in both population and consumption.
It has become increasingly apparent over the past half-century that there is a growing tension between two seemingly irreconcilable trends. On one hand, moderate to conservative demographic projections indicate that global human numbers will almost certainly reach 9 billion, perhaps more, by mid-21st century. On the other, prudent and increasingly reliable scientific estimates suggest that the Earth's long-term sustainable human carrying capacity, at what might be defined as an "adequate" to "moderately comfortable" developed-world standard of living, may not be much greater than 2 to 3 billion. It may be considerably less, particularly if the normative lifestyle (level of consumption) aspired to is anywhere close to that of the United States.
As a consequence of this modern-day "Malthusian dilemma," it is past time to think boldly about the midrange future and to consider alternatives that go beyond merely slowing or stopping the growth of global population. The human species must develop and quickly implement a well-conceived, clearly articulated, flexible, equitable, and internationally coordinated program focused on bringing about a very significant reduction in human numbers over the next two or more centuries. This effort will likely require a global population shrinkage of at least two-thirds to three-fourths, from a probable mid-to-late 21st century peak in the 9 to 10 billion range to a future (23rd century and beyond) "population optimum" of not more than 2 to 3 billion.
Obviously, a demographic change of this magnitude will require a major reorientation of human thought, values, expectations, and lifestyles. There is no guarantee that such a program will be successful. But if humanity fails in this effort, nature will almost certainly impose an even harsher reality. As a practicing physical anthropologist and human evolutionary biologist, I am concerned that this rapidly metastasizing (yet still partly hidden) demographic and environmental crisis could emerge as the greatest evolutionary/ecological "bottleneck" that our species has yet encountered.
Although the need for population reduction is controversial, it can be tested scientifically. The hypothesis may be falsified if it can clearly be shown that ongoing estimates of global population size over the next few hundred years will not exceed our increasingly accurate projections of both current and future optimal carrying capacities. However, the hypothesis will be confirmed if future global population size continues to exceed those carrying capacity estimates by a significant margin. And even if the 2 to 3 billion optimal carrying capacity estimate turns out to be off by, say, a factor of two, achieving a global population optimum of 4 to 6 billion would still necessitate a very substantial reduction from the 9-plus billion projected for mid-century.
Below the Radar?
It is surprising how little scientific and public attention has been directed toward establishing quantifiable, testable, and socioculturally agreed-upon parameters for what the Earth's long-term human carrying capacity might actually be. Unfortunately, with only a few notable exceptions, many otherwise well-qualified scientific investigators and public policy analysts have been rather hesitant to take a clear and forthright position on this profoundly important matter. One wonders why-inherent caution, concerns about professional reputation, the increasingly specialized structure of both the scientific and political enterprises, or any of several other reasons. Given the issue's global nature and ramifications, perhaps the chief reason is simply "scale paralysis," that enervating sense of individual and collective powerlessness when confronted by problems whose magnitude seems overwhelming.
Certainly the rough-and-ready human carrying capacity estimates of the more distant past show considerable variation, ranging from fewer than 1 billion to over 20 billion. And it is obvious that it will be difficult to engender any sort of effective response to the crisis if the desired future population goals continue to be poorly understood and imperfectly articulated. It is, however, worthy of note that several investigators and organizations have developed reasonably well thought out positions on future global population optima, and those estimates have all clustered in the range of 1 to 3 billion.
I hope my hypothesis is wrong and that various demographic optimists are correct in claiming that human numbers will begin to stabilize and decline somewhat sooner than expected. But this optimism is warranted only by corroborative data, that is, only if the above-mentioned "irreconcilable numbers" show unmistakable evidence of coming into much closer congruence.
Clearly, assertions that the Earth might be able to support a population of 10, 15, or even 20 billion people for an indefinite period of time at a standard of living superior to the present are not only cruelly misleading but almost certainly false. Notwithstanding our current addiction to continued and uninterrupted economic growth, humanity must recognize that there are finite physical, biological, and ecological limits to the Earth's long-term sustainable carrying capacity. And to judge by the growing concerns about maintaining the quality, stability, and/or sustainability of the Earth's atmosphere, water, forests, croplands, fisheries, and so on, there is little if any doubt that many of these limits will soon be reached, if they haven't already been surpassed. Since at some point the damage stemming from the mutually reinforcing effects of excessive human reproduction and overconsumption of resources could well become irreversible, and because there is only one Earth with which to experiment, it would undoubtedly be better for our species to err on the side of prudence, exercising wherever possible a cautious and careful stewardship.
Perhaps it is time that the burden of proof on these matters, so long shouldered by so-called neo-Malthusian pessimists, be shifted to the "cornucopian optimists." Let them answer: What is the evidence that the Earth can withstand, without irreparable damage, another two or more centuries during which global human numbers and per-capita consumption increasingly exceed the Earth's optimal (sustainable) carrying capacity?
In any event, having established a "quantifiable and falsifiable" frame of reference, it is time to make the case that current rhetoric about "slowing the growth of" or even "stabilizing" global human numbers is clearly insufficient. Both the empirical data and inexorable logic suggest that our default position for the next two or three centuries ought to seek a very significant reduction in global human numbers.
Acknowledging Our Dilemma
Is it naive to hope that, once a critical mass of concerned investigators begins to make a serious case for such a reduction, it would become much easier for scientists, environmentalists, politicians, economists, moralists, and other concerned citizens of the planet to speak forthrightly about humanity's critical need for population stabilization and shrinkage? At the least, they should not feel as though they are committing political, professional, or moral suicide by raising these issues. Time is increasingly precious, and our window of opportunity for effective remedial action may not be open much longer-assuming it has not already closed.
Until demonstrated otherwise, I would therefore argue that insufficiently restrained population growth should be considered the single most important feature in a complex (and synergistic) physical, ecological, biocultural, and sociopolitical landscape. Regulating human population size, and confronting the numerous problems that will be engendered by its eventual and inevitable contraction, should thus be accorded a central position within the modern dilemma, and as such should be dealt with much more forthrightly, and promptly, than has heretofore been the case.
More than half a century ago, at the dawn of the nuclear age, Albert Einstein suggested that we would require a new manner of thinking if humankind were to survive. Even though the population explosion is neither as instantaneous nor as spectacular as its nuclear counterpart, the ultimate consequences may be just as real (and potentially just as devastating) as the so-called nuclear winter scenarios promulgated in the early 1980s.
That there will be a large-scale reduction in global human numbers over the next two or three centuries appears to be inevitable. The primary issue seems to be whether this process will be under conscious human control and (hopefully) relatively benign, or whether it will turn out to be unpredictably chaotic and (perhaps) catastrophic. We must begin our new manner of thinking about this critically important global issue now, so that Einstein's prescient and legitimate concerns about human and civilizational survival into the 21st century and beyond may be addressed as rapidly, fully, and humanely as possible.
Don't speak to me of shortage. My world is vast
And has more than enough-for no more than enough.
There is a shortage of nothing, save will and wisdom;
But there is a longage of people.
-Garrett Hardin (1975)
Ken Smail is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Kenyon College, and the author of several papers and essays on population that have appeared in Population and Environment, Politics and the Life Sciences, and other journals. This essay is dedicated to the memory of Kenneth Boulding and Garrett Hardin.
References and readings for each article are available at www.worldwatch.org/pubs/mag/.


