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Created: 12/11/2012 4:47 PM KSTP.com By: Leslie Dyste
A student project at the University of St. Thomas is helping kids with cancer.
Sophomores Brian Keller and Zach Quinn came up with the 'Love Your Melon' campaign.
So far they've sold 200 hats donated to kids battling cancer.
The hats were handed out Tuesday at a children's hospital in Minneapolis.
Click here to learn more about the project.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Out since May 30 with a strained oblique, Seattle Mariners first baseman Justin Smoak could be nearing a return to the lineup.
The former Stratford High School star has been taking swings and is nearing a rehab assignment at Class AAA Tacoma.
"Everything felt good," the switch-hitting Smoak told MLB.com. "I was finally able to let it go a little bit. Right-handed has felt fine. It's just been left-handed that I've been worried about. It's more just my mind letting it go on that left side. Now we'll take batting practice in the field and go from there."
Smoak was batting .240 with three homers and eight runs batted-in when he was placed on the disabled list.
Elsewhere among Lowcountry players in pro baseball Monday
• Matt Wieters (Stratford HS) was 2 for 3 in the Orioles' rain-delayed 4-3 win over the Angels, and is batting .245.
• After getting his first MLB hit over the weekend, Chris McGuiness (James Island HS, The Citadel) was 0 for 1 on Sunday, lining out to first base in the eighth inning. He's batting .250 for the Rangers.
In the minors:
• Justin Greene (Stratford HS, Francis Marion) hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, and was 1 for 4 with three RBI for Class AA Mobile. He's batting .338 with 17 RBI.
• Pitcher Drew Cisco (Wando HS) was rocked in Class A Dayton's 14-4 loss. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He's 2-4 with a 4.12 ERA.
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Career Development
Provide guidance and resources to support GMercyU students and alumni through the career development process. As a result of utilizing Career Development, students/alumni will be able to accomplish the following learning goals:
- Identify potential majors/career paths through exploring interests, skills, personality and values and conducting research on careers/jobs.
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- Develop a better understanding of job search skills and planning and interview techniques.
- Increase understanding of the value of experiential/service learning opportunities through internships, volunteering and campus involvement, as well as how to find these opportunities.
For more information, visit the following links:
Hours : Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Contact Office for additional hours)
Location : Keiss Library and Learning Commons
Phone : 215-646-7300, ext. 230
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Find Hotel Availability and Rates
Saskatoon Experience Pass
Request this pass at the time of booking your hotel and redeem for amazing free offers!
annual events
There are certain events that Saskatoon residents and visitors are lucky to experience year after year - like the Jazz Fest, A Taste of Saskatchewan and FolkFest. Please review the full listings of annual events below.
Map View
Annual Events
through August 8, 2015
- Phone: 306-664-2239
- Website: www.potashcorpfringe.ca
- Category: Concerts & Theatre Events & Festivals Annual Events
through August 3, 2015
- Website: saskatoonribfest.com
- Category: Events & Festivals Annual Events Dining
through August 23, 2015
- Phone: Box office (opens June) 306.652.9100
- Website: www.shakespeareonthesaskatchewan.com
- Category: Concerts & Theatre Events & Festivals Annual Events


