text:
Update: A representative of Samsung has informed me that this Facebook page is not an official Samsung account. Any U.S. Galaxy S news will be posted on the official Samsung Facebook page.
The race to Android 2.3 updates is on. Yesterday several users started reporting that Samsung was rolling out a new version of Kies, the desktop software used to update Galaxy S phones. We were wondering what the latest release was for and it appears this update is laying the groundwork for Android 2.3 updates of the Galaxy S.
In a Facebook posting Samsung said, "You need this update to be able to get the 2.3.2 update to your Samsung Galaxy S, Vibrant, Fascinate. 2.3.2 will be worldwide but carriers will be delayed."
Samsung previously said on their Romanian Facebook page that the Android 2.3 update would be out by the end of March. That has yet to occur, but it looks like things are on schedule now that the new Kies is out.
Just as we saw with the Android 2.2 updates, the international versions of the Galaxy S should be updated long before the US versions of the phone. The delays might have been the carriers fault, but Samsung took a real beating since they arrived so long after the competition.
Hopefully this time around Samsung will work more closely with the US carriers to ensure their phones are updated in a timely manner.
[Thanks Anil for the tip]


text:
Words and photos: Ashley Barker
As the season winds down, so do the boarders, and Washington's Sasquatch 2012 was a great way to celebrate, kick back and enjoy the music. Festival took place over the may long weekend, a heavy-hitting four day lineup featuring people like Jack White, St. Vincent. Bon Iver, Beck, Sanitgold, the Shins, Deer Tick, Trampled by Turtles, Metric, Little Dragon and dozens more.
Our staff photographer Ashley Barker joined ship with Austin Smith, Curtis Ciszek, Bryan Fox, Jake Price, Rusty Ockenden, Matt Belzile and friends. Check out the gallery for some off slope fun.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Dark and tense soundscape, with a brass clusters, ambient vocal sounds, bass hits, etc. All that should be useful in case of scoring main menu (or anything else) of some game.
Item also contains following versions:
- 0:00 – main version [1:32]
- 1:33 – extended version without drums [2:52]
- 4:25 – hit only [0:16]
- 2:54 – looped version (without drums) [1:19]
Please visit also our new portfolio! [click here] There you can find more orchestral and cinematic music for your awesome projects! Thanks.
For Videohive & ActiveDen authors:
- Please, post back link of your work with my audio and I'll promote and add it into my profile page. Thanks.


text:
Contained Places
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake, or SLC is the capital and the most populous city in the state of Utah. With an estimated population of 191,180 in 2013,[1] the city lies in the core of the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,140,483 as of the 2013 estimate. Salt Lake City is further situated in a larger urban area known as the Salt Lake City-Provo-Ogden, UT Combined Statistical Area. This region is a corridor of contiguous urban and suburban development stretched along an approximate segment of the Wasatch Front, comprising a total population of 2,389,225 as of 2013. It is one of only two major urban areas in the Great Basin (the other being Reno, Nevada), and the largest in the Intermountain West.
The city was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley and several other Mormon followers, who extensively irrigated and cultivated the arid valley. Due to its proximity to the Great Salt Lake, the city was originally named "Great Salt Lake City"—the word "great" was dropped from the official name in 1868 by the 17th Utah Territorial Legislature. Although Salt Lake City is still home to the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), less than half the population of Salt Lake City proper are members of the LDS Church today.
Immigration of international LDS members, mining booms, and the construction of the first transcontinental railroad initially brought economic growth, and the city was nicknamed the Crossroads of the West. It was traversed by the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental highway, in 1913, and presently two major cross-country freeways, I-15 and I-80, intersect in the city. Salt Lake City has since developed a strong outdoor recreation tourist industry based primarily on skiing, and hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is the industrial banking center of the United States.
Before Mormon settlement, the Shoshone, Ute, and Paiute had dwelt in the Salt Lake Valley for thousands of years. At the time of the founding of Salt Lake City, the valley was within the territory of the Northwestern Shoshone; however, occupation was seasonal, near streams emptying from Canyons into the Salt Lake Valley. The land was treated by the United States as public domain; no aboriginal title by the Northwestern Shoshone was ever recognized by the United States or extinguished by treaty with the United States. The first US explorer in the Salt Lake area is believed to be Jim Bridger in 1825, although others had been in Utah earlier, some as far north as the nearby Utah Valley (the Dominguez-Escalante expedition of 1776 were undoubtedly cognizant of the Salt Lake valley). U.S. Army officer John C. Frémont surveyed the Great Salt Lake and the Salt Lake Valley in 1843 and 1845. The Donner Party, a group of ill-fated pioneers, had traveled through the Great Salt Lake Valley in August 1846.
The first permanent settlements in the valley date to the arrival of the Latter-day Saints on 24 July 1847. They had traveled beyond the boundaries of the United States into Mexican Territory seeking an isolated area to practice their religion, far away from the violence and the persecution they experienced in the East. Upon arrival at the Salt Lake Valley, president of the church Brigham Young is recorded as stating, "This is the right place, drive on". Brigham Young claimed to have seen the area in a vision prior to the wagon train's arrival. They found the broad valley empty of any human settlement.
The Salt Lake Temple, constructed on the block that would later be called Temple Square, took 40 years to complete. Construction started in 1853, and the temple was dedicated on 6 April 1893. The temple has become an icon for the city and serves as its centerpiece. In fact, the southeast corner of Temple Square is the initial point of reference for the Salt Lake Meridian, and for all addresses in the Salt Lake Valley.
The Mormon pioneers organized a new state called Deseret and petitioned for its recognition in 1849. The United States Congress rebuffed the settlers in 1850 and established the Utah Territory, vastly reducing its size, and designated Fillmore as its capital city. Great Salt Lake City replaced Fillmore as the territorial capital in 1858, and the name was subsequently abbreviated to Salt Lake City. The city's population continued to swell with an influx of Mormon converts and Gold Rush gold seekers, making it one of the most populous cities in the American Old West.
Explorer, ethnologist, and author Richard Francis Burton traveled by coach in the summer of 1860 to document life in Great Salt Lake City, to investigate the claims of anti-Mormonists of his day, and to broaden his knowledge of the new faith. He was granted unprecedented access during his three-week visit, including audiences with President Brigham Young and other still-living contemporaries of Joseph Smith. The records of his visit include sketches of the early city buildings, a description of local geography and agriculture, commentary on its politics and social order, essays, speeches, and sermons from Brigham Young, Isaac Morley, George Washington Bradley and other prominent leaders, and snapshots of everyday life such as newspaper clippings and the menu from a high-society ball.
The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 at Promontory Summit on the north side of the Great Salt Lake. A railroad was connected to the city from the Transcontinental Railroad in 1870, making travel less burdensome. Mass migration of different groups followed. Ethnic Chinese (who laid most of the Central Pacific railway) established a flourishing Chinatown in Salt Lake City nicknamed "Plum Alley", which housed around 1,800 Chinese during the early 20th century. The Chinese businesses and residences were demolished in 1952 although a historical marker has been erected near the parking ramp which has replaced Plum Alley. Immigrants also found economic opportunities in the booming mining industries. Remnants of a once-thriving Japantown – namely a Buddhist temple and Japanese Christian chapel – still remain in downtown Salt Lake City. European ethnic groups and East Coast missionary groups constructed St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in 1874, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Madeleine in 1909 and the Greek Orthodox Holy Trinity Cathedral in 1923. This time period also saw the creation of Salt Lake City's now defunct red-light district that employed 300 courtesans at its height before being closed down in 1911.
The city's population began to stagnate during the 20th century as population growth shifted to suburban areas north and south of the city. Few of these areas were annexed to the city, while nearby towns incorporated and expanded themselves. As a result, the population of the surrounding metropolitan area greatly outnumbers that of Salt Lake City. A major concern of recent government officials has been combating inner-city commercial decay. The city lost population from the 1960s through the 1980s, but experienced some recovery in the 1990s. Presently, the city has gained an estimated 5 percent of its population since the year 2000.[1]
The city has experienced significant demographic shifts in recent years. Hispanics now account for approximately 22% of residents and the city has a significant LGBT community. There is also a large Pacific Islander population, mainly made up of Samoans and Tongans; they compose roughly 2% of the population of the Salt Lake Valley area.
Salt Lake City was selected to host the 2002 Winter Olympics in 1995. The games were plagued with controversy. A bid scandal surfaced in 1998 alleging that bribes had been offered to secure the city for the 2002 games location. During the games, other scandals erupted over contested judging scores and illegal drug use. Despite the controversies, the games were heralded as a financial success, being one of the few in recent history to profit. In preparation major construction projects were initiated. Local freeways were expanded and repaired, and a light rail system was constructed. Olympic venues are now used for local, national, and international sporting events and Olympic athlete training. Tourism has increased since the Olympic games, but business did not pick up immediately following them. Salt Lake City has expressed interest in bidding for the 2022 Winter Olympics
Salt Lake City hosted the 16th Winter Deaflympic games in 2007, taking place in the venues in Salt Lake City and Park City, and Rotary International chose the city as the host site of their 2007 convention, which was the single largest gathering in Salt Lake City since the 2002 Winter Olympics. The U.S. Volleyball Association convention in 2005 drew 39,500 attendees.
The burgeoning population of Salt Lake City and the surrounding metropolitan area, combined with its geographical situation, has led to air quality being a top concern for the populace and government officials in the past decade. The Wasatch Front is subject to strong temperature inversions during the winter, which trap pollutants and can lower air quality to levels too dangerous for outdoor activities for days or weeks at a time. The Utah Division of Air Quality closely monitors air quality and issues alerts for voluntary and mandatory actions when pollution exceeds federal safety standards. Protests held in 2013 at the Utah State Capitol have led to government initiatives at city, county, and state levels, with varying success. Automobiles are responsible for 60% of pollutants; in response, Salt Lake City has introduced measures to encourage walking, biking, and public transit as alternatives. However, the city only represents 10% of Salt Lake County's population, so the effect of these efforts on pollution levels has been limited. The Utah State Legislature has considered several bills aiming to reduce pollution, but few have passed despite the potential negative effects of pollution on the state's economic performance. The Salt Lake metro area's population is projected to double by 2040, putting further pressure on the region's air quality.
Research Tips


