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Pig New Parser
Presently Pig uses Javacc as a combining tool for lexical and syntactical analysis of Pig script, which may be given as either file content or command line input. While it gets the job done, it also poses a few problems that Pig users and developers have been complaining about:
- Lack of good documentation which makes it hard and time-consuming to learn Javacc and make changes to Pig grammar
- No easy way to customize error handling and error messages
- Single path that performs both tokenizing and parsing, no AST building
To address these issues, a new parser is needed to replace Javacc. We expect the following features from the new parser, which are categories as must-have and nice-to-have.
- Apache compatible license
- Ability to customize error messages
- Reasonable documentation
- Ease of use
- Ability to produce AST
- Separation of parsing from grammar
- LALR parsing algorithm
- Parser generator written in Java to avoid executable and platform issues
- Reasonable support
Proposed Parsing Tool
We have compiled and compared a list of parsing tools available. Please check wikipedia.org for an exhaustive list. Because of the license requirement, our selection is actually quite limited. However, one particular tool has attracted our attention. That is ANTLR.
ANTLR stands for ANother Tool for Language Recognition (ANTLR) which uses LL(*) parsing. ANTLR is the successor to the Purdue Compiler Construction Tool Set (PCCTS), first developed in 1989, and is under active development. Its maintainer is professor Terence Parr of the University of San Francisco. The current version is 3.x.
The good thing about ANTLR is that it meets almost all must-have features and some of the nice-to-have features. The main downside seems to be the fact that with regard to parsing algorithm, LALR is what the majority of us learned in school while ANTLR generates LL(*) parsers, unfortunately.
LL(*) parser takes a top-down approach, which has difficulty parsing grammar rules containing left recursions. To overcome the issue, backtracking is needed, which will have performance impact and potentially memory footprint. Unfortunately Pig grammar does have recursions. It's hoped that the performance cost is acceptable.
Anyway, ANTLR is at our focal spot, and this document is to introduce ANTLR as our new parsing technology to address issues mentioned above.
This project is closed related to Pig turning completeness. Thus, in the follow design discussions, we have included corresponding considerations.
Present Design
In order to understand how ANTLR will fit into Pig frontend, here is some basic workflow that describes how the current parser works.
- Today there are two main modes in which Pig processes request: file mode where a Pig script file is given as a command line parameter, and interactive mode where Pig script is given line by line at Grunt prompt.
In file mode, Pig does parameter substitution using PigFileParser, and thus generates a substituted Pig script file, which is passed on to Grunt and call Grunt.exec().
In interactive mode, Pig creates an ConsoleReader, which reads Pig script from console. Then, it creates a Grunt instance and call Grunt.run(), in which user will be prompted for commands including Pig statements, shell commands, etc.
When Grunt.exec() is called, GruntParser.parseStopOnError() is called once. When Grunt.run() is called, GruntParser.parseStopOnError() is called in a loop.
GruntParser is inherited from PigScriptParser, which processes both Pig statements, shell commands, and HDFS commands.
GruntParser.parseStopOnError() calls super class method, PigScriptParser.parse() to process input.
In PigScriptParser.parse(), some sort of fuzzy parsing is performed to determine the type of current command and call processFSCommand(), processSHCommnad(), processPig(), processRemove() and so on accordingly.
processPig() is a pure virtual method defined in PigScriptParser and GruntParser provided an implementation, in which PigServer instance is used.
The main method in PigServer is the registerQuery(), which invokes the methods of QueryParser, which is generated by Javacc. QueryParser only handles Pig queries.
in PigServer.registerQeury() method, when a store command is seen in the script, it calls PigSserver.execute().
In PigServer.execute(), the generated logical plan is compiled by calling PigServer.compileLP() and executed by calling PigServer.executeCompiledLP().
In PigServer.compileLP(), PigServer.validate() is called to perform semantic analysis, including type checking and schema alias validation. Validation occurs twice, one before optimization and one after optimization.
PigServer.executeCompiledLogicalPlanLP() calls HExeuctionEngine.compile() to convert a logical plan to a physical plan and HExecuationEngine.execute() to run the physical plan.
Proposed Design
As mentioned above, PigServer uses QueryParser, which is generated by Javacc. Since we are replacing Javacc, we will have a new parser generated by ANTLR instead. However, the new parser will not generate logical plan directly. As a matter a fact, there are more than one parsers including one grammar parser and multiple tree parsers to accomplish the parsing, semantic analysis, etc.
In addition, we will completely de-commission the old logical plan. Currently, there are two classes for logical plan. The output of QueryParser is the old logical plan, which is used also for semantic analysis. Then, it will be converted to the new logical plan, which is then optimized and converted to physical plan. Now, we have a new parser, and the parser will generate an AST, which will be used for semantic analysis. In such process, the AST will be transformed in stages and eventually to the new logical plan. The old logical plan class and related classes will be then no long needed.
Based on what ANTLR offers, we will have one lexer, which converts the input character stream to tokens, one grammar parser, which generates AST from the tokens, and a few tree parsers, which further process the AST.
The grammar parser will support an extended Pig grammar syntax, including new Pig constructs for scoped alias, parameter markups, and module imports. These new constructs are only valid in raw Pig scripts that's embedded. They are disallowed in Pig script (after parameter substitution). Note: there was a discussion about limiting places where parameter substitution may be allowed.
The grammar parser is able to parse raw Pig script and substituted Pig script. Thus when a Pig script comes from a user, we need to make sure that new constructs are not present. This is a sort of semantic analysis, which will be naturally performed by a tree parser.
The next level of parsing involves two tree parsers including one that mentioned above. The other one is used for alias dependency analysis (to be designed by Richard).
Then, there will be third level of parsing, which includes those tree parsers for default type insertion, type checking, schema alias validation, sort info insertion, etc. These actions are currently conducted on the logical plan. Now they will be done on the AST instead.
Finally, the AST will be visited for the last time to generate a new logical plan, which will be used for optimization and conversion to physical plan for execution.
Detailed Design
ANTLR is a combination tool for both lexer or tokenizer and parser. The two can be specified in a single file. However, for a project like Pig, it's beneficial to separate it in two files.
Lexer defines tokens using regular expressions. PigLexer is an example of the lexer file in the context of Pig. While the eventual content may vary, it covers the current Pig token specifications.
Use the following ANTLR command to generate Pig Lexer:
java -jar antlr-3.2.jar -o ../src/pig PigLexer.g
With the lexer file, ANTLR generates a lexer which can produces a stream of tokens from Pig script. These tokens can be further processed by grammar parser. The following shows the way using the generated lexer. With the lexer file, ANTLR generates a lexer which can produces a stream of tokens from Pig script. These tokens can be further processed by grammar parser. The following shows the way using the generated lexer.
CharStream input = new ANTLRFileStream( "script.pig" ); PigLexer lexer = new PigLexer(input); Token token; while ((token = lexer.nextToken())!=Token.EOF_TOKEN) { System.out.println("Token: "+token.getText()); }
Grammar Parser
The grammar file defines a set of grammar rules that dictates the syntactic requirements. Again, PigParser is an example of the grammar rules in Pig context. While it doesn't include all current grammar rules, but have all the skeletons.
Grammar Parser
The grammar file defines a set of grammar rules that dictates the syntactic requirements. Again, PigParser is an example of the grammar rules in Pig context. While it doesn't include all current grammar rules, but have all the skeletons.
Using a similar ANTLR command, PigParser class is generated from PigParser grammar, which can be used to process tokens generated from PigLexer. The following shows a typical usage:
CharStream input = new ANTLRFileStream( "script.pig" ); PigLexer lex = new PigLexer(input); CommonTokenStream tokens = new CommonTokenStream(lex); PigParser parser = new PigParser(tokens); PigParser.query_return result = parser.query(); Tree ast = (Tree)result.getTree(); System.out.println( ast.toStringTree() );
By default, an AST is generated after PigParser parses successfully. The AST is captured in a generic tree structure, with token as payload at each tree node. The token contains source code line number and character offset in the line. These properties are mutable, meaning that line number and offset can be manipulated if necessary. The ANTLR notations such as ^ or ! are used in the grammar file to dictate how the tree looks like. The default tree generation seems sufficient for Pig's usage.
As mentioned in the overview section, this new Pig grammar will include new constructs for parameter substitution. To do that, we need to define the places where parameter is allowed. (Today, anything can be substituted.) For instance, we may say that input file in load clause is allowed, so in the grammar, we will allow a token ($parameter_name) in addition to string literal for the file name in the load clause. As a result, the AST generated will contain these new constructs.
Tree Parsers
The AST obtained above will be further processed by a few tree parsers. A tree parser is a generated visitor for the AST tree structure. Traditionally, these visitors are hand coded. With ANTLR, however, they can be generated by defining tree parser rules similar to the grammar parser rules.
One of the tree parsers immediately processing above AST will be checking if the tree contained the above mentioned new constructs and giving errors if so. This is because the Pig script being parsed may come directly from user. In such cases, the Pig script will be invalid. On the other hand, another tree parser, which is used to process embedded Pig script, expects these new constructs.
After such validation, a chain of tree parsers will be processing the AST.
DefaultDataTypeInserter Parser: PigDefaultDataTypeInserter tree parser is given as an example of tree parsers. This tree parser does nothing but inserting default data type (bytearray) for schema fields for which data types are not specified, such that in subsequent processing, we don't have to worry about unspecified data types. This new in Pig 0.9.
TypeCheckingTreeParser Parser: as the name suggests, type checking tree parser validates data types in Pig scripts to ensure type safety. Currently, this done in TypeCheckingVisitor class traversing a logical plan. As a tree parser, it will be generated to visit AST instead. Also, today's type checking is overloaded with getLoadFuncSpec(), which is quite burdensome. It's to be decided whether this demands an independent tree parser. Please note that we might do type checking in the generated logical plan if it's found easier that way.
SchemaAliasValidator Parser: to ensure that a schema definition contains unique filed names at any given depth. Today we only check at the top-level, which is a big problem. JIRA 1654 is tracking this issue.
SortInfoSetter Parser: to compute whether the output is sorted or not. Presently it's done by SortInfoSetter class. It can be easily done in a tree parser.
Finally, LogicalPlanGenerator Parser: the most significant tree parser to generate a new logical plan. Once the AST is such transformed that it contains all needed information, it will be visited for the last time to create a LogicalPlan instance.
Error Handling
One of the main reason for Pig parser replacement is about error handling, reporting, and recovery. Javacc doesn't do well on those aspects. Thus, it's worthwhile to detail how these will be done in ANTLR.
Looking at the JIRAs about error handling, a majority of the complaints come from the fact that Pig parser doesn't give any meaningful message for syntax error. What is given is messages such as internal error, exception thrown, or error message for a different cause. There are also issues such as syntax inconsistency (such as by-clause in different operators), inconvenience (such as required space around '='), and incompleteness (such as limiting order by expression to be field alias only).
Replacing Javacc with ANTLR, it's expected not only to fix above-mentioned syntactic inconsistency, incompleteness, and inconvenience, and also provide better, meaningful error messages. As a top-down parser, ANTLR is able to clearly state in case of syntactic error what is expected. It's also able to recover from the error by skipping a unexpected token or inserting a missing token. Once it resynchronizes at a good point, it can continue parsing so it will not stop at the first error. This default behavior can be changed such that it stops as soon as it sees a syntactic error. It's a matter of overriding two methods in the generated parser class. It may make sense for Pig to enable ANTLR error recovering to generate all errors for a file input and disable such recovery for command line script input.
Besides recovering, ANTLR also alllows us to customize error messages. Instead of saying "missing IDENTIFIER in FILTER_CLAUSE", we can give a more user-friendly message such as "IDENTIFIER is missing in filter clause". Customized eorror message is possible by overriding parser getErrorMessage() method.
It's also possible to provide our own error handlers, globally or at each grammar rule so that we have more control on what to do when an error is encountered (report, stop, recover, etc.).
With the capabilities that ANTLR provides, it's expected that Pig parsers will be better at error reporting and handling.
Fuzzy Parsing
So far we have been mainly discussing about replacement for Pig QeuryParser, which handles only Pig queries. There are two other parsers, also written using Javacc: Pig file parser, which handles parameter substitution, and PigScriptParser (=GruntParser=), which handles FS and shell commands and passes pig queries to QueryParser. The two parsers essentially does some fuzzy parsing, that is, parsing without knowing complete syntax. Since we have no intention to maintain two different parsing tools in Pig, we need also to replace these two parsers using ANTLR.
Luckily, ANTLR has a filter option in lexer, which, if turned on, can identify interested tokens and ignore unmatched character sequence. Thus, we will replace these two parsers using ANTLR filter parsers.
To limit the scope of this project, we can choose to do this in subsequent releases.
Syntactic and Semantic Cleanup
As mentioned above, there are many issues about Pig script's syntax and semantics. While Alan is looking at semantic cleanup, I have compiled a list of syntactic cleanups that I'd like to address in 0.9 release. These are just proposals, and in no means exhaustive. I will modify this list as the project moves forward. As backward compatibility might be an issue, it's possible that we may not be able to cleanup as much as we wish.
Inconsistent Using Clause
Presently, there are two kind of tokens that may follow "USING" keyword: a function name such as org.apach.pig.TextLoader() which is what user specifies, and a string literal such as 'replicated', 'merge' and so on, which is essentially keywords. Consider to differentiate the two cases with USING or WITH.
Keywords vs String Literals
Consider reserving "replicated', 'merge', 'skeyed' and so on as keywords instead of string literal. Currently Pig takes any string literal in syntax but throws error if the value isn't one of these "keywords". It's better to reserve these words and catch syntactic errors instead.
Unnecessary Parsing of Method Names
Current Pig syntax specifies a method name such as for Pig loader as one or more identifiers concatenated with a period. In rule action, these IDs are actually made to a string. Consider to just ask user to specify a string literal instead. For instance, LOAD 'file.txt' USING 'org.apache.pig.TextLoader' 'arg1' 'arg2';
Function Styled Pig Script
Today, a whole Pig script can be written in a single statement such as STORE(FORECH(LOAD 'xxx') GENERATE $0, $1) ) INTO 'output.txt';. While it may seems cute, it makes Pig script difficult to read and make parsing more complicated. Consider disallowing this in the grammar.
Mixed Use Single and Double Quotes
In Pig grammar, there are cases where both single quote or double quote are allowed for string literal. To be consistent and make grammar simpler, consider standardizing string literals in single quotes.
Confusing Bag Schema Definition
Strictly speaking, bag type doesn't stand as a new data type, but describes the occurrence of a data field. Thus, it's orthogonal to data types. While it's restricted to tuple field today, this property applies to any data type. The current way to specify a bag field causes some confusion. For instance, the following are all valid in current Pig syntax:
A = LOAD 'data' AS ( B : bag { T: tuple( t1:int, t2:int, t3:int ) } ); A = LOAD 'data' AS ( B : bag { T: ( t1:int, t2:int, t3:int ) } ); A = LOAD 'data' AS ( B : { T: tuple( t1:int, t2:int, t3:int ) } );
T is meaningless here, but its existence seems suggesting that there is field with name T of type tuple, causing more confusions.
Consider to simplify the syntax, for instance, LOAD 'data' AS ( B : TUPLE( t1:int, t2:int, t3:int )[] ); or LOAD 'data' AS ( B : TUPLE( t1:int, t2:int, t3:int ) BAG );. When it's legal to apply for scalar fields, we can have LOAD 'data' AS ( a:int[], b:string[] ); or LOAD 'data' AS ( a:int BAG, b:string BAG );
Unnecessary Quotes around Parameters
In Pig script, there can be placeholders that will be substituted with real values. These parameters are specified in quotes and prefixed with '$', such as '$myfile'. This seems not only inconvenient, but also confusing with string literal, for which no interpretation should be performed. Consider to remove the quotes to make the rule clearer.
Comprehensive testing is needed because of the scope of changes. We need to ensure a comprehensive coverage, and test with real user queries. We will gather as much user queries as possible to exercise the new parser, making sure that desired backward compatibility is in place.


