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by Tara Leo Auchey and Andrea Fetchko
Established in 1999, the Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZ) is a state program offered through the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) that gives tax benefits to approved applicants.
Giving an abatement on state and local taxes, the point of a KOZ designation is to encourage the development of buildings in targeted zones. Typically, these zones are designated "distressed" because of blight, vacancy, and neglect. The overall point is to revive local business and economy in areas that are considered underdeveloped, underutilized, and which are not generating much revenue if any. It's anticipated future taxes can be counted on if redevelopment occurs as well as job creation and increased residency.
Per DCED, the following taxes can be reduced to zero in a KOZ over a set period of time:
- State Taxes: Corporate Net Income Taxes, Capital Stock Foreign Franchise Tax, Personal Income Tax, Sales Use Tax, Bank Shares and Trust Company Shares Tax, Alternative Bank and Trust Company Shares Tax, Mutual Thrift Institutions Tax, Insurance Premiums Tax
- Local Taxes: Earned Income/Net Profits Tax, Business Gross Receipts, Business Occupancy, Business Privilege and Mercantile Taxes, Local Real Property Tax, Sales and Use Tax
The opportunities to form these zones comes only once in a while. The last time a major KOZ was formed in the City of Harrisburg was 2010 when 148 parcels were made into a ten-year KOZ, including the HACC Midtown Campus.
There is currently a new proposal on the table as the window of opportunity has come again with a deadline of October 1, 2013.
Led by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, the proposed KOZ seeks to add 181 acres in Dauphin County, expanding on the previous parcels. In the city, sites include (total assessed value cited, building and land):
- 1000 N Cameron Street (Capitol View Commerce Center)–$2,257,600
- 500 N Cameron Street–$50,000
- 800 N Cameron Street–$85,500
- 47 S 14th Street–$261,900
- 227 S 17th Street–$287,500
- 1714 Mulberry Street–$28,500
- 101 S17th Street–$761,206
- Shimmel School–$1,235,800
- Bishop McDevitt–$2,364,200
- Hamilton Elementary–$3,602,690
- William Penn High School–$6,180,700
The parcels at 14th Street, 17th Street, and Mulberry Street are considered part of the "Hamilton Health Hub" surround the new Hamilton Health Center.
In order to the KOZ application to be accepted by the state, all three municipal taxing bodies must pass resolutions in support of the KOZ. That is, the city, the school district and the county.
The school district unanimously passed a resolution approving the KOZ application with the hope that the tax abatements will entice buyers of its properties.
The City of Harrisburg and the county have yet to vote.
Chamber/CREDC President David Black made a June 20th presentation to the Harrisburg school board of directors and declared that the county is on board as well as Mayor Linda Thompson.
It's just a matter of City Council taking action on the resolution introduced in April.
"[We need to] make it more attractive for a developer to come in and do something with it," Black said of the buildings proposed for KOZ, including William Penn, Hamilton School, and parcels on Cameron Street between State and Herr Streets.
He also said that there is new state legislation that requires tax-exempt properties to make payments in lieu of taxes. "Dauphin County will submit notices," he informed the school directors.
Harrisburg City Council's Community and Ecnomic Committee, Chair Susan Brown Wilson will have a public hearing on the proposed KOZ on Wednesday, August 28th at 6:00pm in City Council Chambers. See the Agenda here: AGENDA: Harrisburg City Council Community & Economic Development Committee 8/28.
UPDATE: This meeting has been recessed and the public hearing on the KOZ proposal will be continued on September 5th at 5:15pm.


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I can't believe it's taken me this long to figure out, but PhotoBooth is amusing for babies.
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May 6, 2016
Tamrin Bowers was in Craven County court for her first appearance Monday morning. She is charged with 12 counts of obtaining property under false pretense.
Officials say over the course of 3 to 4 years Bowers defrauded people out of about $600,000 by telling them she was the administrator of her late parents' estate, and she would give them about a million dollars or more when the estate settled.
Bowers is in custody under a $250,000 bond. Her next court date is set for February 27th.
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A good online business is able to cater to all of their customers' needs. Because the more satisfied a customer is, with an online business' services, the higher their chances of returning. There's also a chance for that online business to be referred to friends and colleagues therefore getting more customers in return.
As your audience grows larger, you'll get a better chance to build a list of eager subscribers. This means you can set-up a mailing list that allows you to update your customers with your new posts or products and services through e-m
What's great about using e-mail as part of your marketing strategy is that you can save more money on advertising since e-mails are practically free. Another great thing about e-mails is that you have control over its contents and you are sure that those e-mails are read before they are discarded since those people subscribed to you and are certainly waiting for your news.
E-mails serve as a reminder for your customers. And as a bonus, there are people who admire your site so much that they forward your promotional e-mails to their contacts, making way for an even larger audience and another opportunity to build a list of eager subscribers.
Just as much as people want to be updated with what you have to offer, there are those who grow tired of your e-mails and unsubscribe. But, before you go all emotional about not being able to please everyone… breathe. Relax. And instead, think of better ways to keep people interested and excited to avoid losing more subscribers. So grab your notebooks, or iPhones, or whatever you can scribble on and take down these tips that will help you build a list of eager subscribers.
No one loves plain boring e-mails filled with texts. Mix it up a bit by adding a little color, or better yet, some pictures. Don't be afraid to show off your creativity to keep things fun and playful –but don't overdo it.
Be up to date yourself. Look up the latest trends, the things that people want or are searching for. This is the best way to keep your subscribers satisfied and hungry for more.
Build a list of eager subscribers by writing well thought of articles that are witty, entertaining, fun, or humorous. These things will keep things light despite the heavy flow of information you've put in the article. In return, your subscribers will not only learn from your article but will be entertained as well. As for you, get ready for more visitors on your site!
Help those who are interested in your genre or niche by coming up and sharing an e-book for free. Don't forget to include your links so that they can visit your site if they want to. To minimize your effort, have someone write the e-book for you. It's a great investment after all.
Aside from free information, build a list of eager subscribers by sending discount coupons, rewards, and promos. These will make your subscribers excited about your next promotional e-mail.
If you think about it, it's easy to build a list of eager subscribers when you offer them something they can benefit from in return. But avoid flooding their inboxes with your e-mails so you won't scare them away.
To Your Success!


