text:
So it seems there are quite a few folks in JAX that hang (and/or want to) - this is awesome!
So, what does everybody say about getting together finally and meeting everyone?
I think I've counted about 10 people in/around the JAX area that I know of that hang, and I'm sure there are more.
The weather is FINALLY getting nice enough to actually do something outside.
So... Let's go!
Details - (err... How's about just some ideas?)
* Weekend long (Friday, Saturday night, unless we can tie it in to some sort of holiday weekend/day deal (New Years?)
* Local campsite (Goldhead SP, Cary SF, etc.)
* Hammock (or tents - aka bring the family???)
My goal would be to find a place close enough to everyone that no one person has to drive an extra long distance, but far enough away that we can relax, but close enough that if you had to go home to check on the kids you could.
I'd love it if we could get folks who are on the fence about hammocking, let 'em bring their tents, and then we can show 'em 'tha way'...
I also would want it to be family friendly 'enough' that if you wanted to bring the kids, you could (so long as everyone was cool with that idea - if possible)
so I guess this is where we start the planning -
Post your ideas for dates, places (and resiliency to kids )
All distances are from the I-10/I-95 interchange, all times are estimates
Park: Distance: Time:
Cary SF. - 21.7 - 29
Jennings SF - 26.7 - 34
Gold Head SP - 45.9 - 63
Princess place - 59.2. - 69
If you know any other places that should be on this list copy/paste it and add to it


text:
You can see here a basic map of Sedgwick County from OpenStreetMap, but you can switch easily to other types of the map: Just choose the second option above the map and you can see Bing Maps, which offer other types of detailed maps of Sedgwick County, related countries, geographical places etc. You can also switch to aerial and birds eye maps of Sedgwick County there.
You may remember we offered other types of maps here also in the past, for example Google Maps, Nokia Maps and MapQuest Maps, and many kinds of their infomaps, like the traffic map, bike trails, weather map, map with photos and map of public transport from these sources. But some of these services cancelled their operations or changed the conditions under which their maps may be displayed. We sincerely hope you appreciate these new kinds of maps here, as you can see, for example, the difference between the OpenStreetMap vector map tiles from Mapzen shown by Leaflet here and the bitmap tiles from Bing Maps. We are considering adding more maps of Sedgwick County in the near future again.
You may not only switch among different types of maps using the switches above the map, but you can also change settings of the map using controls on the map. See more details of Sedgwick County using the zoom control on the left side or see street or terrain map of Sedgwick County using the controls on the top of the map (Bing Maps). In the past you could also place the yellow figure (Google Maps) to see a street view of any interesting place, but this feature is not available here anymore. But you can see the Birds eye view on the Bing Maps here. Notice: Not all features are available everywhere. Some maps offer more details then the others.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: To remain competitive in the face of changing business dynamics, Metso wanted to standardize people management processes for its global workforce. Accenture helped the company improve the quality and efficiency of its global HR processes, including compensation and talent management, by implementing a cloud-based HCM platform using cloud-based SuccessFactors HCM platform. The new system provides faster, easier and more reliable access to managers and employees across a variety of HR processes, improving efficiency and productivity, increasing transparency and enhancing data quality and security.


text:
Clarissa Cheatham Makes Mockery Of Mariah Carey's "Always My Baby"! (Clowned On By Simon)
Clarissa Cheatham - Audition 1 - THE X FACTOR 2011
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Simon Joyner is a solitary singer-songwriter born in New Orleans but based at Omaha, Nebraska.
His formative first three albums Umbilical Chords (One-Hour, 1992), Iffy MC (Sing Eunuchs, 1993 - Unread, 2003 and Room Temperature (One-Hour, 1993) were essentially Simon and his guitar.
In his next albums, he progressively introduced new instruments and lush arrangements : The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll (Sing Eunuchs, 1994), Heaven's Gate (Sing Eunuchs, 1995 - Brinkman 1996) and Songs for the New Year (Sing Eunuchs, 1997).
Joyner established himself as a major voice in modern songwriting and arranging with the sprawling double-album Yesterday Tomorrow and In Between (Sing Eunuchs, 1998) and has since then released numerous singles, EPs and albums : The Lousy Dance (Truckstop 1999), Hotel Lives (Truckstop, 2001), Lost With the Lights On (Jagjaguwar, 2004), Beautiful Losers (Jagjaguwar, 2006) which collects singles and compilation tracks from 1994-1999 and Skeleton blues (Jagjaguwar, 2006).


text:
Litigation Release No. 20942 / March 11, 2009
Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 2947 / March 11, 2009
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Stephen P. Gardner, et al., Civil Action No. 04 CV 2002 JAH (RBB) (S.D. Cal.) (October 5, 2004)
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") today announced settlements with two defendants in connection with the accounting fraud at Peregrine Systems, Inc. ("Peregrine"). On March 4, 2009, United States District Judge John A. Houston entered an Amended Final Judgment by consent against Michael D. Whitt, the former president of Barnhill Associates, Inc. ("Barnhill"), a reseller of Peregrine's software. The Court's Judgment enjoined Whitt from violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and ordered Whitt to pay a civil penalty of $60,000. On January 5, 2009, Judge Houston entered a Final Judgment by consent against former Peregrine Director of Strategic Alliances Peter J. O'Brien, enjoining him from violating the anti-fraud and other provisions of the federal securities laws, and ordering him to disgorge $124,792 in ill-gotten gains from unlawful sales of Peregrine stock and from a bonus he received from Peregrine during the fraud. Whitt and O'Brien settled the Commission's claims without admitting or denying the allegations in the Commission's complaint.
According to the Commission's complaint, beginning in 1999, Whitt caused Barnhill to enter into a series of sham transactions with Peregrine, which Peregrine used to artificially inflate its revenue. For several fiscal quarters, Whitt signed contracts-some of which were backdated to the prior quarter-that appeared to bind Barnhill to purchase Peregrine software licenses when, in fact, Barnhill had no obligation to pay Peregrine. Peregrine improperly recorded revenue on the sham contracts in contravention of U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP").
With respect to O'Brien, the Commission's complaint alleged that in December 2000, O'Brien and another Peregrine executive persuaded an executive at a re-seller to sign two contingent sales agreements with Peregrine. The agreements related to software licenses that Peregrine was trying unsuccessfully to sell to two customers. O'Brien understood that Peregrine would only seek payment from the re-seller if the two Peregrine customers bought the licenses from the re-seller. Despite the contingent nature of the sale to the re-seller, Peregrine nevertheless recorded revenue on the two agreements in contravention of GAAP. Additionally, the complaint alleged that O'Brien was involved in a September 2001 contingent sale to a re-seller, for which Peregrine improperly recorded revenue. While participating in the fraud, O'Brien sold Peregrine stock.
In September 2006, Whitt entered a guilty plea in a related criminal case brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. He pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by making false statements to Commission attorneys investigating the Peregrine fraud. Whitt was sentenced to six months of incarceration followed by six months of residency in a community confinement center, and he was ordered to pay $1 million in restitution.
In October 2004, O'Brien entered a guilty plea in the related criminal case. He pleaded guilty to obstructing justice by withholding relevant information and providing inaccurate information about his and others' knowledge and conduct to government investigators. O'Brien was sentenced to one year of probation.
In addition to the disgorgement order in the SEC action, O'Brien agreed to be enjoined from violating Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Sections 10(b) and 13(b)(5) of the Exchange Act and Exchange Act Rules 10b-5, and 13b2-1; and from aiding and abetting violations of Sections 13(a), 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act, and Exchange Act Rules 12b-20, 13a-1 and 13a-13.
The Commission also announced that, on January 7, 2009, Judge Houston issued an order granting the parties' Joint Motion of Dismissal for Defendant Joseph G. Reichner. The Commission had filed its action against Reichner in October 2004.
The Commission acknowledges the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California and the FBI.
Additional materials: Litigation Release Nos. 18919, 20449, and 20788.


text:
A fish-eye lens attachment for the iPhone.
How to build an iPhone-ready DIY photo/video studio for under $200
Target audience: Photographers (amateur and professional), nonprofits, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, cause organizations, businesses, Web publishers, educators, journalists, agencies, general public.
Isaw a post from Chris Brogan a while back, talking about how it's OK to not be an expert and, in fact, we shouldn't wait until we're experts at something to do it.
Sounds right to me. I never trained in public relations, much less social media, and my background is in economics and drama, but I think I'm doing OK. To me, non-experts doing things very well is one of the beauties not just of our profession but a gift that the social Web has given to us.
After all, you don't have to be an expert to blog well, to excel at online marketing, to take great photos or videos, right? I don't know about you, but I'm drawn more to the "non-expert" versions of these things because they have a realness to them that a lot of "expert" content doesn't.
Being a non-expert at much of this stuff, I recently got a bee in my bonnet about finding a way to build my own, iPhone-ready DIY photo/video studio, that would let me create not great but good enough visual/multimedia content. (Project 366 is proving to be great testing ground for this.)
After a month or so of trial and error, finally all the pieces have fallen into place. And I did this on a total budget of less than $200, excluding taxes and shipping. Here's how you can, too, with six terrific iPhone accessories that will give you a mobile "good enough" photo/video studio. Budget-conscious nonprofits and organizations who send staffers out into the field, pay attention.
Olloclip 3-in-1 lens
1The Olloclip 3-in-1 lens ($69.99) is a very cool little gizmo. It's a fisheye, wide-angle and macro lens all in one. It clips onto your iPhone and gives you the ability to take some really neat photos.
For example, the photo below was taken during my personal training session the other day; I got Grant Hill to be my guinea pig, heh! Here's the shot I took using the regular iPhone camera/lens: Continue reading


