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Our Turn: Squaw's true character, leadership – a positive impact on community
Over the past three years, we have all witnessed a great number of changes here at Squaw Valley. The ownership and leadership of Squaw Valley ski area not only brought forth much needed capital investment to improve the mountain experience, they also brought about the acquisition of Alpine Meadows, something people have talked about for decades. With that, we now can ski and ride over 6,000 acres of skiing on one pass.
In addition to substantial improvements to the mountain experience, the leadership at Squaw Valley Ski Holdings has been extremely active in the community, leading efforts to improve the transportation system for the region and have ignited and are leading efforts to improve our region's recycling, composting and other environmental sustainability efforts.
They haven't been doing any "green washing" but rather quietly reducing their company's carbon footprint and have been supporting and leading other important environmentally related causes. Recently Squaw produced a carbon neutral U.S. Alpine Skiing Championships – a great event for the community where Olympians mixed with local kids and left no trace.
That same leadership has brought forth a plan for the redevelopment at the base of Squaw Valley. This plan has been met with support and opposition. Unfortunately, some of those who have opposed all efforts to improve the acres and acres of parking lots at the base of the mountain have substantially mischaracterized the development efforts.
However, more importantly, the leadership of the ski area promised to listen to the local community and everything the leadership has done indicates that they have, they are and they will continue to listen closely to constructive input.
Glaring and straightforward evidence of the style and character of their leadership is seen in the form of the revised redevelopment plans (announced in mid-December) at the base of the ski area.
Meaningful changes on everything from the substantial reduction in the number of units and buildings to the location of certain buildings and even a reduction of the mountain adventure center footprint were made to address the concerns of the community.
In October 2013, Andy Wirth wrote an op-ed in the local newspaper titled "Voices will be heard on Squaw project." Clearly, he was listening, and now we have a viable, logical and thoughtful redevelopment plan for the base of the ski area.
The soul and character of Squaw Valley are primarily comprised of the people that live, work and visit here. We feel the leadership of the mountain is focused on the improvement of the mountain and that now, the redevelopment plans are very much in keeping with the soul and spirit of Squaw Valley. They continue to invest in the mountain experience and efforts on important issues such as environmental sustainability and area mass transit. They lead based on their values and their strategic vision.
While we understand that Squaw Valley Holdings and KSL are businesses that strive to grow and profit from their endeavors we feel fortunate that people like Andy Wirth, with integrity and a love for the mountains, are guiding this process.
We interact and work with this team regularly and look forward to seeing them unlock the full potential of Squaw Valley. We have the utmost faith that they will execute the plan gracefully and make Squaw an even more magical place.
Jonny Moseley, Julia Mancuso, JT Holmes, Travis Ganong, Roy Tuscany, Galen Gifford, Matt Reardon, Nick Daniels, Foreste Peterson, Deborah Dutton, and Kendal Naughton.


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On May 26, 1956, two female students from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson, sat down in the "whites only" section of a segregated bus in the city of Tallahassee. When they refused to move to the "colored" section at the rear of the bus, the driver pulled into a service station and called the police. Tallahassee police arrested Jakes and Patterson and charged them with "placing themselves in a position to incite a riot."
In the days immediately following these arrests, students at FAMU organized a campus-wide boycott of city buses. Their collective stand against segregation set an example that propelled like-minded Tallahassee citizens into action. Soon, news of the boycott spread throughout the community.


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Showing results for tags 'Spec Ops'.
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Spec Ops The Line
Marshall Henderson posted a gallery image in Member's Album
Spec Ops: The Line Review and GIVEAWAY
Harrison Lee posted a blog entry in Harrison's SoapboxDISCLAIMER: As I wrote this review, I found it difficult to put into words the emotions I felt from playing Spec Ops: The Line. As such, prepare for a lot of anecdotal discussions and open-ended questions. While this may be a review, it's a broader introspective evaluation on the modern shooter and the player's role in said genre. Prepared? Then read on. Developer: Yager Studios Publisher: 2K Games Release Date: June 26, 2012 (out now) Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC ESRB: M for Mature This review is based on the PC version of Spec Ops: The Line. "War is hell," said General William Tecumseh Sherman. It's a quote that modern shooters often toss about, but one which no video game has ever embraced the meaning of. Most developers glorify tearing hands, feet, and other limbs off of generic enemy soldiers with as much gore as humanly possible. Through the glorification of war in gaming, the meaning of life is cheapened with half a magazine of 5.56 ammo. In these war games, there are only heroes and villains, with the most morally-grey aspects of war reduced to cheap marketing tactics like Call of Duty's "No Russian" mission. Spec Ops: The Line has taken all of these tropes of the modern shooter and thrown them in my face with disturbing clarity. After playing, nay experiencing, Spec Ops, I may never play a shooter with the same mindless power fantasies ever again. The premise behind Yager's cover-based third-person shooter is almost mind-boggling simple and generic. A US Army commander by the name of Colonel John Konrad has led the Damned 33rd Infantry Battalion into Dubai to evacuate the populace from history's largest sandstorm. Players, taking the role of Captain Martin Walker, are to investigate Konrad's whereabouts and, if necessary, save the Colonel and his men. Spec Ops even leads you to believe that this generic premise is indicative of the entire experience with the opening helicopter pursuit sequence. The sense of deja vu is undeniable; I've been here, shot helicopters down with a mi***un, and done this turret sequence so many times before. Once you get to the ground, however, Spec Ops mutates into one of this generation's most morally, mentally, and emotionally taxing shooters. At the games conclusion, I was left battered and bewildered by everything I had seen. The conclusion only serves to make the games unsettling events that much more horrific. As much as it may have impacted me, Spec Ops is first and foremost a game, so is it any fun to play? To say Spec Ops is fun belies the game's contradictory, complicated nature. At every point during the campaign, I felt the juxtaposition of a shooter framework with a strong anti-war sentiment. In everything from the shooting to the graphic dialogue and horrific war crimes committed, I felt uncomfortable. Yager clearly intended this game to disturb and unsettle. Enjoyment and fun are not the words I would use to describe my experience with Spec Ops. I would describe my five-hour trip through hell as uncensored and raw, striking nerves the whole way through. Whether I was gunning down rogue American soldiers or deciding the fate of a CIA agent and a group of civilians, Spec Ops made it tough for me to want to continue playing. But I had to see it through. I had to see what shade of monster Walker was becoming. While all of this may sound like I'm rambling, these thoughts are the predominant reason for my constant pursuit of Konrad and the truth. I had a hard time stomaching the thought of killing civilians and murdering countless US soldiers. While this may sound trite in lieu of "No Russian", believe me when I say the dead will haunt you throughout the campaign...and perhaps beyond. For every enemy you kill, you constantly ask yourself why you're shooting dozens of people. In all the chaos, Walker can only defend himself with ***ue notions of wanting to be the hero, of trying to be Dubai's savior. But what of us players? Why are we massacring virtual meatbags that scream for mercy, drag themselves on the ground missing limbs, meatbags that have casual conversations about sharing gum? Are we truly the desensitized monsters that men like Konrad have become? I wish I knew the answer. By the time the credits roll, you'll wonder yourself whether Konrad was ever the true antagonist. No matter what choices you make, Walker still becomes a sa***e, ruthless killer. If you've seen Apocalypse Now, you understand just how insane war is. That madness is not lost on Walker or the two men he fights alongside with, Lugo and Adams. All three men experience the conflict differently, and all three will change from the people they began as. Does Spec Ops change the player as well? In these reflective moments, the jarring reality that this is just a game readily becomes apparent. There is a constant barrage of achievements that applaud me for the decisions I did or didn't make. While it may not bother some, I felt like it broke the immersion when a pop-up announced I had 'crossed a line' or 'aimed high' on targets. Isn't this game supposed to be more than just a game? In some ways, being a shooter has ensured the full impact of Spec Ops will never be realized. Since we are simply playing a game, it only leaves lingering doubts in our minds once we put the controllers down. For many gamers, Spec Ops may never resonate with them in the same way that it struck my nerves. I sincerely hope, however, that they at least have an open mind to the horrors that await them beneath the sands of Dubai. If you can walk away unmoved by what takes place, you may already be more of a monster than any of the Damned 33rd or the Delta soldiers. Mechanically speaking, Spec Ops is a fairly competent shooter. It plays a lot like Gears of War, where players take cover behind sturdy objects and use big guns against enemy targets. Where Spec Ops differs is in the flow of combat. There's a relentless push forward, a constant thrust urging players onward. That's carried over into the relatively quick kills and brutal executions that emphasize and reward speed. I found myself stressed and overwhelmed by constantly having to progress forward, fearing I would be quickly overrun if I cowered behind cover. I never felt like camping behind objects was safe as the enemy AI, however basic it can appear, always outflanked me and tore me to shreds. If I have one complaint, it's the quirky control scheme. Some of the buttons are mapped to more than one function, making it possible to sprint into cover when you actually meant to sprint around a target. The cover system, which people have also complained about, didn't really trouble me. Once or twice I was left exposed to enemy fire, but I didn't really feel like it was a major issue. The weapons themselves feel powerful and deadly. When I pulled the trigger, soldiers often crumpled or doubled over, coating the walls in red, messy spatters. It felt awful to gun down people who were likely as desperate as I was to survive. In the end, however, I had to regard the violence as a mercy upon my foes. The way they begged for help or clutched massive wounds didn't make it any easier for me to execute them. Even more disturbing was the fact that I was treated to additional (typically scarce) ammo for finishing them off, forcing me to do the deed. If Yager wants to bother players, this is a great way to do it. The aforementioned squadmates, Lugo and Adams, are great companions on this trip to insanity. They offer constant tactical feedback and aren't bad shots themselves. They can be given a few commands to help alleviate Walker's pressure, but act independently for the most part. The banter between all three soldiers is always interesting, well-written, and appropriately frantic when things get absolutely FUBAR (and they really get bad). Players will likely recognize Nolan North's voice as Walker. I felt North did an admirable job taking on a much more mature character. Though the (sometimes gratuitous) swearing may offput some, I recommend you grit through it to see the shocking conclusion. There's multiplayer in Spec Ops, but I recommend you skip it. The game works when the servers aren't being slammed, and there are some cheap thrills in modes like Chaos (free-for-all) and Buried. However, it's clear the singleplayer was the focus of development. I felt like the MP didn't carry the same weighty feeling of combat. It also lacked the emotional impact that the narrative hit home. If you purchase Spec Ops, stay for the campaign, not the compe***ive multiplayer. The technicals behind Spec Ops are fairly strong. The visuals, though lacking when compared to games like Battlefield 3, are suitably gritty and do the job well. Some of the character models look great, and the ruined city of Dubai is beautifully rendered. When the dust kicks up from explosions and gunfire, the air is obscured and a tactical element is layered onto the shooting. The particles aren't just for looks; they can really come in handy when the defecation hits the oscillation. The audio is absolutely fantastic. With a fully-licensed soundtrack and some haunting musical scores, Spec Ops succeeds in mooding you out. Everything here is meant to unsettle you, and the soundtrack does an admirable job fulfilling this roles. As I mentioned earlier, the great dialogue is well acted. The sound effects are also great; they really add to the visceral impact of combat and the narrative. If you're expecting the next generation in A/V though, you'll be disappointed. Then again, if you're coming for that, you're not playing the right shooter. Is Spec Ops the best shooter of 2012? Probably not, but that's for a reason. Spec Ops is a criticism of the modern shooter, taking the fundamental concept of the war game and inverting it. It may seem like a blatant copy of Apocalypse Now and Heart of Darkness, but don't be fooled; there are far more horrific things to experience in Spec Ops than you may expect. Prepare to have your moral and ethical codes challenged in this game, and always remember that not everything in Dubai is as it seems. But this you already know. The rest you'll just have to figure out for yourself. Welcome to Dubai, gentleman. Pros: + Incredibly deep story, filled with hidden intel to unravel more of the mystery + Forces players to make a number of difficult choices at any given time + Great audio and a few beautifully rendered scenes set Spec Ops apart + The multiplayer is not the focus of the game this time around Cons: - The multiplayer is also incredibly barebones - Some odd control bindings can cause trouble - Occasional bugs and technical glitches here and there Overall: 8.5/10 Great Spec Ops is a great, mature third-person shooter that actually makes you regret the choices you make. A deep story is coupled with great dialogue to create an excellent campaign. GIVEAWAY: Want to win a Steam copy of Spec Ops: The Line? Simply tell me what you thought of Apocalypse Now and why you're excited to play Spec Ops. Winner chosen randomly on July 6th at 9 PM Eastern.