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Profitability for commercial lenders remains under pressure from internal operational challenges as well as a number of disruptive market and regulatory forces.
Finding a strategic partner with the right capabilities to assess strategy, transform operations and technology, and provide flexible, cost-efficient loan processing has never been more important.
Accenture's commercial credit group provides expertise and servicing support to commercial lending and servicing organizations, including banks, equity investors and the credit captive market. Our tailored offerings guide commercial lenders through the transformational journey and are aligned to each stage of the credit value chain.

subset: commoncrawl


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Robert Pattinson Wants to Introduce Katy Perry to His Parents
What the what?! Even though R. Patz and Katy Perry are trying to act like they aren't a couple, more information has surfaced indicating that they totally are.
According to Closer Magazine (via 4Music), a source reports, "Rob confessed that he was falling for her after their date night at the Björk concert, and it's left Katy in turmoil. He's planning a trip to the UK and wants Katy to go with him to meet his parents." That is some serious stuff!
The source continued that Katy may, in fact, still be in love with John Mayer: "John insists he's made a 'huge mistake' and has tried wooing Katy back. Katy's told her friends that she finds dating bad boys like John exciting, but has so much in common with Rob." Ah, yes, the age-old battle between Nice Guy and Bad Boy. Who will reign supreme?
Katy recently told Vogue Magazine that she still had feelings for John Mayer, so either the Bad Boy is winning the war or she and R. Patz are strictly just friends. She was very plain with her words, saying, "I still am madly in love with him." She continued, "All I can say about that relationship is that he's got a beautiful mind. Beautiful mind, tortured soul. I do have to figure out why I am attracted to these broken birds."
Get with R. Patz and you may not have to deal with a tortured soul anymore, Katy!


text: Despite the prevailing use of email, display, social media and other digital channels by marketers today, traditional direct mail remains an important element in many b-to-b marketing campaigns. But direct mail is also one of the more expensive forms of marketing, so savvy marketers are always looking for ways to get the most bang for their buck. Pre-testing direct mail campaigns is one way marketers can save money, but few b-to-b marketers use this technique, said Ruth P. Stevens, president of marketing consultancy eMarketing Strategy. "I hear of practically nobody doing pre-testing," Stevens said. "Part of it is cultural. B-to-b marketers tend to come out of nontesting backgrounds, so they haven't been trained in testing." Unlike b-to-c direct marketers—many of whom have millions of prospects—b-to-b marketers are often dealing with much smaller universes, which limits the testing options. If a company has only a few thousand prospects, it might not make sense to run a sample campaign and, in the process, possibly damage relationships or get substandard information due to small sample sizes. Chuck McGee, VP-political and corporate communications at direct marketing company Spectrum Marketing Companies, recently started pre-testing his direct mail campaigns and has also used focus group to evaluate them. "B-to-b mail is difficult because it's hard to get to the people you want to reach," McGee said. "I find [testing] helpful if I'm trying to put out a new piece and want feedback. At least I can see if it will work." Despite the challenges, b-to-b marketers can sharpen their pre-testing efforts, in particular by testing direct mail campaigns before launching a program. Stevens recommended these approaches: First, marketers can use a combination of outbound telephone calls and email both to test a message and the quality of the list, she said. Second, marketers can use focus groups or interviews to get feedback. And finally, online surveys are a low-cost option to test a marketing message and get feedback. "Pre-testing is usually intended to narrow the range of options," Stevens said. "Traditionally, if you have 15 hypotheses, you can eliminate the outliers through pre-testing." Stevens said that all pre-testing methods have shortcomings for the b-to-b world, including the expense as well as skewed results as a result of a small sample that doesn't reflect the reality of a larger campaign. She did not recommend testing actual creative to help companies avoid the expense of producing creative that might not be used. "The way people behave in a direct mail environment is often different from the way they say they'll behave during testing," she said. "The point of testing is continuous improvement and saving money." One frequent problem with b-to-b campaigns, Stevens said, is repeatability. Unlike a big b-to-c marketer, which might use the same campaign for a long time, only rarely does a b-to-b marketer reuse creative, she said. "A company that has a prospect universe of 10,000 companies will want to say different things because they're always talking to the same people," Stevens said.