text:
From BioenergyWiki
Bioenergy > Issues > Environment > Biodiversity
Note: See also the BioenergyWiki page on Wildlife
Biodiversity refers to the level of diversity among the species living within a given ecosystem or more generally in the biosphere. This applies to every phylum of organisms. It is generally agreed that a high number of species is a good indicator of biodiversity, but the existence of rare or very sensitive species, even within in a simple ecosystem, represents a major indicator as well.
Biodiversity decreases each time a species disappears from a given ecosystem. The reasons for disappearance are many, and include destruction of habitats, climatic/ecosystem changes, food web modifications, illegal hunting and/or trade and overexploitation (of fisheries, for instance) are the most common.
The state of biodiversity is closely followed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through the Red List of Threatened Species.
Biodiversity and biofuels
Concerns have been raised about the impacts of cultivation of biofuel crops, notably oil palm, on biodiversity. (See, for example, palm oil.) Biofuel crop production can impact biodiversity through means such as:
- clearing native habitat;
- introducing invasive alien species that can supplant native species; and
- displacing agricultural activities into new areas, such as forests, which are then indirectly converted as a result of increased demand for biofuels.
- Consult the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels' principle and criteria on Conservation and Biodiversity!
- Can one offset biodiversity values? Join the discussion!
- Carbon, biodiversity & ecosystem services: exploring co-benefits. New interactive tool: "This tool provides interactive maps that allow users to explore the distribution of carbon density relative to areas high in biodiversity and areas which are nationally protected for different countries around the world."
- Biodiversity, Gender and Climate Change, Convention on Biological Diversity publication for the 2009 Copenhagen UNFCCC Climate Conference.
- The authors present the opinion that "As with biodiversity, climate change does not affect women and men in the same way and...has a gender-differentiated impact."
- This report argues that "all aspects related to climate change mitigation, adaptation, policy development, and decision making should include a gender perspective."
- Is biofuel policy harming biodiversity in Europe?, Eggers, et al., February 2009, GCB Bioenergy Vol 1, Issue 1, pp 18-34.
- The authors assessed the potential impacts of biofuel policy on biodiversity in Europe.
- Results of the ongoing German "bio global" project of Oeko-Institut and Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IFEU) (sponsored by the German Ministry for Environment and the Federal Environment Agency) on sustainability issues of bioenergy trade
- Biofuels and Biodiversity: Principles for Creating Better Policies for Biofuel Production, Martha J. Groom, Elizabeth M. Gray, and Patricia A. Townsend, June 2008, Conservation Biology Vol 22, pp 602-609 (subscription required).
- "Biofuel feedstocks should be grown with environmentally safe and biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices."
- In order to minimize land-use requirements, "The best alternatives appear to be fuels of the future, especially fuels derived from microalgae."
- "Biofuels that can sequester carbon or that have a negative or zero carbon balance when viewed over the entire production life cycle should be given high priority."
- "Corn-based ethanol is the worst among the alternatives that are available at present."
- Potential Impacts of Biofuels on Biodiversity - Paper prepared by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- Excerpts include:
- "There currently appears to be no clear scientific justification, either from a climate change mitigation or biodiversity perspective, for broad scale policies that promote biofuel production such as production subsidies, import tariffs or minimum requirements for the use of biofuels in transport fuels. Rather, policies, subsidies and tax incentives would need to be selective for each biofuel system so that only environmentally and socio-economically sound biofuels are promoted."(para. 53)
- "Criteria, standards and certification could be developed to help identify and promote biodiversity-friendly biofuels and these could draw on existing approaches and efforts."(para. 55)
- Excerpts include:
- At the CBD COP9 in Bonn in 2008, it was decided to collect material on bioenergy and biodiversity to prepare for a more detailed discussion at the 14th SBSTTA meeting (May 2010), and the COP10 in November 2010 (Japan)
- Biodiversity impacts and use of degraded lands: see
- 1st Joint International Workshop on Bioenergy, Biodiversity Mapping and Degraded Lands in Paris, June 2008
- 2nd Joint International Workshop on Bioenergy, Biodiversity Mapping and Degraded Lands in Paris, July 2009
- Section on "Development of international sustainable biofuels criteria, standards and certifications schemes"
- Biofuels And Biodiversity Don't Mix, Ecologists Warn, 10 July 2008, ScienceDaily. "A new study of the potential ecological impact of various management strategies found that very little can be done to make palm oil plantations more hospitable for local birds and butterflies."
- Download the original paper here
- 19-21 September 2011, Campinas, Brazil: Quantifying and managing land use impacts of bioenergy (PDF). (Themes: biodiversity, GHG accounting, iLUC, land use change, soil, sustainability certification, water)
- 18-29 October 2010, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan: Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10). This meeting is to include discussion of the impacts of biofuels on biodiversity.
- 25 October 2010, Nagoya, Japan: Engaging the CBD to build on existng biofuel sustainability initiatives. (Themes: biodiversity, biofuels, international cooperation, IUCN, Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels, sustainability)
- 10-21 May 2010, Nairobi, Kenya: Fourteenth meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA 14). This meeting is to address impacts of biofuels on biodiversity.
- 13-17 July 2008, Chatanooga, Tennessee, USA: 22nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology. Sessions include:
- 22-26 September 2008, Gummersbach, Germany: SCOPE Rapid Assessment: Biofuels: Environmental Consequences and Interactions with Changing Land Use. (Themes: biofuels, land use change, biodiversity, technology)
- 19-20 November 2008, Washington, DC, USA: Raising Cane: Biofuels, Biodiversity, and Climate Change. (Themes: biodiversity, climate change, sustainability)
- Is Bioenergy Expansion Harmful to Wildlife? 3 April 2012 by ScienceDaily: "Despite the predicted environmental benefits of biofuels, converting land to grow bioenergy crops may harm native wildlife. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig have developed a way to study the effects of increased energy crop cultivation on farmland bird populations."
- "'The Skylark is an indicator species for agricultural areas because it occupies many habitats of the wider countryside around the globe, breeds on the ground within fields and feeds mostly on insects' notes lead researcher, Jan Engel. 'Improving the habitat suitability for Skylark, accordingly, would improve conservation of natural vegetation, insects, and other ground breeding farmland bird species.'"
- "Mr. Engel and his colleagues developed a computer model that evaluated the habitat requirements of Skylark in a variety of bioenergy cultivation scenarios. The study, published in Global Change Biology Bioenergy, found that bioenergy crop expansion will not harm Skylark populations if field sizes are low, many crop types are present, and small natural areas, known as Integrated Biodiversity Areas, are included within the landscape. [1]
- Biofuel Research Suffers From Gaps, 20 January 2012 by Chemical & Engineering News: "After a review of a decade's worth of biofuels research, scientists with the Environmental Protection Agency have concluded that significant knowledge gaps will likely prevent experts from adequately assessing biofuels' full environmental impacts....While researchers have paid substantial attention to greenhouse gas emissions, the new study says, they have focused little on how the production and use of biofuels affects biodiversity and human health."
- "'The last 10 years or so of research may have left us short of understanding what biofuels really may do to global economies, the environment, and society,' says Caroline Ridley, an ecologist with the EPA's National Center for Environmental Assessment, in Arlington, Va., who led the study."
- "The team found that the most common topics, with a few hundred papers each, were fuel production, feedstock production, and greenhouse gas emissions. Near the bottom of the list, 80 studies examined how biofuel production affects biodiversity, for example how local species fare after farmers clear large stretches of land to grow corn, switchgrass, palm oil, or other biofuel feedstocks. And only 15 studied the human health impacts of increasing levels of air pollutants produced by burning biofuel ethanol."
- "The team also found that researchers have focused largely on the environmental consequences in the Northern Hemisphere even though regions in the Southern Hemisphere, such as Indonesia, will probably grow most of the feedstock crops...."
- "Ridley and her team warn that these holes in biofuels research mean that expanded biofuels use could lead to unanticipated problems. As a result, she suggests her team's results could offer a useful guide to decision makers in allotting research funds...."[2]
- Access the study, Biofuels: Network Analysis of the Literature Reveals Key Environmental and Economic Unknowns
- IUCN Report Highlights Biofuel Production's Threats to Food Security, 6 October 2011 by IISD: "A new report commissioned by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and others, titled "Biofuels and indirect land use change," highlights findings that expanding biofuel production could displace agricultural production activities onto land with high natural carbon stocks, including grasslands and forests, with significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity loss and threats to food security."
- "The report looks at the mitigation options considered by the European Commission for dealing with indirect land use change arising from the use of biofuels under the Renewable Energy Directive."[3]
- Download the report, Biofuels and indirect land use change: The case for mitigation (PDF file).
- First EU sustainability schemes for biofuels get the go-ahead, 19 July 2011 press release by the European Commission: "In order to receive government support or count towards mandatory national renewable energy targets, biofuels used in the EU, whether locally produced or imported, have to comply with sustainability criteria. These criteria aim at preventing the conversion of areas of high biodiversity and high carbon stock for the production of raw materials for biofuels. In practice this means that biofuels made of crops that have been grown on land that used to be rainforest or natural grassland with a unique ecosystem cannot be considered as sustainable. In addition, the greenhouse gas emissions over the whole production chain need to be at least 35% lower compared to fossil fuels. That threshold will increase over time."
- "Companies can choose whether to demonstrate compliance with these sustainability requirements through national systems or by joining a voluntary scheme which is recognised by the Commission."
- "After a detailed assessment made by the Commission and various improvements the following schemes were recognised:
- ISCC (German (government financed) scheme covering all types of biofuels)
- Bonsucro EU (Roundtable initiative for sugarcane based biofuels, focus on Brazil)
- RTRS EU RED (Roundtable initiative for soy based biofuels, focus on Argentina and Brazil)
- RSB EU RED (Roundtable initiative covering all types of biofuels)
- 2BSvs (French industry scheme covering all types of biofuels)
- RSBA (Industry scheme for Abengoa covering their supply chain)
- Greenergy (Industry scheme for Greenergy covering sugar cane ethanol from Brazil)
- "The Commission is currently discussing with other voluntary schemes how these can also improve their standard in order to meet the sustainability requirements for biofuels."[4]
- Sustainable Biofuel Crops Project - Final Scientific and Progress Report (PDF File), 31 March 2011 by Conservation International: "The three-year Sustainable Biofuel Crops Project...was launched in early 2008" supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. The overall goal of the project was to support the development of a sustainable global biofuels industry by ensuring that biofuel crop production is not a threat to biodiversity."
- "The Sustainable Biofuel Crops Project included three components...and was implemented by teams working in the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Suriname."
- "Major achievements of the Sustainable Biofuel Crops Project include:"
- "[A]nalysis of areas of risk, and opportunity, for feedstock production...[in relation to] areas of importance for carbon sequestration and storage, water provisioning, biodiversity conservation, and staple food production".
- Launch of the "Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) for Business website, which provides key decision-makers access to critical information on biodiversity priority sites to inform the decision-making processes and address any potential biodiversity impacts."
- "[A] carbon stock assessment, ecosystem services study, and biodiversity survey in and around a protected peat swamp surrounded by areas zoned for oil palm".
- "These results, and others outlined in the full report, have helped fill a critical need for data and information to facilitate good decisions on biofuel feedstock production, and models of successful strategies to produce feedstocks more sustainably on the ground."
- Download the report, Sustainable Biofuel Crops Project - Final Scientific and Progress Report (PDF File)
- International sustainable biofuels certification system unveiled, 22 March 2011 by Biodiesel Magazine: "The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels launched the first global third-party certification system for sustainable biofuels March 22. The RSB Certification System includes environmental, social and economic principles and criteria and features a unique set of online tools aimed at taking the complexity out of compliance and streamlining certification."
- "The certification system covers the major issues of concern in biofuels' production, including their contribution to climate change mitigation and rural development; their protection of land and labor rights; and their impacts on biodiversity, soil and water pollution, water availability and food security."
- "The certification system will be operated by RSB Services, which is the business arm of the RSB, providing access to the certification process, licensing, and auditors' training among other activities."[5]
- Jatropha biofuel 'produces six times greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels', 22 March 2011 by The Telegraph: "Plantation of a shrub once hailed as the great new hope for biofuels will result in up to six times the greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels, according to a new report."
- "Jatropha has been planted across Asia in countries under pressure from the West to reduce emissions from the destruction of rainforests, car exhausts and energy production from coal-burning power plants."
- "But the study for the anti-poverty agency ActionAid and the RSPB of a proposed 50,000 hectare jatropha plantation development in the Dakatcha woodlands of Kenya, near Malindi, found that emissions in producing the biofuel would be 2.5 to six times higher than the fossil fuel equivalents. The woodland hosts globally endangered bird life."
- "The research examined the whole 'life-cycle' of the jatropha production, primarily the clearance of woodland and scrubland, planting, harvesting, refining and transportation of the bio-diesel destined for heating and electricity production in Europe."
- "New EU targets under the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) requires 10 per cent of transport to be powered by renewable by 2020, almost entirely from biofuels."[6]
- Download the ActionAid report, Life Cycle Assessment of Refined Vegetable Oil and Biodiesel from Jatropha Grown in Dakatcha Woodlands of Kenya (PDF file)
- Palm Oil Plantations Embrace Biodiversity In Attempt To Change Environmentally Destructive Reputation, 20 January 2011 by The Huffington Post: "Palm oil plantations carry a history of controversy. The cash crop is used for fuel and food, but at the same time, it destroys rainforests. Also, compared to diverse forests, monoculture plantations do not trap greenhouse gases as efficiently."
- "These challenges are no more visible than on the United International Enterprises Estate, located in the Majung District of Malaysia. The plantation has over 1.4 million trees. Unfortunately, they are all the same."