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|^ FoundationsOfTheLikePreciousFaithSeries
Justifications Of The Like Precious Faith
This is part three of the FoundationsOfTheLikePreciousFaithSeries. Please follow the series sequentially in order to fully understand what is being considered here.
Knowing something and being able to apply it to your daily walk does not necessarily mean that that knowledge and application is going to be used. Neither does it mean that even if that knowledge and application is used that it will be used often enough to be of any effect nor used to it's fullest. Clearly, there is something else that is vital to living the "like precious" faith to it's fruitful intention. I will call that vital essential the "Justifications of the Like Precious Faith".
Think of the first two sections covered as tools in a tool box; a spiritual tool box. This third section shall better examine the "why" behind using them instead of the other set of worldly tools that you are more familiar and accustomed to daily.
- This section breaks down into at least 7 essential parts that you'll want to examine piece by piece:
- ThePresentTruth
- PuttingInRemembrance
- HaveTheseThingsAlways
- PowerAndComing
- EyeWitnessesOfMajesty
- WordOfProphecy
- MovedBy
|^ FoundationsOfTheLikePreciousFaithSeries
Comment Board:JustificationsOfTheLikePreciousFaith
Further Resources:
Child Threads:


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Village Museum
The New Way to find our Cultural Traditional Incredible Shilparamam
Just see from the iconic structure of HITEC city located about 14 kms from Hyderabad at Madhapur. You'll find the impressive gateway with huge terra-cotta horses that leads to a village with festive looking precincts. This is Shilparamam, the arts, crafts and cultural village of Hyderabad.


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A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California
Buy This Book: click here to purchase
"Sooner or later, nearly everyone who cares about wind and food comes to Sonoma: – so begins this lively excursion to a spectacular region that has become known internationally as a locavore's paradise. Part memoir, part vivid reportage, Field Days chronicles the renaissance in farming organically and eating locally that is unfolding in Northern California. Jonah Raskin tells of the year he spent on Oak Hill Farm – working the fields, selling produce at farmers' markets, and following it to restaurants. He also goes behind the scenes at Whole Foods. In this luminous account of his experiences, Raskin introduces a dynamic cast of characters – farmers, chefs, winemakers, farmworkers, and environmentalists. They include such luminaries as Warren Weber at Star Rout Farm, the oldest certified organic farm in Marin County; Bob Cannard, who has supplied Chez Panisse with vegetables for decades; Sharon Grossi, the owner of the largest organic farm in Sonoma; and Craig Stoll, the founder and executive chef of Delfina in San Francisco. Raskin also offers portraits of renowned historical figures, including Luther Burbank, Jack London, and M. F. K. Fisher. Field Days is a heartfelt celebration of the farm-to-table movement and its cultural reverberations.


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The M18 Fuel ½-in. drill/driver (2603-20/22) and the M18 Fuel ½-in. hammer drill/driver (2604-20/22) deliver up to 10 times longer life, 25% more power, and 50% more run-time than previous versions, according to the company. Featuring the company's Powerstate brushless motor, Redlithium battery pack, and Redlink Plus, the cordless tools are more than 1 in. shorter than competitors' drills. Additional features include up to 725 in-lb of torque, the ability to perform in climates as low as 0°F/-18°C with fade free power, a battery fuel gauge that displays remaining charge, a multi-voltage charger, an all-metal ratcheting locking chuck, and a contoured soft grip.
Milwaukee Electric Tool
For more information, visit www.milwaukeetool.com.


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Riverdale HS Photos
View Riverdale High Pierrefonds, Quebec photos in these categories:
There are more photos from Riverdale Pierrefonds, QC alumni listed at Classmates.com®. Click here to join Classmates.com® for free and share more RHS pictures.
Share pictures of your Riverdale High School experiences here. You can also relive memories and check out what other images alumni have posted. Click here to upload your own photos.
While you are reminiscing about the times you spent in high school at Riverdale High School, you should also check out alumni photos, yearbook listings and share any reunion info if possible.


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Every week, a stunning 1.5 million people migrate to cities all over the world. 1.5 million! Can you imagine?
The Urban Detective investigates everything that has to do with this worldwide migration to- and clustering of people in cities. I am travelling the world to find out more about the challenges and opportunities us urbanites face.
All tagged power to the people
© Ricardo Gomes


