text:
It's a blazing late May afternoon at Nathaniel "Traz" Powell Stadium near Opa-locka. The 29 members of the Miami Fury gather at the 50-yard line, dressed in their shiny aqua uniforms. On the running track that surrounds the field, near the locker rooms, the Pure Funk DJs from 97.7 FM blast "Reppin' My City." Rick Ross's silky voice crackles from seven speakers: "I be flippin' dem flounders, they be huntin' my bounty/I'm the face of the hood, everyplace in the hood." Just as the chorus hits its bass line, the all-female tackle football team stomps in unison at midfield, hooting and hollering at their opponents, the Atlanta Xplosion. The Georgia players, dressed in white and black, respond from the sideline with their own trademark cheer: "Tick, tick, boom! Tick, tick, boom!"
Fury outside linebacker Gilda Bethel, a five-foot-four-inch, 155-pound fireplug with a swagger like that of Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, points at one of the Xplosion players: running back Ronkia Toombs, a stout Miamian who was a star for the Fury last season, scoring long touchdown runs on the opening drives of the team's first three games. Then, during the off-season, Toombs relocated to the Peach State.
Bethel, who wears the number two and intricate shoulder-length cornrows, flashes a wide grin at her former teammate. An elementary charter school teacher, Bethel wasn't planning on returning to the gridiron this year. She was going to leave football and begin working on her master's degree. But she changed her mind when she found out Toombs had defected. "That's all the motivation I needed to come back," says the three-year veteran. "I want to blow her up."
Miami Fury
A few minutes later, halfway through the first quarter, Bethel gets her chance. It's third and six for Atlanta on the Fury's 29-yard line. Xplosion quarterback Charmaine Chin receives the snap and hands the ball off to Toombs. Bethel stops the Xplosion's running back for no gain. On fourth down, the Xplosion elects to go for it. Again, Bethel blows past the offensive line. She hurls herself at Toombs like a Florida panther pouncing on a feral hog in an Everglades prairie. This time Bethel knocks Toombs, a former Miami Central Senior High track star, for a two-yard loss.
A jubilant Bethel rips off her helmet and runs to the Fury sideline, where teammates and coaches congratulate her and the rest of the D-unit: "Yeah, Gilda! Great job, defense!" Defensive coordinator Raul Camaliche hugs Bethel and slaps her shoulder pads as she comes off the field. Bethel taunts a half-dozen Atlanta fans by making the slashing throat gesture at them. "She can't handle what I'm bringing!" she boasts, referring to Toombs. "It's going down with that girl from Miami! I'm trying to kill her! Demolish her! I came to play all day!"
But the Fury offense is mired in muck this afternoon. Later in the quarter, on second down, quarterback Anonka Dixon scrambles away from a swarm of Atlanta defenders that has penetrated the backfield. She rockets a tight 20-yard pass downfield. It's a perfect spiral, but the ball is intercepted by Xplosion defensive back Althea McNichol, who runs it back to Miami's five-yard line.
Three plays later, the Atlanta QB fakes a hand-off and runs untouched into the end zone for the TD. On the Fury's next possession, Dixon is sacked for a safety.
In the stands, Debra Roberson — a 45-year-old aviation company shipping manager — and six of her friends exhort the Fury offense to wake up. "Y'all need to go out to the hood and get some real girls," Roberson mocks. "Put me in, Coach!"
A large woman with tattoos on her forearms and long, thick black dreads, Roberson claims she taught Dixon how to run and catch a football when they were kids growing up in the Liberty City subdivision of Brownsville. "I taught her to go get that ball," Roberson boasts, her gold tooth shimmering in the setting sun. "I tried out for the Fury once, but I ended up on blood thinners. I couldn't continue."
Over the public address system, announcer Jonathan Lederman proclaims, "The Miami Fury is proud to bring you family-friendly football!" As soon as Lederman finishes his sentence, Roberson pours Hennessey cognac into plastic cups for herself and her pals. "Easy now," says a man sitting behind her. "It's church tomorrow."
"It's just water," Roberson says.
"Yeah, fire water," the man retorts.
The Fury endures another regrettable offensive series. "Act like the police is chasing y'all ass!" Roberson screams. Her advice fails to pay off. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, interim head coach Thomas Fanakos — who joined the Fury this year after watching his wife Sandy play on the team last season — knows the game is out of reach.
"We're down 37-0," he says. "All we can do now is work on getting better for next week." For now, the Fury isn't getting any better. The final score: 44-0.
In the locker room, Fanakos gathers the team and puts the loss on himself. "I'm going to take the blame," he says. "It was my fault we didn't prepare you guys. We did not put you guys in the best position, so this one is on us."
Linebacker and fullback Kalondra McKenzie doesn't make excuses for the team's horrendous performance. "I understand what you're saying, Coach," she says. "But y'all don't play. We play, and we didn't execute tonight."
Outside the locker room, Bethel's four-year-old son Myles waits for her to emerge. He is wearing a black T-shirt with a picture of his mother in uniform and the phrase "My mommy ballin'!"
When she comes out of the locker room, Myles asks, "Mommy, did you win?"
"No, we lost," the single mom says.
"Again?" Myles asks incredulously.
"Damn, even my git is givin' me a hard time about losing," Bethel grouses.
The Fury's loss to Atlanta drops the team to 1-2 for the 2008 campaign. And it doesn't get any easier. Up next: the Dallas Diamonds, who happened to demolish Atlanta 38-17.
Miami, Dallas, and Atlanta compete in the Independent Women's Football League, which also includes the Fury's in-state rivals the Orlando Mayhem and the Palm Beach Punishers. Since 1998, the year before the Fury's inaugural season, the league has expanded from 14 teams to 41 nationwide.
The women playing in the semipro IWFL are not paid. "We do it for the love of the game," explains 27-year-old Dixon, who, in addition to playing quarterback, co-owns the Fury with friend and retired defensive end Gayla Harrington.
In its nine years, the team has had a difficult time building the kind of loyal fan base — not to mention corporate sponsorships — that come easily for more successful teams such as the Xplosion and the Diamonds. "We really don't have any major sponsors," Harrington admits. "So it is harder for us to cover costs such as travel for away games." Says Dixon: "It's still hard finding corporate sponsors. But we have a group of dedicated players who work their butts off."
Every IWFL player is responsible for raising $1,000 from individual sponsors to help defray travel costs for away games. "Not every player can come up with the money," Dixon says. "But we still have to find a way to get there. In some cases, players drive their own cars." For its recent away games against Palm Beach and Atlanta, the Fury rented six minivans.
The team has posted winning records in only three of its nine seasons, making the playoffs once, in 2006. That year the team posted a 7-1 regular-season record before losing in the first round to the New York Sharks. But the Fury regressed last season with a 3-5 record, losing its first two games by a combined score of 84-33, as well as losing Dixon to a foot injury. Heading into its last game of the season Saturday, the team's record stands at a dismal 2-4.
Fury assistant coach Benjamin Pierre-Charles attributes the losing record to roster turnover and inexperience. "We have a lot of new girls who are still learning how to play the game," he says. "They don't realize that if the other team scores first, it's not the end of the world. They really get down on themselves."
On and off the field, Dixon is the Fury's soft-spoken general. She stands five feet seven inches tall and sports gold grills on her bottom teeth and tattoos on both upper arms. She is the oldest of four siblings who grew up in the guesthouse of their grandparents' home at NW 50th Street and 33rd Avenue. Her father, a saxophonist for K.C. and Sunshine Band, was hardly around. Her mother abused alcohol and drugs, which forced Dixon to take care of her sister and two brothers, she says.
"My dad was on the road a lot," Dixon says, "while my mom was in and out of jail. There were times we went weeks without electricity. Through it all, me, my brothers, and my sister turned out all right."
Dixon says she was lucky to have teachers and coaches who really cared about her. "My second-grade schoolteacher would always tell me how trouble is easy to get into but hard to get out of," she says. "That stuck with me. Sports kept me busy and kept me in school."
While other six-year-old girls in her Brownsville neighborhood were dressing up dolls, Dixon was in the streets playing football just around the corner from her school, Lorah Park Elementary, on NW 31st Avenue. "I ran at the same pace as the boys in my neighborhood," Dixon recalls.
She played basketball, softball, and volleyball at Olinda Park, on NW 51st Street, and football — safety and wide receiver — for the Northside Optimist Club. "Anonka is a talented, competitive young lady," says Donna Jacobs, a 42-year-old retired police officer who coached Dixon when she was 11 years old. "She and her family struggled growing up, but she always kept up her spirit."
Dixon played girls' varsity basketball at Miami Edison Senior High, but she dropped out after her sophomore year to take care of her sister and brothers. She didn't return to the classroom for more than a year, and received her diploma from Lindsey Hopkins Technical Education Center.
After coaching girls' basketball in the Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department for 10 years, she returned to Edison in 2000 as an assistant to women's basketball coach Denise Novack. In each of the three years Dixon worked there, Edison went to state final-four tournaments and won the championship twice. "A lot of the kids were hard-core, from the streets and the projects," Novack recalls. "Anonka was good at teaching them the ups and downs of doing right and wrong things."
Among the players Dixon took under her wing were Keondra Greer and Kalondra McKenzie, who now play for the Fury. Greer is a wide receiver, defensive back, and second-string QB; McKenzie is a linebacker.
Dixon began her semipro football career in 1998, when she played tailback and safety for the Minnesota Vixens. Two years later, she joined the Fury. "By the grace of God, Gayla and I were able to come up with the money to buy the team in 2005," Dixon says, declining to disclose the amount.
Since then, she and Harrington have been working full-time on building up the Fury by recruiting coaches and players. More than half the team has less than two years of experience in tackle football. The players are mostly African-American women in their twenties and thirties, plus a few Hispanics and whites. Some are locals, born and raised in the 305, while others come from the Midwest and Northeast.
Kimberly Fortin, a former Marine, moved to South Florida from Connecticut last August after accepting a teaching job at the 5,000 Role Models Academy in Liberty City. The 23-year-old rookie, who sports short platinum hair and a nose ring, played Pop Warner football as a girl. She found the Fury while searching on Craigslist for stuff to do.
"So far it's been great," Fortin says. "I love these girls and I love playing the game. It's also helped me with the kids at my school, who at first gave me crap for being the only white teacher there."
It's Thursday afternoon around 3:45, five days after the Atlanta game. Bethel has just arrived at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Liberty City, where she works a second job five days a week, tutoring elementary and middle-school children from 4 to 7 p.m. "I teach them reading, math, and social skills," she says. "I teach them how to say please and thank you, as well as how to apologize and respect each other."