- "A nature reserve has been created on the plantation, populated by rare trees. The manager's goal is to increase the plant diversity to 500 plant variations."
- "The plantation is the first to be certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil Production, a group working to make palm oil more eco-friendly."[7]
- Biofuel grasslands better for birds than ethanol staple corn, 6 January 2011 press release by Michigan State University: "Developing biofuel from native perennials instead of corn in the Midwest's rolling grasslands would better protect threatened bird populations, Michigan State University research suggests."
- "Federal mandates and market forces both are expected to promote rising biofuel production, MSU biologist Bruce Robertson says, but the environmental consequences of turning more acreage over to row crops for fuel are a serious concern."
- "'Native perennial grasses might provide an opportunity to produce biomass in ways that are compatible with the conservation of biodiversity and important ecosystem services such as pest control,' Robertson said...."
- "In the first such empirical comparison and the first to simultaneously study grassland bird communities across habitat scales, Robertson and colleagues found that bugs and the birds that feed on them thrive more in mixed prairie grasses than in corn. Almost twice as many species made their homes in grasses, while plots of switchgrass, a federally designated model fuel crop, fell between the two in their ability to sustain biodiversity."
- "The larger the plot of any type, researchers found, the greater the concentration of birds supported. But if grasslands offer conservation and biofuel opportunities, Robertson said, the biodiversity benefits could decrease as biofuel grass feedstocks are bred and cultivated for commercial uniformity."[8]
- Read the paper, Perennial biomass feedstocks enhance avian diversity (PDF file)
- Scientists Spar With Defender of Palm Oil and Pulp Firms, 29 October 2010 by New York Times' Dot Earth Blog: "A dozen scientists focused on the diversity and health of tropical forests released a letter this week describing what they say are deceptive statements made by two groups working on behalf of palm oil, timber and pulp interests. In the document, 'An Open Letter about Scientific Credibility and the Conservation of Tropical Forests,' the scientists strongly criticize the groups, World Growth International (WGI), a nonprofit organization, and International Trade Strategies Global (ITS), a consultancy on international trade issues. Here are a couple of their complaints:"
- "A recent technical report by ITS concluded that 'There is no evidence of substantial deforestation' in Papua New Guinea, a conclusion strongly at variance with quantitative, remote-sensing studies of forest conversion published in the refereed scientific literature. Reports from WGI and ITS routinely claim that newly established oil palm plantations sequester carbon more rapidly than do old-growth rainforests."
- "This claim, while technically correct, is a distraction from the reality that mature oil palm plantations store much less carbon than do old-growth rainforests (plantations store just 40-80 tons of biomass aboveground, half of which is carbon, compared to 200-400 tons of aboveground biomass in old-growth rainforests)."[9]
- UNEP Releases Papers on Bioenergy Sustainability, 25 October 2010 by IISD Reporting Services: "The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has published a series of four Issue Papers on bioenergy sustainability, aiming to inform decision makers on debates and emerging issues in this policy area, as well as options for improving the sustainability of the production and consumption of bioenergy."
- "The first paper presents potential socioeconomic and environmental challenges related to land use, land use change, and bioenergy....The second paper looks at the confluence of bioenergy and water, highlighting how bioenergy production interacts with water quality, efficiency of water use, and research gaps."
- "The third paper looks at risks, including biodiversity impacts, of introducing potentially invasive species as bioenergy feedstocks, and the fourth at the importance of incorporating stakeholder engagement in bioenergy planning, as well as methods to do so. The Issue Papers were presented on the sidelines of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in Nagoya, Japan."[10]
- Bioenergy choices could dramatically change Midwest bird diversity, 8 October 2010 by David Tenenbaum: "Ambitious plans to expand acreage of bioenergy crops could have a major impact on birds in the Upper Midwest, according to a study published today (Oct. 4) in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)"
- "The study compared two approaches to bioenergy feedstocks: monocultures of annuals, such as corn, or perennial cultures of prairie plants and grasses."
- "The computer model that Meehan and Gratton developed showed that planting almost 21 million acres of perennial crops for bioenergy could increase bird biodiversity by 25 percent to 100 percent in some locales. The increase would be especially high in places like central Illinois and Iowa, where row crops are now dominant."
- "Land-use decisions are typically made based on a single factor such as crop productivity or profitability, Gratton says, but in fact, changing how land is used usually has multiple impacts. As a result, he says, 'People are starting to think about bundles of effects, on water quality, greenhouse gas emissions, or on beneficial insects that need certain habitats to survive.'"[11]
- Study Finds Opportunities for Policymakers to Protect Nation's Forests While Meeting Renewable Energy Needs, 22 June 2010 by Pinchot Institute for Conservation and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment: "Policy goals for renewable biofuels and bioenergy could be achieved, but U.S. policymakers must take steps to protect the sustainability of the nation's forests in the face of these increased demands..."
- "Two major national priorities— achieving greater energy security through increased domestic energy production and mitigating climate change —have converged to create rapidly expanding demands on U.S. forests for wood-based bioenergy. To protect our forests, careful consideration and forethought is needed, however, to ensure that the increases in wood harvesting do not lead to unintended consequences for biological diversity, water quality, and other forest ecosystem values."
- "The report concludes that with planning and foresight, the U.S. can meet both important policy goals of expanding the use of renewable energy and ensuring the sustainable use of the nation's sustainable forest resources."[12]
- Download the full report: Forest Sustainability in the Development of Wood Bioenergy in the U.S.
- Kenyan Environmentalists oppose biofuel project, 21 June 2010 by Rosalia Omungo: "The Dakatcha area which is a breeding ground for Clarke's weaver, a bird's species that is only found in two places on earth, Kenya and Arabuko-Sokoke forest in South Africa has been earmarked for destruction to pave way for commercial farming of Jatropha plant as an alternative source of energy."
- "Executive Director of Nature Kenya, Paul Matiku said "Nature Kenya oppossed the growing of the plant by an Italian investor under the name Kenya Jatropha Energy Limited, because this plant is poisonous it has been banned in South Africa, and Australia and declared poisonous to humans and likely to produce more greenhouse gases."
- "He added that the local people of Dakatcha, the local conservationists, national and global conservation community is obliged to reject the growing of the plant for it does not help people, destroys biodiversity, removes invaluable ecological services and is not economically viable."[13]
- For Gulf, Biofuels Are Worse Than Oil Spill , 17 June 2010 editorial by Investor's Business Daily: "Our growing addiction to alternative energy was killing aquatic life in the Gulf long before the Deepwater Horizon spill. Abandoning oil will kill more and also release more carbon dioxide into the air."
- "Before the first gallon gushed from Deepwater Horizon, there existed an 8,500 square mile 'dead zone' below the Mississippi River Delta....Hypoxia, or oxygen depletion, caused by agricultural runoff...has been on an upward trend as acreage for corn destined to become ethanol increases."
- The OECD "recently stated in a report: 'When acidification, fertilizer use, biodiversity loss and toxicity of agricultural pesticides are taken into account, the overall impact of ethanol and biodiesel can very easily exceed those of petrol and mineral diesel.'"[14]
- New publication explains how Europe can harvest more wood to reach its sustainable energy goals by 2020, 18 May 2010 by UNECE: "According to a new publication, if Europe is to achieve its renewable energy objective of 20% by 2020, it must step up the supply of wood from its sustainably managed forests."
- "The publication, Good Practice Guidance on the Sustainable Mobilization of Wood in Europe [PDF file], gives an overview of measures that countries can take to mobilize their wood resources."
- "Good Practice Guidance sets out general principles to be applied in wood mobilization, such as avoiding the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and making a maximum amount of market information available to all the stakeholders."[15]
- The Scientists' Letter on the Copenhagen Commitment for Tropical Forests, April 2010 by the Union of Concerned Scientists on behalf of over 200 scientists: "The Scientists' Letter on the Copenhagen Commitment for Tropical Forests is a letter asking members of Congress to keep the commitment made by the United States in Copenhagen on December 16, 2009. There the United States promised $1 billion over 3 years for tropical forest conservation."
- "Tropical forests contain half of all carbon stored in terrestrial vegetation, and clearing and degradation of tropical forests constitutes about 15% of all anthropogenic carbon emissions. REDD+ [Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest degradation in Developing countries] can greatly strengthen measures to reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity, and provide other human benefits."
- "REDD+ is an inexpensive solution relative to alternatives such as industrial energy efficiency or solar or nuclear power and an immediate solution too — $20 billion could cut emissions by half a billion tons and do so by 2020."
- Read the PDF version of the The Scientists' Letter on the Copenhagen Commitment for Tropical Forests (PDF) here.
- Flat-headed cat endangered by palm oil, April 2010 by MNN: "According to National Geographic, a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE has indicated that the flat-headed cat's habitat is rapidly being transformed into vast biofuel plantations."
- "Native to the swampy peat forests of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, the cats are nocturnal, elusive, tiny (they typically weigh between 3-5 pounds) and difficult to observe."
- "Almost 70 percent of the area that historically provided good habitats for the flat-headed cat has already been converted into plantations, mostly for the purpose of growing biofuel. Furthermore, their remaining range has become fragmented, likely making it difficult for remote populations of the cat to breed with one another."
- "The cat's predicament is not unique in the region where it lives. Tropical Southeast Asia has both one of the highest rates of biodiversity and highest rates of deforestation worldwide. Much of that deforestation is for the purpose of planting palms, a cash crop destined for the biofuel market."[16]
- 'Invasive' biofuel crops require monitoring and mitigation measures, 21 January 2010 by ENN/European Consumers Bioenergy Division: "Biofuel crops will impact on biodiversity and natural ecosystems unless tightly controlled, says a panel of European experts."
- The Bern Convention "adopted a recommendation on potentially invasive alien plants being used as biofuel crops (Recommendation 141, 2009). They warn that some biofuel crops are able to escape as pests, and in so doing impact on native biodiversity. As rural communities plan to grow more biofuel crops, the likelihood of new and harmful 'invasions' will increase apace."
- "Therefore the Council of Europe made recommendations, which are legally binding on member states:
- 1. Avoid the use of biofuel crops already recognised as invasive;
- 2. Carry out risk assessments for new species and genotypes;
- 3. Monitor the spread of biofuel crops into natural habitats and their effects on native species;
- 4. Mitigate the spread and impact on native biodiversity wherever biofuel crops escape cultivation."[17]
- IDB releases new version of Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, 11 September 2009 by InterAmerican Development Bank: "The Inter-American Development Bank has released a new version of its Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, which will enable users to better anticipate the impacts of potential biofuel projects on sensitive issues such as indigenous rights, carbon emissions from land use change, and food security."
- "The first version of the Scorecard, an interactive, web-based tool that was released a year ago, addressed 23 key variables including greenhouse gas emissions, water management, biodiversity and poverty reduction. The IDB subsequently held five regional meetings to solicit feedback on the Scorecard and began collecting and reviewing hundreds of comments and suggestions submitted by outside experts."
- "The new version of the Scorecard includes a spatial analysis tool that enables users to quickly access existing Geographic Information System (GIS) data regarding areas for biodiversity preservation. Future versions will add data layers to show the spatial dimensions of categories including water scarcity, cultural sites and high carbon sequestration areas, among others."[18]
- Tasmania gets Australia's first REDD deal, 27 July 2009 by mongabay.com: "A forest conservation project in Tasmania has become Australia's first Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) project to meet Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standards."
- "'The goal is to protect half a million hectares across Australia within the next 5 years...'"
- "Recent biomass surveys have found that some old-growth forests in Tasmania store more than 650 tons of carbon per hectare, exceeding the amount of carbon stored in the vegetation of most tropical rainforests. Plantations established in place of old-growth forests after clearing store considerable less carbon." [19]
- Is Biofuel Policy Harming European Biodiversity?, 25 April 2009 by Science Daily:
- "A recent paper by Eggers et al. presents a new method of assessing biodiversity impacts resulting from changing land use due to the production of biofuel crops in Europe, distinguishing between arable (first generation) and woody (second-generation) crop types.
- "The results indicate that more species might suffer from habitat losses rather than benefit from a doubled biofuel target, while abolishing the biofuel target would mainly have positive effects." [20]
- Biofuel Plantations on Tropical Forestlands Are Bad for the Climate and Biodiversity, Study Finds, 1 December 2008, by Business Wire: A study in the journal Conservation Biology found that converting tropical rainforests to biofuel plantations will significantly increase carbon emissions and threaten biodiversity.
- "The study reveals that it would take at least 75 years for the carbon emissions saved through the use of biofuels to compensate for the carbon lost through forest conversion. And if the original habitat was carbon-rich peatland, the carbon balance would take more than 600 years. On the other hand, planting biofuels on degraded Imperata grasslands instead of tropical rain forests would lead to a net removal of carbon in 10 years, the authors found." [21]
- "'It's a huge contradiction to clear tropical rain forests to grow crops for so-called "environmentally friendly" fuels,' said co-author Faizal Parish of the Global Environment Center, Malaysia. 'This is not only an issue in South East Asia – in Latin America forests are being cleared for soy production which is even less efficient at biofuel production compared to oil palm. Reducing deforestation is a much more effective way for countries to reduce climate change while also meeting their obligations to protect biodiversity.'" [22]
- CBD Invites Submissions on Experiences on Tools Relevant to the Sustainable Production and Use of Biofuels, 6 August 2008 by Climate-L.org: "The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has invited submissions regarding experiences in the development and application of tools relevant to the sustainable production and use of biofuels, as well as relevant information from research on, and monitoring of, the positive and negative impacts of the production and use of biofuels on biodiversity and related socioeconomic aspects, including those related to indigenous and local communities."
- "The deadline for sending the submissions is 31 March 2009." Download notification here (PDF file)
|Biodiversity | Invasive species | Wildlife
What is bioenergy? | Benefits/Risks | Who is doing what?