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PSNH on defense over scrubber cost 'escalation'By GARRY RAYNO
State House Bureau
December 10. 2013 9:57PM
CONCORD — Lawmakers want to know how and why the estimated cost of an air emissions scrubber at Public Service of New Hampshire's Merrimack Station escalated from $250 million to $457 million.
Company officials contend the information is in documents available through state regulators, but several members of the Electric Utility Restructuring Oversight Committee are skeptical.
"We come back to the same thing: How do you go from $250 million to $422 million," said Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro. "When you get a $40 million (annual) return on investment and fight for every last dollar at the Supreme Court, the public deserves some answers, but I'm not sure the public is getting them."
The Public Utilities Commission is deciding how much of the scrubber's $422 million cost PSNH can recover from ratepayers. The utility is collecting almost a cent a kilowatt hour for the cost of the scrubber, but the cost is projected to increase once regulators make a decision.
When lawmakers approved a bill calling for the scrubber as part of a program to reduce mercury emissions in 2006, the company said the project would cost $250 million, but the estimate grew to $457 million two years later. When finished, the scrubber's cost was $422 million.
Company officials told the committee the lower figure was "a general cost estimate" from a national engineering firm, but the price escalated when design and engineering work began on the site, which is on the Merrimack River in Bow.
Bill Smagula, PSNH's vice president for generation, said the price increase was also a surprise to the company. The jump in price caused the company to review the project and look at other options, but decided to go ahead with the scrubber because it would serve the company's customers, he said.
"I'm staggered how we got to the point we've gotten to," said Bradley. "I'm staggered you would bring a general cost estimate to the Legislature in 2006 and now think you deserve every dollar (of the $422 million) and a $40 million return. I'm just staggered by it."
Hopkinton attorney Arthur Cunningham, who represented the Sierra Club in several cases before the Public Utilities Commission and Air Resources Council regarding Merrimack Station, had an explanation for the increased cost.
Cunningham said that work to increase power output and to prolong the plant's life escalated the scrubber's price. However, the company did not seek approval for the expanded work, he said.
"You don't take a 1990 Ford Taurus and put a $3,000 muffler on it," Cunningham said.
Smagula said Cunningham's allegations had no basis in fact.
"This is categorically false," said Smagula. "We work in a world of facts. There is no validity to (Cunningham's) statement."
Smagula and Tom Frantz, PUC electricity division director, said the allegation over increasing generating capacity by installing a larger turbine was litigated before the PUC. The 2009 decision said replacing the turbine was separate from the scrubber project, and the costs were handled separately, Frantz said.
Cunningham contends the company and PUC "sequestered" documents that could prove the company included the generation and life-extension work so they are not publicly available. He said the company insists on confidentiality agreements to view the information.
But Smagula said, "We are an open book."
He was largely backed by PUC officials who said much of the information is available, but only the parties involved may view some of it.
One consultant copyrighted its report and wanted to charge the PUC every time someone viewed the document online, according to Anne Ross, PUC general counsel. This type of arrangement is becoming more commonplace she noted.
"I'm not saying it's pretty or the ideal, but that is the world out there right now," Ross said.
Smagula said many of PSNH's equipment and design suppliers insist on confidentiality so competitors do not have access to their proprietary information.
Several committee members noted that much of the information is really not publicly available, with some suggesting the committee become interveners in the scrubber case, something the members eventually decided against.
Committee Chairman Rep. David Borden, D-New Castle, asked PSNH to develop a time line showing who knew what and when about the scrubber's cost escalation. And he asked Cunningham for a list of the documents he sought that were not available.
The PUC is accepting written testimony on the scrubber's costs until Dec. 23, and public hearings will be held in March.
Last month, the Supreme Court refused to hear PSNH's appeal to limit the PUC investigation.
The oversight committee meets again Jan. 7 to continue its discussion.


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Manchester teen, Derry accident victim, mournedBy MICHAEL COUSINEAU
New Hampshire Union Leader
May 05. 2013 10:04PM
DERRY - A chance meeting with an old friend and sticky fingers from cotton candy preceded a pedestrian accident that claimed the life of a Manchester teenager over the weekend, a friend said Sunday.
Derry teenager Shayna Nichols ran into her friend, Sophia Christen, at the local carnival Friday night and shared her $5 cotton candy with Christen and another girl.
Shayna said she stayed at the carnival while the other two went with a third girl to cross Route 28 to wash their hands at a nearby Burger King. Two vehicles struck Christen, 15, and one of the other girls crossing the road about five minutes after leaving Nichols, resulting in fatal injuries to Christen, according to police.
"I thought that it was my fault because it was my food that they were eating, but I realized that it's really nobody's fault," said Nichols, who attended Smyth Road School in Manchester with Christen.
"I thought, about like what if I didn't see her, this wouldn't have happened," Nichols said at a makeshift memorial in front of the Burger King. "But I guess it just happened for a reason."
Derry police said Sunday that no decision had been made on whether to charge the two drivers involved in the accident. The other girl struck, Lauren Gendreau, 13, of Derry, was released from the hospital Saturday.
Sgt. Shawn O'Donaghue said Sunday the girls were coming from the carnival and crossing the street to go to a bathroom, but he didn't have any further details on the investigation.
At the makeshift memorial, friends and strangers left flowers and stuffed animals, sometimes including handwritten messages.
Nichols and her mother, Amber, brought a red flower windmill and several small balloons, one with the message, "I miss you babe" with a heart drawn and signed "Shayna."
Mrs. Nichols said she was surprised she didn't see any police details helping people cross the road when she dropped off her daughter about an hour before the accident.
"I was watching a group of kids cross the street and I was, 'Oh my gosh. This is a really busy street and especially in an event like this that's on the weekend it's going to bring out a lot of people,'" she said.
"That was my first thought and afterwards, I was like 'Oh my God, that could have been my kid,' because she had the opportunity to go with her to wash her hands, so it really touched home for me and then my second thought is why wasn't there a police detail?"
Derry police Sgt. Kevin Jackson said Sunday there were two police officers on a detail at the carnival Friday night.
Mrs. Nichols said she was trying to draw something more pleasant out of a tragic evening.
"She (Christen) had some real good last moments," she said. "I mean she was having a blast is what it sounded like: riding the rides, hanging out with all her friends and eating cotton candy."
Nichols added, "I'm trying to think positively of it. It's a tragic situation, but if I was going to go out, I would have wanted to go out having a blast right beforehand and that's what she was doing and that's how I want to remember it and I'm sure that's how Shayna wants to remember it."
Rebecca Wencek took a break from working at the carnival Sunday to leave a pink and yellow skunk to honor Christen, her fellow Central High schoolmate.
"She always made us laugh," the sophomore said.
Wencek, who is four months pregnant, plans to name her baby Sophia after her friend.
Others who didn't know Christen came as well. That included Celinet Morton of East Derry.
"We're just here to pay our respects. Poor baby," she said. "I'm sure she was a beautiful girl just starting to live her life."