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Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Day He Said...
61 comments:
- Nicole said...
PRESH! I love a good "I love you" story!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:19 AM
- moderndaywife said...
Awwww what a cute "i love you" story! Yes we have the state fair here too and I ALWAYS ask my hubby take me in February around Valentine's Day haha :-)
- February 3, 2011 at 10:19 AM
- Ashley @ Life Is Beautiful said...
As I think I've said {or written} on all the Love Story posts so far, Awwww! Don't worry, I know what the fair is! :D It once was the highlight of the start of school around here. I sure do hope we get the engagement story!
Happy Thursday to you!
-Many Smiles!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:23 AM
- -Sam I Am- said...
Lordy I teared up a bit!! I'm such a sap though.. What a beautiful love story :) and such fun photos! It makes me so happy to hear when others are happy.. Especially my fun blogging buds! Hope you have a great day pretty lady!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:23 AM
- Jenny said...
That is so adorable! What a cute story, and the photos are priceless.
- February 3, 2011 at 10:25 AM
- Rebekah said...
So sweet! My husband and I said 'I love you' when we were together or 6 weeks. We were young, but we just knew! This is so sweet!!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:26 AM
- Mommy R. said...
awww! that is so sweet!! in my tiny home town we have a fair called haydays, and it's exactly how you described!! :)
- February 3, 2011 at 10:33 AM
- Suze said...
I've always been one to hold out on the I love you's too! I LOVED hearing this story. Are you sure you havent submitted your story to TLC's wedding story girlie??? It just seems so perfect and needs to go on it ! I got giddy and happy just reading your I love you story! I cant wait to hear about the engagement story now! Ahhhh Hope your having a terrific Thursday!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:34 AM
- Helen said...
Y'all are so cute! That story is precious!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:37 AM
- Megan said...
oh goodness this is just SO cute. I was smiling the whole way through :)
and it may or may not have made me think of the episode of the bachelor where he took her to the private fair..
of course everything relates back to a reality tv show..
i need to get out more..
- February 3, 2011 at 10:37 AM
- Lilianna Grace said...
How sweet that he actually took the time to think and plan exactly how he would say those memorable, relationship changing words to you. Amazing!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:39 AM
- Sarah said...
Awww so sweet!! Now did he tell the Ferris Wheel driver (is that what they're called?) to stop at the top on purpose or was that just a happy accident?
- February 3, 2011 at 10:47 AM
- Belle in the City said...
awwww too cute Megan!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:50 AM
- Kelly said...
What a sweet story~! I just came across your blog and can't wait to read more.
- February 3, 2011 at 10:50 AM
- Jennifer said...
awwwwww! You're making me want to spill my guts too now! I love hearing your love stories <3 pshhh...I just love hearing anything from ya!
If you ever want to force me to write my schtuff down one day - feel free. I'm all over the place... especially that little, minor, barely there computer addiction... bahaha!
Jenn @ Peas & Crayons
ps: ahhh i'm still smiling from reading this btw! such a sweetie!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:55 AM
- Michelle said...
awww SOO SWEET!! He is a catch!! I love reading about your love story! It always makes me smile and reminds me there are good guys out there! Can't wait for the next installment! :)
- February 3, 2011 at 11:18 AM
- Elizabeth said...
Awwww! This is seriously the sweetest thing I have ever read! What a catch!
- February 3, 2011 at 11:31 AM
- Lyndsay said...
That's such a cute story. I love a good "I love you" story. It made me smile! :)
- February 3, 2011 at 11:46 AM
- Rissy said...
wowzers... that's one of the most romantic things I have ever heard!
Print that out so you can show it to your kids some day! That's the kind of love all women deserve, and WOO Hoo for your hubs for having the courage to do that!
- February 3, 2011 at 11:46 AM
- chloë. said...
SO precious! :)
- February 3, 2011 at 11:57 AM
- Emily said...
That is the cutest story ever!! I have a pretty funny story that I will have to share with you one day of me and my boyfriends first "I love you"! It's great!
- February 3, 2011 at 12:00 PM
- Beth said...
such a cute and sweet story.
- February 3, 2011 at 12:23 PM
- The Poole Family said...
Now do you remember the first time I told you "I love you!" in this much detail?? Ehhh, probably not. Hahaha!! Y'all are so precious!!!! Can't wait until y'all come pick up Savannah and Andrew to bring them to the fair with you THIS year!!! :)
- February 3, 2011 at 12:30 PM
- Heather said...
How sweet! I love the fair...corndogs are my favorite!
- February 3, 2011 at 12:32 PM
- Tiffany said...
How sweet is that! I want to hear the engagement story! I bet it's a good one!
- February 3, 2011 at 12:45 PM
- Starlight said...
What a lovely love story.
Since I'm a new follower I would like to invite you to check out my blog and become a follower. http://crazythaughts.blogspot.com/
- February 3, 2011 at 12:51 PM
- Mommyblogger said...
How romantic, sounds like you got quite a guy!
- February 3, 2011 at 1:10 PM
- Tucker said...
I've got one gigantic S M I L E on my face after reading this. y'all are adorable! what a sweet story.
- February 3, 2011 at 1:34 PM
- Michelle (michabella) said...
- February 3, 2011 at 1:44 PM
- Jessica said...
Aw, what a sweet way for him to tell you I love you! He's a smooth operator. ;)
- February 3, 2011 at 2:01 PM
- Sam {fitnessfoodandfaith.blogspot.com} said...
this is so, so, sweet and thoughtful! loving this series of the love story :)
- February 3, 2011 at 2:27 PM
- Sherri said...
A smoooooth, sneaky snake!! U 2 have the best love stories, seriously. Better then any Danielle Stelle novel I have ever read:)!lol!
Also, love that u call it the state fair...us Canadians, call it the EX. Boring. State Fair sounds much more...romantic:) Have a happy thursday!!
- February 3, 2011 at 2:31 PM
- Kim @ It's a Crafty Life said...
Awww, he really is a sweetie!! :-) Love these cute stories you tell.
- February 3, 2011 at 3:51 PM
- Melissa: Write it in Lipstick said...
Awe, that is such a sweet story, The State Fair is so magical :)
- February 3, 2011 at 4:40 PM
- Shalyn said...
That is the sweetest thing! I love how he wanted to make it special for you- what a sly dog to sneak in the rose! So happy for you, friend!
- February 3, 2011 at 5:07 PM
- Michaela said...
Sweetest story EVER. Hope you're feeling a little better girlie (:
- February 3, 2011 at 5:13 PM
- Sarah @Newlywed and Decorating said...
How DID he hide that rose? So sweet! I think I would have fainted :)
- February 3, 2011 at 5:34 PM
- Heather said...
Awwww!! What a sweet & romantic way to say the first I love you's!!! You are a lucky girl :).
- February 3, 2011 at 6:02 PM
- Lindsay said...
What a sweet story!!
- February 3, 2011 at 6:31 PM
- Alisha said...
Fried twinkies baby!!! They are legendary :)
Justin is SUPER sweet! Love this story Megan! <3<3
- February 3, 2011 at 7:53 PM
- cRk said...
Too cute! I wanted to let you know I am hosting a giveaway and you automatically get one entry for commenting on my cardigan post!
- February 3, 2011 at 8:05 PM
- Ally said...
Okkkkk. This is quite the little Notebook story! SO stinkin sweet!!!!!
- February 3, 2011 at 8:36 PM
- Kim said...
Such a cute and wonderful story!
- February 3, 2011 at 8:50 PM
- amanda said...
y'all love story gives me hope that true love is still out there! So adorable!
- February 3, 2011 at 9:28 PM
- Brooke said...
Guys can be REALLY sweet :) This is such a cute story.. your entire love story is cute! I love how they always trick us with things like "...so we can see everything." haha sneaky
- February 3, 2011 at 10:26 PM
- Our Little Family said...
How adorable! What a super cute story! And I love the photos! I can't wait to hear more... Hope your Thursday was FABULOUS!!
- February 3, 2011 at 10:31 PM
- Tatiana said...
SO sweet! Love it!
- February 4, 2011 at 12:13 AM
- Bracey Pate said...
Such a cute story and memory! My favorite part is the end though, "Then I wanted to beat him..." hahahaha
I'm having a new link-up party today...be sure to check it out!
- February 4, 2011 at 12:13 AM
- Consider The Lilies said...
Ohh this made me smile. How adorable! how the heck did he hide a rose? he's a sneaky one :)
- February 4, 2011 at 12:35 AM
- Young and Fabulous said...
dying over this cuteness! i love the ferris wheel scene..so freakin cute!!
the first time my guy said I love you, I'm preettttyyy sure we were naked in the back seat of his car (shh dont judge) lol but he said it so quietly i didnt hear him. He later told me that he was so nervous and wasnt sure if it was even the right time to say it!
but then the real time he said it (and i said it back) we were up in maine skiing and he said it in our log cabin and it was SO ADORABLE!
I told him that he better not propose to be naked or i'll kick his butt to the curb!!
hahah this is adorable girl!
- February 4, 2011 at 8:36 AM
- (Florida) Girl said...
What a sweet man. And it is so true, when you know you know.
Thanks for visiting my blog last week.
- February 4, 2011 at 9:48 AM
- Kristen said...
That is just so SWEET! On a Ferris wheel too! What a great story!
- February 4, 2011 at 11:48 AM
- Jonathan & Ashley Slater said...
SO SWEET! I can't wait to tell my story of how my husband told me he loved me... I waited on him to say it too! It wasn't quite that romantic, and involves a movie theater and the "fast and the furious".
but it is a great and funny memory for us!
- February 4, 2011 at 12:18 PM
- Cherish @ Southern Soul Mates said...
Very cute! Love those pictures of y'all!! Have a great weekend! xoxo
- February 4, 2011 at 12:38 PM
- Victoria said...
so beautiful :)
- February 5, 2011 at 10:06 AM
- Meredith! said...
=O idk how i almost missed this post!! it is so sweet! =) and nov 4 is my bday! =D your hubby is so sweet!
- February 5, 2011 at 5:16 PM
- Faith said...
awww, love this post! sooo freaking cute!
hahhaa, i know what a fair is! the food is horrible but oh so good! :)
- February 5, 2011 at 10:19 PM
- {av} said...
your man sure knows how to do it! this story made me smile from ear to ear...and get a little bit nostalgic for the fair! haha. thanks for sharing this sweet story, my dear! xoxo {av}
- February 6, 2011 at 6:48 PM
- Mindy said...
Seriously romantic and sweet!!!!! :)
- February 6, 2011 at 6:56 PM
- Nuha said...
how sweet!!! That last picture is precious too :)
- February 7, 2011 at 10:07 AM
- Amber Marie said...
I have been using your love story segments as study breaks. :) You SO have a catch there, sister! Chills!
- July 6, 2011 at 7:27 PM


