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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps)
Use our online alert to urge Congress to reject budget proposals that cut SNAP
Learn about RESULTS' work on nutrition and health legislation, including the most recent Farm Bill
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) – formerly known as food stamps – acts as the nation's frontline safety net against hunger. Its goal is to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by permitting low-income households to obtain a more nutritious diet. SNAP provides a monthly benefit amount to eligible low-income families that can be used to purchase food. Eligibility for SNAP is based on household income and assets, and because this is a federal entitlement program, all those who qualify for benefits should receive them. Overall, SNAP is an impactful and effective program; in 2012, it succeeded in lifting nearly 5 million above the poverty line, including about 2.2 million children. SNAP is also one of the most efficient government programs, with more than 99 percent of benefits being issued to eligible households.
In January 2014, Farm Bill negotiators released their final Farm Bill proposal, which included $8.6 billion in cuts to SNAP. These cuts mainly impact "Heat and Eat" programs in 15 states, which use heating assistance to help increase SNAP benefits. The cut would deter this practice, resulting in 850,000 households losing an average of $90 per month in SNAP benefits. The House passed the bill 251-166 on January 29 and the Senate passed it 68-32 on February 4. President Obama signed it into law on February 7. RESULTS opposed the bill because of the cuts to SNAP but we are also very grateful to our volunteers for their hard work in protecting SNAP from the much deeper cuts proposed by the House. Without the advocacy of RESULTS volunteers and many others, the damage to SNAP would have been a whole lot worse.
Unfortunately, some in Congress are pushing for deeper cuts to SNAP and structural changes that would undermine the program. The House Republican budget proposal includes a proposed $135 billion reduction - almost 18% - to the program over ten years, with real impact on low-income individuals' ability to feed themselves and their families. These cuts would achieved by some combination of "block granting" the program, reducing the size of the benefits, and restricting the eligibility for the program. If turned into a block grant, SNAP would be less able to respond during economic downturns and states would be able to move funds from SNAP to other programs during budget shortfalls.
In September 2013, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual report about food security in the U.S. In 2012, 14.5 percent of households were food insecure at least some time during the year, including 5.7 percent with very low food security—meaning that the food intake of one or more household members was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food. The prevalence rate of very low food security increased from 5.4 percent in 2010, returning to the level observed in 2008 and 2009. SNAP is a key program in responding to that need, especially in times of economic downturn. According to the USDA's profile of SNAP, April 2012, 47 percent of all participants are children, and 71 percent of all SNAP benefits go to households with children. In addition, about 16 percent of all households include an elderly member, and about 20 percent include a disabled member.
Broadening participation in SNAP and ensuring that benefits are adequate are vital to ending hunger.While private charities also play an important part of meeting need, it's important to remember that the food provided by all food banks and food pantries combined is equivalent to just 6 percent of the food federal nutrition programs provide - primarily through SNAP, though also through WIC, school meals, and a few other federal programs.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, H.R.1), passed by Congress in February 2009, included $20 billion to temporarily increase SNAP benefits by 14 percent, but this increase has been cut over the past two years to fund other programs, and ended completely in November 2013. These investments in SNAP are a very effective economic stimulator; the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service (ERS) finds that each dollar of federal SNAP benefits generates $1.79 in economic activity, while Mark Zandi from Moody's Economy has estimated that figure at $1.84. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that between 8,900 and 17,900 full time jobs are created for every $1 billion in food stamps. Unfortunately, the ARRA boost to SNAP was reduced to pay for assistance to states for Medicaid programs in August 2010 and Child Nutrition in December 2010. SNAP is working as a critical safety net; a Center for Budget and Policy Priorities' analysis, using the the Census Bureau approved alternative calculation of poverty, found that SNAP lifted 4.9 million people out of poverty in 2012, including about 2.2 million children. SNAP also lifted 1.4 million children out of deep poverty (50% of the poverty line) in 2012, more than any other government assistance program.
Benefits, Eligibility, and Participant Profiles
According to the USDA in its FY 2012 SNAP Profile, the SNAP benefit averaged in 2012 about $133 per person a month or $1.48 per meal. After the ARRA benefit increase expired in November 2013, the average benefit level fell to approximately $1.39 per meal. Benefits may be used to buy only food items generally for consumption in the home; alcohol, tobacco, and non-food household items are excluded. Eligibility for SNAP is determined by household. In order to qualify, households, with a few exceptions, must have a gross income below 130 percent of the federal poverty line, and net income below the poverty line. They also cannot possess more than $2,000 in assets ($3,250 for households with an elderly member or someone with disabilities).
Seventy-four percent of those participating in the program receive food stamps for two years or less. Half of all new recipients stay on the program no more than ten months and 57 percent end participation within one year. Participants in SNAP spend more on food than they would in the absence of the program. Providing benefits that can be spent only on food raises food expenditures more than an equal amount of cash. In addition, there is evidence that program participation can increase the availability of some nutrients in the home food supply. Recent studies have shown that the nutrient intake of low-income people differs little from higher-income people — a sharp contrast from 40 years ago.
SNAP at Risk in Budget Negotiations
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI-1) proposes to radically alter SNAP. As part of the proposed House FY 2015 budget, SNAP funding would be cut by $137 billion over the next ten years. This would force millions of people out of the program and/or a significant reduction in benefits, which are already low (about $1.40 per meal per person). Although Ryan did not give many details on how these cuts would be implemented, we do know that Ryan would convert SNAP into a block grant program, i.e. a fixed lump sum amount given to states. This change would allow states to adjust eligibility and benefits as they see fit while undermining the current system that is both effective in reaching those in need and cutting fraud, waste, and abuse. Cuts to SNAP would make it harder for families to pull themselves out of poverty and deep poverty. If the cuts were to come solely from eliminating eligibility for categories of currently eligible households or individuals, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates using Congressional Budget Office data that 10 million people would need to be cut from the program each year. If the cuts were to come solely from across-the-board benefit cuts, SNAP benefits would have to be cut by an average of more than $40 per person per month beginning in 2019. With this budget plan, the risk of hunger would be substancially increased. (See CBPP's state-by-state estimated impact of this proposal.)
As deficit reduction battles continue, we are pleased that the Budget Control Act protects mandatory programs that serve low-income Americans, such as Medicaid, SNAP, and the Earned Income Tax Credit from across-the-board cuts known as "the sequester." However, funding for discretionary programs assisting low-income Americans, such as the Supplemental Nutrtion Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Head Start, and low-income housing programs, is vulnerable to cuts under the sequester. The House has set appropriations levels for Fiscal Year 2015 that disproportionately make cuts in the Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education bill (Labor-HHS) and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill (T-HUD), which contain many important safety net programs. The Senate's appropriations levels for Labor-HHS and T-HUD are somewhat more generous. We urge the Congress to protect all the safety net programs in their negotiations. We also urge them to reject structural changes to Medicaid and SNAP, such as converting the programs to block grants, which will hurt millions of vulnerable Americans.
Program Responsiveness and Effectiveness
No other federal program except unemployment insurance responds better to changing economic conditions than SNAP. This is especially evident in both the time of the recession beginning in 2008 and in the wake of disasters when the special D-SNAP program kicks in. The amount of D-SNAP benefits issued depends on the number and magnitude of disasters during the year and requires no Congressional action. Disaster driven SNAP benefits more than doubled in 2006 due to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coast.
Lastly, SNAP achieved its lowest error rates on record in fiscal year 2012, even as volumes of participants grew and administrative resources were under strain. Given all the rigorous methods that have been used to minimize errors, SNAP has "one of the best records of accuracy in providing benefits only to eligible households of any government program."


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|Joerg Sonnenberger <joerg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
|Sun, 13 Aug 2006 21:35:23 +0200
On Sun, Aug 13, 2006 at 12:19:47PM -0700, Matthew Dillon wrote: > dillon 2006/08/13 12:19:47 PDT > > DragonFly src repository > > Modified files: > sys/sys dirent.h > Log: > Add some linux compatibility defines, _DIRENT_HAVE_D_NAMLEN and > _DIRENT_HAVE_D_TYPE. I think this is crap and shouldn't clutter our headers. Just because Linux has a stupid idea to create such flags doesn't make it sensible. I haven't seen source code using this, which doesn't also probe for them. No BSD has them and I'm pretty sure that Solaris doesn't have them either. Joerg