text:
Moderator: B&F Moderator
message_music wrote:The jah love I is a shitty pressing. ..... very hissy
kalcidis wrote:What a great selection of records, Shadrach. Happy to see a heavy selection of DATC music since I've been having a real Mikey Dread renaissance the last month or two.
DJ Conscious wrote:Jah Dreadful - Stiffy Dread - Twinkle 12
Always assumed it was dubplate only after hearing Shaka drop it in days gone by.
This 12 actually has a real dubplate feel especially with false starts on dub side.
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text:
THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
The following script creates a single-column clustered table containing the integers from 1 to 1,000 inclusive.
IF OBJECT_ID(N'tempdb..#Test', N'U')
DROP TABLE #Test
CREATE TABLE #Test
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY CLUSTERED
INSERT #Test (id)
SELECT V.number
FROM master.dbo.spt_values AS V
WHERE V.[type] = N'P'
AND V.number BETWEEN 1 AND 1000
Let's say we need to find the rows with values from 100 to 170, excluding any values that divide exactly by 10. One way to write that query would be:
SELECT T.id
FROM #Test AS T
WHERE T.id IN
That query produces a pretty efficient-looking query plan:
Knowing that the source column is defined as an INTEGER, we could also express the query this way:
WHERE T.id >= 101
AND T.id <= 169
AND T.id % 10 > 0
We get a similar-looking plan:
If you look closely, you might notice that the line connecting the two icons is a little thinner than before. The first query is estimated to produce 61.9167 rows – very close to the 63 rows we know the query will return. The second query presents a tougher challenge for SQL Server because it doesn't know how to predict the selectivity of the modulo expression (T.id % 10 > 0). Without that last line, the second query is estimated to produce 68.1667 rows – a slight overestimate. Adding the opaque modulo expression results in SQL Server guessing at the selectivity. As you may know, the selectivity guess for a greater-than operation is 30%, so the final estimate is 30% of 68.1667, which comes to 20.45 rows.
The second difference is that the Clustered Index Seek is costed at 99% of the estimated total for the statement. For some reason, the final SELECT operator is assigned a small cost of 0.0000484 units; I have absolutely no idea why this is so, or what it models. Nevertheless, we can compare the total cost for both queries: the first one comes in at 0.0033501 units, and the second at 0.0034054. The important point is that the second query is costed very slightly higher than the first, even though it is expected to produce many fewer rows (20.45 versus 61.9167).
If you run the two queries, they produce exactly the same results, and both complete so quickly that it is impossible to measure CPU usage for a single execution. We can, however, compare the I/O statistics for a single run by running the queries with STATISTICS IO ON:
Table '#Test'. Scan count 63, logical reads 126, physical reads 0.
Table '#Test'. Scan count 01, logical reads 002, physical reads 0.
The query with the IN list uses 126 logical reads (and has a 'scan count' of 63), while the second query form completes with just 2 logical reads (and a 'scan count' of 1). It is no coincidence that 126 = 63 * 2, by the way. It is almost as if the first query is doing 63 seeks, compared to one for the second query.
In fact, that is exactly what it is doing. There is no indication of this in the graphical plan, or the tool-tip that appears when you hover your mouse over the Clustered Index Seek icon. To see the 63 seek operations, you have click on the Seek icon and look in the Properties window (press F4, or right-click and choose from the menu):
The Seek Predicates list shows a total of 63 seek operations – one for each of the values from the IN list contained in the first query. I have expanded the first seek node to show the details; it is seeking down the clustered index to find the entry with the value 101. Each of the other 62 nodes expands similarly, and the same information is contained (even more verbosely) in the XML form of the plan.
Each of the 63 seek operations starts at the root of the clustered index B-tree and navigates down to the leaf page that contains the sought key value. Our table is just large enough to need a separate root page, so each seek incurs 2 logical reads (one for the root, and one for the leaf). We can see the index depth using the INDEXPROPERTY function, or by using a DMV:
SELECT S.index_type_desc,
FROM sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats
OBJECT_ID(N'tempdb..#Test', N'U'),
Let's look now at the Properties window when the Clustered Index Seek from the second query is selected:
There is just one seek operation, which starts at the root of the index and navigates the B-tree looking for the first key that matches the Start range condition (id >= 101). It then continues to read records at the leaf level of the index (following links between leaf-level pages if necessary) until it finds a row that does not meet the End range condition (id <= 169). Every row that meets the seek range condition is also tested against the Residual Predicate highlighted above (id % 10 > 0), and is only returned if it matches that as well.
You will not be surprised that the single seek (with a range scan and residual predicate) is much more efficient than 63 singleton seeks. It is not 63 times more efficient (as the logical reads comparison would suggest), but it is around three times faster. Let's run both query forms 10,000 times and measure the elapsed time:
DECLARE @i INTEGER,
@n INTEGER = 10000,
@s DATETIME = GETDATE()
WHILE @n > 0
SELECT @i =
FROM #Test AS T
WHERE T.id IN
SET @n -= 1;
PRINT DATEDIFF(MILLISECOND, @s, GETDATE())
WHERE T.id >= 101
AND T.id <= 169
AND T.id % 10 > 0
On my laptop, running SQL Server 2008 build 4272 (SP2 CU2), the IN form of the query takes around 830ms and the range query about 300ms. The main point of this post is not performance, however – it is meant as an introduction to the next few parts in this mini-series that will continue to explore scans and seeks in detail.
When is a seek not a seek? When it is 63 seeks
© Paul White 2011
email: email@example.com twitter: @SQL_kiwi
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The scan count in the Statistics IO output typically tells you if the number of traversals required for fetching the actual data. A SEEK is not necessarily the best option always :)
I had written about this sometime back. Ref: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlserverfaq/archive/2010/09/14/scan-count-meaning-in-set-statistics-io-output.aspx
Thanks Amit and a nice explanation of scan count there, too!
Could you speed up the IN query by adding "AND ID between min and max" for appropriately chosen min and max values?
And because I never commented here before: This blog is in the top 5 of blogs I subscribed to that I enjoy most. I have subscribed to about 100 quality blogs. Your content is just great.
Hey Tobi,
Great question - you would indeed hope that adding an AND range to the IN query would help the optimizer, but sadly it just isn't bright enough to understand what you are hoping for.
If you add a BETWEEN 101 AND 169 clause, it just uses that range to restrict the IN list - it does not turn the 63 seeks into a single range seek. Try it :)
As is so often the case, we have to play tricks with the syntax to get SQL Server to do what we want:
SELECT T2.id
FROM #Test AS T
WHERE T.id BETWEEN 101 AND 169
WHERE T2.id IN
That results in the BETWEEN being applied as a single range seek, followed by the TOP and a separate Filter for the IN list. Without the TOP, the optimizer collapses the filter back into the seek, and we are back where we started :(
Thanks for the kind words in your second comment!
You're probably most familiar with the terms 'Seek' and 'Scan' from the graphical plans produced by SQL
I am not entirely happy that the SQL Server query optimizer converts the elements of an IN list into individual seeks (when a suitable index exists). Ok, it might be the best execution plan for that query, but the execution plan cannot be used for any other IN list, and it bloats the procedure cache. Compare the plan size for a single seek and 63 seeks.
My thought is the IN list should be treated as a row source, which loop joins to the table. For all practical purposes, we are still doing an index seek for each element, but the plan is now both compact and reusable for other lists.
If the optimizer were really clever, it would have a branch that elects the loop join + index seek plan when the list is fewer than x elements, and a scan when more than x elements. But I also believe in Santa Claus.
Hey Joe,
I think this came about because people used to complain (a long time ago) that queries with a predicate like 'WHERE x = 3 OR x = 5' used to result in a scan. Surely that should be two seeks, right?
So, IN lists (which are just a rewritten OR) get transformed to multiple seeks. The problem is that it isn't costed properly. Look at the cost estimates in the main text - they are nonsense.
There is an arbitrary threshold at which the optimizer refuses to do any more singleton seeks. In current versions, that is 64. Any more than 64 IN/OR values, and you will get a Constant Scan driving a nested loops join with a seek. This is even less efficient that the multiple seeks in a single operator, of course.
What might be nice would be if the optimizer could reason about types - we know that IN (5,6,7,8,9) is the same as BETWEEN 5 AND 9 for integer types, but it doesn't do that at the moment.
Thanks for the comment!
ah, I did not know that 54-65 was the cross-over point from multiple seeks to the constant scan + loop join.
Ok, so I have the plan cost for your query with 63 elements at 0.0033878 (mostly from the 0.003125 IO cost (for a single random IO)
the plan cost for 65 elements in the IN clause is 4X higher:
0.0137384, in essence, the loop join is costed at more than 1 IO.
Also, the cached plan size for 63 elements is 56(K?) and 32 for 65 elements.
Running your test loop, but using dm_exec_query_stats to collect the elapsed and work time (same) time
I get
342773 - btween
1155273 - 63 elements, single index seek
985351 - 65 elements, constant scan
so what it comes down to is the execution plan cost is not a reliable indicator, and I prefer the compact plan.
Of course, I could say that to me, Santa Claus bears a resemblance to Conor C and the Easter bunny to Boris B,
Agreed - especially the last line :)
I did one more test, I ran the query WHERE t.ID (list) with INDEX(0) hint,
this brought the logical IO down from 126 to 4 (size of table #Test), versus 2 for the WHERE t.ID BETWEEN,
the force scan took 8700ms, so clearly not good.
And this is additional evidence logical IO is a worthless metric, there is no consistency of value between LIO in different operations, and there are many things that have cost but zero LIO
My thinking is the cost of the IN list is not just the LIO,
so even if the optimizer recognized that we could have ranged scanned from 101 to 169 for 2 LIO, the logic cost of evaluating the IN list would be substantial. Presumably there is no guarantee that the list is in sorted order, negating the need to evaluate the full list for row?
So far in this mini-series on seeks and scans, we have seen that a simple 'seek' operation can be much
Hi Joe,
The number of predicates that can be pushed into the scan operator is limited to 15. For 16 or more (otherwise pushable) predicates, the predicates are split out into a separate filter. This 'magic number' is significantly lower than the 64 that can be pushed into a seek.
It is much more efficient to evaluate a predicate inside the scan operator as a residual. Evaluated as a pushed predicate, the engine can latch the data page, read a row and evaluate the predicate until a row matches. Once a match is found (or we reach the end of the rowset) the latch is released and the row is emitted.
With a separate filter, the scan latches the page, reads a row, releases the latch and passes the row on to the filter. The filter then checks the row against each predicate - if it doesn't match, it asks the scan for another row, repeating the whole process.
Aside from anything else, there are potential CPU cache inefficiencies there as different code is loaded to execute the filter and scan operations.
If you run the test with 15 or fewer IN list entries (which are de-duplicated and sorted at optimization time) you should see a filter-less plan.
You are right though that scanning requires many more comparisons. Each of the 100 rows is compared as many as 63 times, and the test repeats all that 10,000 times. No wonder it chews up some CPU ;c)
Final point - yes INDEX(0) produces an unordered scan, as shown by the Ordered:False property of the scan operator. I don't know whether the Filter operator includes any optimizations for a sorted stream.
Logical IO is a highly flawed performance metric, yes.
All very nice stuff, Paul.
What I find even more frightening is that it ( still ) generates a Clusterd index scan for a Select MAX(id) as Max_id from #Test whilst this can be solved in the CLIX Btree with eventually only a read of the last leaf level page.
But that is another story ;-)
Hi ALZDBA,
Regarding the MAX/MIN scan - notice that it is an ordered scan, and the following TOP operator is a TOP (1).
The 'scan' doesn't perform a full scan at all, it just retrieves one row from one 'end' of the index or other, at which point the TOP has all the rows it needs, and execution stops.
This is an optimizer trick (which is broken for partitioned structures) that takes advantage of the fact that MAX(col1) is the same as TOP (1) col1 ... ORDER BY col1 DESC, for example.
Run the MIN or MAX query with STATISTICS IO ON, and a cold buffer cache, and notice how many reads you see :)
Teeny one Paul:
"Final point - yes INDEX(0) produces an unordered scan, as shown by the Ordered:False property of the scan operator."
I thought that meant the scan could be in allocation order, but might not be. In other words, if Ordered property is true the scan must be ordered. If false then the scan can be ordered or not depending on cost. In terms of cost, I thought that there had to be 64 extents or more to be scanned otherwise the start up cost of a scan by allocation was prohibitively expensive so a logical ordered scan is used.
Yes, Ordered:False just means the QP doesn't insist that SE produce rows in index order. There are a number of conditions for SE to choose an IAM-driven scan, one being that the scan must be a minimum size. INDEX(0) produces an unordered scan from the QP's point of view because there is no ordering guarantee.
This is a post for T-SQL Tuesday #43 hosted by my good friend Rob Farley . The topic this month is Plan