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Original Link: http://www.anandtech.com/show/2323
AMD Phenom Preview: Barcelona Desktop Benchmarksby Anand Lal Shimpi on September 10, 2007 12:03 AM EST
- Posted in
- CPUs
The last time we had a turn around like this was when NVIDIA launched the GeForce FX. NVIDIA gave us a weekend, Superbowl Weekend to be exact, to review its latest GPU back in 2003. History was bound to repeat itself, and this time it was AMD keeping us occupied all weekend.
We got a call earlier in the week asking if we'd be able to turn around a review of AMD's Barcelona processor for Monday if we received hardware on Saturday. Naturally we didn't decline, and as we were secretly working on a Barcelona preview already, AMD's timing was impeccable.
What we've been waiting for
AMD shipped us a pair of 2U servers a day early, we actually got them on Friday but being in Denver at CEDIA we couldn't begin testing until Saturday. Luckily, Johan had Barcelona in Europe for over a week by this point and was already hard at work on server benchmarks. I augmented Johan's numbers with some additional results on these servers, but I had other plans in mind for the Barcelona system that AMD was sending me.
We went from no Barcelona, to fist-fulls of Barcelona in one weekend
You see, we've known for a while that Barcelona was going to do well for AMD on the server side. AMD is far more competitive there than in the desktop market, mostly thanks to its Direct Connect architecture, something Intel won't be able to duplicate until the end of 2008 with Nehalem. Barcelona will improve clock-for-clock performance over Opteron and is a drop in replacement for Socket-1207 servers with nothing more than a BIOS update; the Enterprise world couldn't be happier.
Things are different on the desktop; AMD hasn't been competitive since the launch of Core 2 in the Summer of 2006 and we're very worried that even after Phenom's late-year launch, the market still won't be competitive. While that's great for consumers today, the concern is that a non-competive AMD will bring about a more complacent Intel, which we do not want. We want the hungry Intel that we've enjoyed for the past year, we want ridiculous performance and aggressive pricing, and we won't get that without an AMD that can fight.
But AMD won't tell us anything about how Phenom will perform, other than that it will be competitive with Conroe/Kentsfield. So the goal here today is to get an idea of exactly how much faster Barcelona (the same core that'll be in Phenom X4) will be compared to the Athlon 64 X2.
We'll have more Barcelona server content coming as we spend more time with the system, but be sure to check out Johan's coverage to get a good idea of how Barcelona will compete in its intended market. If you're not familiar with Barcelona/Phenom architecture, or if you're confused as to exactly what Phenom is here's some required reading before proceeding.
2.0GHz Today, 2.5GHz Tomorrow
At the last minute, AMD informed us that we'd be receiving three sets of Barcelona processors: a pair of 1.9GHz chips, 2.0GHz chips and 2.5GHz chips. The latter won't be shipping until Q4 of this year, but AMD wanted to show that Barcelona is yielding at higher clock speeds and that there is a roadmap going forward.
Barcelona - 1.9GHz
Barcelona - 2.0GHz
To be honest, we expected 2.5GHz by the end of year from AMD, and slightly higher on the desktop but it's good to actually have silicon in hand instead of empty promises or hunches.
AMD taking notes from Intel, hand written clock speeds are in.
With 2.5GHz in hand today, we'd expect Phenom to be at or below 2.6GHz by the end of the year, with 3.0GHz coming sometime in 2008.
The Servers
AMD was kind enough to send us two servers, identically configured, from Colfax. The configurations were as follows:
|Supermicro H8DMU+
|Supermicro X7DBE+
|BIOS Revision
|2 x Opteron 2350 (2.0GHz)
|2 x Xeon 5345 (2.3GHz)
|8GB (8 x 1GB DDR2-667)
|8GB (8 x 1GB FBDIMM-667)
|Hard Disk
|1 x Seagate Barracuda ES (400GB)
|1 x Seagate Barracuda ES (400GB)
|Power Supply
|700W Redundant
|700W Redundant
|Windows Server 2003 SP1, 64-bit
|Windows Server 2003 SP1, 64-bit
These are standard Socket-1207 servers, meaning they don't take advantage of the split power-planes of Barcelona. Newer motherboards (such as the one Johan used in his tests) will support split power-planes, allowing Barcelona to run its North Bridge at a higher clock frequency, thus improving memory performance. Note that our desktop benchmarks were run under Windows Vista Ultimate (32-bit). Update: AMD has confirmed that these motherboards are Socket-1207+ and thus support split power-planes. We apologize for the error.
2U Colfax server
Colfax Intel Server
Colfax AMD Server, one CPU removed
Both systems worked just fine, but we did spend more time with the AMD system (obviously). During our testing we'd occasionally get a Hyper Transport error upon reboot, but it was intermittent and didn't interfere with our results:
Then, at the very end (literally two hours before publication) of our benchmarking, the AMD server stopped POSTing. As of now the system will simply sit there and spin its fans without actually putting anything on the screen. A number of things could have happened, but thankfully the Barcelona system decided to die after we ran all of our tests.
The take away point here is that AMD is working as quickly as possible to push out this Barcelona release. While AMD states to expect availability as early as today, we're concerned about the maturity of these platforms. We got our test systems on Friday, if this were truly a large, widespread launch we would've had hardware long ago. Whereas everyone and their mom already has a sample of Intel's 45nm CPUs, Barcelona continues to be tough to come by and performance hasn't been anywhere near final until now.
Logistics aside, we now have final silicon in hand (and a dead server on our floor), so let's see what we can do.
The Methodology
We've been asking AMD for months now to let us benchmark Barcelona and Phenom, and for months we've gotten the same answer: not yet. When asked why, AMD would always give us some terrible lie about how it was for competitive reasons, but when we actually put our hands on Barcelona at Computex we realized that these chips were simply not ready.
The Barcelona launch is finally upon us and we've got to wait another 45 - 60 days before we'll be able to bring you a review of Phenom, well, not exactly. Back when the Opteron launched, AMD was in a very similar situation to the one it's in today; AMD needed K8 to remain competitive, and it had been delayed so much that we were beginning to wonder if AMD would ever get the chip out on time. When the K8 finally launched, it was server-only but we took one of those server-only motherboards and ran a bunch of desktop tests on it to predict forthcoming performance.
We cracked open the Barcelona server and made some modifications; while the on-board ATI ES1000 graphics is sufficient for use as a server, it'd be too limiting for our desktop benchmarks. Luckily the Supermicro motherboard in the system had a plethora of PCIe slots, we just needed to gain access to them.
The PCIe Riser we removed from the system
We pulled out the PCIe riser card which plugs into the motherboard's sole x16 slot and divides it into a pair of x8s, then we modified a GeForce 8800 GTX by removing the backplate cover so we could just stick it into the open server.
The modded 8800
The 8800 GTX installed, the server is not really intended to be used like this
The end result was, as Johan put it, us using "such a beautiful, noble machine for such plebian activities". We couldn't help it, while AMD has already contacted us about Phenom briefings, we couldn't wait that long to get an idea of what we can expect from AMD on the desktop.
We needed an external PSU to power the graphics card, the server didn't have any PCIe power connectors
Barcelona is currently limited to DDR2-667, we were unsuccessful with attempts to run the memory any faster. Like all other MP Opterons, Barcelona requires the use of registered DDR2 memory, which is inherently slower than the unbuffered stuff we use on desktops. Because of these limitations we refrained from running any comparative benchmarks to desktop Athlon 64 X2s, instead we chose to run a single quad-core Opteron in our server platform against a pair of dual-core Opterons to simulate Phenom vs. K8 on the desktop.
The Opteron server, 2 CPUs, 8 DDR2-667 DIMMs
Keep this in mind as you're looking at these results, at best all we're offering is an idea of, at a minimum, how much faster Phenom will be over an identically clocked Athlon 64 X2. As Phenom is a more data hungry CPU than its predecessor, it will rely more on having a faster memory subsystem so the performance improvement could be even greater when we measure it on the desktop. That being said, at least we can set expectations within some amount of reason by performing this investigation.
K8 vs. Barcelona: The Phenom Preview
With the test methodology explained, how does Barcelona stack up to a pair of dual-core Opterons? In other words, how much faster can we expect Phenom to be vs. the Athlon 64 X2? To put it succinctly, it looks like around 15% clock for clock:
Clock for clock there's nothing short of a huge increase in performance over the K8 based Opterons in SYSMark 2007. The E-Learning and Video Creation tests are both around the 20% mark, while 3D rendering drops to a 12% advantage, but the productivity suite sees almost a 30% increase in performance thanks to Barcelona. The overall improvement in SYSMark 2007 ends up being 15%.
In fact, the average performance improvement of Barcelona over K8 ends up being 11.5% and 14.3% if we exclude the two 1.8% outliers in our data.
Johan's article showed that Barcelona in the enterprise world is competitive, but on the desktop our data indicates that AMD won't be upsetting Intel anytime soon. Even at 2.6GHz, a 15% boost in overall performance won't be enough to dethrone Intel, but with competitive pricing AMD could actually be a real alternative again.
We have no idea how AMD will price Phenom, but as we suspected, it may be the pricing that ends up deciding how competitive Phenom is.
Barc Scaling: 2.0 vs. 2.5GHz
With two significantly different clock speeds on hand, we wanted to see how Barcelona performance would scale once AMD starts shipping at higher frequencies. At 2.5GHz we're running at a 25% higher clock speed than the 2.0GHz Barcelona, the chart below shows what performance improvement you get for the 25% increase in clock speed. Just as before, the benchmarks run are our standard CPU tests with the exception of the gaming benchmarks which are run at 1024 x 768 to ensure that they are CPU bound:
Even limited by its DDR2-667 memory subsystem, Barcelona scales well with clock speed. Windows Media Encoder, 3dsmax and Cinebench all scale almost perfectly with clock speed, and the rest of the tests aren't that far behind. Remember when we heard at Computex that Barcelona will really be competitive at higher clock speeds? It looks like this initial scaling data supports that theory, especially because Intel is very close to not shipping any mainstream desktop parts below 2.0GHz.
Final Words
We can't draw too many sweeping conclusions based on the data here today, but here's what we do know:
- Gaming performance is much improved with Barcelona over K8, this is most likely a result of the improvements to the SSE engine and the wider front end of the core.
- Encoding performance is improved (again SSE128 rearing its head), but 3dsmax saw an unexpectedly large performance improvement.
- With a 10 - 15% increase in performance on average, Phenom should be more competitive than K8 was on the desktop (as expected).
Here's where things get complicated; we knew Phenom/Barcelona would be faster clock for clock, it was only a matter of how big of an improvement we'd get. If we are to believe that 15% is the best we'll get on average, taking into account that Penryn is around 5% faster than Conroe, the updated architecture from AMD alone isn't enough to really compete with Intel. In other words, price matters.
We saw how competitive AMD became after the first round of price cuts this year, but after the second set Intel went back to dominating. The trouble for AMD this time around is that Phenom is a much larger chip than the outgoing Athlon 64 X2, whereas Intel's Penryn family will actually be smaller than Conroe. AMD is already losing a considerable amount of money each quarter, so fabbing a larger chip at the same price as current CPUs will only make the situation worse. However, Intel can afford to continue to keep its processors as aggressively priced, especially moving to 45nm.
To put it plainly: Phenom/Barcelona make this price war more difficult on AMD, while Penryn makes it easier on Intel. What's the end game? Is there a solution? We're not sure, all we know today is a starting point for Phenom expectations.


