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Earth from Space: Iceland
This Envisat image shows us a very rare, cloud-free view of Iceland. Located in the North Atlantic Ocean east of Greenland and immediately south of the Arctic Circle, Iceland is the westernmost European nation, and has more land covered by glaciers than the whole of continental Europe.
The large, white area is a national park that encompasses the Vatna Glacier – Europe's largest – and surrounding land.
The white circular patch in the centre of the country is Hofsjokull, the country's third largest glacier and its largest active volcano. The elongated white area west of Hofsjokull is Langjokull, Iceland's second largest glacier.
In addition to glaciers and volcanoes, the island is home to lakes, lava and more than 800 hot springs.
Iceland owes its intense volcanic activity to its location on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, where two tectonic plates are moving away from each other.
The brown terrain of the island's interior is known as the Highlands of Iceland. This is a mostly uninhabitable volcanic desert where rain and snow enters the ground so quickly that the water is unavailable for plant growth.
Iceland's coastline is nearly 5000 km long, winding in and out of glacial inlets – fjords.
In the surrounding water, blue and green swirls of phytoplankton are visible. The presence of phytoplankton is common in these waters during summer.
This image was acquired on 21 July 2010 by Envisat's Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer.
The Image of the Week is featured on ESA Web-TV, broadcast online every Friday at 10:00 CEST.


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he Exerpeutic 1000Xl Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical is one of those brilliant elliptical which gives its full value worth in performance. Costing at the lower end of the price range, this device is excellent in quality. There are also other great fitness equipment's that many athletes value such as the recumbent exercise bike if the Exerpeutic 1000Xl does not meet your expectations. Elliptical machines help in full body ... Read More »
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Cluster achieves closest-ever separation for two ESA spacecraft
After weeks of careful manoeuvring, Samba and Tango, two of ESA's four Cluster satellites, are now orbiting in formation separated by a mere 17 km - the closest ever that two ESA spacecraft have achieved in routine operations.
The 17-kilometre separation may seem safe enough, but is a mere whisker in cosmic terms. The two spacecraft are travelling approximately 21 600 km/hr with respect to Earth, and, almost seven years after launch, batteries on both spacecraft are well beyond their nominal lifetime and unpredictable battery anomalies have already led three times to unplanned velocity changes.
The close manoeuvring was required to boost the timing and spatial resolution of scientific observations conducted by the four-spacecraft Cluster mission. The identical spacecraft are named Samba, Tango, Rumba and Salsa.
Four-spaceraft fleet in complex 'space ballet'
Before the current manoeuvre campaign, Samba and Tango were separated by 450 km, following each other around the Earth in a polar elliptical orbit varying from roughly 14,000 km to 124,000 km altitude, every 57 hours.
Rumba, Salsa and the closer Samba-Tango pair formed an isosceles triangle in space with a size of 10,000 km. However, this triangle was oriented roughly perpendicularly to the so-called 'neutral sheet,' a region in the Earth's magnetosphere.
At the request of the Cluster scientific community, ESA modified this orientation in order to shift the triangle to be roughly parallel to the Earth's equator inside the neutral sheet.
"The new orientation, with two spacecraft very close, allows scientists to monitor with high spatial resolution very minute fluctuations in the thin neutral sheet, because we perform simultaneously two measurements very close together," says Juergen Volpp, Spacecraft Operations Manager at ESOC, ESA's Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.
A series of delicate manoeuvres for both Salsa and Rumba were necessary to achieve this target.
Controllers execute delicate manoeuvres
In order to avoid any risk of collision, Samba was first put into its target orbit, close to but not intersecting that of Tango, in a sequence of three manoeuvres. These manoeuvres also generated a drift that changed the orbit period of Samba between 25 May and 20 June and reduced the separation distance from Tango.
Finally, a small burn of the thrusters on Samba stopped the drift at a distance from Tango of 17 kilometres, coincident with the time that the spacecraft are closest to the Earth.
"The inter-spacecraft distance of 17 kilometres approaches the limit that can be achieved with Cluster, where the four spacecraft are independent. Future missions will need to embark inter-satellite communication systems to achieve even smaller distances," says Detlef Sieg, a flight dynamics expert at ESOC.
This space ballet is another major achievement for the Cluster flight control team at ESOC.
This close separation is not constant along the spacecraft orbits and increases to 40 km when the two are farther from the Earth, in the magneto-tail of the solar wind located on the night side of the Earth, in the thin neutral sheet layer. Investigating the physics of the neutral sheet region is one of the prime objectives of the Cluster mission.
A variety of spacecraft separation distances, together with different constellation orientations, are necessary to fully investigate neutral sheet dynamics and the complex geophysical phenomena that occur there.
"This space ballet is another major achievement for the Cluster flight control team at ESOC. Their contributions have been key to the ongoing scientific success of the Cluster mission," says Philippe Escoubet, ESA Cluster and Double Star project scientist.
The 17-km separation is due to continue at least until 12 July and is the closest that two ESA satellites have ever approached in routine operations. The orientation will enable new scientific discoveries by Cluster, the first space mission to observe the Sun-Earth connection in three dimensions with four identical spacecraft.


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Schrödinger has ambitious plans for expanding their software platform that will make drug discovery significantly more productive and efficient
New York, NY (PRWEB) December 13, 2012
Schrödinger, Inc. announced today that it has received an additional investment of $20 million from Bill Gates. "Schrödinger has ambitious plans for expanding their software platform that will make drug discovery significantly more productive and efficient," said Gates. Dr. Boris Nikolic, a Scientific Advisor to Mr. Gates, will join Schrödinger's Board of Directors.
"The success we've seen in our collaborations demonstrates that our computational approach can play a driving role in drug discovery," said Dr. Ramy Farid, Schrödinger's President. "With this infusion of capital, we will be able to continue our rapid scientific progress and develop a comprehensive, enterprise-level collaboration platform that delivers Schrödinger's powerful science to all members of a research organization."
Founded in 1990, Schrödinger is a scientific leader in chemical simulation for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research. Schrödinger's software is used by nearly every major pharmaceutical firm worldwide as well as thousands of smaller firms and academic and government research laboratories. In recent years, Schrödinger has entered into a number of collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies in which Schrödinger's technology and expertise have had a significant impact on early-stage drug discovery projects.
About Schrödinger
Schrödinger makes significant investments in R&D, which has led to major advances in the field of computational chemistry; it has achieved breakthroughs in quantum chemistry, molecular modeling, force fields, molecular dynamics, protein structure determination, scoring, and virtual screening. The company's full product offerings range from general molecular modeling programs to a comprehensive suite of drug design software. Besides the company's industry-leading drug discovery solutions, Schrödinger is actively developing state-of-the art simulation tools for materials research as well as enterprise software that can be deployed throughout an entire research organization. Schrödinger's methods development and applications papers have thousands of citations and are often among the most-cited scientific publications. Schrödinger's science is continually validated internally and by its users worldwide. Founded in 1990, Schrödinger has operations in the United States as well as in Europe, India, and Japan. For more information, please visit http://www.schrodinger.com.


text: A friend and I have been doing a 30 Day Drawing Challenge; every day we draw from a prompt, then post the pictures to each others' Facebook walls. Results are somewhere between poignant and hilarious. In that spirit, I decided to draw today's story about a reluctant reader who finds a kind of book he'd never dreamed existed...... Enjoy!