text:
Tree of Life, Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Beverage, 32 fl oz (946 ml)
By Tree of Life41 Reviews
Expiration Date:?Oct 2015
Expiration Date
The length of time for the expiration date or "best used before" date depends on the type of product, as well as the brand.
Perishable items (such as flax oils or certain probiotics) generally have shorter expiration dates. Although our warehouse is fully air-conditioned, these more fragile items are put in cold storage (freezer or refrigeration unit) for maximum freshness.
Our receiving department does its best to verify and then enter the correct expiration dates for all incoming products. However, discrepancies do occur from time to time. This being said, the exceptionally high turnover at iHerb ensures that our inventory is among the freshest in the industry.
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The Shipping Weight includes the product, protective packaging material and the actual shipping box. In addition, the Shipping Weight may be adjusted for the Dimensional Weight (e.g. length, width & height) of a package. It is important to note that certain types of products (e.g. glass containers, liquids, fragile, refrigerated or ice packed) will often require protective packaging material. As such, these products will reflect a higher Shipping Weight compared to the unprotected product.
- Product Code: TRE-05003
- UPC Code: 030684050039
- Package Quantity: 32 fl oz (946 ml)
- Dimensions: 8 x 3.5 x 2.3 in, 2.2 lbs (1 kg)
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text:
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Started this discussion. Last reply by Jessica Westbrook Mar 7, 2010. 11 Replies 0 Favorites
I was just reading some blog posts about how it's bad business for companies to ask mom bloggers to put certain keywords and links in their post, etc.Well, I just go an email that went above and…Continue
Posted on February 14, 2010 at 1:32am 1 Comment 0 Favorites
Hello fellow Texan, we have created a community just for Texas bloggers and would like for you to join. We have lots in store for the new year and the active members.


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Who We Are
Top Notch Networking, LLC specializes in providing high quality network support, monitoring, administration and implementation to the small business community in the San Bernardino County area. Our mission is to guide you to success with technology.
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- Flat Rate Network Support
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If you do not see the set combination you are looking for then please Contact Us or call 1-888-592-8325 and we can quote you a price for what you are looking for. Knowledgeable Representatives are available from 8AM to 10PM EDT, 7 Days a Week. Our response time is usually under 30 minutes during business hours.
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Mail forwarding
Post offices and other mail service providers typically offer a mail forwarding service, commonly known as hybrid mail or virtual post office box services, to redirect mail destined for one location to another – usually for a given period. In the case of the United States Postal Service's First Class Mail it is generally for a period of one year. British Royal Mail provides a service called Mail Redirection, enabling redirection for up to two years. Customers of such a service usually, but not exclusively, use mail-forwarding when they change addresses.
The mail forwarding service offered by postal authorities should be distinguished from private mail forwarding services. Private mail forwarding services tend to offer additional services and needs that might not be provided by governmental services, such as mail scanning services, online mailbox management and a selection of domestic and international delivery options.
Private mail forwarders were also used before the Universal Postal Union standardized the way international mail was delivered and paid for, for example to send mail via a third country.[1]
United Kingdom[edit]
Since 1 October 2007, Councils in London are able to require local private mail forwarding services to register with them.[2] Registered services have to obtain evidence of identity from their customers and retain copies of these documents. They also have to keep records of the customer's name and address/registered office and addresses to which mail is sent.
United States[edit]
United States Postal Service (USPS) is an independent federal agency that provides postal services, such as mail forwarding, to the public.[3][4] When availing mail forwarding via using a private forwarder, USPS form 1583 is required.
Private mail forwarding services are offered too by private forwarding companies, but usually online. Private forwarding companies mostly offer monthly services fees with it. When new users apply for the service, the company will assign them an address where they can receive their US mail and packages. This type of services are mostly availed by people moving outside the US, such as Expats, long term travelers or retirees and international shoppers who wish to shop online for US products. Since many online retailers do not ship overseas and border restrictions affect the delivery of their packages to their designated countries, people living outside the US need a US address to get products delivered to a local address, from which they can ship to themselves. Forwarding companies usually alert their customers when their ordered packages are available. The customer usually has the option to inform the mail forwarding company on how, when and where to ship their package.
See also[edit]
- ^ http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/01/i_mailed_a_letter_to_paris_.html
- ^ Trading Standards UK, Accommodation Addresses
- ^ "The history of the United States Postal Service". United States Postal Service. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
- ^ "A Customer's Guide to Mailing". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
External links[edit]
- {{dmoz|Business/Business_Services/Office_Services/Mail|Mail forwarding service providers http://www.usgobuy.com/ } }


text: Patrick Roy and you recieved two votes!?!? WTF. Roy was great but he won't go down as the greatest goalie of all-time when all is said and done. Martin Brodeur will go down as the beset ever, no doubt about it. If there was an argument to be made against Gretzky it would have to be Mario, the only player on Gretzky's level. Its insulting two people actually voted for Patrcik Roy, one would only assume they were a Habs or Avs fan tho think that.