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Reviewed by O.T. (age 8)
I like this book because it is scary and good and sometimes funny. I think you would like the ending of the book. I think there is a lot of detail in the writing. My favorite scary part is when Amanda was in the shower and the curtain was moving like somebody on the other side was brushing against it, but when Amanda looked there was no one there. My favorite character is Kevin. He likes to tell scary stories and lie.
I recommend this book to people who like scary and mystery stories. This book keeps you hanging at the end of each chapter. If you like stories with lots of detail, this is a book for you.


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NMT Chartwells Manager Receives Director of the Year Award, Aug. 5, 2008
SOCORRO, N.M., Aug. 5, 2008 — Curtis Ortiz, the director of dining services on New Mexico Tech campus received the Director of the Year award from Chartwells. He arrived in the summer of 2007 to manage the campus dining facilities and since then has positively impacted the quality and service. Chartwells operates 400 dining facilities.
Chartwells has been serving New Mexico Tech students since 1998. In mid-2006, the dining hall moved into the new Fidel Student Services Center, and the food service and quality has dramatically improved.
"With Curtis, we've seen our cafeteria flourish with a wide variety of food choices to meet the needs of our students and Tech employees," said Louise Chamberlin, Director of Auxiliary Services.
Ortiz was recognized for meeting financial goals, maintaining exceptional culinary standards and high overall customer satisfaction. Chamberlin said he empowers his staff and buys quality food. Sean Weed, head chef, and his cooking staff have been creative in offering new and unique dishes that are both pleasant to the particular tastes of students.
"Recognition and development are critical to building a culture where people feel satisfied and take pride in their work," Ortiz said.
He said he values treating people well and that empowering his staff makes them feel better about themselves, which leads to superior services for customers.
"Both Sean and Curtis work very well with the team in the cafeteria. We're lucky to have them both here at Tech," Chamberlin said. "They go the extra mile to help students meet their dietary needs."
Ortiz's success in Socorro helped Chartwells earn a contract at the University of New Mexico. Ortiz said UNM officials visited Socorro and were impressed with the Chartwells' service and offerings.
Recently, Ortiz has made efforts to offer healthier foods. Vegetarians and health-conscious individuals are seeing their requests of special foods — veggie-burgers, soy milk and fresh fruits — appear in the cafeteria on a regular basis.
In addition to improving dining service, Ortiz has led the effort to implement a sustainability program. Un-eaten food is donated to a pig farm recycling program; used cooking oil is sold to biodiesel manufacturers; and biodegradable plates and cups are made available for customers.
"We care about the environment and I'm happy to see that our cafeteria offers these new sustainability programs for our community," Chamberlin said.
Future plans for Chartwells include expanding the offerings at the coffee shop. Ortiz said he plans to hire a new supervisor to oversee coffee shop operations and enhance their offerings. Those offerings include adding chips and candy bars to their shelves, and fully maintain their refrigerated shelves with food and drink.
Ortiz said he appreciates any new suggestions for the cafeteria and coffee shop and welcome any comments about their dining services. Both can be found regularly working in the Fidel dining room. In addition, Chamberlin says she welcomes comments about Chartwells and she can be found on the second floor of Fidel Center in the Auxiliary Services office.


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Kids Rug Picture
Kids Rug Picture is free HD wallpaper. This wallpaper was upload at May 25, 2019 upload by admin in .You can download it in your computer by clicking resolution image in Download by size:. Don't forget to rate and comment if you interest with this wallpaper.
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|Forrest Pointer [Standing, 2nd to left.] in Kodiak, Alaska during World War II.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wordless Wednesday ~ Schlitz, Anyone?
I think this might be one of my all-time favorite Pointer photos ~ My husband's grandfather, Forrest Pointer [standing, 2nd to left]. A moment of relaxation stolen in the midst of war. Schlitz, anyone? And what I wouldn't give to hear the story that's being told.
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Soulfly Release New Single 'Bloodshed,' Unveil Album Art + Track Listing for 'Savages'
As Soulfly near the finish line to the release of their new disc 'Savages,' the band has unveiled the album artwork, track listing, and most recently shared a lyric video for the record's first single, 'Bloodshed.'
Frontman Max Cavalera comments on 'Bloodshed,' "The song is about the absurdity of the human condition in territories plagued by bloodshed all over the world. Not just recent events like Iraq, but also historical conflicts such as the U.S. Civil War, World Wars I and II, etc."
Cavalera also opened up about the making this new disc and working with producer Terry Date. Cavalera called Date "one of the best producers of all time," saying, "He has done some great records and we have been in contact for a while since he mixed three Soulfly albums in the past."
Throughout the creative process for 'Savages,' Cavalera had the opportunity to work on a full album with his son Zyon. "Before recording the album I first worked closely at home with him in pre-production, and it was great to spend weeks on the songs with Zyon, shaping the sound of the record," explains Cavalera. "Zyon did a great job and he hits really hard just like his uncle Igor - it was amazing recording with my son. A whole record! A dream come true for a father whose life is dedicated to metal. Savages is a celebration of all that."
Cavalera's other son Igor makes a guest appearance on 'Bloodshed' too, making 'Savages' a true family affair.
'Savages' makes its U.S. debut on Oct. 1 and will be available in several options including digital download, limited edition digipak CD and 2 LP vinyl set.
Soulfly, 'Bloodshed'
Soulfly, 'Savages' Track Listing:
'Bloodshed' (feat. Igor Cavalera)
'Cannibal Holocaust'
'Fallen' (feat. Jamie Hanks)
'Ayatollah Of Rock 'N' Rolla' (feat. Neil Fallon)
'Master Of Savagery'
'This Is Violence'
'K.C.S.' (feat. Mitch Harris)
'El Comegente' (feat. Tony Campos)
Limited Edition CD & 2LP vinyl bonus tracks:
'F--- Reality'
'Soulfly IX'


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|Frequently Asked Questions
We answer e-mails almost every day, and answer many questions time and time again. Please see most of the common questions that we answer in the faq. If your question is not answered here, please contact us!
Can you tell me the difference between the Juiceman II, and the Juiceman Elite model? Which is the most current product?
The juiceman II has only one speed. The Elite model has two speeds. I have used my Juiceman II since 1995, and it still works flawlessly. If two speeds on a juicer is such a great invention, wouldn't every juicer have 2 speeds? I don't think the 2nd speed is required. They are both are current products.
Home | Juicers | Wheatgrass Juicers | Citrus Juicers | Blenders | Water Purifiers


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I shall necro your wall in hopes to rekindle our relationship!
Dear Sir and/or Madam
I begrudgingly accept your friend request, but do not think it is due ij any part because of loneliness. Also do not think it made me even the slightest bit jolly to see said request in my inbox.
In response to you "Norska has no friends" comment, I have decided to have the most friends in Catacombs history. Just you watch. I'll have a friend count of like 5.
In closing, I would still like to clap dem cheekziz.
"Norska has not made any friends yet"
Poor ting!
The pictures
Not Andile
No </3 for the orange
don't tempt me to click that little report box and tell the admins you molest land sharks
is there a land shark molestation achievement?
Wow, this is like a wall-to-wall conversation on Facebook.
Can we get an achievement for finding this website feature?
i hate you and your post count!
vBulletin Skins by Bluepearl Skins


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Give the gift of a successful home sale-gift certificates available!
My holiday home staging tips are featured on BobVila.com!
Welcome to the Cape Cod Home Staging Company. We're here to help home sellers, whether or not they hire an agent, to sell their homes quickly and for more money. Staging works! See this recent Kiplinger article and check out the tabs here for our fun before and after pics. What do you have to do? Just call for the first step, a consultation. You will get an honest opinion from a professional home Stager and successful real estate Broker who is NOT just trying to list your house, and terrific tips! You can do all, some, or none of the Staging yourself. I go into hundreds of homes each year where it's not ready to bring top dollar quickly. See the tabs for just a few real-life examples, and visit Stagedhomes.com for thousands more.
"Detail your home like you'd detail your car!" Barb Schwarz, founder of Home Staging (r)
Call Lisa Morales, Owner, at 508-221-2286 and reserve your time. Do this BEFORE you've "tried" the market, as you can never get those eager initial buyers back. And know that you CAN stage your own home, with our full-scale Recommended Plan of Action. Call for details!
(The following are Homegain's national figures, not our price lists.) Staging, decluttering, landscaping (which is Staging the outside) and brightening are the top five for return on investment!
VACATION HOME owners: get more for your rental by Staging it!
Email email@example.com for more information or an appointment.
Homegain.com data
Read on for why you should hire an Accredited Staging Professional from StagedHomes.com®.


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Student/Aspirants are hereby cautioned that deceptively similar names to that of Chanakya IAS Academy Group is being used by some unaffiliated entities having no association with us and legal actions have already been initiated against a few of them.All students must verify authenticity of the academy /study centre/institute before enrolling and are requested to inform us of any such institute functioning under a deceptively similar name by calling on 09650299662/3/4 or sending email at email@example.com be informed that the academies/study centres/institutes with the Chanakya IAS Academy Group are as per the list.
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A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agent cited two men for alleged recreational fishing violations in Plaquemines Parish on Nov. 16.
Sgt. Adam Young cited Lee W. Pierce, 38, and Clay W. Mazyck Jr., 42, both of New Orleans, for taking over the daily limit of red drum and spotted sea trout in the Jefferson Lake Diversion in Point a la Hache.
After receiving a complaint and conducting surveillance in the area, Sgt. Young observed the two men actively fishing and then leaving the area. Sgt. Young stopped them at the boat launch and found them in possession of 99 spotted seatrout and 15 red drum. The daily limit for spotted sea trout is 25 per person per day, and the daily limit for red drum is 5 fish per person per day.
"This time of year agents spend most of their time in the woods monitoring hunting activity. However, this case and others like it prove why it is important to continue to have a presence on the water enforcing fishing regulations in the fall and winter months," said Col. Winton Vidrine, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division.
Taking over the daily limit of red drum and spotted sea trout each carry a maximum fine of $350, or up to 60 days in jail or both plus court costs for each offense. In addition, both men could be required to pay civil restitution for the illegally taken fish.
All of the fish were seized and donated to charity as per department policy.
For more information, contact Adam Einck at 225-765-2465 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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The Supreme Court could end up avoiding a major national ruling on whether America's gays have a right to marry.
During arguments today on California's ban on same-sex marriage, several justices raised doubts that the case should even be before them. And Justice Anthony Kennedy -- possibly the deciding vote in the case -- suggested that the court could dismiss it with no ruling at all. That would almost certainly allow gay marriages to resume in California, but it would have no impact elsewhere.
Kennedy said he was afraid the court would go into "uncharted waters" if it embraced arguments from gay marriage supporters.
But a lawyer representing two same-sex couples said the court had ventured into the unknown in 1967 when it struck down bans on interracial marriage.
During today's arguments, there was no apparent majority on the court for any particular outcome. And there were doubts expressed about the arguments from all sides -- the supporters and opponents of California's ban on gay marriage, and the Obama administration, which is in favor of same-sex marriage rights.
Several members of the court were troubled by the administration's main contention that when states offer same-sex couples civil union rights, they must also allow marriage. There was also resistance to the argument of gay marriage opponents that the court should uphold the ban as a valid expression of the people's will.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