Her day began, as it does every weekday, at 6 a.m., when she wakes up to get ready for work and dress Myles for preschool. About a half-hour later, Bethel and her son are on their way. "Sometimes I stop by McDonald's to get him breakfast," she says. "And sometimes he eats at school." From 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Bethel teaches third grade at Excel Academy, an elementary charter school at 3650 N. Miami Ave.
The 31-year-old Overtown native, along with five sisters and four brothers, was raised by her 77-year-old grandmother. "You learn to share with all those siblings," she affirms. "We weren't rich growing up, but I had everything I needed." After graduating from Miami Jackson Senior High, Bethel attended Florida Memorial University, where she earned her teaching degree seven years ago. "I wanted to teach to help the less fortunate kids in the inner city," she explains. "I believe I have a lot to offer them."
Tuesday through Friday at 7 p.m., Bethel races from MLK Park to Miramar Athletic Park, 10 miles north of her second job; Fury practice begins at 7:30 and concludes two hours later. Myles is always with her. "He's our number one cheerleader," Bethel boasts. "He's off-the-chain. The other day he asked me why we haven't scored a touchdown."
Her day ends around 10:30, after she has bathed Myles and put him to bed. "The next day I get up at 6 and do it all over again," she says, flashing a cheery wide grin.
When his mother is on the practice field, Myles spends time with other Fury players' children, including four-year-old Destiny, daughter of offensive tackle Kristina Williams. Sometimes Myles will get in trouble with Mom. At a recent practice before the Atlanta game, the ragamuffin was jumping on a pile of red clay on the baseball diamond, drawing Bethel's attention away from a postpractice huddle with the coaches. "Myles! I'm gonna kill you!" she screamed. "Look at what you did to your shoes!"
Bethel's family doesn't want her playing football. "For one, we don't play for money," she says. "And if we get hurt, it's not like we can afford to lose time off work. But I just like to play. Instead of doing drugs and drinking alcohol, I get all the adrenaline rush I need from football."
Today she has the day off from Excel Academy. She is dressed in jean shorts, flip-flops, and a white Fury T-shirt that reads, "Real women get down and dirty." Her cornrows are pulled tight against her scalp and extend down to the top of her shoulders. At MLK Park, scores of children come and go through the glass doors of the recreation building where Bethel's supervisor, Miami-Dade Park and Recreation manager Marvin Burroughs, stands behind the front desk.
Burroughs has known Bethel since 2006, when he joined the park staff. "She is intense at everything she does, whether it's playing football or getting children to do better in school," he says. "She does a lot of trash-talking, but that comes with the territory."
Shortly after 4 p.m., Bethel gathers seven youngsters between the ages of five and eight in a rec center classroom. She asks her charges: "What do you listen with?" The kids pull on their ears. "That's good," she says. "Now who wants to tell me about the good deed they did for the week?"
Dejá, a cute dark-skinned girl with chubby cheeks and braided extensions, tells Bethel she helped her cousin get out of her wheelchair. A boy named Buddha says, "I helped my momma stir the meatballs." Another girl, Milagros, is making faces, which prompts a rebuke from Bethel. "You just got five minutes in time-out when we're done here," she scolds. Milagros crosses her arms and pouts.
Bethel forges ahead. "What did you do this week to solve a problem without fighting?" she asks the children. Six-year-old Cedric explains how he avoided a fight with a schoolmate. "This boy slapped me, so I told him he better cool down before I told the teacher on him," Cedric says. "He got scared." Bethel catches Buddha poking one of the girls. "You're going to time-out too," she says. Bethel looks around at each of the children and congratulates them for not getting into fights. "Any time you can avoid violence is a good thing," she says. "Tomorrow I want all of you to do a good deed and tell me about it."
After the social-skills lesson, Bethel lounges in the lobby and reflects on the Fury's performance against the Xplosion. "I can't pretend everything is all right when we just got whupped," she explains. "Fans don't want to come out to see you play when you are losing 44 to nothing." Bethel wonders if some of her teammates have the heart to play hard. "If you don't have it, dog, I can't put it in you," she says. "And this is gut-check week."
She's right. The Dallas Diamonds are one of the premier teams in the IWFL. In their first three games, the Diamonds beat the competition by a combined score of 186-14, posting shutouts in their first two wins, including a 91-0 pasting of the Palm Beach Punishers. "Those girls pull tractors for a living," Bethel jests. "But we can use our speed to negate their size. We just need to play with more discipline."
Later that evening, at Miramar Athletic Park, Fury practice is in full swing as the offense goes over blocking techniques against the defense. Coach Fanakos is encouraging wide receiver Ashley Rijos to engage linebacker Kalondra McKenzie, who is 30 pounds heavier and six inches taller. "Push her!" Fanakos screeches. "Push her! That's it!"
Number 22, a tall, 145-pound wideout named Latoya Lynn, is next, going up against 240-pound linebacker Keisha McDonald. Fanakos blows his whistle to start the drill. Lowering her center of gravity, Lynn pushes McDonald out of the way. The two ladies butt helmets as the rest of the team claps in admiration.
Fanakos, a deep-voiced man with oval eyeglasses who also coaches high-school football at Doral Academy, says he didn't sleep for three days while reviewing film of the game against Atlanta. "They left us in a world of mess," Fanakos laments. "We gave them everything."
For the last two hours of practice, the Fury goes through its offensive and defensive sets while also running plays Dallas might use. The drills are so intense that at one point, center Jessica Montanez runs off to a corner of the field, behind a light pole, to puke. Quarterback Dixon calls her out. "Oh shit, everybody!" Dixon says. "Jessica is pregnant!" Laughter erupts among the teammates. "Fuck y'all!" Montanez retorts.
In between the action, Dixon rattles off the reasons Atlanta blew her squad out of the water. "Basically we weren't focused," she says. "We shot ourselves in the foot and it went downhill."
Two days later, during the home game against Dallas, the Fury is keeping up with the league's number one team. The score is 7-6 midway through the first quarter. The bleachers are virtually empty, except for about 30 spectators, mostly Dallas fans who traveled from Texas.
The Diamonds' five-foot nine-inch, 206-pound running back Jessica Springer is methodically pounding the Fury defense. On one play, she busts a 25-yard gain. On the same drive, she hammers forward, picking up first downs on consecutive plays. On third and 12 from the Fury's 22-yard line, Dallas sends the tight end in motion. That sets off Fury defensive coordinator Raul Camaliche, who screams at Bethel to cover the player. "Gilda! Gilda!" he hollers. "Watch the pass to the tight end!"
Bethel seems confused when the ball is snapped. The tight end races past her, catching a pass in her breadbasket and scoring a touchdown. It's 14-6 Dallas. An angry Bethel marches off the field, screaming at Camaliche. "Coach can't put me in that predicament!" she yells. "He gotta tell me to stick her!" Camaliche walks over and soothes Bethel's shoulder pads. "It's all right," he says. "Don't worry about it. Just keep your focus."
By the end of the third quarter, the Fury is at the bad end of another blowout. Eventually they lose 48-6. Their 1-3 record has left their playoff hopes all but dead. To qualify, they will need to win all four of their last contests, including rematches against Atlanta and Dallas on those teams' home turf. Luckily the Fury's next opponent is the Palm Beach Punishers, an even more hapless bunch that gave the Fury its first victory of the season, 6-2, and its second, when the ladies from Miami go on to clobber their regional rivals 22-0.
On a recent Tuesday at 8:30 a.m., the 21 third-graders in Bethel's class at Excel Academy are reading excerpts, in unison, from a short story about Medieval Times, a Middle Ages-themed restaurant chain. Bethel, dressed in a red polo shirt, blue jeans, and red and white Air Jordans, is standing in front of the dry-erase board, watching over her pupils. The children are wearing their school uniforms — yellow, maroon, and navy blue polos with khaki pants or skirts — and paper crowns from Medieval Times.
A pudgy black boy named AJ is acting up and distracting Bethel. "AJ, you are being rude and disrespectful," she chastises. "If you keep it up, you won't participate in tomorrow's medieval banquet."
When the reading session is over, Bethel instructs her students to vote for 10 classmates to be the king, queen, knights, and servants for the banquet. After the children make their selections, Bethel asks her pupils to complete fill-in-the-blank exercises about the short story. A boy with thick braids named Derrick lets out a loud moan. "There shouldn't be any talking," Bethel says. "Your mouths should be closed."
As the students write their answers, Bethel informs a visitor that 2009 will be her last season with the Fury. "I can't go out like this, on the bottom," she says. "We went 7-2 my first season. Hopefully everyone will come back with a winning attitude and we can make a championship run next year."
After that, she's done so she can focus on raising her son and going to graduate school. "Myles is starting kindergarten next year," Bethel says. "I've already sacrificed spending time with him for the last three years. He doesn't get all the attention that I give my schoolkids. I have to make sure he has a good foundation."
She casually mentions that today is Myles's picture day. For the occasion, she dressed him in dark pinstripe slacks, a black tie, a crisp white shirt, and polished dress shoes. "I ordered two sets [of prints]," she says gleefully. "His graduation from preschool is next Saturday. He wants a lizard. I'll probably get him an iguana."
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Bethel is not the only Fury player considering retirement. Two days before the away game against the Atlanta Xplosion (which Miami will go on to lose 35-0), Dixon is kicking back inside the Starbucks on the corner of NE 30th Street and Biscayne Boulevard. She sports a fresh summer outfit in Fury colors — aqua tank top, orange and aqua plaid shorts, and all-white Adidas shell-top sneakers. After nine years of dodging tacklers with her speedy legs, Dixon is contemplating hanging up her cleats for the 2009 season.
"I really love playing the game," she says. "But building the team has to be my main focus. That means I have to pound the pavement more, and that is going to take a lot of energy. So I have to make a sacrifice."
The Fury's soft-spoken leader says a major challenge for the team, besides bringing up its level of play, is raising its level of awareness; many Miamians don't know anything about women's football in their own back yard. "Man's biggest fear is the unknown," Dixon says. "But we are the only women's sports franchise out here. And that makes us unique."
And then there is the reality that, in another way, the Fury is hardly unique in South Florida sports. Like any other local team, its drawing power is subject to the mercy of fickle sports fans. "We got a lot of bandwagon-jumpers here," Dixon says. "Even professional sports teams like the Heat and the Dolphins that have money don't get fans unless they are winning."