text: In this address to the Harvard Young Republicans Club about the Vietnam War, Senator Mark O. Hatfield provides historical background on the conflict, defines the driving force of Ho Chi Minh as nationalism not Communism, and recounts the numerous times the U.S. has spurned overtures to negotiate a settlement. He proposes a political settlement after a suspension of bombing and de-escalation of the war. Hatfield first publicly opposed the Vietnam War as Governor of Oregon; he was the first prominent Republican to express opposition.


text:
Liberty activist, family member arrested following Keene standoff that ended in suicideBy MEGHAN PIERCE
Union Leader Correspondent
July 02. 2014 5:26PM
KEENE - A man shot himself to death during a 4.5-hour stand-off with police Tuesday night on Ivy Drive.
The man, Matthew Snow, 34, of Keene was immediately taken to Cheshire Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.
"He was alive when he left" the scene, Keene Police Sgt. Steve Stewart said Wednesday.
Snow had shot himself in the chest, Stewart said.
The standoff started around 6 p.m. after Keene police officers tried to arrest Snow on an electronic bench warrant for receiving stolen property and for a parole violation.
Instead of complying with police, Snow ran through a parking lot where he pulled out a handgun and held it against his own body, police said.
That began the standoff near an apartment complex on Ivy Drive. Nearby residences were evacuated and the state police SWAT team was called to the scene. Other officers arrived from Swanzey, Marlboro and the Cheshire County Sheriff's Office to assist Keene police.
Around 10:30 p.m., Snow shot himself once in the chest. He immediately was taken to Cheshire Medical Center where he died.
Two men were arrested in connection with the standoff and shooting, one at the scene and the other at the hospital.
Around 10:09 p.m., James Cleaveland, 27, of Keene, was arrested at the scene for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Cleaveland is associated with the Free Keene group and has previously identified himself as the Robin Hood who leads activists in filling parking meters downtown to prevent the city from issuing parking tickets.
According to the Free Keene blog, Cleaveland was at the scene as a journalist and had already agreed to back away from the crime scene when he was arrested.
The other man was arrested around 11:30 p.m. at the hospital.
Paul Wood, 30, of Swanzey, was arrested and charged with obstructing government administration and resisting arrest.
Stewart said Wood is a relative of Snow.
"He showed up at the hospital and was insisting on being in the emergency room and getting close to the deceased," Stewart said.
The medical examiner had not arrived yet, and family members were not being allowed access to the body at that time, Stewart said.
Both men were released on personal recognizance and given a Sept. 2 arraignment date.
The investigation into the standoff and shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Joel Chidester at 603-357-9813.


text:
The Human Centipede is back.
After some delays in filming last year, the third installment of the controversial cult horror franchise in which human victims are sewn together is starting up production in Los Angeles.
Six Entertainment Co. is scheduled to shoot a scene for "The Human Centipede III" on Friday in the Monterey Park area, according to a permit filed with FilmL.A. Inc., which handles film permits for the city and the county.
The production of the movie, to be distributed by IFC Films, had been held up last year by a dispute over script issues between Six Entertainment Co. and German actor Dieter Laser, who played the evil Dr. Heiter in the original 2009 film.
PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments
The film will further spur local feature film production. Year-to-date, location filming in the Los Angeles area for features is up about 13% compared with the same period a year ago. The increase has been fueled by a crop of lower budget independent movie as well the Seth Rogen comedy "Townies" from Universal Pictures and Marvel Studios' "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", according to data from FilmL.A.
Television also is having a strong year. Production days for TV shows have increased 22 % so far this year compared to 2012, reflecting a strong pilot season and a steady stream of reality TV programs. Commercial activity is running about 5% higher than last year, according to a Los Angeles Times review of permit data.
Finding a Habitat for film set materials
Irwindale Speedway gets inside track on production
Vancouver sees sharp drop-off in movie, TV production
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013 PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies
ON LOCATION: People and places behind what's onscreen
PHOTOS: Biggest box office flops of 2013
PHOTOS: Celebrity production companies