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Coast to Coast Resorts, the industry leader in private membership camping, has announced its plans to hold the 2010 Coast to Coast Conference on Feb. 16-18 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
The Coast Conference aims to help grow the industry by promoting best practices for sales and marketing initiatives to developers currently selling memberships, developers interested in restarting their membership sales activities, and new developers interested in entering the industry, according to a news release.
Several key topics will be addressed, including insights and ideas to improve sales and marketing at the resort level, secrets to success used by the leading developers in the industry and utilizing new technologies to make sales and marketing more effective. Attendees will learn ideas and practices that can make an immediate and positive impact on the bottom line.
"The Coast Conference is designed to help grow our industry by focusing on sales and marketing strategies specific to private membership camping," said Bruce Hoster, Coast to Coast president. "We believe the private membership campground industry has the right product, at the right price, and at the right time to meet changing consumer demands for high quality campground experiences."
Full conference registration is available for $299 through Dec. 15, $100 off the original rate of $399, and includes a welcome reception, main stage presentations, breakout sessions, two networking breakfasts and a lunch on Wednesday. Pricing is per person and does not include hotel reservation. A la carte pricing is available for networking and breakout sessions.
For more information or to register for the 2010 Coast to Coast Conference, visit www.coastconference.com.
Since 1972, Coast to Coast Resorts has been the industry leader in bringing RV enthusiasts access to some of the finest "members-only" CampResorts in the country. Coast's primary focus is to make it possible for people who purchase memberships at private CampResorts to maximize their destination and vacation choices. To fulfill this mission, Coast to Coast has created an internationally recognized network of hundreds of affiliated private CampResorts, enhanced with hundreds of Good Neighbor Parks/Best Parks in America, forming a network of beautiful properties where nearly any vacation experience can be found.
Coast to Coast is a division of Affinity Group Inc. (AGI), parent company of RVBUSINESS.COM.


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This example shows how to list all packages installed on a local system, whether that system is a stand-alone system or a server. The output shows the primary category, package name, and the description of the package.
$ pkginfo system SUNWaccr System Accounting, (Root) system SUNWaccu System Accounting, (Usr) system SUNWadmap System administration applications system SUNWadmc System administration core libraries . . .
This example shows how to list all packages installed on a system by specifying the long format, which includes all available information about the designated packages.
$ pkginfo -l SUNWcar PKGINST: SUNWcar NAME: Core Architecture, (Root) CATEGORY: system ARCH: sparc.sun4u VERSION: 11.9.0,REV=2002.04.06.15.27 BASEDIR: / VENDOR: Sun Microsystems, Inc. DESC: core software for a specific hardware platform group PSTAMP: leo20031003183400 INSTDATE: Feb 20 2004 16:57 HOTLINE: Please contact your local service provider STATUS: completely installed FILES: 114 installed pathnames 36 shared pathnames 40 directories 57 executables 21469 blocks used (approx)


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I am not naturally fit.
I am a 60 yo female, weigh about 75kgs and lug 18kg in my backpack. I am short and naturally stocky.
I go to the gym twice a week with a personal trainer, where I do weight-bearing exercises and a light cardio regime, designed specifically to strengthen my muscles and heart to haul my body and backpack up Marion's steps (short, intense) and Pelion and Du Cane gaps (endurance).
To prepare for my first Overland Track hike two years ago, I hired a treadmill for 6 months. How good am I! For the first month I walked sedately every day for 20 minutes. But I got really bored with that. Then I read the manual and found there were buttons I could press for different inclines. I was off. I used every one, but again only for about 20 minutes a day. By the end of 6 months I was ready for the OT – I thought.
My first shock was putting on my fully loaded backpack. Hmm, that's heavy. But my confidence soared as I set off along the boardwalk at Ronnie's Creek – with adrenalin surging from the excitement of starting this iconic walk.
Then came the climb up through the forest to the first waterfall. I felt knackered. I had to take a break – and start on my day's supply of scroggin – before I felt able to head off to Crater Lake. Yep, I had to stop for a rest BEFORE Crater Lake.
So what was going wrong – surely all that treadmill walking had prepared me for this. Maybe it was the air – perhaps the air in Tassie is rarified and there isn't as much oxygen, maybe it was the …
I knew I had a long way to go – and first I had to get up the steps to Marion's lookout. Looking up from the track below, I knew I wouldn't manage that grunt– so it was either turn back or get help. There was no way I was going to turn back, and my kind son offered to take my pack up for me. Saved for the moment.
While munching yet another snack on that rock ledge overlooking Dove Lake, I pondered my failure – and suddenly realised my mistake. I had done all those kms on the treadmill without my loaded pack – and had probably gained little benefit from my efforts. I knew I would easily walk the flat sections – but I had obviously not prepared my muscles, or my lungs, for these short, very sharp hill climbs – or the long ones.
Like most of us, I got fitter as I walked. I fell in love with the Overland Track and decided I would do this walk every year for the rest of my life – but that meant being fit for those hill climbs.
When I got home I hit the net. The literature all stressed the importance of getting fit for the task – bingo ! – and that getting fit for a multi day walk can take as little as 16 weeks from scratch. Double bingo! The words 'interval training' came up time and time again, so that was worth a deeper look in to.
Over the next three weeks OHB will look at these principles of walking-related exercise and interval training.
I feel I am on the right track – because walking hills is easier now and my legs feel less fatigued. I will soon be ready to introduce some heart pounding interval training. I like feeling stronger and fitter, and am looking forward to the cooler months when I can get out into the hills of the Blackall Range to add some endurance training.
I'll keep you posted.
Disclaimer: I am not a qualified fitness or lifestyle coach. I do not claim any professional skill with which to recommend or advise on health or fitness regimes.
The information that will be presented in this series is not my original work. It is my interpretation of information readily available in the public domain on the benefits of low impact exercises and interval training for multi-day hiking. It is the basis for my own fitness regime, but it may not suit all readers.
Do you follow a fitness regime before a long hiking trip?
What training do you undertake before a bushwalking adventure?
Have you ever 'hit the wall', like Georgie, on your first day out? What happened? Did you push on, or retire gracefully/relunctantly?
We would love to hear your story, so please share it below.


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We told you earlier how many are losing faith in the promise of solar power.
This chart, from AllianceBernstein's Catherine Wood, illustrates one of the reasons:
It's a breakdown of various firms' estimates — and the date the forecast was published — for when photovoltaic electricity generation will reach "grid parity" or become cost competitive with other power sources.
Wood writes:
If I were a cynic, I would suspect that company executives were trying to encourage analysts to include a growth spurt in the more distant years of their earnings models. But even a massive growth spurt would not make the economics of solar work, in our analysis.


