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- Great Smoky Mountains Association looks back
- Bridging the gap between young, old
- The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Conservation funding on the rocks in state budget forecast
- U.S. 441 work nears completion
- Dark skies — and the stars that go with them — slowly disappearing
- Saving Shuckstack: Age, weather and vandalism take their toll on Smokies' firetower
- Uncovering the past before it's too late: Old Smokies' homesites slowly succumbing to time and elements
Great Smoky Mountains National Park got an early Holiday gift on Dec. 14 when the Friends of the Smokies officially transferred 20 acres of new land to the national park.
The land lies along Soak Ash Creek in the Pittman Center, Tenn., community just east of Gatlinburg.
The Friends purchased the tract at auction in the summer of 2010 at a cost of $775,500, sparing the park from encroaching private development.
"We had been interested in acquiring that property for many years if it ever came on the market because it is surrounded by park land on three sides and is ripe for development," Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said. "We are very happy to be able to prevent potentially intensive development right on the park's boundary, and it also protects an intact wetland."
The park, as part of the gift, also inherited a five-bedroom house that it intends to make available to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The house includes a large conference space which might host some park field trips when foul weather forces participants indoors.
The annual "Picnics in Pittman for the Park" at the Emerts Cove home raised more than $500,000, which became the core of the Friends' purchase price. Other significant support included a $25,000 grant from the Foothills Land Conservancy.


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posted 2 Sep 2002 in Volume 6 Issue 1
Ethics, innovation and the open enterprise
Recent accounting scandals have highlighted the dangers of allowing dysfunctional knowledge processing in a corporate context. Mark W. McElroy discusses how knowledge management can help generate a greater sense of openness in managerial decision making, in turn reducing the risk of exposing your organisation to unethical or illegal business practice.
By the end of July this year, no less than 15 major companies in the US had been accused of accounting irregularities, if not outright fraud. Two of them, Enron and Worldcom, subsequently went bankrupt. Pension funds sank in value, nest eggs dried up and captains of industry were routinely hauled in for congressional grillings in the bright light of the American press.
As a result, investor confidence plummeted, stock prices fell and many a managers head rolled from inside the offending companies. Even President Bush and Vice President Cheney were dragged into the fray, thanks to previous dealings of theirs with former employers, Harken Energy Corporation and Halliburton Company respectively.
Everyone had the same questions. How could so many companies have made so many illicit decisions on such a scale as they did and get away with it for so long? What could they possibly have been thinking? And how could their practices have escaped the safety net of independent accounting and the oversight of their boards for as long as they did?
And, by the way, what does any of this have to do with knowledge management?
A new value proposition for KM
While its true that the kinds of problems described above are not often associated with knowledge management, KM is uniquely well equipped to provide a solution. This points to a much overlooked value proposition for KM enhancing transparency in management a proposition whose time has clearly come.
Bad practice is nothing more than bad knowledge in use. When we see cases of bad, if not illegal, knowledge being practised by leaders in business, we can fairly ask ourselves how such knowledge managed to get as far as it did and, more generally, what the climate of knowledge processing must be within the offending firms. These are the kinds of questions often asked by practitioners of so-called second-generation knowledge management, since for them the focus of KM practice is always the quality and complexion of knowledge processes its not knowledge management, its knowledge process management.
What connects KM to corporate governance and management issues is the extent to which the discipline concerns itself with the processes through which management knowledge (and therefore practice) is produced. While it is not the job of KM to produce business strategy or management policy, its role does include managing the knowledge processing environment within which such knowledge is produced.
Clearly, there was something terribly wrong with knowledge processing in the firms cited above if in any one of them conspicuously unethical and/or illegal behaviour was taking place. Knowledge processing in those firms was profoundly broken, or at least dysfunctional. This is a KM problem, plain and simple.
KM is managing openness
In the vocabulary of conventional management, the important variable of interest here is transparency. But what is transparency and why do we value it? Transparency is openness in the practice of knowledge, as well as in the processes that account for its production, adoption and enforcement. We value openness in knowledge practice because it helps us to understand and evaluate managements thinking and intent, and we value openness in knowledge processing because it helps us to kill our bad ideas when they occur before they kill us.
Without openness in knowledge processing, then, it should come as no surprise to anyone that from time to time we find ourselves in precisely the sort of pickle we have before us today. Of course bad ideas will get further along in practice than they should. If theres no (or low) transparency in the knowledge production system, bad ideas will have a better chance of surviving the journey to becoming practice. Transparency is not just a means of enhancing visibility, its a necessary condition for survival in human social systems, allowing us to trap and kill our worst ideas before they escalate into practice. When we suppress transparency, we do so at our own peril.
But alas, conventional knowledge processing in the modern corporation is oligarchical knowledge is made by the privileged few. Not only is visibility or transparency inside of it low, access to its operations is also restricted. Producing and integrating knowledge is confined to the hands of relatively small bands of powerful people, and if youre not one of them, you are excluded from the process even from simply observing it.
So what can KM do about any of this? A great deal, actually. In fact, the only true solution is a KM solution, by definition, because KM is the one management discipline that concerns itself with managing the quality and complexion of knowledge processing. It, and no other body of management practice, deals explicitly with the manner in which organisational knowledge is produced and integrated into practice. The transparency problem in business is fundamentally a knowledge management problem, because bad practice is nothing more than bad knowledge in use, and bad knowledge in use is the product of dysfunctional knowledge processing.
Notwithstanding the clarity of this, theres a certain irony to the story that is also worth noting. The openness principle in knowledge management, first conceived by members of the Knowledge Management Consortium International (KMCI), was developed as a model for enhancing business innovation. The thinking was, and still is, that management climates marked by openness in knowledge processing (ie, free and open access to debate on important management issues) are key in determining the rate and quality of innovation because, first, they continuously expose current assumptions to constructive criticism and, second, they engage a broader spectrum of stakeholders, instead of only smaller bands of leaders.
The irony is that the same prescription for openness (administered with good innovation in mind) turns out to be the antidote for bad innovation as well. By embracing a normative form of openness in knowledge processing, we simultaneously manage to kill our bad ideas before they kill us, even as we manage to create our good ideas before our competitors do. This is almost too good to be true. But how do we do it, you ask?
Managing for sustainable innovation
According to the KMCI model for openness in knowledge processing, there are several operating dimensions of a firm that can be seen as levers, the settings for which determine the degree of openness or transparency in a business. Chief among these are the policies and programmes that underlie the behaviours we see in how knowledge is produced and integrated in any organisation. By managing the values of these variables, we can influence, if not control, the degree of ambient openness in organisations.
One approach to managing these levers is the policy synchronisation method. The name stems from the objective of maintaining knowledge processing policies in such a way that they are synchronised with the self-organising tendencies of people to produce and integrate knowledge in their own particular ways. Much of the thinking behind this approach is deeply rooted in complexity theory, according to which knowledge processing is self-organising, and the performance of which is enhanced through synchronised policies or inhibited by conflicting ones. Using the KMCI model for knowledge processing as a guide, the policy synchronisation method makes it possible to make interventions that enhance innovation simply by shaping the relevant organisational conditions in which it naturally occurs.
In addition to my own work in this area, Joseph Firestone, also affiliated with KMCI, has contributed a great deal to the subject. Together, we are co-authoring a book entitled Key Issues in the New Knowledge Management (forthcoming from Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003), in which a chapter on The open enterprise will appear. Our contention is that organisational performance can be measured in terms of a firms sustainable capacity to adapt, and that this capacity rests heavily on a firms ability to innovate. After all, innovation is nothing more than organisational learning and problem solving. But to innovate well, an organisations knowledge processing environment must be open. Here, I use the terms innovation and knowledge processing synonymously, because they are indeed equivalent.