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Spain's Parador Hotels: a perfect setting for your professional events
Parador hotel in Alcalá de Henares
Член сети «Испанские отели-парадоры».
A medieval castle, a palace, a 16th-century convent... these are Spain's Parador Hotels. You can organise your business meeting or plan an incentive trip in buildings as unique as these. Many of the hotels offer, either function rooms with a full range of technological facilities for your business meeting, and/or attractive ideas for your incentive trip.
If you are looking for unique, peaceful surroundings for your business meeting, then with Spain's Parador Hotels you cannot go wrong. These establishments can be found at locations throughout the country, in stunning settings away from the hustle and bustle, fully equipped for the organisation of business events. Many of them have large function rooms, audiovisual equipment and everything you need for a coffee break and a working lunch. All this with the maximum level of professional service. Furthermore, if your meetings take place over several days, you have the option of staying in the comfortable rooms of the Paradors themselves.
Depending on your preferences, you can opt for the facilities at a Parador on the coast such as the one in Aiguablava (Girona province), in a castle like the Alcañiz Parador (Teruel province), in a Franciscan monastery like the Almagro Parador (Ciudad Real), in a palace such as La Granja Parador(Segovia) or in a walled fortress like the Baiona Parador (Pontevedra).
All these are set in emblematic locations. They have meetings rooms with different capacities and a full range of facilities: multi-screen system, projection facilities, DVD, PA system, internet access, flip charts, technical staff and even an elevating stage. The latest technology and the Parador quality guarantee will make sure your event is a resounding success.
A host of leisure possibilities for your incentive trip
If you are thinking of organising an incentive trip, then Spain's Parador Hotels are also ideal, as they offer a full range of alternatives. Golf enthusiasts can enjoy this sport at courses at the Paradors in Ávila, Albacete, Antequera (Malaga province), Arcos de la Frontera (Cadiz), Argómaniz (Álava), Ayamonte (Huelva) and Benicarló (Castellón).
Furthermore, the majority of these hotels offer stunning landscapes and ideal surroundings for active incentive trips. This is the case of the Artíes Parador (Lleida province), a charming refuge in the Pyrenees Mountains, and the Baiona Parador, which is a viewpoint over the Atlantic Ocean. Paragliding, bungee jumping, canyoning, fishing, canoeing, horse riding, kayaking, white water rafting, hiking, boat trips and trekking... these are just some of the activities available. Excitement is guaranteed.
Varied gastronomy
To accompany a day of work or leisure, nothing better than the delights of Spanish cuisine. All Paradors offers exquisite, typical dishes from each part of the country. They also have special menus designed for groups.
Don't think twice. Spain's pleasant year-round climate, the attractive location of the establishments, their spacious rooms and the professional service provided by their staff are just some reasons for you to choose Parador Hotels.
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Perhaps more than any other fossil, Lucy is presented as "exhibit A" for evolutionists in their attempt to show that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor.
The ocelloid—a camera-like "eye" inside single-celled marine plankton—is an amazing design, but it does not represent an evolutionary triumph.
Bioluminescence helps many animals hunt, hide, or reproduce, and it remains a riddle for evolutionary scientists.
Does the "world's oldest sponge" confirm evolutionary beginnings of multicellular animal life at least 600 million years ago?
Does the Cambrian explosion mark the beginning of the catastrophic global Flood or the beginning of vertebrate evolution?
Dr. Peter Enns continues his destructive influence on Christian faith and the Bible in his assault on God's Word in his book The Bible Tells Me So.
To think of the biblical unicorn as a fantasy animal is to demean God's Word, which is true in every detail.PDF Download
Like other extinct mammals that "suddenly" appear in the fossil record, this "discovery" is no mystery but a descendant of animals God created 6,000 years ago.
Were Neanderthals our cousins, our ancestors, or just our fellow human travelers in the post-Babel world?
Biblical truth is by no means at odds with observational science, and it will triumph over man's godless assertions.
Drs. Elizabeth Mitchell and Terry Mortenson discuss a recent local presentation that they attended.
Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell reviews Dr. Hugh Ross's Navigating Genesis, which, sadly, steers the uninformed into a shipwreck of faith.
The observations of science continue to be consistent with the true history of life on Earth as recorded in the Word of God, the Creator of all that exists.
The "superorganism" that you are testifies to the superlative wisdom of our Creator God.
This predatory beast of very little brain drove evolution of brighter brains, evolutionists say.
Fish fingers were never on the evolutionary menu.
Iron may be the key to the surprising preservation of dinosaur soft tissue.
Does the curious mosaic cobbled from the Dmanisi dig demonstrate we are all one family?
Countless people have been convinced by the wonders of the developing embryo—falsely portrayed—that evolution must be true. Why is this falsified idea still accepted by many teachers and scientists?
The human cloning method of Shoukhrat Mitalipov's group re-ignites the bioethics of the human embryonic stem cell debate at a whole new level.
Should medical educators clutter the busy course schedule that medical students must master with additional instruction in evolution?
Since the discovery of Australopithecus sediba there has been a valiant effort to place sediba in the ancestral line of humans.
A blog post critical of the Creation Museum's "Lucy" exhibit shows reckless and unscientific reasoning.
However the scientific community receives Dr. Berger's latest analyses, the media headlines have already voted sediba another dose of public acclaim.
No results found in .
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.