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Saranac Lake Organizers of the eighth annual First Night celebration here have outlined the list of talent and venues that will be available to party-goers on New Year's Eve.
Admission to First Night events is granted with the purchase of an event button. Before Dec. 31, the buttons can be purchased for $12 at the Adirondack Daily Enterprise offices, Ampersound Music, Blueline Sports, Coakley High Peaks Ace Hardware, Saranac Lake Chamber of Commerce Offices, Lake Placid Price Chopper and the Lake Placid Visitors Bureau.
On Dec. 31, buttons will cost $15 and be available at the Harrietstown Town Hall (First Night Headquarters) and Ampersound Music. Children 12 and under are admitted for free and given a special button.
Attendees are asked to wear their buttons on outer clothing for quick access to venues.
Events kick off with the opening ceremony to First Night at 5:45 p.m. outside of the Town Hall. Afterwards, events will be held at 12 different venues throughout the village from 6 p.m. until midnight, when the balldrop and fireworks to usher in 2014 will take place.
At the town hall, performers will include the River Rat Rhythm Project steel drum band (6 p.m.), the Jay Vons (8 p.m. and Mark Gamsjager & the Lustre Kings (10 p.m.), each playing two-hour sets.
At the Petrova School, The Real McCoy circus and comedy show will take place from 6 to 8 p.m., followed by Sylvia Fletcher until 11 p.m.
Heather Styka will take to the stage at BluSeed Studios from 7 to 9 p.m., followed by Putnam Smith from 9 to 11 p.m.
Adirondack Storyteller Mitch Lee will be at the Artist Guild with tales from 7 to 9 p.m.
LoonWorks clown and family fun show will be taking place at the Saranac Lake Library starting at 6 p.m., with Soma Beats Drum and African dance troupe playing starting at 8 p.m.
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Conejo Valley Garden Club show celebrates partnership with Historical Society
A two-day flower show in Thousand Oaks celebrated the long-standing partnership between the Conejo Valley Garden Club and the Conejo Valley Historical Society.
The garden club hosted the event, which took place Saturday and Sunday in the Community Room at the Grant R. Brimhall Library and featured dozens of flower arrangements.
The show highlighted the work of the Conejo Valley Historical Society, and several categories had themes related to the Stagecoach Inn and Museum in Newbury Park.
"The Conejo Valley Garden Club and the Conejo Valley Historical Society have intermingled for the last 50 years with their volunteers, and we've worked cooperatively with them over the years," said Beverly Switzer, show chairman. "This is the historical society's 50th anniversary, and we have done this as a tribute to them."
The garden club has 53 members and predates the historical society by three years.
The original rose garden that was built at the Stagecoach Inn in the early '70s was planted by the garden club, said club President Sherry Molinari.
Molinari said the garden club brings together those who want to share their interest in gardening and flower arranging and holds regular meetings, guest speaker talks and trips to tour gardens.
Club members learn principles of design and follow guidelines set out by the National Garden Club.
On Saturday, the submissions were judged by outside judges with ribbons awarded in each category.
The arrangements were designed for a number of categories that reflected the "Historical Happenings" theme, such as "The Triunfo Ball," "Don and Dona," "Tea at the Inn," "Fiesta!" and "Seeking the Conejo Sky."
"Many of our entrants this time were first-timers or maybe second-timers," Molinari said. "It's a good way to encourage people."
Also on display was an exhibit put together by Molinari that included photos and newspaper cuttings reflecting the 53-year history of the garden club. She put in the display a flower arrangement set in her grandfather's work boot and small wicker baskets in the Chumash tradition.
Club members also donated cuttings and plants for the public to buy as a fundraiser for the club.
The garden club meets at 9:30 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month from September through May at United Methodist Church, 1000 Janss Road, Thousand Oaks.
For more information about the club and its activities, email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Subscribe to the Ventura County Star
Need Help? Call us at 1-877-710-6182.
Monday-Friday: 6am-3pm / Saturday: 6:30am-10:30am / Sunday: 7am-11am


text:
Hi, my name is Kathy Verner Moulton. I am an artist and an illustrator, and this is my website for my business, KaVoooM Productions.
Here you can browse the Gallery to see my work; listen to me read a Story; or read about me and my work.
I sell my images as both Cards and Prints, and I write and illustrate Stories. Use the navigation bar at the top to see all there is to see.
See My Work at the Dayton Art Institute.
I am one of 25 artists invited to do a piece for a show at the Dayton Art Institute called "Inside the Box" scheduled to open April 28, 2012.
My Books on Amazon.com!
Four of my children's stories are now available at Amazon.com and at Village Artisans and Sam and Eddie's Books here in Yellow Springs.
Stop In and See Me!
I am a member of Village Artisans, a cooperative in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Come see my work there. The shop is full of wonderful art and gifts all created by its members. We are at 100 Corry Street in downtown Yellow Springs and are open from 11-5 (later during the summer), seven days a week. I'd love to say hello if I am working the day you visit, but in any case you will find an interesting, friendly artist any day you happen by.