text:
By Region
Looking for great eats? The perfect dessert? A bottle of wine to share with a friend or a craft brew to drink as you catch a game? We can make your culinary travels complete with tons to choose from across the state.
Salem Cross Inn Restaurant and Tavern
260 West Main St.
Po Box 553
West Brookfield
508-867-2345+ 15 saves

subset: commoncrawl


text:
You will never notice something like this on FreeBSD or Linux Desktop home system or your personal UNIX or Linux workstation. However, sometime on a production UNIX server you will notice that both df (display free disk space) and du (display disk usage statistics) reporting different output. Usually df will output a bigger disk usage than du.
If Linux or UNIX inode is deallocated you will see this problem. If you are using clustered system (file system such as GFS) you may see this scenario commonly.
Note following examples are FreeBSD and GNU/Linux specific.
Following is normal output of df and du for /tmp filesystem:
# df -h /tmp
Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/ad0s1e 496M 22M 434M 5% /tmp
Now type du command:
# du -d 0 -h /tmp/
22M /tmp/
Why is there a mismatch between df and du outputs?
However, some time it reports different output (a bigger disk usage), for example:
# df -h /tmp/
Filesystem Size Used Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/ad0s1e 496M 39M 417M 9% /tmp
Now type du command:
# du -d 0 -h /tmp/
22M /tmp/
As you see, both df and du reporting different output. Many new UNIX admin get confused with output (39M vs 22M).
Open file descriptor is main causes of such wrong information. For example if file called /tmp/application.log is open by third party application OR by a user and same file is deleted, both df and du reports different output. You can use lsof command to verify this:
# lsof | grep tmp
bash 594 root cwd VDIR 0,86 512 2 /tmp bash 634 root cwd VDIR 0,86 512 2 /tmp pwebd 635 root cwd VDIR 0,86 512 2 /tmp pwebd 635 root 3rW VREG 0,86 17993324 68 /tmp (/dev/ad0s1e) pwebd 635 root 5u VREG 0,86 0 69 /tmp (/dev/ad0s1e) lsof 693 root cwd VDIR 0,86 512 2 /tmp grep 694 root cwd VDIR 0,86 512 2 /tmp
You can see 17993324K file is open on /tmp by pwebd (our in house software) but deleted accidentally by me. You can recreate above scenario in your Linux, FreeBSD or Unixish system as follows:
First, note down /home file system output:
# df -h /home
# du -d 0 -h /home
If you are using Linux then use du as follows:
# du -s -h /tmp
Now create a big file:
# cd /home/user
# cat /bin/* >> demo.txt
# cat /sbin/* >> demo.txt
Login on other console and open file demo.txt using vi text editor:
# vi /home/user/demo.txt
Do not exit from vi (keep it running).
Go back to another console and remove file demo.txt
# rm demo.txt
Now run both du and df to see the difference.
# df -h /home
# du -d 0 -h /home
If you are using Linux then use du as follows:
# du -s -h /tmp
Login to another terminal and close vi.
Now close the vi and the root cause of the problem should be resoled, the du and df outputs should be correct.


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Need to return your Nexus S back to T-Mobile your any other carrier for any reason? Well, you can unroot your Nexus S completely back to stock, very easy to do by following the step-by-step guide outlined here.
(For Nexus S 4G, please see How to Unroot Nexus S 4G.)
Step 1. Download the appropriate stock OTA zip file for your Nexus S.
Download this zip for i9020T and i9023 models:
Download i9020t_i9023.zip
Download this zip for i9020A:
Download i9020a.zip
Step 2. Copy the zip file to internal storage of your Nexus S.
Step 3. Power off your Nexus S then boot into bootloader by holding down both Volume Up and Power buttons. Choose "Recovery" and hit the Power button.
Step 4. You should be in ClockworkMod Recovery now, choose "install zip from sdcard" using Volume buttons then hit the Power button.
Step 5. Choose "choose zip from sdcard" then hit the Power button.
Step 6. Choose "i9020t_i9023.zip" OR "i9020a.zip" (depending on which file you copied over earlier) and hit the Power button.
Step 7. Choose "Yes" and hit the Power button.
Step 8. Your phone now should be updating itself with the stock OTA ROM.
Step 9. When install is complete, choose "Go Back" and hit Power button.
Step 10. Choose "Reboot system now" and hit the Power button to reboot.
Step 11. Turn off your Nexus S again and go back into bootloader by holding down Volume Up and Power button together. Then choose "recovery" and hit the Power button.
Step 12. Once you get the Android guy with exclamation mark, hit Volume Up and Power button at the same time until you get blue menus.
Step 13. Choose "wipe data/factory reset" and hit the Power button, this will erase all your personal data/apps/settings.
Step 14. Choose "Yes" and hit the Power button.
Step 15. Next, reboot your phone into bootloader by turning it off then holding down Volume Up and Power button together.
Step 16. Download fastboot.zip and unzip to your hard disk.
Then type:
For Windows:
cd \fastboot
For Linux or Mac:
cd /fastboot
Then type:
For Windows:
fastboot oem lock
For Mac:
./fastboot-mac oem lock
For Linux:
./fastboot-linux oem lock
You should see that the LOCK STATE on the Nexus S screen change from UNLOCKED to LOCKED.
That's it, you've fully unrooted your Nexus S! Now, there might still be your files on the internal storage such as your photos, videos, and other personal files, just make sure you back them up before you return your phone.
Need Help? Follow/add me on Google+, Facebook, or Twitter!
Want to stay updated on latest Nexus S Root news?
Sign up for our Nexus S Root Newsletter here so you don't miss a single tip and get personal help via e-mail! Nexus S Reference
You will need a rooted Nexus S to install all ROM/kernels.
NOTE: PLEASE ONLY INSTALL ROMS INTENDED FOR YOUR VERSION OF Nexus S! Otherwise you WILL BRICK YOUR PHONE and I will not be responsible!
How to Root Nexus S!
First time to rooting and custom ROMs? Please see our Nexus S FAQ FIRST! Nexus S ROMs
Nexus S ROMs
Nexus S 4G ROMs


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Make and model ?
is it one of theseA1CS X220 TABLET 10.2″ ANDROID 2.2, WIFI, MIFI, HDMI, 1080P, GPS WITH CAM
cat /proc/cpuinfocat /proc/meminfocat /proc/version
Easiest way to upgrade any Android device Greame is simply to root it, and then install a new ROM on it. Do note, that I mean "easiest" with a pinch of salt as user error often leads to permanent bricking of the device.
Sorry I wasn't much help
Link to Gareth's Blog Link to Kath's Blog


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Airports are fascinating places, you would agree. They tell stories. And if you have a fertile imagination you would regard and treat them as people, existing in diverse time and space. For example, the airport at Kolkata exudes the weary charms of a fatigued traveller and Mumbai overwhelms one with its relentless representation of the eternal enthusiast. Guwahati straddles the two extremes with great awkwardness while Dimapur fits into the shoes of a trepid amateur.
Being the pride of our nation, the IGIA accurately portrays the sentiments as well as quirks of Indian life.
This rambling piece of writing is not an ingratiating gesture (I'm not in the race for that bottle). It is my tribute to a fascinating world where I spend a lot of time, perfectly attuned to the mayhem, called (for the sake of being cheesy) life!