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For the first time in more than 75 years, the Dallas Morning News on Wednesday endorsed a Democrat for president of the United States.
"There is only one serious candidate on the presidential ballot in November. We recommend Hillary Clinton," the paper's editorial board wrote.
The endorsement came a day after the paper criticized Trump for "an authoritarian streak that should horrify limited-government advocates," in an editorial titled "Donald Trump is no Republican."
U.S. & World
Breaking with a decades-old tradition of encouraging readers to vote for the Republican presidential candidate in the general election, the paper said it didn't "come to this decision easily."
"This newspaper has not recommended a Democrat for the nation's highest office since before World War II — if you're counting, that's more than 75 years and nearly 20 elections. The party's over-reliance on government and regulation to remedy the country's ills is at odds with our belief in private-sector ingenuity and innovation. Our values are more about individual liberty, free markets and a strong national defense."
While acknowledging its past issues with Clinton's handling of "certain issues," the editorial board contrasted her "experience in actual governance" to Trump.
"Resume vs. resume, judgment vs. judgment, this election is no contest," the paper's conservative-leaning editorial board asserted, noting Clinton has spent "years in the trenches doing the hard work needed to prepare herself to lead our nation. In this race, at this time, she deserves your vote."


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Ordinarily, minimization routines use numerical gradients calculated by finite-difference approximation. This procedure systematically perturbs each of the variables in order to calculate function and constraint partial derivatives. Alternatively, you can provide a function to compute partial derivatives analytically. Typically, the problem is solved more accurately and efficiently if such a function is provided.
Consider how to solve
subject to the constraints
x1x2 – x1 – x2 ≤
x1x2 ≥ –10.
To solve the problem using analytically determined gradients, do the following.
function [f,gradf] = objfungrad(x) f = exp(x(1))*(4*x(1)^2+2*x(2)^2+4*x(1)*x(2)+2*x(2)+1); % Gradient of the objective function: if nargout > 1 gradf = [ f + exp(x(1)) * (8*x(1) + 4*x(2)), exp(x(1))*(4*x(1)+4*x(2)+2)]; end
function [c,ceq,DC,DCeq] = confungrad(x) c(1) = 1.5 + x(1) * x(2) - x(1) - x(2); % Inequality constraints c(2) = -x(1) * x(2)-10; % No nonlinear equality constraints ceq=[]; % Gradient of the constraints: if nargout > 2 DC= [x(2)-1, -x(2); x(1)-1, -x(1)]; DCeq = []; end
gradf contains the partial derivatives of
the objective function,
f, returned by
with respect to each of the elements in
The columns of
DC contain the partial derivatives
for each respective constraint (i.e., the
ith column
DC is the partial derivative of the
constraint with respect to
x). So in the above
DC is
Since you are providing the gradient of the objective in
objfungrad.m and
the gradient of the constraints in
you must tell
fmincon that
these files contain this additional information. Use
optimoptions to turn the options
SpecifyObjectiveGradient and
SpecifyConstraintGradient to
true in
the example's existing
options = optimoptions(options,'SpecifyObjectiveGradient',true,'SpecifyConstraintGradient',true);
If you do not set these options to
fmincon does not use the analytic gradients.
The arguments
lb and
ub place
lower and upper bounds on the independent variables in
In this example, there are no bound constraints, so set both to
x0 = [-1,1]; % Starting guess options = optimoptions(@fmincon,'Algorithm','sqp'); options = optimoptions(options,'SpecifyObjectiveGradient',true,'SpecifyConstraintGradient',true); lb = [ ]; ub = [ ]; % No upper or lower bounds [x,fval] = fmincon(@objfungrad,x0,[],[],[],[],lb,ub,... @confungrad,options);
The results:
x,fval x = -9.5474 1.0474 fval = 0.0236 [c,ceq] = confungrad(x) % Check the constraint values at x c = 1.0e-13 * -0.1066 0.1066 ceq = []


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(CNN) -- [Updated 3:28 p.m. ET Monday, July 25] The hills are alive with the sound of music ... in Salzburg, Austria!
This week's "Where in the world ...?" is the picturesque city of Salzburg, setting for parts of the 1965 film "The Sound of Music" and home to the annual Salzburg Festival which starts Wednesday.
Since 1920, the festival has showcased some of the world's greatest orchestras, opera singers and playwrights. Salzburg is also the birthplace of music great Mozart.
Reader "pauldgaul" had no problem guessing the location, submitting the first correct answer in this week's challenge. Quickly following were "cgouyonnet" and "leadbelly66." Congrats!
[Original post] Do you know where this photo was taken?
If you think you know the answer -- or if you just want to take a wild guess -- post it in the comments area below. Later in the day, we'll reveal where the photo was taken and give credit to those who figured it out first. (The more detail, the better!)
Each Monday morning, we'll post a new photo and challenge you to tell us its origin. The photo might be related to a prominent news story or theme -- or it might just be something that caught our eye.
Good luck!


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Grab this trendy dolman tee from our Bluebird Cafe Flyer Collection!
The Bluebird Cafe is one of the world's preeminent listening rooms and the venue has gained worldwide recognition as a songwriter's performance space where the "heroes behind the hits" perform their own songs; songs that have been recorded by chart-topping artists in all genres of music. In October of 2012, the Bluebird Cafe made its primetime debut on ABC (now broadcasted on CMT) with the hit drama Nashville. Captivate your friends and family with one of our super soft tees, must have drinkware or choose from unique gifts and memorabilia inspired by the acoustic music.
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Cook 'ready to go' after latest rehab outing
OAKLAND -- Ryan Cook was all smiles as he greeted reporters in the Oakland clubhouse before Sunday's matinee against the Seattle Mariners.
Though he had a rough outing Saturday with Class A Advanced Stockton, Cook said he felt good to go while rehabbing from shoulder problems that have had him on the 15-day disabled list since the end of Spring Training.
Cook said he hoped to be activated for Monday's contest at Minnesota, but on Sunday morning manager Bob Melvin said he did not have his mind made up.
"We'll activate him on the road trip at some point in time," Melvin said. "Which day, I'm not sure."
The plan was for Cook to get in two innings of work with Stockton, but he was able to record only two outs while allowing two earned runs on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts. Still, the valuable right-handed setup man said he was happy with the way his arm felt, despite the subpar results.
"I came out of there feeling like I'm ready to go," Cook said. "Arm feels healthy, I feel healthy. Got that one out of the system hopefully and now it's time to go, as far as I know."
Cook said his past two Minor League appearances last week with Stockton had given him confidence that he was ready to return to duty, saying Thursday's outing served as something of a turning point. The 26-year-old has made 71 appearances for the A's in each of the past two seasons, compiling a 2.30 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 9.4 K/9 ratio in that span. Clearly, he is champing at the bit to get back on the big league mound.
Meanwhile, Cook also got to watch outfielder Craig Gentry play in his first game of a multicontest rehab assignment as he tries to come back from a balky back. Gentry, who is expected to take over a reserve outfielder role in Oakland when healthy, went 2-for-4 with a double while playing all nine innings in left field for Stockton on Saturday.
"He looks good," Cook said.
Melvin said the plan was to have Gentry play one or two more Minor League rehab games before the manager would make a decision on his return.
"We'll have some tough [roster] moves coming up on both ends of it," Melvin said, referring to the outfield and bullpen.