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Twins dodge sweep with decisive win in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It is customary in baseball for a pitcher to be awarded a commemorative baseball after his first big league win, a nice keepsake to reflect upon years down the road.
The Twins' Phil Hughes did not earn his first win on Sunday. It only felt like it.
His jokester teammates gave him a ball anyway.
Hughes pitched into the seventh inning to win for the first time since last July, helping Minnesota to an 8-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals that also avoided a three-game sweep.
It was Hughes' first win in 18 outings, a span that included eight losses.
"I knew it had been a long time," said Hughes, who signed a $24 million, three-year deal with Minnesota in December. "It's good to get that one out of the way, and hopefully go on a good run here and continue to pitch some quality games. But my first one with a new team, it's special."
He could have done without the ball, though.
"We had a little fun with him," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It's his first win since way back, and first win as a Twin, too, so we gave him a little grief about that."
Josmil Pinto homered and Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki each drove in a pair of runs for the Twins, who battered Yordano Ventura (1-1) before piling on against the Royals' bullpen.
Alcides Escobar hit a two-run homer and Omar Infante also drove in a run for the Royals, whose five-game winning streak came to an end.
"If you don't score runs it doesn't matter how many hits you get. We got a loss here today," said the Royals' Alex Gordon. "We'll move on from here."
Hughes' solid showing came after he had allowed 12 earned runs in his first 15 innings with Minnesota. The former All-Star had not survived past the sixth since July 13, when he was still a member of the New York Yankees and was facing his current team.
It helped that the Twins staked him to an early lead.
After they went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position in a 5-4 loss Saturday, Plouffe came through with a double in the Twins' first opportunity Sunday. His drive into the gap in right was enough to score Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer and give Minnesota a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
The Twins added on in the fourth. After Suzuki walked, the Royals were unable to turn a double play on a grounder by Aaron Hicks. Ventura then threw the ball away trying to pick him off first, and a wild pitch put Hicks on third base. Eduardo Escobar's single scored the run.
Ventura was finally pulled from the game in the fifth, when the 22-year-old right-hander gave up a leadoff triple to Plouffe and a single to Chris Colabello. He allowed four runs on six hits and four walks in four-plus innings, a line that looks even uglier after two dominant outings in which he allowed a combined one run on six hits against Tampa Bay and Houston.
"I tried to correct, to make adjustments," Ventura said through Bruce Chen, his translator. "It's not every day that I can make the pitches, but I wanted to go deep and help the team."
The Royals bullpen, which had thrown 14 straight scoreless innings, never gave their offense a chance to get Ventura off the hook. Pinto's homer came off Louis Coleman later in the fifth, and Justin Marks — making his big league debut — allowed three more runs in the seventh.
Escobar's two-run shot later in the seventh knocked Hughes from the game, but relievers Brian Duensing, Casey Fien and Glen Perkins made sure his long losing streak would finally end.
"It's good, a good feeling," Hughes said. "Someone brought up last July or something since my last win. Definitely nice to get that one and hopefully get on a little bit of a run."
Notes: The Twins played with 24 players after claiming OF Sam Fuld off waivers from Oakland and designating OF Darin Mastroianni for assignment. Fuld is expected to join the Twins on Tuesday in Tampa Bay. . . . The Royals open a four-game series Monday in Cleveland with RHP Jeremy Guthrie on the mound. The Twins are off before their three-game set against the Rays. . . . The Twins left 11 on base. The Royals stranded eight.


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Kennebunk, Maine
A Collection of Aerial Images of Kennebunk, Maine, and the surrounding area.Read More