text:
Available ebook formats: epub mobi pdf rtf lrf pdb txt html
I was born in Dundee in Scotland, and was a student at the University of Abertay. I have written many pieces of poetry over the years for Tailcast.com under my own name. I still write poetry but lately I have tried children's stories. The first was as a story to tell the grandchildren. As you can see I have written quite a few books now, but struggle to find the time to write more.I have a couple of new one's in the pipeline and I hope that you will all bear with me, I'm sure the kids will love them. Oh and I haven't forgotten the older generation among you and have a great idea for a new book that I'm sure you'll like also. Much love to all who have taken the time to read my stuff. Any feedback at email@example.com.


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|2004-06-03, 20:15
|Link #121
merely a ghost
Just to point out something, as far as we've seen...
|2004-06-06, 09:37
|Link #127
merely a ghost
The Shichibukai was outlined first in chapter 69, volume 8; by Yosaku's imagination. Even though, I'd say it's just a "prototype" of the Shichibukai, since no one there looks like DoFlamingo. In the anime, I don't know for sure, it's in the beginning of the Arlong arc, maybe episode... 31, like Jn183-san said
The Black Beards were first outlined in chapter 133. In the anime, must be the beginning of the Drum Kingdom arc, episode... 78-79, I'd say
Now the Black Beards are outlined correctly, it's the "final" version of them, since...
|2004-06-06, 13:49
|Link #128
Oi Oi Luffy!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: The End
Man thanks so much for your time!!!!!!!!!!!! I needed it for a theory, gonna go look into the manga now, wow thanks so much, I wonder how my theory is gonna hold up, oi Vicious, does anyone of those outlines of the Shichibukai look like a woman? Thanks again Vicious-san!
|2004-06-06, 14:28
|Link #129
merely a ghost
The Shichibukai:
Like I said before, this picture must be a "prototype" version of the Shichibukai. No one there looks like DoFlamingo... But one of them can perfectly be a woman... A woman as a kicking-ass pirate would be awesome Does your theory says that she's someone that already appeared in the series? Avlida is the only pirate woman we've seen so far...
And these are the Black Beards
|2004-06-06, 14:51
|Link #130
Oi Oi Luffy!
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: The End
WOW !!! Thanks!
That we can, nah my theory is about a woman Shichibukai and the Straw Hats. The one 2nd from the right seems to be one, but im starting to think this is a prototype too, but I think Oda has already planned out that atleast one woman will be a Shichibukai.
|2004-06-10, 18:22
|Link #132
Join Date: Apr 2004
Someone please correct me if I´m wrong.
|2004-06-10, 18:54
|Link #134
merely a ghost
Actually, we can do nothing but speculate.
But I think Yosaku and Johnny meant the Three Greatest Powers in a pirate point of view, after all. Since the Shichibukai is an extension of the Marine, why would the Marine be another "greatest power"? It just doesn't make sense.
In the pirate point of view...
|2004-06-17, 16:35
|Link #135
merely a ghost
I'd like to add the opening/ending list to this thread, mainly to avoid people from doing threads just to ask "What's the ending after xx ending?" or "How many openings One Piece has so far?". Well, all our questions regarding the Openings and Endings shall be answered now:
1. We Are!, by Hiroshi Kitadani (episodes 1-46)
2. Believe, by Folder5 (episodes 47-116)
3. Hikari E, by The Babystars (episodes 117-168)
4. Bon Voyage!, by Bon-Bon Bianco (episodes 169-?)
1. Memories, by Maki Otsuki (episodes 1-30)
2. Run! Run! Run!, by Maki Otsuki (episodes 31-63)
3. Watashi Ga Iru Yo, by Tomato Cube (episodes 64-73)
4. Souchinosuke, by Suitei-Shoujo (episodes 74-81)
5. Before Dawn, by Ai-Sachi (episodes 82-94)
6. Fish, by The Kaleidoscope (episodes 95-106)
7. Glory ~Kimi Ga Iru Kara~, by Takako Uehara (episodes 107-116)
8. Shining Ray, by Janne d'Arc (episodes 117-129;131-132)
Special 8. Family, by The Straw Hat Pirates (episodes 127-128)*
9. Free Will, by Ruppina (episodes 133-155)
10. Faith, by Ruppina (episodes 156-168)
11. A to Z, by ZZ (episodes 169-181)
12. Tsuki to Taiyou, by Shela (episodes 182-195)
13. Dreamship, by Aiko Ikuta (episodes 196-?)
*This ending aired on a double episode special (127-128), which were the last episodes of the Arabasta arc. It's sung by the One Piece Straw Hats seiyuu team (Mayumi Tanaka; Kazuya Nakai; Kappei Yamaguchi; Hiroaki Hirata; Akemi Okamura; Ikue Ohtani; and Misa Watanabe).
Additional Themes: Movies and Specials
Movie 1 - One Piece The Movie
Opening- We Are!, by Hiroshi Kitadani
Ending- Memories, by Maki Otsuki
Movie 2 - Adventure on Nejimaki Island
Ending- Believe, by Folder 5
Movie 2 short - Jango's Dance Carnival
Ending- Ready!, by Folder 5
Movie 3 - ?
Ending- Mabushikute, by DASEIN
Movie 4 - ?
Ending- Sailing Day, by Bump of Chicken
Special 1 - The Ocean's Bellybutton
Opening- Believe, by Folder 5
Ending- Run! Run! Run!, by Maki Otsuki
Special 2 - ?
Opening- Hikari E, by The Babystars
Ending- Free Will, by Ruppina
Special 3 - ?
Opening- Bon Voyage!, by Bon Bon Bianco
Ending- A to Z, by ZZ
Whenever a new ending or opening begins, I'll try to update the list
PS. Sorry for the double post, but it was obviously necessary.
|2004-06-26, 10:08
|Link #137
merely a ghost
But I, Vicious, like to leave no question unsanswered. So, how hot is Robin?
Hotter than Tashigi, but not hotter than Nami
|2004-06-27, 13:09
|Link #139
merely a ghost
Also, they skipped chapter 160, where...
Chapter 160 will most likely be shown soon, after some filler episodes.
|one piece, q&a
|Thread Tools