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Owners: Firehouse Subs' growth has been red hot
Saturday, August 25, 2012
A new firehouse-themed sub shop opened Wednesday, offering 10 different subs in addition to salads, soups and chili.
"We have extremely high-quality meats and cheeses. We toast our bread and steam our meat to create the best taste," said Mike Demico, Jefferson City business franchise manager of Firehouse Subs.
Flaming Foods, doing business as Firehouse Subs at 2103 Missouri Blvd., was one of 45 businesses getting a business license in July.
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"The introduction of this legislation comes after years of unprecedented dialogue and consultations with First Nations all over the country and the Assembly of First Nations, who identified a need for a better education system for First Nation children."
— A press release issued by the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, April 28, 2014.
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Task Tray - Beta
by stonedonkey
Developer Notes
Task Tray makes application switching quick and easy. It also has the ability to kill tasks you no longer wish to run.
This is a beta release, please report bugs, problems, idea etc via email.
Check "Help" tab in app for more info and updates.


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French mountaineer Maurice Herzog, the first person to scale an 8,000-meter peak, has died at the age of 93.
Herzog died early Friday, said Pierre You, the president of the French Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing.
A photograph of Herzog waving a French tricolor atop the 8,091-meter (26,545-foot) Annapurna in the Himalayas on June 3, 1950, made front pages around the world,
He and climbing companion Louis Lachenal both lost fingers and toes to frostbite during the expedition, which Herzog later recounted in a best-selling book.
Though Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest three years later, Annapurna was not scaled again for 20 years.
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created with love by Lore Raymond
The Universe has a wondrous sense of timing, as I smiled with delight when seeing this image a few days ago on Facebook friend, Lore Raymond's page. Life is my playground and I welcome into it lots of willing playmates who usually cooperate, don't throw sand, share their toys and refrain from running with scissors. Every day, I encounter new ones and every day I express gratitude for those who are already there, as well as those who are about to step into the sandbox. This weekend, I felt blessed to have folks in both categories.


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|News Releases - Music & Entertainment
|Written by QCSO
|Friday, 04 October 2013 14:44
Make sure you get the best seats in the house for Holiday Pops. This year's concert features GRAMMY Award winning vocalist Debby Boone. Debby will sing all your holiday favorites, including I'll Be Home for Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, White Christmas, and more.
THIS SPECIAL PRE-SALE STARTS TODAY and runs through Monday, October 7
The first 100 tickets sold in person at either the i wireless Center box office in Moline or the Quad City Symphony Orchestra box office in Davenport will also receive a free ticket to the Festival of Trees and a free QCSO key chain flash light.
Light up your holiday season with tickets to this year's Holiday Pops! This year's performance includes the Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church, Davenport, led by Steve Jobman, and the Quad City Youth Choir led by Mary Tallitsch. Tickets go on sale to the public on Monday, October 7.
Tickets must be purchased in person to qualify for the Festival of Trees tickets and keychain flashlights. Customers will receive one Festival of Trees ticket and one key chain flashlight for every Holiday Pops ticket purchased while supplies last.
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February 8, 2011
Emily Hulberg, Missouri National Guard's Teen Leadership Council, helps Gen. Duncan J. McNabb and his wife with their package for Operation Homefront. McNabb is the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.
Stories this photo appears in:
Guard Teen Leadership Council gives youths chance to give back
The Missouri National Guard Child and Youth Program has taken on a new focus: leadership development and community service among teens.
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King Baldwin Prague, Czech Republic
'King Baldwin' is an Eastern European duke who insists on being called "king," lives in a castle, loves David Bowie, and is completely out of touch with reality. He writes music for a band called Dubious Ranger and has a youtube series in which he plays classical piano covers of popular videogame, film, and song themes. ... more
Streaming and Download help


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Through a Lens Darkly
Saints Are People Too
As one of only a half-dozen entries on the Vatican's "Great Films" list that deals directly with the life of a saint, the film's artistic merits alone would make it worthy of consideration. Pierre Fresnay's performance in the title role is unquestionably deserving of the praise it has received over the years, and the film's spare black-and-white cinematography is the perfect complement to the story's often traumatic images of poverty and suffering. Yet the film's spiritual insights are equally noteworthy, its message an implied refutation of the natural human tendency to mystify and dehumanize our heroes.
More Jerome than Thérèse, Monsieur Vincent's tireless exertions on behalf of his beloved poor are threatened by the sharpness of his tongue for those he sees as obstacles to his important work. When his faithful followers balk at the added burden of caring for Paris' orphaned infants, Monsieur Vincent lashes out, decrying their unwillingness to give above and beyond what they have already given. "I was a fool," he says harshly, "to believe I could move your souls; that I could lead you out of your repulsive solitude." And while it is this very feistiness and singleness of purpose that mark him as the perfect man for the job, his reaction is both unfair and uncharitable. It is, in fact, entirely human.
Therein lies the film's simplest but most important message: Saints are humans, too. As exemplars of heroic virtue worthy of devotion and emulation, their humanity plays a key role in our ability to recognize their sanctity and to follow it. Saints are important precisely because they share the same frailties and failings as we do, not in spite of them. To see their beatitude as some sort of preternatural condition rather than the fruits of relentless self-mortification and struggle would both diminish their spiritual accomplishments and absolve us from the harsh obligation of following in their footsteps. Their imperfections and mistakes do not reduce their effectiveness as role models; they increase it. As humans, they force us to confront ourselves and do things we'd rather not do, and make changes we'd rather not make.
Saints make life hard. But they also make it clear.
There are no cookie-cutter saints, just as there are no cookie-cutter humans. Yet the one trait all the saints share is a relentless drive and desire for sanctity. No matter how long or tortuous their road may have been, no matter how severe their imperfections or how strong the temptations to give up, they never relinquish their pursuit of spiritual perfection. The Church points to that extraordinary focus and singleness of purpose when it proclaims someone worthy of our emulation, not the quality of their administrative abilities or the flawlessness of each action or judgment. "This one," she says, "is with Him in paradise."
Let us be careful not to substitute our human expectations and requirements for His own.
Joseph Susanka has been doing development work for institutions of Catholic higher education since his graduation from Thomas Aquinas College in 1999. He blogs at Crisis Magazine, where he also contributes feature articles on a variety of topics.
Susanka's column, "Through a Lens, Darkly," is published every Tuesday on the Catholic portal. Subscribe via email or RSS.


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Chiodos Premiere New Song, "We're Talking About Practice"
Sammi Chichester | Mar 26, 2014 | Comments 0 | Tags: Chiodos
Chiodos have premiered a new song and music video for "We're Talking About Practice."
The band's upcoming album, Devil, will be released on April 1 through Razor & Tie.
Alert to All Users of the Disqus commenting system: Because of a recent global security issue, the Disqus website recommends that all users change their Disqus passwords. Here�s a URL about the issue: http://engineering.disqus.com/2014/04/10/heartbleed.html
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Scottie Hazelton was named the Jaguars assistant linebackers coach on February 10, 2014. Hazelton, entering his third season in the NFL, has 20 years of college coaching experience.
Scottie Hazelton was named the Jaguars assistant linebackers coach on February 10, 2014. Hazelton, entering his third season in the NFL, has 20 years of college coaching experience.
Hazelton was tutored as a defensive coach by Jaguars defensvie coordinator Bob Babich and Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley at North Dakota State. During his career, Hazelton has coached every defensive position (defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs and defensive coordinator).
In 2013, Hazleton served as the defensive coordinator at the University of Nevada. Previously, Hazleton was linebackers coach at Southern California (2012) after five seasons at North Dakota State. Hazelton was the defensive line coach at North Dakota State from 2007-2009 before being promoted to the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. In his first year with the Bison in 2007, the school earned wins against FBS opponents Central Michigan (44-14) and Minnesota (27-21). The following year Hazelton's defense led the FCS in pass defense, ranked fifth in total defense (254.0 yards per game) and 19th in scoring defense (19.2 points against per game). When he assumed the role as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach, North Dakota State made its first trip to the FCS playoffs in 2010, followed by its first FCS National Championship in 2011.
Prior to joining North Dakota State, Hazelton had stints as the linebackers coach at Michigan Tech (2006), defensive coordinator for Missouri Southern State (2004-2005), defensive backs coach for St. Olaf College (2002-2003) and as a graduate assistant at North Dakota State (2000-2001). Hazelton began his coaching career as the defensive backs coach at Fort Lewis College from 1996-1998, before taking over as the defensive coordinator in 1999.
Hazleton, a native of Brighton, Colo., played linebacker at Fort Lewis College from 1992-1994, lettering for three years and earning his undergraduate degree in exercise science. He and his wife, Brooke, have two daughters, Ava and Sophie, along with two sons, Bode West and Crew Mosley.
COACHING BACKGROUND: Fort Lewis College 1996-1999, North Dakota State 2000-01, St. Olaf College 2002-03, Missouri Southern State 2004-05, Michigan Tech 2006, North Dakota State 2007-2011, USC 2012, Nevada 2013, Jacksonville Jaguars 2014-present