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Machado, Bundy cream of O's crop
Elite prospects increase excitement level in organization
By Ashley Marshall / Special to MLB.com | October 5, 2012 6:00 AM
The Orioles saw their top prospects rise through the system in 2012, despite their respective teams missing out on silverware. The organization's .459 winning percentage ranked 28th overall, ahead of only Milwaukee (.454) and San Diego (.450).
Triple-A Norfolk posted its best record since 2005, despite setting an International League record for most players used in a season. Double-A Bowie was one win away from reaching the Eastern League Championship Series, but Class A Advanced Frederick, Class A Delmarva and short-season Aberdeen all failed to post .500 records.
Orioles Organization All-Stars
Catcher -- Caleb Joseph, Bowie (80 games), Norfolk (22 games): Joseph led all Baltimore backstops in several offensive categories, including homers (12), RBIs (55), runs scored (38) and extra-base hits (30). The 26-year-old Tennessee native, a seventh-round pick in 2008, batted .259 between Bowie and Norfolk while playing solid defense. He had a .995 fielding percentage, committing only three errors in 634 chances, and threw out 39 of 99 would-be base stealers.
"I thought Caleb Joseph had a really good year," Bowie manager Gary Kendall said. "There was sometimes a tailoff when he was the No. 1 catcher because he was catching a lot of ballgames, but that will happen when you're starting 120 of 140 games. He's a tall, wiry guy, but he was able to stay fresh and he came along as a catcher. He was very productive for us -- he really made strides."
First base -- Aaron Baker, Frederick (89 games), Bowie (two games), Aberdeen (one game): Baker spent all but three games with Frederick, his second straight season at the Class A Advanced level. Though he appeared in only 92 games -- his lowest total in full-season leagues -- he set career highs with 22 homers and a .354 on-base percentage.
Those 22 longballs tied for first in the Carolina League and ranked second in the system behind Brandon Waring (24). His 76 RBIs were second among Orioles first basemen, behind only first baseman/outfielder Robbie Widlansky (83).
Second base -- Jonathan Schoop, Bowie (124 games): The native of Curacao started 88 games at second base while providing valuable backup support at shortstop for the Baysox. The Orioles' 2011 Minor League Player of the Year, Schoop batted .245 with a career-high 14 homers in his first look at the Eastern League. He also scored 68 runs and drove in 56 in 124 games.
No other regular second baseman collected more hits (119) or RBIs than the 20-year-old, who will suit up for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Schoop's 14 homers led the Baysox, while his 56 RBIs ranked second behind Widlansky.
Third base -- Brandon Waring, Norfolk (66 games), Bowie (52 games): Waring led the organization with 24 homers and ranked fourth with 63 RBIs.
The Wofford (S.C) College product batted .276 with 11 homers and 30 RBIs with Bowie before adding 13 longballs following a promotion to the International League. Only Ty Kelly had more total bases among Orioles Minor Leaguers. Acquired from the Reds in December 2008, Waring has hit at least 20 homers in all six of his professional seasons.
He also saw time at first base and DH with Norfolk, but he spent more time at third than any other position.
"Brandon had a really good Spring Training, and he started swinging the bat right out of the gate," Kendall said. "He showed a lot of power and he became a tougher out. Last year, he had a lot of holes, but this year he was shorter with his swing and he used his feel a lot more."
Shortstop -- Manny Machado, Bowie (109 games), Baltimore (48 games): Machado, the third overall pick in the 2010 Draft, earned a big league callup in his third pro season. Prior to joining the Orioles for the stretch drive, he put together solid numbers at Bowie in his first exposure to Double-A pitching.
His 11 homers were tops among the organization's full-time shortstops as were his 26 doubles, five triples and 48 walks. He had a career-high 59 RBIs in the Minors to lead Orioles shortstops, cut down on his strikeouts, despite playing more games at a higher level, and stole 13 bases in 17 tries.
"I had him in Aberdeen in the New York-Penn League, and I got a glimpse of him embarking on his professional career," Kendall said. "Every day, he would show us something that we hadn't seen before or something that you would see at the big league level. He is so talented. You'd see him make an error here or there, then he'd hit the ball the other way to right-center field or make an unbelievable throw from shallow left-center field on the relay.
"When Buck [Showalter] called me to ask about him, I said I thought he would adapt quickly to the Major League level because he has tremendous baseball aptitude. Around players like J.J. Hardy, who have tremendous makeup, he will absorb information. I've been managing since 2004 and he is as good a player as I have seen in the Minor Leagues."
Robbie Widlansky, Bowie (128 games): The Eastern League All-Star led all Orioles Minor Leaguers with 83 RBIs and ranked second with a .316 batting average in 128 games.
The 27-year-old also was among the top five in the EL in several categories, including doubles (35, second), on-base percentage (.404, second), walks (64, fourth) and hits (148, fifth). Selected in the 11th round of the 2007 Draft out of Florida Atlantic, Widlansky also stole 11 bases and scored 71 runs, both personal bests.
"What Robbie brought to the table was that he was a tough out," Kendall said. "He used the whole field and he started to use backspin. He really started to barrel up some balls and pull them, not just hit them to left-center field. He really improved as a hitter.
"One thing about Robbie is that his bat stays in the strike zone, and that helps him hit left-handed pitching. He really stepped up offensively for us and we were able to put him in the middle of the order. We put him four and Manny [Machado] three, and he protected him. He's an adequate outfielder and he catches whatever he gets to."
John Ruettiger, Frederick (64 games), Delmarva (26 games), Bowie (nine games): Ruettiger ranked second in the system with 28 stolen bases and sixth with a .280 batting average. He totaled almost as many walks (52) as strikeouts (55) and scored 57 runs in 94 games across three levels.
The power numbers may not have been there (he posted a .332 slugging percentage), but his .372 on-base percentage ranked third among regular outfielders in the organization. The former eighth-round pick saw time at all three outfield positions, spending most of his time in left field.
Brenden Webb, Delmarva (101 games), Frederick (23 games): Webb displayed a potent blend of power, speed and plate discipline in his fourth year with the Orioles. Some of that success can be attributed to repeating the South Atlantic League, but it's impossible to deny the strides he made at the plate.
The 2009 30th-round pick batted .255 with 14 homers, 61 RBIs and 19 stolen bases -- all career highs -- between Delmarva and Frederick. He also drew a career-best 98 walks while cutting back on his strikeout total from a year ago. In 2011, Webb recorded 19 extra-base hits in 400 at-bats; this year, he had 48 extra-base hits in 385 at-bats. No outfielder in the organization went yard more often than Webb and only Widlansky plated more runs. The 21-year-old California native also was third in the SAL with a .422 on-base percentage before his promotion.
Utility -- Ty Kelly, Frederick (76 games), Bowie (46 games), Norfolk (11 games): Kelly ended 2011 with Class A Delmarva. Fast forward 12 months and he blitzed his way through three levels to reach Triple-A Norfolk.
The 2009 13th-round pick out of Cal-Davis batted .327 with 11 homers and 70 RBIs in 133 games. He walked more often (79) than he struck out (72) and posted an .892 OPS. His 220 total bases led the system while his average was the highest among all Orioles playing full-time in full-season leagues. Kelly batted .346 at Frederick and would have won the Carolina League batting title if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.
Defensively, Kelly saw time at second base, third base and left field.
Right-handed pitcher -- Dylan Bundy, Frederick (12 games), Delmarva (eight games), Bowie (three games), Baltimore (two games): Bundy made his professional debut with the Class A Shorebirds on Opening Day, striking out six batters over three perfect innings. On Sept. 23, he retired both batters he faced in front of 37,310 fans at Fenway Park. That's 172 days between having never played a pro game to reaching the big leagues.
The fourth overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Bundy gave up only two unearned runs over 30 innings with Delmarva, retiring 94 of 99 batters at that level while striking out 40 and walking only two.
In total, Bundy -- who turns 20 in November -- went 9-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 23 starts across three Minor League levels. He finished with 119 strikeouts over 103 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .186 average.
Honorable mention -- Zach Clark: The 29-year-old led Orioles Minor Leaguers with 15 wins and a 2.79 ERA. He also recorded 98 strikeouts over 167 2/3 innings between Bowie and Norfolk.
"You look at big league pitchers when you're running into a losing streak and they can turn that losing streak around. Zach was that guy," Kendall said. "He was capable of turning a ballclub around. He put himself on the radar here in Baltimore."
Left-handed pitcher -- Rick Zagone, Frederick (13 games), Bowie (11 games), Norfolk (four games): Wrapping up his fifth year with the Orioles, Zagone put together career numbers across the board.
The Illinois native went 9-5 with a 3.41 ERA across three levels, striking out 90 batters over 142 2/3 innings. He fell one win shy of equaling his personal best but led all southpaws in the organization, ranking sixth overall. Zagone's ERA -- which ranked second in the system -- batting average against (.224) and WHIP (1.22) established career highs at the full-season level. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a 3-0 win over Myrtle Beach on May 1.
Relief pitcher -- Greg Burke, Bowie (23 games), Norfolk (21 games): With a deceptive delivery and funky arm slot, Burke spent most of 2012 reminding people why he reached the Majors with the Padres in 2009.
Signed by San Diego as a starter at a tryout camp six years ago, Burke has been a full-time reliever since 2008. The Orioles picked him up before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training and he quickly found his niche at the back end of Bowie's bullpen. He saved 14 games and posted a 1.53 ERA in 23 appearances before being promoted to Norfolk, where he allowed six earned runs over 35 1/3 innings in 21 games. Between the two levels, the 30-year-old right-hander was 3-1 with a 1.53 ERA, 17 saves and 50 strikeouts. Only Kyler Newby had more saves (20) among O's farmhands.
"At the Double-A level, he was way above-average," Kendall said. "In the Eastern League, nobody likes to see a three-quarter pitcher. He has a good sinker and a good slider. He gets quick outs, he attacks guys and he throws strikes.
"Rick Peterson dropped him down in Florida, and he's a submariner now. Norfolk used him in more of a setup role, but he was valuable for us at the end of games. He also really helped our young pitchers."
Kendall also praised Clay Schrader, who split time between Frederick and Bowie, and Kyler Newby who appeared in 42 games for the Baysox.
"[Schrader] could be very good down the road. I really like what he brings to the table," Kendall said. "He doesn't have the exact same curveball as [Garrett] Olson, but I've seen him buckle some knees with it. He can make left-handed batters very uncomfortable.
"And Kyler was a guy that was a leader in our bullpen. He was very consistent for us and provided a lot of leadership for guys like Schrader. Young kids can learn a lot from guys who have been around. Our success in the second half can be attributed to Kyler Newby."
Ashley Marshall is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