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DURHAM - Derek Deandre Walker posted what was tantamount to a suicide note on his Facebook page Tuesday before aiming a handgun at police who fatally shot him after an hourlong standoff in a small downtown plaza.
In his Facebook post, Walker said he was ready to die because of a five-year custody dispute with the mother of his son.
�If there is really a true and living God and Jesus he wouldn�t put me through this � all I know is that I am a DEAD MAN WALKING,� Walker, 26, stated in the Facebook post. �I�m done � don�t call me and don�t talk to me because I am not responding. I hope I die very soon and a fast death because this world I am living in is sorry ��
�I�m not gonna make it,� Walker sent from his mobile phone to Facebook before his last posting. �#SoSicknTiredof BeingSicknTired2.�
Walker worked for the past five years with Hanes Funeral Service in East Durham. He briefly studied mortuary science in Georgia and Fayetteville before returning to Durham to care for his ailing mother.
Bishop Franklin Hanes, director of the funeral home, said Walker was very devoted to his mother.
�They would have date night every Friday night,� Hanes said. �Now I don�t know who�s going to take care of her.�
In the pre-dawn hours before the shooting, Walker called Hanes and told him, while sobbing, that he was about to die.
�He told me what he wanted to be dressed in,� Hanes said Wednesday. �He told me he wanted to wear his black funeral suit and a new purple tie. He said, �You need to put that on me.� He was crying real hard. I tried to talk to him, but he hung up on me.�
Hanes drove to Walker�s apartment on Elizabeth Street near downtown but could not find him. Later that day, Walker�s mother called and told him Walker was �downtown with a gun.� Hanes drove to the police precinct a short distance from the standoff. Hanes and Walker�s mother had to complete paperwork before the police cleared them to go to the scene.
�Before we left, they came in and said they had already shot him,� Hanes said. �We drove to the hospital, but by the time we got there he was already dead.�
The shooting
Durham police Cpl. R.C. Swartz, a 12-year veteran of the force and a member of the department�s Special Operations Unit, was among the officers who arrived in the plaza between North Corcoran and Market streets Tuesday afternoon in response to reports of a distraught, armed man.
Workers were kept in nearby buildings or taken out side doors. Police armed with rifles took up positions around the area.
Hostage negotiators talked to Walker, who reportedly waved the handgun around and held it to his head.
Swartz fired when Walker raised the gun toward an officer, police spokeswoman Kammie Michael said. It was not clear Tuesday night whether Walker pointed the gun toward Swartz or another officer, Michael said.
The custody battle
Hanes said when he last talked with Walker, he didn�t say why he was so upset. Nor have police said what prompted Walker to go downtown armed with a pistol. The anguished note he posted on Facebook indicated that he was upset with Latasha M. Alston, the mother of his elementary school-age son, and what he described as a five-year custody battle.
State records show that Walker and Alston had been involved in custody and child support issues since 2008. The latest came Sept. 9 at the Durham County Justice Center, where Alston filed for full custody of their son.
Walker was involved in his son�s life. Recent Facebook pictures show the two attending a Durham Bulls game, hanging out at the beach and working in a garden at the boy�s school.
The presiding judge did not immediately issue a ruling after hearing the case, court records show.
Alston could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
�He needed to see me�
Some people questioned the use of deadly force by police. Anita Keith-Foust, a Durham writer and activist, sent a letter to Mayor Bill Bell shortly after the shooting asking why police couldn�t use tranquilizers or rubber bullets instead of the lethal ones.
�Why weren�t his loved ones allowed to come and talk to him?� Keith-Foust asked.
Bell responded by describing the shooting as a tragedy. The mayor stated that he was awaiting the outcome of the State Bureau of Investigation�s probe into the incident, standard procedure for all shootings involving police.
Tim Walter, 50, a Durham photographer, said he thought police showed considerable restraint before firing the fatal gunshot.
Walter said Walker waved a handgun around and pointed it toward police several times.
�He was careful not to raise it to eye level, but certainly waist-level,� Walter said. �He held the gun to his own head several times.�
Walter said Walker eventually motioned higher, with the handgun pointed at police. A single gunshot rang out, and Walker went down.
The unhappy ending crushed the police negotiator, who was consoled by two fellow officers.
Hanes thinks if he had gotten to the scene earlier, Walker would still be alive.
�He needed to see me,� Hanes said. �Down there just crying and hollering. He really needed to see me.�
News researcher Peggy Neal contributed to this report.


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...in particular Science Only. I must admit to not watching this as thoroughly as I should, since it's generally quiet and well behaved. However, readers might like to have a look at the burgeoning Evolution of the Cardiovascular System thread there.
Not only are we being treated to erudite dismissals of evolution but an attempt to spread our infamy into university departments and, for me, lessons in moderating. What more could one wish for?
Probably not worth starting from the beginning of the thread, though - three or four pages from end will get you up to speed. You will learn real science from Dr Christine Janis and observe her masterly dissection of creationist corpses.
Enjoy, or tear your hair out as the case may be.


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Uno dei nostri esperti degli spazi di lavoro ti contatterà all'indirizzo email indicato entro le prossime 48 ore.
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Plano has a history of humble beginnings to huge successes, making it an ideal home for growing your business. With multi-billion enterprises and an energetic community of self-starters, WeWork's shared office spaces fit in well in the neighborhood. More than just workspace, WeWork transforms the workday into an experience. Easily network with kindred companies by saying howdy to members in your building—or even halfway around the world through our global Member Network. Here, Mondays are something to look forward to with all-inclusive amenities, custom art, micro-roasted coffee, and refreshing lounges. Need help organizing a product demo or fixing up a printer, we have staff on-hand to make the day smoother. Elevate your business today in one of our winning Plano locations.


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The GHS addresses classification of chemicals by types of hazard and proposes harmonized hazard communication elements, including labels and safety data sheets. It aims at ensuring that information on physical hazards and toxicity from chemicals be available in order to enhance the protection of human health and the environment during the handling, transport and use of these chemicals.
The GHS also provides a basis for harmonization of rules and regulations on chemicals at national, regional and worldwide level.
This fourth revised edition of the GHS contains various new or revised provisions concerning, inter alia, new hazard categories for chemically unstable gases and non-flammable aerosols; further rationalization of precautionary statements, and further clarification of some of the criteria to avoid differences in their interpretation
Sales No. E.11.II.E.6
Price: US$ 115;
Languages: A, C, E, F, S, R
How to order this publication?
For more information on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, visit the GHS section of the UNECE Transport Division Website.


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NEW YORK, June 1 (UPI) -- Ellen Barkin, Candice Bergen, Jessica Chastain, Sheryl Crow and Nick Jonas are to be presenters at the 66th Tony Awards ceremony in New York.
Also expected to hand out awards are Angela Lansbury, James Marsden, Trey Parker, Jim Parsons, Mandy Patinkin, Tyler Perry, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Plummer, Paul Rudd, Amanda Seyfried and Matt Stone.
Neil Patrick Harris is to serve as host of the June 10 prize presentation, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway.


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Freedom of Information Act
Welcome to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) home page for the Tennessee Valley Authority. This section of TVA's website was created in accordance with the provisions of the Electronic FOIA Amendments of 1996. Like all federal agencies, TVA is required under the FOIA to disclose records that any person requests in writing. Information that is covered by any of the nine exemptions and three exclusions contained in the statute, however, may be withheld.
One central office at TVA processes all FOIA requests. It is the requester's responsibility to ensure that a FOIA request is sent to the proper person.
Among other things, these webpages tell you:
- How to make a request
- Where to send the request within TVA
- How much a request may cost to process
- How to administratively appeal an initial TVA denial of a FOIA request
You'll also find the following resources:
FOIA Requester Service Center—FOIA contacts at TVA
TVA Guide—A variety of TVA sources for quarterly and annual reports, bond offerings, energy services, reservoir levels, library services, mapping products and services, general inquiries and more
Privacy Act—Recent citations of the Privacy Act (18 CFR 1301 Subpart B) for records maintained by TVA and the TVA system of records
Reading Room—Locations of reading rooms, most frequently requested records under FOIA, Principles and Practices manual
Annual Reports—FOIA annual reports
Quarterly Reports—FOIA quarterly reports
Regulations—Current FOIA regulations, 18 CFR 1301 Subpart A (Tennessee Valley Authority Freedom of Information Act)