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The new MURS Alert Long Rang System offers the ability to monitor activity at remote locations. The MURS Alert™ transmitter is capable of sending 4 different alert messages to the transceiver. The alert signals will be in spoken English and are easily selected at the transmitter so that separate zones can be monitored at the same time. MURS Alert™ will give you real time monitoring of remote locations up to two miles away.
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The MURS Alert transmitter is a passive infrared (PIR) detector that can be used to detect people, vehicles or large animals at selected locations. The PIR sensor will detect movement of objects up to 80 feet in front of the transmitter box. When a person, vehicle or large animal is detected, the MURS Alert will transmit a signal. When an target is detected by the MURS Alert, an alert signal will be sent to the M538-HT


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Captivate 09
Capcom to announce two more games at E3
Capcom said on its Twitter last night that it still has two more games to announce at E3. It'll be Flock 2, or something. The publisher properly shot its load with CAPTIVATE coverage yesterday, all of which you can find here. Thanks, Joystiq.
Captivate 09 headlines
CAPTIVATE 09 embargo lifts - All coverage rounded-up
The CAPTIVATE embargo just lifted, revealing impressions on Dead Rising 2, Lost Planet 2 and plenty me. Don't trawl the web: we'll do it for you. We'll add everything as it appears. Lost Planet 2 Eurogamer preview Eurogamer screens Eurogamer.fr boss battle trailer "Downloadable Lost Planet 2 demo at E3" (Eurogamer) Lost Planet 2 Demo […]
Dead Rising 2 - first proper trailer
After the break. There's some gun-jumping going on here. All the CAPTIVATE assets aren't supposed to be released until 4.00pm GMT today. But there we are. Chuck Greene! Watch watch watch.
Marvel Vs Capcom 2 - 7 direct-feed movies, impressions, screens
Gamespot's posted up a five-minute direct-feed movie of Marvel Vs Capcom 2 from CAPTIVATE. Get it after the break. The ubiquitous Christan Svennson's talking over the top of it, and there's tons of play in there. There's an impressions article here. In addition, IGN's posted up six videos from the same event. Get all the […]


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Ahh Necker Island, home to none other billionaire Sir Richard Branson. Necker Island is a 74-acre luxurious private island resort. Equipped with luxury private villas, exotic wild animals, stunning views and a wide range of land and water activities for their guest. The ultimate all-inclusive luxury resort | Price: $$$$+ | *Sighs* Oh what a dream to actually spend the … Continue reading Necker Island Nature Tour.
Tag: experience
Glamping on Anegada.
Located in the beautiful British Virgin Islands, Anegada is definitely a hidden gem with it's crystal clear water, soft white sand and most importantly it's serene ocean views. Perfect place to get off the grid, literately. After discovering that our sister Island offers the choice of glamping, Danielle and I were eager to visit and have our first girls only staycation. Glamping; is a portmanteau … Continue reading Glamping on Anegada.
Lunch At Little Dix Bay
Living in the BVI, It's quite casual to spend the day at a resort during the weekend and most resorts will allow you to come over either on your private boat or take the ferry they provide, some are free and some you have to pay for. So if you are on a tight budget and don't … Continue reading Lunch At Little Dix Bay
Day At The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Living in the British Virgin Islands (or any island), spending the day at the beach is one of our favourite past time. So what better ways to spend our sunday than soaking up some sun and enjoying the view? My coworker, who is from Argentina wanted to take her friend (who just recently moved from Argentina) to The … Continue reading Day At The Baths, Virgin Gorda


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A stone's throw away from the National Mall, the Smithsonian Hirsshorn Sculpture Garden off Jefferson Drive is an oasis of art. The garden does not allow photographers to bring in tripods, but that should not stop you from starting your photo session there. With sculptures by famous sculptors settling in between the shaded grassy areas, this garden is an idyllic backdrop for your Washington DC wedding photography. Sidle up to a Rodin or a Matisse and have your photographer catch the way the filtered sunlight plays off of your gown, or have your bridal party line up along the reflecting pool for some group shots.
About a block away you will stumble upon another beautiful garden, the Enid Haupt Garden. This delightful slice of flowers and greenery sits off of Independence Avenue, in between the Freer Gallery and the Arts and Industries Building. With freshly mown lawns, vibrant blossoming buds, and perfectly trimmed hedges, your wedding pictures will come out looking natural and ethereal. Walk through the garden with your spouse-to-be and look deep into each other's eyes while your wedding photographer captures the romantic moment. Bridesmaids can surround the bride against the garden background or have the groomsmen stand beside her for a less traditional angle.
To add a touch of character to your Washington DC wedding photography, you can complete your photo session at the well-loved Smithsonian Carousel, which is directly behind the Enid Haupt Garden. The carnival colors will make your solid white or ivory dress stand out and recall fond memories of fun and childhood. You can ride around the carousel with your groom, or get a shot of all of your bridal party riding their own horses around and around. After enough garden shots, you will be happy to let loose a bit and just have fun. The laughter and smiles caught on camera will always remind you of your special day.
For a varied wedding album, the Eastern Market neighborhood offers two spectacular, but completely opposite, wedding photography locations. First, stop at the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress, which is on 1st Street between Independence Avenue and East Capitol Street. The building was built in the 1890's and has an elegant, classical architecture that will lend itself beautifully to your wedding pictures. Get some images of you and your bridal party staged among the building's arched entryways with the gorgeous columns and copper dome rising into the sky. The Thomas Jefferson Building also has a fountain featuring the Roman god Neptune, which adds to the classic vibe. Once you've had your fill of the classic, traditional shots, move on to the next, less traditional location.
Hop in your limo and ride toward 7th and C Street where you will find the neighborhood's eponymous farmer's market, the Eastern Market. The market is great for some fun, journalistic shots set against vegetable booths and flea market vendors. Peruse the stalls with your future-husband and let your photographer snap candid pictures of the two of you out shopping in your finery. Your wedding garb might pique the interest of more than a couple of fellow shoppers, but interacting with the folks in the market as you shop makes for some fun social scenes that you can cherish forever. The eclectic wares and multi-color will translate to film as a beautifully dynamic backdrop. The outer building is somewhat institutional-looking, but the symmetrical architecture will provide a nice contrast with you and your bridesmaid's flowing dresses. The inside can get crowded, so your photographer will be able to snap an interesting shot for future games of "Find the Bridal Couple!"
Meridian Hill Park is brimming with photogenic backgrounds and hidden gems of Washington DC. Wedding photographers can have a field day staging shots of their couples and their wedding parties. Perhaps the best known feature of Meridian Hill Park is its 13 basin cascading fountain and reflecting pool. The fountain is an opulent setting for your photos, with stairs going up either side, balustrades, stone arches, and crystal clear water surrounded in lush greens. Have your wedding party stand on the steps leading down the fountain with you and your future-spouse at the front of each line.
The park is also home to several statues, which you can incorporate into your photo shoot. Above the cascade, you can visit the Joan of Arc statue or the Serenity statue, letting the pretty sculptures fill the backgrounds of your images. Below the cascade, you will find statues memorializing former-president James Buchanan and the Italian poet Dante. Take the time with your wedding party to create unique shots around these statues, then head to the 16th street entrance to the park to capture images with the Washington meridian, which marks where one of the prime meridians intersects Washington DC. Wedding photographers can get amazing pictures here, because the marker stone is a towering arched doorway. The classical architecture will look beautiful in your wedding album.
After you have exhausted the photographic opportunities in Meridian Hill Park, make your final stop at the Tivoli Theatre (now the Gala Hispanic Theatre), located at 14th Street and Park Road in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Since the theatre is well over eight blocks away, you will most likely want to catch a ride with your limo driver. The Italian Renaissance style architecture of the theatre provides a great backdrop for your couple shots, or you could get pictures of the bridal party underneath the glowing Tivoli marquees. These shots are sure to be a hit with all of your family and friends.
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Wabash Men Join Community in Rebuilding Covered Bridgeby Howard W. Hewitt • June 1, 2006 Share:
Bridgeton, Ind. – Help has poured into tiny Bridgeton since the April 28, 2005, arson fire that destroyed what is often called Indiana's most photographed covered bridge. Thursday more than 20 Wabash students and staff joined the effort.
Spurred by the Present Indiana project, 24 Wabash students and staff traveled to tiny Bridgeton in southern Parke County to help sort lumber, clean up the work yard, and be a part of history. (See photo album from Bridgeton day here.)
"Having the opportunity to contribute to the rebuilding of the Bridgeton covered bridge was a rewarding experience," John Meara '07 said. "To stop and think about what was happening was amazing. The bridge was destroyed by arson last April, but the response in reaction to the destruction can only bring a smile. Many individuals in Bridgeton have been instrumental in organizing the rebuilding efforts, ranging from simple monetary donations to back breaking labor.
"It is evident that there will be another Bridgeton covered bridge, which will serve old and new purposes for generations to come. The Wabash College presence was truly appreciated. It meant something to the people of Parke County that we were able to organize an effort and deliver 24 students and staff willing to help."
Meara is studying Parke County bridges as part of the Present Indiana project. Present Indiana, funded by Lilly Endowment, provides an eight-week summer internship for students to study historical and cultural aspects of the Hoosier state.
The students arrived under cloudy skies, misty rain, and foggy terrain. But the Wabash men jumped into projects which ranged from stacking lumber, picking up bark, putting a sealant on lumber, and cleaning up wood piles.
"I would say the average age of our volunteer is 65." Bridgeton Covered Bridge Association President Mike Roe said. "On weekends we get more than enough help but through the week it's just retired guys. Those guys were thrilled to hear the Wabash students were coming. There are a lot of little jobs like picking up the bark, they don't want to do that and some of them physically can't do it. Jobs like painting these boards and things, it's little jobs that have been put off because they're labor intensive. This is just a God send to us."
Roe coordinates volunteer efforts which have driven the project since it begun. The 267-foot long bridge was built in 1868. The town and reconstruction organizers hope to have the new bridge ready by the October Covered Bridge Festival, though Roe admits it's going to be tough to make that deadline.
Roe often has anywhere from 8 to 18 daily volunteers through the week and weekend. Area farmers have donated the huge poplar and oak trees necessary to rebuild the bridge. The builders have estimated it will take 2,000 volunteer hours to complete the work.
A Zionsville firm and local contractor and sawyer Dan Collom will do the actual construction after being awarded a contract on a bid of $125,000. The community has raised nearly $200,000 for the reconstruction effort. Three area lumber companies have donated crews to take down 250 trees and move them to Bridgeton.
But, it's the volunteer spirit that has made the project possible. Roe is quick to point out when other bridges were destroyed in Parke County there was always talk of rebuilding them but it never happened.
"It's unbelievable," he said of the volunteer outpouring. "I just didn't believe things like this could happen today. You just hear so much bad news - just bad, bad, bad. There are a lot of good people out there and they're coming here to help. They're offering their services, money, equipment, and time. It's absolutely amazing."
The volunteer efforts go beyond the makeshift lumber yard. Ladies from the Bridgeton area take turns preparing lunch on work days. They had an extra-large crowd to feed Thursday.
The spirit spilled over to the Wabash students when they saw how much their efforts were appreciated.
"In addition to volunteering for the construction, it was great to work side by side fellow Wabash men, who were willing to donate their time and strength out of the goodness of their heart," Meara said. "They were not paid, but recognize the value and importance of such matters. While it may be just a covered bridge for some, for others, it is an important historical landmark symbolic of Westward expansion and Indiana heritage and culture.
"It is home to thousands of memories, from the citizens of Parke County, to those who make the pilgrimage to the nation's largest covered bridge festival. Experiences such as today are good for the soul. They also help remind me why Wabash College is such a unique place. It was great to see Wallies live up to our name, and 'live humanely.' "
Jesse Payne, who was charged in the arson - and an attempted arson the same day at the Mansfield Covered Bridge, about 10 miles away - was institutionalized after he was determined to be incompetent to stand trial.
In photos:
Top right: Guys load up bark cleaned from the lumber yard. Center left: Meara presents Roe with a Wabash hat and t-shirt. Center right: A frame model of the new bridge sets in Roe's mill. Lower left: Morgan Nolan and Nathan Bates band wood the Wabash guys had stacked.


