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The Google App Engine doesn't really advance the cause of evil all that much, but it's not exactly good, either. Google makes a big deal about its corporate motto, "Don't be evil", but at the end of the day, Google really is just another corporation, no matter how well-intentioned its founders may have been. Regardless of whether the corporation holding the carrot is called "Microsoft" or "Google", developers should think long and hard before following the primrose path towards lock-in to non-standard designs.
Why goals are better than rules
So-called "ethical" arguments ask us to set some kind of absolute standard for compliance that allows us to discriminate the "bad guys" from the "good guys". The problem is, the world of commerce is full of lots of "slightly shady guys" who can, after long contemplation, usually figure out how to get the better of you without actually stepping over the defined line. That puts you in the uncomfortable position of having to re-draw the line: thus making the absurd claim that what wasn't "evil" yesterday is suddenly "evil" today.
That's why I'd argue that it's better to talk about "goals" rather than "rules".
It's more important to understand and support the goals of free software (sharing of code, open development process, freedom of users) rather than the rules (allow modification and redistribution, no limitations on running the code). Because even if someone sticks to the rules, they can create a situation which actually discourages your goals. One rather prominent example is the so-called "Tivo-ization" trick of locking software into particular piece of hardware. Another is providing completely open code which depends on closed code to actually be deployed.
The Google App Engine doesn't break the rules, but it doesn't serve the goals, either
The Google App Engine (GAE), like many of Google initiatives over the last few years falls into this gap: it doesn't break the rules, but it doesn't serve the goals, either.
Evil or not evil?
But, for the time being, let's figure out whether what Google is doing with Google App Engine is "evil" or not. Certainly, it does on the surface sound like a "lock-in" attempt along the lines of Microsoft's infamous "embrace and extend" strategy, or like Microsoft-specific frameworks, like .NET or the "Microsoft foundation classes".
However, just how strong is the "lock-in"? Could you develop an application for GAE, and then deploy it on your own server? Or on some other service? In other words, does using the GAE Software Development Kit (SDK) lock you into a Google monopoly on hosting services?
The answer is a qualified "no".
The SDK includes a reference implementation of the server, in the form of a test server. The code that you write is limited to Python 2.5.2 (the GAE is a sandboxed Python execution environment), but of course, that is a free software interpreter.
The entire SDK is under free licenses, and all of the APIs it supports are fully documented. Thus, the APIs are an "open standard" in that the information is available for you to implement. You could probably implement it all using free software.
The SDK includes a reference implementation of the server, in the form of a test server
Finally, the code is extensively based on existing free software code. A good part of it is simply Django. Django is a free software server application toolkit written in Python, so there is a definite path towards a full free-software implementation, if you are willing to take the trouble to do it.
For example, you can probably replace their file-based database storage with ZODB and even ZEO, without too much headache.
In other words, this isn't really a case of lock-in, because there are defined interaction standards for this kind of application, and although I can't prove it yet, I'd say they're most likely just using fairly standard Django-based APIs for that part.
But is it good?
However, the test server is deliberately under-capable. For example, the SDK documentation mentions that "dev_appserver.py can only serve one request at a time".
You obviously can't use that in a production environment.
Still, in principle, you could adapt this to run on a Zope-based or Django-based server. It probably wouldn't be that difficult, since production-capable free software servers based on those technologies do exist. But it would require extra work.
However, the test server is deliberately under-capable
More insidious are some of the details of the APIs that Google supports. Some of these are, admittedly, highly specific to services that Google is a well-known market leader for, and which are unique services, which therefore require a unique API:
The Users API seems to be mainly about creating a "single sign on" experience for the end user. The SDK server just has its own sign-in pages.
The URL fetch API seems a little strange to me, but the SDK just does it from your computer (but what else would it do?). I suspect that the deployed version provided by Google's hosting service probably uses some sort of caching here.
The Mail API allows you to send mail with their specific API. The SDK version is supposed to be able to use your local Sendmail instance.