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- Syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup honey
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 (1-inch) strip of lemon zest
- Pinch of ground cloves
- Pinch of ground cardamom
- Filling and dough
- 1 pound walnuts, or a combination of walnuts, pistachios, and almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 1 pound frozen phyllo, thawed according to package instructions
- To make the syrup: Combine the sugar, honey, water, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, cloves, and cardamom in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the syrup is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and lemon zest and set syrup aside to cool.
- Using a chef's knife, finely chop the nuts. (Alternatively, if you have a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped.) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the nuts, cinnamon, and salt and stir well to combine.
- Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly coat a 13 by 9-inch or 15 by 10-inch baking dish with some of the melted butter.
- Open the package of thawed phyllo and lay the thin sheets on a clean work surface. Measure the phyllo sheets if the type you have purchased measures approximately the same size as the baking dish you are using, then proceed from here. If they are larger than your baking dish, use a chef's knife to cut the phyllo sheets to approximately the same size as your baking dish. Discard any scraps. Cover the sheets with a piece of plastic wrap and a lightly damp kitchen towel, as the sheets of phyllo dry out very quickly if left uncovered.
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350?F.
- Place one of the sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the buttered baking dish and lightly brush with some of the melted butter. Repeat this procedure with 6 more sheets of phyllo, for a total of 7 layers. Measure about 3/4 cup of the nut mixture and spread the nut mixture evenly over the buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat with 7 more sheets of phyllo, buttering each layer as before, and top these sheets with another 3/4 cup of the nut mixture. Continue this layering process until you have used all of the nut mixture. Layer any remaining sheets of phyllo on top, buttering between each layer, until all of the phyllo sheets have been used.
- Use a sharp knife to make four cuts lengthwise through the layered phyllo at 1 1/2-inch intervals. (You should end up with five lengthwise strips 1 1/2 inches wide.) Now use your knife to cut diagonally across the strips at 1 1/2-inch intervals to form diamond shapes. You should end up with approximately 36 diamond-shaped pieces of baklava in the baking dish.
- Bake the baklava until golden brown, about 40 minutes.
- Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baklava from the oven and set aside on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Using a ladle or small measuring cup, slowly drizzle the cooled syrup over the warm baklava. Allow to stand several hours before serving.
Recipe Details
- Source: There's a Chef in My World [4]
- Dish Type: Dessert [5]


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The name's Jeff Brandt. I'm a 26-year-old Alton, Illinois native living in the New York City borough of Queens. Long Island City (LIC) to be specific. I'm a writer of flash fiction and short stories with a penchant for the surreal, grotesque, and (hopefully) humorous. I studied Creative Writing as an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Class of 2009.
Perhaps a more apt label for me than writer would be tinkerer. I like playing with words and seeing how they work. I intend on becoming a novelist at some point, but first I have to learn how to write a novel. For the meantime, I've been writing and submitting short works for publication.
My credits so far:
I will eventually be posting published stories on this website (where I have permission).
This website has bits and pieces of all sorts, from essays I wrote for college classes, to film reviews, to journalistic pieces, to blog posts on various topics. Please enjoy! And be sure to contact me if you have any questions or comments.
Films & TV • Books • Odds & Ends


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Testicle lumps and swellings
Lumps and swellings in the testicles (balls) aren't usually caused by anything serious, but you should get them checked by a GP.
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if you have:
- a lump in your testicles
- swollen testicles
- a change in the shape of your testicles
- a change in the way your testicles feel
- one testicle that's become bigger than the other
- aching or discomfort in your testicles that doesn't go away
Lumps in the testicles can be a sign of testicular cancer. This is easier to treat if it's found early.
Immediate action required: Go to A&E if you get sudden, unbearable pain in your testicles or tummy
This could be caused by your testicle becoming twisted, which needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible.
What happens at your GP appointment
To find out what the cause of your lump or swelling is, the GP may:
- look at and feel your testicles
- shine a torch through the bag of skin containing your testicles (scrotum) to check for a build-up of fluid
- refer you for an ultrasound scan
Treatment for a lump or swelling depends on the cause. You might not need treatment if it doesn't cause any problems and isn't getting worse.
If it's painful or very big, your GP may refer you to a specialist for an operation to drain, shrink or remove it.
Causes of testicle lumps and swellings
Lumps and swellings in the testicles can have lots of different causes.
Most are caused by something harmless, such as a build-up of fluid (cyst) or swollen veins in the testicles (varicocele).
But sometimes they can be a sign of something serious, such as testicular cancer.
Don't try to self-diagnose the cause of your lump – always see a GP.


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Visit Our Sites
With feed costs dropping, California turkey farmers express optimism about their business outlook, and those who produce specialty birds such as organic turkeys say they're seeing stronger demand for their products.
"Organic sales are up," said David Pitman, who operates Fresno County-based Pitman Family Farms, which produces organic, free-range and heritage turkeys.
He noted while sales of all his specialty products have improved, organic sales have increased much more. Retailers typically place their orders from February to April.
Even though feed prices have come down recently, Pitman said they were high for most of the year, leading him to raise prices on his products.
"We struggled the year before with extremely high feed prices and couldn't cover all of our costs," he said. "So we explained the situation, and most retailers were very supportive (of the price increase)."
Sonoma County producer Willie Benedetti, whose free-range and organic Willie Bird turkeys sell for $75 to $185, depending on the size, said he has raised his prices by 40 cents a pound in the last two years due to soaring corn and soybean costs, but his sales have not backed down.
"It's a high price, but people don't balk much," he said. "They're going to eat turkey at Thanksgiving, even though the price is higher than it's ever been. People pay more for a tank of gas than they do for a Willie Bird."
He said one trend that has changed is consumers are no longer eating as much turkey during the Christmas holiday, which used to make up 40 percent of his holiday turkey sales, with 60 percent for Thanksgiving. These days, the breakdown is more like 85 percent for Thanksgiving and 15 percent for Christmas, Benedetti said.
"People have a lot more choices—going out to eat, prime rib, lobster, ham. But Thanksgiving, we're still in control," he said.
Having raised prices on its products last year, Diestel Turkey Ranch in Tuolumne County is keeping them the same this year, said Jason Diestel. The farm did increase production of its line of specialty turkeys, including organic, pasture-raised and heirloom breeds. But Diestel said with the current overall short supply of niche-market turkeys, the farm could have increased its bird numbers even more to meet demand.
"We were being conservative because of all the uncertainty in the market," he said. "We're very happy to see that commodity prices are changing in our favor, although it's too late to affect our cost for this year."
Production and sales of Diestel's specialty turkeys still have not returned to their pre-recession levels, he noted, but if feed costs stay low, consumers might see turkey prices drop next year, and lower prices could drive more of them to consider paying extra for the specialty product, he added.
Terry Branigan, who produces free-range turkeys in Yolo County, said his prices have remained at $3.99 a pound for the last five years, even though feed costs—which account for about 70 percent of his production costs—have skyrocketed during that time. He said he's been unwilling to raise his prices for fear it would adversely affect his sales, which have eroded since the recession, particularly those from companies that used to make big orders during the holidays for employee giveaways.
"I'm not sure that (business) will ever come back," he said. "We're starting to show a small increase (in sales) each year, so that's encouraging."
Branigan raises about 18,000 to 20,000 birds a year and bases his production on how well he did the year before. He typically won't know his sales numbers until a few days before Thanksgiving, when retailers begin placing their orders and individual consumer sales are made on the farm.
"I'm hoping for maybe a 1 or 2 percent increase from what we did last year," he said. "With us, if you could lower our feed (cost) and have a small increase in sales, that's huge."
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said consumers should not see much fluctuation in turkey prices this year.
U.S. turkey production this year is estimated at 242 million head, with 13 million head coming from California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That's compared to 253.5 million U.S. turkeys and 15.5 million California turkeys produced in 2012. The Golden State ranks No. 7 in U.S. production, with Minnesota at the top.
Since California turkey farmers supply only 40 percent of the state's market, Mattos said consumers who want to buy a fresh, California-grown turkey should let their supermarket know and reserve it. He said specialty birds are probably 10 percent to 15 percent of the state's market.
"There'll be a decent supply of frozen turkeys, because those come from all over the U.S., but the fresh ones will be the hardest to find," he said.
For Sacramento County producer Ken Mitchell, who grows turkeys on contract for Foster Farms, this time of year is "a big, stressful chess game" as the company tries to fill its orders and process all the birds from the different ranches according to sizes and weight. The birds he raised for the Thanksgiving holiday left for the processing plant two weeks ago, he noted.
He said although year-round demand for turkey has been unchanged, moderation in feed cost has been positive for producers this year—and for next year's outlook.
"This year was probably one of my better years in terms of my weights, my performance," he said. "We had beautiful weather. Production has been good. I've done well this year."
(Ching Lee is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com.)
Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.