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Brown, Hallie Q.
|FRANCES JANE BROWN -- April 15, 1819--April 16, 1914
|A Haven of Rest
Their home became a haven of rest for the weary, traveling
Mr. Brown traveled through the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky collecting funds to build Old Wylie Avenue A. M. E. Church while Mrs. Brown with the women of the church raised great sums at home.
Mrs. Brown was the guiding star of the home. Quiet, unobtrusive, she ruled her household by love and gentleness. A model housekeeper, a worker in the church and a neighbor beloved. Mr. Brown was a steward on a Mississippi steamboat making the run from St. Louis to New Orleans. The eldest son, a lad of 16, was allowed to accompany his father on one of his trips on the steamboat, "The Pennsylvania." The crew was composed of colored men and women. That was a fatal trip. The boiler burst, the boat was destroyed and 600 souls were lost. For days no tidings came to Mrs. Brown of her husband and son. With a calm, hopeful manner, she went about her daily task ministering unto and consoling her children and showing only a cheerful face when the report came that Captain Clinefelter and his entire crew were lost. Early one morning, father and son returned, empty handed, dressed in old clothes given them by strangers, but unharmed. It was the occasion for great rejoicing in that home which had been cheered by the faith and trust of a devoted wife and mother.


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Bel Trio: Simpson, Weldon, Baldi launch Bel Rio
Bel Trio: Jim Baldi, Dave Simpson, Gareth Weldon plan to open Bel Rio in Downtown Belmont next week.
No one can accuse C&O owner Dave Simpson of rushing into things. After three decades operating what has arguably been one of Charlottesville's most successful restaurants, Simpson has finally decided to open a new one.
Bel Rio, located in the old Saxx Jazz Club space in Downtown Belmont, should open sometime next week if all goes according to plan, he says.
"I had a night club at the C&O that closed in 1989," recalls Simpson. "Unfortunately, that was not my greatest hour. I was young and not very savvy, and I didn't quite pull it together. I've always had a hankering to have a crack at it again."
While Simpson emphasizes that Bel Rio will be a restaurant primarily, one of his two new partners, Gareth Weldon, says the project was born out of a desire to provide space for local musicians. In fact, Weldon says he first started talking to Simpson about the idea at the Rick Olivarez Trio's weekly gigs at the C&O.
"I loved to go listen to Rick at the C&O, and so I started up a conversation with Dave about opening up a music venue for local musicians," says Weldon, using what he calls "gentle pressure continuously applied" to convince Simpson it could work.
Weldon, who describes himself as "an old musician, and a bad guitar player with a pretty good voice who played clubs for years," appears to embody the musical spirit of Bel Rio, while Simpson focuses on the food and ambiance, and third partner, Jim Baldi, a local accountant who does the books for many area restaurants (he was also a pastry chef at the C&O years ago), makes sure the trains run on time.
According to Simpson, the name, Bel Rio (pronounced Ree-o, not Rye-o), is a play on Belmont, Olivarez's Trio, and their own trio of a partnership, which appears to have evolved as thoroughly as the restaurant space.
According to Weldon, the acoustics were pretty bad at Saxx, so he had an engineering team analyze the space. As a result, special acoustic tiles have been affixed to the ceiling, and the floor and windows have been sound-proofed. In addition, he says, scores of local musicians showed up to help them paint, move equipment, and prepare the space. As for the kitchen? Simpson says it will be the "envy of everyone who's ever tied on an apron."
And the food? Simpson says it will be "totally different than the C&O" and feature small and regular-sized portions of all his favorite comfort foods, things like shrimp & grits, fried green tomato salad, pork and dumplings, french fries, burgers, and a mahi-mahi fish and chips special.
After speaking with the "Bel Trio," it's clear they have ambitious plans for Bel Rio, not only as a restaurant and a music venue, but as a welcome addition to Downtown Belmont, which Simpson characterize lovingly as "the Brooklyn of Charlottesville."
"We want to be a community gathering place, as well as a great restaurant and bar," adds Weldon, "We want to be alot of things."
Indeed, in addition to being open from 5pm to 2am every day, showcasing local musicians, serving up C&O-quality cuisine, Bel Rio will also be available for private events and will be open all day on Sundays, featuring daytime, kid-friendly music events.
"That person who said 'you can't be all things to all people' may have been wrong," jokes Simpson.
"Do it right, and they will come," says Weldon. "And we each want to do it right."
2 comments
Really odd time to be opening a new restaurant/music venue when the financial news just gets worse by the day, and everybody is hoarding what little disposable income they have.
Maybe Simpson et al have enough capital from 30 yrs of the C&O so making a profit, or even breaking even, at Bel Rio won't be an issue.
Good luck to them.
In times of economic downturns, people still need to get out a see some live music. I'd rather pay $10 to see Rick Olivarez and other local greats and eat some of Dave's shrimp & grits than pay $50 to see Neil Diamond at the JPJ. The C&O nightclub was one of the greatest music venues C'ville ever had. I'm glad to see Dave is back on the music scene. go dave go!


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Comparison between AMD R9 290X 4GB vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti PC Components. The comparision between these PC Components is based on Quick Specs, Basic Information, Features, Technical Specifications and Other Basic Features. Also see Price Comparision between AMD R9 290X 4GB vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti PC Components
Digit caters to the largest community of tech buyers, users and enthusiasts in India. The all new Digit in continues the legacy of Thinkdigit.com as one of the largest portals in India committed to technology users and buyers. Digit is also one of the most trusted names when it comes to technology reviews and buying advice and is home to the Digit Test Lab, India's most proficient center for testing and reviewing technology products.
We are about leadership-the 9.9 kind! Building a leading media company out of India.And,grooming new leaders for this promising industry.


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Real pinball
Flipping, tilting, bumping… It sounds like some sort of bruising dance routine, but these are the techniques any pinball wizard uses in the quest to leave their initials at the top of the leaderboard. The Pinball Arcade rounds up some of the rarest and most demanding pinball tables ever devised and recreates them in all their bleeping, flashing glory.
Featuring classic electro-mechanical designs and the effects-laden tables of the 1990s, you'll be able to try your hand at examples from the likes of Williams, Stern and Gottlieb. Look out for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ripley's Believe It or Not and The Twilight Zone themes as you challenge yourself and your friends, with more tables – including Terminator 2 – available to download from PlayStation Store.
The Pinball Arcade is free-to-play from PlayStation Store - give it a try today.


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text: The Cross Country Ski Association of Manitoba is the Provincial Sport Organization for cross country skiing in the province of Manitoba. CCSAM is a partner of Sport Manitoba, which governs sport in Manitoba, and Cross Country Canada, which governs cross country skiing in Canada. CCSAM is a volunteer-based organization that provides leadership and direction towards athletic excellence, individual achievement, and broad participation in the sport of cross country skiing.


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Google Apps' New Promise: No More Downtime
Google is announcing some changes to its service level agreements for its Google Apps customers today. It would seem routine except for what on its face comes across as an extraordinary promise: No more downtime, not even for maintenance.
The promise comes in a blog entry posted by Matthew Glotzbach, product management director for Google Enterprise. "Unlike most providers, we don't plan for our users to be down, even when we're upgrading our services or maintaining our systems," writes Glotzbach. From now on, all downtime that does occur will be counted and applied toward the customer's service level agreement. In fact, the entire section of its SLA that covers scheduled downtime is being removed. This includes periods of 10 minutes or less, which under the terms of its old agreement didn't count as downtime.
Google also released some data about the availability of Gmail, both the consumer and enterprise versions. It says that in 2010 it managed to maintain uptime 99.984 percent of the time. This, Glotzbach says, works out to about seven minutes of downtime per month. Citing data from the Radicati Group, he says that makes Gmail 32 times more reliable than the average on-premise email system and 46 times more reliable than Microsoft Exchange.
Over the years, Google Apps has taken some criticism for downtime issues and for not meeting the level of availability spelled out in its agreement. Shortly after it introduced its premier version in 2007, there were reports of availability problems. And there have been occasional Gmail outages like this one in 2009. As services we use daily migrate to the cloud, downtime seems an unavoidable by-product, as this list of incidents in 2010 from Data Center Knowledge suggests. It may seem like a small thing, but Google is making a strong statement here. It will be interesting to see if any of the other cloud providers respond in kind.