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Reva is in Culpeper County, in the Culpeper metro area of Virginia and is a relaxing destination for a Reva bed and breakfast vacation. While there, take the Virginia... Read more
Reva is in Culpeper County, in the Culpeper metro area of Virginia and is a relaxing destination for a Reva bed and breakfast vacation. While there, take the Virginia Trails: Wine and Moonshine Tour which is a beautiful tour highlighting the fruits of the vine and moonshine! Culpeper is home to several prestigious wineries, including Old House Vineyards and Unicorn Winery, as well as nearby Gray Ghost Vineyards, Prince Michel Winery and Rapidan River Vineyards. Another interesting tour is Virginia Trail: "At the Crossroads of Conflict." This Civil War Culpeper Tour showcases Culpeper County, arguably the most hotly contested area in the country during the Civil War. Culpeper County was continually occupied by both side because of its location at the crossroads of the North and South. Four major battles were fought here including the Battles of Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain, Kelly's Ford, and Culpeper Court House. A stay at a Reva inn makes a good base for visiting the Museum of Culpeper History which houses long-term and changing exhibitions illuminating Culpeper's rich heritage. Some of these displays include artifacts from local dinosaur activity millions of years ago, American Indian life before the advance of the European settler, the American Revolution, the Civil War, WWI, WWII, and a wide variety of 20th century displays on social life, sports, and events unique to Culpeper. The Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center facility is where the Library of Congress acquires, preserves and provides access to the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of films, television programs, radio broadcasts, and sound recordings. While visiting a local B&B, dine at Foti's Restaurant, an excellent place to enjoy European and Mediterranean influenced cuisine. Locals say, "One taste will show you why we've been called 'A Name to Remember.'" Another dining option is Lucio Restaurant, a beautiful restaurant created several years ago by former White House chef Lucio Tonizzo. Lucio is the perfect place to join friends and family for Italian-inspired cuisine. Less
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As Max observes, NATO faced another embarrassment yesterday, when a triumphant, fist-pumping Qaddafi languidly rode his open-top SUV past cheering crowds in Tripoli. It's clearly not a coincidence that he chose to take this highly-publicized joyride while NATO officials were holed up at a summit trying to breath life back into their ineffective intervention.
Qaddafi's actions yesterday are the latest sign that he's not interested in striking any sort of deal to concede power. So while there's been a lot of talk about removing him through diplomatic channels, it appears that removing him by force may be the only option.
But there are internal conficts within NATO about whether regime change would be beyond the scope of the UN mandate. France has been leading the charge to remove Qaddafi, but French Defense Minister Gérard Longuet said regime change is not covered by the current UN resolution and a new resolution would have to be voted on.
If a new resolution is proposed, it's questionable whether the U.S. would even support it. For awhile now President Obama has said that Qaddafi must go, but he's also been eager to distance the U.S. from the intervention. It is doubtful that he'd be anxious to escalate the military operation, especially in the current political climate with presidential elections on the horizon.


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drinking behavior and its consequences), feedback about expectancies and motives for drinking, and decision-making procedures that prompt the individual to weigh the benefits and negative aspects of drinking. Skills training approaches were less effective, as were interventions for men and for those who were already drinking heavily.
An intervention reported by Carey, Carey, and colleagues (2006) did produce significant benefit. They evaluated MI as a means of reducing problematic drinking among 509 heavy-drinking undergraduates who were randomly assigned to one of six conditions. The students received one of two versions of MI or no interviews. The standard version of MI stressed the students' autonomy in deciding what they wanted to do, discussed norms about drinking, provided tips for reducing drinking, and reinforced talk about change. The second, "enhanced" version included a worksheet containing a decisional grid to help students clarify the pros and cons of changing their behavior. Students were also assigned to receive or not receive a Timeline Follow Back (TLFB) interview that took the students back through the previous 90 days, starting with the most recent period, and helped them reconstruct their drinking behavior during this time. Assessment of the students' drinking behavior and alcohol-related problems occurred at baseline and 1, 6, and 12 months postintervention. They found that the TLFB by itself reduced alcohol consumption compared with the no-intervention control. The standard MI produced significantly greater reductions in alcohol use and alcohol problems than did the TLFB; those who received the enhanced MI did not improve as much. On the basis of this evidence, motivational interviewing coupled with the TLFB appears to have the greatest potential to reduce drinking significantly among undergraduates.
In addition to school-based and college interventions, efforts to prevent substance use and abuse among young people often include other community, media, regulatory, or policy approaches. These more broadly based strategies tend to target norms and policies rather than trying to reach individuals with behavior change strategies, although in many cases they are combined with components that target individuals more directly through schools and families. Many of these interventions, particularly those targeting alcohol, also focus on reducing the consequences of substance use as much as use itself.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Guide to Community Preventive Services (n.d.) recommends restrictions on outlet density and zoning to reduce excessive alcohol consumption and enhanced enforcement of laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to minors. Nationally oriented recommendations related to reducing and preventing underage drinking call for these and other approaches, such as limiting the marketing of alcohol