subset: commoncrawl


text:
A self-aligning valve assembly and a valve plug therefor includes an elastomeric valve plug having an annular outer sealing portion with an annular sealing surface for sealing a drain hole valve seating of a receptacle. A central mounting portion is secured to a pair of telescoped tubes. A flexible diaphragm with a circular convoluted fold integrally connects the mounting portion and the outer sealing portion, and is capable of yielding to permit radial and/or tilting displacement of the outer sealing portion relative to the central mounting portion of the plug to accommodate limited misalignment between the valve tubes and the drain hole.
1. A valve assembly for use inside of an enclosed container comprising:
a support structure capable of being mounted on the outside of the container, opposite an annulus defining a drain hole, said drain hole having an inlet side and an outlet side;
coupling means including a pressure plate joining said support structure to sealing means;
sealing means including a circular valve plug centrally attached to said coupling means;
said plug being of elastomeric material and having an integral spherical seating surface and an annular lip member enclosing said pressure plate;
said plug including an annular fold intermediate said seating surface and the plug center, for permitting movement of said seating surface relative to said coupling means;
whereby said seating surface can effect a fluid tight seal of the drain hole when said coupling means is not fully aligned with the drain hole.
2. The valve assembly of claim 1 wherein said sealing means plug further includes:
an inner surface adapted to be adjacent said pressure plate;
at least two integral stand off elements on said inner surface for contacting said pressure plate and for transmitting sealing force to said seating surface;
whereby lateral movement of said plug relative to said pressure plate is facilitated during application of sealing pressures by said pressure plate.
3. For use with a valve assembly intended for the inside of container, container having an annulus defining a drain hole, the valve assembly to be controlled from the exterior of the container, the valve assembly including valve control means mounted on the exterior of the container on a surface opposite the annulus, a valve rod coupled to said valve control means and extending through the interior of the container, and a valve plate connected to said valve rod, adjacent the annulus,
an elastomeric plug member adapted to be fitted to the rod and having a seating annulus adapted to fit into the drain opening defining annulus;
said plug member having an integral, annular convoluted fold on the seating surface thereof, thereby permitting lateral movement of said seating annulus with respect to the valve assembly when the valve rod is not coaxial or concentric with respect to the drain hole.
4. The plug of claim 3 further including an inner surface adapted to be adjacent the valve plate and at least two integral stand off elements on said inner surface for contacting the valve plate and for transmitting sealing forces therefrom whereby lateral movement of said plug relative to the valve plate is not impeded during application of sealing pressures by friction between the pressure plate and said inner surface.
5. The plug of claim 3 further including:
a reinforced, thickened lower central ring portion adapted to fit on the valve rod and be captured thereon; and
a retroflex wall portion extending outwardly from said seating portion toward the rod resulting in a substantially toroidal body, said wall portion terminating in a reinforced, thickened, upper rim, adapted to fit closely on the rod over said valve plate member.
6. For use in a tank system having an annular drain opening in one wall and a drain valve including an actuating rod mounted in the opposite wall substantially in alignment with the drain opening, the actuating rod including at its free end a pressure plate element, a plug member comprising:
(1) a drain engaging lower surface having an annular substantially spherical seating surface adapted to fit into the drain opening;
(2) central fastening means including means adapted to cooperate with the pressure plate element;
(3) an annular convoluted fold intermediate said seating surface and said central fastening means to permit limited movement of said seating surface relative to the actuating rod and pressure plate; and
(4) a retroflex circumferential edge folding back toward the rod to partially enclose the pressure plate element between said circumferential edge and said drain engaging surface;
whereby limited misalignments of the rod and drain opening can be accommodated by translational and rotational motion of said seating surface, permitted by said annular convoluted fold.
7. Circular drain plug adapted to be mounted on a plate that is adapted to be deployed to seal an aperture:
said plug including an interior portion and a retroflex portion partially enclosing the plate;
said plug having an annular seating surface adapted to fit into the aperture and, when urged by the plate, forming a fluid tight seal with the aperture;
said plug having an annular bellows intermediate the seating surface and the center, permitting radial translation of said annular seating surface; whereby misalignments of the plate and the aperture are accommodated and corrected by translation of said seating surface.
8. The plug of claim 7 wherein said annular seating surface is a zone of a sphere.
9. The plug of claim 7 wherein said annular seating surface is a conic section.
10. The plug of claim 7, further including on the interior surface thereof adjacent said seating surface, at least two integral stand off elements adapted to contact the plate and transmit forces therefrom to said seating surface without creating substantial resistance to seating surface motion in a direction substantially parallel to the plate.
1. Field of the Invention
The valve assembly of the present invention has particular application as a closure device for use inside of an enclosed container as, for example, a waste receptacle in aircraft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art valve assemblies used in waste receptacles have been supported from the top of the receptacle and extend axially for some distance to engage a valve seat in the bottom of the receptacle. One prior art approach controlled the axial alignment of the valve plug with the valve seat by telescoping tubes. The valve plug was inserted into and held in the valve seat by a helically coiled spring which was enclosed by the telescoping tubes and was compressed between the valve plug and the support structure.
In the construction of the waste receptacle, in the installation of the valve assembly, and in the operation of the valve assembly, errors in axial alignment of the valve plug and valve seat have been encountered. In such prior art valve assemblies, when an error in axial alignment was introduced into the system, the valve plug would hang up on the valve seat and leave an opening through which the contents of the receptacle could pass.
When the prior art valves in the aircraft waste receptacle leaked, the contents of the receptacle escaped, creating a difficult and distasteful clean-up job for the aircraft maintenance personnel. In some instances, the leakage has presented a danger to the operation of the aircraft due to the formation of ice.
An alternative, prior art approach has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,913, to Judd. A spherical joint was included between the tapered valve plug and the telescoping alignment tubes, positioning the center of rotation of such joint on the outlet side of the tapered valve seat. This arrangement also positioned the spherical contact surface of such point (e.g., the locus of application of the compressive spring force on the valve plug) on the outlet side of the valve seat when the valve plug has engaged the valve seat.
When the valve plug was misaligned axially with the valve seat and encountered the lip of the valve seat, the spherical joint permitted the valve plug to rotate into the seat and slide into engagement with the valve seat. However, this approach required a complex mechanical assembly and was of limited utility when the drain was eccentric relative to the axis between the drain opening and the acuating mechanisms.
In recent years, the major manufacturers of such aircraft waste systems have provided a valve actuating rod which, at its remote end adjacent the drain opening, includes a substantially circular flange with a flat bottom surface that acts as a pressure plate upon an elastomeric plug member such as is disclosed in the prior art. The rod extends through the flanged pressure plate and terminates in a threaded portion which serves as a mounting point for the prior art plug.
According to the present invention, the pressure plate is utilized as in the prior art but the elastomeric plug is modified in construction to include intermediate a spherical seating surface which is adapted to engage the annular drain, a convoluted annular portion which permits some lateral motion of the annular spherical seating surface. The periphery of the plug is curved inwardly and extends far enough to enclose a portion of the upper surface of the flange. The circumferential rim extends inwardly sufficiently so that in extreme lateral displacement of the spherical seating surface against the convoluted annular portion, relative to the actuating rod would still leave the flange enclosed by the reverse curve of the plug.
In alternative embodiments, a reinforcing ring can be molded into the spherical seating element and, in yet other embodiments, a plurality of interior protuberances are provided to cooperate with the pressure plate to force the plug into tighter engagement with the drain opening.
Other variations are available in which the seating element has conical or other curvatures which can adapt to the drain opening. Yet other surface shapes to optimize the ceiling relationship between the seating surface and the drain opening can be developed within the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a partly broken away perspective view of a container with a prior art valve assembly;
FIG. 2 is a side section view of an alternative self-aligning prior art valve assembly;
FIG. 3 is a side section view of an improved drain plug mounted on one commercially available rod assembly;
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the drain plug shown on an alternative commercially available valve and rod assembly;
FIG. 5, including FIGS. 5a, 5b, are successive cross-sectional views of an angularly misaligned rod and drain being accommodated by the plug of the present invention; and
FIG. 6, including FIGS. 6a and 6b, are successive cross-sectional views of an eccentrically misaligned rod and drain being accommodated by the plug of the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art drain valve assembly 10 is shown suspended between the top of the enclosed container (or receptacle) 12 and the annular valve seat 14 located in the bottom of the container 16. The valve assembly 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is in the compressed position for installation in a waste receptacle 18. FIG. 1 shows only a portion of one wall 20 of the waste receptacle 18 together with portions of the top 12 and bottom 16 of the receptacle.
To mount the valve assembly 10 within the receptacle 18, bolts 22 are passed through holes 24 in top 12 and affixed in position by conventional nuts (not shown).
When the valve assembly 10 is affixed in position, the actuator cable 26 passes through hole 28 in top of the container 12. In order to release the valve assembly 10 from the compressed position, cable 26 is moved into the center of hole 28 and restraining bead 30 is moved out of its detent in support flange 32. When cable 26 is released, circular valve plug 34 is guided toward valve seat 14 by telescoping tubes (36 and 38). If valve plug 34 is axially aligned with the centerline 40 of valve seat 14, the plug 34 will enter the valve seat 14 and close drain hole 42 of the waste receptacle 18.
The valve assembly 10 contains two springs, a heavy actuator spring 44 and a light cable tensioning spring 46. The actuator spring 44 requires approximately 40 pounds of force to be fully compressed. The cable tensioning spring 46 requires approximately 5 pounds of force to be fully compressed.
When the valve assembly 10 is in the closed position (not shown) actuator spring 44 is compressed between valve plug 34 and support flange 32. In the closed position the compressive force of helical coiled spring 44 on valve plug 34 holds the plug in the valve seat and prevents fluids from waste receptacle 18 from passing through drain hole 42.
The purpose of cable tensioning spring 46 is to remove the slack from cable 26 when the valve assembly is installed and the valve plug is in the closed position. Cable 26 connects the maintenance dump handle (not shown) with the valve assembly.
In the normal operation of the valve assembly, aircraft maintenance personnel pull the dump handle (not shown) which moves cable 26 to compress the cable tensioning spring 46. When the cable tensioning spring 46 is completely compressed in core 48 the cable 26 pulls against the compressive force of the actuator spring 44 and telescoping tubes 36 and 38 contract and valve plug 34 unseats and moves vertically to open drain hole 42.
When receptacle 18 is emptied, the dump handle (not shown) is released which in turn permits cable 26 to move and actuator spring to urge valve plug toward drain hole 42. Telescoping guide tubes 36 and 38 are designed to direct plug 34 into the proper position in valve seat 14.
Valve plug 34 is composed of two pieces, an inner core 48 made of aluminum or plastic to give shape and strength to the valve plug and an outer cover 50 made of rubber or other resilient material for sealing purposes.
Surrounding the telescoping tubes 36 and 38 is an expandable rubber ribbed boot 52 which protects the tubes 36 and 38 and actuator spring 44 from the contents of the waste receptacle.
In the past, errors in axial alignment of the valve assembly 10 and the valve seat 14 have been introduced into the system as a result of defects in the manufacturing of the waste receptacle, errors in installation of the valve assembly, and by deflection or distortion of the receptacle top in the operation of the valve assembly itself. When the valve plug was out of axial alignment as shown by line 54, the valve plug engaged the side of valve seat 14 and would hang up on the valve seat 14 and leave a crescent-shaped opening through drain hole 42.