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- Written by Michael Bahati
- Comments::DISQUS_COMMENTS
13 Popular French Officials, Artists and Businessmen of Immigrant Origin.
France has a very diverse immigrant population. According to the Institut National de la statistique et des etudes economiques (Insee) at least 200,000 immigrants arrive in France every year. Of the 802,000 newborns in metropolitan France in 2010, a little over 13.3% had one non-French parent and 6.6% had two non-French parents.
The economic think-tank OECD in Paris released a report in 2014 that offered intriguing insight into French immigration:
● 8.8% of France's population are immigrants.
● Almost half of all new immigrants in France are European.
● There are more Portuguese immigrants than any other nationality.
● There was a sharp rise in emigration from Europe in 2009.
● The majority of foreign students are from China.
It's not surprising, therefore, that many famous French citizens have immigrant origins as well. From actors to philosophers, sports figures to politicians, immigrants have made their mark on France.
1. Jean Reno
Jean Reno, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Take Jean Reno, a revered French actor, for example. He was actually born Juan Moreno y Herrera-Jiménez to Spanish parents (from Andalucía) in Morocco. He moved to France as a young man, served in the French army, studied at Cours Simon and then changed his name to Jean Reno when he began pursuing his acting career in earnest. Jean Reno speaks many languages, including Spanish, Arabic, English and of course French. He's practically a national icon. In 2006, Reno got married for the third time to Polish model and actress Zofia Borucka in southern France. Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy served as his best man.
2. Patricia Kaas
Patricia Kaas, Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Patricia Kaas, a world famous French singer whose style is a mix of pop, jazz and blues, was born near the German-French border to a French father and a German mother. She started singing professionally at the age of thirteen.
3. Isabelle Adjani
Isabelle Adjani, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Well-known French actress Isabelle Adjani was born to a German mother from Bavaria and a father from Algeria. She grew up speaking French and German at home. She has been awarded Best Actress many times and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2014.
4. Zinedine Zidane
Zidane, image courtesy of Walterlan Papetti (Wikipedia)
Born on June 23, 1972, Zinedine Zidane, also known as "Zizou" is the current Real Madrid Football Club manager. This former French National team legend used to play an attacking midfielder, and he's widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. Zizou is a son to Smaïl and Malika, who emigrated to Paris from Aguemoune in northern Algeria in 1953 prior to the Algerian War.
Now, let's shine a light on some political and business figures you may recognize.
5. Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Nicolas Sarkozy, born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sárközy de Nagy-Bocsa, is a former president of France and had Greek and Hungarian parents. He was the second of three children whom his father abandoned when he was very young. He ventured into politics at the age of twenty-two and rose to power from there. He was mayor for nearly twenty years before entering the national political arena. He served as budget minister and French minister of the interior, among other posts, before becoming France's 23rd president from 2007 to 2012. His public and private lives were marked by controversy, but one thing can be said about Sarkozy: he could not be ignored and left behind quite a legacy.
6. Édouard Balladur
Édouard Balladur, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Édouard Balladur was prime minister of France from 1993 to 1995. He was born in Izmir (Smyrna), Turkey to Armenian parents. His family moved to Marseille in the 1930s. He served as finance minister, member of the National Assembly, and regional and municipal councilor. He was also a businessman, serving as president of Mont Blanc Tunnel and–in later years–of Générale de Service Informatique (which later became part of IBM Global Services).
7. Pierre Bérégovoy
Pierre Bérégovoy, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Pierre Bérégovoy was born in Déville-lès-Rouen to a Ukrainian father and a French mother. Bérégovoy was a metal worker starting at the age of sixteen and collaborated with the French Resistance during World War II. He worked his way from being an advisor to the trade unions to being a technical agent and eventually helped found the Unified Socialist Party.
He was prime minister from 1992 to 1993 and also served as secretary general, minister of social affairs and national solidarity, finance minister, and defense minister. He also held the office of mayor, municipal councillor and member of the National Assembly.
8. Rachida Dati
Rachida Dati, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Rachida Dati is a member of the European parliament. She served as mayor of the 7th arrondissement and as minister of justice. Dati was born in Saint-Rémy to a Moroccan father who was a bricklayer and an Algerian mother. She has eleven siblings and grew up in humble circumstances. She is a lawyer and has a master's degree in economics. She is a single mother.
9. Patrick Devedjian
Patrick Devedjian, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Patrick Devedjian is of Armenian descent. He has served as minister in charge of the Economic Recovery Plan, minister of industry, minister of local liberties, member of the National Assembly, president of the Hauts-de-Seine General Council, mayor, municipal councillor, and general secretary of the Union for a Popular Movement. He may be best known for insulting a female political opponent in 2007, which was caught on film and splashed across the Internet.
10. Manuel Valls
Manuel Valls, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Manuel Valls, born Manuel Carlos Valls Galfetti, is France's current prime minister. He assumed the post at a time when the French socialist government had a low popularity rating and is striving to improve its image. Valls was born in Barcelona to a Spanish father and Swiss-Italian mother. He moved to France in his teens and became a citizen at the age of 20. He is fluent in French, Spanish, Catalan and Italian. He has served in a variety of roles, including minister of the interior, member of the National Assembly, vice-president of the Île-de-France Regional Council, mayor and deputy mayor. He has been compared to former president Nicolas Sarkozy and former prime minister Tony Blair in his political style. He has even described himself as a "Blairiste" and "Clintonian."
11. Anne Hidalgo
Anne Hidalgo, image courtesy of Wikipedia
Anne Hidalgo, the first female mayor of Paris, was born Ana Hidalgo in Andalucía, Spain. She previously served as adviser to the minister of employment and solidarity, technical adviser to the secretary of state for women's rights and vocational training, and minister of justice.
Because of her background (her grandfather fled Spain over the Pyrenees and her father was placed in an orphanage as an outcast of the "Reds"), she is the perfect spokesperson for immigration and inequality issues in Paris. Her parents moved to France in 1961 when she was just two years old. Hidalgo is no stranger to overcrowded, immigrant housing, which she experienced as a child. She is passionate about the environment, walkability and green spaces.
12. Jacques Saadé
Jacques Saadé, image courtesy of cma-gcm
Jacques Saadé was born in Beirut, Lebanon. He created Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement (CMA) when he moved to France in 1978. The company grew significantly over the years and by 2005 became the world's third-largest shipping company and a leader in the shipping industry. The company is known for being attentive to environmental issues such as climate change and is striving to reduce emissions by 50% in 2015.
A highly respected businessman, Jacques Saadé has received numerous awards such as the Manley-Bendall Award from France's Académie de Marine. In 2015 he was named commander of the French Legion of Honor. When The CMA CGM BOUGAINVILLE (the world largest container ship sailing under the French flag) was inaugurated in Le Havre, the French president François Hollande paid tribute to Jacques Saadé and his company's success.
13. Eugène Paul Louis Schueller
Eugène Paul Louis Schueller, image courtesy of Fashion Foot
Eugène Paul Louis Schueller, born to German parents, was the founder of L'Oreal. He went to school to become a chemist and soon after created a hair color formula in 1907, the first step toward starting the company in 1909. The basis for his products were "research and innovation in the service of beauty." Today L'Oreal is a cosmetics giant. According to Forbes magazine, Liliane Bettencourt, Schueller's granddaughter, is the wealthiest woman in the world.
When it comes to notable French citizens of immigrant origin, the list is endless.
Suffice it to say, they have contributed much to the history and growth of France and are inspiring to current expats hoping to remain in Paris for the long haul. You could be just like them, if you're not already!
The next time you feel down or worried about fitting in, remember all those who came before you and those who are still here, consistently paving the way for other foreigners to more easily become part of the local culture. When in doubt, reach out to others like yourself and form a bond. Maybe get a group of your friends together and watch the latest Jean Reno movie. Or go retro and attend a Johnny Hallyday concert (his father was Belgian by the way).
Bon courage!
What are your thoughts?
In what ways do you see yourself contributing to the multi-cultural vibe of Paris? Should more be done to raise awareness of the variety of cultures and immigrants in France? Are there too many immigrants here? Too few? Please share your thoughts, whether positive or negative, in the comments section below. Let's start a conversation!
Image Sources: Wikipedia, The Fashion Foot, Cma-gcm
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Each day, in everything we do, we either get better or we get worse. I often question where I should seek my next professional development experience in an attempt to better myself. I take my professional development very seriously.
When I try to remember my favorite classes or schools that meant the most to me it is honestly hard to recall the intricate details of each individual session, but what I can always recall are the people that were in my classes and the instructors that made such a profound difference in shaping who I am. When I need another opinion or advice, I always go back to the relationships I have made in the past at these schools.
I think it is the relationships that are made with one another that make the NRPA Directors School something I look forward to being a part of.
At the school, it is not about one instructor standing in front of a class full of students trying to impart knowledge. Every opportunity is taken to ensure interaction by all involved so that these important relationships can be formed among everyone there.
The format of the school is based upon the newly formed CAPRA standards for accreditation. The subject is chosen, the standards are highlighted and then facilitated discussion wraps the topic around the individual circumstances related to each agency represented. This practical approach blends the "how-to" with the individualized circumstances of each agency.
The people that choose to attend Directors School are already seasoned senior management level professionals that, frankly in many cases, have as much to offer as the instructor. It is this facilitated knowledge sharing that makes the school so unique. There are constant opportunities for all opinions to be shared that ensure when both the students and the instructors complete the week together, they leave with an extensive knowledge base. With this interactive format, each participant cannot help but leave with a new group of friends that will be there for each other throughout their professional career.
At the NRPA Directors School knowledge sharing makes for a rewarding learning experience among park and rec pros
At NRPA Directors School it doesn't matter if you are from a large department or if you are the only person in a small agency. Best practice CAPRA standards are written for any size department. Sound management is sound management. The school is now and has always been grounded in a professional, consistent curriculum.
Professional development in the park and recreation profession is not the same as other professions. Our profession feels the effects of changes in the political climate and the ebbs and flows of the economy. What doesn't change and will NEVER change is what we do. We serve people. We make the lives of those we work for better than they would be without us. We define our communities.
The NRPA Directors School this year will dedicate time to break down these qualities in a discussion related to "Culture." Every organization has a culture… the question that has to be answered: Is yours the one you want?
If you think your leadership will be enhanced by professional standards, open interactive best practice examples and creating a culture of excellence, I would strongly recommend that you join us as an equal partner of the NRPA Directors School.
What are some of the most memorable learning experiences you have? What would you say is your agency culture? Leave a comment below or tweet us your thoughts @NRPA_News, #DirectorsSchool.
Tom O'Rourke serves as an instructor for the NRPA Directors School and is the executive director of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission.
Editor's Note: The NRPA Directors School will be held in August at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, West Virginia.