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When you've been fired, your first impulse may be to try to figure out some way to sue your employer for wrongful termination.
But not every firing is illegal. Here's a basic rundown of when you can potentially sue for wrongful termination:
At-Will Employment
Almost all U.S. employees are at-will employees. This vast majority of American employees can be fired for almost any reason, so long as it isn't discriminatory. While public employees may be entitled to a due process hearing before they are terminated, at-will private employees can generally be fired without a period of notice, a formal hearing, or a chance to defend themselves to their employers.
For this reason, many private employees choose to unionize, potentially securing rights to arbitration or mediation when a union member is suspended or fired.
Without any of these protections, an employee may be terminated on the spot for any non-discriminatory reason. This includes leaving your post in order to be a Good Samaritan. However, if you suspect that you were fired based on discrimination or retaliation, you may be able to sue for wrongful termination.
Discrimination and Retaliation
There are several illegal reasons to terminate an employee, and any one of these can be the grounds for a wrongful termination suit:
- Discrimination. Both public and private employers are prohibited from discriminating based on race, gender, religion, and national origin. Depending on your state and city, it may also be illegal for employers to discriminate based on sexual orientation or gender identity. But many employers can still fire employees for being gay or transgender.
- Disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits terminating an employee based on requests for accommodations or disability status.
- Retaliation. An employer also cannot fire an employee from engaging in a protected activity. These activities include whistleblowing, making complaints of discrimination, and forming a union. Retaliating against an employee for engaging in one of these activities is prohibited.
If you suspect your employer let you go based on one of these reasons, you should contact an employment attorney to discuss your options.
Keep in mind that that not every firing is wrongful termination, but there is legal recourse even for at-will employees.
Related Resources:
- Find an Employment Lawyer in Your Area (FindLaw's Lawyer Directory)
- Top 5 Ways to Be Wrongfully Terminated (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Just How 'At Will' Is At-Will Employment? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- Do You Need to Give 2 Weeks' Notice to Quit a Job? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- Can Your Business Legally Refuse to Serve Gays? (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
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Game Creek Video used two PESA Cheetah-equipped HD trucks, Patriot and Yankee Clipper, for ESPN/ESPN2 coverage and ABC's primary HD broadcast of NBA playoff games, including the seventh and final game between the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs.
Some of Game Creek's trucks and their "B" units were on site for almost 45 days, providing complete coverage of post-season games at the SBC Center in San Antonio, TX. Patriot and Patriot B provided ABC with the primary HD feeds for its NBA playoff coverage, while Yankee Clipper and SD mobile unit Discovery, which also are equipped with a PESA router, supported "SportsCenter" and a variety of other NBA programs for ESPN networks.
The Cheetah systems installed in Patriot and Yankee Clipper are mounted in 128x128 frames, populated with HD cards, and feature 64 outputs with HD-to-SD down conversion. Each routing system handles SDI and HDTV signals, as well as other non-standard digital signals in one frame. They also provide redundant power, redundant control and two outputs per bus.
The Cheetah's dual output option allows truck engineers to reduce rack space and use less cabling than is normally required with other systems. A Cheetah SD analog 256x256 router is used for routing analog sources throughout each truck.
For more information, visit www.pesa.com.
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November 8, 2012
Forget U.S., It's Europe Going Over the Cliff
Bill Jamieson, The Scotsman
AP Photo
The eurozone crisis displays every sign of being about to re-erupt. Figures from both eurozone member countries and from Brussels-based Eurostat suggest major trouble ahead. Unemployment across the single currency area has risen to a new high of 11.6 per cent, while inflation pressures remain persistent. With external devaluation denied, internal devaluation is reaping a whirlwind of weakening economic activity and falling wages across the vulnerable economies. In Spain, now with an unemployment rate of almost 26 per cent, this looks a truly toxic combination.
TAGGED: Europe, Eurozone


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Friday Jul 24 2009
Woodcreek Juniors overcome Rocklin, take tourney title
By: Brett Ransford, Special to The Press Tribune
Rough week ends well for Woodcreek all-stars
In a fitting finale to an intense three-game series rivalry, Woodcreek won the championship of the Little League Section 4 Junior division all-star tournament 4-3 in a seventh inning rally Thursday night at Lembi Park in Folsom. Two runs in the seventh were the final scores of a back-and-forth series as Woodcreek finally touched up the Rocklin pitching staff as starter Austin Dick allowed an RBI single to Joey Valdez with one out in the inning before shutting it down for the night. The scoring knock tied the contest at 3-3. Dick pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing 3 runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Rocklin had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth on Tanner McVey's bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field that brought him Jake Faulkner with the go-ahead run. Woodcreek committed four errors in six innings to Rocklin's two errors in the critical last two innings. There was no error involved, however, when Valdez stepped to the plate in the seventh. Valdez was 3-for-12 in 24 innings against Rocklin pitching, but his first hit in the championship game was the series saver. "I had two strikes on me so I knew I had to get the ball in play at least," Valdez said. "I was swinging first pitch, but down two strikes it was either get a hit or go home. The next one was a big meat pitch and just kept getting bigger as it got to the plate." McVey came on in relief of Dick to keep the game there, and the first hitter he faced, George Corp, hit a routine groundball, but Joey Dirkes scored from third on a bad throw from second base attempting to cut him down at the plate. Woodcreek's James Huck battled Dick in the second inning for the game's first runs. After a few foul balls on a full count his single to right field drove in two runs. "When we came to this tournament we knew we'd be facing Woodcreek," Dick said. "The velocity on my fastball wasn't there. But, after 94 pitches on Monday I didn't get much time to rest my arm." To counter the fatigue JR Robinson had his pitcher's back from the outfield. Once in the second and again in the fourth inning, Robinson made spectacular diving catches in shallow center field. Robinson was 1-for-3 for Rocklin as well, and he scored the tying run on a wild pitch in the fifth. Woodcreek starter Tyler Milani hit 1-for-4 and pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts and four walks. "It's just good to have the win," said Milani. "The last time I was up against (Dick) we lost in extra innings. I try to let my defense work to get in and out of the innings, but tonight I had to go for some strikeouts and it all worked out in the end." In relief for Woodcreek Derek Guerra pitched the last two innings. He walked the lead batter in the seventh, but a nice double play turned by second baseman Bobby Pajer got him off the hook and preserved the win for his team. Coach Mike Valdez was getting water coolers dumped on him and posing with his newly acquired championship flag minutes after the win. His team enjoyed a victory lap around the infield as they laughed and flew their Section 4 championship flag. "We lost the lead, but battled back," Valdez said. "They were still pumped up from yesterday and again banged out double figures in hits. It's safe to say they like to make it interesting for me." The win propels Woodcreek into the Northern California Divisional tournament beginning with a 1 p.m. Saturday game against the Section 6 (Stockton and surrounding area) champions at Lincoln Glen High School in San Jose. The double-elimination tournament continues through the next seven days in San Jose. FYI: What: Northern California Division 2 Junior division tournament Woodcreek vs. Section 6 champion Where: Willow Glen High School, San Jose When: First round, 1 p.m. Saturday


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Since a few cops have shown up in the forum, we need a "What have you been busted for" thread.
I have been busted going over 120 mph on a motorcycle, 130 mph in a car and having sex in the car. (Not while driving 130, all though that would be something special) and burning out of a parking lot from the bar at 2:00 am, with borrowed license plates, expired registration (registration and plates were not even same state) and my out of state drivers license. Oh and shop lifting a roll of caps for my cap gun when I was 7 years old....a life a crime...!