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Roger Cotes
Born: 10 July 1682 in Burbage, Leicestershire, England
Died: 5 June 1716 in Cambridge, England
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|Main Index
|Biographies index
Roger Cotes' mother was Grace Farmer, who came from Barwell in Leicestershire, and his father was Robert Cotes who was the rector of Burbage. Roger had a brother Anthony one year older than himself, and a sister Susanna who was one year younger. He attended Leicester School and by the age of twelve his teachers had already realised that he had an exceptional mathematical talent. His uncle, the Reverend John Smith, was keen to give Roger every chance to develop these talents and so Roger went to live with him so that he might be personally tutored. Roger later attended the famous St Paul's School in London, but he continued to be advised by his uncle and the two exchanged letters on mathematical topics during the time that Roget spent at school in London.
Roger matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge, on 6 April 1699 as a pensioner, meaning that he did not have a scholarship and paid for his own keep in College. He graduated with a B.A. in 1702 and remained at Cambridge where he was elected to a fellowship in 1705. In January 1706 he was nominated to be the first Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy. This was a remarkable achievement for Cotes who, at that time, was on 23 years of age. His exceptional abilities had been fully appreciated, however, by many at Cambridge such as William Whiston with whom he had quickly formed a friendship. Both Newton and Whiston recommended Cotes for the Chair, as did Richard Bentley who was master of Trinity College. There were some, however, who opposed his appointment, the most high profile of whom was Flamsteed, the astronomer royal. By the time that Cotes was formally elected as Plumian Professor on 16 October 1707 he had, in the previous year, been elected to a more prestigious fellowship as well as being awarded his M.A. Meli gives the background to the establishment of the chair in [2]:-
Cotes was the first occupant of the Cambridge chair established by Thomas Plume (1630 - 1704), archdeacon of Rochester, who bequeathed nearly £2000 to maintain a professor and erect an astronomical observatory. Plans for an observatory at Trinity had already been drafted by Bentley before Plume's bequest. The observatory was eventually housed over the king's or great gate at Trinity College, together with living quarters for the Plumian professor.It is not entirely clear how successful Cotes was in his role as an observational astronomer. In the first place there are somewhat contradictory accounts of the quality of the instruments in the Cambridge observatory. Cotes designed a transit telescope to add to a collection of instruments which had been purchased or donated. For example Newton donated a clock which still survives at Trinity College. Bentley, the master of Trinity College we mentioned above, claimed that the Observatory had "the best instruments in Europe" but an assistant who worked there wrote to Flamsteed saying "I saw nothing there that might deserve your notice". The truth is probably somewhere in between, since it would be natural for the master of Trinity to boast of the facilities, while the assistant, who only worked there for a short time, was probably trying to please Flamsteed. In terms of the observations that Cotes made, perhaps the most significant was the total eclipse on 22 April 1715. However, Halley describes this event in a paper in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society where he says that Cotes:-
... had the misfortune to be opprest by too much company, so that though the heavens were very favourable, yet he missed both the times of the beginning of the eclipse and that of total darkness.Cotes himself wrote a letter to Newton concerning the eclipse in which he explained that his assistant had discovered a method to determine the mid-point of the eclipse and he [3]:-
... called out to me, "Now's the middle", though I knew not at that time what he meant.None of this speaks very highly of Cotes' dedication as an observer, but nevertheless he did note some important facts concerning this eclipse and other astronomical events. However, his mathematical abilities put him second only to Newton from his generation in England. Before going on to look at his mathematical contributions let us note that he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society on 30 November 1711, was ordained a deacon on 30 March 1713, and was ordained a priest on 31 May 1713.
From 1709 until 1713 much of Cotes' time was taken up editing the second edition of Newton's Principia. He did not simply proof-read the work, rather he conscientiously studied it, gently but persistently arguing points with Newton. For example in [6] a discussion is considered which took place between Cotes and Newton in 1711 concerning the velocity of water flowing from a hole in a cylindrical vessel. During the discussion they gave various approximations to the fourth root of 2 which is approximately 1.189207115. Newton gave the following rational approximations (we add decimal values to see their accuracy)
6/5 = 1.200000000while Cotes gave
13/11 = 1.181818182
25/21 = 1.190476190
13/11 = 1.181818182
25/21 = 1.190476190
44/37 = 1.189189189.At the beginning of the correspondence between the two men the tone is very friendly. However, toward the end of the task there are signs that they are cooling towards one another (see [3] for details of these letters). In particular although Newton thanked Cotes in the first draft of a preface he wrote to this edition, he deleted these thanks for the final publication. Cotes himself wrote an interesting preface of his own in which he explained how the study of natural philosophy had developed. First, Cotes explained, came Aristotle's method which involved naming hidden properties. Then, according to Cotes, came the ideas that all matter was homogeneous. He saw these methods as improvements, yet still retaining certain of the weaknesses of Aristotle's approach. Although he does not specifically name Descartes and Leibniz here, it is clearly an attach on their ideas. Finally says Cotes, comes the method based on first conducting experiments without having preconceived ideas, and then deducing how the world works from the results. These were the methods of Newton which led to establishing how the basic forces of nature operated.
Cotes only published one paper in his lifetime, namely Logometria, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society for March 1714, which he dedicated to Halley. It contains (in the words that Cotes used himself in a letter to Newton [3]):-
... a new sort of construction in geometry which appear to me very easy, simple and general.In this Cotes explained gave a method of finding rational approximations as convergents of continued fractions, and the author of [6] suggests that this explains how he found the approximation 44/37 to the fourth root of 2 which we mentioned above.
Cotes was particularly pleased with his rectification of the logarithmic curve as he made clear in a letter to his friend William Jones in 1712. In particular his work on logarithms led him to study the curve r = a/θ which he named the reciprocal spiral. Cotes extended the work of Varignon when he rectified the Archimedean spiral and the parabola of Apollonius, a problem first proposed by Fermat, showing that both have the same integral. His work here was based on the formula
ln(cos q + i sin q) = i q.Jones urged Cotes to publish his work in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, but Cotes resisted this, wishing to support Cambridge and publish with Cambridge University Press. His early death was to prevent publication in his lifetime.
Cotes discovered an important theorem on the nth roots of unity, gave the continued fraction expansion of e, invented radian measure of angles, anticipated the method of least squares, published graphs of tangents and secants, and discovered a method of integrating rational fractions with binomial denominators. His substantial advances in the theory of logarithms, the integral calculus, in numerical methods particularly interpolation and table construction of integrals for eighteen classes of algebraic functions led Newton to say:-
... if he had lived we might have known something.According to Edleston [3], Cotes died of a:-
... fever attended with a violent diarrhoea and constant delirium.He was buried four days later in the chapel of Trinity College.
Some of the work which Cotes hoped to publish with Cambridge University Press was published eventually by Thomas Simpson in The Doctrine and Application of Fluxions (2 Vols, London, 1750). Robert Smith edited Cotes' major posthumous work, the Harmonia mensurarum which appeared in 1722. It is fitting at this point to explain who Robert Smith was, and how he interacted with Cotes. In fact he was the son of Cotes' uncle, the Reverend John Smith, and had become friends with Cotes when his uncle had him live in his house as a boy. Later Robert Smith was Cotes' assistant when he was Plumian Professor, and eventually succeeded him as Plumian professor. It was Smith who, many years after Cotes' death, when he was master of Trinity College, had a bust of Cotes erected. This bust, which is shown above, is now in the Wren library.
Let us return to Cotes' posthumous work the Harmonia mensurarum Ⓣ. As well as reprinting Logometria it contains the three mathematical works:
1. Aestimatio errorum in mixta mathesis. ⓉThe first concerns plane and spherical triangles and was much used by astronomers. It contains an early study of the theory of errors. The second develops Newton's methods of interpolation and was particularly useful in studying orbits of comets. The third work studies numerical integration and also includes further contributions to interpolation.
2. De methodo differentiali Newtoniana. Ⓣ
3. Canonotechnia. Ⓣ
2. De methodo differentiali Newtoniana. Ⓣ
3. Canonotechnia. Ⓣ
In 1738, 22 years after Cotes died, Smith published the lectures which Cotes had given on experimental physics Hydrostatical and pneumatical lectures.
Article by: J J O'Connor and E F Robertson
Click on this link to see a list of the Glossary entries for this page
List of References (11 books/articles)
A Quotation
A Poster of Roger Cotes
Mathematicians born in the same country
Additional Material in MacTutor
- Isaac Newton by his contemporaries
- Multiple entries in The Mathematical Gazetteer of the British Isles
(Click the link below for those honoured in this way)
|Plumian chair
|1707 - 1716
|Fellow of the Royal Society
Cross-references in MacTutor
- History Topics: Orbits and gravitation
- History Topics: The trigonometric functions
- Famous Curves: Hyperbolic Spiral
- Famous Curves: Lituus
- Chronology: 1720 to 1740
Other Web sites
- Dictionary of Scientific Biography
- Dictionary of National Biography
- Kevin Brown
- Google books
- Mathematical Genealogy Project