So the logic runs as follows:
- Turn up the degree of openness in knowledge processing in a firm, and a larger population of stakeholders will participate in the process;
- Larger populations of stakeholders involved in knowledge processing will, in turn, lead to more active innovation and more intensive scrutiny being placed on the study of new ideas both good ones and bad ones;
- More active innovation and scrutiny paid to the development of new ideas will, in turn, lead to higher quality outcomes more good ideas and fewer bad ones, thanks to the filtering effects of public scrutiny and a greater numbers of participants;
- Enhancements in knowledge processing will lead to improvements in the organisational capacity to adapt (ie, innovation outcomes will improve);
- Enhancements in adaptivity will lead to improvements in organisational performance (ie, business outcomes will improve).
Some specifics
There are many variables that collectively determine the degree of openness in a firm. Firestone and I, however, believe that two of them in particular play a more important role than any of the others in accounting for outcomes. They are, first, openness in problem detection behaviours, and second, openness in knowledge claim evaluation behaviours.
The importance of the first variable (problem detection behaviours) stems from the view that all innovation is triggered by the detection of problems. Here, we use the term problems in the epistemic sense. In other words, a problem in this context is not a business problem; rather it is marked by the absence of knowledge about how to close a current versus goal-state gap in the mind of a worker or group. Such a gap could, in turn, be triggered by the need to process transactions or alternatively could take the form of someone recognising the arrival of an opportunity or an issue. Either way, it is the epistemic gap of not knowing how to act in response to the trigger that precipitates opportunities (or the need) to innovate.
The issue in most firms, then, is the extent to which actors other than managers are encouraged and invited to participate in the problem detection process that precedes all innovation. Organisational cultures that discourage problem detection behaviours on the part of their workers or other stakeholders can be said to be closed. Organisations that encourage and support it can be seen as open.
One way for management to encourage openness and inclusiveness in problem detection is to let go of the monopoly it holds on learning, and expose the organisation to the ideas and insights of all of its workers, regardless of who they are or what their position is in the hierarchy. At 3M Company, for example, many employees there are free to spend up to 15 per cent of their time engaged in self-managed learning. This stands in sharp contrast to the conventional approach to learning employed by most firms, according to which learning occurs as a function of prescribed training.
At 3M, its precisely the opposite. Instead of the company driving employee learning agendas, employees drive the companys agenda. New ideas spring forth from self-inspired learning experienced by individual employees the company inherits the ideas, develops them, integrates them into practice and performance improves accordingly. The result? Market-leading, sustainable innovation. The innovation management system is synchronised with the tendency of people to produce and integrate knowledge in their own, self-organising ways.
The second variable of enormous importance to openness and innovation is knowledge claim evaluation. A knowledge claim is simply an idea or an assertion of truth. Take Enron, for example. Management there formulated a knowledge claim at some point that suggested that piling up phoney business transactions on an off-balance-sheet (and offshore) basis would be a positive move. The claim was later put into practice, and the rest is history. But what if the claim had been hatched in a climate of openness in which its content could have been scrutinised and debated in the bright light of day? What if Enrons knowledge claim evaluation behaviours had been more open?
One of my favourite examples of openness in knowledge claim evaluation behaviours can be found at the US Forest Service. Suffice it to say that employees there do not always agree with the political bent or the policies of their leaders. In response, many Forest Service employees banded together years ago and formed the Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics (FSEEE). The purpose of the FSEEE, in the terms set out in this article, is to make it possible for employees to openly scrutinise and critique knowledge claims, as held and practiced by their managers. As one Forest Service employee put it, what they have is a kind of discordant harmony between workers and managers.
The FSEEE organisation goes so far as to publish a magazine in which its views and opinions on Forest Service policies and management decisions regularly appear. In fact, anyone can subscribe to the publication, especially outside stakeholders such as US citizens, who have vested interests in keeping tabs on how well the government is managing their natural resources. This would be akin to a population of corporate stockholders subscribing to a magazine published by the companys workers, whose writings and commentaries on managements policies would be of enormous interest to them. I call this approach to openness in knowledge claim evaluation free employee presses (FEP).
It should be obvious that the effect of an FEP in an organisation is that it materially changes the environment for knowledge claim evaluation, as well as the collective behaviours of stakeholders in the organisation when it comes to the validation of new ideas. The effects? Management tends to be more cautious and perhaps more rigorous in the development of new ideas, as well as in their adoption and enforcement in practice. Employees become more involved, and the overall size of the population engaged in knowledge processing increases. And stockholders, too, become more involved by virtue of their having access to new and authoritative insights from non-management, employee insiders. In these and other ways, an FEP can be a powerful tool for fostering openness in a firm.
Space does not permit further discussion of other variables in the open enterprise. But suffice it to say that a state of relative openness in a firm is marked by the same general social climate of encouragement to participate in the knowledge processing affairs of a firm, on all of the other fronts identified in the KMCI model for knowledge processing. In addition, we see KM functions themselves that have the charter and necessary authority to make interventions aimed at changing the rules for knowledge production and integration, including the required degree of independence from temporal management regimes needed to facilitate, but not hinder, their work.
Indeed, in the open enterprise, the KM function is more likely to report directly to the board than to any arm of conventional management. This is not unlike the manner in which the finance function ultimately reports directly to the board as an extension of the boards fiduciary responsibility. What were talking about here is a similar imperative: the need for independence, integrity and trust in the knowledge processing affairs of a firm, the controlling duty for which should also rest in the hands of directors, and not their potentially conflicted managers.
The crisis of investor confidence seen in the US earlier this year is arguably tied to the manner in which knowledge is produced in relatively closed or hidden ways in modern corporations. From this perspective, bad practice can be seen as nothing more than bad knowledge in use. The question, then, becomes how to change the knowledge production process so that knowledge is produced in climates of relative openness, thereby reducing the likelihood of questionable knowledge being elevated into practice.
Separately, we can see that a move towards more openness or transparency in organisations not only has an impact on illicit behaviours, but also serves to enhance innovation. The precipitating factor in both cases is identical: greater inclusiveness in knowledge processing. By involving higher proportions of stakeholders in knowledge production and integration, organisations can avail themselves of both more quality control over knowledge in use and more stakeholder participation in the process, thereby adding to the depth and breadth of organisational creativity. Openness is, at once, a prescription for enhancing both corporate responsibility and business innovation.
We have also seen that managers and directors can have an impact on shaping the degree of openness in their organisations by crafting policies and programmes that seek to encourage stakeholder involvement in problem detection and knowledge claim evaluation. These aspects of knowledge processing, above all others, have a great deal to do with the overall quality of knowledge processing in a firm, and its general capacity to detect and solve problems and to adapt.
It is also clear that knowledge management is uniquely well equipped to assist organisations in making the transition from relative states of closedness to greater openness in knowledge processing, primarily because KM is a management discipline that seeks to enhance knowledge processing. The targets of its interventions are always knowledge processing behaviours, not just their outcomes.
Finally, in a commentary on the wreckage left behind following the collapse of Enron, Worldcom and the rest, Warren Bennis, professor of management at USC, perhaps put things best when he said: What businesses now need more than ever are managers who know how to create social architectures for openness. These words amount to a clarion call for action by knowledge managers. Let the record show that we have heard them. The question is, is KM capable of putting its narrow interpretations of what it does aside, in favour of broadening its scope to include not just information management but knowledge process management as well? I certainly hope so.