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AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Peach Belt Conference (PBC) announced the Astroturf Men's Golf Player of the Week Thursday, with No. 23 Georgia College senior Bryan Fox (Roswell, Ga.) taking this week's honor.
Fox finished second overall in the Southeastern Collegiate on March 11, his second top-two finish on the season. The senior completed the tournament five strokes under par to post a 54-hole season low score of 211. Fox's first round 69 was the second-lowest round of the tournament. He was able to finish his last two rounds at 71, helping the Bobcats to an eighth place overall finish in the 18 team tournament field. Fox currently leads Georgia College and is ranked sixth in the PBC overall for his 72.5 stroke average.
Fox is the first PBC Golfer of the Week for GC Golf since he took the award Sept. 26, 2013 for his other runner-up finish this season.
The Bobcats are back in action Monday, March 17, playing host to the Bobcat Intercollegiate at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on Twitter and Facebook for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.


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LucasArts let us know that its action/shooter Star Wars Battlefront, developed by Pandemic Studios, has officially gone gold on all platforms.
Star Wars Battlefront is an intense open-ended single player and multiplayer action game set in the Star Wars universe that puts fans and gamers in the heat of the action as they re-live all of the epic battles from the classic and prequel eras. In the game, console and PC players can choose intense free-form multiplayer combat or a variety of robust single player modes including "Historical Campaigns" and "Galactic Conquest."
Star Wars Battlefront will be released on PS2, Xbox and PC and is scheduled to be in stores on Tuesday, September 21, 2004, to coincide with the launch of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set.


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Looking for a plug and play WiFi booster around the house? Then look no further than the Netgear N300 WiFi Range Extender.
And if you hurry you can get it for just £24.99 - saving £10 - while stocks last in the flash deals sale from Maplin at www.maplin.co.uk
VIDEO: Also check out the £39.99 Netgear Universal WiFi Range Extender - details click here.
The Netgear N300 WiFi Range Extender will boost your existing WiFi and works with any standard WiFi router.
It has external antennas for better performance, is a convenient wall-plug design, so no wires, has smart LED indicators to help find the best location for optimal WiFi coverage.
And it will eliminate WiFi deadzones.
The device has a five out of five star rating on the Maplin site and boasts: "The NETGEAR WiFi Range Extender delivers greater wireless speed, range and connectivity.
"It works with any standard WiFi router and is ideal for video streaming and gaming. External antennas provide better performance and the convenient wall-plug design saves space. Get the connectivity you need for iPads, smartphones, laptops and more."
MORE MAPLIN GADGET VIDEOS - check out their YouTube Channel click here.


text: The adidas Berlin Ghost Graphic Shinguard in yellow-black are a super lightweight shinguard featuring a soft synthetic lining for comfortable wear. A compression sleeve is included to ensure a secure fit. The adidas Ghost Shinguard is made of 100% polypropylene and is NOCSAE certified (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment).


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(AP) Mariota leads No. 2 Oregon past Huskies 45-24
By TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer
Marcus Mariota was finally forced to take a fourth-quarter snap for Oregon. He was just as good as he was in the first three.
Mariota threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns, added another 88 yards and one TD rushing, and the second-ranked Ducks won their 10th straight over their rivals to the north with a 45-24 victory over No. 16 Washington on Saturday.
Mariota's passing was nearly spotless, he used his legs to make the Huskies pay when throwing options were covered and was easily the best player on the field. Mariota completed 24 of 31 passes, and ran another 13 times. He threw touchdowns of 4 and 3 yards to Bralon Addison and a 65-yarder to Josh Huff on Oregon's first possession of the second half. Huff had to be carted to the locker room with an apparent right leg injury in the first half, only to come back after halftime and burn the Huskies secondary.
Most impressive, Mariota answered every challenge Washington made. Twice in the second half the Huskies pulled within a touchdown. Both times, Mariota responded by leading the Ducks (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) to touchdowns of their own. Mariota topped 300 yards passing for the sixth time in his college career.
Byron Marshall added 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns and while Oregon's streak of scoring at least 55 points ended at five games, the Ducks passed their first test of the season.
De'Anthony Thomas suited up for the Ducks but it was just decoration. Sidelined with a sprained ankle the past two games, Thomas went through pregame warm-ups but never left the Oregon sideline. Turns out they didn't need him.
Bishop Sankey ran for 167 yards and touchdowns of 60 and 25 yards for Washington, but the Huskies (4-2, 1-2) defense that stood stout against Stanford last week was exposed by Mariota and the Ducks. The Huskies gave up 633 total yards. Washington was third in the country giving up just 3.9 yards per offensive play, but the Ducks averaged 7.9 per touch.
Sankey was responsible for a major first-half swing that left the Huskies unsuccessfully playing from behind. Tied at 7-7 and driving, Sankey fumbled for the first time this season on a third-down run at the Oregon 31. The fumble was forced by cornerback Troy Hill and recovered by Torrondney Prevot. Mariota went to work immediately, hitting Addison for 38 yards and seven plays later the two connected again on a 4-yard TD and a 14-7 lead.
Washington went three-and-out on its next series holding possession for barely one minute. Oregon followed with a seven-play drive, with three plays of 15 yards or more. Marshall capped the drive with a 15-yard sprint untouched and a 21-7 Ducks lead.
The Huskies closed to 21-14 on the first drive of the second half when Sankey burst 60 yards on fourth-and-1, but Mariota answered by dropping his long TD pass to Huff. The only other time Washington got within one score, came on Sankey's 25-yard TD run in the final minute of the third quarter to cut the lead to 31-24. Just as they had done earlier, the Ducks answered. It took less than 90 second for Mariota to find the end zone on a 5-yard run and he added a 3-yard TD pass to Addison later in the fourth quarter for the final margin.
Addison finished with eight catches for 157 yards.
Washington quarterback Keith Price was battered for the second straight week. His gutty effort last Saturday in a 31-28 loss at No. 5 Stanford gave belief that this would be the Huskies best chance to stop their losing streak to the Ducks. But Price's receivers struggled to get separation and he was sacked four times and ran 11 others. Price finished 19 of 32 for 182


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"Lots of small bass and a few big ones caught mostly in Feb. and March. Bomber square A or other shallow running cranks over timber which is lashed down with nylon rope...." Craighead Forest Lake
"Catfish are hitting on Doc's stink bait, red worms, nightcrawlers and minnows...." Lake Poinsett Dam
"Catfish are hitting on Doc's stink bait, red worms, nightcrawlers and minnows...." Lake Poinsett
"Trolling small umbrella rigs with white grub, Rapalas, or spoons near timber and rock piles is working well...." Beaver Lake
"The water is low and clear. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished around piers. Catfishing is fair on cut bait and nightcrawlers near brush. Bass can be caught on..." Horseshoe Lake
"The Lakeview Boat Dock bait shop has been demolished. The ramp is gated off. So there is no water access by boat...." Horn Lake
"This lake is a great place to fish for channel cats. I typically use cut shad or carp which can be caught pretty easily here in a cast net around moored barges and..." Lake McKellar


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Hi and welcome to the 2014 UFO Therapy Thread! The what???
Annually, a group of us band together to accept the challenge of finishing 1 UFO (Unfinished Object) per month.
Don't have a UFO? Then maybe you have a WIP (Work in Progress) or a PIG (Project in a Bag). They go by many names, they hide in dark spaces and MULTIPLY!
Please accept the 2014 challenge and post those finishes here: 2014 UFO Challenge of the Month
Take credit for your work and let us all ooooh and ahhhh and of course ring the "job well done" bell!
Some of us may need some help along the way. Let's work through it together.
Can't decide on a layout? Post it here!
Don't know which borders to use? Post it here!
Have an amazing WIP that you are dying to share? Post it here!
Can't stand a project and just want to trade or give it away? Post it here!
This is our work group to get the lead out and get those finishes for 2014.
Why a separate thread? The main thread's focus has typically been on finished products. We can trial this separate thread to focus on getting to finished products, but of course, we all reserve the right to finish those UFOs by any means necessary!
Now let's get out there and share what we are working on and get 'em done.