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Big data is a – perhaps the – hot topic in education. Over the summer I attended two conferences with presentations on big data, data mining and predictive analytic applications in higher education. This Fall I'll be taking a MOOC on Big Data in Higher Education. My early take is that there is some big data medicine for education but it's mixed in with plenty of snake oil.
One issue is that big data, data mining and predictive analytics mean different things to different people. Big data most commonly refers to datasets too large for analysis with standard statistical and analytical tools. In practice this generally means data with sizes measured in terabytes or petabytes. One example of this kind of data is the records of browsing patterns recorded by online retailers which are then used to generate suggestions for further purchases for individual customers. When every click on a widely used website – think Amazon.com – becomes a data point, the petabytes add up quickly.
Data mining is a term for various techniques used to analyze these large datasets. Predictive analytics is best thought of as a subset data mining focused on making predictions. Many data mining techniques developed for analyzing big data are also useful for data that is less big but very complex. This is where big data comes into higher education where we tend to have moderately sized data sets representing very complex behavior.[1]
Big Claims for Big Data
Big data promoters have made big claims. Perhaps the biggest, made by Chris Anderson in wired magazine and echoed by George Siemens[2] at one of the conferences that I attended, is that big data allows researchers to abandon theory, scientific method and a concern with causation. As Anderson puts it:
There is now a better way. Petabytes allow us to say: "Correlation is enough." We can stop looking for models. We can analyze the data without hypotheses about what it might show. We can throw the numbers into the biggest computing clusters the world has ever seen and let statistical algorithms find patterns where science cannot.
This position fails to differentiate between description, prediction and intervention as objectives of inquiry. This matters because the importance of theory, scientific method and causation are different for these objectives.
Some of Anderson's examples of the power of big data and data mining are in fact descriptive. He makes a great deal of Craig Venter and the sequencing of the human genome.
The best practical example of this is the shotgun gene sequencing by J. Craig Venter. Enabled by high-speed sequencers and supercomputers that statistically analyze the data they produce, Venter went from sequencing individual organisms to sequencing entire ecosystems. In 2003, he started sequencing much of the ocean, retracing the voyage of Captain Cook. And in 2005 he started sequencing the air. In the process, he discovered thousands of previously unknown species of bacteria and other life-forms.
The sequencing of the Human Genome was a tremendous scientific achievement and Venter's use of shotgun sequencing was bold and unconventional and it did capitalize on big data type analytics. However, it was always a fundamentally descriptive project. What Venter points to is the continued importance of description without causation but this is not, in fact, particularly new. Description without causation or scientific method has a long history and a vibrant present. Computers make it faster, and definitely make new kinds of description possible, but this is not a fundamentally new way of doing science. Moreover, using the recently described human genome to do things like build new drugs or gene therapies will require continued to reliance on experimentation, scientific method, theory and a concern with causation over correlation.
Education needs better descriptive analytics. Consider enrollment as an example. At the community college we know that the idea of being a "two year" college is something of a fiction. A very small fraction of our students go full time for two years with no stopping out. While we know that this "ideal" does not reflect reality, we continue to report graduation rates (among other things) as if the two year fiction were reality. We know it's a fiction but we don't have a better approximation to reality. Getting a better approximation is difficult because our students follow so many different paths through our institutions. Big data analytics as used by Peter Crosti may help. I am hoping to take the big data plunge by replicating this study at my own institution.
Correlation is to causation as prediction is to intervention
Many proponents of predictive analytics seem to assume that interventions follow naturally and obviously from predictions. They don't. Predictive analytics may indicate which students are likely to struggle but that isn't the same as, and may be a long way from, knowing what to do about it. Intervention is actually far more difficult than prediction.[3]
One big data application that I heard more than once from big data promoters were suggestions made by Amazon and Netflix. Both sites use customer viewing and past purchasing data to suggest additional items. This kind of big data analysis, which is commonly used as an example of the power of big data, exposes the prediction/intervention problem.
When Amazon predicts that I will like a product, they suggest it to me. In other words, they suggest that I do something that their data indicates I am predisposed to do. In education, when our data predict that a student will struggle we want to intervene in a way that changes the outcome. We want our students to do something that they are predisposed not to do. It is as if, having discovered that I am predisposed to want to buy Fifty Shades of Grey, Amazon intervenes and gets me to buy Pilgrim's Progress instead. My concern with big data in education is that the model that figures out what I want won't necessarily shed light on how to change what I want and that is what we need in education. Predicting an outcome isn't the same as intervening to change that outcome and interventions that attack correlates rather than causes are not likely to succeed.
Data data everywhere, but first let's stop and think
When you ask a big data person what data to collect they frequently say something like "All of it." That response implicitly assumes that all data are equally valid, equally costly, and equally available. Those assumptions are demonstrably false. There is a substantial danger to analyzing only the data you have without giving thought to the data that you need. In addition, data collection is a theoretically driven activity. We collect some data and not other data because theories tell us that some data are relevant and others are not.
The anti-theory approach of big data promoters leads quickly to the false assumption that any data will do or that whatever data you have is good enough. All of the data comes to mean not "all of the data that is relevant" but "all of the data that you have." We should worry about this a lot because the data we have tends to be the data that is convenient to collect. This compounds the prediction intervention problem that I described above.
The importance of having the correct data was evidenced in both conferences that I attended this summer. Each had a practical demonstration of the power of big data analytics in higher education and both demonstrations included High School GPA in their prediction models and in both cases it was a very important predictor. Unfortunately my institution does not collect that data. All of the analytical models presented will run and produce results without GPA. But none of them will tell me that my results would be more useful if I had GPA data. That is a conclusion from theory.
A Case Study
The well-chosen case is a standard rhetorical technique. A very frequently mentioned example of the power of predictive analytics in education is Rio Salado College. I have heard, read, and been told that within eight days from the start of term Rio Salado can "predict with 70% accuracy students who _____________." What fills in the blank varies from "were at high risk not to be successful in a course" to "score a C or better" and would "drop a course".[4]
The visual data expert Edward Tufte once wrote: "At the heart of quantitative reasoning is a single question: Compared to what? "[5] When I mentioned these data to a colleague she was quite confident in her ability to divide her students in to three groups after eight days with similar predictive power. What is the actual value added to the instructor over and above their regular interactions with the student? [6]
What factors has Rio Salado discovered contribute to student success?
As we crunched data from tens of thousands of students, we found that there are three main predictors of success: the frequency of a student logging into a course; site engagement–whether they read or engage with the course materials online and do practice exercises and so forth; and how many points they are getting on their assignments (source)
In other words:
- Show up to class (logging into a course)
- Do the assigned work (read or engage with the course)
- Do well on assignments (points on assignments)
Sound advice but hardly novel and, to my mind, a low return on data crunched from tens of thousands of students.
From Prediction to Intervention
All of this would be fine if Rio Salado were able to develop substantial interventions that produced success out of these findings. So, given their findings, what did they do to improve success?
Early data showed students in general-education courses who log in on Day 1 of class succeed 21 percent more often than those who don't. So Rio Salado blasted welcome e-mails to students the night before courses began, encouraging them to log in. (source)
This example nicely encapsulates my skepticism. Does logging in on Day 1 really cause success or is wanting to log in on day 1 the product of some unobserved set of characteristics that produce success. If we nag people into logging in on Day 1 can we realistically expect them to perform in the same way as the unnagged student? Is there any theoretical reason to think that logging early is related to success? Most importantly what is the causal mechanism by which logging on early produces success? In other words how does logging on early lead to success? Without answers to those questions focusing on getting students to log in more often is likely to be a waste of time.
I would be more comfortable with the correlational emphasis among big data proponents if they showed more concern with evaluating their correlational data through the lens of, at least, plausible causal mechanisms. Unfortunately
The hope, [a Rio Salado instructor] says, is that a yellow signal might prompt students to say to themselves: "Gosh, I'm only spending five hours a week in this course. Obviously students who have taken this course before me and were successful were spending more time. So maybe I need to adjust my schedule. (source).
Perhaps. Though assuming that the difficulties of community college students result from their own lack of knowledge about what they need to do (show up, do the work, and do well on the work) the expectation that they will immediately reach this conclusion is, to my mind, optimistic. Also, assuming that they can "adjust my schedule" with ease, when we know those schedules often involve young children and work, is unrealistic. Frankly, if the intervention that we anticipate developing from predictive analytics is to simply inform students about what we have found, we should probably stop now.
A Modest Proposal
I do see one very important possibility for predictive analytics at Rio Salado. Currently they can make accurate predictions with eight days of data. If they could push that back to six days they could make their predictions prior to deadline for a full refund which could conceivably save students a great deal of money and financial aid eligibility. That, I think, might contribute a great deal towards success.
Students who enrolled in X . . .
The suggestions made by Amazon and Netflix already have an educational correlate in the degree compass system in use at Austin Peay. This system:
Uses predictive analytics techniques based on grade and enrollment data to rank courses according to factors that measure how well each course might help the student progress through their program. From the courses that apply directly to the student's program of study, the system selects those courses that fit best with the sequence of courses in their degree and are the most central to the university curriculum as whole. That ranking is then overlaid with a model that predicts which courses the student will achieve their best grades. In this way the system most strongly recommends a course which is necessary for a student to graduate, core to the university curriculum and their major, and in which the student is expected to succeed academically. (source)
The use of grades raises a number of questions such as:
- How, if at all, does the program account for variation in grades across professors teaching the same class or across disciplines?
- If it does include this variation, will this system drive grade inflation as it suggests teachers, classes and disciplines with higher average grades?
- How will this system affect aggregate enrollment? [7]
- Should we discourage students from taking classes just because they might get a poor grade? How does this fit with concerns about educational standards?
- Does this approach encourage specialization thereby automating a retreat from a liberal arts approach to college education?[8]
- How does the system deal with students whose program choice leads to a low prediction of success? Put differently, is the next step to suggest degrees, certificates and courses of study? If so, is this the first step in automating what Burton Clark called the cooling out function?
Automated course suggestions might be worthwhile regardless of the answers to these questions. My concern is that these questions aren't addressed in discussions of big data applications.
Don't Believe the Hype
I'll finish with a small observation that demonstrates, at least to me, the ways in which "revolutions" repackage and take credit for what already exists. After some minutes sermonizing on the fundamental changes wrought by big data, the cloud, and the application of predictive analytic techniques, the Amazon Web Services Evangelist gave the example of using analytics to discover that "fulfillment center" workers could move more efficiently in the warehouse substituting two steps for the ten that they had previously taken, thereby improving workers lives and productivity.
Whatever the value of such findings – and regardless of who benefits from them – they are unrelated to big data, predictive analytics, the web, the information revolution or even the computer. Scientific management, Taylorism and time-motion study) are more than one hundred years old and a feature of the industrial assembly line rather than the information age supply chain.
Whether the assembly line[9] and scientific management are good models for education and, perhaps more importantly, whether the "information revolution", "big data", and "predictive analytics" are stalking horses for the scientific management of education are separate question about which people of good will can disagree. What we should all recognize and agree on is that we should not throw theoretical, causal, and experimental babies out with the big data bathwater.
[1] A comparison might make the differences of scale clear. At a very large college 30,000 students might enroll in 12 courses a year for a total of 360,000 selections. If we had 100 pieces of information on each enrollment we would have 36 million data points. This is a lot of data but it isn't "big" data. In contrast, Google processes about a billion searches a day. Multiply that by 100 pieces of information and you have big data. The process – people making choices that are recorded – is similar but the scale is very different. What is true in education is that the complexity of the data is very high. We have an ideal typical conception in which students at four-year colleges attend for eight consecutive full time semesters (or 12 quarters) but this ideal type describes hardly any real college students and very few community college students. Enrollment data isn't big but neither is it simple.
[3] For example economists modest ability to predict economic trends dwarfs their ability to change economic trends. Put differently, predicting that a company will not be profitable is far easier than intervening to make that company profitable.
[4] According to Rio Salado's accreditation self-study they used naïve Bayes classification method* to divide students into hi moderate and low risk groups. The college then found that "The mean success rate was approximately 70% in the Low warning group, 54% in the Moderate warning group, and 34% in the High warning group.
* If you aren't familiar with Bayesian methods Nate Silver's new book The Signal and the Noise provides an excellent non-technical discussion.
[5] Envisioning Information p. 67
[6] Rio Salado is largely online so the interactions between students and teachers is different, but in some sense this technical revolution is only solving problems of its own making. The need to analyze data arises from the lack of direct contact between students and teachers.
[7] Given all the computing power involved in big data applications it should be possible to simulate future enrollment based on students taking degree compass suggestions. I would be interested in seeing that simulation
[8] We may or may not want to retreat in this manner, but we shouldn't do it through a technological default.
[9] I wrote my master's thesis on the politics at the Ford fulfillment center featured in this video.