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Got my bike back from the LBS today, realized I need to continue to learn new things on how to take care of it myself and save some cash.
I thought I was only 27 miles away from breaking 200 this month, which would be a first for me, but then I spotted a double entry in Endomondo. A workout wouldn't upload so I created one with the info then at some point it must have uploaded. Dang. Now I am 47 miles away from 200. I won't be able to ride this weekend but I think by next Thursday I should easily pass 200, maybe get to 250.
Felt so good to be back on my bike I took the 20 mile route home from work. I knew it was a bad idea because for the first time I'm going to go into and back from work tomorrow. Usually it's just one way. Then on Friday back to work in the morning. That is upping the game with being off the bike for almost a week. It just might kill me.
7/6/2012 - I didn't get to do the 60+ miler a few weeks ago due to a pulled muscle in my thigh. And as usual during this time of the year (travel ball, etc) I've been off the bike. During a 4th of July cookout at my house I talked two of my friends (who bike more than I do) into do a 100 miler. A century. The bike one zero zero. I decided to do one because a) I've never done one and b) It will give me a goal to work towards.
It is going to be difficult training for the century as the most I can afford (time) to ride is around 30 miles a day. That's riding into and back from work. I'll do a longer one on the weekend but I'll only be able to do one of those days.
I'm anticipating having to get in shape for the 100 by doing frequent smaller rides then just gritting my teeth and getting the 100 done. During the 100 I'll have to manage my eating, ride slower, etc.
its hard to carve out time. also one of my goals is to do 100 miler this year. i only have 2 1/2 hours on saturday and sunday to ride. and to get that i have to start at 5:30 in the morning (brutal for me). Thats the hardest part is finding the time to train, i know my legs and lungs have the ability to do a metric century, but i dont have the time to prove it.
I wish you all the luck in the world. but if you look at your first post and your most recent post, dear gosh man look how far you have come. congrats!
7/6/2012 - A brief but purposeful 6.88 miles at a 10.8 mph pace. I am anticipating 10mph for the century I've got planned given the group that is going and the fact that 4 out of 5 have never done 100 miles at once. I think I'm going to follow at least the theory of the training program Goldfinch linked me to and that is some of the rides need to be at the pace you anticipate the long ride being.
7/9/2012 - Did a bit over 13 miles at an easy pace (10.7 mph). I'm realizing more and more how much further I can go on less effort when I don't push it (push it real good!). Sure it makes sense but I've never just meandered along. Tonight I'll go a bit further. My main goal is to get back to doing a mid-20 miler without it taking too much recovery. When I can do that I can start my commutes and begin building miles for my eventual 100 miler.
Speaking of the 100 miler... I'm not just setting my goal to be 100 miles. Each 10 mile increment is a goal in itself, attained in the pursuit of the overall goal (100 miles). And inside THOSE goals are eating right, resting, etc. When all that is heading in a positive direction my health and fitness goals will take care of themselves.
7/12/2012 - Went a bit longer and a bit faster tonight. An hour and a half is really stretching the time I have when I ride in the evening so I can push just a tad. Tonight was 17.75 miles at a 12.4mph pace. I held back at the beginning and hit a bunch of lights so I'm thinking on a straight bike path I may have done close to 14mph but I'm not sure. Towards the end of the ride I felt I had done a "just right" ride. We are still in the middle of softball (fastpitch) season so I won't be able to go on any longer weekend rides for a while but hopefully my week rides will build up a base that can allow me to do a comfortable 30 miler first weekend I get.
7/15/2012 - Did three rides Thursday and Friday. First was 17 (Friday) and then two 6.8's. Tonight I've arranged for a night ride. We park at a friend's business right next to the bike path and we will go for a distance. Always enjoyable.
7/16/2012 - Modern Era PR, 30 Miler Night Ride
I say "modern era" because 12 years ago I did do a 60 miler but that was before a multi-year layoff.
In my pursuit of a 100 miler I know I have to go on some longer rides. While fastpitch season is winding down I'm looking for opportunities to get in some miles. With this in mind I, at times, will go do a ride at night on the bike path. My kayaking buddy and I sometimes do night paddles as well. It's awesome.
So... on Saturday I call my buddy and tell him that if we get put out of the tourney early (we did) then I'm going to try and do a 30 miler, which was the next distance I wanted to accomplish. Super. One of use got the great idea to do it at night. I call my FIL and he is going to join in. Both my FIL and buddy have road bikes and ride way more than I do so I let them know I'll be the anchor. They don't care. We arrive at the parking place and get on the trail as it starts getting dark. A brief rain had just finished so we are going in the dark with a wet path and the sounds of a post-rain wet forest around us at times. It's great.
On the 15 miles "out" I go at my 100 mile practice pace of around 11 mph. On the way back I kick it up a gear (BAM!) and the closer we got I would keep evaluating and ether up my spin or up a gear (BAM!).
25 miles of the ride was fun. The last 5 was not but my rump was starting to feel the extra time in the saddle, my shoulders were sore, etc. All things I expect from stretching out a distance.
The last 1.5 miles I went as hard as I could. I would sprint until I couldn't stand it then coast until I could go more. At the finish line I was toasted.
We finished at midnight. My buddy came back to my house to drop off my bike and we sat in my driveway enjoying a post-ride beer. That was a great beer.
The night ride was so awesome that we think we will do more. And once I do my 100 miler we plan on doing another at night.
Three bike outings so far this year. First one just over 5 miles, second one just over 10 miles and the third one just over 18 miles. When I get to 20 miles I'll sit on that for a few outings then either try to extend miles or lower my times.
The weather is not helping. I won't go out when I may hit ice and kill myself or nearby woodland creatures.
I just hit a weight loss milestone so maybe that will make the miles easier (it will).
Best of luck with the goal for this year. Though, you shouldn't need it:-)
A hundred is very doable as long as you're capable of delivering the Time In The Saddle. A couple rides per week and one long one on the weekends can easily prepare you for a century.
Birth Certificate, Passport, Marriage License Driver's License and Residency Permit all say I'm a Fred. I guess there's no denying it.
Dear 250lbs,
I have found someone else. Though you have been replaced by 249lbs that is only temporary as well. 249lbs is just being used. A stepping stone.
We have been together on and off again for many years. Though we have had fun together I'm not going to miss you at all. Now don't try to get me back, it just won't work. No standing outside the donut shop beckoning me to come it "just to talk". I know that trick. No disguising the container of carrots as a family-sized bag of pizza rolls, I fell for that too many times!
250lbs, it is best for both of us that we part. I'm no good for you and you certainly are not good for me.
I remember when we met, do you recall that moment all those years ago? I was steadily seeing 248lbs and then I had that large portion of lasagna and HELLO THERE 250lbs! And though I've strayed from you with 260lbs, 270lbs, 280lbs, and even older siblings I always seem to find myself back with you, 250lbs.
But no more. Be gone. Off with you. I banish you and all your older siblings. If you try to contact me I won't respond.
Last edited by WonderMonkey; 03-08-14 at 03:09 PM.
I just passed from 250lbs to 249lbs, which is a big deal for me. I won't count it as a real weight yet until I am there for a few days in a row. I don't want to get all weepy on some temporary water weight loss. However regardless if it is now or a few days from now I'm close.
20 mile rehab / "test the waters" ride completed.
Hello 2014! I had forgot about this thread.
Goals have been set: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...895-2014-Goals
Was able to do a small ride with no flats. Success! To do 150% of my miles from last year I need to average 8.26 miles a day, using 275 riding days. The pace started on March 1st. Early on I'm going to be running at a deficit until I can get some commutes in.
I've been having trouble keeping tubes inflated. It was time for new tires so over the winter I got a set of slicks. Thick ones to resist against punctured. In the span of 8 miles I got 4 flats of various kinds. I'm not used to changing flats (haven't had one in years) so some of the issues was probably me. Regardless of the cause I can't go on a long ride until I trust things. I'm glad this is at the beginning of the season as a hard 5 mile ride does me good even though I could go out for longer. So.... my objective now is to go out on a few more 5 milers then a 10 then stay with that a few times then a 15, etc. I'll keep it to 20 or under as I work on my spin and generally getting my body back in the game.
Before long I'll have things adjusted and accelerate my weight loss. Soon I will be 100lbs down.
Fifth flat in 14.55 miles! Yeah! It's difficult to justify being on the bike when it costs so much in time lost and money spent to replace a tube every three miles! Both tires blowing out. Before this I haven't had five flats my entire adult life!
Before my flat I did my first true interval training ride. I warmed up and then hit it has hard as I could for 20 seconds then pedaled a recovery then did 20 more seconds of intervals. Wowzers.... wow. Pain pain pain. I can see that to work up to doing a full one hour of intervals is going to be a tough task. I can always space them further out but I don't know the value of that. I can always do the first 15 minutes of intervals and then 45 minutes of riding then later do more intervals and less just riding, etc.
I think I will do an hour of riding no matter what and just add more intervals as my fitness improves. If I end up doing sets of intervals/recovery for the entire hour (minus warmup and cool down) I'll just go to 25 seconds for an interval.
WonderMonkey this looks like a great thread - - Next time it's calm around here I'm going to read through it. One of the most interesting features of C&A is that we all have stories and journeys.
Even though I only did a 15 minute ride yesterday with intervals I can really feel it in my core. I know when I did the intervals I really pounded it in a big gear which means I was pulling with my upper body (to get up to speed) and pushing with everything I had. I TRIED to maintain good spin but I think that's something I'll have to learn to keep focus on. My lungs also feel it today. I know lungs don't get SORE but you know the feeling when you have really pushed it? That's today. Feels good.
Today I'm going to a bike shop to get my tires/rims situation fixed. Five flats in 15 (14.x) miles is a wee bit much. My wife is going to the shop with me to look at some things so I'll ride the 11 miles home to test everything out. I'll do a relaxing ride to enjoy the day and not worry about pushing it until I get a few miles form home then I'll probably increase a bit.
5 flats in 15 miles? Yikes, that does sound like a problem. Before inflating the tube, make sure it's not pinched by the rim all around. I had that problem on my mountain bike, I was blowing out tubes left and right before realizing the problem was with improper installation. Fixed that and up until I moved onto my hybrid I didn't have another flat.
My Website: www.filmcrazy.net
2016 Goals: Ride 4,000 miles total to include my first century