text:
It's a chilly Friday evening in mid-December, and the staff of Sensual Steps is bracing for an onslaught -- the holiday Midnight Madness sale, when everything from glittery sandals to stiletto boots is 50 percent off.
Bronzeville boutique owner Nicole Jones is wearing a hot pink "shoe doctor" coat, a stethoscope and furry black boots. An intern is mixing lemonade in the kitchen.
Store manager Tracey Tabb is scurrying around, hyping up the three teams that will compete to rack up the most sales.
The doors are set to open at 9 p.m., and Jones and Tabb are expecting hundreds of customers. Will they show up?
Growing sales and turning a profit are important to Jones, who has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Sensual Steps. But it is just as important to Tabb, her only full-time employee. Tabb is Jones' right-hand woman, working in the store five days a week, handling Internet orders and going out on five or six nights a month in the store's Hummer to throw Heels on Wheels shoe parties in people's homes or businesses.
Tabb, 43, was unemployed when she began leaving her resume at Sensual Steps in 2005. She was looking for a job in the neighborhood that would be close to her children's schools, and she wanted a retail position because of her experience in department store sales. When Tabb saw Sensual Steps' pretty pink boutique at 4518 S. Cottage Grove Ave., she knew where she wanted to work.
"I was sure once I established myself they would love me, because I can sell," Tabb said.
Jones rewarded her persistence and hired Tabb at a rate of $8 an hour. Now she earns $13.25 an hour, plus bonuses. The job has allowed Tabb to pay for extras for her four children who live at home, including sports fees for her son. She also has become somebody important in the neighborhood. "When I drop my child off at day care, they say, 'Hi. I know you. You're Shoe Lady No. 2.'"
Jones is talking about having Tabb run a second Sensual Steps store somewhere on Chicago's North Side by mid-2009. She also is wondering whether Heels on Wheels could support a separate part-time or full-time employee.
It's a classic case of economic trickle-down.
As a black entrepreneur, Jones is helping reduce unemployment in Bronzeville by hiring local residents. But statistics show that black businesses often don't generate much in terms of employment. Of the 64,000 black-owned businesses in Cook County, only 4,000 have more than one employee, according to Urban League statistics.
That's one of the reasons the Chicago Urban League created the NextOne program, which is intended to put black-owned business owners on the fast track. Jones was one of 16 black-owned entrepreneurs accepted into the six-month pilot program.
"The reason we're focusing on entrepreneurs is job creation," said league President Cheryle Jackson. "As the number of African-American businesses grows, so do the number of African-American employees. It's a statistical fact that black-owned businesses hire more African-Americans than any other type of business."
Guidance, strategies welcome
As part of the program, the Urban League is paying for accountants, financial strategists and industry consultants. It also is giving each business owner an executive coach to help them manage the process.
Jones' coach is Francey Smith, a ginger-haired woman with a disarming manner who has worked at Bloomingdale's and has contacts in the retail industry. Smith already has made some concrete suggestions. The Sensual Steps' awning should have black letters so it is easier to read from a passing car. An in-store survey should have a space for customers' e-mail addresses. Nicole should prepare a SWOT, a grid that lists Sensual Steps' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Some ideas are more radical, such as the suggestion that Jones pursue transvestites as a customer niche. Her sexy shoes and selection of larger sizes would be a good fit for male cross-dressers, many of whom are not price-sensitive, Smith said.
"When I suggested it, she didn't miss a beat. She recognized it as a segment of business. Her openness to accept what she doesn't know is refreshing," Smith said. "I don't perceive any arrogance or paranoia."
At a mid-December coaching session, Jones said she has been so pleased with Smith's input that she has hired an executive coach for Tabb as well. The coach turns out to be Audrey Johnson, Jones' older sister, a former IRS auditor who also has 15 years of retail experience.
Instead of helping customers and answering phones, Tabb joins the coaching sessions. "There's a whole different level of what she can learn," Jones said.
Jones and Johnson are encouraging Tabb to become more familiar with the store's QuickBooks accounting system and its cash-register software program, which tracks inventory and creates sales reports. After Tuesday, Tabb will give up her written calendar and do all her scheduling on the computer.
Jones also is hoping to free up Tabb from some time-consuming work related to the store's Internet site. Currently, the site doesn't track inventory, so when orders come in, Tabb must run to the stockroom to see if the product is there. If the store doesn't have the right size, she has to call the customer and figure something out.
"Of course, when you have to make a change, it is hard," Tabb said. "We're used to doing it a certain way."
'Madness' makes an impact
When the front door is finally unlocked, dozens of women stream in and push toward the back of the store, coats still on. Within minutes, Post-It notes start appearing on boxes, indicating they have been claimed by someone.
Women clutch boxes to their chests as they head to the lower level to investigate the rest of the offerings. A husband carrying a shoe box dutifully follows his wife downstairs. A woman balances on one foot trying on a stiletto-heeled boot in front of a giant mirror.
Linda Johnson, a friend and former employee of Jones', moves through the crowd with handbags crowded on both arms, calling out, "Beautiful purses, half price."
Within half an hour, the line at Jones' register is eight people long, even though her husband, Matthew Jones, is manning a second table for credit card sales.
Jones had ordered special inventory for the sale and had been planning on holding back snow boots because she knew she could sell them later at full price. That plan quickly goes out the window when shoppers keep asking about snow boots -- Jones tells the staff to bring them out.
Shopper Luana Love stops for lemonade before heading home. "You work up a sweat buying shoes. I need a drink before I go."
A few minutes after 10 p.m., Jones has worked up a sweat herself. "I'm tired. I'm hot, but I'm a happy camper."
By midnight, the staff is flagging, but customers are still shopping. Forty-five minutes later a few die-hards are still trying things on as employees carry unsold boxes back to the stockroom where they will be locked up for the night.
Finally, the last customer leaves, and Jones gathers the troops for a group photo. Then it's back to cleaning up and putting away, which will keep Jones and others there until 3 a.m.
No sleeping in, though. Jones has a day of financial classes Saturday that start at 9 a.m. in Evanston. Tabb is back at the store by 10:30 a.m. and spends a good part of the day calling customers to get feedback on the sale.
"Wasn't Midnight Madness mad?" Tabb croons repeatedly into the phone. Everyone she talked to agreed. "They wanted to know when we would do it again."
When the sales numbers are tallied, Sensual Steps has set a new record: 323 items were sold, including boots, shoes and purses.
Progress, but glitches remain
By the end of December, the NextOne program is half over. Accountants have spent more than 60 hours reorganizing Sensual Steps' books so that a financial strategist can analyze them to find out, among other things, how profitable the store really is. But the books still aren't ready yet because the accounting intern assigned to the store went into early labor and there was a delay in finding a substitute.
"We can't get to a lot of things until the financials are in place," said executive coach Smith.
Other things haven't been completed either, such as figuring out how to get the store's mobile credit card reader to communicate directly with the cash-register software.
Jones isn't complaining. In August and September, business was so slow she was afraid Sensual Steps would end 2007 with lower sales than it had in 2006. She feared the store might not survive.
"I was at my wit's end. I didn't know how we would recuperate," she said. Now, after the operational and marketing boost she has gotten from the NextOne program, 2007 sales have exceeded those in 2006. Jones already is brimming with promotional ideas for 2008.
Among her ideas are an early-morning breakfast for Mother's Day shoppers and a float in the South Side Bud Billiken parade.
Tabb said she was never really afraid that Sensual Steps wouldn't make it.
"I know we have some really, really faithful customers. I know how our customer service differs from other people," she said. "And there's my faith in God. I know how good God is. I truly wasn't worried."
In the Web edition: For a look at changes in Bronzeville, please visithttp://www.chicagotribune.com/bronzeville


text:
Little Big Town Bring the 'Pontoon' Boat to 'Ellen'
To promote their upcoming album, 'Tornado,' Little Big Town hit the small screen bright and early on Thursday for a performance on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show.' The award-winning foursome was all smiles as they took the stage to perform 'Pontoon' for a crowd.
Despite playing live for a national audience, the popular country group looked calm and collected. Of course, the cool beat of their chart-topping single is enough to make anyone feel as relaxed as a day at the beach. The 'Ellen' gig came just a few days after Little Big Town scored their first career No. 1 song with 'Pontoon.'
The live performance was in conjunction with the release of the band's fifth studio album, 'Tornado.' In full support of the 'Little White Church' hitmakers, Ellen gave out free copies of the new album to her entire audience. Talk about a marketing boost!
It's been a big year for Little Big Town. Not only has 'Pontoon' hit No. 1 on the charts, the summer anthem also achieved platinum certification last week. Plus, the boat-ready hit has landed the group a whopping three CMA nominations for Vocal Group of the Year, Music Video of the Year and Single of the Year.
'Tornado' hit digital retailers and store shelves on Tuesday, September 11. Be sure to grab your copy right away!
Watch Little Big Town Sing 'Pontoon' on 'Ellen'


text:
Packers take OT Bakhtiari in fourth round
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Seemingly determined to protect its biggest investment, the Green Bay Packers gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers some help on Saturday.
The Packers, who signed Rodgers to a five-year contract extension on Friday, used their first two picks on Day 3 of the NFL draft on offensive linemen. Colorado's David Bakhtiari was taken with the 109th overall selection and Cornell's J.C. Tretter at No. 122.
Rodgers was sacked a league-high 51 times last season, so adding a pair of blockers might help give the Packers' franchise quarterback some much needed relief.
The Packers followed up by grabbing its second running back in as many days via the draft, trading up to take UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin at No. 125.
In the final round, the Packers picked up two wide receivers - Grand Valley State's Charles Johnson and Maryland's Kevin Dorsey - after two of Rodgers' main targets departed during the offseason, with Greg Jennings signing with Minnesota and Donald Driver retiring.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy insists the Packers didn't draft the offensive players solely based on the fact they secured Rodgers for the long term.
"The reality of it is, we've helped our football team and that's the way the draft board is set every single year," McCarthy said. "I understand when you put numbers on a spreadsheet and you're over $100 million and then right after that comes four players on offense, I think it's natural to think that we stopped there and said 'Hey, we got to hurry up and put some people around Aaron Rodgers.' But that's really not the case."
After selecting defensive players with their first six picks in the 2012 draft, the Packers stockpiled their picks this year and had nine selections on the final day of the draft.
"We felt that the draft was pretty solid through the middle rounds, so we wanted to try to accumulate some picks in that area. I think the more picks the better," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "I hope we improved in all facets of our game today, whether it would be special teams or defense or whatever."
Bakhtiari, a 6-foot-4, 299-pound tackle, started 33 of 34 games for the Buffaloes, 22 at left tackle and 11 at right tackle. Bakhtiari entered the draft after his junior year and allowed just 5 ½ sacks and only 11 quarterback pressures in three seasons at Colorado.
Offensive line coach David Campen likes Bakhtiari's versatility, being able to play both left and right tackle, and his solid footwork.
"I feel I can play left tackle, but wherever the Packers want me to play that's where I'm going to play," Bakhtiari said in a conference call with Wisconsin reporters. "They're going to give me the playbook, they're going to let me know the position and I'm going to study it and try and (play) the best I can."
Bakhtiari left college a year early because he was under the impression he could be selected in either the second or third round. However, he likes that he fell to the Packers in the fourth round.
Tretter, 6-foot-3 ½ and 307 pounds, is just the seventh Ivy League offensive lineman ever selected in the NFL draft. He started all 20 games at left tackle in the final two seasons at Cornell after playing tight end his first two years. During his senior season, Tretter allowed just one sack on 853 pass plays while registering 214 knockdowns.
When Tretter enrolled at Cornell, if he didn't make the NFL, he wanted to become a sports agent. On Saturday, Tretter was asked to give a scouting report on himself.
"I think the off-the-field stuff is great. Good kid, smart, heady player, understands defenses, understands blitzes and stunts," Tretter said. "Obviously, the low level of competition, some people worry about that. But I think I've got all the tools to make the next step and I think that showed at the combine."
After picking Alabama running back Eddie Lacy in the second round on Friday, the Packers traded Denver picks Nos. 146 and 173 to get Franklin.
"You've watched Ted Thompson enough times in the draft room and when he goes up, we're going up for something and it's really good. And that was definitely the case," McCarthy said.
Lacy and Franklin offer the Packers -- who had just three somewhat unproven tailbacks in DuJuan Harris, James Starks and Alex Green -- two different styles of running backs.
"Eddie Lacy being a bit more of a bigger back, a downhill type of runner and Johnathan Franklin being more elusive, more of a make-you-miss type of guy," Packers running backs coach Alex Van Pelt said.
Franklin rushed for a school-record 4,403 yards, which ranks fifth in Pac-12 Conference history, and 4,936 all-purpose yards. A solid 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, Franklin averaged 5.59 yards per carry after starting 45 games in his career.
"I love the game of football and I just love the ball my hands," Franklin said. "If you want me to run the ball inside, I'll do that. If you want me to run outside, so be it. . I just love the game of football and I've got to constantly improve on my game every day."
After using four of their first five picks in the draft on offense, the Packers dedicated their two fifth-round picks and sixth-round choice to their 3-4 defensive scheme by selecting Iowa cornerback Micah Hyde, Mississippi State defensive lineman Josh Boyd and Illinois State linebacker Nate Palmer.
Hyde, picked 159th overall, finished his career at Iowa with 240 tackles after starting 38 consecutive games for the Hawkeyes. At 6-foot, 197 pounds, Hyde ran a 4.56 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, which is average for a defensive back. He also a punt returner during his final two seasons in college.
Hyde had eight interceptions during his career, but just one during his senior season. Packers cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said the coaching staff with work with Hyde to increase his ball-hawking ability.
Green Bay used its compensatory pick at No. 167 on a run stuffer. Boyd, 6-foot-2 1/2, 300 pounds, amassed 33 tackles, 1 ½ sacks and 2 ½ tackles for loss as a senior on the defensive line. He played in 51 games in his career for the Bulldogs and had a team defensive line high of 51 tackles during his junior season.
Boyd was the second defensive lineman the Packers selected in three days after drafting UCLA defensive end Datone Jones at No. 26 overall.
The Packers selected Illinois State linebacker Nate Palmer 193rd overall. At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Palmer started all 24 of Illinois State's games over the past two seasons at defensive end. He registered 117 tackles, 17 sacks and 25 ½ tackles for loss in his final two seasons.
In the final round, the Packers added wide receivers Johnson and Dorsey. Green Bay received the No. 216 selection from Tennessee through San Francisco to take Johnson, who was a standout at Division II powerhouse Grand Valley State. Johnson, 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, had 2,229 yards receiving and 31 touchdowns during his two seasons with the Lakers.
The Packers' next pick No. 224, from Dallas through Miami, was used on Dorsey. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound receiver had just 18 receptions for 311 yards and four scores in his senior season.
With Green Bay's final selection of the draft, it picked a second linebacker of the day, South Florida's Sam Barrington, at No. 232. Barrington, 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, started 36 of 49 games during his career and amassed 258 tackles and 6 ½ sacks.