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2000-2009: The Warmest Decade
Long-Term Rise in Global Temperature Unabated
Temperature changes 2000-2009 relative to the 1951-1980 mean. Warmer areas in red, cooler blue. The largest increases occurred in the Arctic and part of the Antarctic. Image courtesy NASA. Click to Enlarge.
The decade 2000-2009 was the warmest since modern recordkeeping began, and 2009 was tied for the second warmest single year, a new analysis of global surface temperature shows. The analysis, conducted each year by the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), an affiliate of the Earth Institute, also shows that in half the world--the Southern Hemisphere--2009 was the warmest year yet recorded.
"There's always an interest in the annual temperature numbers and on a given year's ranking, but usually that misses the point," said James Hansen, the director of GISS, which conducts a similar analysis each year. "There's substantial year-to-year variability of global temperature. But when we average temperature over five or ten years to minimize that variability, we find that global warming is continuing unabated."
2008 was the coolest year of the decade, due to strong cooling of the tropical Pacific Ocean, but 2009 saw a return to near-record global temperatures. The past year's temperatures were only barely surpassed by 2005, the warmest recorded year, and tied with a cluster of others — 1998, 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2007 — as second warmest. Through the last three decades, the GISS surface temperature record shows an upward trend of about 0.2°C (0.36°F) per decade. The greatest increases in 2000-2009 came in the Arctic and part of Antarctica. Except for a leveling off between the 1940s and 1970s, Earth's surface temperatures have increased steadily since 1880, when modern scientific instrumentation became available to monitor temperatures precisely. In total, average global temperatures have increased by about 0.8°C (1.5°F) since 1880.
At least in the United States, the near-record temperature of 2009 would seem to be all the more striking because it includes a notably frigid December in much of North America, with heavy snowstorms and freezing of crops in the south. High air pressures in the Arctic decreased the east-west flow of the jet stream, while also increasing its tendency to blow from north to south. This resulted in an unusual effect, in which cold air from the Arctic rushed into North America and warmer mid-latitude air shifted toward the north. Of course, the contiguous 48 states cover only 1.5 percent of the world area, so the U.S. temperature does not affect the global temperature much,' said Hansen.
Global annual surface temperatures 1880-2009. Long-term trends are most apparent when averaged over five-year periods (red line). Image courtesy NASA. Click to Enlarge.
The long-term rise since 1880 is "the important number to keep in mind," said Gavin Schmidt, another GISS climatologist. "In contrast, the difference between, say, the second and sixth warmest years is trivial since the known uncertainty, or noise, in the temperature measurement is larger than some of the differences between the warmest years."
Climate scientists agree that rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap incoming heat near the surface of the earth and are the key factors causing the rise in temperatures. However, these gases are not the only factors that can affect global temperatures. Other key factors--changes in the sun's irradiance, oscillations of tropical sea-surface temperature such as the El Niño-La Niña cycle, and changes in the levels of airborne particles — can also cause slight increases or decreases in the planet's temperature. But overall, the evidence suggests that these effects are not enough to account for the global warming observed since 1880.
El Niño and La Niña are prime examples of how the oceans can affect global temperatures. These terms describe abnormally warm or cool sea surface temperatures in the South Pacific, caused by changing ocean currents. Global temperatures tend to decrease in the wake of La Niña, which occurs when upwelling cold water off the coast of Peru spreads westward in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. La Niña lingered during the early months of 2009 and gave way to the beginning of an El Niño phase in October that is expected to continue in 2010. An especially powerful El Niño cycle in 1998 is thought to have contributed to the unusually high temperatures that year, and Hansen's group estimates that there is a good chance 2010 will be the warmest year on record if the current El Niño persists. At most, scientists estimate that El Niño and La Niña can cause global temperatures to deviate by about 0.2°C (0.36°F).
Northern hemisphere (red line) and Southern hemisphere, 1880-2009. Last year was the hottest ever recorded in the south. Click to Enlarge.
Warmer surface temperatures also tend to occur during particularly active parts of the solar cycle, known as solar maximums, while slightly cooler temperatures occur during lulls in activity, called minimums. A deep solar minimum has made sunspots a rarity in the last few years. Such lulls in solar activity, which can cause the total amount of energy given off by the sun to decrease by about a tenth of a percent, typically spur surface temperature to dip slightly. Overall, solar minimums and maximums are thought to produce no more than 0.1°C (0.18°F) of cooling or warming.
"In 2009, it was clear that even the deepest solar minimum in the period of satellite data hasn't stopped global warming from continuing," said Hansen.
Small particles in the atmosphere, called aerosols, can also affect the climate. Volcanoes are powerful sources of sulfate aerosols that counteract global warming by reflecting incoming solar radiation back into space. In recent years, large eruptions at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and El Chichón in Mexico have caused global dips in surface temperature of as much as 0.3°C (0.54°F). But volcanic eruptions in 2009 did not have a significant impact. Meanwhile, other types of aerosols, often produced by burning fossil fuels, can change surface temperatures by either reflecting or absorbing incoming sunlight. Hansen's group estimates that aerosols probably counteract about half of the warming produced by manmade greenhouse gases, but he cautions that better measurements of these elusive particles are needed.
Backgrounder on the GISS analysis
More comments from Gavin Schmidt
To conduct its analysis, GISS uses publicly available information from three sources: weather data from more than 1,000 meteorological stations around the world; satellite observations of sea-surface temperatures; and Antarctic research station measurements. These three data sets are loaded into a computer program (available for public download from the GISS website). The program calculates trends in temperature anomalies — not absolute temperatures, but rather changes relative to the average temperature for the same month during the period of 1951-1980. Other research groups also track global temperature trends, but use different analysis techniques. The Met Office Hadley Centre, based in the United Kingdom, uses similar input measurements as GISS, for example, but omits large areas of the Arctic and Antarctic, where monitoring stations are sparse. Although the two methods produce slightly different results in the annual rankings, the decade-long trends in the two records are essentially identical. Previously, the World Meteorological Organization issued a similar report in December 2009, saying that 2000-2009 would rank as the warmest decade on record, and 2009 would probably be among the warmest years.
"There's a contradiction between the results shown here and popular perceptions about climate trends," Hansen said. "In the last decade, global warming has not stopped."