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Road repair seems simple until the numbers get crunched
Elkhart County and others attracting commuters could be rewarded with more street and highway dollars, but the real challenge is the increasing cost of materials to pave and patch.
In the closing days of election seasons, candidates send out their last big ideas about the offices they seek. They want to leave just one more positive impression about the thoughtful stewardship they offer and their compassion to work for the community.
Public interest in government, though, generally can be boiled down to three solid questions:
- How are the roads?
- Where are the cops?
- What's that smell?
In 2014, potholes are politics. The unforgiving winter damaged asphalt surfaces and drained local budgets, creating a huge problem with no good solution. The road-funding formula, under the control of the General Assembly, is set. Local governments have little choice other than to dip into income tax sources, supporting road work while risking service cuts elsewhere.
Matt Greller, executive director of the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, suggested this week lawmakers may need to adjust how funds are distributed. He said factoring in where people work could play a part in how the money is directed, adding, "The money has to follow the services."
Greller's idea is great because Elkhart County is a job destination – the net 17,400 commuters we have could mean great gains in funding. Greller's idea is not so great because the condition of the road in the first mile people drive is just as important to them as the last mile, regardless of where they live and work.
The idea's been floated that alternative-fuel vehicles and greater fuel economy standards have resulted in reduced road funding for everyone. While possible, the story is incomplete.
Since 1995, Elkhart County government alone has realized a $1.4 million increase in the money dedicated from gasoline taxes and other state sources. That growth basically all occurred in the first 10 years studied, though. For 2013, the money supplied directly to the county's highway and streets funds was about $6.1 million total, just a shade less than the high-water mark achieved in 2004.
The Great Recession greatly contributed to a dip in resources from 2008-12, causing street and highway departments to fall further behind in routine maintenance. The 2013 bounce may have been helped by a state budget shuffle which included dedicating some of the general sales tax to road needs.
(The data leaves out the local wheel tax, which was intended to be a supplement, not a cure-all. It also does not include the 1997-2001 distributions of lottery funds for local roads. State officials warned all along local budgets shouldn't be balanced on gaming revenues – but while they said the funding source wasn't stable, what they meant was, "We will have other uses for this cash.")
So, state funding may not be the problem. Instead, think materials - the price of oil greatly impacts the cost of asphalt.
In 2000, the county highway department could pave a road for about $50,000 per mile. In 2007, the figure was up to $74,000. And just last week at the "Pitch and Pull" candidate forum offered by the Greater Elkhart Chamber and The Truth, commissioner Frank Lucchese said the bill is running $100,000 per mile.
Same money, less buying power. Roads failing to receive the proper maintenance because the dollars don't stretch are more likely to flop and crumble when the thaw occurs.
So, how are the roads? A simple question that's tough to answer.


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The Brown Mamba and E-Dog discuss some burning questions every NBA fan will be wanting to know going into the Heat-Mavericks 2011 NBA Finals.
Q. Which team has the coaching edge?
E-dog: Push. Rick Carlisle enters this series as the more decorated of the head coaches, having won Coach of the Year honors in 2002 with Detroit. But it's tough to choose based on the two teams' performances in this year's playoffs to date, especially each team's performance in late-game pressure situations. Both teams have been masterful in such situations, outperforming not just younger, less experienced opponents (the Thunder and Bulls), but also more experienced, supposedly savvier opponents (the Lakers and Celtics). For Erik Spoelstra, these playoffs have vindicated his season-long approach of staying the course and letting the learning process play out in the wake of numerous late-game failings by his team during the regular season. Ultimately, the way both teams have played make this a choice too tough to make.
Brown Mamba: Mavericks. I'm not sure, as E-dog says, that Spo is the reason the Heat have pulled it together. In my mind, the reason they are here today is because both Lebron and D-Wade have ratcheted up their level of intensity in the playoffs (as great players are wont to do). Carlisle has been an underrated coach throughout his career. He was the assistant coach with late 90s Pacers team that posted some of the best years in Indiana history, won COY with Detroit as E-dog mentions, and then came back to Indiana as head coach where he immediately led the Pacers to the best record in the NBA. Now, with Dallas, he has the Mavericks peaking at exactly the right time, having dominated two tough teams in the Lakers and the Thunder.
Q. Who is/will be the best player in the Finals?
E-dog: LeBron James. It's actually a two-part question. Dirk Nowitzki enters the Finals as the best player, based on a simply stupendous run in the West Finals and the fact that the drop-off from him to the Mavericks' next-best player and scoring option is far deeper than that of the Heat. But his play has been only slightly more stupendous than that of LeBron, who has settled scores in each of the past two rounds while becoming the crunch-time killer that he often wasn't during the regular season. In the end, I like LeBron's chances of being the best player in the Finals a little more simply because of his ability to dominate on defense as well as on offense, something with which the Bulls became intimately familiar in Games 4 and 5 of the East Finals.
Brown Mamba: Lebron James. No debate here. Nowitzki is playing off the charts, but even his dominating self, is just Lebron on a good day. Also, I agree with E-Dog that the true difference here is James' defense. How much of a luxury will it be for Spo to rotate James onto Nowitzki (the fact that people are actually considering the notion is a testament to Lebron's toughness and versatility). In the end, expect for this Finals to delineate the arrival of Lebron, legitimate candidate for GOAT.
Q. Who is the "X factor" for each team?
E-dog: Shawn Marion for Dallas, Udonis Haslem for Miami. Each player will get his turn in the spotlight guarding his opponent's best player. Marion is still a solid defender after all these years and figures to get the primary defensive assignment on LeBron. For Haslem, the Finals represent a case of déjà vu, since he and James Posey were primarily responsible for keeping Dirk. This time the Heat may utilize LeBron, among others, to share defensive responsibilities on Dirk, but the desire to avoid getting LeBron in unnecessary foul trouble means that a heavy burden will fall on Haslem – again.
Brown Mamba: Jason Kidd for Dallas, Chris Bosh for Miami. Why are each of these guys X-factors? Because in each of their cases, if they play well, it will go a long way toward their team winning. Kidd's major influence will be his ability to control tempo and the poise of a Dallas Mavericks team who will be under duress from the Heat's explosiveness. Additionally, it will be interesting to see what kind of chaos he can create on the defensive end. For Bosh, if he plays well, it is difficult to see how the Heat could lose the series. You can pretty much count on James' and Wade's performance (and Haslem always seems to average 8 and 10), so any bonus from Bosh should make this an easy series for the Heat.
Q. Which player has the most riding on these Finals?
E-dog: Dirk Nowitzki. It's tempting to say LeBron, since "The Decision" pretty much guaranteed that this season would become a referendum on him. However, as disappointing as it would be for LeBron if the Heat were to lose the Finals, the fact remains that he is still just 26 and is just entering his prime; time is still on his side. Dirk, meanwhile, turns 33 this summer and has 13 seasons in the books. While he is clearly defying any suggestion that he is on the decline, it is also just as clear that he cannot count on many more opportunities for the title. Moreover, these Finals represent a rare shot at redemption for Dirk. He was simply transcendent through the first 3 rounds of the 2006 playoffs, willing the Mavericks past long-time nemesis San Antonio in Game 7 (37 points, 15 rebounds and the game-tying 3-point play in the final seconds of regulation) and then past Phoenix in that year's West Finals (including a 50-point effort, 34 of them coming in the second half, in the pivotal Game 5). Then, after Dallas took a 2-0 lead in that year's Finals, he and his team failed to step on Miami's throat and paid the price for it. That series (along with the 2007 first-round flop against Golden State) is the reason why Dirk is considered in many circles to fall just short of greatness. This year's Finals are perhaps Dirk's last truly good shot to just win a title but to join the company of indisputably great players. Honorable mention on this question goes to Jason Kidd, who at 38 is running out of time for his title quest even faster than Dirk and who, with a win in this year's Finals, would solidify his claim to being the best point guard since Magic.
Brown Mamba: LeBron James. Sorry E, I 100% disagree. Let's not be mistaken: while Nowitzki is on a nice run here, these Finals are all about James and his legacy – specifically his ability to rewrite NBA history. A loss here would be devastating for James, and probably would render his pursuit to be the GOAT moot. He simply cannot lose and still expect to be mentioned in the same breath as Michael. For Nowitzki, the current playoff run has already gone a long way towards cementing his legacy. While a ring would be nice, it probably wouldn't move his place among the all-time greats more than a few notches one way of another. On a side note, for non-players, a victory for the Heat would place Pat Riley in rarefied air, having been a integral part of 3 different championship teams (and really the architect of the last two).
Q. The 2006 Finals were (a) a great comeback by the Heat, (b) an abysmal collapse by the Mavericks and/or (c) a little fishy.
E-dog: (a) and (b). With rare exceptions, comebacks and collapses tend to go hand-in hand; the former are generally not possible without the latter, and the latter don't matter without the former. It is indisputable that the Heat greatly raised their level of play in the 2006 Finals from the final minutes of Game 3 onward, not just getting superstar performances from Dwyane Wade but also getting vital contributions from a talented supporting cast. It is just as indisputable that the Mavericks melted down over the same period, with the Game 3 giveaway (remember Dirk's missed free throw in the final seconds with the Mavs down 1?), Jerry Stackhouse's flagrant foul in Game 4 which drew an ejection and a suspension for Game 5, and the bone-headed timeout call before Wade's go-ahead free throw in the final seconds of overtime in Game 5, among other miscues. I did not include (c) because, while the foul calls generally went in Miami's favor, there is no hard evidence that this was deliberate, and there was a very good reason for this discrepancy: Avery Johnson's insistence throughout those Finals on double-teaming Shaq and playing Hack-a-Shaq on him as though it were 2000, which put Dallas in the penalty early.
Brown Mamba: (a). I could cop out and pick (a) and (b) like my friend E-dog over here, but I'll go with just (a). For my money, Dwyane Wade's performance in the 2006 Finals was still the best I've seen (regardless what you think of the refereeing). While Dallas may not have played fully up to its capability and Avery Johnson definitely made some questionable moves, you still have to give credit where credit is due. Wade was simply brilliant.
Q. For the Mavericks, the memory of the 2006 Finals are (a) a mental millstone, (b) a motivation, (c) both or (d) neither.
E-dog: (c). The Mavericks are saying and doing all the right things so far with respect to questions that have arisen on the 2006 Finals, pointing out how the team is different (Dirk and Jason Terry are the only remaining Mavericks from that series) and how the opportunity of a championship trumps everything else. Certainly it would appear, for now, that if those Finals are on their minds at all, it is as a source of motivation. But what will happen the first time that a dicey call goes against them, or if a free-throw discrepancy emerges in Miami's favor? Will the Mavericks be able to put aside any thoughts that may arise about the series being "rigged", as Mark Cuban famously shouted after Game 5 of the 2006 Finals, and focus on what they need to do in order to win? Until they can prove otherwise, that seed of doubt will be there.
Brown Mamba: (a). Picture this. The series is tied 1-1. The Heat come back in Game 3 and go up 2-1. You don't think visions of the 2006 collapse are going to creep into Nowitzki's head. Absolutely. And Nowitzki has never proven himself to be the toughest minded player in any event. As E-dog mentions, while motivation might be there at some level, these are by and large different teams, so I don't suspect Rick Carlisle will have much bulletin board material to feed his team's fire ("Let's do it for Stack!").
Q. The 2010-11 NBA champion will be …
E-dog: The Heat (barely). It's tempting to pick the Mavericks, based on their level of play during these playoffs, their 14-game regular-season winning streak over the Heat and the notion that they are due for redemption after what happened in 2006. But the Heat have been giving off a vibe of their own during their playoff run. They have won their last 7 playoff games in which the outcome was in doubt (and in many of which they trailed) in the fourth quarter against two proud, determined teams in the Celtics and Bulls. That type of run, especially in the wake of their Game 5 comeback over Chicago, can't help but fuel a sky-high level of confidence that they will impose their will when the game is on the line and will find their way out of sticky situations. I think that this will manifest itself in a game or two that the Heat will "steal" with a late rally, and that will make the difference in a stirring, dramatic 7-game triumph.
Brown Mamba: The Heat in six. As I've stated before, as much as the Mavericks appear to be a team of destiny (and as some would have you believe, "America's team"), this line of thought rarely seems to work in basketball – whereas it completely works in baseball, football, and hockey. In basketball, on the other hand, talent and homecourt often seem to dictate the eventual winner. In this case, both of these factors are on the Heat's side. In addition, you have two individuals who are among the best defensive players, best closers, and best "national TV" performers. I give the Mavs two just because the Heat have shown a lack of focus this season from time to time. It's been a great run for Dallas, but barring some unforeseen development, we will be seeing some good times on the streets of South Beach in a few weeks.