text:
Community Projects
Arch has a vital and active community of software developers and contributing projects.
If you have a project you would like to link to, this is a great place to do it. Include a link to your project, the date your project started, and a brief (one or two sentence) description of your project. Please sort projects alphabetically, breaking out into a category pages when needed. Categories should also be alphabetically listed.
All projects listed here are Community projects. None of these projects are considered official Arch projects.
- AUR Helpers -- Utilities to aid end users in using the AUR.
- Arch-based_Distros -- Other distros based off of Arch Linux.
- Pacman GUI Frontends -- Graphical frontends for pacman.
- Other -- Projects that don't quite fit into any existing category.


text:
Menu for Hope 6 final total ($78,818!) and minor housekeeping
Just a quickie note here to let you know that our Menu for Hope 6 now has a final total $78,818! Nearly $80K - nothing to sneer at in a recession, huh? That's a lot of farmers we'll be supporting and lots of hungry people we're going to be feeding via the good work of the WFP.
Derrick and I are doing the final tally and picking the raffle winners, but before we can finish we're doing a bit of housekeeping on the donation records and raffle picks. If you see an email from us today, that means there's a problem with your raffle pick (nothing big, usually just invalid item codes), please reply asap so that we can correct the records and make sure all of your raffle choices are accounted for.
We're still on for final raffle announcement on Monday January 18. Check back here to see if your good karma pays off!


text: On Oct. 27, a reception was held honoring attorneys, law firms and students who have given free legal services to assist low-income people. The event was part of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project's celebration of National Pro Bono Week. Individual attorneys honored were Mississippi Bar immediate past president George Fair, Patricia Herlihy, Bradley C. Moody, Eleanor Faye Peterson, Ermea J. ...Read More »


text:
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy (2 June 1840 – 11 January 1928 / Dorchester / England)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
While the far farewell music thins and fails,
And the broad bottoms rip the bearing brine -
All smalling slowly to the gray sea line -
And each significant red smoke-shaft pales,
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


text: For the second season in a row a double-digit underdog Vanderbilt football team has beaten Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks. This year's 24-17 Vandy win become the Dores first victory over a ranked opponent at home since 1991. Last year the loss to Vandy sent the then 6-1 and top ten ranked Gamecocks into a tailspin. The Cocks finished 6-6 and didn't make a bowl game. This year South Carolina was #24 in the country and undefeated. Now they're 1-1 with a home game next weekend against Georgia. So, get ready for this, Steve Spurrier is 1-6 in his last seven games at USC with multiple losses to Vandy. Worse, he's gone all Uncle Rico on us. How did he prepare for the big game last night? By visiting the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame (Spurrier grew up here) to see if his high school baseball jersey was on display. Seriously. In a sign of the times for Spurrier, he was informed that it wasn't because the museum didn't have room to display all donated items. In 2000, when he left Florida for the Washington Redskins, Spurrier could reflect on six SEC championships in a decade and a national title. The subsequent Washington implosion has been well-chronicled. After signing a $5 million a year deal Spurrier went 12-20 in two seasons and quit. He sat out a year and with much fanfare returned to the SEC as the coach of the Gamecocks. Now after three complete seasons and one extra SEC game Spurrier has more SEC losses at USC (13) than he had in his entire SEC coaching career with Florida (12). From 82-12 in the SEC to 11-13 with the Cocks. The best season Spurrier has had was his second—an 8-5 mark with wins over Florida and Tennessee. But now, in the wake of yet another loss to Vanderbilt, the question has to be asked, is Steve Spurrier done? He's 63, his team is not going to do better than 8-4 with their schedule (and probably worse) and, what's more, Spurrier simply doesn't appear to have much passion for the game anymore. In year's past watching a football game featuring Spurrier was an exercise in showmanship. Spurrier tossed visors, broke clipboards, yanked quarterbacks from one play to the next with reckless abandon, and celebrated with sophomoric glee. Last night? Last night I couldn't even pick Spurrier out on the sideline at South Carolina. How bad has it gotten for Spurrier? If he left he couldn't even anoint his son as successor right now. Also, in an alarming economic indicator of Spurrier support, visor sales have plummeted 95% in the greater Columbia area in the past three seasons. In the end Steve Spurrier is in danger of what once seemed impossible, slipping away into SEC irrelevance. No one fears the Ol' Ball Coach anymore. Not even Vandy. Spurrier takes pregame Music City Tour [Tennessean]