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241. Those involved in planning the funeral rites for a deceased child should take into account the age of the child, the circumstances of the death, the grief of the family, and the needs and customs of those taking part in the rites. In choosing the texts and elements of celebration, the minister should bear in mind whether the child was baptized or died before baptism.
Good reasons all for having a number of choices within the rites. As always, what is to be taken into account is not the preferences or tastes of the minister, but the authentic need of the mourners.


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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Senate leaders on Saturday were trying to come up with a deal to avert the looming fiscal cliff of tax increases and spending cuts, after emerging hopeful on Friday from a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and top House lawmakers.
Speaking late Friday, Obama said: "I'm optimistic we may still be able to reach an agreement that could pass both houses in time."
If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell can't strike a deal, the president added that he would ask Reid to bring to the Senate floor a bill to renew middle-class tax cuts. Obama reiterated those points in his weekly radio address Saturday.
Automatic spending cuts and the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts are set to go into effect Jan. 1 if Congress can't reach an agreement.
Reid, speaking on the Senate floor after the late-afternoon meeting Friday, said the next 24 hours would be "very instructive" about coming to terms. McConnell said he was "hopeful and optimistic" about striking a deal, and that he wants to present something to his fellow Republicans by Sunday.
Reid and McConnell spoke after the markets closed on Friday. Reid conceded that any near-term patch arrangement would be "imperfect."
Investors were on edge Friday before the White House meeting began, and U.S. stocks extended a losing streak into a fifth session after reports surfaced that Obama wouldn't offer a new deal at the talks. See Market Snapshot: Stocks sink with hopes for cliff deal.
The House of Representatives is due to return to Washington on Sunday, with votes possible. Reid said the Senate will be in Sunday as well.
Taxes will be a key element of any deal between Reid and McConnell.
The New York Times reported Friday that Obama would offer at the meeting to extend current tax rates for incomes of $400,000 and under. This is above his previous offer of extending current tax rates for incomes up to $250,000. But even that level may be too high for Republicans to accept without concessions by Democrats.
Obama also wants any agreement to extend expiring unemployment benefits.
The last-ditch talks at the White House were aimed at averting a wholesale plunge over the fiscal cliff — the popular term for $110 billion in automatic spending cuts set to take effect in 2013 and the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts. Read more fiscal-cliff coverage on MarketWatch.
Without a fiscal-cliff deal, a payroll-tax holiday enacted under Obama would also expire. About $1.2 trillion in spending cuts begin to kick in, at a rate of $110 billion a year over 10 years. The cuts are split among Pentagon spending and other federal expenditures. Federal unemployment benefits would expire for 2 million jobless Americans as well.
Going over the cliff for a short time remains a possible option. Lawmakers opposed to tax increases could then vote to lower the taxes that have gone up, affording themselves political cover.


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(CNN) -- Felipe Massa is back in the fast lane after his life-threatening crash at the Hungarian Grand Prix just nine weeks ago which placed his Formula One future in doubt.
Brazilian ace Massa is on track to take his seat back in the Ferrari.
The Brazilian has taken to the wheel of a kart in his home city of Sao Paulo, managing 60 laps of the Granja Viana circuit and is to continue the activity over the next few days.
Massa suffered horrific head injuries in qualifying in Budapest after a spring from Rubens Barrichello's Brawn GP car struck him in the head at high speed.
He was airlifted from the circuit and spent several days in an induced coma before flying home to Brazil to continue his rehabilitation.
Reports have suggested that Massa could return to Formula One at his home grand prix at Interlagos at the end of the current season, but a Ferrari spokesman told their official Web site that the stories were exaggerated.
Luca Colajanni told www.ferrari.com. "Felipe's recovery is proceeding in a very positive way, but there are no plans to accelerate his comeback."
But the Web site also reported that Massa is "intensifying his physical preparation" and revealed that after his karting experiment, the 28-year-old would fly to the team's headquarters in Maranello to use the team's static simulator.
Three weeks ago, Massa had a titanium plate inserted into his skull at the point of impact where he was hit by the spring in the freak accident.
His recovery is being closely monitored by his personal doctor Dino Altman, who watched him during his karting session on Tuesday.
Massa has been sorely missed by Ferrari, who initially gave his place in the team to seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
But the German legend could not shrug off a lingering neck problem and test driver Luca Badoer instead took his place.
Badoer was way off the pace on his return to Formula One and has since been replaced by Giancarlo Fisichella, who left Force India to join Ferrari on a temporary basis until the end of the season.