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Baldi arrested: Accused embezzler nabbed in California
Former Bel Rio Restaurant owner Jim Baldi, who has been on the run since July 2010 after police issued a warrant for his arrest on a felony embezzlement charge, has been arrested in California.
"This was a joint investigation by Albemarle County Police and the U.S. Marshals Service that led to his arrest," says Albemarle County Police Sgt. Darrell Byers, "Baldi is awaiting extradition."
Following a July 20, 2010 story in the Hook, which delved into the circumstances surrounding Bel Rio's sudden closure and Baldi's disappearance, the long-time local bookkeeper, bartender, and restaurateur became the subject of a number of local news stories. According to police, Baldi, who turned 49 on August 13, embezzled money from WK Foods and Proffitt Management between November 2009 and July 15, 2010.
According to Byers, Baldi was arrested on January 4 in San Francisco. He declined to release any details of Baldi's arrest, and says the extradition process is underway.
That process, says Hook legal analyst David Heilberg, could take as long as six months if Baldi refuses to waive extradition. If he does waive, Heilberg says, "they can come out and get him on the next plane."This story is a part of the The Jim Baldi story special.Read more on: Jim Baldi
84 comments
Bad boys! Bad boys, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you!
can we not stop for a moment and feel mr. baldi's pain and angst .
did his mother raise her voice at young Jim, or say no to that pair
of bass loafers he wanted so much.?
did the people he scammed for money not understand the emotional distress
jimbo was under ?
jimmy maybe we at city council can direct you to the social services you need that
will help you get on the right track.
after all we are a "city of second chances "
any any all criticism of you as we like to say at council "is not helpful "
can we have a jimmy fund , just for you ??
But the chicks he ran with were pretty hot.
oh, SNAP!
Déjà vu! I extradicted a young man from California on or around 1986. He had bought a new home out there, gotten married (cute girl) and had landed a real nice high paying job. He had really straightened his life out. Got him back to Charlottesville on a two bit felony, no jail time given, and ruined it all for him again. So sad! Oh well...... I guess the wheels of justice have to turn!
What ever happened to the blonde girl he went on the run with?
Leave it GSOE it make this story about GSOE-
Nobody will get paid and Va. will pay for bringing him back, far more than anyone will get out of the case. And Baldi will serve little jail time. So what will it all be worth in the end? Maybe that's what Gassy means. It's just a chickenshlt money case when all's said and done, and nobody owed money will see a dime..The state will spend more on jet fuel bringing him back than the entire case is worth.
A former accountant stole money, ran from the cops, left his partners high & dry and there are actually people here who are worried about the cost of bringing him to trial?
Um no- he needs to answer for his crimes and his cowardice
I think we ought to turn this over to the Dialogue on Race so that discussions on second chances can be fully aired with Believers and Achievers.
Where is Kristian Throckmorton? Did they find her, too? I hope she is safe and on her way home to her parents.
Angel Eyes, that is exactly what will happen.
It's disturbing that "Here's the good news" wants to make the thread about me. It's not my fault I have lived such an exciting life and can relate to so many stories here.
Only GSOE can make a comment about how he turns any thread about him and then finds it "disturbing" that I would want to make the thread about him-cognitive dissonance we have found your poster boy.
Narcissus has got nothing on GSOE. Come to think about that's exactly what what Baldi and GSOE have in common.
Sorry dear, Sigmund Freud claimed healthy narcissism exists in all individuals.
Gasbag is right. That's why I spent so much time as a teenager in the bathroom with the door locked.
R.I.P.: Onan
Gasbag is right. That's why I spent so much time as a teenager in the bathroom with the door locked.
R.I.P.: Onan
Way to call it Good News. GSOE has to make it all about himself and criticize all that he feels in his own mind has wronged him. Everyone knows his best and most exciting times were spent asleep in the baliff's chair. That must have been where he dreamed up his fictional adventures.
I guess you have the Lance Armstrong / Barry Bonds version of "healthy" your Id is much larger than your super ego. Healthy narcissism does not exist in all individuals btw- you may have what Is known as destructive narcissism.
But enough about you -Baldi really is a textbook destructive narcissist. His defense will interesting to watch.
Some of you can't stay on topic, can you? YOU have to repeatedly make threads here revolve around Gasbag. We're discusing Baldi, his crimes and extradition. The good, bad and ugly of extradition is what I commwented on. Most of the time the end result is not worth the means.
Me thinks some of you are just jealous because Gasbag had an all expense paid trip to Santa Cruz, California first class. On your dime! Get over it, folks. Or else I am going to stray off topic and discuss the cute babe I hooked up with at a nightclud while there. (I had to pay for her drinks, couldn't put that on the city tab!)
At the end of the day the Commonwealth won't do any more to Baldi than they did to the guy I brought back from California.
Some of you can't stay on topic, can you? YOU have to repeatedly make threads here revolve around Gasbag. We're discusing Baldi, his crimes and extradition. The good, bad and ugly of extradition is what I commwented on. Most of the time the end result is not worth the means.
Me thinks some of you are just jealous because Gasbag had an all expense paid trip to Santa Cruz, California first class. On your dime! Get over it, folks. Or else I am going to stray off topic and discuss the cute babe I hooked up with at a nightclub while there. (I had to pay for her drinks, couldn't put that on the city tab!)
At the end of the day the Commonwealth won't do any more to Baldi than they did to the guy I brought back from California.
Gasbag, why do you constantly take comments off track and make the story about yourself time and time again? You really need to get a clue. Your story was interesting once, a long time ago, but now you just make yourself look more and more pathetic. Give it up or start your own freaking blog. That way anyone who cares to could get a daily dose of your brilliance and those of us who don't feel the need can finally be free of it.
My story? This is the first time I have ever mentioned going to Santa Cruz, California and returning a prisoner to Charlottesville. What is it you're reading between the lines? Or are you suffering from type of mental block where you're just adding all my previous comments over the years into this discussion as if it is what I have actually done? If you don't like my joining in discussions, skip over my comments. It's that simple, hon.
Your first comment in this thread and even you couldn't stay on topic. It's actually funny how a few of you Gasbag haters sit by the keyboard just waiting to pounce at any opportunity to do so. Get over yourselves.
Have you go anything to add about Baldi, his crimes or his extradiction?
Gasbag just hating that Baldi was nailing chicks that will not even look at him.
*typo -- Have you goT anything to add about Baldi, his crimes or his extradiction?
Baldi will do time- much more because he ran. Will the money get paid back?- probably not. Lack of money and avoiding prison is why Baldi ran. If he had stayed and thrown himself on the mercy of the court, Baldi would probably be out by now. I would like to know how that caught him. Probably something innocent like a traffic stop but we'll just wait and see.
nobody cares about your trip to Santa Cruz GSOB and they didn't most certainly didn't send you first class (although some law dogs are upgraded for free on flights at the airport but that's not the same a "sticking it to the taxpayer") - most prisoner transport on commercial flights are given the last row in coach and it's usually nonviolent types like Baldi. Nightclud? what's that? Is that a sound that is not quite a clunk, yet not quite a thud made a night. Is that code for a hooker on a street corner?
Jimi, I gave up chicks. I am an old man now. :)
Having a badge and gun for many decades, don't ever assume I went without. Cops have to scrap chicks off the front fenders while on duty. Like moths to a flame, bugs to the windshield. I never knew a cop who didn't have 4 or 5 girls fighting over him at any given time. They're called "badge bunnies" and "fender lizards" for a reason.
Windbag, ...please... please... please... forgive me for the typo, NIGHTCLUB. I feel pretty good that I got it right in the second duplicate post that showed up.
The Hook is having trouble with replies posting again. I try to correct typos while they sit there and are not being posted in a timely fashion. I will try to do better in the future. BLT, beer and potato chips were responsible for the NIGHTCLUB typo. Yeah, that's my tale, and I am sticking to it!
Here's a fun cool fact for the day too..... Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteers be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm, eevn with a typo. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Dave, are you aware that there are posting problems again? I talked to Hawes about a month ago and it got fixed for a while. It seems to be back now.
while i personally have no problem with seeing GSOE's posts, the rest of you do realize that by replying to him and then continuing to engage him, you're doing what's called in internet language "feeding the troll"?
if you don't like what he posts, ignore him and move on. it's really that simple.
now back to the topic at hand - more juicy details about baldi please!!!
Baldi needs to face the music for stealing the music from Belmont . He will spend a few years figuring out that he's not above the law .
GSOE needs to a clue- way to nail him fellow poster
Sorry Dave you can delete me if that's too harsh but "I didn't start the fire!"
Damn, and here I thought this conversation was about me.
/learn to internet, Hook.
It's amazing how many names post from one IP address. Like do all you people work at the same building using the same server or what?
And Baldi, I'n not the one who called you a crook. I don't even know the person who called you a crook. I probably wouldn't even like the person who acused you of being a crook. But what I do want to know, who accused you of being a CPA? :)
Look guys, I can save your business too!! I'll prey on the stupid, it kind of makes sense if you think about it. Send me your payroll, and I'll take a look.
Gasbag, I call total BS. I know where to find you and will personally come by and hand you a $10 bill if you can tell me my IP address.
"Baldi needs to face the music for stealing the music from Belmont ."
Too bad so many of the other local businesses and musicians stood to be counted with him. Maybe next time they will learn it was enver about the music, it was about the conduct.
also curious, my statement above stands.....
And I certainly don't need your $10.
You are completely full of it gasbag. You don't know a thing about who posts from what ip address. You just want to pretend that you have a single antagonist who wants to annoy you when in fact you obviously have a wide range of fellow posters who would love to see the end of your off topic self serving posts that add nothing to the discussion.
Baldi has been charged with crimes that had an impact on many local residents. He has now been captured and I'm happy to see that he will face trial in this state for those crimes. As someone who knows a few people whose businesses have been the victims of embezzlement, I've seen up close what a devastating impact it can have. Regardless of whether any money might be recovered in this particular case, punishment does act as a deterrent and if found guilty Baldy should face punishment if only to discourage others from acting in a similar fashion.
Reports are he escaped the feds one time in Chicago after being caught? We are not going to have some crook accountant who may have also escaped from custody once, not worth the gas to bring him back vs. anyone in the hood not doing well who go down for less.
also curious, I see the problem now. You know these people who were cheated out of money. You've seen the devastation it has created. And you think Baldi should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
No wonder my very first reply in this thread has upset you so much! But the reality in my very first reply in this thread,, whether it upsets you or not, does not make it self serving or off topic. Suck it up, buttercup! Maybe the next thread here will be much kinder to you.
Gasbag is a MORON... He has nothing else to do all day except post to blogs such as this one. He thrives on aggravating people and getting responses to his moronic posts. Stop responding to him so he moves on.
Interested Party, can you add anything to the topic of discussion?
We're discussing Baldi, his crimes, and his extradition.
In advance, Thank You.
Ahhhh, too be fat, single, lonely and laughed at.... the sweet life.
I don't see anybody laughing at Baldi. Most of them think the death penalty is appropriate in his white collar crimes. I'm afraid they are going to be disappointed at trial. I also doubt that jail food for a few weeks is going to make him fat. Single and lonely is just temporary for him. He'll be back in the swing of things in no time. He does indeed have a lot of pretty girls hanging around with him all the time.
@C-ville's Human Rights Commission he was doing his dirt in Belmont. Those people do no have rights.
other than Bailee Hampton
Well, he got a good two and a half years of freedom before getting caught. That was way more than I thought he'd get away with. I was certain they'd catch him within the first month.
I doubt they were even looking for him. Most of the time these guys only get caught after they get pulled over for speeding or littering, and the system tells the cops the person is wanted in another state. This thing called a "joint investigation by Albemarle County Police and the U.S. Marshals Service" is just a self serving pat on the back by them.
Gasser, I don't really get what your point is in all this. Baldi was a scumbag, and while the few times I met him my hair stood on end, others fell for his spiel and were hurt for it. He also tortured a neighborhood that had retirees with nothing by SS, and jeapordized surrounding businesses.