Mark W. McElroy is president of the Knowledge Management Consortium International (www.kmci.org) and CEO of Macroinnovation Associates, LLC. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, The New Knowledge Management Complexity, Learning and Sustainable Innovation (Butterworth-Heinemann, October 2002). He can be contacted at: email@example.com


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AngloGold Ashanti Q2 2006 Earnings Conference Call Transcript (AU)Thu, Jul 27, 2006
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AU vs. ETF Alternatives
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- | On the move
- Friday, May 24, 3:28 PM Sibanye Gold (SBGL +5.6%) bucks weakness in South African gold miners Gold Fields (GFI -2.2%), AngloGold (AU -2.4%) and Harmony Gold (HMY -1.8%), as local money manager Allan Gray raises its stake in the miner to 10.1%. SBGL shares have slipped 51% YTD. 1 Comment [Commodities, On the Move]
- Thursday, May 23, 2:46 PM Gold's sharp rise today can be attributed to the dollar's drop vs. the yen; when the dollar drops, gold should rise, as their correlation during the past 24 days has hit -86%. A stock sector that's standing out is emerging market gold miners: South Africa's Sibanye (SBGL), Harmony (HMY) and AngloGold (AU), plus Peru's Buenaventura (BVN) are stronger, even as their corresponding country ETFs (EZA; EPU) are in the red. 5 Comments [Commodities, On the Move]
- Tuesday, May 21, 2:17 PM South Africa's rand falls to its lowest level in four years as clashes between mine owners and workers erupt again today. Government "heavy-handedness" with mining companies has created a "major negative" for investors both inside and outside mining, as it reduces companies' abilities to set their balance sheets and control their own destinies, Greenbriar Partners says. AU -3.3%, GFI -3%, HMY -2.6%. 5 Comments [Commodities, Global & FX]
- Monday, May 20, 12:57 PM As precious metals prices turn around, share prices of gold (GDX +4.7%) and silver miners (SIL +3.1%) surge: ABX +5.9%, GG +4.5%, KGC +6.4%, NEM +4.7%, SLW +4%. Even South African producers turn mixed, despite the call from the country's mine workers union for big pay increases: AU -0.8%, GFI +1.5%, HMY -0.5%. 2 Comments [Commodities, On the Move]
- Monday, May 20, 8:12 AM Shares of South African miners sink as the country's mine workers union calls for a 60% pay increase on gold and coal producers. The union says it is seeking an entry-level minimum monthly wage of 7K rand ($750) for surface workers and 8K rand for underground workers vs. respective current minimum wages of 4.7K and 5K rand. AU -3.7%, GFI -3.4%, HMY -1.9% premarket. 2 Comments [Commodities, Global & FX]
- Friday, May 17, 3:22 PM Gold miners (GDX -3.2%) take another beating as gold continues to lose its allure amid disclosures of reduced bets by hedge funds, a World Gold Council report showing gold demand at a three-year low, and a surging dollar. For the miners, it's an ugly world of lower production, higher costs and falling prices. At least nine miners hit 52-week lows: NEM -3%, GG -2.7%, AUY -4.8%, HMY -6.3%, AU -2.5%, BVN -1.1%, ANV -7.4%, NG -2.7%, GSS -5.8%. 18 Comments [Commodities, On the Move]
- Friday, May 17, 7:58 AM The head of a major South African mining union threatens to bring the country's economy "to a standstill" and demands a meeting with President Zuma, ramping up the rhetoric in a long and heated conflict between labor and the government. But a strike seems averted for at least another day, as top platinum producer Amplats (AGPPY.PK) says employees reported for today's shifts as normal. Comment! [Commodities, Global & FX]
- Wednesday, May 15, 6:06 PM John Paulson, whose hedge fund is the single biggest owner of the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD), maintained a 21.8M-share position even as the value of its holdings fell ~$165M in the latest quarter. But all that remains of his Barrick Gold (ABX) holdings is 36K call options vs. 915K shares at the end of 2012. Other positions in miners AU, NG, AEM, IAG and ANV were unchanged or modestly changed. 7 Comments [Commodities]
- Monday, May 13, 8:44 AM More on AngloGold's (AU) Q1 results: Gold miners must prepare for a lower gold price environment below $1,500/oz. and perhaps even as low as $1,300 in the coming quarters, new CEO Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan says. Hopes to complete the sale of its Navachab mine in Namibia by year-end and plans to identify at least one other mine to sell, but no further details provided. Shares -1.7% premarket. Comment! [Commodities, Earnings]
- Monday, May 13, 8:19 AM AngloGold Ashanti (AU) reports Q1 profit attributable to equity shareholders totaled $239M, down from $581M in the year-ago period. Production was 899K oz. vs. 859K oz. in Q4 2012 and 981K oz. a year ago. Capex totaled $512M, up from $398M. Says it will look at cutting exploration costs and consider some asset sales in the coming months. AU -1.9% premarket. Comment! [Commodities, Earnings]
- Thursday, May 9, 6:55 PM The plunge in gold prices significantly raises the stakes in talks between South Africa's gold mine operators and mine workers, set to kick off Friday when the country's mineworkers union will propose a double-digit pay raise. South African producers including Gold Fields (GFI), Harmony Gold (HMY) and AngloGold (AU) have already warned that cuts and a slowdown in exploration are on the way. Comment! [Commodities, Global & FX]
- Wednesday, May 8, 12:42 PM Investors appear to like AngloGold's (AU +3.2%) promotion of longtime finance chief Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan to CEO, effective immediately. Venkat offers a "seamless" transition but faces challenges in managing the difficult relationship between mine workers, unions, the ANC and economic reality. Comment! [Commodities, On the Move]
- Tuesday, May 7, 2:10 PM Some big moves in today's options trading make it appear that investors are banking on another drop in the gold miners ETF (GDX -3%), already -36% YTD. Volume in GDX options is heaviest in the June $27 strike puts, where nearly 40K puts have traded vs. open interest of ~16K contracts. Big miners are broadly lower: HMY -5.5%, GFI -5.2%, AU -3.2%, ABX -3.1%, EGO -2.8%, NEM -2.2%, GG -2%. 3 Comments [Commodities, On the Move]
- Friday, May 3, 2:13 PM As cheaper gold makes South African mines unprofitable to operate, Goldman Sachs slaps Sell ratings on AngloGold (AU -1.2%) and Sibanye (SBGL -5.1%) due to their high exposure to the country. The firm also thinks attempts to reduce costs by reducing labor or closing mines could be met with strikes or government interference. Goldman's best rating - Neutral - is saved for Randgold (GOLD -0.2%). Comment! [Commodities, Quick Ideas, On the Move]
- Monday, April 29, 11:39 AM Gold miners (GDX) have been smacked by plunging gold prices, but Citigroup and HSBC think they have further to fall. Citi worries about AngloGold (AU) because negative free cash flow would hit its "already stretched balance sheet," but Harmony Gold (HMY) has the balance sheet to weather similar problems; Gold Fields (GFI) is its sector favorite. HSBC cuts GFI, Agnico Eagle (AEM) and many others. 1 Comment [Commodities, Quick Ideas]
- Wednesday, April 24, 12:20 PM Investors in gold miners (GDX +3.5%) feel good - at least for a day - after Barrick Gold's (ABX +3.1%) Q1 efforts to cut costs show some success. ABX reduced its 2013 capex forecast to $5.2B-$5.7B, and said all-in sustaining costs are seen at $950-$1,050/oz., vs. a Feb. 14 forecast of $1,000-$1,100. HMY +8.4%, GFI +5.1%, GG +3.7%, NEM +3.6%, EGO +3.2%, AU +3%. 3 Comments [Commodities, On the Move]


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Laurie - (lotus excel) has decided to do the £999 challenge as his final year project for university and i have decided to help him.
I will open up a new project page but we need to get started on it asap. I understand that we cant get confirmation of a date yet but a confirmation of the event would be great if possible.
tommi - Posts: 995
- Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 12:39 pm
The rules seem to get tweaked a little every year but its basically to keep it all 'in the spirit' of the event, so keep to the spirit of it and you'll be fine.
Any clues as to the basis for the project?
Renrut - Posts: 4568
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- Location: United Kingdom
austin25uk wrote:8 cylinders
an austin metro
2 turbos
Ap brakes all round
and a posh paint job..........
so i need a 2011 forum so i can start posting some designs an ideas. me and laurie will be doing a joint vehicle this time though.
I'm just trying to get my head around fitting all that in a metro along with a driver
Renrut - Posts: 4568
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In the Big Bang was created matter and energy out of nothing.
It is assumed that currently the amount of energy+matter is constant, and that expands isotropically...only by the spacing of matter between them?
Then... at what moment after the Big-Bang was stabilized the amount of matter and energy in the universe?