text:
resistednormalcy needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 79 designs submitted by 43 freelance designers.
Taco Borracho
Taco Borracho is a taco/margarita bar in Downtown Dallas. We serve Mexican taqueria-style tacos and top shelf margaritas in the heart of downtown.
Our customer.
Prefer bold/high impact design, clean lines.
This logo will be used in both print media (menus, receipts, bags, etc) as well as for signage.
Initial color thoughts.. ..open to suggestions.. ..red/black/white.. traditional advertising/bold colors likely preferred.
I'm open to incorporating artistic elements into the logo. Perhaps tacos? Or margaritas? Or the backdrop for Downtown Dallas? ..though not necessarily required.
Simple design may be the best way to go? Not sure. Will leave it up to the designer.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


text:
When world leaders such as Kofi Annan, the former presidents of Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, business tycoon Richard Branson, and other prominent personalities established the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) in 2011, they may not have expected such a swift impact. The goal of GCDP, a panel of twenty-two prominent leaders that issues reports on drug policy, is to "bring to the international level an informed, science-based discussion about humane and effective ways to reduce the harm caused by drugs to people and societies." And since GCDP's inception, the debate has evolved and gained prominence, not least as a topic of discussion at the World Economic Forum 2014 in January—the first time that drug policy has featured on the agenda of the prestigious gathering. At the meeting, GCDP commissioner Kofi Annan was joined by Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos, Human Rights Watch's Kenneth Roth, and Governor of Texas Rick Perry to discuss the drug policy dilemma.
In addition to the GCDP commissioners, a number of heads of state have come forward demanding a reassessment of the current prohibition-driven drug control regime. The impact of the drugs trade and the failure of the prevailing narcotics control system to bring it under control are shocking. Drugs are arguably the most lucrative illicit commodity trafficked by criminals. Through this business, criminals amass large finances that can be used to buy political capital, corrupt institutions, and, at times, fill the vacuum left by ineffective governments by establishing informal governance structures in developing countries. In some regions of the world, drug-related violence has reached levels comparable to those of conflict zones, as in the case of Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador. The growing availability of narcotics in trafficking regions has given rise to local consumer markets in countries, such as those of West Africa, where treatment and rehabilitation programs are often nonexistent, or rudimentary at best.
Colombia has experienced firsthand all of these problems. Memories from the wave of violence fueled by the drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1980s are still alive, as is the fact that the cocaine trade has played an important role in enabling and perpetuating the insurgency by the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC). Notably, in the context of the ongoing negotiations with Bogotá, the FARC rebels themselves have advocated for the introduction of a regulated market for the production of cocaine and marijuana. Based on this experience, it is unsurprising that the president of Colombia has become a leading spokesperson for drug policy reform, initially pushing for a new approach to drug control in 2012 at the annual session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna.
The calls for reform resulted in the commissioning of a report by the Organization of American States (OAS) on the drug problem in the Americas. In the words of OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, it was "the beginning of a long-awaited discussion" about "more realistic [drug war] policies" and highlights how trends in the Western Hemisphere "lean toward decriminalization or legalization of the production, sale, and use of marijuana."
Country-level initiatives
A few powerful countries typically play an outsized role in establishing global governance structures and influencing policies that guide them. Drug policy is a case in point. The United States has dictated the agenda and its implementation. Using their superior political and economic power, dominant countries often influence less powerful countries that receive and rely upon financial and military support.
In the UN conventions on narcotics, excessive emphasis is given to combating supply, and not enough attention is paid to demand reduction. The by-product is a double-standard where a disproportionate burden is placed on weaker states that are home to narcotics production and trafficking, while consumer countries in the developed world have been allowed to experiment more with non-prohibitionist policies.
Source: This infographic originally appeared on IISS Voices
Seventeen countries have formally decriminalized the possession of drugs for personal use since the early 1990s. Most of these countries only decriminalized cannabis, though a few exceptions have included other drugs, such as in Switzerland, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Mexico and Paraguay. On the spectrum of drug policy options available to states, those that have chosen the decriminalization path have adopted a harm reduction approach. That is, they still operate within the prohibition framework but have injected a health or public health element to the equation. For instance, the introduction of drug consumption rooms has improved public health. In the case of Germany, there has been a significant reduction in drug-related deaths as a result of the opening of such facilities.
The strongest challenges to the UN narcotics conventions to date have come from Uruguay and, ironically, from two U.S. states, Colorado and Washington. In December 2013, President José Mujica signed into law a bill outlining how marijuana would be legally produced and sold as part of a regulated market. This strategy, the president believes, would help better treat addiction and help reduce crime associated with harder drugs, and enhance attempts to eliminate illegal narcotics trade. Uruguay has in fact seen traffickers smuggle narcotics across its borders into neighboring countries. Furthermore, while possession for personal use was never criminalized in Uruguay, judicial and law enforcement practices have led to the incarceration of many low-level users over the years and many have been placed in lengthy pre-trial detention without charges on the presumption of drug cultivation. As of January 1, 2014, Colorado became the first state to open 'pot shops' where consumers over the age of twenty-one can purchase up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational use. Similar legislation has been adopted in Washington, although the state is experiencing some backlash from local municipalities opposed to the opening of a recreational marijuana market in certain regions of the state.
Are institutions adapting to change?
Unsurprisingly, changes have not been universally welcomed. In addition to some opposition at the local level, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the organ in charge of implementing the UN narcotics conventions, had issued a stern report reminding the U.S. federal government that it had an obligation to ensure that the new legalization legislation would not be implemented in Colorado and Washington. Following legalization in Paraguay, INCB accused the Latin American country of "knowingly [deciding] to break the universally agreed and internationally endorsed treaty."
What is promising, however, is that, in spite of being seen as the repository of drug prohibition (through related conventions and the INCB), UN bodies and departments have themselves publicly recognized the unintended consequences of the drug control system and its application, such as the geographical displacement of drug trafficking (the so-called balloon effect), the stigmatization and marginalization of drug users, and the fuelling of an ever-growing, criminal black market. From Helen Clark, head of the UN Development Program, to Michel Sidibe, the executive director of the Joint UN Program on HIV and AIDS, UN leaders have advocated for more out-of-the-box thinking on the governance of narcotics. Even the serving executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, has advocated for innovative approaches to the drug problem, noting in February 2013:
"Today, we are staring at a new drug horizon where those willing to take these substances have become the participants in a lottery that puts lives at risk. Users are potentially one tweaked molecule away from death [...] Innovative approaches should be applied by law enforcement officers. For example, New Zealand has enacted creative legislation that places the onus of proving the substance is safe on the seller."
A Tricky Legal Path
Although the drug policy reform debate has become more mainstream and a growing number of serving (not only retired) politicians and senior law enforcement officers have come forward against prohibition and in favor of a regulated market, broader change will require time.
Abolishing or even amending UN Conventions on narcotics is a complex and lengthy process, even more so given the degree of international disagreement vis-à-vis drug policy. Taking advantage of any form of discretion allowed within the existing framework is probably the most feasible option and more likely to bear fruit.
The INCB has adopted a maximalist approach in its interpretation of the conventions. Nevertheless, the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances states that a public health approach can be adopted instead of a criminal justice one. Specifically, article 3 (paragraph 4c) reads:
"in appropriate cases of a minor nature, the Parties may provide, as alternatives to conviction or punishment, measures such as education, rehabilitation or social reintegration, as well as, when the offender is a drug abuser, treatment and aftercare."
Countries would benefit from a greater degree of subsidiarity, which would better serve their national interests. Hence, it would be advisable to move away from the tendency to micromanage policies of individual states and instead allow governments to operate within broad objectives, such as mitigating the unintended consequence of the existing drug control regime and the negative impact of narcotics trade and use.
It is clear that the current one-size-fits-all strategy, which allows for no distinction between the problems and priorities of consumer countries in the developed world and those of developing countries on the supply side, has produced limited positive results. A new approach is necessary and should respect national realities.