Yes, he will serve real time in jail, and his bond will probably be at least half a million - if he gets it - because he is a known flight risk. If he is lucky he won't end up with the hardened criminals in the pen because they won't be very nice to him. Sometimes, society does win. I also want to see them go after the people who were hiding his whereabouts as accessories to crime. Might clean up more of the community as well.
Get over yourself.
Old Timer, my original point way at the top of the replies is that fact that the Commonwealth didn't do anything to the last guy I extradicted from California. His crimes were nothing more than theft and embezzlement. The only time he served was from the day he landed back in Charlottesville to the next day when his attorney requested a bond hearing. He wasn't considered a flight risk even though he had set up a new household in California. At the conclusion of his trial we all stood around scratching our heads and asking why we even disrupted his new life and brought him back from California.
I hate to see so many of you getting your hopes up over this case. If Baldi gets half of what he deserves, it will make history in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. These are white collar crimes..... not rape, robbery and murder.
he's been living in SF
If anyone pays attention to what actually happens to embezzlers, you'll know they rarely do hard time. Mostly on small scale cases (and this is one) they seldom serve more than time spent in detention, they receive a nominal sentence (usually mostly or wholly suspended), probation and a restitution order. While one would think failure to make restitution would be cause for revoking probation and sending the offender back to jail, this is actually not the case and most restitution is never made. This is not about whether that type of resolution is just; it's just the way these things play out.
And another thing: The fact that he was a fugitive won't matter much. If I recall, he left town before he was indicted and can claim he knew naught of it and just left to dodge creditors and make a fresh start free of the onus of a business failure. Gassy is on target about the authorities not actually looking for the guy. There are 2 ways people like him get caught, the first being as Gassy mentioned a random traffic stop, and the second being someone from Charlottesville traveling in SF and spotting him tending bar or whatever, then making the phone call. Once found, the legal machine has little choice in the matter; they have are obliged to go through the motions of bringing him back for trial. Anyone among you who nurtures the hope of seeing Baldi sent to rot for years in the "Sodomy Hilton" will find himself disappointed.
This is just the way things really work, right or wrong. A few years back a woman working as a bookkeeper for a well regarded local dealer in fine used Volvos and Subarus embezzled much more from them, was briefly jailed , then sentenced to probation and a restitution order. She never paid a thin dime, and this is not an outlier case, but is typical of the genre.
Angel, most of these people won't be back until Monday morning..... on the office computer and on company time. :)
Angel, very well said. But, most of these people won't be back until Monday morning..... on the office computer and on company time. :)
All those folks posting from the same ip address? At least they will be awake at work.
It's kinda hard to sleep between arriving at work, immediately going to the restroom for 20 minutes on company time, grabbing coffee before settling in, morning break, 90 minute to 2 hour lunch, another 20 minute restroom break on company time, more coffee, afternoon break, and finally packing up 15 minutes before it's time to go home! :)
The department I worked in had 9 full time employees. 4 of them lived the above schedule every day of the week. And between the breaks and bathroom runs all they did was sit around and chat. If I had ever learned how to brown nose and kiss (***), I could have been promoted and lived one of those schedules myself. Probably would have helped if my daddy was the sheriff too. Or if my daddy was a best friend of the sheriff.
Oh well, my bad, I am off topic now. No donut for me!
Sounds like the schedule of my former colleague at City Hall who worked in a high up department. :/ Paid a nice salary to come in late every single day (and by late I'm talking anywhere from a half an hour to two hours), disappear from her desk for up to 45 minutes at a time to galavant around the building socializing, hour and a half to three hour lunches every day, excessive personal days off, excessive personal appointments that were used as an excuse to take the entire afternoon off, skipping out early before 5, and so many personal phone calls that there were times she was holding her cell phone in one hand and the landline phone in the other, juggling, since she was helping to run her boyfriend's personal business from work. And guess who was stuck filling in for this overpaid clown who was only at her desk about half the time she was scheduled? Moi. Management didn't care and never did a thing. Hence, why I don't work there anymore. ;)
Figured you could appreciate that story, since you seem to dislike both the City and County governments. I'll never work for a government entity again after what I personally witnessed.
ra ra ra, sounds like we were pretty much in the same boat. In the department I worked in, we had 5 employees doing all the work, and 4 goofing off all day long. The sad part about it was the 4 got credit and praise for the work the other 5 of us did.
But, we're just weeing in the wind. The majority of the taxpayers would never believe what we say. They would go so far as to say we are nothing but disgruntled former employees. But I am proud of my record. I had steadily increasing performane evaluations up the day I was fired. They just kept getting better and better until I finally messed in somebody's cheerios.
I've been around the block a few times. I know what will eventually happen to Baldi. The people here don't want to hear it either.
ra ra ra, sounds like we were pretty much in the same boat. In the department I worked in, we had 5 employees doing all the work, and 4 goofing off all day long. The sad part about it was the 4 got credit and praise for the work the other 5 of us did.
But, we're just weeing in the wind. The majority of the taxpayers would never believe what we say. They would go so far as to say we are nothing but disgruntled former employees. But I am proud of my record. I had steadily increasing performane evaluations up the day I was fired. They just kept getting better and better until I finally messed in somebody's cheerios.
I've been around the block a few times. I know what will eventually happen to Baldi. The people here don't want to hear it either..
Actually Gasbag I think a lot of taxpayers would believe it. While working there I was always accutely aware of the negative perception that the public had of my employer, and me by proxy. It added to the uncomfortableness. The mindset seems to be that government employees are overpaid slackers "feeding at the trough." And in many cases they are, so the public is right.
Anyway, back to Baldi!
Well, he will get a felony conviction on his permanent, adult life resume, which will remind him (and future employers) throughout his life the difference between right and wrong. There need to be consequences; you can't base a life on "what you can get away with".
ra ra ra, I'd like to contact you off line to discuss experiences with Jim, not on the blog. Is there a way to do that?
@ bj
I'm confused.....why would you want to discuss your experiences with Baldi with me? I don't know him personally and have no dealings with him. I just know of the story and made a comment, same as the other commentators, and then got sidetracked with Gasbag onto an off topic complaint against lazy government workers. Other than that, I can't see why anybody would want to be contacting me on the side to talk about their experiences with Baldi...
sorry, misread that you had worked with him. I've known him two years out here and am flabbergasted about the whole thing and wanted to speak with someone who knew him personally back in VA bec I can't right my impression of him with what is being written here! And by the way, the gal did not return to her family, she is here too with a different hair color.
@bj. Knew him in Cville as a customer of mine but not as someone who handled my money. When it all came out I was a bit caught off guard as well.
@bj, you say you knew him/them in SF? Did you know him as Jim Baldi and her as Kristian Throckmorton? From Virginia? Or were they living under different identities? He was doing the books and payroll for restaurants so would have had access to ssn#s and dob info so I'm guessing it would have been tempting to assume the identity of one of the employees of one of those businesses...
Hey, @BJ... I am so shocked that you ran into Jim first! I knew him in Charlottesville for many years, but have lived in SF for a while and never ran into him. If you want to talk about him, let's get together and compare notes!
Actually, @bj if you wanna email me confidentially, it's firstname.lastname@example.com.
bj - I'm really not sure how you would have misread what I wrote and took my quite obvious side complaint about government workers to mean that I worked with Jim Baldi. What I wrote was very clear. I don't know, you don't sound very bright. No offense. Anyway, whatever.
Hey ra ra ra -- I can't help but notice that you're a little reactive, aggressive and pushy -- and rude. Please, relax. Wow.
There is probably still residue of cocaine on those bathrooms there...allegedly!
Also, not entirely surprised he was found in San Fran..dude always was trying to be just a little too straight.
If you think that's aggressive and pushy you must not get out of the house very often.
It is a long standing Charlottesville tradition for much older men to open restaurants/bars, hire young and attractive female staff, and then have lots of sex with them. For most, it's the only reason they are in the business to begin with. Say what you will regarding monsieur Baldi's financial thievery, he was a very busy man with loosened belt in his short time in Charlottesville.
Angel Eyes and Gasbag are correct. Know of a local here who embezzled over $200K, found guilty, no jail time and is ordered to make restitution. Their current employer has no idea because they hired them prior to the charges and have not run a criminal check on them. No justice there IMO. Most businesses, entities and individuals just want their money back, but it was spent and having them out working to make restitution payments is better than sitting in jail. That is a reality.
Baldi can always start doing accounting again on his own, there are people out there who will not check into him.
Embezzling has serious ramifications. Friends of mine here in Cville operated a well-known small family business. Their office manager embezzled a huge amount of money and this caused a financial chain reaction that ended up with them losing their house. The embezzler didn't serve a day of jail time and she and her husband still have their home.
The victims of embezzlers are put in a horrible position of hoping they'll get some of their money back, and so they agree to go along with the idea of no jail time. Unfortunately, by the time any restitution comes along, it's often too late to save a home or business.
We'll see how embezzler Baldi is treated compared to someone who stole the same $$ amount of physical goods or money from a store, bank, or a house. There's really little difference in the crimes (theft is theft), but the sentencing isn't remotely comparable. Judging by some of the comments here, the public is willfully ignorant about the negative impacts this sort of crime has on the victims.
What Baldi did was extremely serious, not a matter for joking. His criminal behavior certainly wasn't a shock to the many Belmont residents who were subjected to his chronic lying. What makes me sick are the people out there who knew what he was up to with his creative "accounting," but didn't warn others.
I agree with Sabbath Lily and wanted to add that he brought down innocent people, too. The girl he talked into running away w/ him was from a good family and apparently half his age. Wonder what happened to her?
I'll say it again, only because dave mcnair got it wrong up top, and for those who think she was hurt or worse.... I'd like to add about "Christina"... She did not return to her family...she is alive and well, worked with him here, under assumed names, they are married (in that they both wear rings, operate under the same last name and introduce themselves that way, tho i doubt that it's legal, as they have assumed other identities). she probably knows all about his lies. Here He was extremely hardworking and well-liked. But as @ra ra ra continues to be an aggressive jerk ("no offense, anyway. Whatever") that's all I'm going to share.
Thank you to BJ for the information. I was just curious as to what was going on w/ the girl. Knew her a few years ago before she met Baldi, and figured it was something like you have described (assumed names, etc.) I hope she is well. Such a nice quiet girl, and like I said earlier, apparently from a good family.
Jim Baldi has ties to the Charlottesville community that date from the early 1990s. He has an ex-wife and 2 children who still reside in the area, and during his residence developed professional relationships with many business owners. If he 'preyed' on women, it was only in the way any man can prey on women -- by giving them his full and ardent attention (for a short while) and remaining silent about the various parts of his life that he had no intention of sharing.
By the way, Baldi had lived in San Francisco during his 'lost' youth -- no surprise he headed there again -- and was too busy enjoying his heterosexual pursuits to worry about what he was missing by not being gay.
Regardless of what people who do not know him say, he remains a complicated person who possesses a squishy sense of ethics. Odds are that he felt he was smarter than everyone else. Maybe if he'd gone for a bigger jackpot (like the Tour de France and the Nike endorsements), he would have gotten away with it. America loves BIG liars, not small town crooks.
Everything is funny when you have actual problems and not stupid shit like this. And, yes, it's funny. Best day of my life was when I left this stupid self-important town. With your stupid self-important ways. Squishy sense of ethics? Hahahahahahaha.
Mr Baldi, meet Bubba! Hes going to be your new roommate for a while. He loves long walks in the yard, watching others drop the soap in the shower, KY Intrigue, rap music, strip poker, and working out! He especially loves new guys from SF. Enjoy your stay!!