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Rename to Potions Master?
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In LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World it is referred to as "Potions Master." I know it's third-tier canon, but I'm not sure on the rule when it comes to something like capitalisation. ProfessorTofty (talk) 00:51, July 25, 2012 (UTC)


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|MF Global, Agricultural Hearing
|News Releases - Environment, Weather & Nature
|Written by Grassley Press
|Friday, 09 December 2011 15:15
Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011
On Thursday (tomorrow), the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry will hold a hearing examining derivatives reform that will feature testimony from Gary Gensler, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Mary Schapiro, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Committee members are likely to ask questions about the agencies' work leading up to the MF Global bankruptcy, which has left farmer clients in the lurch. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a member of the Agriculture Committee, made the following comment on the hearing. Grassley has a scheduling conflict with the Judiciary Committee, where he serves as Ranking Member, but plans to attend the Agriculture Committee hearing as much as possible. If he can't attend, he will pose any questions he thinks were not asked to the witnesses for written responses for the hearing record. Also, the Agriculture Committee has scheduled an investigative hearing on the MF Global case for Dec. 13, so there will be continued opportunities to ask questions.
"I appreciate the committee leaders' attention to this issue. It's been weeks since MF Global's bankruptcy. The public is still in the dark on basic facts. Unanswered questions include who discovered that client money was missing, how much of that money is actually missing, and how much of the client money can be recovered. I hope the committee will be able to get some direct answers from Chairman Gensler and Chairman Schapiro. It's a good opportunity to ask the questions our constituents would ask if they could be there."
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|by David Hood
The offense then took advantage of the old "better late than never" adage by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth, six in the seventh and three more in the eighth in claiming a 12-2 victory over William & Mary on a chilly Sunday afternoon at Doug Kingsmore Stadium, winning the series two games to one.
Clemson's offense managed just one hit through five innings, but pounded out 14 hits over the final three innings.
Firth tossed seven strong innings to pick up the win, giving up just two hits, walking one and striking out five. He threw 89 pitches, 60 for strikes, in shutting down the Tribe.
Firth said he wasn't worried about the offense getting him some runs.
"I knew if I kept it close, and gave our guys a chance, we were going to come up with some big hits eventually," Firth said. "A lot of guys had been hitting it pretty well without much to show for it. I knew they would start falling eventually, and they came in a bunch."
Firth said he took it upon himself as a senior to set the tone in Sunday's crucial rubber game.
"Obviously, after the game yesterday, we were a little disappointed in our performance," he said. "Especially the pitching staff. That's not how we practice or how we go about things. It was definitely important for me – you know I'm the old guy now and I've got a little bit of experience – and that is one of my jobs. If we are struggling and need a pick-me-up, it is my job to go out there and set the tone."
Firth gave up a leadoff single in the fourth that turned into a run, but held the Tribe hitless over his final three innings of work, allowing the Clemson offense to get back in the game.
That started in the bottom of the sixth, when sophomore catcher Garrett Boulware doubled with one out. Thomas Brittle singled Boulware to third, and Steven Duggar drove him home with an RBI single to center. Both runners advanced on the throw. An RBI single by Steve Wilkerson and a fielder's choice RBI by Shane Kennedy made it 3-1 Clemson after six innings.
The Tigers added six more in the seventh – Boulware had a two-run single and Wilkerson added a 3-run double as the Tigers were able to effectively put the game away. The Tigers added three more in the eighth as Leggett emptied his bench to get the reserves some much-needed playing time.
Leggett said Firth's effort was exactly what the Tigers needed.
"Scottie had a good day for us," he said. "He had a good breaking ball, and he had a good feel on his changeup and we played good defense behind him. The game started slow on offense for us – it took five innings to figure that kid, but we got some big hits there in the sixth inning. We had some two-out RBIs, and some two-strike RBIs."
The Tigers return to action next Friday, hosting Wright St. in a three-game series at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Friday game starts at 4 p.m., Saturday starts at 2 p.m. and the Sunday game starts at 1 p.m.
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David Hood can be reached at email@example.com