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text:
A Cup of Coffee with Agatha Christie by Charles Osborne
Agatha Christie had made her debut as a crime novelist in 1920 with The Mysterious Affair at Styles in which she introduced her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. By 1930, Poirot had appeared in four more novels and several short stories. It was probably because of her dissatisfaction with Alibi, the play which someone else had made out of one of those novels, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, that Mrs. Christie decided to try her hand at putting Poirot on the stage in a play of her own.
That play, Black Coffee, was the first she had ever written. When she showed it to her agent, he advised her not to bother submitting it to any theatre, as in his opinion it was not good enough to be staged! However, a friend of hers who was connected with theatrical management thought otherwise, and the play was accepted for production at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, London, where plays were frequently tried out for the West End.
Black Coffee was a success at the Embassy Theatre in 1930 and opened the following April in the West End of London at the St. Martin's Theatre, where it had a healthy run of several months. Poirot was played by a popular actor of the time, Francis L Sullivan. At Swiss Cottage, Captain Hastings had been played by the popular Shakespearian actor, Donald Wolfit. In the West End, Wolfit was replaced by Roland Culver. The Daily Telegraph thought the play "a sound piece of detective-story writing" and described Sullivan's Poirot as "a loveable human being."
My first connection with Black Coffee came a quarter of a century later, in 1956. I was at that time in my late twenties and earning my living as an actor. Engaged to play what used to be called the "juvenile-character" roles in a summer season of weekly repertory in Tunbridge Wells, I found myself playing an assortment of characters in thirteen plays by Terence Rattigan, Emlyn Williams, Alan Melville, Vernon Sylvaine, and several other playwrights. One of our most popular plays that season was Black Coffee and I received a very favourable review in the local newspaper for the authentic Latin temperament I displayed as a mysterious Italian, "the slick Dr. Carelli."
It was another quarter of a century before I wrote my book, The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie, which appeared in 1982. It was not until a year or two ago that it suddenly occurred to me how splendid it would be if I could give her admirers all over the world a new Hercule Poirot mystery, by turning Black Coffee into a novel. I suggested this to Agatha Christie Ltd., who control the copyright in her works. Without committing themselves, they agreed to let me try, and I set to work enthusiastically.
Turning a play into a novel is, of course, a much more complex business than simply adding "he said…" and "she said…" to the play's dialogue. I had to describe the characters and the setting, and had to be careful to do so in the style of Agatha Christie, so as to make the finished book read like a new, original Christie murder mystery. I also found it necessary to write an opening chapter which is completely my own invention, with no parallel in the play, establishing Hercule Poirot in his London apartment before he travels down to the country at the behest of a famous scientist to help foil a criminal.
When I had finished writing the novel, Agatha Christie Ltd. greeted it enthusiastically. "The result," Agatha's grandson Mathew Prichard wrote in an afterword to the volume, "reads like authentic, vintage Christie. I feel sure Agatha would be proud to have written it." I, in turn, am very proud to have had my work praised by such an authority!
Charles Osborne is a world authority on theater and opera as well as the author of The Life and Crimes of Agatha Christie (1982). He lives in London.


text:
At times, it can sound like snake oil, only there's no oil, pills, syrup or powder.
Claims for "inversions" — purposely going upside down for a minute or more to reverse the pull of gravity on the body — can sound like a cure-all and include relieving back pain, depression and arthritis aches, improving muscle strength and heart health, stimulating immune strength and even creativity.
With the rise in the popularity of yoga in the past decade, the subject of inversions, both its benefits and risks, likewise is starting to work its way into the mainstream.
Yoga postures include handstands, headstands and shoulder stands, or suspending from a cloth hung from the ceiling in aerial yoga. Other inversion options include inversion tables and gravity boots, made famous by Richard Gere in the movie "American Gigolo" in 1980.
Yet studies providing scientific evidence of the benefits of inversions haven't caught up with the growth of yoga, which has grown from 4 million Americans practicing in 2001 to 22 million in 2011, according to the latest data from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.
Locally, more than 20 yoga studios have opened in the Charleston area in the past decade. That growth does not include gyms and recreation centers offering yoga.
Yoga's popularity has grown faster than the research providing evidence for its effects, particularly with inversions, on practitioners.
A small-scale Swedish study, published in February and filed in the National Institutes of Health library, on the effects of inversions on "heart rate variability" and blood pressure noted the lack of evidence. "Yoga exercises are known to decrease stress and restore autonomic balance. Yet knowledge about the physiological effects of inversion postures is limited."
The study found an improvement in heart rate variability, a sign of a healthy heart, and subsequent "restorative effect on the automatic nervous system," but not on blood pressure (likely due to participants already having healthy blood pressure levels).
Several local physicians who were asked to be interviewed on the subject of inversions declined, citing a lack of knowledge about it.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Wildstein of The Wildstein Center, says that overall the benefits of yoga and inversions, when done properly, outweigh the risks.
"There was a decent study last year or two that compared yoga instructors' MRI scans with regular people's MRIs, and it found the yogis to have fewer degenerative changes overall compared to the normal population," says Wildstein.
Still, Wildstein noted the lack of study, other than risks for glaucoma patients, on the benefits of inversion poses for sufferers of back and neck pain.
One posture gives him pause. "Shoulder stands could in theory exacerbate upper extremity symptoms of a herniated disc in their neck, although there are no case studies and I have never seen this," says Wildstein.
"I personally recommend for people with long-standing neck issues, or serious nerve impingement, that come to see me in my practice to avoid axial loading of their necks with 'sirsasana' (supported headstand) and similar poses, as this tends to worsen their pain just as running on an arthritic knee worsens pain, but that's fairly common sense, I guess."
As for inversion tables, Wildstein says using them are "great for lower back pain and even, sometimes, sciatic pain."
Physical therapist and certified personal trainer Sarah Ellis says while she likes passive inversion tables for spine health, she has some reservations about two yoga inversion poses: headstands and shoulder stands.
"I've found few people in the general exercise public that have strong enough scapula (shoulder blade) strength to do a headstand correctly, which can then be counterintuitive if you are compressing the cervical spine instead of lengthening it," says Ellis, a former collegiate pole vaulter and avid kiteboarder.
"Mechanically, it seems that there is no way a shoulder stand could possibly be good for the neck."
Cortney Ostrosky, a certified yoga instructor at Jivamukti Yoga Charleston and Charleston Power Yoga, offers two or three "inversion workshops" every year, in part because she loves the challenges and benefits of poses.
She says those benefits not only include "decompressing your joints" and "flushing metabolic wastes" out of feet and legs," but for her, being able to control your mind and body when "your world is flipped upside down."
"Getting into my yoga practice, the inversion aspect of the practice resonated with me because it was a challenge. It takes on the perfect balance of hard work and playfulness, of holding on and also letting go, and of strength but also flexibility," says the 29-year-old.
"It also helps you get over the fear factors of falling down and looking silly. You can let go of your ego. For many people, it's the most intimidating thing about yoga. It's completely disorienting. Up is down. The pull of gravity is different on your body."
She adds, too, that while doing a handstand, headstand and other inverted poses takes skill and practice, even beginners can benefit from inversions either by using a wall to balance against or just propping their legs up against the wall.
For those with risk factors such as neck impingement or high blood pressure, she says inversions can be modified to avoid problems.
"That's why I'm adamant about explaining how to do the postures correctly so that you're not impinging on the neck. If you're in perfect alignment, there shouldn't be impingement on the neck. In a headstand, for example, your head should be touching minimally," says Ostrosky.
Ideally, she adds, beginners or those who wanted to advance their inversion practice would take one-on-one sessions with her or other qualified yoga instructor.
Aerial yoga offers the ability to go upside down without touching the ground by hanging off large cloths suspended from the ceiling.
Jordan Anderson of Aerial Yoga and Aerial Silks in North Charleston considers inversions to be healing because it's "so much fun and so empowering." She said some people she's instructed have been helped with anxiety issues.
"Inversions bring out our childlike nature and allow us to see the world from a different perspective. The feeling of being upside-down, as an adult, is truly freeing. It has been shown that laughter and smiling have health benefits, and inversions are great for that same reason."
Still, Anderson said they are not for everyone. Moderation is the key.
"Anything overdone can be damaging, and even in aerial yoga, we invert in moderation. I see no reason to stay upside down for any extended length of time, but going upside down a little bit each day or week can have great benefits."