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- Income Investing
Fed's Latest Beige Book Sees Slow Spring Thaw
- Order Reprints
- Print Article
The Federal Reserve's latest "Beige Book" (proper name: Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions) just hit the wires and shows economic conditions picking up a bit over the past six weeks. The overview:
Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts suggest economic activity increased in most regions of the country since the previous report. The expansion was characterized as modest or moderate by the Boston, Philadelphia, Richmond, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco Districts. Chicago reported that economic growth had picked up, and New York and Philadelphia indicated that business activity had rebounded from weather-related slowdowns earlier in the year. The Cleveland and St. Louis Districts both reported a decline in economic activity.
The Fed said that in most districts, wage pressures "were contained or minimal" and that prices were generally stable or slightly higher.
You'll recall that the last Beige Book, issued March 5, so thoroughly blamed lousy winter economic conditions on Mother Nature that the word "weather" appeared 119 times in the document. It's down to a mere 103 references this time around, still well above the 21 mentions in January and a mere five last December.
Bond markets continue to trade sideways Wednesday, with the 10-year Treasury yield at 2.641%.


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Second ATV named after Johannes Kepler
ESA's second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) has been named Johannes Kepler after the German astronomer and mathematician. Europe's next unmanned logistics spacecraft is scheduled for launch to the International Space Station in end of 2010.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a German astronomer and mathematician who is best known for discovering the laws of planetary motion. Starting his career as a teacher in Graz, he later moved to Prague where he worked with the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Kepler's work contributed greatly to the scientific and technical progress of Europe and enabled space exploration today.
This year is also the 400th anniversary of the publication of one of Kepler's most influential works, Astronomia Nova. The choice of this key figure in astronomy is particularly fitting in 2009, the International Year of Astronomy.
"We are proud that Europe's second ATV will carry the name of Johannes Kepler," says Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA's Director of Human Spaceflight. "A world-renowned European scientist, his name reflects how Europe's role in human spaceflight and exploration is rooted in a long tradition of science and technological progress. The next ATV mission will be the confirmation of Europe's commitment to and interest in the ISS for the years to come as the first step in a global space exploration effort."
Last year's flawless mission of the first ATV, named after French science fiction writer Jules Verne, demonstrated the spacecraft's key role in International Space Station (ISS) logistics and operations.
On its inaugural flight, Jules Verne delivered six tonnes of cargo to the ISS, including food, clothing, propellants, water and oxygen. It also contributed to ISS operations by performing regular reboosts of the orbital complex and by removing 2.5 tonnes of waste at the end of its six-month mission.
ATV Johannes Kepler is currently under production at EADS Astrium in Bremen, Germany.