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It seems that every religion (and even atheism) has the idea that "In the end, I am right and you are wrong." However, are the any religions that take into account that other religions may also be right? or at least not evil?
(side note)
When you really think about it, it's interesting to consider the spite most mild-mannered religious folk carry around with them. An individual may get along civilly with others, they have to understand that their Jewish coworker, their Catholic girlfriend, their Mormon buddy, etc. will all burn in hell for eternity. It's kind of weird.
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They all seem to be radically different in their version of "the truth", but relevant to note I think that they are basically born of one another in so much as the Christian faith is a pillage of Judaism, their old testament is simply old Jewish writings, literally, the new testament is a crack at making the prophecies come true to define itself as evidence of god, Islam, well thats just Christianity with a twist, the koran claiming to be the final revelation thus, the last word of god thus, the ultimate truth, its like a postscript from god, by the way, my name is allah. And theres thousands of others bleeding off each other and trying to squeeze itself into modern day rationality. Its all blatantly pathetic really.I think, in our present time, its the biggies we need to worry about, Muslims and Christians, find a way of showing them the errors of their ways and the others will diminish in no time.
Check out the Bahai religion, whose main tenet is that all religions are legitimate ways to approach God. Not sure how friendly they are to the notion that God is a fantasy altogether, but still, it's better than the other, 'you will burn in hell' religions which dominate human society
In my journey away from religion, I found more acceptance among pagans than I ever did with Christians.
There are so many different belief systems that fall into the category of paganism, and most of them don't really care that what someone else believes may be different from what they believe. (at least in most of the ones that are practiced today) Some of them belong to the same ones and still hold different beliefs. The most important thing to them is to 'Harm none' including yourself. I don't think that I could replace one god with many, essentially that is what happens in some of them, such as Wicca. I am outspokenly atheist, so I never really found a place to settle into paganism. I just hold it in a higher regard than some other religions, due to the respect that I've been shown by them.
I do, however, respect that they don't wish to cause anyone harm and that this is one of the things that they deem most important. Of course some of them would like to cause harm, but there are people who abuse every system.
There are varying eclectic pagan practices that involve respecting the earth, nature, and energy, more than god(s).
"Syncretism" may be the tendency you're looking for. This definition from Wikipedia may help: "
Syncretism (English pronunciation: /ˈsɪŋkrətɪzəm/) is the combining of different (often contradictory) beliefs, often while melding practices of various schools of thought. Syncretism may involve the merger and analogising of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths.
Several religious groups, notably the Hindus, find truth in all religions, sometimes claiming that all religions are true, a notion which taken literally is nonsense, since there are so many contradictions within religions and many more between religions.
Of course, this doesn't bother people used to magical thinking and paradoxical notions.
Ba'hai does this, in a way... From wikipedia:
The Bahá'í Faith ( /bəˈhaɪ/)[1] is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind.[2] There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories.[3][4]
In the Bahá'í Faith, religious history is seen to have unfolded through a series of divine messengers, each of whom established a religion that was suited to the needs of the time and the capacity of the people. These messengers have included Abraham, the Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and others, and most recently the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. In Bahá'í belief, each consecutive messenger prophesied of messengers to follow, and Bahá'u'lláh's life and teachings fulfilled the end-time promises of previous scriptures. Humanity is understood to be in a process of collective evolution, and the need of the present time is for the gradual establishment of peace, justice and unity on a global scale.[5]
The Church of Subgenius is the true answer. But don't get worried about being right and better than everyone else - they too are like you. It embraces contradiction by merely declaring contradiction makes as much sense as non-contradiction, perhaps even more. Anything a member says becomes orthodox liturgy deserving sacred respect, if you so desire it to. By merely declaring that all people are members, whether they know it or not, all people become members. I did this once, then rescinded the declaration. So, at one time you were a member, but didn't really know it. They introduced the idea of the Short Duration Personal Savior- so that you will always have a savior when needed or wanted without having to believe anything except what you believe. One of their best ideas is Holy Slack. Slack is such a simple yet complex idea! And because it exists, there's no need to explain it to you here now. Don't think I'm just joking around, although some members believe this is a parody religion, "A True SubGenius, understands EVERYTHING, INSTANTLY upon exposure to the Word or even just the Face of Dobbs." I hope this helps. Here's a link about their views on marriage: http://www.subgenius.com/bigfist/answers/faqs/X0006_SubG_FAQ_8_Can_...
Catholic doctrine states that consist in the truth, and allows for truth in religions. Vatican II was not half bad.
I always get Unity confused with Unification, which is Rev. Sun Yun Moon's cult.
Of course, one way to answer your question is to say that just about all religions allow that other religions contain truths. They just aren't AS true.


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Jennifer Williams has been named the new head softball coach at MIT as announced by Department Head and Director of Athletics Julie Soriero. Williams, who becomes the 10th head coach in program history, arrives in Cambridge after spending the past year as an assistant coach at Southern New Hampshire University.
While at Southern New Hampshire, Williams worked closely with the Penmen pitching staff while also assisting in infield and hitting instruction. Previously, she spent two years as an assistant for the Smith College softball team while pursuing a Master's of Science in Exercise Science and Sports Studies. Williams' coaching experience extends overseas as well, as she served as the Pitching Coach for the Swedish Junior and Senior National Teams in the summer of 2008. She also assisted the Enköping Softball Club while in Sweden and has a wealth of instructional and clinical experience.
"I am thrilled to have been afforded the opportunity to take MIT softball to the next level, and I very much look forward to the challenges and successes that lay ahead for us," said Jennifer Williams.
Williams was a four-year member of the Middlebury College softball team while an undergraduate and has also completed classes as part of the National Fastpitch Coaches College.
"We are very excited to have Jennifer join our department as MIT's new head softball coach," remarked Barb Bolich, Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator. "She brings a great deal of energy, enthusiasm and experience to the program and I am confident she will take MIT softball to new heights."


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Opinion: The U.S. Should Continue To Aid Egypt
American Enterprise Institute senior fellow John Bolton on why the U.S. should continue providing aid to Egypt. Photo: Associated Press
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... a masterful thanks for being on the show ... E-mail us to take the Fed Today suggests that the US has to keep giving money to each and that ... he is getting a lot of money from ... Saudi Arabia ... Kuwait ... the UAE ... why do they need our funds too ... well in fact the monies from these other countries are actually substantially greater than ours and ours has gone ... to the Egyptian military ever since the camp David peace accord of nineteen seventy nine in effect ... its military aid in Spain for Aegis compliance ... with Camp David we give the even more to Israel for the same ... purpose ... so this is that the resource is something that has important political ... implications both because of the relationships we build up with the Egyptian military these past thirty years ... and because it affords us continuing influence over Egypt's military in what is obviously a very very ... unstable time in Egypt today ... it is why I think cutting off that military assistance now ... would greatly harm American interests in the current army chief in in Cairo has long ties to the United States he was trained here in the early eighties ... his financial aid the only way that we can ... retain influence in Egypt ... now it's not the only way but at the moment we're not really giving aid to the Egyptian government generally are the Egyptian people ... the main aim here is to keep the military ... channel of communication open end and the reason for that is ... that in a period of instability like we have here ... at the reliant on the military to try and calm things down in ... the streets of Egypt in Cairo and Alexandria support at that point once we get stability that I think they're a lot of additional steps that the United States can take which we honestly have not done over the past for half the year such as to assert or a certain little leadership ... well having in mind why ... Egypt's main contribution to U S interest is internationally maintaining the camp David peace accords ... keeping the Suez Canal opened ... not of pressing religious minorities like the Coptic Christians ... and a part of their problem going back to a half years throughout the entire Arab Spring ... including the overthrow of move Barrick what is that many Egyptians thought the United States is simply turn the way that was interested that wasn't paying ... adequate attention our inability for example too ... bad to have a successful state emerge ... next door in Libya after the overthrow of Ghadafi is another example of a ... U in the op ed today were very critical of the Obama administration how ... it built the White House handle the fall of Mubarak ... do you think they're doing a better job now ... are they ... essentially agreeing with you in the way that they're handling the saying ... well I think the administration is as is so often the case being inconsistent in what its billing ... but you know the demonstrators in the streets in the past couple weeks it wanted Morsi overthrown ... ironically identified President Obama and his investors Egypt with the Morsi government ... so I think people in Egypt are very confused about what American policy is and that's why ... keeping the consistency of the eight floor for the military is important that get cut off ... even if there were resume six front months from now ... it would be another symbol unafraid of American in constancy in decisiveness and an iPad this which is the last thing we need with the everything unstable in Egypt itself to mastering about thirty seconds left ... if the army became more violent ... in ... putting down protests industry to claim the Muslim Brotherhood ... with that but this again endanger what is the line ... which the army can cross ... well we need Congress to approve an exception to the statute that currently cuts the aid off that I think that in in of itself will be a test ... for the army but the fact is that the instability we see in Egypt ... whatever opted if the military had moved in but the population is very divided ... so a lot rests on the military but there isn't any other basis we have ... had that could seek stability that's why the pressures on the ... American Enterprise Institute senior fellow investor John Bolton ... thank you so much for being on mission


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Reviewed by J. M. (age 7)
I enjoyed this book because his teacher sends him places. My favorite part is when his teacher sends him to go get books and he comes back with a wild story. I wonder how the books got wet because he doesn't come back wet but the books do. I also like the illustrations because they are colorful and show all of the characters.
I recommend this book because it is exciting and you will too if you like books about animals who go on adventures.


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Eaton Detroit LockerPosted in Ultimate Adventure: 2006 on April 20, 2006
You've seen Scott Frary from Detroit Locker on a few past UAs. He's driven so well that his rig has nary a scratch. Count on more drama from his experience this year as we send him down a few trails that are over his head. Scott is not the only product from Eaton Detroit that has made the UA trip. Detroit Lockers can be found in our Ultimate Avalanche, the Ultimate Tacoma, our M715 support rig and most importantly, our Ultimate FJ.
3PhotosView Slideshow
EatonCleveland, OH 44114


text: BRISBANE: Join us for an session of drawing with Ironlak Pump Action Paint Markers. This free event is open to people of all ages, and any skill level. All materials are supplied at no cost, including markers in a variety of sizes, and canvas sheets. Attendance is limited so please be sure to register your free admission pass now to ensure your place. Ironlak sessions offer a fun space to practice and experiment, while meeting like-minded people, and creating at your own pace.