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How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office. Joe, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.
Find the Answer
This damaged equipment is located near a parking lot attendant's booth in the theater district of a major city. Lots of drivers use this particular parking lot when they want to visit the shops nearby. Others use it for weekly or monthly parking.
As you can see in the photo, the two posts on the right were originally installed to protect the ticket-dispensing machine on the left. Unfortunately, whoever installed the electrical equipment didn't think about protecting it properly. As a result, you can clearly see where a car or truck bumper has made contact, damaging the conduit body and connection into the meter socket enclosure. Reference Art. 312 for the requirements of a proper meter socket enclosure installation. In addition, if you search your electronic copy of the NEC for the term "physical damage," you'll find many references to support a citation on this installation.


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A symbol of the abundance of the annual harvest, the cornucopia is a reminder that sharing and generosity are synonymous with the fall season. Show your appreciation to friends and family when you send this magnificent hand-woven wicker horn of plenty that's bursting forth with orchard-fresh fruit and savory selections like ripe, juicy Comice and Bosc pears, crunchy Granny Smith and Fuji apples, robust cheddar cheese, zesty toasted seasoned almond halves, savory pistachios and more.
Shipping Information: Our fruit baskets are packed to order on the day that they are shipped to ensure maximum freshness. To protect the quality of the fruit, we also pack cushioning straw around each fruit piece which requires packing the gift lower in the basket than shown on the web.