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Jill Richardson's Recipe for America: Why Our Food System is Broken and What We Can Do to Fix It, is the book for people who care about food and want to do more. This densely packed, surprisingly quick read will transform readers from interested to advocate, seamlessly.
Richardson began her own journey with the seemingly simple question "Why has obesity become so prevalent over the past twenty years?" for a post on the political blog, Daily Kos. Six hundred comments later, it was clear that a discussion of food and farm policy, and its relationship to the growing obesity epidemic, was one that readers were ready to have. The conversation continues today on Richardson's blog La Vida Locavore.
After much time spent devouring leading titles on the topic, Richardson came to two conclusions: the obesity problem is inextricably linked to the development of the modern, global industrial food system; and no author had yet penned a lay person's guide to fixing the problem. As a practitioner of the full immersion approach to exploring complicated problems, Richardson offers a slightly shorter route for those looking to jump in with both feet. "Recipe for America is the book I wish I could have read three years ago, when I first began pondering America's problem with obesity," she wrote.
Like any good concoction, Recipe for America starts with a review of the basics: our experiences as eaters and shoppers, and why it can be hard to find "good food"; sustainable agriculture as a long-term solution; lessons learned from the Organic Standards; and an overview of the organizations at the heart of the sustainable agriculture and food systems movement. With the basics well understood, Richardson guides her readers to the main course: what we can do to fix the problem.
While the idea of exploring policy change might send some readers back to more standard comfort food, Recipe for America neither overwhelms nor intimidates with its recommendations. Rather, Richardson proposes a series of small tweaks or improvements within the current system, whose ripple effects would greatly bolster efforts to grow regional, sustainable, food systems. Still sound a little lofty? It's not. In fact, the Cliff's Notes might read something like this:
Food labels should give nutritional details. For example, GMOs yes or no, rBGH yes or no, country of origin, and additives yes or no and, if yes, what? Food labels should also jive with FDA recommendations.
Food safety policy should make our food safer and work for the farmers who grow our food. Safe food does not contribute to antibiotic resistance or risk spreading mad cow disease. The safety of our food supply should be regulated by one agency with no conflicts of interest in protecting the health of the general public.
Children should have access to good food. Unhealthy food should not be marketed to children by corporations or their schools. "Kid" foods should not contain added sugars, food dyes, or other additives that have been directly connected to health and behavioral problems.
Farming and processing should be safe for and respectful of workers and animals.
The Farm Bill should be changed to promote the growing and eating of healthful foods. Enough said.
Richardson's ultra-practical analysis of current food and farm policy gives the impression of an attainable revolution. In conclusion, she asks: "Can we do it? Can we turn our currently unsustainable food system, a system that is unfair to workers, bad for our health, cruel to animals and destructive to our environment, into one that treats workers fairly, respects human and animal rights, nourishes our bodies and renews the land?" Her answer: "While none of the ideas I have talked about in this book will happen all by themselves, with a strong organized and sustained effort from citizens who are tired of a bad food system that profits the few at the expense of the many, we can make a sustainable food system a reality."
Far from leaving her readers overfull, Jill Richardson's down to earth approach tackles the task of empowering her audience with such concrete swiftness that they will no doubt be ready to don an apron and RSVP to her invitation to take back the food system and food democracy – right after dinner.