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Fatal Decree
When a serial killer shows up on Longboat Key, Florida, after a twelve year absence, Matt Royal is stymied. The first woman killed on Longboat Key has ties to a secretive government agency for which Matt's best friend Jock Algren works. Was this a coincidence or was she a targeted kill?
Matt's friend, Longboat Key detective Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, investigates the murders but also seems to be a target of the killer. Why? And where has the killer been for twelve years? And why has he come to Longboat Key when his earlier kills were all in Miami?
The mystery deepens when Guatemalan gangbangers try to kill Matt and J.D., and suspicions grow that Mexican drug cartels are somehow involved. The director of Jock's agency orders him to do whatever is necessary to find the killer.
Will Jock simply take out the murderer, or will he allow J.D. and the law to arrest, try, and convict the bad guys? Matt's life is further complicated by J.D.'s growing dissatisfaction with island living and her thoughts of returning to Miami.


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Through the Looking Glass: An Exhibit of Microscopic Images
1st Floor, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences
509 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298
In January and February of 2014, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences invited submissions of microscopic images from VCU students, faculty and staff. More than 40 images were submitted for consideration, and 24 are featured in the exhibit held in the library's gallery. Images were analyzed and scored by Scott Henderson, Lara Mabry, Rene Olivares-Navarrete and Ning Zhang on the basis of aesthetic appeal, technical skill and scientific significance. Anders Hånell, Ryan Clohessy and Gireesh Reddy are recipients of prizes and best-in-show honors.
Scientists whose images are on view are:
- Sarah Ayad, student, biomedical engineering
- Alexander Burkard, student, biology
- Sarah Cameron, student, biomedical engineering
- Alice Cheng, student, biomedical engineering
- Ryan Clohessy, student, biomedical engineering
- Ema Dragoescu, faculty, pathology
- Ahmed A. Farghaly, student, chemistry
- Anders Hånell, Ph.D. student, anatomy and neurobiology
- Kelly Hotchkiss, student, biomedical engineering
- Imran Khatri, student, biomedical engineering
- Xiaoyan Liu, postdoctoral researcher, biomedical engineering
- Roshni Malik, student, biomedical engineering
- Rebecca Martin, Ph.D. student, microbiology/immunology
- Devon Mason, student, biomedical engineering
- Gireesh Reddy, student, biomedical engineering
- Carmen Sato-Bigbee, faculty, biochemistry and molecular biology
- Shilpa Singh, student, biochemistry
- Tricia H. Smith, faculty, biology
- Ness Sufrin, forensic science
- Robert Tombes, faculty, biology
- Bhavya Vendra, student, biomedical engineering
- Paul Vorster, integrative life sciences/biology
The exhibit is free and open to the public during all normal library hours. Parking is available for a fee in the 8th Street parking deck. If special accommodations are needed, please contact Thelma Mack at (804) 828-0017.
Opening reception
An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 25, from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Special Collections and Archives reading room at Tompkins-McCaw Library. Prize winners will be honored, and refreshments will be served. The event, like the reception, is free and open to all.
Image: Electrospun Fibers, by Ryan Clohessy


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A woman who's accused music mogul Russell Simmons of rape, and another who said she managed to talk her way out of a sexual assault by Simmons, appeared on "Megyn Kelly Today" Tuesday to discuss what they said happened to them and how it made them feel dirty.
At least 12 women have recently accused Simmons, a founder of legendary hip-hop record label Def Jam Records, of sexual misconduct, including several who said Simmons raped them. He's "vehemently" denied the allegations, saying they "shocked me to my core and all of my relations have been consensual."
But Sherri Hines, a member of pioneering all-female rap group Mercedes Ladies, said on "Megyn Kelly Today" that Simmons should admit to the behavior that she and other women have described on the show and to reporters for The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
U.S. & World
"If you made an impact and hurt these people … then I think it would be in your best interest to just be real," Hines said.
She said that Simmons raped her in his office around 1983, when: "He sat down next to me and, it was weird, because it just happened so fast. Next thing you know I'm being pinned down."
She thought about grabbing a lamp and hitting Simmons with it, she told Kelly, but couldn't stop him. She ran out of the office feeling embarrassed, used and worthless, and told a friend about it.
That friend and a sister of Hines' confirmed to the LA Times they discussed the incident Hines described. The newspaper reported that an attorney for Simmons said he "vigorously denies" it ever occurred.
Hines was joined by actress Natashia Williams-Blach, who said she was able to convince Simmons to stop trying to force her to give him oral sex after taking a yoga class at his home about 20 years ago, when she was 18.
Like Hines, she described the incident happening very fast, but convinced Simmons to let up by telling him she needed to return to UCLA to study.
"I think it was a miracle that put it into my throat to come out," Williams-Blach said. "You just realize you escaped the minefield."
Simmons' attorney told the LA Times when it first reported Williams-Blach's account that Simmons remembers taking a yoga class with her but "vehemently denies the rest of her allegations."
Another woman, Keri Claussen Khalighi, has appeared on "Megyn Kelly Today" to say that Simmons coerced her into have oral sex with him without her consent. Simmons has said he was saddened and shocked by her allegation, which he denied and suggested came from feeling shame about their sexual encounter.
Both women on the show Tuesday they were left feeling violated and dirty.
Williams-Blach said that culture has encouraged such behavior in men: "If it happens, it feels horrible, but, you know, I was the pink bikini girl in the movie or I'm modeling and I'm wearing this outfit and it's sort of presented in a sexualized way."
A representative for Simmons, contacted for comment ahead of the show, referred "Megyn Kelly Today" to his most recent statement, which denied accusations against him in the newspaper reports as ranging "from the patently untrue to the frivolous and hurtful." He also argued people shouldn't be considered guilty by accusation.
"I have re-dedicated myself to spiritual learning, healing and working on behalf of the communities to which I have devoted my life," he said. "I have accepted that I can and should get dirt on my sleeves if it means witnessing the birth of a new consciousness about women. What I will not accept is responsibility for what I have not done. I have conducted my life with a message of peace and love."
Both women on "Megyn Kelly Today" felt that wasn't honest, with Williams-Blach saying she came forward to tell her story specifically because Simmons was implying he couldn't have been a rapist because he does yoga and gives money to charity.
"We literally just did the downward dog before you acted like a dog," she said.
Hines said she had been contacted by the New York Police Department, whose detectives are reviewing allegations against Simmons. Williams-Blach said she had not been contacted.
A representative for Simmons has said he will cooperate the NYPD inquiry "and is confident of a swift resolution."