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Slowing postal: Free Union and the place we won't let go
The United States Postal Service– who needs it? Our whole society has gone electronic. With the availability of email, iPads, and smart phones, you need paper mail delivery about as much as you need a hi-fi for your vinyl records.
Well, now. If the above statements characterize your opinion, consider this scenario: The USPS has plans to close your post office. Not somebody else's post office, but your very own. The one that's so convenient, where you buy your stamps, mail wedding invitations, and send care packages to your college students– where you stop to chat with your neighbors and check out the bulletin board to see what's for sale and whose dog is lost. And maybe you have an eBay business so you rent a post office box where customers can safely send you their checks.
Yes, you know that the USPS is said to be hemorrhaging money, but surely they can take aim at the many layers of their bloated bureaucracy and start the hunt for wasted money at the top. At the very least, they should pick on someone else's post office, not yours.
If you happen to live in Free Union, this threat is not just theoretical. During the last week of June, our postmaster received written notice that the Free Union Post Office was being considered for DUO ("Delivery Unit Optimization"– fedspeak for "downsizing").
Within a week, that consideration firmed up to "definite" status, and preparations began for the transfer of our two mail carriers and our sorting operation to the Earlysville Post Office– which is over eight miles away– by September 17th.
The given reason was "cost saving," but just how all that to-ing and fro-ing between Earlysville and Free Union would save a nickel is a mystery to those of us who have taken an interest in this process. And there are a whole lot of us who are passionate about keeping our little post office intact.
Here's why we care so much about what might appear to be an innocuous restructuring of duties and sorting: According to the USPS website, removing the carriers and sorting is the first step in dismantling a post office.
Step Two happens in a year or so (or whenever the lease is up) in the form of a resounding slap of the communal USPS forehead, as they suddenly declare that the building is too big for a mere retail outlet that sells stamps and accepts mail but no longer has its own carriers and sorting operation.
Who knew? Time to move out of that building! If there's a store nearby, they might contract with the owner to sell stamps and accept mail. In time, the diminished retail operation may well disappear, and the destruction will be complete.
As you might expect, this situation is not unique to Free Union. In June, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe declared that nearly half of the roughly 32,000 postal facilities in our country will be closed in the next six or seven years. Half!
Call it the NIMBY effect if you like, but I call it community spirit. We collected over 300 signatures on our petition, which ain't bad when you consider there are 635 mail boxes in all of Free Union.
Free Unionites have been writing letters to our federal representatives and to USPS honchos to advocate for the integrity of our post office. (One fact we make sure to include in our letters is that our post office actually makes a profit.)
Staffers in the offices of Senators Webb and Warner, and Congressman Hurt, lobbied the USPS on our behalf. Homemade signs dotted the roads of our community, reminding residents to attend a meeting in the basement of the Free Union Baptist Church, when officials from the USPS in Richmond were to go toe-to-toe with riled-up citizens.
At a recent organizational meeting, someone suggested forming a "Pitchforks and Torches" committee. It's a joke, of course, but a telling one. Our post office is the heart of our sweet hamlet. We don't want to go hurtling down that slippery slope and lose it.
I am happy to report that our efforts paid off: The USPS downsizing coordinator in Richmond just announced that Free Union has been crossed off the list of targeted post offices. That's good news for us, but the downsizing will continue elsewhere.
The volume of first class mail may be shrinking, but we still need, and want, our post offices.
When my mother passed away this spring, the sympathy cards flowed into my mailbox and provided great comfort. Then, there were certified copies of the death certificate to be mailed, thank you cards to those who sent flowers, and packages sent to family with mementos from Mum's possessions: a necklace, a scarf, a book. And all of it went through the USPS.
In case you're wondering whether your post office will be among those closed in the next six or seven years, consider this: Your chances are fifty-fifty.
Then again, maybe you don't care. Maybe you think that 21st century media will totally supplant the older way of doing things. If so, consider the passion that an audiophile brings to his collection of vinyl albums: You can try to take away his hi-fi, but there will be a battle.
Do we need to mention that frequent essayist and radio commentator Janis Jaquith lives in Free Union?Read more on: Free Union
34 comments
This entire paragraph is just stupid:
"When my mother passed away this spring, the sympathy cards flowed into my mailbox and provided great comfort. Then, there were certified copies of the death certificate to be mailed, thank you cards to those who sent flowers, and packages sent to family with mementos from Mum's possessions: a necklace, a scarf, a book. And all of it went through the USPS."
You would have been able to send and receive mail from your front door even if the Free Union post office was closed (absolutely no disrespect meant towards your mother). The mail would simply be processed and sorted somewhere else. God forbid anyone has to travel EIGHT WHOLE MILES to buy stamps.
Start the hunt for wasted money at the top? Are you crazy, Janis? :)
The top level of management are the idiots who are sitting around trying to figure out how to close outlets and save money so their six figure incomes aren't put in jeopardy!
I applaud your victory with Free Union though. It's too bad the area couldn't have gotten about 200,000 signatures when this top level managment decided to close the local sorting and distribution center and transfer 200 employees to Sandston, Virginia. Last week I mailed a time sensitive 9 x 12 envelope to Harrisonburg on Tuesday, I put it in my carriers hand at 4:00 p.m. The envelope completed the trip to Harrisonburg 6 days later on the following Monday. Post office officials couldn't tell me where the envelope was or what was causing the delay because I didn't use the more expensive Priority Mail with a tracking capability. A postal employee on the lower end of the food chain told me it was most likely delayed in Sandston because they have taken on more sorting and distribution duties then they can handle. The person also told me the USPS doesn't have the trained staff to keep the new sorting machine up and running properly at Sandston. This in itself is creating a tremendous increase in destroyed and damaged mail when this high speed sorting machine jams.
Big Daddy G: My point in writing that paragraph was to illustrate the emotional ties many of us have to our Post Office. Yes, I could have sent and received those items in some other fashion, but I didn't. I took my packages and thank you notes to the little brick building in our village, the place where, like the Cheers bar, everybody knows my name.
Please define, "makes a profit."
My response to sentiments such as those expressed in the opening paragraph: There may come a time in your life in which you need to do extensive correspondence which, for legal reasons, email, tweets, and iPhones will not suffice. If/when that happens, you will thank your lucky stars their is an option that does not cost $11-14+ per. When the USPS wakes up and starts charging us what their service is worth, I for one will not complain.
Seriously, you live out in the Country but expect all the same services as living in town? One reason I didnt buy a house in the Country, lack of services. I.E cell phone coverage, internet, grocery store I can walk too, reaturants, etc.
Though I can understand how sad it would feel to have your local convenient post office go away, the reality is that USPS is dealing with a situation in which they do not bring in as much money and they have to find ways to cut costs. I would be fine with them terminating Saturday deliveries and eliminating local post offices. I think the USPS does a pretty good job and they can do a good job without the small offices. They have made their services convenient in other ways over the years (automated machines, internet services, etc).
The reality is that you are lucky to have an office so close to you. I live at the Lake, but am considered to be a Palmyra address. The post office is not close to me, nor do I rarely even go to Palmyra, so I do my post office duties in Charlottesville. At times that is not convenient either, but not everyone can have a post office right by them. But I do not think that driving 8 miles to Earlysville on a country road would be that big of a deal. I live in a rural area, so I know it can be done and it really isn't that bad. In fact it is better than driving across Cville to do postal business because you don't have a lot of stop lights or parking issues.
G: The money taken in by the Free Union Post Office retail operation (i.e., selling postage, envelopes, and boxes) exceeds the amount necessary to cover its operating expenses.
Janis, I very seriously doubt if daily sales of products and services are enough to even cover the salary and benefit package of the Free Union postmaster alone. Does the USPS own the building in Free Union, or do they pay rent? What is the salary and benefit package of the actual delivery person on the Free Union route? The delivery person has to make some type of reasonable income after he/she pays for their vehicle and gas. Does the Free Union postmaster have any assistants? And if so, what is the total of their salary and benefit packages?
The point is this..... it is a government office. It is suppose to be paid for or subsidized with taxpayer money. Just like every other government function is. I don't see the Federal court system taking in enough in costs and fines to be self sustaining. I don't know of any goernment function that takes in enough money to be self sustaining. I'm not sure why anybody expects the USPS to be self sustaining, it makes no sense to me.
Mr. Gasbag: You'll be shocked to learn that I did not perform a financial audit of the Free Union Post Office before writing this essay!
Two things I did learn in this process are 1) that the post office is not subsidized with taxpayer money. [From Wikipedia: "Since its reorganization into an independent organization, the USPS has become self-sufficient and has not directly received taxpayer-dollars since the early 1980s with the minor exception of subsidies for costs associated with the disabled and overseas voters."] And 2) that the Free Union Post Office does indeed make a profit. I was told that by the MPOO (Manager of Post Office Operations for the Mountain District of Virginia) Mr. Seay. He is no longer the MPOO. The new one is Sonny Cubbage, so you could check with him if you doubt this, or want further proof.
Another fun fact is that the USPS is one of the few government agencies explicitly authorized by the United States Constitution.
Just think: once upon a time every posting on this page would have required buying a stamp, and mailing a letter-to-the-editor. So you wonder why the post office is in trouble? A mail carrier told me without a trace of irony in his voice that the Post Office sent out their notice of potential closings by (drum roll and cymbals) e-mail.
Sadly, as Ben Franklin knew, a post office is like a road: something the government has to do. Privatizing the post office did improve it with business-like efficiencies, but it is proving to be a public utility that can only subsist on taxes, money taken from us by force.
If Mr. Seay said the Free Union post office was self sustaining, I can see why he is no longer the MPOO. :)
And it appears to me that the concept of the USPS not receiving taxpayer dollars hasn't worked real well for them. Perhaps this agreement needs to be revisited and renegotiated in 2011 rather than close all the small postal outlets nationwide.
I still haven't gotten over their closing the local sorting and distribution center while telling everybody mail delivery would not suffer because of this closing. You will find that what they tell the public and what they discuss in internal memos are two different tales.
That seems like an incomplete analysis. Only a portion of the price of a stamp goes towards your local post office's budget. That stamp must also cover transport and delivery and all the fuel and salaries that go with that. It doesn't sound from your statement like that is accounted for, but I haven't seen the audit.
Further, whether or not the office is making a profit is not the most important metric. While it is a factor, it's possible they could be making even _more_ profit by closing that post office down, moving operations elsewhere (presumably Earlysville), and selling stamps out of the general store (is there one in Free Union?).
Make for a nice daily bike ride!
G, I don't think purchasing stamps is the major concern of people in having their closest postal outlet closed. It's the other services they provide. I was reading this morning, one such location in West Virginia has 800 P O boxes. Almost everybody picks their mail up at their post office box. Their outlet is on the list to be closed. And it's this way all over the country, especially in smaller communites such as Free Union.
If all a person needs is stamps, they can order them on the Internet and have them delivered to their home. But, any package or envelope over 13 ounces has to be presented in person to a post office for mailing. An ordinary citizen can no longer put the proper postage on a package or heavy envelope and hand it to their carrier when he comes by each day. To have to drive such a package or heavy envelope 10 miles to and 10 miles from a post office is two gallons of gas for a lot of people, or $7.00. Even with a more fuel efficient vehicle, driving 20 miles to and from a postal outlet is going to cost them $3.00 to $3.50.
Thank you very much, Janis, for your efforts and success.
And thank you for the entertainment from engaging GSOE.
Do you think a different building in F.U. has the potential
to serve as a community center?