The purpose of the inventive drain valve assembly as shown in FIG. 2 is to overcome the misalignment errors introduced into the system as previously described and assist the valve plug in properly seating in valve seat.
FIG. 2 depicts an alternative prior art drain valve assembly. The valve assembly is mounted in an enclosed waste receptacle which hold support structure (flange) to the top of the receptacle. Telescoping guide tubes 64 and 66 hold improved plug 58 in approximate alignment with centerline 40' of valve seat 14'. The improved plug 58 is shown engaging the valve seat 14' to close drain hole or annulus 42'.
In FIG. 2 valve plug 58 is misaligned with valve seat 14' and has engaged the lip 82 of valve seat 14'. The misalignment 81 is represented by the distance between centerline 40' of valve seat 14' and centerline 83 of tube 66. When the plug 58 engages the lip 82 of valve seat 14', it rotates in an arc as shown by arrow 84.
The improved valve plug can rotate in the direction of arc 84 because of spherical joint 86 between tube 66 and spherical ring member 68.
When the valve plug 58 is in the position as shown in FIG. 2, the compressive force of helical actuator spring 76 on the base of lower tube 66, through spherical joint 86, and upon plug 58 assists plug 58 to slide on the valve seat 14' into the full seating contact position shown.
Turning next to FIG. 3, there is shown an improved self-aligning valve assembly according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, there is shown some of the same elements as in FIGS. 1 and 2 which may be illustrated as slightly different as a result of immaterial design modifications by the manufacturers of the aircraft waste tanks.
In FIG. 3, there is shown an improved drain valve assembly 110 which is mounted in the top 112 of the waste tank. A drain valve seat 114 is located in the bottom 116 of the tank 118. The assembly 110 is held in place by fasteners such as bolts 122.
The valve assembly 110 extends through a fairly large opening 124 in top 112. As in the prior art, a cable 126 which is threaded through a hole 128 and terminates in a restraining bead 130.
The improved valve plug assembly 134 is fastened to a telescoping tube combination including an upper tube 136 and a lower tube 138. The hole 128 through which the cable 126 extends if the termination of the lower tube 138 and enables the cable to telescope the lower tube 138 into the upper tube 136. A heavy actuator spring 144 bears against a pressure plate 148 upon which is mounted the improved self-aligning valve plug 150 of the present invention.
A ribbed boot or bellows 152 encloses the area where the telescoping tubes 136 and 138 are joined to keep waste materials out of the operating mechanism. The lower end of the lower telescoping tube 138 includes a threaded bolt element 154 by means of which the pressure plate and valve plug are fastened to the lower telescoping tube 138.
In this embodiment, the pressure plate 148 includes an upper cylindrical portion 156 to which is fastened the lower end of the boot member 152 in a substantially fluid tight seal. A special nut 158 fasten both the plug 150 and the pressure plate 148 to the lower telescoping tube 138.
The improved valve plug 150 is, as in the prior art devices, preferrably of an elastomeric compound to facilitate a fluid tight seal against the valve seat 114. The valve plug 150 includes an annular substantially conical seating surface 160 which, in the preferred embodiment, has a peripheral surface that is a section of a sphere. Adjacent the annular seating surface 160 is a annular convoluted fold which is adjacent a thickened central portion 164 having a central opening 166 through which the bolt 154 projects.
Adjacent the annular seating surface 160 is a continuation of the plug wall which extends as a side wall portion 168 which ends in a thicker circumferential edge portion 170 which rests against an upper surface 172 of the seating member 148. On the interior of the valve plug 150 positioned around the interior surface of the annular seating surface 160 is a plurality of integral stand off elements or posts 174 against which the pressure plate 148 bears to seat the annular seating surface 160 in the valve seat 114. Because the maximum diameter of the plug 150 and the side wall 168 is somewhat greater than the diameter of the pressure plate 148, even though the center of the valve plug 150 is fastened to the central bolt 154, some lateral or radial movement of the annular seating surface 160 is possible relative to the drain valve assembly which would otherwise be substantially rigid in the lateral direction, comprised as it is of closely fitting telescoping cylinders which are firmly mounted at one end to the tank 118.
As one can see, the entire valve assembly is constrained to move only vertically upon actuation of a drain lever which causes the cable 126 to rise, telescoping the tubes and pulling the valve plug 150 out of the valve seat 114.
The spherical curvature to the annular seating surface 160 permits the valve plug 150 to seal the valve seat even if the plug 150 is tilted by a limited amount out of the horizontal plane. Further, if the telescoping rods are not concentric with the valve seat, the convoluted fold 162 together with the difference in diameter between the pressure plate 148 and the side wall 168 permits some lateral movement of the annular seating surface even though the plug is held at its center.
Turning next to FIG. 4, there is shown a portion of an alternative drain valve assembly 180. In FIG. 4, only the pressure plate 182 and lower telescoping tube 184 are shown in combination with a modified valve plug 186 according to the present invention.
Since the pressure plate 182 differs in design from the pressure plate 148, the valve plug 186 is modified to accommodate these differences. The basic features, however, are unchanged in that the valve plug 186 includes an annular seating surface 188 which, in the preferred embodiment although of generally conical shape presents a curved surface corresponding to the section of a sphere which engages the valve seat 114. A convoluted fold 190 occupies the space between the annular seating surface and a central mounting portion 192 which include an aperture through which appropriate mounting hardware is. In this apparatus, a conventional nut 194 is used to capture the valve plug 186.
As with the valve plug 150 of FIG. 3, this valve plug 186 includes a plurality of inner posts 196 which are acted upon by the pressure plate 148. The use of the inner posts 196 on the valve plug 186 or the posts 174 on the plug 150 tends to equalize the application of force against the valve seat as well as minimizing the resistance to lateral movement of the plug and the annular seating ring. To minimize the friction and resistance to lateral motion, in the preferred embodiment, the inner posts 174, 196 are conical so that a limited surface area is presented to the pressure plates with which they cooperate.
Turning next to FIG. 5, there is shown in FIGS. 5A through C, the valve plug of the present invention accommodating for an angular misalignment of the valve plug 134. As seen in FIG. 5A, the descending valve plug 134 is axially misaligned with the opening 114 and is approaching at a slight angle.
As can be seen in FIG. 5B, the seating surface, which is a section of a sphere, can, through limited angles, accommodate limited angular misalignment. Within those limits, the plug 150 will seat in the opening 114 as shown in FIG. 5B, and as the valve continues to descend as shown in FIG. 5C, the pressure plate 148 contacts the inner posts 174 and through there exerts a ceiling pressure against the valve plug 150 as a whole and the annular seating surface 160 in particular.
The convoluted annular fold 162 can also accommodate some lateral misalignment resulting from the axial misalignment. Within the limits of accommodation, the annular seating surface 160 will form a fluid tight seal against the annular valve seat 114.
Similarly, FIG. 6, including FIGS. 6A through C, illustrate how the improved plug of the present invention can accommodate an axial misalignment of the valve assembly 134. In this type of misalignment, the role of the convoluted fold 162 assumes greater importance.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the initial engagement of the valve seat 114 with the seating surface 160 causes the plug 150 to be laterally displaced by the camming action of the seat 114 against the annular seating surface 160. The convoluted annular fold 162 is therefore compressed on one side while expanded slightly on the other. Further, the sidewall 168 also accommodates some lateral motion of the annular seating surface 160.
As the valve plug assembly 134 reaches the end of its travel, the pressure plate 148 has engaged the inner posts 174 and through there exerts a downward force on the annular seating member 160. The spherical annular seating surface 160 tends to center itself within the drain opening 114 and the limited surface area of the post 174 provides a minimum of frictional resistance to the translational motion of the plug 150 relative to the pressure plate 148.
In the final configuration, the pressure plate 148 is bearing on the seating surface 160 through the inner posts 174 and the sidewall member 168 remains in substantially sealing contact with the conical wall of the valve plug assembly 134. With the application of pressure to the inner post 174, the annular seating member 160 engages the valve seat 114 in a fluidtight seal. The annular convolution 162 permits the center of the valve assembly 134 to be laterally displaced from the center of the valve seat 114 while the annular seating member 160 is centered.
Thus, there has been disclosed and shown in alternative embodiments, an improved self-aligning plug element for a valve assembly useful in waste tanks. The plug includes an annular seating surface which is integrally connected to the valve assembly by means of an intermediate annular convoluted fold that permits some lateral movement between the center of the plug and the annular seating surface. Further, in the preferred embodiment, the seating surface is a section of a sphere, thereby permitting some axial misalignment of the plug assembly which can be accommodated by the spherical surface and the annular convolution.
The plug itself includes an upper wall which is retroverted to adapt to the commercially available valve plug assemblies and includes sufficient space in the radial direction to retain a substantially fluidtight contact with the valve element while the seating element is annularly displaced. The provision of inner posts between the pressure plate portion of the available valve to transmit the ceiling force through an even and uniform application of pressure with a minimum of resistance to lateral motion relative to the plate.
Other embodiments will appear to those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the claims appended hereto.
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No Hansen on the Danish national team is a shame, since no one reps Dong Energy quite like him.
While I have no proof, I have a sneaking suspicion that Canucks prospect Nicklas Jensen wanted to play this season in the Swedish Elite League so that he would be sure to be available for Denmark's national team for Olympic qualifying. The country's final Olympic qualification tournament was on home ice in Vojens, and they were the highest ranked team in their group, consisting of themselves, Belarus, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
Denmark won their first game on Thursday, shutting out Ukraine 2-0. With Slovenia beating Belarus 4-2 on the same day, Denmark just needed to beat Slovenia on Friday to ensure their first ever Olympic berth. Instead, the much lower-ranked Slovenians shocked Denmark 2-1, earning their first ever trip to the Olympics. That unfortunately means that neither Jensen nor Jannik Hansen will be travelling to Sochi in 2014 to play in the Winter Olympics.
Poor Hansen. He made no secret of the fact that one of his motivations for going to Europe during the lockout was getting in shape for these qualification games. Then the NHL got it together a month before he could help the team. His presence may have made a difference.
Instead, both Hansen and Jensen will be watching Sochi on television. Between that and the fact that Roberto Luongo — a lock to make the team, even if some pundits are saying otherwise — likely won't be a Canuck by then, there doesn't look to be much Canuck representation at the Olympics.
Team Sweden will have the most, of course. The Sedins will be leaned on heavily to provide offence for Sweden, while Alex Edler will surely make the team after being snubbed for the 2010 Olympics.
Ryan Kesler will be an important player for Team USA and there's an outside shot that Cory Schneider will make the team as third-string goalie behind Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick, though he'll have to battle Craig Anderson and Jimmy Howard for the job. Is he more deserving than they? Ryan Lambert thinks so.
As for Team Canada, it's a safe bet that there won't be a single Canuck in the group, which just doesn't feel right.
A few pundits have suggested Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa as outside shots for the blueline, however. Hamhuis probably has an edge, especially if Team Canada is looking to add another left-side defenceman, since, with Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Weber, Duncan Keith, and Drew Doughty, they're heavy on righties.
The longest of long shots would be Alex Burrows, who performed very well for Team Canada in the 2012 World Championships, scoring 3 goals while playing strong, two-way hockey.
Burrows is extremely unlikely to make the 2014 team, however, thanks to the incredible depth the Canucks have at forward. When Harrison posted his picks for Team Canada over at Puck Daddy, he had Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, and Rick Nash on the fourth line. And that was a perfectly reasonable decision. While Burrows has versatility on his side, being a great penalty killer and defensive forward to go with his goal-scoring, you'd be hard-pressed to suggest he was one of the 15 best Canadian forwards in the world. And that's what it will take to make this team.Tags: Denmark, Nicklas Jensen, Olympics