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Peanuts Kernels Raw, Round (Size 50/60)
- Peanuts (英语)
Orient Resources Company目前只在以下作出标识的区域展示其产品资料:
Peanuts Kernels Raw, Round (Size 50/60) are comprised of the raw, round, shelled fruits of the Arachis hypogaea plant. This product is most commonly used in baked good, peanut butter, and snack food applications.
Orient Resources Company is an international manufacturer that supplies and exports food ingredients used in the Food, Beverage and Nutrition industry. This company has a portfolio that consists of Dehydrated Vegetables, Herbs, Nuts and Seeds, Dry Fruits, Canned Food, Spices, and Specialty Ingredients. These raw materials are tested and Kosher certified, and they also can be sold in bulk.
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Orient Resources Company
希望在赛百库经销商/贸易商板块进行展示推广?请立即联络我们 !


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Episode 3 | 54m 6s
Historian Darius Arya takes us on an extraordinary journey through the treasures of Istanbul, Turkey. But with many of its secrets concealed or underground, he turns to the latest 3D imaging technology to see the city as no human eye ever could.
Aired: 09/12/18
Expires: 09/11/26Video has closed captioning.


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Cutting corporate taxes is quack medicine
Felicity Lawrence has an important article in the Guardian about corporation taxes, which looks at the loopholes the UK government is inserting into the corporate tax code in order to hasten the country's descent into full-blooded tax haven activity. It's aptly entitled Britain's tax rules – now written for and by multinationals.
Among other things, the changes will cost developing countries an estimated £4 billion per year. Oh, and there's this small snippet, too:
"Over the lifetime of this parliament, about £20bn will be lost in tax receipts as a result, according to the Treasury's own estimates."
The article follows on from George Monbiot's more polemical curtain-raiser on some of these issues last year, and Richard Brooks' understated and more technical, yet incredibly powerful description of these changes in a submission to the UK parliament at around the same time.
But there is another aspect to all this, which I've written about recently but bears driving home.
Cutting corporate taxes – whether by cutting the headline rate, or by inserting more loopholes into the corporate tax trough — is economic quack medicine. As I noted on the LSE blog recently, this course of action is quite insane. UK government policy making appears to have been taken over by schoolchildren – from the Chicago School. They are following what I have politely called horseshit economics, or what others have called voodoo economics, and some have called (in slightly different contexts) zombie economics. It's time the media woke up properly to the basic fallacies behind their approach. And this is an issue not just in the UK.
I also now have an article, co-authored with John Christensen, on the Liberal Conspiracy blog, entitled Why Cutting Corporate Taxes Won't Help the British Economy. This article was actually shortened from the version I sent them, so I hope they don't mind but I will provide the original longer article here, below. There's a little overlap with Felicity Lawrence's article, and a bit more overlap with my LSE blog, but there is new analysis in here too.
Cutting corporation taxes: pushing on a string
As Budget Day approaches the UK Chancellor is vowing to press ahead with cuts in the UK corporate tax rate and to create new loopholes for corporations using offshore tax havens. The 2010 budget announced four annual drops in the main rate of corporation tax from 28 percent in 2010 to 24 percent in 2014, with the stated aim of making Britain more 'competitive'.
But this strategy to chisel away at corporate tax revenues is founded on elementary misunderstandings about Britain's plight.
Here is the first problem. British corporations are sitting on oceans of cash: a stunning £750 billion or so at the last count, and growing fast. (In the Eurozone and the U.S., the figures are about €2 trillion and $1.7 trillion respectively.)
Corporation tax cuts, then, take money from a sector (government) that puts it straight to use – building roads and schools, running universities, keeping the courts open, and so on – and handing it to a sector (corporations) that lets it sit idle. This is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Cuts are the wrong medicine, whether you think Britain needs stimulus or austerity.
If you like stimulus, then cutting corporation tax is the worst way to get it. The U.S. Congressional Budget Office concluded fairly recently that corporate tax cuts (and tax cuts for high income earners) were the least effective of all the options for stimulating economic activity. Far better to stimulate in cleverer ways, such as by investing more or by lowering taxes only on firms that do invest while preserving or raising taxes on those that don't.
If you favour austerity, then corporate tax cuts boost the deficit directly. (All the evidence of the last few decades suggests that tax cuts do not pay for themselves, as some people claim.) The purpose of austerity is not to inflict pain but to cut the public debt; since corporate tax cuts are so ineffective in stimulating economic activity, the result will be more pain and more debt: the worst of all worlds.
This is not just a short term issue either. For most corporations deciding where to invest, tax rates are usually fairly low on their agenda, beneath things like a productive and healthy workforce, access to markets and good infrastructure, and political stability. Would you site a car plant in Somalia if it offered a juicy tax break? (Tax-cutters might also like to explain why real investment and economic growth were so much higher during the quarter century after the Second World War, when tax rates were much higher than today.)
The corporations most sensitive to tax rates are the most mobile ones – which mainly means financial firms. So corporate tax cuts may boost profits in the City of London, but without stimulating activity elsewhere. If you want to rebalance Britain's economy then this is, again, precisely the wrong direction to take. (And financial firms have to be in London anyway, whatever the tax rate.)
Worse still, the UK government in this budget plans to let corporations get away with a tax rate of just 5.75 percent on certain kinds of income that they shovel into tax havens. This loophole, created under a 'liaison committee' filled with the tax and finance directors of some of Britain's biggest multinationals, is a free gift to corporations already in the UK and will attract little real new economic activity. The cumulative cost of this, plus the corporate tax rate cuts, has been estimated at £6.7 billion up to 2015. After last year's budget Accountancy Age called it "a £6.7bn gamble to attract businesses to the UK."
But it is worse than a gamble, because we know Britain will lose. So far, only a handful of companies have promised to relocate to the UK as a result, with Aon and WPP the biggest scalps. Aon has said it will bring 20 jobs (that's right: 20.) WPP may create none at all. This activity is not real business, but the economically unproductive shuffling of paper profits.
Finally, what does it mean for Britain to be 'competitive?' Many people lazily conflate competition between firms in a market with competition between jurisdictions on tax. But these are two wholly different economic beasts. Think about it like this: if a firm cannot compete it goes bust, and despite all the pain involved this 'creative destruction' can be a source of economic dynamism. But what do you get if a country cannot 'compete?' A failed state? Greece? Tax 'competition' is a far less savoury creature, and when politicians talk of a 'competitive' tax system – don't fall for it. Corporate tax cutting will damage Britain's economic health, and what is 'competitive' about that?
If Britain wants a balanced and competitive economy it will put money into the hands of those who will use it, instead of whittling down precious taxes on the basis of ideology, woolly economic thinking and effective carte blanche to large corporations to write the some of the UK's tax laws.
Nicholas Shaxson is author of Treasure Islands, a book about tax havens. John Christensen is director of the Tax Justice Network.