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April 29, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
The Schedule
Saturday May 1, 2010
dual meet versus Cal Poly
Track and Field Complex - Cal Poly
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Meet begins at 10:00 a.m.
Saturday May 1, 2010
Payton Jordan Invitational
at Stanford University
Stanford, Calif.
Friday May 7, 2010
Big West Multi-Events, Day One
Cal State Northridge
Saturday May 8, 2010
Big West Multi-Events, Day Two
Cal State Northridge
Saturday May 8, 2010
Occidental Invitational
Occidental College
Pasadena, Calif.
Last Time
The Gauchos were in San Diego last weekend for the UC San Diego Triton Invitational. The highlight of the meet was Scott Finley breaking the UCSB pole vault record with his clearance over 17'2" (5.25m). The previous pole vault record of 16'7" had stood for more than 34 years; Brady Lock cleared that bar in 1976. Other highlights included Irene Kujore becoming only the second Gaucho to throw over 15 meters in the shot put with her mark of 49'7" (15.11m), Tayler Williams winning the triple jump with a mark of 39'7.25" (12.07m) and the women's 4x400m relay squad winning with a seasonal best time of 3:46.91.
This Week's Meet
The Gauchos will participate in a dual meet against the Cal Poly Mustangs in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The meet will begin this Saturday, May 1 at 10:00 a.m. at Cal Poly's Track and Field Complex. The meet will be scored and a men's and women's team winner will be announced upon the meet's conclusion. This is the only dual meet of the season for the Gauchos.
On The Horizon
The Big West Championships officially begin next week with the multi-event (decathlon and heptathlon) competitions. On Friday May 7 and Saturday May 8, decathletes and heptathletes from across the Conference will compete at Cal State Northridge. Team points are awarded in the multi-events, with the winners picking up 10 team points and second through eighth place picking up smaller amounts. While the multi-events are occurring, the Gauchos will also send athletes to the Occidental Invitational on Saturday May 8. At this meet, athletes will have their last chance to either qualify for the Big West Championships or improve their seedings for the Championships. The Big West Championship Meet will take place on May 14 and 15 at Cal State Northridge.
We Have Clearance
Scott Finley was named the Big West Field Athlete of the Week following his clearance of 17'2.50" (5.25m) in the pole vault at the UCSD Triton Invitational. Finley broke a UCSB record that stood for 34 years and became the first Gaucho to clear 17 feet in the pole vault. He currently leads the Big West, is 12th in the West and 20th overall in the NCAA on the pole vault performance lists.
The Irene Scene
Irene Kujore picked up her second-straight Big West Field Athlete of the Week award after her strong performances in the shot put and discus at the UCSD Triton Invitational. Kujore threw 49'7" (15.11m) in the shot put, becoming only the second Gaucho to throw further than 15 meters in the shot. She currently leads the Big West by more than two feet and is 22nd in the West in the shot put, accompanying her rank of 6th in the discus at 171'6" (52.27m). At the Triton Invitational she threw 168'11" (51.48m) in the discus.


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Oct. 7, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - The Santa Clara men's tennis team continued its fine play during the season's opening weekend at the Bronco Classic. Sophomore Tommy Hicks, freshman Jay Wong and junior Blane Shields all won two matches on Saturday to advance to the semifinals of their brackets. Overall, the Broncos won eight singles matches in a long day at the Degheri Tennis Center.
Coming off his amazing win on Friday night, Hicks continued to impress as he won his Flight B Round of 16 match 6-4; 6-2 over Cal's Valclav Burger before grinding out a three-hour win over Anton Stryhas of Sacramento State 6-4; 5-7; 6-3. After winning the first set, Hicks moved out to a 5-3 lead in second set. Serving for the set, Hicks was broken and then battling cramps in both legs lost the final three games of the set to fall 7-5. Hicks recovered and found his stride again in the third set and pulled it out 6-3 to move on to the semifinals where he will play Stanford's Chris Rasmussen.
Also in the Flight B semifinals is freshman Jay Wong, who knocked out the draw's No. 1 seed David Chu (Washington) 6-2; 7-5. Wong has combined excellent movement with aggressive play to earn his spot in the semis.
Shields, a highly-touted doubles player, is showing that his singles play is also strong as he pulled out two wins in Flight C to move into the semifinals. His quarterfinal win over Ramon Perez of Sacramento State went the distance as he won 2-6; 7-6 (7-5); 6-0.
In the consolation bracket, sophomore Aneal Vallurupalli recovered from a close loss on Friday to beat UC Santa Cruz's Kian Fattahi 7-6 (7-2); 7-6 (7-4) in Saturday's final match.
All of the Broncos results from Saturday are listed below:
Flight A Singles Round of 16
(5) USF Matt Berry d. SCU (9) SCU Brian Brogan 7-5; 7-5
Flight B Singles Round of 16
(2) SCU Tommy Hicks d. CAL Valclav Burger 6-4; 6-2
(5) SCU Jay Wong d. CAL (9) Nicolai Horgen 6-3; 6-2
Flight B Singles Quarterfinals
(2) SCU Tommy Hicks d. SAC Anton Stryhas 6-4; 5-7; 6-3
(5) SCU Jay Wong d. WASH (1) David Chu 6-2; 7-5
Flight C Singles Round of 16
(1) SCU Blane Shields d. GON Marco Pineda 6-4; 6-2
(8) SCU Kenzo Hirakawa-Wong d. UCSD Ramesh Thondapu 6-3; 3-6; 6-4
Flight C Singles Quaterfinals
(1) SCU Blane Shields d. SAC (5) Ramon Perez 2-6; 7-6 (7-5); 6-0
(3) FP Marco Foelz d. (8) SCU Kenzo Hirakawa-Wong 6-4; 6-3
Flight A Doubles Round of 16
UCSB Hui - Therp d. SCU McQuaid - Shields 8-2
Flight B Doubles
CAL Horgen - Thorstensen d. SCU Hirakawa-Wong - Vallurupalli 8-4
Flight A Singles Consolation
Gon Roman Dojcak d. SCU Bobby Rasmussen 6-2; 4-6; 1-0 (7)
SCU Kevin McQuaid (withdrew, inj.)
Flight B Singles Consolation
SCU Steven Benvenuto (withdrew, inj.)
Flight C Singles Consolation
STAN Dave Ryan d. SCU Joe Galbraith 6-3; 6-2
SCU Aneal Vallurupalli d. UC SC Kian Fattahi 7-6 (7-2); 7-6 (7-4)
The Bronco Classic continues on Sunday at Degheri Tennis Center. For all the results from Friday's action, click here.


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A report on dolphins in Perth's Swan Canning Riverpark confirms at least 20 permanent residents and 16 visitors.
Prepared by Murdoch University for the Swan River Trust, the report shows 36 dolphins used the river in 2011-12.
It found 16 adults and four calves lived there most of the year, although they also ranged into coastal areas.
A further five adults and two calves made regular visits to the river, while six adults and three calves visited occasionally.
Environment Minister Bill Marmion said the research offered valuable insight into dolphin society, finding that both males and females formed relationships with the same sex, but that the male alliances appeared stronger.
"Male dolphins tend to associate as constant companions, while the females have a looser network of casual acquaintances with other females," he said.
"Two visiting males, Backpack and Fingers, have been constant companions for more than 20 years.
"The report found the resident dolphins associate preferentially with each other in distinct groups, but they also form consort relationships with visiting dolphins.
"At least two visiting females with calves were in consort relationships with resident males."
Mr Marmion said the report also showed the population had recovered well from 2009 when six dolphins died in the river.
He said it completed a series of studies into the deaths and confirmed that cetacean morbillivirus, which weakened the immune system, played a role in the deaths.
The report also noted an increase in deaths and strandings of whales and dolphins reported along the WA coast that year, indicating the virus may have affected other cetacean populations in 2009.
Researchers also documented the first case of a third generation of river dolphin.
Resident dolphin, Moon, who was first recorded with her mother Socket in 2001, now has her own calf named Night, aged about three.


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Authorities in Niger say three suspects were detained shortly after an attack Monday that killed three Saudi tourists and wounded three others. Officials said the attack happened near the western town of Djambala, northwest of the capital, Niamey, and near Niger's border with Mali.
Three Saudi travelers have been killed and another three seriously injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in northern Niger Monday.
The group of eight, including two Malian nationals, was traveling to Mali when they were attacked near the village of Djambala. Tuareg rebel groups and militants associated with al-Qaida are reportedly operating in this area.
In a statement on national radio, Niger's Transport Minister Kassoum Moussa, condemned the attack and offered its condolences to the Saudi Arabian government.
The wounded travelers were taken to the hospital in the capital, Niamey.
In January, Edwin Dyer and three other Europeans were captured as they drove in a convoy through the West African desert from Mali's nomadic culture festival towards Niger's border. The Algerian group al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb killed Dyer after a second deadline passed on their demands for the release of a Jordanian held in Britain on terrorism charges.
A year ago al-Qaida operatives in Niger took a Canadian diplomat and two others hostage before releasing them several months later.
The group has since admitted to kidnapping two Italians in Mauritania earlier this month.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Niger attacks.


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Biological Sciences
Research Highlights
June 2007
New View on Radiation-Resistant Microbe
Deinococcus radiodurans work featured in PLoS Biology
Shu-Mei Li
Researchers investigating the microbe Deinococcus radiodurans have found that high manganese and low iron concentrations facilitate extreme radiation resistance in this microbe by protecting proteins from ionizing radiation-induced damage. Their findings give a novel perspective of D. radiodurans that shifts focus away from DNA damage as the main result of radiation toxicity. Their results were published March 20 in the online journal PLoS Biology. A synopsis of the article is provided by PLoS science writer Liza Gross entitled "Paradox resolved? The strange case of the radiation-resistant bacteria."
The research was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Research Science Program. D. radiodurans is of interest to DOE because it has been found in contaminated vadose sediments from the Hanford site and can potentially and alter the geochemical behavior of contaminants in highly radioactive wastes. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Fellow Jim Fredrickson is senior author, and PNNL microbiologist Shu-Mei Li is a co-author. Lead author is Michael Daly of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
X-ray fluorescence elemental distribution maps of manganese and iron in Deinococcus radiodurans. Enlarged View
Daly MJ, EK Gaidamakova, VY Matrosova, A Vasilenko, M Zhai, RD Leapman, B Lai, B Ravel, SW Li, KM Kemner, and JK Fredrickson. 2007. "Protein oxidation implicated as the primary determinant of bacterial radioresistance." PLoS Biology 5(4): e92.
Gross L. 2007. "Paradox resolved? The strange case of the radiation-resistant bacteria." PLoS Biology 5(4): e108.
Fredrickson JK, HM Kostandarithes, SW Li, AE Plymale, and MJ Daly. 2000. "Reduction of Fe(III), Cr(V), U(VI), and Tc(VII) by Deinococcus radiodurans R1." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 66:2006-2011.
Fredrickson JK, JM Zachara, DL Balkwill, D Kennedy, SW Li, HM Kostandarithes, MJ Daly, MF Romine, and FJ Brockman. 2004. "Geomicrobiology of high-level nuclear waste-contaminated vadose sediments at the Hanford Site, Washington State." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 70:4230-4241.