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March 1, 2016 | By: InnovationManagement
If nations increased their supportive policies and reduced their harmful policies, the rate of innovation
worldwide would significantly accelerate. This report assesses countries on the extent to which their economic and trade policies either constructively contribute to or negatively detract from the global innovation system.
October 23, 2015 | By: InnovationManagement
The EveryDay Innovation Report argues that more needs to be done to assure employees that they can personally impact business objectives with innovative ideas. To tap into their knowledge, the innovation conversation for businesses must become more focused around driving tangible results, fuelling growth and creating competitive advantage.
September 18, 2015 | By: Menno van Dijk
Experienced leadership, a concept designed for scalability and timing, is the most important factor influencing fast-growing startups, also known as scale-ups. Only 1 out of 200 startups become a scale-up valued over $10 million within 5 years. THNK and Deloitte conducted quantitative research to analyze the dynamics and characteristics of 400.000 startups.
September 1, 2015 | By: InnovationManagement
The state of the global innovation economy is alive and well, according to a recent survey report featuring organisations actively developing and implementing new technologies and solutions across a range of industries.
June 17, 2015 | By: Vani Jain
While innovation is crucial for driving customer engagement and increasing share of wallet, companies continue to struggle with the "what" and "how" of it. For each best-practice organization that has streamlined its innovation processes, there are many that are still paralyzed by their haphazard approach toward identifying and evaluating ideas. Evalueserve interacted with many of its Fortune 100 clients and identified six strategies that enhance the likelihood of developing successful innovation programs.
April 1, 2015 | By: InnovationManagement
Imagine if you could listen to the daily conversations of world-class innovation program leaders. How would you use that information to deepen your thinking about innovation and what it takes to really implement it, organization-wide?
November 13, 2014 | By: InnovationManagement
Which companies lead the world in turning creative ideas into protected, commercialized inventions? The IP & Science business of Thomson Reuters, the world's premier provider of intelligent information for businesses and professionals, answered that question today with the announcement of its fourth annual 2014 Top 100 Global Innovators list. The program honors the 100 most innovative organizations globally, as measured by a series of patent-related metrics.
October 15, 2014 | By: Luis Arnal
To understand the conditions around innovation in Latin America in detail, INSITUM conducted a qualitative and quantitative study with more than 300 of the biggest Latin American organizations. The study has brought to light many of the contexts, barriers, needs and outcomes around innovation in Latin American organizations. This article explores some of the results and offers a free download of the full report.
August 20, 2014 | By: Aina Zahari, Azim Pawanchik & Suraya Sulaiman
Many of the challenges faced by an organisation wanting to innovate boils down to talent management, areas often directly under the influence of HR. In this study, we explore whether HR has become a partner yet in innovation. We make the case that it is imperative for HR to be a driver, while also being innovative in its own domain.
November 7, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
Year after year, our Global Innovation 1000 study has demonstrated that it is not how much companies spend on research and development that determines success — what really matters is how those R&D funds are invested in talent, process, and tools. In addition to our recurring analysis of R&D spending trends, our eighth annual study of the world's 1000 largest corporate R&D spenders focuses on the "fuzzy front-end" of the innovation process — the tools, mechanisms and networks companies use to generate ideas and effectively convert them into commercialization projects.
October 25, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
Web 2.0 exponentially increased the transactional nature of the Web, and forever changed the way people express themselves, conduct business, learn about different subjects, shop, form communities, collaborate, and share their personal information. But the embrace of Web 2.0 has also introduced serious questions about the inherent risks associated with the use of these tools.
September 13, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
Is your company a great place for innovation? That probably depends on whether you ask the boss or the underlings. According to a new study by Development Dimensions International, a human resources consulting firm, the boss and the workers could hardly disagree more. Read more and download the report that does recommend some practical action steps that can be used to help bridge this disconnect between leaders and employees.
July 12, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
For the second year running, Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore lead in overall innovation performance according to the Global Innovation Index 2012 (GII): Stronger Innovation Linkages for Global Growth, published by INSEAD, the leading international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
May 10, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
Difficult market conditions force SMEs to adapt or reinvent their businesses through new technologies or unique value propositions, but they often lack resources and technical capabilities and must thus collaborate with others to compete. Those that succeed in this transition often employ open innovation. A study by Dr Wim Vanhaverbeke, in collaboration with Ine Vermeersch and Stijn De Zutter found that open innovation can create new opportunities for all types of SME – from start-ups in high-tech markets to players in traditional markets – because they can change business models without having the required technologies in-house.
March 15, 2012 | By: InnovationManagement
This year's Innovation Union Scoreboard shows that most Member States have improved their innovation performance. This allows the European Union to maintain a clear lead over the emerging economies of China, Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa, but not to close the existing gap with innovation leaders such as the United States, Japan and South Korea. More efforts are therefore needed so as to address the EU's weaknesses. One area in the spotlight is related to firms' innovation activities.


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High above the terraced green hills of Italy's northwest coast, on a breezy ridge-top trail overlooking the Ligurian Sea, I rest for a minute to enjoy the sun and silence. Today is July 18, the very heart of the summer tourist season in southern Europe, and yet it seems I have Cinque Terre all to myself.
I loosen my hiking boots and take it all in, happy to bake a little under the Mediterranean sun. Soon a hunched old man approaches, and I suspect he's a local because I haven't seen another tourist since breakfast. He must think I've been sitting here for a while—or maybe I just look content—because he stops, grins, and says something that sounds like il dolce far niente. I nod back, because my Italian is dreadful, and it's not until I hear the phrase again a few days later that I understand.
Il dolce far niente, "the sweetness of doing nothing," is something of a motto in this part of Italy.
The cliff-clinging fishing villages of Cinque Terre (literally, "the five lands") have been around, in one form or another, since the Middle Ages, but it wasn't until American guidebook mogul Rick Steves made them famous that the area became a certifiable tourist trap. Still, not even an army of tourists could diminish the chaotic charm of Riomaggiore and its jumble of sun-washed houses, all pinks and yellows and blues tumbling toward the sea; and nothing could spoil the sloping vineyards of Corniglia, the bustling trattorias of Monterosso, or the simple pleasure of following a centuries-old walking path along the rocky coast.
There are loads of tourists, though, and that's just a reality these days. But before you resign yourself to rubbing elbows with every sweaty vacationer and his brother—who may or may not be wearing a Speedo three sizes too small—consider this: There's another side to Cinque Terre, and it's one that very few tourists ever see.
Escaping the crowd
Most visitors find themselves hiking at least part of the Sentiero Azzuro (the "blue trail") at some point during their stay. This pleasant eight-mile walking path has become a tourist thoroughfare despite its sometimes challenging terrain, largely because it's billed as the most "authentic" way of traveling between the five villages. While the volume of tourists has chipped away at the trail's natural charm, the bikini-and-sandals crowd usually steers clear of the most demanding stretch.
Whereas the three-village walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola to Corniglia is relatively gentle—it's even paved in some places—the remainder of the trail is very demanding and almost all up and down. After Corniglia the path heads slightly inland and its rewards become more subtle: There are more sun-drenched olive groves and terraced vineyards than wild coastal vistas here, but the payoffs come in the form of a heart-pumping vertical ramble and the relative peace and quiet between Corniglia and Monterosso.
For complete solitude, though, head to Sentiero Rosso (the "red trail"), a ridge-top path that hovers several hundred meters above the five villages. At 25 miles long, Sentiero Rosso is about three times the length of the well-traveled blue trail, but when taken in stages it's actually an easier, flatter walk. The full path runs east to west from Portovenere to Levanto, two towns that bookend the five official villages of Cinque Terre. You don't have to walk the entire way, though, as there are steep access trails from each of the villages that allow you to make the walk as long or as short as you like.
It's on Sentiero Rosso that you'll literally find yourself above the fray, with expansive views and few other tourists to spoil them. But beware: Next spring will see the arrival of a new cable car system to bring visitors from Riomaggiore to the higher terrain. The crowds are sure to follow.
Cinque Terre National Park rents mountain bikes from the Montenero Sanctuary on the hill above Riomaggiore. The crisscrossing network of trails follows roughly the same route as the Sentiero Rosso, and leads you about as far from the tourist centers as you can get on two wheels. The terrain ranges in difficulty from easy to challenging (though "easy" is a subjective term). A full-day rental is just four euros with the Cinque Terre card.
For something entirely different, rent a sea kayak and snorkel gear at the area's only authorized diving center, the Coopsub Cinque Terre in Riomaggiore. Coopsub rents kayaks and also organizes trips for those who don't want to go it alone. This is a great alternative to the hiking trails, especially in July and August when a quick dip in the water is a welcome relief from the summer sun.
Kayak rentals are easy to come by at beaches up and down the coast. It's only about a half hour's paddle between each village within Cinque Terre—the whole area is only eight miles long—and there's no better way to beat the crowds than completely leaving them behind on your watery commute from one town to the next.
You can spend a more leisurely day on the water with either the Golfo Paradiso or Golfo dei Poeti ferry lines, which run between the Cinque Terre villages. Golfo Paradiso visits coastal towns up and down the Riviera di Levante, including Monterosso and Vernazza. Golfo dei Poeti offers local service to four of the five Cinque Terre villages.
The nearest major international [[Airports | airport]] is Milan, about three hours by train from Cinque Terre. Purchase a three-day Cinque Terre card for 10 euros when you arrive on the coast. It covers unlimited local train rides between the five villages and gives you "free" access to the Sentiero Azzuro hiking trail. It costs three euros to hike the blue trail without the Cinque Terre card.
Although Cinque Terre is now a year-round tourist destination, college students and backpackers of all ages descend in droves when July and August roll around. Both the crowds and weather are milder in May and September. It's still hard to find a room even then, however. To avoid booking months in advance, go between November and March.
I used Levanto as a base for my travels rather than fighting for a room in one of the five villages. While it lacks the slapdash charm of, say, Riomaggiore or Vernazza, this lively little beach town is still a great money-saver and a good place to find a bed even when Cinque Terre is bursting at the seams.
Many of the nearby towns, in fact, evoke the region's simple dolce vida charm without all of the tourist trappings. Head to the beach in nearby Bonassola, for example, and you'll wonder why anyone is paying $12 to rent an umbrella at the overcrowded beaches of the "official" Cinque Terre towns. Then sample some fresh-baked focaccia, made with the same lemons you passed in the hills above town, and relax with a glass of Sciacchetrà, the local dessert wine.
Only when you're far from the maddening crowd can you really appreciate how sweet il dolce far niente can be.


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John Henderson, natural and social sciences librarian, is the primary author of the lead article for a forum on open access publishing (OA) that appears in the May 2005 issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. Frontiers is a publication of the Ecological Society of America.
Here is the full citation for the article: Henderson J.R. and D. McFarland, A. Hastings, P. Sahni, M. Held and W. Wells, C.J. MacCallum and A. Gass, and R.M. Harington. 2005. "Open access Who will pay the price?" Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 4(3): 222-227.
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By Wayne ParryMANTOLOKING, N.J. -- On the surface, things look calm and placid. Just beneath the waterline, however, it's a different story. Cars and sunken boats. Patio furniture. Pieces of docks. Entire houses. A grandfather clock, deposited in a marsh a mile from solid land. Hot tubs. Tons of sand. All displaced by Superstorm Sandy.
Die-Hard Ocean Debris Threatens Tourism Post Sandy
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