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USC Students
Students at the University of Southern California have a unique opportunity to engage with the USC Fisher Museum of Art. The museum is dedicated to providing rich and memorable experiences for all USC students. USC Thornton School of Music students hold their senior recitals in the museum. Poetry students from the English Department utilize the museum for poetry readings with classmates. Cinema School students attend special screenings in the museum and even have the opportunity to use the museum in their student films. For each exhibition, Fisher plans a special opening reception exclusively for USC students. The student receptions feature live music, DJ's, dancing, and art making workshops. The Fisher Museum has truly become an invaluable resource for students to further cultivate an appreciation for the arts and enjoy the arts in a personal and intimate way.
The USC Fisher Museum of Art also offers a vibrant array of internship opportunities for students to get involved with the museum on a deeper level. For more information or questions about how you can get involved at Fisher please contact Administrative and Public Relations Coordinator Raphael Gatchalian


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Purchase a new membership, or renew your current membership, before April 30 and automatically be entered to win 1 of 5 prize packages!
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By Heather Wehnau, SBBG Plant Propagation Manager
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is pleased to announce the addition of Susan Van Atta, FASLA to their 16-member Board of Trustees
By Dr. Steve Windhager, "In response to recent news of our state's drought emergency declaration, I would like to offer our community some water- (and cost-) saving advice."
Go Native and give to the Garden's ANNUAL FUND today!
© 2015 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden 1212 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara CA 93105 | P: 805.682.4726 | F: 805-563-0352


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The SA-15RP is an electronic alarm siren that is manufactured by Speco for use with indoor or outdoor applications. The SA-15RP electronic siren features a weatherproof ABS plastic housing concealed within a box for easy blending; it also features a 120dB sensitivity, a 30W power rating, and a 6-12VDC power supply. The SA-15RP electronic siren is able to be easily used within many applications, and comes affordable for all operators.
- Housing : Weatherproof ABS plastic concealed in Box
- Power : 6-12V DC
- Power Rating : 30 Watts
- Sensitivity : 120 dB
- Size : 5"(H) x 8"(W) x 9-1/2"(L)
Found a lower price? Complete this simple form:
See any errors on this page? Let us know.