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Justin Speier Rumors
Has Justin Speier Retired?
The Rockies are operating under the assumption that reliever Justin Speier has retired, tweets Troy Renck of the Denver Post.
Colorado signed the 36-year-old to a minor league deal in January and cut him loose on April 3rd. Upon being released, Speier said that he would retire if he could not land a major league gig even though the Rockies had offered him a spot in Triple-A. Because he never reported to Colorado Springs, the organization assumes that he is done with baseball.
According to Baseball Reference, Speier has earned more than $20MM for his career, not including the $5.25MM he is owed by the Angels this season. In twelve big league seasons, the righthander has posted a 4.11 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9.
Full Story | 1 Comment | Categories: Colorado Rockies | Justin Speier
Rockies Release Justin Speier
The Rockies have released righty reliever Justin Speier, tweets Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies. Ringolsby says that Speier will retire if he can't land a big league job, but the door is open for him at Colorado's Triple-A affiliate.
Speier, 36, signed a minor league deal with the Rockies back in January, and posted a solid 3.42 ERA with a 12/3 K/BB ratio in 13 innings this spring. The last time he was an effective big league reliever was back in 2007, when he posted a 2.88 ERA in 50 innings during the first year of the four year, $18MM he signed with the Angels.
Anaheim still owes him $5.25MM this season, which he'll add to the $20MM Baseball-Reference.com says he's earned to this point in his career.
Full Story | 4 Comments | Categories: Colorado Rockies | Justin Speier | Transactions
Rockies To Sign Justin Speier & Jimmy Gobble
The Rockies agreed to deals with Justin Speier and Jimmy Gobble, tweets MLB.com's Thomas Harding. The pair will come to camp on minor league deals as non-roster invitees.
Speier, 36, pitched 40 innings for the Angels last year. He allowed 44 hits and 15 walks, striking out 39 for a 5.18 ERA. We heard earlier in the week that the Rockies were in on the 12-year MLB veteran, who pitched for the Rockies from 2001-03.
The White Sox signed Gobble to a minor league deal last April and he didn't pitch particularly well in the 12 appearances he made. The lefty, now 28, allowed 14 hits and 7 walks in 12 innings, striking out 10. The White Sox designated him for assignment in July.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post hears that Derrick Turnbow should make a decision soon, perhaps within hours. We heard earlier today that the Dodgers are finalists for the reliever, who is weighing bids from a number of teams.
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Full Story | 2 Comments | Categories: Colorado Rockies | Derrick Turnbow | Jimmy Gobble | Justin Speier | Transactions
Rockies Notes: Mora, Giambi, Speier
Troy Renck of the Denver Post looks at a number of Rockies-related items in his latest blog entry….
- Eric Goldschmidt, agent of veteran infielder Melvin Mora, says his free-agent client is "definitely interested" in playing for Colorado. Renck points out that Mora's versatility would make him a logical signing for the Rockies, given that their other recent bench signing (Jason Giambi) can only play first base. Mora could decide on his future by the end of the week as he picks from between "roughly" five interested teams.
- Speaking of Giambi, Renck said that his clubhouse presence was a big factor in his re-signing with the Rockies. Troy Tulowitzki credited Giambi with "helping…with the mental side" of baseball.
- Renck says the Rockies are "expected to sign" reliever Justin Speier to a minor-league contract. Released by the Angels in August, Speier pitched for Colorado from 2001 to 2003 and has a 2.55 K/BB ratio in 12 major league seasons.
- Eric Gagne is "becoming a more likely non-roster invite than Derrick Turnbow." We heard yesterday from ESPN's Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter) that Arizona is also interested in Turnbow, so perhaps Colorado doesn't want to get into a bidding war with its divisional rival.
- Colorado GM Dan O'Dowd told Renck he was "surprised" when Jose Contreras signed with Philadelphia. O'Dowd said the Rockies wanted to use Contreras out of the bullpen while the Phillies offered him a chance to start. Interestingly, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said today (as reported by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) that Contreras will only start during spring training and will be a reliever by Opening Day.
Full Story | 2 Comments | Categories: Arizona Diamondbacks | Colorado Rockies | Derrick Turnbow | Eric Gagne | Jason Giambi | Jose Contreras | Justin Speier | Melvin Mora | Philadelphia Phillies | Troy Tulowitzki
La Russa Wants Speier, Smoltz?
According to Bernie Miklasz at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter), Cardinals manager Tony La Russa indicated that he would be interested in adding the recently dismissed veterans John Smoltz and Justin Speier. Both would be candidates to strengthen the depleted right side of the Cards' bullpen.
Against righties this season, Smoltz put up a 21/2 K/BB ratio while limiting them to a .232 batting clip. Speier has a 20/5 K/BB against them and has kept them to only a .239 average. So despite each having early difficulties, it looks like they each still could be of use to a team like the Cardinals. It's also notable that Tony La Russa had been clamoring to acquire Matt Holliday last year until the Cards finally pulled the trigger to grab him — La Russa has a history of getting his man.
Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: John Smoltz | Justin Speier | St. Louis Cardinals
Angels Release Justin Speier
According to the AP via ESPN, the Angels have released RHP Justin Speier. The 35-year-old has put up a 5.18 ERA and 39/15 K/BB ratio in 40.0 innings this season.
Speier is in the third year of a four-year deal worth $18MM and he's set to earn $5.25MM in 2010. With his past success, you can bet he'll find work somewhere else.
Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: Justin Speier | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Transactions
Speier and Stanton close to finding new homes
The big news this morning is that the Angels are close to a four-year deal with Justin Speier, who is very possibly the best reliever on the market this year. Tim predicted that Speier would get a three-year deal worth $17M–my guess is that the money per year is right, just with that extra year, for a total of $21-$22M or so.
Speier was a possible closer for many teams, so it's something of a surprise that the team that ponied up for him already has a great closer and a solid setup man in Frankie Rodriguez and Scot Shields. It's not cheap, and it'll certainly be more expensive once Frankie gets deep into his arbitration years, but LA could have the best 1-2-3 bullpen punch in baseball for a couple of years.
The market for relievers wasn't pretty in the first place; now the best guys out there are, uh, Danys Baez and David Weathers? The price was already high for Scott Linebrink; it just went up again.
One of the possibilities for Boston (who was presumed to be a suitor for Speier) is Joe Borowski, who sounds more than generically interested in the Red Sox. And who wouldn't be? Short of every fanboy's dream of Roger Clemens pitching the ninth inning, Borowski could end up closing games in Boston.
Yesterday I said nice things about the Reds signing of Alex Gonzalez. Today I can't be so kind to Wayne Krivsky. Apparently he's about to sign Mike Stanton to a two-year deal with a vesting option for a third. Stanton turns 40 in June. He had a nice run in San Francisco last year, but let's face it: the guy hasn't put up a good full season for two years. Sure, he might be worth more than the $1M he got for last year, but a vesting option for 2009? I guess that if you're worried David Weathers won't come back, there's only one choice: get older.
By Jeff Sackmann
Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: Boston Red Sox | Cincinnati Reds | Joe Borowski | Justin Speier | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2007 MLB Free Agents: Justin Speier
After wrongly leaving Justin Speier off my Top 50 Free Agents list, I felt the need to make it up to him by giving him his very own post.
Speier was drafted by the Cubs back in '95, buried in the 55th round. He was a reliever from Day 1. The Cubs made a pretty poor trade for bullpen help at the trading deadline in '98, sending Speier, Kevin Orie, and Todd Noel to the Marlins for Felix Heredia.
Things didn't go well for him in Florida, leading to a trade to Atlanta for a no-namer. Speier was placed on waivers at year's end and the Indians claimed him. He pitched well for the Tribe in 2000 but was sent to the Mets for a no-namer the next year. The Mets designated him for assignment after ten days, but Speier was out of options and didn't make it through waivers. He became a Rockie.
After two solid seasons in Colorado (including some closer duty), the Blue Jays rescued him in the winter of '03 in the Joe Kennedy/Mark Hendrickson trade. Speier got some saves in '04 under Carlos Tosca, though a sore elbow sidelined him in May.
He was to begin '05 as the Jays' closer, but Miguel Batista got the gig instead. Ligament damage in the middle finger of his pitching hand popped up in September to end a fine season (Speier allowed fewer than one baserunner per inning).
The finger injury recurred in spring of 2006, but he was fine to start the season as B.J. Ryan's setup man. Forearm issues came about this August, causing Speier to post his smallest inning total in a long time.
Speier has solid command, with a career K/BB of 2.5. Scouting report from Keith Law:
"Speier is a three-pitch reliever with good command of all three. He has a low-90s fastball with a little run but no sink; a tight slider with good tilt; and a splitter that he has improved to the point that it's a very effective weapon against left-handed hitters. When he's on, he keeps everything at or just above hitters' knees, garnering strikes and some bad swings. His fastball is flat, however, and he'll give up a lot of home runs if he has to pitch in the upper half of the zone."
According to ESPN, Speier throws about 64% fastballs, 29% sliders, and 7% other stuff.
I could see Speier commanding a deal similar to Kyle Farnsworth's – three years, $17MM with incentives and a signing bonus. The closer market is terrible, and Speier is one of the better choices.
Full Story | 0 Comments | Categories: 2007 MLB Free Agents | Justin Speier | Toronto Blue Jays