Let's cut to the chase, here. Many of the financial woes of the post office (which loses BILLIONS each year) may be traced back to Public Law 91-375, the Postal Reorganization Act, of 1970. This is what, in theory, created the Postal Service as an "independent" organization which would be free of political interference and the patronage system. But if you read the act, it will be immediately apparent that the new system was given authority for most everything EXCEPT the cost of postage. That job lies with "Postal Rate Commission" whose 5 members are chosen by the President, and whose career backgrounds are almost entirely political.
So, in other words, the Postal Service was given the complete responsibility to run the system - but NOT the authority. And you can bet that while the PO itself may be insulated from direct political influence, the members of the rate commission are ALL ABOUT political influence. You can look it up.
Therefore the PO can ONLY deploy cost cutting measures, which DO fall within their authority. And when they do, what happens? People whine to their senators and representatives, who, despite the facial appearance of having no influence, actually DO have some.
Despite the smiles of Mr. Zip and those presumed postal workers depicted in happy talk TV commercials, the post office is not in the "feel good" business; they are in the mail delivery business. Thus, while I am sympathetic with those who lament the loss of their local PO, I'm uncomfortable about the idea of clamoring to keep any office open because of my emotional identity with the place or the people; not on MY nickel, anyway.
Meanwhile, much of the convenience of a local place can be found using the USPS web site, which lets you do on line much of what you would do in person. The notion that an ordinary citizen can't apply postage to a parcel and give it to their carrier is erroneous. In actual fact, you can print and pay for the shipping label on line, and call or use the web site to tell them to pick up the package at your door. How's THAT for service?
Rob: GSOE? "Get Some of Everything"?
Why do people always argue with me?????
As a victim of this new "13 ounce" rule, I can tell you from experience that you can't put postage stamps on any package weighing over 13 ounces.... or large envelope weighing over 13 ounces.... and hand it to your carrier. The carriers will not accept a package or envelope weighing more than 13 ounces even with the proper amount of postage stamps attached to them.
My carriers at home and office have refused packages and envelopes from me, and have told me that I have to take them into a post office in person to mail. This was a direct result of some terroist act, the government figures no bomb can be manufactured under 13 ounces (the silly excuse given to me by carriers, I can make an pretty efficient bomb under 13 ounces).
If this is in error, the carriers need to be retrained.
Direct quote below from the USPS web site Q&As......
Limitations on what can be picked up using Carrier Pickup
· Hazardous materials must meet all packaging, labeling, and other United States Postal Service® mailability standards in the Domestic Mail Manual or International Mail Manual as applicable. This includes items that contain anything fragile without proper packaging or liquid items.
· Additionally, individual items cannot exceed:
o 70 pounds
o 108 inches in total length and girth
Mail pieces weighing more than 13 oz. bearing postage stamps for postage must be taken by the customer to an employee at a retail counter at a Post Office, Contract Postal Unit, or Approved Shipper location.
· For more detailed information about what can be mailed, customers should reference the Domestic Mail Manual, which is available online at usps.com (pe.usps.gov).
Robert Arthur (and Janis), I think the victory in Free Union will be short lived. The USPS is closing as many outlets as they can where there is no public outcry. When the public doesn't contest a closing, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to the USPS. But once the
USPS announces a $10 billion dollar loss next year, and a $12 billion dollar loss in 2013, they will come back and take a second swipe at the ones they passed over this time.
You see, I didn't even have to answer your query.
He did,--and he sure came through with
"I can make an pretty efficient bomb under 13 ounces."
Rob: Oh! Light dawns on Marble Head, as my father used to say. I think of him as "Mr. Gasbag." I wish people would post under their own names.
One of the first criminal jury cases I ever sat through was a change of venue from Southwest Virginia. A commonwealth attorney had his hands blown off and suffered a loss of hearing when he picked up a Pringles potato chip can off the top of his vehicle. It weighed nowhere near 13 ounces.
Having said the above, I still question how the USPS came up with their "13 ounce" rule to exempt honest law abiding citizens from using postage stamps and handing packages and large envelopes to their carriers.
What AM I doing?
OK, please tell us why this Commonwealth's Attorney used two hands to lift a Pringle's can off his car?
Sincerely, I'm curious.
I do not recall all the fine details. It was 35 to 37 years ago. I think perhaps he was lifting the can with one hand and opening it with the other at the time it detonated? He thought it most likely garbage and that his children had left it top of his car. Turns out it was some past defendant that was still extremely upset with this commonwealth attorney.
The bomb was detonated with a mercury switch, once the can was tilted the mercury made contact and detonated the bomb.
You wouldn't believe the people involved in this trial, witnesses for the commonwealth or defense! It was like something straight out of the Deliverance movie.
You can ship packages over 13 ounces. You just can't use the old fashioned paid for with cash postage stamps.
If you have a computer you can print up shipping labels for your parcels, which are accepted the same as stamps for purposes of shipping your over 13 ounce packages.
The reason these are accepted and regular stamps are not- is because the labels can be traced back to a specific computer IP and require the use of a credit card (or check card with Visa or MC logo).
Additionally - in response to a previous commentor- the Postal Service was not "Privatized" it is simply and "Independent not for profit Agency of the Federal Government" that is supposed to be self sustaining.
Many of their current financial problems can be attributed directly to the requirement that they PREFUND future retiree benefits. A requirement that is not made of any other business organization public or private.
And you are 100 percent correct that the move to Richmond of the Cville Airport USPS processing facilities has negatively affected your delivery of magazine and catalog shaped mail. They cannot handle the volume of mail they are getting and routinely delay it. This would be a federal crime if your mail carrier were doing it. Check your catalogs and 3rd class mail for "Requested In Home Dates" and you'll see how late you are really getting your mail.
Bob, I was able to fix my problem myself. The large envelopes I mail can be split into 2 envelopes if they exceed 13 ounces. I'm just not that much into the online postage and printing options because I don't have time for it every day. But there's people nationwide in small communities that don't have the online options available to them at all, or still on the old slow dial up modems. When their community postal outlet is closed, they then have to drive 10 to 15 miles to the next closest post office. And the millions of elderly citizens who might have access to high speed Interent, but never have used it and won't start using it just to print lables and stamps.
I already know how late I am in getting my mail. All of the special promotional offers I get from J C Penney and Kohls are expired before they get to my house most of the time. And on the sending end it taking a 9" by 12" envelope I mailed six days to go from Charlottesville to Harrisonburg. One postal employee told me there was no way to track the envelope. Another postal employee who I felt was being quite honest told me he was quite sure it was sitting in Sandston and would be sorted and sent in the right direction as soon as Sandston got around to it. And on top of all of this, receiving a $2,000 check that had been mutilated and chewed up when the newfangled 100 yard long sorting machine jammed up in Sandston. It was in a plastic postal bag with "We're sorry" printed on the outside of it. And it took me 10 days to have this check replaced with a new one.
I'm sure the closing of the Charlottesville sorting and distribution center probably saved a few dollars. This prevented a few six figure salaried deadwood employees up the food chain from being laid off. While at the same time it it slowed local mail delivery down, something the USPS promised would not happen. And causing 200 local employees to have to drive anywhere from 50 to 120 one way to continue getting to work.
I never used the Internet to receive and pay monthly bills until recently. But after I saw incoming and outgoing mail delayed so badly over the last year, I set up online banking to both receive and pay my bills. I'm only one person with about 10 assorted bills per month. But the postage to and from me still amounted to a loss of about $8 a month to the post office. Multiply this by x amount of people nationwide and it's pretty clear that the post office is cutting off their nose to spite their face.
edit: The above was suppose to read...
"And causing 200 local employees to have to drive anywhere from 50 to 120 miles one way to continue getting to work."
A small fortune in gas could be saved if they would eliminate one day of home delivery per week, or, god forbid, two. This was discussed two years ago, but not implemented.
Sorry that I'm late to this forum but I just read Mrs. Jaquith's piece in the Hook this morning. I thought that it was amazing. If I may be so bold though, I would have retitled it, "Here in a Nutshell is Everything That is Wrong With America Right Now". How timely indeed that Mrs. Jaquith highlights that most common of current American sentiments, namely, "yes we need to make cuts, just not to anything that affects me".
In case you haven't bothered to look up the numbers or run the math allow me to save you the hassle of investigating the facts. The USPS will lose $8.5 Billion this year, which is $23.3 Million a day; just shy of $1 Million an hour or a tad over $16k a minute! This is not a minor deficit. This is a sea change in the way that we transmit information and much like carrier pigeons and the Pony Express, the USPS as we know it today is going bye bye whether people ( like Mrs. Jaquith) like it or not.
I have to applaud "Big Daddy G" and "Market Street" who rightly point out that we all make decisions in life and those decisions have ramifications. Mrs. Jaquith chose to live in the country and with that choice comes the reality that there are fewer services readily available to her. In fact she might have to travel a bit to see a movie or buy a gallon of milk, and now she'll have to drive a few miles to mail a package. These were all reasons that my wife and I chose not to live in Free Union despite its obvious charm. My choice has consequences too, I no doubt hear more noise than Mrs. Jaquith, my nearest neighbor is 40 feet away and there is a lot more traffic here too.
As GSOE rightly pointed out, Mrs. J's victory will be short lived because with first class mail expected to decline by at least 6% a year, and the USPS expected to lose even more money in the years to come, Free Union and a lot of other post offices are going to close and I expect that we'll all be dealing with Monday, Wednesday, Friday mail delivery here soon enough too. You know what though? I'm OK with that as I get that we'll all have to suck it up and take one for the team as we adapt to a changing world and a changing fiscal reality.
Agreed, Erik. When my wife retires I hope to build a small log cabin on top of a small mountain out in Boonesville. I will have nobody but myself to blame for all the inconveniences this will create.
Another point I do not recall being discussed here is postal rates. If everybody and their brother didn't whine like a bunch of babies about price increases, the USPS might not find themselves in the shape they are in now. Who else in the entire USA will deliver a letter from Virginia to California for 42 cents? People buy $2 trash stickers in the city all day long so as to have their garbage carted off by the bag, but God forbid they have to pay 42 cents to mail a letter. I have no objection to a first class letter being $1.00 right now. It would easily cost me more than $1.00 to drive across town and pay my Comcast bill alone.
"yes we need to make cuts, just not to anything that affects me"
I find I must agree with you on this, and I find that it is probably what makes me laugh at the Tea Party the most. Americans want stuff but they don't want to pay for it. As wages decline and life styles decline, they feel the pinch, but won't make the real changes in their society to fix that. They reward the I got mine, and then complain when they see their own opportunities dwindle.
Free Union (and Boonesville) aren't exactly the back of beyond.
Why should we expect lower services? My main kick is the fact
the roads aren't plowed (I was stuck out here once 2 weeks).
Maybe our taxes should be lots lower if we do get lower services.
(It takes rescue services 45 minutes to go 13 miles--some of the time
spent phoning you to find out where you are). The people who will
really suffer are people out West where the PO is an
important center of the community in remote areas.
I read all the comments and found one thing very interesting. Talking about cuts and expenses and costs with post office...there is one person on here making comments who has been a system sucker for years. Claiming to be "disabled"....collecting funds every month for claiming to be DISABLED...BUT at any time you can see this person working in the yard...riding his bike all around free union and STILL collecting a check EVERY month for a disabiltiy...really?
juicey, if you report the person, they have investigators that will look into this fraud. You would be amazed at what they can do with telephoto lenses now. There's a lot of people on disability that's just as healthy and able as you and I are.
Mer, lower taxes for less services back in the woods? We can't even get lower taxes for less services and I only live a mile from City Hall. Trash pickup isn't even included in the taxes any longer. Can't get a cop to respond to much anymore. If somebody comes onto our prorperty and steals stuff, they cop shoppe wants you to file a report online or by phone. They don't even look at the scene of the crime or attempt to take fingerprints any longer. Had a felony larceny at my office, after waiting 3 hours I called them back and told them just to forget about it. The fire department still does a pretty good job. You call, they come, period! They magically still find the time to do their job and serve the citizens effectively and efficiently. The rescue squad does an excellent job, but they are a volunteer service of course.