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The Inner Thoughts of A Queer Feminist
"Be the Change you want to see in the world" - Mahatma Ghandi
This quote exemplifies my personal agenda and is essentially my code of life.
My name is Col. I am a female-bodied 18yr old queer, poly, feminist and artist. I am a freshman at the Art Institute of Boston and will be living there for the next year. I hope to become an illustrator and I'm always open for commissions if you want a drawing. My art blog is colsart.tumblr.com so come follow me. Most of my post on this blog or random but most will be related to equality, radical thinking, lgbtq rights, social movements and just being a weird queer grrl. Peace!
tickle my brain
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MEATBALLKEVIN wrote:kim dude wrote:MEATBALLKEVIN wrote:I think using team skittles as an example is scewing all of your heads up. Team skittles was playing in VBKO because they were a local team.
Not exactly true. While I captained it as a local and had some of my local friends on the team we had players travel from Arizona, DC, Connecticut and Minnesota (although he was coming to town anyway). So yeah, we had people fly here and stay in hotels just like a "real" team.
I think every tournament committee understands what type of team that an AZ,CT and so mix will be. (it means beers at 7 am).
Until just now i did not realize the you played PANIK AND FL in the morning. You did kind of get screwed. You should have only played 1 of them.
I find it funny, that though we had a tough pool schedule, you didn't hear anyone bitching about it. And just because we went to play in a few games, we still weren't going to just go, I wouldn't spend the money if I didnt think we couldn't spoil someone's day. I do agree, we should have only played either PA or FL but not both. Meh. We did what we could, and we'll just keep getting better every tournament we play. Whether collectively or as free agents.


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First was Domus, then Amelia's and Cupids Tooth-Closing tomorrow November 30 is the little cafe on First Street across from Village High-Me and My Friends Cafe Deli.
Yes it's off the beaten path of Main Street but still has been a wonderful eatery the past few years.
Seems many small businesses are going leaving us :(
Posted by Sam, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 7:57 am
Yes, let us mourn the closing of this nameless, unknown cafe.
Posted by john, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:28 am
The food was good and the service friendly. I'm sorry to see it go.
Posted by Tri-Tip Withdrawals, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:30 am
Me and My Friends closing is truly sad. The quality of their food was very good, and Vince always provided that special made-to-order touch. I am really going to miss their tri-tip sandwiches. I have worried though, that the location was not the best. Off the beaten track for the lunch crowd, and as with most downtown businesses, parking was an issue.
Posted by stinky, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:36 am
the snark is limitless from the left on here. This was a business that employed people in this town and contributed to the tax base. Yes, I would like to know why a business with lots of positive reviews
Web Link
is closing down? News outlets cover business openings all the time, but maybe talk to the owners on why the business is closing.
Me & My Friend's Cafe is like many other small businesses, struggling in this economy. Make it a point to patronize a small business in town today, and every day.
Posted by Cholo, a resident of Livermore, on Nov 30, 2012 at 8:52 am
Not enuf Plutonian's support small local businesses. Costs to run a business are sky high!
no money coming in...a business will bust with no profit...
Posted by Kim, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 9:17 am
This is really sad. The owner was wonderful the few times I went in before or after a hair appt at a nearby salon. I'm kicking myself now for not going more often instead of just when I was there. It's a good reminder that we all need to be mindful of supporting these often unique and locally owned places.
I wish the owner all the best and great success at whatever he pursues. He is truly good people that put out a good product with great service.
Posted by Sam, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Nov 30, 2012 at 9:46 am
Sorry, from the way the original post was written I didn't understand that the cafe that was closing was "Me and my Friends Cafe". Never been there but I've heard of it and understand that the reviews were good.
Posted by resident, a resident of the Birdland neighborhood, on Dec 1, 2012 at 12:06 pm
Great place, but randomly open. I tried to eat there several times only to find them closed during what most would assume to be normal operating hours. Too bad. the times they were there the food was very good.
Posted by Annie, a resident of the Ruby Hill neighborhood, on Dec 1, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Why should I care whether the cafe closed or not? I don't eat at local eateries because they're too expensive. How do you think people get to live in houses that the others of you can only envy? Keep your money in your pocket, shop at Walmart, acquire some discikpline, and you can have a house like mine that overlooks the rest of you peons.
Posted by Jim Freeman , a resident of another community, on Dec 1, 2012 at 1:08 pm
You liberals make me want to hurl. If only we allowed business to operate free from union interference and high taxation, this would never have happened.
This is why we need free markets!
Posted by Mike, a resident of the Highland Oaks neighborhood, on Dec 1, 2012 at 3:06 pm
In order to thrive a business needs:
Again, in order for a business to succeed it requires
1. a satisfactory product or service that inspires repeat business
2. manageable operation costs
3. physical conditions that facilitate operation
So you need something that people want at a price which reflects its value (as perceived by the customer) available at a location which is easy to access, safe, and, importantly, open for business when the customer arrives.
Posted by Daniel Bradford, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Dec 1, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Sorry to hear this little cafe is closing. The restaurant business is a very competitive one, and 50% of them close before their first anniversary. It's especially difficult to compete against the national chains and franchises, who can buy their food and other supplies in bulk discounts not available to the mom-and-pop stores.
This business wasn't staffed by union members, so what's the right-wingers complaint now? They'd still be in business, if only Obama had shown us his birth certificate? (His REAL one from the Socialist Peoples Freedom Hospital in Kenya, not that phony-baloney one he somehow got the Hawaiian government to notarize).
Downtown Pleasanton has always been a bit of a puzzle to me. There doesn't seem to be a vision for it. It's not bad, it's just...bland. You can get a wider range of goods and services at the Stoneridge Mall. You can go to Livermore or Berkeley and dine at far better restaurants.
Pleasanton's downtown doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. A charming bit of Americana frozen in time? An upscale dining/shopping experience?
All I know is that the last time I dined in downtown Pleasanton, my dinner (which wasn't good nor bad, just ok) was disrupted by the Over the Hill gang, the wannabe biker gang revving their $30,000 Harleys in violation of the municipal noise ordinance. Maybe that's the answer: get some faux dives (faux greasy spoons and faux pool halls and faux "tough guy" bars) to go with the phony tough guys who ride in 7-series BMWs Monday through Friday and Harleys with the "soft" suspension on weekends. It can be like Disneyland, only for middle-aged poseurs with no sense of how ridiculous they look.
Posted by Out of Touch, a resident of the Civic Square neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 9:38 am
While the former Mayor was off saving the ridge and the world she and the rest of the out touch council have let main street the heart of the community die. Livermore and Danville heck even Dublin are aggressively pursuing the retail and entertainment dollar. Let�s hope the new crew spend more time on what they were elected to do and wakes up and is a lot more open minded. Otherwise the only reason left to go downtown left downtown to bank and go to occasional parade.
Posted by Doris S., a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 9:50 am
I was raised in the Northeast, which is dotted with charming small towns from Maine all the way through Jersey. Sometimes a small artsy theatre, but always a used bookstore with a tasteful collection, and cafes with bookshelves lined with good reading material and an everpresent classical guitar should anyone want to share their music. Perhaps that is the difference between the Northeast and towns like Dublin and Ptown. One of taste. The Northeast fosters a culture of inquiry and sociality. Our towns in this neck of the woods seems to only think about profit motive and generating revenue streams. I prefer the Northeast. It is more genuine as compared to the cheapness and tawdriness one finds here. Once my children graduate and my husband retires, I will return to a part of the country where getting one's toenails painted while watching Fox News on a wall-mounted plasma screen is not a priority.
Posted by Another Neighbor in Pleasanton, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Dec 3, 2012 at 10:04 am
The issue I had was the name. Found it a complete turn off. The name "Me & My Friends" is not proper English. (Is this person not educated.) I am trying to get my kids to speak proper English and a name like that sure does not help. Then by the name the owner put him/herself first. That sounds rude. Then is it open to just he/she and friends? Well, we are not friends. Never met them. So no, we never went in. Finally my husband said it sounds like the name of a pet food store.