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Dr. Krist, you're needed in the O.R., stat!
Wow, what a trip Senegal is! Incredible place but tough on docs and patients using the less-than-ideal infrastructure. Take the above photo for instance.
My friend Dr. Al Ruenes and his colleague, Dr. Serigne Gueye, were doing a fistula repair on a patient in a remote clinic south of Dakar when the power went out. So they've got the patient opened but can't see a thing.
Well, as much as I love my Nikon Speedlights, it was continuous lighting that saved the day because I pulled out my little headlamp flashlight and my Lite Panels Micro Pro LED on camera video light, handed them to the docs, and they were able to finish the operation with a nice main light and a broader fill!
The docs liked the light quality so much, they continued to use it even when the lights came back on (probably a good thing, since we lost power a couple of times that day!)
We're wrapping up here today and hope to be home tomorrow. It's been an incredible experience seeing what obstacles are faced and overcome here on a daily basis. Hope to have some video up (but, it's going to take a while).
I hardly shot a still while I was here….video took up all my concentration, and I'm still making rookie mistakes. I'll have more on that in another post.
A One-Man, Video-Shootin', Senegalese Band
I'm off to Senegal to shoot a short documentary on the volunteer work of my friend Dr. Al Ruenes. Al is a urologist who regularly visits Senegal to teach new techniques to surgeons from all over Africa, and while he's there, does a whole slew of pro bono procedures for Senegalese patients.
Also coming is renowned plein air artist Bob Beck. He's going to make paintings of the trip, I'm going to make the short video, and when we get back, we're going to try to use this stuff to raise money for an operating theater Al hopes to fund in Dakar.
Originally, my son Brian was coming along to do the video duties, and I was just doing stills and audio. But then, young Brian had to go and get a great new gig as an associate producer for a new series at Discovery Channel and couldn't get the time off.
(Oh sure, let a little thing like a major career move get in the way of a trip with the old man….sheesh, these kids!)
So it's up to me to do my one-man band routine.
I'm only mildly panicked, as I've spent a lot of the summer studying up, shooting a lot of video to try to get my chops somewhat up to snuff. Even at that, I've got a long way to go as a videographer, but I'm ready as I'll ever be by tonight, anyway!
And just like in my still shooting, I've been researching and finding the smallest, most reasonably-priced stuff that will do the job right.
So it's going to be a little quiet on the blog for the rest of the month. And comment moderation could be very slow, so if you post a comment and it doesn't show up for a while, it is nothing more nefarious than a bad or non-existent internet connection in my location!
For a look at the gear I'll be bringing on this one man band gig, hit the jump. Continue reading
Hands on impressions of the Nikon Coolpix P7000
I had the opportunity, a few months ago, to work with prototypes of the newly-announced Coolpix P7000 on an assignment in the Southwest US. It was for Nikon's ad agency in Japan. The P7000 is a fully-featured compact that would be the perfect backup/stealth/walkaround camera for a travel photographer.
This is not a review. So, if you are looking for MTF charts, camera-to-camera comparisons, and all the stuff a full-blown review offers, stop reading now, please.
It is, as the headline clearly states, my impressions of the machine. On these gigs, I'm handed a camera or a lens and I have a limited time to make as interesting a set of pictures as I can, not do side-by-side comparisons. So, tech heads, please forgive me in advance:-).
When I got the call, my client said "bring along your DSLR too, in case we see something special and you want to shoot it on your main camera." I thought it was a very generous offer, but based on my previous experience with a variety of compacts, I declined. I knew that, in the heat of a great photo opportunity, I'd probably forget to use the compact altogether (Oy! Can say "blown assignment?").
So, in order to save me from myself, I went out without a "net," and after a day or so of getting used to using the LCD screen (although there is an excellent, if not 100% accurate, optical viewfinder), I didn't miss the D90 nearly as much as I thought I would.
In fact, I'm using one of the pictures from this assignment in the oversize calendar that I do as a promotional piece for clients every year. I've done the calendar for years and never used anything but DSLR pictures. But I got my early copies last week from the printer, and the P7000 frame is indistinguishable from the DSLR frames. Not bad!
To read more about the camera and see a few JPEGs, hit the jump.
Samples with the new AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR
Nikon announced several new lenses today, one of which I got to play with a while ago.
Of course, I knew that an announcement was forthcoming, I just didn't know when (because like the husband, the photographer is always the last to know).
In fact, If I hadn't gotten a nasty email from a Czech photographer this morning who absolutely hated one of the pictures used in the official Nikon web announcement (namely, mine!), I would have never known the lens was launched.
Ah yes, there's nothing quite like getting a new orifice torn while you're enjoying your morning java to really jump start your day!
Unlike my critic, however, I was blessed with the opportunity to play with a prototype of the 28-300mm for a couple of days out in San Francisco last February.
I have to say that this lens, along with the venerable 18-200mm Nikkor, has completely turned my head around when it comes to the viability of a variable aperture uni-zoom as a professional tool. This one, in particular, blew my mind and spun my head around 360 degrees…(think Linda Blair in The Exorcist!). I couldn't find a downside to it.
It's sharp end to end, not too big or heavy, and ergonomically pleasing to use. It features a zoom lock, which is important because, while it's not overly large for what it is, it's a substantial piece of glass, and I highly recommend keeping the zoom lock on while you're walking around. You can read about the specs here and also see the full-sized samples here .
You know I'm not too technical (they had to loan me an FX camera, a D700, to shoot with) but I can tell you that this is an awesome piece of glass. You literally could shoot a whole job with this baby with no compromise that I could discern (although I'm sure someone in, um, the Czech Republic might be able to!)
The VR works well and makes up for the F/5.6 at the long end (although, as a regular user of the 70-300mm VR on my D90, this is no surprise, or hardship, for me). If I were an FX travel shooter, this lens would be in my bag (paired, most likely, with the 16-35mm f/4 VR).
Man, that would be a combination (throw in the 24mm f/1.4 and the new 85mm f/1.4 for available light and bokeh issues, and you're in FX travel-shooting heaven, my friends! Four lenses that can do it all). But if you could only carry one lens for your FX explorations, this would be it, no doubt.
Here's another frame of a very cool performance artist called Chi Energy, whom I bumped into while shooting the Chinese New Year parade in San Francisco:
Hit the jump for more of Chi and San Francisco with the new lens… Continue reading
Is Travel Photography Dead?
I just read Andrea Pistolesi's post A Requiem for Travel Photography, (first brought to my attention on Tewfic El Sawy's excellent Travel Photographer blog).
For those of you who may not recognize his name, Andrea is one of the busiest and most talented travel shooters around, with a string of publication credits that would choke a horse. If I had a quarter for every assignment I lost to Andrea over the years, I'd be very well off—this guy can shoot (and write, in English, even though he's Italian!).
I highly recommend taking a read of the whole post, but to summarize, Andrea posits that travel photography as a profession is gone, primarily because most of the publications that made assignments are either gone or severely cutting back. But he ends with a very cogent and insightful observation:
"I keep thinking that the world has a lot of stories worth to be covered photographically. The real task is to modernize our scope, create new ways of distribution (using the new technologies, think of the iPad for example), reach the young reader.
For the Travel Photographer the time has come to drop the "Travel" label. Everybody has a camera in his pocket today. The photographer is somebody able to see in a personal, strong way, and pass the message on..
Wow, Andrea's analysis really hits a home run (or, more culturally fitting, scores a big goooooaaaaaal). To find out what this might mean, hit the jump.