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Note: This item is more than 12 years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
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News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
April 9, 2007
New 'White List' Proposed To Regulate Nongame Wildlife
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission on March 28 authorized seeking public comment on a proposal to change the way nongame wildlife species are regulated. The proposal would create a "white list" of species that could be collected and sold, with all other nongame animals not on the list to be protected from commercial collection and sale.
The proposal is designed to help monitor and regulate the escalating collection and sale of wild turtles, snakes, and other nongame animals (species not covered under hunting and fishing regulations) in Texas. The change would prohibit commercial use of all Texas turtle species, protecting at least 20 types of turtles currently subject to collection and sale.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department staff had recommended keeping the red-eared slider on the proposed white list, which would have made it the only Texas wild turtle subject to continued commercial collection and sale. (The species is generally common and abundant in Texas.) However, commissioners instructed the staff to remove the red-eared slider from the list, effectively protecting it as well. The intent was to publish a more restrictive proposed regulation for public comment, with the understanding that it could be made less restrictive when finally adopted.
The proposed new regulations will be published this month in the Texas Register for public comment. The proposed regulations will be available on the TPWD website Public Comment page the week of April 9. The TPW Commission will consider final adoption of the new rules at its May 24 meeting. If adopted May 24, the new rules would take effect in early summer, 20 days after they are published in the Texas Register.
Wildlife biologists cite increased pressure from out-of-state collectors and dealers, fueled in part by a growing demand for turtle meat sold to China and other Asian markets. In recent years, an average of 94,442 turtles per year were collected or purchased by at least 50 Texas dealers, mostly for export from the state.
Wildlife experts are expressing particular concern about the turtle trade. Affected species include box turtles, diamondback terrapins and freshwater turtles such as map turtles, softshells, common snapping turtles and others. At least 12 recent scientific research reports indicate that commercial turtle harvest from the wild is not sustainable. At least four southeastern states in the U.S. have prohibited commercial collection of turtles from the wild, and most others are more restrictive than Texas.
Since 1999, the department has published a list of 42 wildlife species or subspecies covered under nongame permit regulations. The list includes mostly turtles (20 species), but also includes 10 species of snakes, five frogs and toads, four lizards, two mammals and one salamander. A number of other nongame species not on the list are currently collected and sold in Texas, with no permitting or reporting requirements.
Currently, anyone who possesses more than 25 specimens in the aggregate of any animal on the list must have a nongame (collector's) permit, which costs $18 for Texas residents and $60 for non-residents. Commercial operators who buy and resell listed animals must have a nongame dealer's permit, which costs $60 for residents and $240 for non-residents.
Nongame permit holders must maintain a daily log showing the date, location, and number of specimens collected or sold. Nongame dealer's permit holders must maintain a current daily record of all purchases and sales, and they are required to submit an annual report summarizing their activities to TPWD.
To develop the new white list proposal, department biologists met with a variety of user groups, including seven herpetological societies and various nongame dealers, involving approximately 300 participants total representing a wide range of interests. All parties agreed that sustainability of wildlife populations is the goal, and that there is currently a lack of population data.
Under the proposal, 84 species would be on the new white list, with annual permitting and reporting required for anyone possessing more than 25 specimens in the aggregate of listed animals. Instead of the current list regulating collection of 20 types of turtles, the new list would not allow commercial collection and sale of any native turtle species. Commercial collection and sale would also be prohibited for all other nongame species not on the white list. (See the proposed white list below.)
"For any nongame species not on the proposed white list, we're still proposing to allow people to keep a limited number of nongame animals for personal use—the current proposal is six," said Matt Wagner, TPWD wildlife diversity program director. "We want kids, for example, to be able to keep a pet turtle or two; we think that sort of thing is important."
Wagner said a number of species currently being collected and sold, including several turtles, are identified as priority species of concern in the recently completed Texas Wildlife Action Plan. He believes prohibiting collection of these species will help their populations rebound.
"There are lots of other threats out there to these reptiles and amphibians, including habitat loss and fragmentation," Wagner said. "When you have these types of species with slow reproductive rates, it's not sustainable to have commercial collection in the wild."
Wagner said prohibitions on commercial collection will give TPWD an opportunity to survey local populations of priority aquatic species, including turtles, to assess their status in Texas. Many of these species are tied to specific watersheds and river systems.
"We're never going to have enough resources to do all the surveys we'd like to do," Wagner said, "but we can focus on priority areas identified in our Wildlife Action Plan. Reporting data from dealers shows us which counties these animals are coming from, which provides another means of targeting monitoring within ecoregions already identified as priorities."
Comments on the proposed rules may be made via the TPWD website or to Robert Macdonald by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or by regular mail to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744. For specific questions concerning the proposed regulations, anyone may contact Matt Wagner by email at firstname.lastname@example.com or by regular mail at the address above.
TPWD Proposed Nongame White List
Frogs and Toads
- Great Plains toad (Bufo cognatus)
- Green toad (Bufo debilis)
- Red-spotted toad (Bufo punctatus)
- Texas toad (Bufo speciosus)
- Gulf Coast toad (Bufo valliceps)
- Woodhouse's toad (Bufo woodhousei)
- Green treefrog (Hyla cinerea)
- Bull frog (Rana catesbeiana)
- Couch's spadefoot (Scaphiopus couchii)
- Plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons)
- New Mexico spadefoot (Spea multiplicata)
- Tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum)
- Green anole (Anolis carolinensis)
- Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis)
- Texas spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis gularis)
- Marbled whiptail (Aspidoscelis marmoratus)
- Six-lined racerunner (Aspidoscelis sexlineatus)
- Checkered whiptail (Aspidoscelis tesselatus)
- Texas banded gecko (Coleonyx brevis)
- Greater earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus)
- Collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris)
- Five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus)
- Great plains skink (Eumeces obsoletus)
- Texas alligator lizard (Gerrhonotus infernalis)
- Lesser earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata)
- Crevice spiny lizard (Sceloporus poinsettii)
- Prairie lizard (Sceloporus undulatus)
- Ground skink (Scincella lateralis)
- Tree lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
- Side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana)
- Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)
- Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
- Glossy snake (Arizona elegans)
- Trans-Pecos rat snake (Bogertophis subocularis)
- Racer (Coluber constrictor)
- Western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)
- Rock rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus)
- Blacktail rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus)
- Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)
- Prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
- Baird's rat snake (Elaphe bairdi)
- Great Plains rat snake (Elaphe emoryi)
- Texas rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta)
- Slowinski's cornsnake (Elaphe slowinskii)
- Western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)
- Eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
- Texas night snake (Hypsiglena torquata)
- Gray-banded kingsnake (Lampropeltis alterna)
- Prairie kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster)
- Speckled or desert kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula)
- Milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum)
- Texas blind snake (Leptotyphlops dulcis)
- Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum)
- Schott's whipsnake (Masticophis schotti)
- Striped whipsnake (Masticophis taeniatus)
- Texas coral snake (Micrurus tener)
- Blotched or yellowbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)
- Broad-banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata)
- Diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer)
- Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus)
- Bullsnake or gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer)
- Texas longnose snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei)
- Western blackneck garter snake (Thamnophis cyrtopsis)
- Checkered garter snake (Thamnophis marcianus)
- Western ribbon snake (Thamnophis proximus)
- Big Bend patchnose snake (Salvadora deserticola)
- Texas or mountain patchnose snake (Salvadora grahamiae)
- Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus)
- Pygmy rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius)
- Ground snake (Sonora semiannulata)
- Brown snake (Storeria dekayi)
- Flathead snake (Tantilla gracilis)
- Southwestern blackhead snake (Tantilla hobartsmithi)
- Plains blackhead snake (Tantilla nigriceps)
- Lined snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum)
- Rough earth snake (Virginia striatula)
- Texas Antelope Squirrel (Ammospermophilus interpres)
- Black-tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)
- Merriam's Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami)
- Eastern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
- Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus)
- Spotted Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus spilosoma)
- Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)
- Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)
On the Net:
- Current nongame wildlife regulations: http://tpwd.texas.gov/faq/huntwild/nongame_permits.phtml
- Proposed new regulations, online public comments: http://tpwd.texas.gov/business/feedback/public_comment/
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I did some postings on myAndroid before.
Currently on vacation I tried to post on DataPower forum. This was impossible on my (backlevel) 2.3.7 Android with all browsers I tried (built in, Opera mini, Dolphin, ...). This status did not change with 4.1.2 Android of my son. Logging in to write this blog posting was impossible. And posting on oeis.org was difficult because normal edit just does not work. Only editing internal format worked.
Two days I borrowed the IPOD from my son and used myAndroid as wireless access point for it only. The IPOD (standard) Safari browser just worked to my surprise, allowing to answer some DataPower forum posting, writing this blog post and submitting nice new stuff to oeis.org on 9/10.
For me this is the first time I have to use Safari browser - and using it feels good (nice animation of multiple open windows).


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Free Domain Forever
Register or transfer an existing domain for free with every Feng Office hosting plan.
Every Feng Office hosting plan comes with a Free Domain Name. If you already have a domain you can get a free transfer to FastComet. Either way, you will never need to renew your domain name again – we will renew it for you free of charge, for as long as you have your Feng Office website hosted with us.