text:
(Pocket-lint) - Bling. Unless you've been watching lots of Jay-Z videos on MTV recently, it's probably not the first thing you think about when it comes to cars. But we reckon Citroen's DS4 is one of the first cars to truly embrace bling and Citroen's hoping that – dripping with chrome and loaded with kit – it might lure you out of the premium German car you're currently driving.
The DS4 is part of a new range of Citroens carrying the DS name. In the Citroen Lexicon, DS used to mean a beautiful, innovative French saloon from the 50s. But re-imagined for today, Citroen says it stands for 'different spirit'. It's launching an entire range of cars under the badge, which started with the Mini-rivaling DS3. And the DS4? The DS4 is a jacked-up, almost crossover-sized hatch that occupies little more road space than a Golf. Citroen claims it's a coupé and while we might not agree, in relative terms, this is a Superdry hoodie to the regular C4's beige cardigan.
You sit much higher than a regular hatchback in the DS4 and indeed from the front, the car reads like an SUV. It's at the back where things get interesting though, because the roofline rakes down and the side window-line whips up to meet it, hence Citroen's claim of it being a coupé. Cunningly, the rear door handle's integrated into that window line, so the idea is that you don't 'read' the rear door when you look at the side of the car.
We think that's marketing waffle and it certainly doesn't feel like a coupe in the way that an Audi TT does. Yet in fairness to Citroen, two of our friends completely missed the fact that it had rear doors; trying to clamber into the back by way of the front when they came to get in it.
And if you buy the appearance, the DS4 offers an interesting package, because you get a greater sense of space inside and a bigger boot than the equivalent C4. We reckon it'd be the perfect for a young family who need something practical but don't want the image that goes with an MPV. If only that side window line hadn't meant the rear windows can't be opened.
And the bling? It's plain to see in all its chrome, gloss and black and white goodness. Sure, our test car took this to extremes with its pearlescent white paint and wheels - a friend unkindly christened it the "my-little-pony look" - but whichever DS4 you choose, you'll get chrome, gloss, LEDs and big wheels and the ability to do some personalising. We think P Diddy would be proud.
And, moving inside, the theme continues. We tested the DS4 in mid-level DStyle trim and as standard you get - deep breath - automatic headlamps and wipers, leather interior, parking sensors front and rear, cruise control and speed-limiter function, massaging seats, Bluetooth phone connection and USB audio, a super-sized 'visio' windscreen which stretches back into the roof. And - the gimmickiest thing we've ever seen in a car - the ability to change the colour of the lighting on the gauges from white through to blue.
We didn't find the driving position particularly comfortable, but we got seamless pairing between the car and iPhone4 and the ability to have a totally clear phone conversation at motorway speeds. Our only real gripe was with the optional Sat Nav unit, which is neither a touchscreen nor an iDrive-type system, meaning you're endlessly turning the knob you use to tune the radio to make address entries.
Better then, to use the vast array of buttons on the (huge) steering wheel most of the time – they control most of the cabin functions and look confusing at first – but after a week they make the centre stack largely redundant.
Our favourite function was the parking aid. At first we thought this system would actually park the car for you in a parallel park situation, but in fact, it's simply a button you can press which measures a space you're driving past and tells you whether the car will fit in it. Whether your parking skills are up to getting it in said space is another matter entirely.
We took the DS4 the length of country, from London to Glasgow via Leeds and Edinburgh, and it really turns heads on the road. The 160bhp diesel engine with 6-speed gearbox were a fantastic combination on a trip like this - quiet and refined - it means you can overtake with real confidence on A-roads and it cruises extremely quietly on the motorway.
For something that's a little taller than normal, the DS4 didn't roll in corners either, it just seemed to grip and go, and those 18-inch wheels didn't wreck the ride, much to our surprise.
You can get a lower-powered diesel or one of three petrol engines too, but this higher-powered diesel makes great sense because you get relatively low company car tax benefit-in-kind thanks to a 134g/km rating for CO2. And despite doing our usual lead-footed efforts, we averaged 43mpg.
Considering the controversy Citroen caused when it reintroduced the DS nameplate, it's ironic that we find ourselves warming to the DS4 for the same reasons that the company's products has always been famous – it's the different, unusual and in places idiosyncratic choice.
Would you rather buy something predictable, premium and (ultimately) made in Germany, or are you ready for something a little different? Your answer to that question will dictate your view of the DS4 and we'd expect (and understand) most of you to plump for the former. Which is tough, because Citroen wants the DS range to be perceived as premium, and has priced it to suit. When you check the price, just remember that most of the kit standard here you'll be paying extra for on a BMW, Audi or Merc.
But if you are in the minority that's bored of the mainstream choice, or just fancy something different entirely, this really could be for you. And the most impressive aspect of the DS4 is that, for all it's niche-busting, bling-tastic design, it's a very impressive and in many ways sensible car. It's one of those cars which, when it arrived, we suspected we'd come to see as a novelty that made less sense the more time you spent with it. But in reality, the opposite was true – the more time we spent with it, the more sense it made and the greater appeal it had. So if you fancy a change from the norm, we'd encourage you to try one, just perhaps not in my-little-pony white.