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Sculpture for New Orleans (SFNO) has completed its first phase of public sculpture along the Poydras Corridor, Convention Center Boulevard and Diamond Street. Seven sculptures—created by seven leading Southern artists—were installed on the neutral ground in time for the hundreds of thousands of visitors New Orleans will see for Super Bowl XLVII and Mardi Gras 2013.
Curated jointly by Sculpture for New Orleans and The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the exhibition will ultimately feature 25 sculptures from 25 of the American South's most significant artists, many with national and international relevance. These sculptures join 45 other sculptures that have been placed throughout the city, many from the initial SFNO installation. The Ogden Museum of Southern Art was the site of the very first SFNO sculpture in February 2008, "Me, Knife, Diamond and Flower" by James Surls.
Started in 2008, Sculpture for New Orleans began as a program to support public art in New Orleans, using large-scale outdoor sculpture to increase visibility and make the city even more appealing as an art destination. The inspiration for the Sculpture for New Orleans Poydras Street Corridor is the acclaimed Sculpture on Park Avenue program in New York City. Artist and Sculpture for New Orleans founder Michael Manjarris has been working for seven years to create a version of that prestigious project for New Orleans.
The exhibition is funded by The Diana Helis Henry and The Adrienne Helis Malvin Art Funds of The Helis Foundation, and in partnership with the City of New Orleans/Department of Parks and Parkways, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art/University of New Orleans, UNO Foundation, and the Wisner Foundation. The sculptures are on view from North Diamond Street at Convention Center Boulevard in front of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in the Warehouse Arts District, along Poydras Street, ending in front of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in the city's Central Business District.
1. Savoy, 1990-201
Martin Payton (Louisiana)
Painted Steel
Poydras Street/Loyola Avenue
2. No. 386, 2006
Carlos Borer (Switzerland)
Stainless Steel
Poydras Street/Loyola Avenue
3. Swamp Flower, 2013
Mia Kaplan (Louisiana)
Poydras Street/Penn Street
4. Reawakening, 2007
Wesley Wofford (North Carolina)
Poydras Street/O'Keefe Avenue and Baronne Street
5. Standing Vase with Five Flowers, 2010
James Surls (Texas/Colorado)
Poydras Street/Baronne Street and St. Charles Avenue
6. Sasookasoon, 2010
David Borgerding (Louisiana)
Poydras Street/Carondolet and St. Charles Avenue
7. At Rest, 2010
Jason Kimes (Mississippi)
Poydras Street/Camp and Magazine Streets
8.Gymnast, c.1990
Enrique Alférez (1900-1991; Louisiana)
Poydras Street/St. Charles Avenue and Camp Street
9. Nethership, 1997-2013
Ed Wilson, (Texas)
Poydras Street/Tchoupitoulas and S. Peters Streets
10. Man Defeats Chair, 2010
Russell Whiting (Louisiana)
Carved steel
Poydras Street/Convention Center Boulevard
11. Zach's Tower, 2007
John Henry (Tennessee)
Painted steel
Poydras Street/Convention Center Boulevard (in front of Harrah's Casino)
12. Sunflower Gate, 2010
Jim Gallucci (North Carolina)
Convention Center Boulevard/N. Diamond Street
Galvanized steel
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Twitter: @SFNewOrleans
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SculptureforNewOrleans
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The Museum's holdings include Southern artworks from Washington, D.C. and 15 Southern states spanning the 18th-21st centuries, and include paintings, prints, watercolors, photographs, ceramics, sculpture, crafts and design.
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Fifteen students were rewarded for their academic prowess this spring by Tennessee Tech University's College of Arts and Sciences.
Recent graduate and Spanish major Martin Martin-Tomas, of Monterey, received the Askey foreign languages scholarship. Son of Domingo Juan, he hopes to become a Spanish teacher. He graduated from Monterey High School in 2008.
Junior Monterey native Heather Harris received the Walter L. Helton scholarship. A geology major, she is a member of the university geoclub and plans to attend graduate school after TTU. She is the daughter of Kathy Scott and wife of Shawn Harris. She is a 2000 graduate of Monterey High School.
William Seagrave is a sophomore from Cookeville majoring in chemistry. He is a member of the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary and is training for his pilot's license. He plans to go to medical school and join Doctors without Borders. Son of George and Patty Seagrave, he is a 2012 graduate of Cookeville High School.
Drake Fenlon is a sophomore majoring in journalism at TTU. He received the Thomas Weitzel memorial scholarship. He is a DJ on the university radio station, WTTU-FM, editor of the student-run campus newspaper The Oracle, a member of the cheerleading squad, and an eagle scout. A 2011 graduate of Cookeville High School, he is the son of Dan and Barbara Fenlon and grandson of Maxine and Jim Drake.
Benjamin Groves, originally of Walingford, Conn., received the Howard G. Ashburn memorial scholarship. A junior biochemistry major, he is a member of the TTU Honors Program and chem-med club. A 2010 graduate of Cookeville High School, he is the son of Gregory Groves and Michelle Kindrick and brother of Katie Groves. After graduation, he plans to attend medical school.
Alexander Palentyn, of Cookeville, received the Dr. and Mrs. S.A. Patil scholarship. A recent TTU graduate, he majored in math and plans to return to TTU for graduate school. A 2010 graduate of Cookeville High School, he is the son of Clay and Deborah Palentyn.
Eric Morgan, a graduate student from Cookeville, received the Stanley Dolzycki memorial scholarship. Son of Neil and Artys, he is studying math and is a 2008 graduate of Cookeville High School.
Sarah Gray, a recent TTU graduate and Cookeville native, received the James and William Headrick scholarship. A chemistry major, she is the vice president of the campus Lions Club chapter and plans to go to graduate or medical school. Daughter of James and Cindy Gray, she is a 2010 graduate of Cookeville High School.
Skyler Smith, a sophomore chemistry major, received the J. Powell and Willie Rush Jewell scholarship. The Cookeville native plans to attend medical school after completing her studies at TTU. Daughter of Sullivan and Rhonda Smith, she is a 2012 graduate of Cookeville High School.
Recent TTU graduate Jamhile Moreno, of Cookeville, received the foreign languages faculty and alumni scholarship. A Spanish major, she was the treasurer of the TTU Amigos Club and hopes to get a job teaching Spanish. She is a 2009 graduate of Cookeville High School. Her mother is Isabel Hawkins and her daughter is Ansley Alred.
Cassie Woodward, a junior sociology major from Cookeville, received the excellence in criminal justice studies award. She is a member of the TTU gymnastics club and Alpha Kappa Delta and volunteers at Teen Challenge of the Upper Cumberland. Daughter of Lisa and Timothy and sister of Chantell and Alexandra Woodward, she plans to go to graduate or law school after her studies at TTU. She is a 2010 graduate of Cookeville High School.
Ashley Dunn, a junior wildlife and fisheries science major from Cookeville, received the B.L. and Lillian Ridley scholarship. A member of the Wildlife Society, Beta Beta Beta and Society for Conservation Biology, Dunn plans to attend graduate school after completing her TTU degree. She is the daughter of Ginger and Jeff Dunn and a 2010 graduate of Upperman High School.
Shannen Leahy, a junior majoring in biology at TTU, received the W.H. Farley memorial biology scholarship. The Buffalo Valley native is a 2010 graduate of Upperman High School. Her parents are John and Fides Leahy.
Jacob Buckner, a junior biochemistry major and Cookeville native, received the Joseph B. Hix memorial scholarship. He is a 2010 graduate of Cookeville High School. His parents are David and Tawnya and his siblings are Arielle, Joshua and Courtney Buckner. He plans to go to medical school after finishing his TTU degree.
Elizabeth Clemens, a junior Cookeville resident, received the Marion Hood Langlois history scholarship, the B.F. Jones endowed history scholarship and the Marshall and Thelma Bertram liberal arts scholarship. A junior majoring in history, she was the winner of the history department's 2013 Lyseum for her paper, "Sesame Street as a Cultural Mirror in the 1970s." After graduation, she plans to do research for a law firm or government agency. She is the daughter of Timothy Kurtz, wife of Ernest Clemens and mother of Katherine Clemens. She graduated from Maine South High School in 1994 and grew up in Park Ridge, Ill.