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VODKA VODKA returns in February. Limited early bird tickets are on sale right now!
A teenage boy's infatuation with a woman he sees on the bus further complicates his already tumultuous adolescence.
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Piczo is a networking website aimed at 13-16 year old boys and girls. It was once the most most popular networking site before 'MySpace' overtook it. One of the main advantages of it is how easy it is to design even for people with no website building experience.
by mr zed July 10, 2007
The worst ever website maker EVER. It gives you tons of viruses and its pages are plagued with pop-ups. It is virtually impossible to upload pictures, and the backrounds are so boring! Also, most piczo sites are either Emos or Chavs with tacky sparkly pictures. It just sucks.
Chav: My piczo site is, like, mint, init! Checkit out sometime!
Me: Er, no mate. Just run a virus scan on your computer.
Chav: What's a virus?
Me: Er, no mate. Just run a virus scan on your computer.
Chav: What's a virus?
by Foffer May 01, 2006
buy the domain for your diy blog


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Last week he asked if he could show the baby where the toys were. I said of course and smiled that he was already considering sharing and was okay with that. I just hope he feels the same when it's actually time to share. He loves to tell us he loves us, he misses us, and loves hugs and kisses. He's very gentle with other kids and you can tell he's just itching to be everyone's friend. I would love to take credit for all of that but some things I think they are just born with.
Don't get me wrong though, he still is a wild child who is into everything. He is still the same sweet boy who starts talking the minute he wakes up and doesn't stop until he goes to bed (and even after that). He's the one who will repeat himself over and over until you respond. Maybe mommy and daddy will get a break and Colin will share some of his conversation with "Pete" once he gets here. I'm sure Pete will want to soak up all of Colin that he can. As wild and active as he is, he's still such a sweet child. One day this week he was giving me his typical hug good-bye and put his head a little lower to give the baby a hug too. Those sweet and tender moments make the wild child moments disappear...at least momentarily!
While we're on the subject of babies, I was directed today to a very inspirational and uplifting post. This one will take some time but it is a tear-jerker with a happy ending. If you feel so inclined, take a moment and read Adrienne's amazing journey becoming a mother.


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The thought of forgoing reading because of her rapidly deteriorating eyesight terrified Joan Retzlaff after suffering complications from her wet macular degeneration.
The condition — a chronic eye disease that affects the central field of vision — caused a massive bleed in one of her eyes, further damaging her eyesight.
"I was in a panic at that point because I've been a reader all my life and not to read is a horrible thought," said Retzlaff, a Frankfort resident. "When you're 80, you want to keep going as much as you can."
But Retzlaff has found numerous ways to deal with her failing eyesight, ranging from technology-assisted devices to simple household computer and light maneuvers, with the help of a low-vision clinic in Flossmoor.
The Chicago Lighthouse, a nonprofit social service agency that helps the visually impaired and blind, opened the satellite location in conjunction with an Ingalls Memorial Hospital's day rehabilitation program. The two organizations have a similar clinic in Calumet City, and the Lighthouse also has satellite clinics in Chicago, the north, northwest and west suburbs.
Hillary Napier, associate director of occupational therapy at the Lighthouse, has been helping Retzlaff set up a number of devices in her home, including a cordless, large-button phone with large-screen display for caller ID, bold-lined paper, dark-colored pens, a lamp with a special bulb that provides natural daylight spectrum lighting and decreases glare, and a number of computer modifications.
The clinic, which opened earlier this year, will also be ordering Retzlaff hand-held magnifiers, stand magnifiers, distance telescopic glasses and high-powered reading glasses.
In the meantime, her ophthalmologist and retinologist are working to stabilize her eye problems. She will also need cataract surgery in the future.
"It's like a whole world is opening up for me that I thought would be closing," said Retzlaff.
Help started with an hour-and-a-half vision check and consultation with Dr. Tracy Matchinski, an optometrist and low-vision rehabilitation specialist with the Lighthouse and Flossmoor clinic. Matchinski uses large eye charts to test patients' sight and then discusses what lifestyle changes and devices might be needed.
"We look at activities of daily living and ask if they can manage those," said Matchinski. Such activities can include reading mail, prescriptions, food labels for diabetics with eye problems and classroom blackboards for kids, she said.
Many of the clinic patients are referred by Dr. David H. Orth, director of the Retina Center at Ingalls. Orth said most patients suffered from age-related macular degeneration or significant central-vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.
"I've been doing this for 35 years and there'll be a few people (doctors) out south who kind of dabble in it, but I really wanted to bring out people who are completely dedicated to working with these patients," said Orth, professor of ophthalmology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who helped start the clinic.
Orth said some of the patients he referred to the clinic later told him how much they appreciated the dedication of ophthalmological and technical staff.
"They're given a lot of options as to what might help them and not pressured in any way to accept one device over another," said Orth.


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by Tom Utescher
Hosting an Inter-Ac League tennis match last Tuesday afternoon, Penn Charter had some JV boys in the line-up in some of the doubles flights, but still were able to overcome visiting Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, 6-1.
The Quakers won all three singles bouts, while in pairs play, they prevailed everywhere except at second doubles. PC climbed above the .500 mark in league competition, gaining a 2-1 record that included a 6-1 win over Germantown Academy, and a loss by the same score to Haverford School. Overall, the Quakers leveled off at 3-3 with the SCH victory; a day earlier they had succumbed to four-time defending Friends Schools League champ Friends Central by a 5-2 tally.
Tuesday's outcome left Springside Chestnut Hill still searching for its first victory in the league; Blue Devils had an overall record of 2-4-1 which included an unusual 3-3 tie with Shipley School.
The cards have been stacked against the SCH squad from the outset this spring. Currently, the Blue Devils have no tennis courts of their own. A new seven-court complex is under construction at the school, but it won't be ready until the next academic year.
In addition, the Devils' top two players from 2012, both currently still in school as a senior and a junior, aren't playing for the school team this spring.
Last Tuesday Penn Charter's singles players, all juniors, each prevailed in straight sets. Taking his first set at 6-0, number one DreShaun Jarmon received more resistance in the second round from fellow 11th grader Josh Moss of SCH, but closed out the match, 6-4.
On the next rung of the singles ladder, Charter's Benn Plotnik took two 6-2 sets from Blue Devils sophomore Jay Regam, while at number three Ben Richards of the Quakers topped visiting freshman Billy Harris, 6-0, 6-3.
PC's young first doubles team featured freshman Nirvikar Singh and sophomore Max Sanders, who posted a 6-2, 6-4 win against Springside Chestnut Hill senior Tim Ogle and junior Harrison Tracy.
It was the Quakers who had experience on their side in the second doubles match, but that didn't really influence the outcome in this bout, either. Saving the visitors from a sweep in the overall score, SCH eighth-grader Chris Dalglish and junior Brian Giegerich got by PC seniors Randy Beck and Matt Brown, 7-6, 6-4.
Tennis is the third upper school varsity sport that the young Dalglish has played this year. He was a member of the Blue Devils' golf and squash teams in the fall and winter seasons.
Of the seniors playing in last Tuesday's court clash, two have made their college choices. PC's Beck is going to enter the U.S. Naval Academy, and his doubles partner, Brown, will attend Temple University's College of Engineering.
A third Penn Charter 12th-grader, Tyler Gottlieb, joined up with sophomore Norman Williams to record a 6-3, 6-4 decision over a pair of Blue Devil 10th-graders, Matt Giegerich and Garrison Xian. SCH had freshmen Andrew Dolente and Wyatt Smith playing at fourth doubles, where they fell, 6-3, 6-1, to junior Matt Swiman and sophomore Ethan Benoff of the host team.


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Douglas DeSimone is confident that better times are ahead.
That's why, in a surprise move, the developer withdrew the largest housing development to come before the Planning Board in recent times. DeSimone of Major Potter Associates, LLC, was seeking master plan approval of a cluster subdivision of 13 new single-family homes on almost 19 acres off Major Potter Road. The City Planning Department recommended approval of the development with conditions, a significant step for the developer who faced opposition from neighboring residents.
Many of those neighbors showed up at last Wednesday's board meeting, only to get up and leave when informed DeSimone was withdrawing the petition.
In a telephone interview, DeSimone was asked whether the conditions being recommended by planners were too restrictive. He said, as proposed, the project is not feasible, adding that the property is "real good land." He said Monday that it might be a couple of years before returning with another proposal.
"I think it is better sense to sit on it and wait rather than develop it now. This is purely a business decision," he said.
The withdrawn proposal called for a cul de sac, with a turnaround at the end and houses on both sides of the road. Sites would have ranged from 80 to 244 feet of frontage situated on sites from 23,500 to 32,000 square feet. By regulation, properties must be at least 23,500 to sustain a septic system.
The planning department listed 18 recommendations if the board were to approve the development. Among the more demanding of them were requirements for the developer to repair and resurface the entire width of Major Potter Road to the project site after extension of the natural gas line to the site and installation of a storm water management plan.
In meetings with city planners, DeSimone scaled back the development from 15 to 13 houses and reconfigured plans so that nine acres of woodlands and wetlands would be preserved as open space.
In other action Wednesday, the board gave preliminary approval to subdivide three existing lots on Florin Street and Julian Road off Church Avenue with stipulations to create 11 new lots. Sturbridge Home Builders has plans to build 11 single-family homes on the property.