As far as downtown Pleasanton goes, the hardest is the downtown parking or lack there of. With all the signs and postings of where we cannot park - it just seems so unfriendly. Why not list have the business list the hours when parking is available in their lot? As an example - the banks. They are not open in the evenings - well why not say that parking is open after 6:00 pm or something like that. Or the other restaurants. They have spots that are empty - why not let people park that may not be eating there (perhaps they will later). If your restaurant is good people will find you. Plus if your restaurant looks busy people get the impression that it is a good restaurant.
We like the Rising Loafer. Just wish they had booths to sit in and would change their menu occasionally.
Posted by WTF?, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 11:39 am
How did this get political? The fact that Me and My Friends is closing has nothing to do with unions. If anything, blame free market economics...
I'll be sad to see them go. I'm not a big fan of deli food, but they always used good ingredients and their meatloaf sandwich was fantastic. They seemed to get plenty of lunchtime business from the surrounding offices, so the closure is rather surprising. I do think that the location and the parking situation had something to do with it, though; it was always a nerve-wracking couple of minutes trying to park in that tiny lot.
Hopefully they'll open in a more convenient location. I'll bring them plenty of business.
Posted by Shirley, a resident of the Del Prado neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 11:51 am
Originally called Me and Mai friends (Asian), not bad English. Sorry to see it go. The fresh turkey sandwiches and soup were the best.
Posted by Sam, a resident of the Oak Hill neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Another Neighbor said: "The issue I had was the name. Found it a complete turn off. The name "Me & My Friends" is not proper English. (Is this person not educated.) I am trying to get my kids to speak proper English and a name like that sure does not help. Then by the name the owner put him/herself first. That sounds rude. Then is it open to just he/she and friends? Well, we are not friends. Never met them. So no, we never went in. Finally my husband said it sounds like the name of a pet food store."
I guess then that "Michael Mina" or "Gary Danko" must also be turn-offs to you since the owner is putting "him/herself first". How about the "French Laundry"? Hey! They're not even a laundry!
Posted by The "Other" Another Neighbor in Pleasanton, a member of the Foothill High School community, on Dec 3, 2012 at 12:14 pm
So let me get this straight "ANiP" you've never patronized a local eatery on the grounds that they did not include YOU in their title (as in Me & Another Neighbor in Pleasanton's Place) and that they chose to use an improper plural tense in naming their establishment yet you seem fine with showing your ignorance by slamming them when you have no basis, understanding, or first hand experience with the owner, staff or their food? I'm sure your children will learn a lovely lesson from your prejudiced and closed minded attitude.
By the way, never could stand The Rising Loafer (aka the sprout nazis) so I can thank God I'll likely never have a run in with your kind anytime soon.
Posted by Jason, a resident of the Foothill Farms neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Viva Yogurt Cafe at Hopyard & Valley just closed too.
Posted by Steve, a resident of the Parkside neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 4:10 pm
I would have eaten there, but I was turned off by the "Viva." People in this country should learn how to speak Englesh.
Posted by Amused, a resident of the Canyon Creek neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 5:19 pm
I am amused at all the hub bub about downtown. Banks and restaurants do not make a Downtown. Pleasanton suffers because it cannot seem to recruit businesses to town on a consistant basis. I would lose the Economic Development gal who is has done little for Ecoomic Development. While Dublin and Livermore beat the pants off us, we remain smug and to "good" to get out there and bring business to town. Bernal Avenue entrance looks like any other town along a freeway. The entrances to a community attract folks. A partnership with the fairgrounds to bring buswiness to town would be good. I think a nice sized professional soccer stadium located east of the Bernal fire station with a bridge connecting the fairgrounds might benefit both entities. Fairgrounds could supply parking for attendees. Maybe football games could be played there too. But as of right now you have to almost always drive out of Pleasanton to get some basics. My wife grouses about having to drive to Joanne's to get sewing supplies, etc. in Dublin. Downtown is paralized by property owners who command high rents (not blaming them) but a real downtown has shops like a shoe cobbler, a hardware store, some other functional stores other than restaurants and banks. We have a "gucci" downtown, but that is what the inhabitants of Pleasanton want. I frequent the businesses outside of downtown because they offer more for me. The sign ordinance is a real hinderance to some businesses and should be looked at.
Posted by Steve, a resident of the Foothill Knolls neighborhood, on Dec 3, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Sorry to see Me and My's go. They fixed a fresh turkey everyday, and made the best turkey sandwiches and wonderful turkey rice soup. The location was not good. Hope they re-open someplace else in P-town.
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Page View
Edwards, George, 1694-1773. / Gleanings of natural history, containing figures of quadrupeds, birds, insects, plants, etc
[Chap. CXII. Pla. 322. The yellow-winged pye, and greatest locust; La pie aux ailes jaunes, et la grande sauterelle], pp. [Plate] 322-240 ff.
Page [Plate] 322
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text: It would be cool if spy and robbery attempts directed against you by other players were recorded in the list of available supporter information. That way you could go back and see all of the spy attempts and robberies against you easily. This would obviously have no direct effect on the game but it would help you keep track of pending vendettas .


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A number of Central Oregon players received all-tournament honors at the conclusion of the two-day Oregon High School Water Polo State Championships, which ended Saturday night at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.
Summit finished second and Madras fourth in the 5/4A girls division. Summit was third and Mountain View fourth in the 5/4A boys division.
Among the girls, Summit's Ky Heffner and Madras' Sophie Gemelas were named to the all-tourney first team. Summit's Annie Garvis and Katie Simpson were selected to the second team, along with Aurora Gerhardt of Madras. Receiving honorable mention were Laura Robson, Vanessa Rodgers and goalie Kaylin Ivy, all of Summit, and Elizabeth Armitage of Madras.
Boys honorees included Mountain View's Noah Cox, who was named to the all-tournament first team. The second team included Summit's Brent Soles and Tommy Brewer and Mountain View's Nate Cox. And Mountain View's Kodiak Arndt and Summit's Carson Brenda were among the players receiving honorable mention.
—Bulletin staff report


text:
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Recommended Tours by Groupon Customers
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Dulcolax: Roller Coaster
Posted by Bert Callens - Category: Billboard- Company: Oreo
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Cool idea from two Korean students. For Dulcolax, the laxative medicine, they want to make an outdoor advertisement showing a rollercoaster going through a billboard of a persons legs. That way it seems like the person is having a quick relief of constitution. Not sure if the advertiser is going to like this idea, but you have to admit it, it's creative!


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We stayed two nights at Lawrence's hotel as part of a walking holiday. The hotel is well positioned only a short walk from the centre of town but quiet. It is rather dark and pokey inside. We were in the Jane Lawrence room which was double aspect and with a four poster bed. The mattress however was very hard. The... More
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TAKOMA PARK, Md. (May 16) - Twenty-eight aspiring leaders from the University community officially became members of Omicron Delta Kappa, one of the nation's most prestigious honors society, at a Charter ceremony held inside Sligo Seven-day Adventist Church, April 14.
President Weymouth Spence, Ed.D. , five alumni, led by Charles McMillan, Ph.D. ('77) , director of the Los Alamos Lab, and 2013 alumnus of the year, and three faculty members, including charter sponsor, Ralph Johnson, Ph.D., dean, student success and faculty development, were among the new inductees.
"I am very excited that it is here," said Johnson, a 1982 initiate of OΔK . "Washington Adventist University is the only Seventh-day Adventist institution to have a circle. The level of exposure that it gives our campus is enormous!"
Omicron Delta Kappa (OΔK), a diverse national leadership honor society, is the first of its kind to give recognition for leadership. It dates back to 1914, when on December 3, 15 student and faculty leaders met at Washington and Lee University in Virginia seeking to unify students of "all phases of college life," as well as faculty into one body of leaders. In the shaping of this organization, the founders sought to portray the idealism and leadership of George Washington , America's first President, and General Robert E. Lee. The idea gained recognition and more and more colleges established their "Circles." Presently, there are Circles of Omicron Delta Kappa on over 300 institutions of higher learning, a number which now includes colleges is Washington Adventist University.