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The U.S. economy is still suffering from the wages of omission.
Worker wages, that is. The increase in how much an average worker earns each hour has been flat for the past two years despite a sharp upturn in hiring and a plunging unemployment rate. Read: U.S. economy adds 209,000 jobs in July.
Stagnant wages are acting as a brake on the economy and preventing it from growing much faster. The U.S. has averaged 2% growth since 2011, well below its historic 3.2% average. Without fatter increases in wages, the economy is unlikely expand more rapidly.
In July, average hourly wages showed almost no change. They rose a penny to $24.45, a disappointing result after strong gains in June and May.
In 23 of the past 24 months, the yearly increase in hourly pay has ranged from 1.9% to 2.2% - one-third less than usual during an economic recovery.
The 12-month increase in wages as of July was just 2% - and inflation wiped out about three-fourths of that gain. There's been no change since the start of 2014.
Some economists suspect the new jobs being created are divided mainly into those that pay very well and those that pay poorly. That might account for the slow increase in wages despite a big pickup in hiring.
The lack of wage pressure also explains why the Federal Reserve has been so reluctant to raise interest rates or stop stimulating the economy. Even with unemployment tumbling, Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen still sees significant "underutilization" in the labor market, as she puts it.
The hope is that wages will start to rise soon as more Americans find jobs and businesses offer better pay to fill open positions from a dwindling pool of workers. Most economists think it's on the verge of happening.
JJ Kinahan, chief strategist of TD Ameritrade, said he senses that American executives are more confident now than they've been in years. That could be a spur to even faster hiring and rising wages.
"I think there has been a real change in [corporate] earnings calls over the past year," he said. "In the calls going on now, CEOs are talking about growth in their companies and growth overall. That gives me some hope that it could be the springboard for more quality jobs being created."
Other evidence that wages might rise soon can be found in surveys of executives and consumers.
A closely followed small-business survey, for example, indicates companies expect to pay more to lure new employees. And a consumer sentiment poll for July showed that Americans are the most optimistic since mid-2007 about the prospect for higher wages.
- Jeffry Bartash
Follow Jeffry on Twitter @jbartash
Follow Capitol Report on Twitter @capitolreport
More must-reads from MarketWatch:
U.S. adds 209,000 jobs in July to keep hot streak intact
Reactions to jobs report -- 'not too high, not too cold'


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Star Wars Lightsaber Candlestick
Perfect Table Ornamentation for Breakfast on Bespin
- Solid metal candlestick is a perfect re-creation of Darth Vader's lightsaber
- Comes with three no-drip red taper candles
- Exclusive product designed and manufactured by ThinkGeek
Here at ThinkGeek, whenever we plan our monthly dinner party for Dark Lords of the Sith it's always a fiasco. You know... lots of arguments about the reliability of AT-ATs and then things usually devolve into force-choking contests. Luckily our robot monkeys made a deal with Lucasfilm to create the stylish Star Wars Lightsaber Candlestick. Not only do these detailed replicas look great on your table, the heavyweight all metal construction is perfect for force-whipping upside someone's head who can't seem to shut up about exhaust port failures.
Each Star Wars Lightsaber Candlestick is a precise scaled down re-creation of Darth Vader's blade cast in zinc-alloy and chrome plated. Three no-drip red taper candles are included but most standard taper candles will fit the candlestick properly. The circular base unscrews to provide a more authentic look to the saber hilt for the true Star Wars collector.
Product Features
- Solid metal candlestick is a perfect re-creation of Darth Vader's lightsaber
- Comes with three no-drip red taper candles
- Accepts standard taper candles for replacements
- Base unscrews for more movie accurate look
- Officially licensed Star Wars collectable
- Exclusive product designed and manufactured by ThinkGeek
- Dimensions: Lightsaber Hilt - 8.5 inches long, Red Candle Blade- 10 inches long


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KFrancis32 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 248 diseños de 59 diseñadores freelance.
AdvanceWare Inc. is a software company that develops software for the kitchen and bath manufacturing industry. We develop design, pricing and cut listing software for cabinet makers (1 man shops to large cabinet manufacturers), interior designers, builders, and architects.
Our products include:
Room design (so the customer can visualize the cabinets in a kitchen or bath).
Pricing (so the customer can get a price for the cabinets).
Cut lists (so the manufacturer knows the pieces and parts to cut to create the cabinets).
Cabinet Makers (from 1 man shops to large cabinet manufacturers)
Kitchen and Bath Dealers
Interior Designers
We like the current AW symbol that is the same both up and down. However it is NOT a requirement that it looks just like that. Please show us some creative designs! Either build off of the existing shape of the logo or create something new.
Want the company name also in the logo (see current for example). Can be above, below, beside, etc.
We would like to see logos 2D and 3D. 3D for the website and also 2D for logo branding on company polo/t-shirts.
Color other than the current is fine. Don't go too crazy with the colors as cabinet makers are usually conservative in what they are looking for.
Wood grain in the logo might be cool but is not a requirement.
A bonus would somehow be able to incorporate what we develop into the logo.
Example: Logo + room design, Logo + Pricing, Logo + Cut Lists
So they could be used for software box cover art.
Please no cabinets in the logo. Even though our current primary focus is cabinet manufacturers we plan to expand beyond that market in the future.
We will know the right design when we see it!!!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Filmmaker David Bussan to Present Screenings Tonightby Karen Handley • January 12, 2005 Share:
Wabash College is pleased to welcome MacGregor Visiting Artist and Scholar, David Bussan. Bussan will show two of his award-winning short films, En Passant and Seasonal Days, at 7:30 p.m. today in Korb Classroom in the Fine Arts Center. After the screening, Bussan will comment and respond to questions.
Bussan was born and raised in Canton, Ohio, and received a B.A. in cinema from Denison University and a Master's of Fine Arts in film/video from the California Institute of the Arts. He has made films since 1979 and received an Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship in 1987 and a Great Lakes Regional Fellowship from the Center for New TV in Chicago in 1992.
His 1986 film En Passant was screened at several film festivals while winning awards at the Chicago International Film Festival, the Great Lakes Film and Video Festival, and the Athens International Film Festival. His recent works include Seasonal Days, a film about his relationship with the New York Mets, and Global Reflections, a documentary concerning gazing globe lawn ornaments.
Bussan has been Professor of Cinema at Denison University for the past 18 years and is currently completing a documentary on the different cultures that have left a lasting impression on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
Bussan's film showing is free and open the public.


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Favorites and duds from today's commenting.
Don't be fooled by the number of Favorites. Today stunk. Woof.
Favorites, in no particular order:
I chuckled at this gag from Same Sad Echo in the Sochi Toilets post. It's so simple. That's how the pros do it.
Here's a sharp one-liner from Milo Minderbinder in the Michelle Obama post. It's a terrific dig packaged beautifully. Good stuff. Hey, we'll make this the Comment of the Day.
This is a great dig at Iman Shumpert from SavetoFavorites in the Cat Confusion post. So silly. You kind of know where this is going early on, but the fun is in watching it unfold.
Okay, I laughed at this ridiculous self-deprecating joke from DougExeter in the Cat Confusion post. It doesn't even make sense, for crying out loud. Idiot. Later, I enjoyed this dark joke in the Horse-Man post.
Ah, MattinglysSideburns. This is great, in the Bud Selig Award post. Please stick around, friend.
I chuckled at this sequence from pkellen2313 in the Richard Sherman Beef post. Okay, the avatar is a step in the right direction. Now, how about a new handle? It's time.
Total Fucking Duds
I've reserved this special place for Wendel Clark Bar, who decided to use the Deadspin comments this morning for a pointless, brain-dead commenting experiment, spamming boring memes in a handful of posts. Congratulations, you total moron, you sure proved a point - that memes are annoying as hell, and people who post them are idiots, and you're a huge fucking idiot. You spent today uglying up the comments and encouraging burners and newbies and tourists to do the same. Thanks for that! Because, you know, it's not like the rest of us are trying to encourage the comments in the exact opposite direction or anything. Dummy. All the bitching and moaning about the stupid spam garbage cluttering up the comments, and then this shit gets heaped on top. Christ. I hope you enjoyed the attention, you hack jackass. The shame of Kinja isn't that crummy burners are allowed entry, it's that bogus masturbatory junk like this doesn't unleash a commenting ninja to karate chop your ass back to the Stone Age.
There were an awful lot of bad jokes today. On the one hand, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. On the other hand, hey, a lot of bad jokes means a lot of jokes, and that's progress.
Enjoy your evening!


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Last February, mobile social network Path made an expensive mistake.
Like many apps, it asked users if it could search their mobile contacts to make friend suggestions upon signup.
Unlike many apps, Path never deleted the information from its servers. Even though it says it never used the stored information, it shouldn't have kept the data in the first place. And because there were minors on the social network, Path's error violated COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protections Act).
Today, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Path paid an $800,000 settlement fee for storing private data for underage users. There were 3,000 minors on its network. Path now has more than 5 million users.
For the next 20 years, Path is required to have its privacy policies assessed every 24 months. It also had to purge any stored data for users under the age of 13.
In addition to dealing with the FTC, CEO Dave Morin also felt Apple's wrath. Tim Cook reportedly yanked the former Apple employee into his office and demanded an explanation.
It's a good thing Path has raised multiple millions. For most startups, a mistake like this would cost them the business.
Here's Path's explanation of the FTC settlement and privacy breach:
Today the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it reached a settlement pending court approval with Path regarding alleged violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protections Act (COPPA). The gist of the FTC's complaint is this: early in Path's history, children under the age of 13 were able to sign up for accounts. A very small number of affected accounts have since been closed by Path.
As you may know, we ask users' their birthdays during the process of creating an account. However, there was a period of time where our system was not automatically rejecting people who indicated that they were under 13. Before the FTC reached out to us, we discovered and fixed this sign-up process qualification, and took further action by suspending any under age accounts that had mistakenly been allowed to be created.
We want to share our experience and learnings in the hope that others in our industry are reminded of the importance of making sure services are in full compliance with rules like COPPA. From a developer's perspective, we understand the tendency to focus all attention on the process of building amazing new things. It wasn't until we gave our account verification system a second look that we realized there was a problem. We hope our experience can help others as a reminder to be cautious and diligent.
Throughout this experience and now, we stand by our number one commitment to serve our users first.