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Embassy of the United States of America, Athens, Greece
Secretary of State's Register of Culturally Significant Property: 2006 ("The Secretary of State's Register of Culturally Significant Property")
With the development of the embassy program, the United States government was in need of more space in the capitol city of Greece. They had leased office space but now had the need for a space of their own. A piece of property was acquired through an exchange just a mile from the iconic Parthenon. Like other embassy designs, the government would need office space, residential room for the ambassador and visiting guests to Athens. Typical security, utility, and transportation needs would also need to be considered. The final contract with architect Walter Gropius called for a budget of $1,120,000 consisting of 85,000 square feet ("The U.S. Embassy in Greece) with an occupancy for over 400 employees ("$1 Million Athens Embassy Planned"). After completion, the final construction cost was $2,000,000 ("US Moving into New Embassy in Athens").
The chancery building in Athens sits on a prominent site of an acre and a half, just one mile from the Parthenon at the foot of Mount Lykabettus, sloping down to one of the most luxurious neighborhoods in the city. Its design has striking similarities to that of the Parthenon, but employed in a modern manner. Constructed of reinforced concrete covered in native Pentellic marble, the structure contains three floors with a square plan around an open patio space in the center. Ironically, Gropius requested Rampson's previously designed plans for the building and planned a very similar space; a square wrapped around an open courtyard. Because of the structural system employed, the building seems weightless and floating over the ground. The two uppermost floors are hung from large concrete girders which are carried by columns placed every thirty feet around the periphery (Architectural Record).
In order to protect against the harsh sunlight, Gropius designed the most dramatic piece of the facade, a twenty-foot overhanging roof to protect the two upper floors from intense glare. The roof is also double-layered to prevent the top floor from extreme temperatures. Openings between the overhang and the building provide air circulation in the exterior space below and aluminum grills between the girders on the roof ventilate as well. On the ground floor, the glare is treated with a ceramic tile screen, perforated and painted sky-blue, which also helps protect against intruders (Architectural Record).
Large pieces of glass make up the facade on the second and third floors with aluminum mullions and structural glass as spandrels. A built-in window washing apparatus, allowing the window washer to propel himself off the side of the building, was designed into the aluminum to make it easier for the cleaning of the exterior of the glass. This technique, although convenient, is now illegal in the Unites States (Architectural Record).
A parking garage for up to thirty cars makes up the basement level. One-third of the ground floor is enclosed and holds consulate facilities and space for the embassy guards, and the second and third floors are devoted to office areas. An integrated modular system was designed for flexibility in the use of the office space (now failing the needs of the embassy), and orange, vertical Venetian blinds are also used in the interior to reduce sun glare (Architectural Record).
The United States government intended embassy design to reflect the best in contemporary American architecture, while utilizing local materials and workmanship of the host country. In the late 1950s and early 60s, new structural systems were becoming prominent. The curtain wall system, a method which transfers loads through interior columns and support rather than exterior facades, allowed a new aesthetic to appear. Large pieces of glass with little visual structure creates a minimalistic facade and opportunity for dramatic effects. Pilotis, also known as columns, piers, or stilts, were common in this era of design as well, despite whether they were actually structural or purely for scenography. Gropius and The Architects Collaborative employed this system in their design and utilized local stone and labor in its construction (Loeffler).
Typically, embassy buildings were situated in the downtown areas of the host city, near other political buildings (Loeffler). This is true in the case of the embassy designed by Gropius. It is sited on a lot in the dense city of Athens, near an upper-class neighborhood just a mile from the iconic Parthenon. The buildings surrounding it are civic in nature; a hospital, music hall,and parks.
Walter Gropius was a pioneer in the modern era of architecture. With his commission in Athens, he searched for a way to implement local ideals into his contemporary structure. He once stated, "modernism was a vehicle for regional expression (Loeffler 179)." It has been said that the outcome in Athens is reminiscent of the Parthenon but constructed in steel, glass, and local stone (Loeffler). Columns, placed every thirty feet, surround the exterior, supporting the dramatically hung roof. Supported by slender reinforced concrete columns, clad in Pentellic marble, the girders across the roof support the curtain wall system from which the exterior glass walls are hung.
In addition to Pentellic marble, Marathon gray marble was used for the basement, terrazzo made of white-chip aggregate for the plaza and lobby floors, and Santa Marina marble for the stairs, corridors, and toilets (Entenza).
After the end of World War II, the United States began to expand the embassy program in order to form relationships with other countries and to be involved in the front-lines of international affairs. The United States Embassy in Athens, Greece was needed in order to bridge the two countries together in a peaceful and respectful way. Many sites were given as gifts from other countries or purchased by the United States in order to build the embassies. In Athens, the site was acquired as a gift from the Athens government and at the time was valued at $500,000 ("US Envoy to get New Greek Home").
Beginning in 1952, the State Department hired Ralph Rapson to design numerous embassies, including Athens'. Due to political upheaval, all progression on the designs was halted, and it was not until 1956 that the United States government began to commission the embassy construction once again. However, despite his work already proposed four years earlier, Rapson was not selected to continue his designs(Loeffler).
Walter Gropius, world-renowned architect for his work at the Bauhaus in Germany, his professorial career at Harvard, and numerous contributions to the modern movement in America, was selected for the commission of the embassy in Athens. There is no record of a design competition for this embassy. Together with his colleagues at The Architects Collaborative, Gropius designed a space with great versatility in order to adapt to the changing uses of the United States' government. Designed in the typical architectural language of the Bauhaus, the chancery building in Athens is built with a light curtain wall system of glass and a prominent roof with a twenty-foot over hang. The design presented by The Architects Collaborative was both functional and representative of modern architectural themes, consisting of 85,000 square feet at a total cost of $1,120,000 ("The U.S. Embassy in Greece.").
While the design by Gropius attempts to merge the surrounding architectural history with the modern movement, it represents the society at large and participates with its surroundings. The design must be inconspicuous enough that the locals accept and respect its presence while also being prominent enough for Americans in the area to see it as a safe haven and point of refuge. In keeping with modern aesthetics, the building achieves this by its low-lying design, fitting into its environment. The ability to use large pieces of glass gives the effect of a mirror of the surrounding space, giving an illusion of meshing the two countries. Over the entrance, the seal of the United States Government is prominently displayed but does not overcome the architecture, subtly announcing its presence (Loeffler).
Walter Gropius stated in an article of The Christian Science Monitor in 1959, "We must not imitate others in our times any more than the ancient Greeks did." His design for the Chancery building is reminiscent of the Acropolis, in modern materials. It is not an exact copy, but from a modernist's view. It attempts to respect the past while looking towards the future. How the Grecian citizens felt about the final design is not conclusive. Gropius received great praise as well as criticism for the building from architectural critics, but there is no record on the thoughts of the local people. In the December 1957 issue of Architectural Record, Gropius states that "our aim was...a building which should appear serene, peaceful, and inviting, mirroring the...political attitude of the United States. Also, the design should abide by the classical 'spiritus loci'...but in contemporary...terms." The final product did just that - was minimal in its aesthetics to give a sense of tranquility, used glass as a metaphor of paralleling its surroundings, and acted as a welcome center for politicians and travelers. The final design, with its large structural columns, cantilevered concrete slabs, horizontality, and "floating" structure of glass clearly presents itself in the modern aesthetic. However, critics of the building, the Architectural Advisory Committee, described it as "colossal, raw-boned, and forbidding," not recognizing any link between Gropius' design and the Parthenon, and "lacking delicacy (Loeffler 179, 180)." Many even thought that the connection between the Parthenon and the embassy would have never been conceived by the public if Gropius had not stated it himself. Although Gropius' designs were known for cohesiveness between the interior furnishings and the exterior, he was not commissioned for this task in the embassy building. Edward Wormley, an American designer, planned most of the furnishings which were made locally in Greece ("Decor Ideas Are Chosen By Woman"). The only aspect of the interior furnishings designed by Gropius and his team was the modular system for space configuration. Had more furnishings been up to the design team, the building and spaces inside would have been more interconnected.
Cited in many architectural publishings, the U.S. Embassy in Athens is a clear example of modernism receiving both praise and criticism. The design successfully replicates classical forms in a modern way - the podium, plan, interior patio, exterior columns, and landscaping - without completely mimicking it. It appreciates the past and the present in one unified package, and it should be praised for its manipulation of conventional forms and materials. It added to the examples already present in the field and grew out of Gropius' extensive knowledge of architectural vocabulary.
The structural integrity of the embassy is in danger. Threats of earthquakes loom daily, and the constant heat from the intense Mediterranean sun wears on the building materials. Without a major rehabilitation, the building will fall victim to intense deterioration, and the world would lose a great example of the modern architecture of the 1960s. The United States Government has recognized this need and posted a request for proposals in early January 2013 for a rehabilitation of the structure. A budget of $115 to $135 million dollars has been set up to renovate the existing Chancery building. The request calls for a complete renovation of the interior and exterior, bringing the structure up to current codes, while keeping with the original design intent by Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative. With these changes, the Athens chancery will be more sustainable and will hopefully remain intact for many more generations (Athens Chancery Renovation).
"$1 Million Athens Embassy Planned." New York Times. Proquest Historical. June 26, 1957.
Architectural Record. "United States Embassy Office Building Athens." Architectural Record (Dec. 1957): 159-66.
Athens Chancery Renovation. Department of State Office of Acquisitions, 3 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. .
"Decor Ideas Are Chosen By Woman." New York Times. Proquest Historical. July 20, 1962.
"Embassy of the United States, Athens." Wikipedia. 2 Feb. 2013. .
"Embassy of the United States." 2 Feb. 2013. .
Entenza, John, ed. "Embassy Building of the United States by The Architects Collaborative." Art & Architecture (May 1962): 12-14.
Geisel, Harold W. Rep. no. ISP-I-11-15A. Report of Inspection Embassy Athens, Greece. United States Department of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors Office of Inspector General, Feb. 2011. Web. 7 Feb. 2013. .
Gropius, Walter. The Architects Collaborative, 1945-1965; New York: Architectural Book Pub., 1966.
Herbert, Gilbert. The Synthetic Vision of Walter Gropius. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand UP, 1959.
"History." Embassy of the United States Athens, Greece. U.S. Department of State, 03 Feb. 2013. .
Loeffler, Jane C. The Architecture of Diplomacy: Building America's Embassies. New York: Princeton Architectural, 1998.
Robin, Ron Theodore. Enclaves of America: The Rhetoric of American Political Architecture Abroad, 1900-1965. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1992.
"The U.S. Embassy in Greece." Royal Institute of British Architects (June 1962): 228-31.
"The Secretary of State's Register of Culturally Significant Property." pg. 8,9. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Building Operations, May 2010. 6 Feb. 2013. .
"US Envoy to get New Greek Home." The Christian Science Monitor. Proquest Historical. January 21, 1959.
"US Moving into New Embassy in Athens." New York Times. Proquest Historical. July, 4 1961.