To be eligible for membership, students must be in the top 35 percent of their class and demonstrate exemplary character and outstanding leadership in at least one of the five areas of campus life.
Each year the OΔK Foundation awards 20 scholarships of at least $1,000 to members planning to attend graduate or professional school. The General Russell E. Dougherty National Leader of the Year Award consists of a $4,000 scholarship and Circle grant to an outstanding member of OΔK.
For more information about the society's awards, scholarships, membership, and activities, visit their website at www.odk.org.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. (May 7) - Commencement 2013, held at the DAR Constitution Hall, Sunday, May 5, marked a fitting end to the 2012-2013 academic year. Consistent with the trend at Washington Adventist University (WAU) , it was bigger than ever as large numbers of graduates, their friends and families attended a weekend of activities, including Consecration on Friday and the Baccalaureate Ceremony on Saturday at Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church, and Commencement ceremony on Sunday at the historic Washington, D.C, facility.
Distinguished scientist and scholar and Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Maryland, E. Albert Reece, MD, Ph.D., MBA, delivered the keynote address on Sunday, urging students to relentlessly pursue excellence in all that they do.
Reece cited a number of influential figures who attained great success after first experiencing hardship in some ways. His list included Apple's former CEO, the late Steve Jobs, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and renowned author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rollins, now one of the wealthiest women in the United Kingdom.
"Live your life in the relentless pursuit of excellence if you are to make a positive impact," Reece said. "You cannot accomplish anything without being committed and focused on your goals and on Jesus."
Further, Reece said graduates may have to discard some "maps and charts that have been made for them and urge them to take advantage of their place "on the precipice of a special time in history when science, art and technology are converging to change the world."
President of the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventist Daniel R. Jackson, at the Baccalaureate service, urged graduates to live purposefully less they become among "the vague, the thoughtless and the foolish."
"Do not lose your lives because you lack creativity—because you lack a plan," he said. "Live with purpose! Live with Passion! Live proactively!"
And, at Consecration Service on Friday, Pastor Gary Wimbish, noted a changing world in which wrong and right are increasingly indistinguishable. He urged the graduates to heed the Biblical admonition and enter into the 'narrow gate."
"The essence of true happiness is to be an earnest seeker of truth and virtue," he said. "This is beyond the development of the mind; one must have a passion for true virtue."
Commencement 2013 marked the first year that WAU is celebrating this rite of passage as a single event. Historically, the school has held two ceremonies—one in April and a second in July.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. (Apr. 30) – Academic Awards chapel, usually reserved for standout students at Washington Adventist University (WAU), departed from the norm this year to recognize two faculty members—Bruce Wilson, associate director of music, and Deria Gadsen, assistant registrar—whose distinguished service to the institution will end this year. Professor Zdravko Plantak, who is also stepping down as chair of the religion department, was also honored for his contributions to the university.
The event, which was held April 24 in Sligo Seventh-Day Adventist Church, recognized all students with grade point average of 3.0 and above. Students also received special departmental honors.
Ralph Johnson, Ph.D., dean for students success and faculty development, and Fitzroy Thomas, assistant dean, presented certificates of recognition to junior education major Rebekah Brauner, who had the highest GPA; freshman English major Constance Greene; Senior English major Melinda Hamerly; senior education major Gabrielle Morrison; junior biology major Christine Rosette; and senior physical education major, Erin Wright.
From the English Department, junior English major Ashley Butler received the Joseph Shin Award, and senior English major Konstantin Kulakov, the Edith O. Stone Award. The History and Political Studies department recognized Senior Courtney Taylor, and the Psychology Department recognized juniors Mariah Crews, Adam Buttrick, Melissa Boyd, and Veronica Rojas and sophomore Beatrice Portillo.
The Music Department recognized several students, including: Performer of the Year, senior Jonathan Keplinger, and Senior of the Year, David Byass. Additional scholarships and recognition were given to seniors Emelie Pla, Atecia Edwards, Lauren Simms and Aaron Tucker; freshman Jidong Zhong, and sophomore Sonali Singh.
The Department of Religion recognized several students, including student of the year, seniors Robert Machado, and Dudley Francois, who received the department's leadership award; seniors Cedric Parker, Ramone Griffith and Brandon White, who received the service award, and Konstantin Kulakov, who was named Philosopher of Year.
Finally, the Social Work department named Nearlyne Noisette their outstanding senior, Alexandra Coleman as outstanding junior, while junior Nikole Donovan and senior Sarai Wright received a certificate of merit for academic achievement and certificate of commendation respectively.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. (May 1) –
Spiritual activities at Washington Adventist University ended on a high note this year with the baptism of 24 students Saturday, April 27. The baptisms were the outcome of Revival Week, March 31 to April 6, hosted on campus by the Office of Ministry.
"This Baptism was the crowning of our spiritual activities this year," said Baraka Muganda, Vice President for Ministry. "Washington Adventist University is not only impacting the academic lives of our students; it is transforming their spiritual lives as well."
Freshman Biology major Jibrill Morris, one of the new converts, said baptism was the most important commitment of his life.
"I have never fully committed myself to anyone or anything and I felt like I was living my life on a half way mark, I wanted to change that and be all I can for Jesus" he said.
Junior Psychology major Whitney Syriaque said she made the commitment in order to leave the past behind and focus on what is ahead.
"I am cleansed by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and that will be the only past that I will remember."
Sophomore communication major Jordhon Horelien made the decision "because I wanted my relationship with God to be stronger. I believe that God has a calling on my life and I shouldn't waste time chasing worldly things."
Chaplain for Ministry Regina Johnson could not be happier.
"April 27th was one of the best days of my life! I had the opportunity to witness the Gods hand move on 24 students. This baptism was the beginning of what God wants to do with Washington Adventist University."
The baptism, which took place at Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church, was followed by a fellowship picnic on the WAU Commons.
"The next Week of Revival will be held again during spring of 2014. For more information about campus ministries on Washington Adventist University visit us on www.wau.edu.
TAKOMA PARK, Md. (Apr. 30) – Assistant registrar Deria Gale Anderson Gadsden will retire this summer after 16 years at Washington Adventist University (WAU) and 30 years in Adventist Christian Education. Her service to the University was recognized during alumni weekend, April 12-14, when she was named an honorary alumnus of WAU.
"It has been an honor to work in this vineyard for the Lord. I have learned a deep trust in His plan and purpose for my life," Mrs. G said. "CUC/WAU has fond memories for me."
Mrs. G. joined WAU in 1997. Since then, she has impacted the lives of hundreds of students. Tough as nails and loving as a mother, she encourages the values of hard work and pride.
An alumnus of Atlantic Union College and the University of Nebraska, she began her career in education as a teacher's assistant at Vestal Hills Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) School, Binghamton, New York. She later became school board chair, sat on the board of Union Springs Academy, and served on the K-12 Board of Education for New York Conference. She later moved to Poughkeepsie, and worked at Poughkeepsie SDA School as a teacher assistant. The next stop was Garden State Academy where she worked as assistant registrar, class sponsor and yearbook sponsor.
"The Alumni Association honors one individual every year who, although they never attended WAU, have demonstrated commitment to and love of Washington Adventist University and its students. It was our pleasure to recognize Mrs. G's many years of service and to officially accept her as an Honorary Alumna," said Ellie Barker, director of alumni relations.
The Zella Holbert Service Award was present to alumnus Glen Milam ('82) and student Bryan Jones.


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By Elizabeth Stawicki
A $5 billion federal program to pay for the health benefits of early retirees is proving to be more popular than expected. So popular that it's running out of money earlier than planned. The fund, part of the health care overhaul, was to provide a bridge of insurance coverage until 2014 when early retirees would have many more options under the health care law.
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V1n5anity wrote:Dude is just a beast. What a force this guy was tonight.