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This week, Joe Weinstein, one of our most prolific and thoughtful commentators, addresses Robert Reich's "What's the Economy for Anyway?"
What's the Economy for Anyway?
How More Recycling Could Boost the Economy
We Need to Rethink the Morality of the Economy
The Rich Are Destroying the Economy
The Swamp of Washington and the Morass of the Economy
Wall Street's Birthday Nothing to Crow About
Sarah Palin's Presidential Strategy, and the Economy She Depends on
The President's Backyard Discussion of the Economy (as It Could Be)
Shorting Economists: The 'Experts' Keep Getting it Wrong
Steven Hill: So when the authorities say "a recovery is under way" or "stimulus rather than deficit reduction" or "deficit reduction instead of stimulus," remember: These are the same experts who are unsure of how to measure, who too often substitute ideology and partisanship for broken theory, and usually have been flat wrong in their assessments.
Obama's Delusions: The Economy and Iraq
The Great Credit Card Battle To Come
The next front in the banking wars will be over credit cards. Some of the nation's biggest bankers — including representatives of Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase, and other recipients of billions of taxpayer dollars — are meeting today with the President to ask him back off his move to reform credit-card lending practices. What's happening […]
We've Invested in Wall Street, Now It's Time to Invest in the Rest of America
The global economy has been put into the economic equivalent of a full nelson by a financial system threatening to collapse under the weight of a complicated pyramid scheme. The Bush administration sounded dire warnings and cobbled together a vaguely flushed-out rescue plan promising the injection of up to $700 billion of taxpayers' dollars into […]


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We are mainly sponsored through the Georgia Tech Senior Capstone Design course. Program and project sponsorship allows students to provide fast, creative solutions to real-world applications.
Steps to becoming a sponsor:
1. Read about our course
2. Apply to become a sponsor by filling out the sponsor application form
3. Email the completed application form to Dr. Amit Jariwala
2012 Sponsors:
Fall 2012 Sponsors:


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Announced in June 2010, Apple's OS X Lion is finally available for end consumers. OS X Lion is currently available only as a digital download through the MAC App store for Intel powered Macs. It..More
As always, Apple's new iPods are objects of desire. And as always, they're slimmer, sleeker, lighter and more importantly, seemingly better value.
All the new variants are already available in t..More
About five years ago, AppleInc design guru Jony Ive decided he wanted a new feature for the next MacBook: a small dot of green light above the screen, shining through the computer's aluminum casi..More
This time around, Apple has taken its entire MacBook Pro lineup through a major revamp in terms of internal components.
The latest second generation Intel Core processors have been added alo..More
Alex Johnson, a freelance video producer in Indianapolis, has a self-esteem problem.
Well, not really, but his new iPhone thinks he does. "Why do I cry so much?" he asked it recently ..More
Samayaka eagerly waits for her father to come home every evening. He carries something the five-year-old regards as magical. An iPhone. "She just grabs it when I return. My iPhone is more ..More
Steve Jobs unveiling iCloud and what really it has in store.More
In the era of the personal computer, Apple Inc's machines were often less vulnerable to security threats than the alternatives. That may also be the case with the rise of smartphones.
Google I..More
Apple's iconic game-setter tablet computer, iPad has been finally launched in India, almost nine months after it made its debut across several countries.
The company launched the iPad Thurs..More
The new Messages application replaces the existing iChat application with the added feature that you can send and receive messages (including photo and video attachments) to and f..More


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- Abraham Zippor Wylie
- Aden Catalani
- Andrew Enna
- Ashley Montague
- Azad Sadjadi
- Bret Hostetler
- Brin Levinson
- Brooke Weston
- Chuck Bloom
- Corey Smith
- Curtis Kulig
- Dan Ness
- Eatcho
- Edward Juan
- Heidi Taillefer
- Jane Terzis
- Jeff Betz
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- Lyle Carbajal
- Mario Robert
- Martha Rich
- Miguel Gonzalez
- Nile Hagen
- Phresha
- Roscoe Hall II
- Theodore Holdt
- Todd Sargood
- William Chad Willsie
Age: 35
Born: San Francisco, CA
Bachelor of Fine Art: Oregon State University (1998)
Master of Fine Art: San Francisco Art Institute (2002)
The materials that I collect on a daily basis define my work. Deconstructing materials is essential to the creation of the work, not only in expressing my concern for discarded items but also in exemplifying the beauty of objectivity. The combination of familiarity with the discarded item and the applied technique create a new history and this familiarity chooses to become art.
The process demands my attention and commitment and drives the potential of the material that I have chosen.


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Seattle Startup Buzz
Seattle Startup Buzz is for and about the startups and trends impacting new ventures in Seattle, Washington State and the Northwest. The truth is that economic growth and recovery in the Northwest will be driven one new venture at a time. Tell us about your new venture and why it will impact the Northwest.
Monthly Archive for November, 2010
Majority of Business Leaders Encouraged With 2010 Performance, Optimistic About 2011
Survey of Puget Sound area executives and business leaders reveals less satisfaction with new customer growth in 2010, renewed focus on CRM and social media in 2011 Over 70 percent of business leaders were encouraged by their organization's ability to adapt to business challenges faced in 2010, and an even higher percentage (80 percent) are optimistic about their 2011 outlook. This encouraging economic signal was reflected in a recently completed survey of 100 Puget Sound area business leaders and … [Read More]


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Horse Stall Kits and Barn Doors
From standard exterior barn doors and sliders to elite architectural horse stalls and portable horse stall kits, Sunset Valley Metalcraft offers the craftsmanship you'll appreciate for years to come.
Known for our metal fabricating throughout Pennsylvania's Amish Countryside since 1975, we're a family-owned company dedicated to quality and value you can count on!
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Gear Question
Scott Mc Canles
What's the difference between a down sweater...
What's the difference between a down sweater & a down jacket?
Mark Parrett
Patagonia calls these sweaters because they are often used as a part of a layering system, but they do have a DWR coating so they are fine to use as a "jacket" as well. These (as well as similar offerings from TNF, Mountain Hardwear, Mont Bell, etc) will usually compress down really small. Many of the down pieces labeled "jacket" in the Patagonia line are less compressible, use heavier fabrics and are more geared towards being the outermost layer in your kit.
James Jenden
The general distinction in marketing between a "sweater" and "jacket" when you're looking at down pieces is the amount of fill. "800" refers to the quality of down inside (1 ounce lofts up to a volume of 800 cubic inches, roughly), but what really determines the warmth is how much down is the jacket stuffed with. Less than three ounces is generally a sweater, and greater than three is a jacket. To a lesser degree, items defined as jackets are sometimes designed specifically as outer layers, with more durable, or waterproof fabrics, instead of flyweight ripstop shells.
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