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What's In My Orange Juice?
We've had some good discussions in other threads that at times branch out into other interesting topics such as GM foods, food processing techniques and so on. Since this is a website devoted in part to fresh wholesome breads I make the assumption that many posters here are conscious about their food choices and make extra time to research and understand more fully what they are eating and drinking. This kind of research can be
long and arduous at times but I thought that whilst we all sitting patiently for our bulk fermentations and overnight retards we might run a few threads in this "Off Topic" section of the forum to discuss some of these foody issues to share what we know. I therefore invite the creation of such threads and people's open views on the issues raised, that we might all benefit from our collective knowledge and practical experience.
For this thread I bring up the topic of Orange Juice and the labelling laws relating to it.
We're all familiar with different types of O.J in our supermarkets and stores and we are somewhat used to the varying terminology used on the packaging such as :
"Pure" juice, Freshly Squeezed Juice, Juice from concentrate, juice not from concentrate and so on.
It turns out that people's perceptions and preconceived notions about what those terms actually mean is pretty poor and is not helped much by the labelling laws. I found a research report on this which outlines how people interpreted the terms which, though old (2002), is still useful in highlighting the issues:
One of the most startling things I discovered in relation to O.J, was that the product can be up to a year old. I guess when one thinks through the fact that oranges are seasonal and yet we have O.J sold every day and it always tastes exactly the same, something in our heads ought to be ringing questioning bells.
It turns out that in the processing of O.J, the manufacturers often put the juice in large asceptic containers and pump out all of the oxygen and can then leave it there for up to a year. The removal of the oxygen unfortunately strips the product of it's orange taste and thus before it can be sold, they add special "flavour packs" into it to restore an orangey taste. After reading about these packs I find some sources refer to them as chemicals (rightly or wrongly) and that they are derived from the orange peels and thus are essences and oils and the like. As such, being technically part of the orange, our good friends the FDA do NOT require these flavour pack additions to be recorded separately on the product labels ! Thus when you pick up that carton of O.J. which might say "not from concentrate" thinking it must in some way therefore be fresh and recent and somehow better than "from concentrate" juice, it could in fact be up to a year old already, have been stripped of its natural orange flavour (through removal of oxygen) and had an artificial "orangey" flavour put back into it via these flavour packs.
References to flavour packs can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_juice (search in here for flavour packs)
It turns out that different countries have different expectations of what their O.J. ought to taste like and so there are differently created flavour packs for each and I've read in some places that consultants from perfume manufacturers are sometimes brought in to help with this.
A couple of issues arise out of all of this for me personally which are:
1. If the FDA doesn't require flavour packs and their ingredients to be listed on the label, on the basis they are derived from oranges, then how come the main ingredient listed is orange juice, why isn't the entire product sold as "a drink derived from oranges"? Why does the juice element from the orange get listed and the other elements from the orange not get listed? There doesn't seem to be much consistency here imo.
2. Exactly what IS in these flavour packs and are they either nutritional and / or are they healthy or unhealthy?
I ask this because whilst we might deem O.J. itself to be healthy, drinking massive quantities of it isn't. It takes many oranges to make a glass of juice yet we would not typically sit there and eat that many oranges in one sitting. Same for apples and apple juice. If we ate lots of apples our intake of sugars woud be high and the state of our teeth probably poor. Do these flavour packs contain essences and oils and other parts of oranges in very large quantities in order to recreate that orangey flavour? With no labelling requirements in place for them, it seems impossible for the consumer to know. What I do surmise from these packs is that they are concocted recipes, (like the secret Coca Cola formula) and as such are entirely unnatural. They may be made from natural things, but the final flavour pack is not something found in nature.
If you're wondering whether the brand of O.J. that you drink does or does not have flavour packs, then the link below may help. This is someone's attempt to assemble a list having contacted the manufacturers and asked them. The results are far from clear though as typically the responses from manufacturers were unclear in many cases:
In the end, despite learning about flavour packs, and terminology, I personally reach a simple conclusion
If I want some orange juice . . . . go eat an orange!


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