Also, I love the way he handles double/triple teams compared to Bynum. He reads the D and makes quick passes to the open man. Bynum was almost incapable of that...often running INTO the doubles, not willing to make quick passes (especially if he hadn't touched the ball in a while), panicked and overall just didn't seem to handle pressure well. He was a ball stopper and a complete black hole on offence. There was no flow to the offence whenever he posted up. Dwight plays within the offence and it really shows. The thing I like about Dwight is he finds the open man and makes nice, crisp passes that are often on target. What a difference something like that makes.
Just imagine him in the triangle. Nash, Kobe, Pau, Dwight, all running the triangle. You cant ask for more perfect basketball then that.


text:
It's become something of a tradition here at The Source to start the week with some news, and we've got a nice bit here, with more to come later this week.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. Got your fill of BBQ'd foodage, fireworks and patriotism? We sure did. And while it's hard to pry yourself away from lazing around, we've got some images that might make avoiding a case of the Mondays that much easier.
Plane ticket? Check. Hotel? Check. To-Do list? Enter The Source.
Because, believe it or not, San Diego Comic-Con is only a few short weeks away, we think it'd be downright cruel for us to not tell you what we've got planned at the show on the DCU front. So, without further ado, here's our panel schedule:
You may have noticed a trend here at The Source. Sometimes, it's just better to go straight to the, well, source when we want to shine a light on a given title. Today, I popped by Editor Rachel Gluckstern's office to get the lowdown on JSA VS. KOBRA, which will have its second issue on stands shortly. Take it away, Rachel (and Eric and Don!):
Being such faithful Source readers, I have no doubt you all saw our initial Red Tornado news.
My magic blogging eight-ball just said "Blogging Will Be Light," so I'm going with that. Oh, and it's a holiday weekend. So, yes. This'll be it for today. But, we bring you some more fun news from the DCU editorial gang. Specifically, TITANS editor Brian Cunningham. What say you, BC?:
"When is Tempest coming back?"
There's a new Batman in Gotham, but does that mean Gotham City wants him around? As Two-Face and Penguin take measures to keep the new hero at bay, one of the villains makes a startling new discovery about Dick Grayson. This issue kicks off a four-issue arc from writer Judd Winick and artist Mark Bagley, and we have a few pages for your perusal.
Since the DC offices -- and, in turn, The Source -- will be closed tomorrow celebrating the Fourth, we thought it'd be nice to end the week with a bit of cool news.
Geoff Johns. Francis Manapul. Superboy. Adventure Comics. Enjoy.
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Construction of primary court in Kawe constituency resurfaced yesterday in the parliament after its MP Halima Mdee (Chadema) questioned the government over its failure to implement its 2011/12 promises of allocating funds for the construction of the court.
Ummy Ally Mwalimu, Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children responded on behalf of the Minister for Constitution and Legal Affairs , Mathias Chikawe.
Mwalimu criticised the World Bank project for lasting in December last year.
The deputy minister said the World Bank was the key sponsor for construction of different projects that includes Kawe primary court.
"The government plans to move services nearer its citizens…part of which includes the construction of Kawe primary court," she said.
Mwalimu said already the government has surveyed and identified the area where construction will be undertaken in Kawe.
During the construction, the minister said, the government plans to construct residential houses for primary court magistrates.
Meanwhile, the Mwalimu told the house that the government had hired 300 judges to be allocated to 103 districts in the country.
Last year, the minister for constitution and legal affairs told the house that the government was planning to construct a primary court in Kawe constituency during the 2011/12 fiscal year but nothing was implemented.


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Thursday, April 26, 2007
1. Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it.
Remnants of scratched-upon chicken pox blisters. Various locations, luckily none on face.
3. What does your phone look like?
Nokia, black, stubborn smudges on screen. Ignorant as to model number.
5. What is your current desktop picture?
An eyefry creation: bawling infant exposing tonsils entitled 'Waaaaah!'. Rather fetching, it is.
7. Do you believe in gay marriage?
Not sure I believe in marriage per se. But I do believe that two consenting adults have every right to do whatever the hell they feel like. Yeah, I guess that means I support gay marriage.
10. What are you listening to?
Nothing. In lab.
11. Do you get scared of the dark?
15. Do you like pain killers?
Last time I had pain killers was... 10 years ago.
16. Are you too shy to ask someone out?
Hell, yeah.
18. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?
Karuppu dosai, vengaya chutney. Those of you who aren't from tirunelveli don't know what you're missing.
19. Who was the last person you made mad?
Mother, I suppose. I don't make people mad.
20. Is anyone in love with you?
Nah, ain't the type men fancy themselves to be in love with.
I tag Eyefry.
23 comments:
Nah, ain't the type men fancy themselves to be in love with.
awwwwwwwww - April 27, 2007 1:21 PM
- Nina said...
Anon: But I'm not complaining!
- April 28, 2007 3:39 AM
- antickpix said...
i second anon with the awwwwwwwwww.
- April 28, 2007 12:09 PM
i wish i really met women like you face-to-face. i look upto honesty.
hmm. - April 28, 2007 12:55 PM
i wish i really met women like you face-to-face. i look upto honesty.
hmm. - April 28, 2007 12:56 PM
- eyefry said...
You got my URL wrong.
And awwwwwwwww again. - April 28, 2007 5:30 PM
- Nina said...
Fry: Oh so I did, sorry. Typos, typos. Fixed now. And stop it with the awwwwws already. You too, Pix.
Anon: Er, are you being sarcastic? - April 28, 2007 8:54 PM
- antickpix said...
AWWWWWWWW! for the anon. oooooh as well. :P
haha, remember the first time i met you. wasn't i surprised. :P - April 30, 2007 8:52 AM
clarification --
i am anon1, the awwwwwwwwww one.
anon2(the impostor), the one who looks upto honesty(sucker), is not me(the real anon).
im the real slim -- oh forget it.
--anon1 - April 30, 2007 9:30 AM
- Nina said...
Pix: Anyone who thinks I'm the yellow- fabindia-skirt-wearing-artsy-fartsy type is in for a bit of a shock, no? Really, what gave you that impression?
Anon1: Glad for the clarification, was wondering if it was one one anon or two. So are you also the anon who eyefry endlessly admires? - April 30, 2007 11:19 AM
uh-huh, maybe its anon2 over there. ask him(her? why not?)
--anon1 - April 30, 2007 11:59 AM
ah for being 'to the point'? how can i forget?
yes, he would be me. he he. and i thought it was anon2. sheesh.
-- anon1 - April 30, 2007 1:48 PM
had karuppu dosai for breakfast today.
:D - May 01, 2007 12:23 AM
- antickpix said...
heyy..i never said that.
just expected you to be..er..louder. more..fiery. :P - May 01, 2007 8:12 AM
- Nina said...
vvk: Damn you! I'll make sure you get bad food while you're here :P
Pix: Yes you did, because I remember being horrified. Loud and fiery is just as bad. Makes me sound like an amazon or something.
You weren't the only one to be surprised. I hadn't expected eyefry to be as soft-hearted as he is, or you to be perfectly normal. :P - May 01, 2007 10:03 AM
- antickpix said...
ok, i may have mumbled that.
aww, eye's blog drips with warm fuzzy weak heart muscle.
i'm not allowed to be normal? pffff. - May 02, 2007 11:25 AM
- eyefry said...
am not warm fuzzy softy! am hard devil-may-care rude-ass SOB, am!
but shit, I too hoped for a fiery and loud nina. as well as an eye-popping abby-normal humpback in the case of the antick felloah.
what a terrible world we inhabit. full of charred expectations. - May 04, 2007 1:25 AM
- eyefry said...
okay, okay, so maybe i am a softie (in a clever pre-emptive parry). if so, then fuck you to alla them hardies! Ha!
- May 04, 2007 1:28 AM
- Nina said...
Pix, Fry: Enough psychoanalysis, already. :P
- May 05, 2007 1:56 AM
i guess i'm late... but i'm the anon that eyefry admires i guess, i wonder if it's sarcasm.