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Climate threats, degradation of natural resources, water scarcity and conflicts are among the key drivers of food and nutrition insecurity in the Near East and North Africa region. The high rates of population growth and increasing urbanization further aggravate pressure on water and food production and utilization.
Mainly due to conflicts and protracted crisis, NENA contributes 60% of the global humanitarian caseload. The impact of conflicts and crises is long lasting affecting not only the production capacity and economic growth but also the resilience capacity of individuals, households and communities.
Investing in resilience and food security in the NENA region is therefore vital to fight hunger and sustain peace whilst it is a powerful lever to reach the Sustainable Development Goal pledge "to leave no one behind".
FAO defines resilience as: "The ability to prevent disasters and crises as well as to anticipate, absorb, accommodate or recover from them in a timely, efficient and sustainable manner. This includes protecting, restoring and improving livelihoods systems in the face of threats that impact agriculture, nutrition, food security and food safety."
The Regional Initiative on Building Resilience for Food Security and Nutrition (RI-FSN) supports countries in addressing the multiple threats and risks to food insecurity and malnutrition in the region by focusing on four interrelated pillars:
Therefore, by addressing the immediate causes of vulnerability, food insecurity and malnutrition, we pave the way for economic, environmental and social recovery.
The major work of the initiative is implemented in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, West Bank and Gaza, and Yemen.
People with resilient livelihoods are better prepared for and can better cope with shocks whether recurrent, protracted or unexpected.
In the NENA countries in conflict, the level of undernourishment is now six times larger and food insecurity is double than in non-conflict settings.
Cost of the war to the agriculture sector in Syria has been estimated at USD16 billion.
Under the Iraq Recovery and Resilience Programme 2018–2019, FAO is seeking to improve the lives of 1.6 million people by revitalizing communities and restoring agriculture and water systems.
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By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer
October 28, 2006
Hood River County is interested in developing a recreation area and possibly a small hydropower project on Powerdale Dam property.
PacifiCorp plans to dismantle the aging hydroelectric facility in 2010. The company wants to turn more than 400 acres along both sides of the Hood River over to another entity for wildlife habitat and recreational management.
Currently, there are three parties interested in acquiring the deed when the structure shuts down. Dave Meriwether, county administrator, said Western Rivers Conservancy of Portland and Columbia Land Trust of Vancouver, Wash., are also contenders for the shoreline tract.
The county and two conservation groups will submit proposals for their use of the property to PacifiCorp by mid-November. The power provider will weigh the plans and then choose the recipient of the land.
"We would really like to see this property under local ownership so it's something we want to pursue," said Meriwether.
He said officials are now exploring which recreational opportunities will best blend with preservation of riparian areas. Plus, although the dam will be gone, the location might support the county's interest in generating revenue through a small power plant of 10 megawatts or less.
The hydro subcommittee of the county's renewable energy work group is getting ready to apply for grant funds to explore that issue further. Eight or nine other possible sites along local waterways will also be studied if the county receives lottery dollars banked in the Renewable Energy Feasibility Fund and money from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
Meriwether said these grants will probably require the county to come up with several thousand dollars in matching funds. He said the money will be well-spent if three to four viable sites are identified that can provide a revenue stream for essential services.
In addition, a biomass subcommittee will be seeking funds to inventory the amount of available woody debris in the Mid-Columbia region. The matching costs for that analysis are likely to be split between Hood River, Wasco and Gilliam counties in Oregon and Skamania and Klickitat counties in Washington. Meriwether said supplying an energy plant with forest, agriculture and even urban waste is likely to require fuels from all of these areas.
He said the county will not get into the business of producing alternative energy for the grid if that move would harm existing businesses. For example, Meriwether said it will be important not to diminish supplies for the wood pellets produced by Bear Mountain Forest Products in Cascade Locks.
He said both studies are expected to be completed by January and then decisions can be made based on the data that is collected.
Also, by that time, the county should better understand the wind flows on its Middle Mountain property. Equipment has been set up to determine if turbines would operate efficiently in that location.
"Hopefully, we can come up with several viable projects and then determine if we want to pursue them," said Meriwether.
He said solar power does not appear to produce enough excess to generate a profit. But, if any of the other sources yield enough capital, the county might be able to afford the installation of solar panels to offset its own energy needs.
"There are just a lot of opportunities here that we need to explore," said Meriwether. "We're a perfect renewable energy microcosm in many ways."
In January, the Hood River County Commission decided to look into the "green power" business.
For the last several years, the county's general fund budget has held steady because employees have not been replaced as they left and departments were consolidated.
But, with money growing increasingly tight for extra projects, the county board felt it was time to look for other revenue sources.
About $4 million of the government agency's working capital is derived from timber receipts on the 30,000 acres it owns and manages. So, officials believed they had enough working knowledge of a natural resource industry to pursue other ventures.
A steering committee of experts in one of the four fields was formed to explore all of the involved state and federal regulations. Subcommittees were tasked with thoroughly researching each of the choices.
Meriwether said, if the county can generate more money, it can bring to fruition plans to establish bicycle lanes along public rights of way.
In addition, more affordable housing opportunities can be pursued to benefit middle income residents. And new jobs created by expanding the existing industrial land base.
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As we reflect on last week's MLS SuperDraft, each team is going to be scrutinized by their fans and media on the picks they have made.
Did they do enough, was it a gamble, or did they miss out on certain players? This can be fun and we have these options because we care about our clubs. What we will never know is how these draft picks were affected by how an MLS team is put together.
The MLS operates under a single-entity structure, in which clubs are centrally owned, though not owned by the league. Each club has an owner-operator and the team owners are shareholders in the league. In order to keep costs under control, revenues are shared throughout the league. Players' contracts are negotiated by the club and the league, which ultimately means that players are contracted not with individual teams, but with MLS itself.
There is a salary 'foundation' and each team works within a cap system. As part of the 2010 collective bargaining agreement between MLS and the MLS Players Union, the 2011 salary cap is $2.675 million, with an automatic five per cent increase each year until the expiration of the agreement at the end of the 2014 season.
Then there is the Designated Player (DP). This rule is informally named after star David Beckham, in anticipation of MLS clubs signing lucrative deals with internationally-recognized players of Beckham's calibre.
For each DP, $335,000 of his salary is charged to a club's salary cap and paid by the league, with any remaining salary being paid by the team's owners. This amount is halved for a DP that is signed in the middle of the season. The salary cap value of a DP can also be reduced using allocation money (which I will explain below). Finally, teams whose DP transfers abroad in the middle of an MLS season can re-coup part of a DP's salary cap value.
Each team is allowed three DP spots, and these spots can no longer be traded. Clubs that decide to execute their third DP spot pay a $250,000 Luxury Tax. This $250,000 would be distributed equally to all MLS teams that have not signed a third Designated Player, in form of allocation money.
In Major League Soccer, an allocation represents an amount of money that clubs can use to sign players and/or allocate to their salaries to get under the salary cap. Allocations are given to teams that have missed the playoffs the previous seasons, given to expansion teams (yeah!), or awarded as compensation for players lost. This can be when a player is sold to a foreign club (Brian McBride), left on a free transfer (Clint Mathis), or retired (Cobi Jones). Allocations can be split and/or traded. Whether the allocation is given and its size is determined by MLS, the details are not disclosed to the general public.
In 2010, each MLS club had a roster of 24 players and had a chance to add two homegrown players. With the re-birth of the MLS Reserve Division in 2011, each team will now carry between 28 to 30 players. Roster spots 1 to 20 count against the cap, while spots 21 to 30 are for development players, including homegrown players.
The MLS homegrown player rules states that eligible players must have been a member of the club's youth system for at least one year prior to placement on a team's homegrown player list. Homegrown players do not count against the salary cap, which certainly encourage clubs towards even more player development, which is a league initiative.
Given all this, you can see the importance of a Tom Soehn to Vancouver Whitecaps FC and our coaching staff. With Tom's knowledge of the league and how it works, we are using his vast experience as a player and a coach in the league to put together a squad that gives us the best chance of winning in our first MLS season. And with the recent addition of Denis Hamlett, we have added another key component to our coaching staff, which gives us even more MLS experience on the coaching side.
With the SuperDraft done for this year, you can rest assure that the roster work at Whitecaps FC is not done. But we are a lot closer to the finished product with a better idea of what we have in our squad come our MLS debut on March 19 against Toronto FC.


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Cardinals steeped in tradition, engulfed in history
In case you haven't noticed, the St. Louis Cardinals rarely are less than good during a given season, and here's why: the fans, the legends, the ballpark, the city and the Clydesdales. Everything involved with this franchise is so into baseball that you wonder if those featuring a redbird on their uniform bow before every home game at the statue of Stan Musial.
This much is certain: St. Louis players cherish all of those Cards-generated things, and I didn't even mention that nobody in National League history has more World Series championships than the Redbirds' 11.
In case you haven't noticed, the St. Louis Cardinals rarely are less than good during a given season, and here's why: the fans, the legends, the ballpark, the city and the Clydesdales. Everything involved with this franchise is so into baseball that you wonder if those featuring a redbird on their uniform bow before every home game at the statue of Stan Musial.
This much is certain: St. Louis players cherish all of those Cards-generated things, and I didn't even mention that nobody in National League history has more World Series championships than the Redbirds' 11.
Inspiring stuff, right?
"Well, the first day I showed up to Spring Training after I joined the Cardinals this year, you've got Ozzie Smith out there," said second baseman Mark Ellis, recalling how he felt like a wide-eyed youngster instead of a veteran heading into his 12th season in the Major Leagues. "Being a middle infielder and watching Ozzie Smith play shortstop when I was growing up, that was real special for me. That's because he always was one of my guys."
Not only did Ellis meet Smith, he saw Smith evolve into the 59-year-old version of The Wizard without the flip.
"He actually was taking ground balls out there, teaching us and just being one of the guys, really," said Ellis, still glowing from the memory. "It was fun being out there with Ozzie Smith, and the Cardinals also bring a whole bunch of other players back."
Ever hear of Bob Gibson? With Ellis and others watching in awe, Gibson continued his habit of visiting the Cardinals' spring camp with guys named Lou Brock, Bruce Sutter and Willie McGee. There also was Jim Edmonds, known as "Jimmy Baseball" among Cards fans long before Johnny Manziel became "Johnny Football." Even legendary St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog was around, along with Red Schoendienst, the franchise's most beloved living icon.
Schoendienst was a perennial All-Star player for the Cardinals, and he later managed the team to a World Series championship. More impressive, he hasn't stopped putting on his St. Louis uniform, cap and cleats for pregame workouts at home games, and he is 91 years young.
"Lou Brock. Ozzie Smith. Red Schoendienst. It's just so tough to say which one of those guys is more inspiring than the other, because they're all so great," said right fielder Allen Craig, who started his Major League career with the Cards at the start of the 2010 season. "The list is so long, and it's such a treat to know that they are all there and that they all are so willing to talk to us about their different experiences."
Musial once was the legend among former St. Louis greats, because long after his Hall of Fame career ended during the early 1960s, he was a fixture at Busch Stadium on game days. Musial died before last season, but his spirit lives on.
I'm sure those in the Cub Nation say the same of the late Ron Santo, the Hall of Fame third baseman who later became bigger than life for their team as a radio announcer. The Cubs built a statue of Santo in Wrigleyville to join those of his former teammates, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, and incomparable Cubs broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse.
It's tough to beat Cubs fans. Despite their team not capturing a pennant since World War II or a championship since before World War I, they remain visible and vibrant. The same goes for followers of the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants and Dodgers, but for different reasons, of course.
Elsewhere, Wisconsin folks hug the Brewers like crazy, and nobody ever would question the loyalty of Tigers fans. Then there is Cincinnati, where its citizens are born with "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in their blood. They have a Fourth of July-style parade each Opening Day in celebration of the Reds' status as baseball's first professional team.
With apologies to Cincinnati, Detroit and all of the rest, there is no baseball town like St. Louis, and it isn't even close these days. To re-emphasize something I just typed, we're talking about the Cardinals playing in a "town" as opposed to a "metropolis" such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York or Boston, where you would expect teams in those places to rank among this season's top six Major Leagues franchises in overall attendance. Those metropolises do bring huge numbers of fans to the ballpark, but so does that town. Big time.
Only the Dodgers' home average of 46,563 fans per game is more than the Cardinals' 42,991. And while the Giants are the only Major League team to have played before capacity home crowds all season, the Cards are second by operating at 98 percent capacity.
If that isn't impressive enough for the small-market Cardinals, they've drawn more than three million people for 15 out of the last 16 seasons, including the last 10 in a row. Those who come to Busch Stadium don't have "boo" in their vocabulary. They cheer nearly as wildly for a St. Louis batter moving a runner from second to third on a groundout to the right side of the infield as they do for a batter blasting a homer over the fence. They acknowledge splendid defensive plays with applause, and I'm talking about for Cards players as well as for opposing players. OK, they do pound their hands together significantly more for St. Louis players.
There also is KMOX, the Cardinals' flagship station forever. Courtesy of its powerful broadcasting signal, KMOX allows the Cardinal Nation to comprise much of the United States. So when you play for St. Louis, you don't want to disappoint much of the nation, do you?
You don't.
Terence Moore is a columnist for MLB.com.