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Landmark News Service and Staff Reports
Patrick County authorities graded land for mobile classrooms Sunday near fire-damaged Meadows of Dan Elementary School, hoping to quickly establish alternative classrooms and minimize the time students are out after a weekend fire, a school official said.
Local firefighters from Galax and Carroll County helped extinguish the blaze at the 72-year-old school.
HILLSVILLE — The opening of Carroll schools went sour for students who suffered a scheduling glitch, one parent told the Carroll School Board at their regular August meeting last week.
The scheduling problem brought Donnie Morgan, an education supporter, before the school board a day after the schools' open houses and one day before the official start of the school year.
HILLSVILLE ― The new Beaver Dam Garden at the Carroll County Public Library was inspired by the abundance of wildlife along the Beaver Dam Trail.Volunteers with the Hillsville Natural Heritage Project wanted to bring a touch of the town's much-used walking trail to Main Street by planting a bed of native flowers at the library.
HILLSVILLE — Local educators have permission to create the 10th Virginia Governor's STEM Academy in Twin County schools and at the Crossroads Institute, after a decision by the state Board of Education last Thursday.
This was the fourth and final permission that Carroll County Public Schools and its partners needed to proceed with planning for the Blue Ridge Crossroads Governor's Academy for Technical Education.
INDEPENDENCE — If the Grayson County School Board can come up with at least $75,000 in any of its future budgets, then the Grayson County Board of Supervisors will help it buy school buses beginning in 2013.
Supervisors agreed June 1 to change the guidelines of its new "School Bus Replacement Fund." The fund now must be a dollar-to-dollar match.
The county will allocate up to $75,000 per year — or 25 percent of annual county decal collections, whichever is less — to be used by the school system as a matching amount for bus purchases.
HILLSVILLE — Carroll School Board members rejected all construction bids in a special meeting Tuesday, in an attempt to keep the cost of construction efforts at the high and intermediate schools under $15 million.
The school division's budget is based on the award of Qualified School Construction Bonds for nearly $15 million. This money must pay for the additional space needed to turn the intermediate into a sixth through eighth grade facility and shift the ninth grade to the high school in order to close the aging Woodlawn School.
Copyright © 2015
The Galax Gazette is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Galax, Grayson, Carroll, and surrounding areas.


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To the Editor:
First, I would like to thank all the people who attended the April 28, 2014, meeting of the Carroll County Airport Authority. It was wonderful to see such an amazing turnout and we hope that many of you continue to attend and show interest in the Carroll County Airport.
It is great to see that people are interested in the direction of a vital asset to the county. All who wish to attend are welcome and encouraged. Your insights are valuable and often bring a new unforeseen light to matters.
Next, I would like to respond to the letter written by Rick Carlton and published in the April 30, 2014, Free Press Standard. We are the biggest headache because we question their performance. We are not only their tenants, we are also members of the public and wish to see things being run in a manner conducive to good business practices. Often times, we are the only attendees to their meetings so there is no one else to question their actions.
By contacting the commissioners, we brought the information to them to make it known to the public what is going on, otherwise, it would continue to happen. We lost the trust in the Airport Authority when they canceled a meeting with us to be held on Jan. 7, 2013, about our lease agreement. Themeeting was held on an alternate date and did not include the tenants or public, as originally agreed upon.
The next official meeting of the Airport Authority released information that the verbiage for the leases would be at the lawyer's office and the tenants would now have to obtain their own lawyer to negotiate terms. When questioned about how and when this happened the board said they were well within the board's right to discuss matters outside of official meetings.
Numerous times/meetings we asked the board what was going on and each time we were answered with: we cannot discuss this with you, contact the lawyers, or it's in the lawyers hands. Nothing more was said on the issue.
Eleven months passed before anything was obtained through the lawyer's office. What is a reasonable amount of time to wonder what is going on? Mr. Carlton stated that we were discrediting the Airport Authority by involving the Commissioners and public instead of talking to them directly, but as explained above, we tried and got no feedback. How can you communicate with unwilling hosts?
I wish to clarify that the board gifted two pieces of equipment and it was not all the contents of the restaurant. In regards to the amount paid in rent, in the lease it says that the amount will be adjusted accordingly as mutually agreed upon between lessee and lessor. No adjustments have been made in recent years because the board neglected to approach the issue. We have no problem with an increase in rent, it is the other parts of the lease that are troubling us.
When approaching the board about matters that happen during daily operations, the board is often dismissive of such issues and doesn't see the value in customer relations. We, at the restaurant, have to answer countless questions related to the airport's many aspects and even have to help customers with pumping fuel. We have no problems doing this and it is uncompensated work but when asked for alleviation for a problem the board members reply with, don't help them, no one says you have to do anything. How is that good business ethic?
We are the public relations outlet for the Carroll County Airport. If we do not treat each customer, whether they are frequenting the restaurant or purchasing fuel, with the respect they deserve, then how will we continue to prosper and have repeat customers?
We want to see good communication skills being utilized between members of the board and their constituents. We want peace and to work together. We wish to see the airport governed in a fair and just form. We don't want to keep having friction but without cooperation, what else is left? We only wish to make the facts be known. The truth shall prevail!
Lisa and Harry Stansbury
Carrollton, OH
The Free Press Standard invites you to post your thoughts on the story in the box below.
These posts do not reflect the views of the The Free Press Standard or its employees.
©2014 The Free Press Standard
Carrollton Free Press Standard P. O. Box 37, Carrollton, OH 44615


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After Seeing Blood in His Urine, Abu Bradley, an Active Father of Two, Was Diagnosed with a Rare and Agressive Cancer
by Fox Chase Conversations • December 17, 2014 • Chemotherapy, Sarcoma, Surgery
Abu-Methuselah Bradley was the epitome of good health. The married father of two is an athlete with a muscular build. He's a pharmaceutical sales representative, part-time church Pastor and enjoys time outdoors bike-riding and running. He took quick action when he noticed blood in his urine. "I went right to the ER," said Abu....Read more →


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Michael De Leon
Michael A. De Leon is a graphic designer by day, but wears many hats in his off time. In 2004, after several years of covering the Spurs, he started Project Spurs, a Spurs team fansite as an outlet to provide content to Spurs fans, while continuing to write for himself and learning the ins and outs of online publishing and web design. He has since built a writing team and started a popular weekly Spurs podcast called the Spurscast.
Posts filtered on Tag
Flashback Fun: Derek Anderson posterizes Vin Baker
By Jeff Garcia, Project Spurs OK so the NBA lockout is going to last a "tad" longer and may axe the entire 2011-2012 NBA season but that doesn't mean we can't take a stroll down San Antonio Spurs memory lane. Case in point, former Spurs guard Derek Anderson crushing former Seattle Supersonic Vin Baker on […] [Read More]
Ex-Spur Anderson's lawyer says criminal story is a lie
By Paul Garcia, Project Spurs As our own Jeff Garcia wrote two days ago, former San Antonio Spur Derek Anderson is being linked as a key player in a drug ring investigation. The accused, Francois Cunningham, has been arrested for murder and when prosecutors asked him who was in charge of the money aspect of […] [Read More]
Ex-Spur Derek Anderson a drug money-man?
By Jeff Garcia, Project Spurs First Zach Randolph and now former San Antonio Spurs player Derek Anderson. You remember Anderson? High-flying guard for the Spurs back in the 2000-2001 season and averaged 15.5 points in 82 games before getting injured in the playoffs against Dallas. Oh and he then demanded the Spurs he be taken care […] [Read More]


text: Xinyi Songyuan Chemicals Co., Ltd.,first set up in 1998, is a joint venture cooperated between Guangdong Xinyi Rosin Factory and Summit Capital Enterprises Ltd. of Hongkong. In January of 2002, it was a venture exclusively with Hongkong's investment. It's mainly engaged in deep-processed products of rosin and turpentine. Having first-class production equipment,and realizing its management with modern science, it becomes the biggest producer of α-Pinene, β-Pinene separated from terpentine in China.More>>