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Mfg Item #: WPPK
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California Department of Transportation
Date: March 28, 2012
District: 4 - Oakland
Contact: Public Information Office:
Phone: (510) 286-7167
Toll Bridge Program Issues
Bay Bridge Safety Report
OAKLAND – The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee (TBPOC) today released findings by the independent Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel confirming the integrity and seismic safety of the new East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
In response to media reports calling into question foundation testing results and the safety of the new East Span, particularly its signature element, the Self-Anchored Suspension (SAS) Bridge main tower, the TBPOC — whose members include Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty, Bay Area Toll Authority Executive Director Steve Heminger and California Transportation Commission Executive Director Bimla Rhinehart — commissioned the Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel in November 2011 to review records and answer questions regarding the design, quality assurance and safety of the tower foundation.
The evaluation, which covered construction methods, equipment and quality testing related to the foundation of the main tower for the self-anchored suspension (SAS) portion of the new East Span, concluded that no data falsifications occurred at the tower foundations and that the structure is safe. The Federal Highway Administration came to a similar conclusion after analyzing SAS foundation test data with a previous investigation.
The four-member Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel is chaired by structural engineer Joseph Nicoletti, who previously served as chair of the Engineering and Design Advisory Panel for the Bay Bridge East Span replacement project. Other panel members include Dr. Frieder Seible, who is dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California at San Diego; Dr. I.M. Idriss, an independent consulting geotechnical engineer and emeritus professor of civil engineering at the University of California at Davis; and Dr. John Fisher, professor emeritus of civil engineering at Lehigh University and director emeritus of the ATLSS Engineering Research Center. Three of the four panel members are also members of the prestigious National Academy of Engineering.
The TBPOC has consulted with the external Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel on design and construction decisions over the years. At the TBPOC's request, the Peer Review Panel will now turn its attention to a similar analysis of the foundation piers for the Bay Bridge West Approach project in San Francisco and the new Benicia-Martinez Bridge. This evaluation is expected to take several months.
Download the Seismic Safety Peer Review Panel letter report here: baybridgeinfo.org/tbpoc/overview
# # # #


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Think About It
This month the Brain Injury Association of America will mark Brain Injury Awareness Month. Each year 2.4 million Americans sustain brain injuries including 475,000 children. About 75% of Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) that occur each year are concussions or other forms of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).
Slips, falls and tumbles are a normal part of being a kid, but there are several things that you can do protect them from more serious injuries like concussions and TBIs.
Safety Tips
- Always make sure your child always wears a helmet and that it fits properly when biking, skating or skateboarding.
- If your child plays sports, learn the signs and symptoms of a concussion. This is even more important if you are a coach.
- Install window guards in your home and use approved safety gates on stairs.
- Secure televisions and furniture so that kids cannot tip them over.
- Always use a car seat when traveling in a car. Every ride, every time.
More Information
For more information see our safety tips, visit the CDC's Traumatic Brain Injury website or the Brain Injury Association of America website.


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Checking In On… the WACPosted by Brian Goodman on December 8th, 2011
Kevin McCarthy of Parsing The WAC and Sam Wasson of bleedCrimson.net are the RTC correspondents for the WAC. You can follow Sam on Twitter @AgsBleedCrimson.
Reader's Take
The Week That Was
Aside from Nevada's wins over Washington and Arizona State, it was a tough week for the WAC. New Mexico State fell to Arizona 83-76 then at Southern Miss 74-66 and Utah State lost to Denver 67-54 ending their 33-game home winning streak in the process then lost at Pacific 65-57 and Louisiana Tech lost to Southeastern Louisiana 72-69 in overtime. The WAC's wins were against the likes of UTSA (future WAC member), Academy of Art University, UC Davis, UL-Monroe, Utah Valley and Northwestern State… oh and a win against a truly abysmal Utah Utes team by Fresno State.
Power Rankings
1. Nevada (6-3): The Wolf Pack notched the WAC's most impressive victory of the season to date knocking off Washington 76-73 in overtime. Deonte Burton looked very much like a WAC Player of the Year candidate finishing with a stat-sheet-stuffing 31 points on 9-18 shooting, 4-6 from three, 9-14 from the free throw line with six assists and six rebounds. If Burton plays like the rest of the year, the Wolf Pack may very well fulfill the lofty preseason expectations. Since losing their first two games of the season the Wolf Pack have reeled off six wins in their last seven games with the only loss coming against BYU. The reserves contributed just eight points in the OT win over the Huskies. The question still remains for Nevada as to whether their bench can score on nights when the shots aren't falling for the starters.
2. New Mexico State (5-3): The Aggies have fallen on tough times as of late and their road weariness may have caught up to them. After starting the season out 4-0, the Aggies have dropped three of their last four including a pair to Southern Miss. The Aggies' early season successes were due in large part to their propensity for sharing the ball (63 assists through four games), rebounding (175 through four games), and getting to the charity stripe (167 attempts through four games). However, the last four games have seen a significant decrease (43 assists, 136 rebounds, 103 free throws attempts– 44 of which came in one game). It should be noted that the Aggies have played at home just twice through their first eight games with trips taking them from Greeley, CO to Anchorage, Alaska to Hattiesburg, MS, but frequent flier miles aside, the Aggies simply haven't been as effective in those three areas as they had in the first four games and until they get back to dominating those statistics, their struggles may very well continue.
3. Idaho (4-4): The Vandals continue to be steady winning games that they should and not losing games that they shouldn't. It has accounted for a 4-3 record thus far. Four different players have led them in scoring but it has been the arrival of sophomore forward Stephen Madison that has been the pleasant surprise for the Vandals. Madison is averaging 12.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and is 11-24 from three point distance (45.8 percent) and has been a nice complement to Deremy Geiger (14.6 PPG) and Kyle Barone (13.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG) after seeing action in all 32 games last season, but averaging a modest 11.6 minutes while contributing 3.7 points and just 2.0 rebounds per game. One area the Vandals need to seriously improve in is at the charity stripe. They are a dismal 63.2% with only Deremy Geiger shooting it well (80%). Nobody else on the team is better than 68%.


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Paxton, Mass. -- The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth equestrian team took eighth place in Becker College's show on Saturday.
In novice over fences, junior Rachel Pacheco (Fall River, Mass.) ended the day in fourth place, while sophomore Colleen Waclawk (Rochester, Mass.) placed in fifth.
Senior Captain Kathryn Gardner (Concord, Mass.) placed fifth in her intermediate flat class. Pacheco and classmate Lauryn Mort (Mattapoisett, Mass.) both placed in sixth in their novice flat classes. Waclawk also competed in novice flat and took home first place.
Junior Captain Sarah Murray (Sharon, Mass.) finished second in beginner walk trot canter, sophomore Alexandra Kory (Holden, Mass.) finished fourth in advanced walk trot canter and LillyAnna Kuehl (Westford, Mass.) placed third in her walk trot class. Freshman Meghan Lefebvre (Fitchburg, Mass.) and Kira Hallberg (Foxboro, Mass.) both finished third in their walk trot classes, while classmate Jillian Ruyffelaert (Northampton, Mass.) placed third in her beginner walk trot canter class.
The team travels to Portsmouth, R.I. on Saturday for a show hosted by Roger Williams University.


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Chief: Tasers justified
Colonie police chief says officers needed to use devices in fatal gym rampage
COLONIE -- The town police chief said his officers were justified to use three Tasers against an out-of-control weight lifter at Gold's Gym in Latham on Monday morning. The man died after the confrontation.
Witnesses told police that Chad Brothers, 32, of Troy, was acting strange when he arrived at the gym around 5:45 a.m., using exaggerated sounds as he worked out. Around 6:18 a.m., havoc broke out when Brothers fell or jumped off an elliptical machine.
Brothers went over to a treadmill where another man was working out, increased the speed of the machine and punched the man in the face, said Colonie Police Chief Steven H. Heider.
An officer was called to the Troy-Schenectady Road gym. Meanwhile, Brothers, who police described as 6 feet 1, about 230 pounds and very muscular, pushed over several universal weight machines, each weighing about 700 pounds. Brothers destroyed a display case and threw 45-pound dumbbells. He left the building twice and returned, police said. Brothers then went into an office, where he ripped computers from the wall and toppled file cabinets, Heider said.
A female police officer arrived and ordered Brothers to stand down, but Brothers threw boxes at her. She discharged a Taser at him, which latched to his chest and upper leg, Heider said. The Taser brought Brothers to the ground ,and as the officer was putting him in handcuffs, Heider said, Brothers stood up with the officer on his back.
At one point, Brothers grabbed the Taser from the officer and appeared to shock himself, Heider said. Two other officers arrived and both used Tasers against Brothers. Heider estimated that Brothers was shocked four to five times at three to five seconds each time. One officer also struck him on the shoulder with a collapsible baton.
"This was a whirlwind of a battle in a confined space," Heider said. He estimated it lasted less than two minutes.
Other gym patrons helped police get Brothers into custody. Police needed two sets of handcuffs to restrain Brothers because of his size. One minute after being placed into custody, Brothers apparently went into cardiac arrest, police said.
The officers and a gym patron -- an off-duty firefighter -- began CPR and attached a defibrillator before the arrival of emergency medical personnel, Heider said. Brothers was still breathing and alive, so the defibrillator did not administer a shock, he said. Brothers was pronounced dead when he arrived at 7:14 a.m. at Albany Medical Center Hospital.
The two male officers and one gym patron suffered minor injuries that did not require medical attention, police said. Heider declined to release the officers' names.
Video cameras on the first floor captured Brothers toppling gym equipment, but the confrontation with police was not on tape.
Heider said he believes the officers were justified in using Tasers and baton on Brothers, saying they did their best to verbally handle the situation and use the least force possible. The officers have a paid day off while the incident is investigated by Colonie police, State Police and the Albany County district attorney's office.
An autopsy, including a toxicological study, will be performed Tuesday. Police requested that Brothers be tested for performance-enhancing drugs.
Heider suggested excited delirium may have contributed to Brothers' death. Excited delirium is a controversial syndrome in which someone is in an extremely agitated state.
More Information
The gym is in a strip mall near a Kmart store east of the Latham Circle. A car that police said belonged to Brothers was towed from the scene. Police also planned to search Brothers' home.
A statement from Gold's Gym Capital District said, "We would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of this individual. We are cooperating fully with local authorities to expedite and resolve their investigation."
The incident is the second police-related death in Colonie -- voted the safest town in America by CQ Press in 2009 and 2010 -- in four months. In July, 21-year-old Agostino Jubrey was shot and killed during a confrontation with police after he fired at officers in the driveway of his Leach Avenue home.
Two weeks ago, the New York Civil Liberties Union released a report claiming police across the state chronically misuse Tasers. The report, which reviewed 851 incident reports involving Tasers from eight police departments, including Albany and Guilderland, but not Colonie, said that Tasers applied to subjects with weak hearts can greatly increase the risk of cardiac arrest.
Multiple and prolonged Taser shocks can increase the risk of serious injury or death from a Taser, as can shocks applied directly to a person's chest. A single shock from a Taser can contain up to 50,000 volts of electricity.
Brendan Lyons contributed to this report.