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bb-snapshot.cgi - CGI program to rebuild the Xymon webpages for a specific point in time.
bb-snapshot.cgi is invoked as a CGI script via the bb-snapshot.sh CGI wrapper. It rebuilds the Xymon web pages to the look they had at a particular point in time, based upon the historical information logged about events. bb-snapshot.cgi is passed a QUERY_STRING environment variable with the following parameters: mon (Start month of the snapshot) day (Start day-of-month of the snapshot) yr (Start year of the snapshot) hour (Start hour of the snapshot) min (Start minute of the snapshot) sec (Start second of the snapshot) The "month" parameters must be specified as the three-letter english month name abbreviation: Jan, Feb, Mar ... "day" must be in the range 1..31; "yr" must be specified including century (e.g. "2003"). "hour" must be specified using a 24-hour clock. All of the processing involved in generating the report is done by invoking bbgen(1) with the proper "--snapshot" option.
--env=FILENAME Load environment from FILENAME before executing the CGI. bbgen-options All options except "--env" are passed on to the bbgen(1) program building the snapshot files.
BBGENSNAPOPTS bbgen options passed by default to the bb-snapshot.cgi script. This happens in the bb-snapshot.sh CGI wrapper script. BBHOME Home directory of the Xymon server files BBSNAP Directory where generated snapshots are stored. This directory must be writable by the userid executing the CGI script, typically "www", "apache" or "nobody". Default: $BBHOME/www/snap/ BBSNAPURL The URL prefix to use when accessing the reports via a browser. Default: $BBWEB/snap
bbgen(1), bb-hosts(5), hobbitserver.cfg(5)


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Disappointing news that the Labour Council has rejected LibDem proposals to consider balloting tenants on the future of council housing management in Islington.
I should declare an interest as Homes for Islington (HFI), Islington's ALMO, is my freeholder. As a leaseholder, I've had a generally good experience of them. The few pieces of work they've done on our relatively-modern property (repainting railings, upgrading communal aerial) have been carried out efficiently. The railings in particular were a good job well done, going from a rather peaky eau-de-nil to a glossy black, with minimum hassle.
However I also know of too many cases where the sheer size of HFI has left a small issue festering into a major grievance, because it was not dealt with promptly in the first place. As well as major concerns over the cost of major works, and the frustration leaseholders feel when presented with huge, mandatory bills.
No-one wants to go back to the state that Islington council housing had reached by the late 1990s. When I was first a councillor, Labour presided over squalid estates where postmen feared to tread. Tenants were desperate for a change and voted whenever they could to transfer out to housing associations. Money was wasted and there was no accountability.
The ALMO was supposed to achieve the best mix between getting the perceived better management of housing associations, while retaining secure council tenancy and rents. Most pertinently, it was the only option at the time for getting vital Decent Homes money out of the Labour government.
Now that's been done, is there a case for taking the service back in-house when the ALMO ends? The arms-length structure has led to perceived buck-passing between HFI and the Council, made worse in the many council-owned street properties where Partners for Islington – the company contracted to deliver long-term management of decent homes works on period properties – is also involved.
If Labour are truly going to look at all the options, it seems strange to rule the in-house one out. And wrong not to let residents have their say. The LibDem council held a consultative ballot before bringing the ALMO in. Labour's attitude to housing still seems to be "you may live in it, but we know best".
I'd look at every option, but whoever the landlord is, my preference would be devolving more money and power to tenants & residents by setting up TMOs, housing co-ops and other forms of self-management, within a community housing framework.
The best-run, safest and most attractive estates in Islington are those with the most empowered residents. Not those who see their T&RA as a stick to beat the freeholder, but those who get stuck in and help run their estates themselves. You get better accountability, better value-for-money and residents who feel pride, not frustration, when they look around their neighbourhood.
For this to work the freeholder must devolve enough money and support to make the estate self-management viable, and there must be clear, simple and consistent demarcations of responsibilities between the different tiers. But it can be done, as shown by estates like the Half-Moon tenants' co-op in Barnsbury.
This afternoon I'm joining the St. Mary's Path Estate Tenants' Association, and their landlord Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association (ISHA), to celebrate the great work they've done in providing positive activities for residents of the estate and the wider community, through having just such a good partnership.
Islington Labour please note.


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ROCKFORD — The Blanche Martin Scholarship Luncheon will take place at noon on June 26 at the Town Center of Wesley Willows, 4141 N. Rockton Ave.
The luncheon will honor this year's six Blanche J. Martin scholarship recipients: Larissa Morrissey, Sandy Farb, Zoe Zuroske, Jessica Fettes, Christopher Davis and Amy Wieting.
All teachers are welcome, and reservations are due June 23, according to a news release.
For information: 815-877-1518.


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Software Elevates CNC Punching Productivity
Here's an easy question for your production manager(s) to answer:
Would you rather have turret-press operators making and shaking out parts, or watching the presses sit idle while operators change-out tools?
That's the question that the production managers of job-shop metal fabricator T Top Mfg. had on their minds when they toured the FABTECH trade show in Las Vegas last fall. The company, which works out of a 55,000-sq.-ft. shop in Bridgeport, TX, found the answer to the rhetorical question when it spied on the FABTECH show floor new Campath TRM+ programming software from Murata Machinery, Charlotte, NC.
Murata engineers displaying the software at the tradeshow explained to T Top personnel that "it is the ultimate operator-support tool for turret-punch presses," says T Top engineering manager Mike Dugan. "And ever since we installed it on our shop floor, I'd have to agree."
The Motorum 2558 turret press at T Top Mfg. is equipped with a model F1G-1500 5- by 10-ft. automated load-unload system.
Dugan explains that the shop "focuses everything we do around punching. Our newest turret press includes load/unload automation and, compared to our previous press, larger tooling stations and upgraded forming capabilities that open new doors to new customers. Same can be said of our new punch-plasma machine. Now the addition of the Campath TRM+ software has allowed us to increase throughput on these two new money-making machines."
New Machines—the Fuel for Growth
The new machines Dugan speaks of are fueling the company's rapid growth, from around 15 active customers 5 yr. ago to more than 75 customers today. The firm primarily fabricates aluminum (0.040 to ¼ in. thick) and stainless-steel (18 to 11 gauge) sheet and plate to supply customers in the oil-field, transportation and other industries. Company president Mark Tate started the business in a barn at his father's dairy farm in 1997, moved to an 18,000-sq.-ft. shop in 2002, and moved to the current 55,000-sq.-ft. shop early in 2011. T Top employs 48 people, and in addition to CNC punching also performs waterjet cutting, CNC pipe bending and press-brake forming, sawing, welding and assembly.
Coincident with its most recent address change, T Top acquired in September 2011 a Motorum 2558 turret press (from Murata Machinery) equipped with a model F1G-1500 5- by 10-ft. automated load-unload system. The press boasts a servo-motor drive system with 25-metric-ton punch capacity, a 44-station turret, bend-height capacity to 20 mm, and a maximum sheet size of 60 by 98.5 in. Then, late in 2012 the firm brought in a Murata Magnum-5000 Plasma punch-plasma machine, rated to 41 metric tons of punching force to tackle 10-mm plate as large as 5 by 10 ft. with one repositioning, 60 by 72 in. without repositioning. The machine also can contour-cut material—rather than using a nibbling tool—as it is equipped with a Hypertherm HT2000 plasma-cutting system rated from 40 to 200 A.
Software Supercharges Capacity
Now to the good stuff. Everybody likes to see and hear new equipment punching and forming parts, turning raw materials into profits—industry folks call this "the sound of money." But behind the scenes, at T Tops and companies like it, oftentimes it's the programming and scheduling software that really sets the tone.
Specifically, the new Campath TRM+ software that has Dugan and his T Top coworkers beaming has "improved our throughput and productivity by 40 to 50 percent," Dugan says. The software tracks the turret load so that as programs download to the press control, they automatically are updated with current tool locations. This means that as long as the required tools for a job already reside in the turret, operators need not move tools, or manually need to go into the program and rewrite the code.
"Adjusting the turret load or rewriting the programs can take as long as 30 to 45 minutes per job," says Dugan. "And, of course, that's not accounting for any mistakes that might occur. The automatic updating of the programs to match the current turret load (which Murata calls "T-code conversion") makes our operators twice as productive."
Wait, there's more. Once a T Tops scheduler has loaded the press control with a day's worth of programs, Campath TRM+ reviews the programs and sorts them based on material type and thickness, to minimize tool changes. Once a machine's work load has been optimized by the software, the Motorum operator then can stack the day's worth of material in the sheet loader in the order it's needed, to facilitate untended operation.
Tracking Tool Use to Schedule Maintenance
"The Motorum might run 15 to 20 jobs per shift," says Dugan, "with each job consuming anywhere from one to five sheets; our lot sizes are small, 250 max. We can load four different sheet sizes in the loader; each day the press processes an average of 10 to 20 sheets. All we have to do is make sure we place paper interleaf between stacks of aluminum and steel to prevent contamination, and remove it when cycling through programs.
"We also can override the schedule," Dugan continues, "and prioritize programs, or put programs on hold." Also found useful by Dugan and his coworkers is the ability of the software to track the number of hits made by each tool, "so we perform timelier tool maintenance—not too much, and not too little," he says. And, programmers can use the software to simulate each programmed job to ensure proper sequencing, and make adjustments to the program to as needed before the job launches.Over time, Campath TRM+ software compiles enough data about press production trends and will identify recommended changes to the machine's standard turret configuration. "After using the software for a few months, we removed several tools from our original standard setup," says Dugan, "and added others. This resulted in a 15-percent reduction in tool changes." MF
See also: Muratec Murata Machinery USA, Inc., Hypertherm, Inc.
Related Enterprise Zones: Automation, Fabrication, Software