@nina - i wasn't being sarcastic, i really haven't met a woman who isn't obsessed with the whole issue of fitting into a corset desperately. - May 09, 2007 12:25 PM
btw anon1 is extremely judgemental and racist.
he/she/it tagged me as an impostor on the basis of a mere sentence.
:P - May 09, 2007 12:29 PM
the above two replies and including this is by me - the anon2.
- May 09, 2007 12:29 PM
- lin said...
- May 23, 2010 2:47 AM


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Universal Orlando Announce "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D" Coming in Summer 2013
Universal Orlando Resort announced that its next blockbuster attraction will be the widely-popular TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3D. The groundbreaking ride created under license from Hasbro, Inc. and based on its iconic TRANSFORMERS brand will bring the intergalactic battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons to Universal Studios Florida in summer 2013.
Already a "must-see" at Universal Studios Singapore and Universal Studios Hollywood, TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3D is a mind-blowing, action-packed ride experience that you have to see to believe. You will come face to face with Megatron. You will dodge explosions and attacks by the Decepticons. You will fight to save mankind alongside Optimus Prime and the Autobots. It will be the greatest battle you'll ever ride.
Universal worked closely with Michael Bay, the award-wining director of the "TRANSFORMERS" film series and the ride's creative consultant, to create an authentic experience that brings the non-stop action of the films to life. The attraction combines the larger-than-life TRANSFORMERS characters and an exciting storyline with life-like HD CGI media, state-of-the-art 3-D technology and amazing special effects to place riders right in the middle of an epic battle between good and evil.
"We broke the mold and have taken this ride to a new technological level in terms of blending seamless 3-D," said Michael Bay, director of the "TRANSFORMERS" films.
"TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3D is the perfect addition to Universal Orlando's thrilling theme park experiences," said Mark Woodbury, president of Universal Creative. "The ride has already proven to be a hit at our Hollywood and Singapore parks, and we're excited that Universal Orlando guests will soon be able to join the Autobots in the fight to save the world."
TRANSFORMERS films, television shows and merchandise have captivated millions of people all over the world. To date, three blockbuster films have been released "TRANSFORMERS" (2007), "TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN" (2009) and "TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON" (2011) grossing more than $2 billion combined worldwide at the box office. The three films were directed by Michael Bay, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and released by Paramount Pictures.
TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3D is slated to open in summer 2013 at Universal Orlando. The attraction will have one of the shortest build times in Universal history making it one of Universal's most ambitious projects ever. For more information about TRANSFORMERS: The Ride 3D, visit www.prepareforbattle.com
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Re: Universal Orlando Announce "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D" Coming in Summer 2013
I know the movie isn't all that old, but Transformers (and Go-Bots) just seem old to me. My sister bought one for a gift for her nephew when he was in her wedding and that was back in 1985!
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Re: Universal Orlando Announce "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D" Coming in Summer 2013
Looking forward to it next year
is sleeeeepy!!!I am:
Re: Universal Orlando Announce "TRANSFORMERS: The Ride - 3D" Coming in Summer 2013
I think this will be really good - cant wait to ride it! I surprisingly enjoyed the movies, had geared myself up for them to be rubbish but i liked them.
I think its going to be replacing terminator - that was dreadful!!
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For Jennifer Robbins, success is all about engagement. As general manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton in Naples, Fla., Robbins doesn't think her management style is unique, but she does bring a somewhat unique outlook to engaging her staff. "I don't know if it's unique, but I think what's definitely characteristic of my management style is engagement, trying to get everyone involved," she says from her hotel. "That's across the board. I want them to enjoy what they do."
Robbins realizes that engaged employees make for a better hotel for guests to enjoy. "I think it makes them better invested in the success of the hotel," she says. "They want to present guests with a great experience. I think they welcome our guests to the hotel like they are welcoming them into their home."
Robbins says she's tried to create a culture where the staff thinks of the hotel like a second home, because in many ways it is. "That leads to warmth and graciousness," she continues.
While wanting employees (and guests) to be engaged in a hotel is easy to say, creating that sort of culture is where the real work for a general manager comes in. "The most important thing is that everyone knows what the goal is—that everyone is on the same page," she explains. "Everyone has to realize that is sort of a cycle and every department has to work as part of that cycle to complete a common goal.
"What the front desk does affects engineering, what engineering does affects housekeeping, and so on," she continues. "It's always encouraging for them to know that they have support throughout the hotel, whether it is from the executive committee or another department. That overall spirit of a common goal helps them know that their voice is heard and that they truly are part of a team."
When it comes to engaging guests, Robbins says that service is personal. "We try to offer personalized service. We have a lot of repeat guests, and it's really pretty simple, you just have to ask them," she says. "Most of the time guests really want to tell you what they want. You just have to ask. The same thing is true with employees. I think sometimes we are all guilty of overcomplicating matters and getting in our own way. You just need to find out what they want."
It's not a management style Robbins developed overnight. She's a veteran of the hospitality industry, having served as general manager of her current property for nearly seven years. And, she's been working in the hotel industry for, "longer than you probably would think I have," she says coyly.
Robbins began working in hotels while in college, "because it fit my schedule," she says. She attended college in her native central Florida. "I think I'm one of the three natives left in the state," she quips. "My brother is one of the other three."
She didn't intend to work in hospitality. She actually entered college to study graphic and commercial design, but her experience at a hotel made her fall in love with the industry.
"I really didn't have the stomach for graphic and commercial design," she admits. "I just then found hospitality really gratifying and that I had a knack for it. I just never really stopped working in it."
She believes that knack comes from her gregarious nature. "I'm a talker," she says. "I just really enjoy the interaction with not only the team members but also the guests."
By the time she was out of college, she'd already become a front office manager. Following college she decided to stay with it. "From there I went into working as a revenue manager and then a director of operations, and then here as general manager," she says. "I stayed on that path from day one."
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Stayed one week at Costa Lanta. This was our last week in Thailand and our third resort in 4 weeks. After reading all the good reviews we had very high expectations. The resort is placed on beautiful grounds and on the best part of the beach which is absolutely the best on Lanta. But, there are some things missing here.... More
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Those of you with older kids, how did you realize that you have crossed the threshold into parenting an older child?
Just now The Miniature looked around the living room then dug around in the kitchen and I didn't even ask what he was up to. He pawed through a few drawers, poked around in random corners and cupboards, then walked out with a roll of tape. He informed me, "I was just looking for this." Then ran to the family room with it.
I thought, cool! You didn't nag me to find it for you. Wait, what's he using it for? Nah, I don't care. I'm sure it's fine. He's not going to hurt himself with it and the cats are both accounted for.
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Kristen Bell, MIO Registered Dietitian explains the Diet Diary (Patented Calorie Mgmt System) feature
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Coming in 2012 is a new theatrical adaptation (possibly 3 part) of Frank Herbert's brilliant Sci-fi epic novel "Dune" which inspired the very nice but not too faithful adaptation in 1984 from David Lynch and the more accurate 2000 mini-series with it's even better sequel.
This could be epic man! i'm a huge fan of the novels and i enjoyed the movies, this could be a worthy addition to the adaptations.


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July 30, 2012 — Paul Mirengoff
Michelle Obama's "Shhhh" Moment, and her husband's plans to spread the wealth
In his book The Promise, left-wing writer Jonathan Alter recounts the following incident from President Obama's first year in office: A congressman approached the first lady at a White House reception after the [stimulus] bill's passage and told her the stimulus was the best anti-poverty bill in a generation. Her reaction was "Shhhh!" The White House didn't want the public thinking that Obama had achieved long-sought public policy objectives under »
May 31, 2012 — Paul Mirengoff
Bush portraits unveiled at White House; Obama is "congenial"
Former President George W. Bush and his wife Laura returned to the White House today for the unveiling of their portraits. The former President's parents – themselves a former President and a former First Lady – were also in attendance. They received the longest ovation of the day. President and Ms. Obama both spoke. Peter Wehner, who was present as a former member of the Bush staff, got it exactly »