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The Crow Pass trail isn't for the faint of heart.
Lora Reinbold's dramatic win in the Republican District 26 House primary election Tuesday night was a family affair.
Cheyenne Young, who began sixth grade at Middle Lake Middle School this fall, worked to achieve her Girl Scout Bronze Award the weekend of Aug. 10-11 during the Eagle River chapter of the American Cancer Society's 'Relay for Life' event by selling her hand-made duct tape hair ties, ribbons and hair accessories. During the two-day event, Cheyenne raised more than $200 for cancer research and awareness.
Eagle River Republican Lora Reinbold defeated a pair of challengers in the Tuesday, Aug. 28 primary to earn the right to face Democrat Roberta Goughnour in November.
There were no injuries to either humans or animals after a house fire broke out on Upper Sunny Circle Friday, Aug. 17 in Eagle River.
Anchorage Police said a Ford F-150 pick-up truck caught fire just after noon on Monday, Aug. 20 on the northbound Glenn Highway near the North Birchwood exit, briefly causing traffic to back up in that direction.
They line the runway, making for a sea of shifting bodies, anxious for the aircraft door to open. They are wives, husbands, children, girlfriends, boyfriends and family members who have been waiting these long months for their soldiers to come home.
Matanuska Electric Association approved a nearly $4 million contract for engineering and design services for its planned natural gas power plant in Eklutna during a meeting Aug. 13.
This year's Aug. 28 2012 Alaska Primary Elections will be used to determine which candidates represent their parties in the November General Elections. This year, the Chugiak-Eagle River area will select candidates in five races — two Senate seats and three House.
No injuries were reported after a pick-up truck caught fire on the Glenn Highway today near the North Birchwood exit.


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Palm Pre Ringtones directly to your cellphone. Subscriptions are available from $9.99 per month, in this exclusive offer from ringtones.net! You get the ringtones direct to your cellphone in two easy steps: Enter your cellphone number above to receive and PIN number on your phone, then return and enter your PIN. It's that easy! And because the ringtones are downloaded directly to your phone, you don't need any special software or cables to get the ringtones onto your Palm Pre, or other cellphone.
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10 Shouts - 2,460 Scrobbles
Electronic/experimental artist Danseizure aka Dan Gorman lives in Edinburgh. He also works as an experimental sound researcher-collector. He has recently worked in a dome of an abandonded American military base in Teufelsberg. He has been signed to Invisible Agent for a number of years now. Please visit http://danseizure.com and http://www.invisibleagent.com
Read more about Danseizure on Last.fm.
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Holy Cross Men's Lacrosse
Overall: 5-9 (0-6 Patriot League) Last Week: 0-0
Schedule: Tuesday, May 1 at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H., 4:00 p.m.
- The Holy Cross men's lacrosse team returns to action on Tuesday, May 1, when it travels to Hanover, N.H., to play Dartmouth at Scully-Fahey Field at 4:00p.m. The contest is the last game of the season for the Crusaders. Dartmouth is 4-9 overall (1-5 Ivy). Holy Cross beat the Big Green 13-8 in 2010 but was defeated 16-7 last season. The Crusaders are 1-27 all-time against Dartmouth.
- HC is third in the Patriot League with a .495 face-off percentage. The Crusaders are fourth in the Patriot League with 27.93 ground balls per game.
- Junior captain James Kennedy (Summit, N.J.) has 100 career points. He has 63 career goals and 37 assists. Kennedy leads the team this season with a career-best 17 assists and a career-best 39 points. He is second with a career-best 22 goals. He is ninth in the Patriot League with 2.79 points per game and also ranked eighth with 1.21 assists per game. Kennedy is ranked 65th nationally in points per game and 63rd in assists per game.
- Junior John Hannan (Manhasset, N.Y.) leads the team with a career-best 25 goals and is second with 25 points. His 1.79 goals per game are eighth in the Patriot League and 69th nationally. For his career, he has 57 goals and seven assists for 64 points.
- Senior captain A.J. Guarente (Gaithersburg, Md.) leads the team with a career-best 55 ground balls. His 3.93 ground balls per game are 48th in the country. Guarente's .511 face-off percentage is third in the league and 36th nationally. He has 113 ground balls for his career and has played in 56 games.
- Junior Matt Ward (Massapequa, N.Y.) is averaging 1.14 caused turnovers per game which are ranked 69th nationally. Sophomore goalie Kenny O'Connor (Latham, N.Y.) is ranked fourth in the Patriot League and 31st nationally with 9.08 saves per game.


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- Filed Under
Cathedral High School basketball senior standout Collin Hartman could miss about a month after suffering a broken left wrist during Saturday's 68-63 win at Louisville Ballard.
Hartman scored a team-high 18 points in the game. He suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter when an opponent attempted to take a charge, Cathedral coach Andy Fagan said.
Hartman, who missed ...


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A periodic update for faculty from President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong
June 20, 2007
Wednesday's Board of Trustees actions
During a lengthy meeting today, the Board of Trustees approved essentially the tuition increase that we originally requested—7 percent, plus a 1 percent utility surcharge for one year, and a $30 per semester increase to offset the shortfall in funding available for the ongoing Colvard Union renovation.
This level of tuition, along with our general support from state appropriations, will permit us to buy out our Tier 1 and Tier 2 initiatives for the coming year, along with part of Tier 3.
So, plan on merit pay raises averaging 5 percent, an additional 25 to 30 faculty members where we need them the most, help with our utility bills, and investments in our library, recruiting, need-based scholarships, and faculty research start-up packages.
The downside is that it will be more expensive for our students to attend MSU. I wish we did not have to raise tuition, but that is necessary in order for us to move the university forward. This revenue represents a significant step in improving our ability to demand the respect you deserve.
As you may recall from previous communiqués, our budget priorities for the coming year include:
Tier 1:
- Merit pay raises averaging 5% for faculty and staff
Tier 2:
- New faculty positions, phase I (We want to add at least 20 new positions in areas of critical need.)
- Start up packages for faculty research
- Library resources
- Recruiting and retention
- Faculty development
Tier 3:
- New faculty positions, phase 2
- Start up packages for research, phase 2
- Repair and renovation. (We need to emphasize renovation and facility upgrades over the next several years, with limited new construction.)
FutureSTATE 2015 update
FutureSTATE 2015, our strategic plan for making MSU the region's most respected land-grant university, was adopted last fall after a summer's work by scores of faculty, staff and students. Last spring, we received initial progress reports from the individuals and offices with primary responsibility for almost 70 priority initiatives undertaken last year, and were pleased to note that virtually all of them have been implemented or are substantially under way.
Now, we have just completed the first annual review of the plan with a view to making necessary updates and course corrections. An updated and somewhat reorganized version will be available on the FutureSTATE website at https://ssl.msstate.edu/web/futurestate/ within the next several days.
But I can tell you that probably the most significant change is the addition of a fifth primary goal to the four that formed the core of the original document. The new primary goal, focused specifically on faculty, is to: Recruit and retain a highly qualified and diverse faculty, providing them with an environment that supports excellent teaching, research, and service while offering opportunities for professional growth and pursuing salaries, benefits, and other rewards that recognize success.
Faculty advisor Marshall Molen led a team of our students to the top prize for designing a "green" hybrid SUV in national competition sponsored by General Motors and the Department of Energy. The undergraduate and graduate students beat out 17 other universities in the three-year Challenge X competition. MSU will receive more than $30,000 in prize money, including $15,000 from NSF for Dr. Molen.
Sarah A. Rajala, head of electrical and computer engineering, has been named a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education. It is the society's highest level of recognition.
Ray Vaughn and his colleagues at the Center for Computer Security Research have won for the unit a designation as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. The honor by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security has been awarded to fewer than 100 colleges and universities. MSU was among the first 26 to be recognized and is being designated for the third time since 2001, this time for a five-year period.
An article by Jason Phillips, assistant professor of history, will be included in the Best American History Essays of 2008. The essay on "The Grape Vine Telegraph: Rumors and Confederate Persistence" was selected by the Organization of American Historians for the collection. The article first appeared in the Journal of Southern History.
Hope you are all having a productive and safe summer.
Doc Foglesong