If you design for GQL, you may be in for some very nasty surprises if you try to use a free software SQL server
By far the most suspicious case is the Datastore API. Google uses what it calls an "SQL-like syntax", which it then dubs the "Google Query Language" or GQL. This may be very nearly a subset of SQL, but they've offered no such guarantees. That means that if you design for GQL, you may be in for some very nasty surprises if you try to use a free software SQL server like MySQL or PostgreSQL.
It's an important point that every one of these services is available as part of a free software web application framework (such as Zope). So, you have the option to use a free software API, or to use Google's. They probably aren't really that different, but Google is offering no promises about that.
I can easily find standard free software server applications that provide all of these services in completely free ways. Zope (for example) provides all of these services, either as released, or through extension packages. Furthermore, Zope is a production-capable server, which can be scaled up in much the same way as the technology Google is using.
It's an important point that every one of these services is available as part of a free software web application framework
Caching is relatively easy to implement, if that is the point of the "URL fetch"; the Mail API is provided through a standard product in Zope (MailHost) or any of several alternatives; and it would probably be much more open to use Open ID, rather than Google's specialized User API.
And of course, access to data in Zope is available through a standard object database or through SQL. In fact, one of the backends for the object database uses SQL to access an external SQL server (it works well with both MySQL and PostgreSQL, from what I have heard, and it probably works with a variety of other SQL servers as well).
And by using a free software based solution, you eliminate any dependency on a single supplier of internet hosting services, giving you a choice of a wide range of hosting services.
Give and take
Finally, it's probably worth remembering that Google is largely built on free software. Most of their unique services were derived from free software originals. They maintain an advantage against the free software community by deploying improved free software without sharing the code, exploiting a loophole which says they don't have to share code if they don't distribute it.
Google is largely built on free software
Google has of course done some great things for the community. They do share some of their code, and they do sponsor student developers and project mentors in their "Summer of Code" projects.
But if Google were to wholeheartedly pursue the goals of the free software movement, it would share all of the improvements that it makes to free software packages.
Of course, we don't require that they do. We have established rules that they must follow in order to comply with free software licenses, and that's acceptable. The idea of whether to license software in such a way as to make such private modification and deployment legal was clearly thought out, and the decision was made not to limit that kind of use.
The point here is not that Google is doing something "wrong" or "unethical" (because we've carefully decided not to draw the line there), but that it's a fallacy to think of Google's "unique products" as truly original works. Likewise, it's a fallacy to imagine that Google is somehow being magnanimous in its "donations" of code to the community, when in reality, it is only reciprocating what the community has provided to it (and only partially). Nor is it really proper to call its sponsorship programs "generous", when in reality, the amount of free labor that Google has appropriated is much larger than what they have paid for.
Google has done what's best for Google, and we need to do what's best for us. There's no "ethics" or "philanthropy" here, it's "just business".
Google has done what's best for Google, and we need to do what's best for us
Google may play within the rules, but that doesn't mean they're our friend. Indeed, it is a fundamental misconception to apply such concepts as "friendship" or "loyalty" to corporations. They don't have such feelings. Larry Page and Sergey Brin may be decent, well-intentioned people—but that doesn't mean that Google necessarily will be. It certainly doesn't mean that it will remain so, even if it is now.
The constant pressure to seek profit will see to that. There is even a point of view from which the incessant attainment of profit at any cost to the public is the only "ethical" behavior for a corporation (a viewpoint popular with many wealthy shareholders, who may see losses taken for the benefit of the public to represent a betrayal of their interests).
Corporations are machines. Sometimes they're a benefit and sometimes they're a hazard. The mistake lies in thinking that they are people, simply because they are constructed from people. But corporations are less than the sum of their parts.
Corporations are less than the sum of their parts
That's because we haven't yet deployed a better way to organize people on that scale. It is possible that the free culture and commons-based production is that "better way". But the "commons-based enterprise" is not as mature as the "corporate enterprise", so it will take time for that to be realized.
In the meantime, we have only the present uneasy detente with the existing corporate bodies. Google is a relatively good one, but don't make the mistake of trusting them too much.
Make no mistake: Google App Engine is designed to make Google profit, not serve the public good. They could have based their service entirely on free software, and contributed any improvements they felt were needed, back to the projects that have supplied them with the tools for economic success. But they haven't provided such a fully-capable system in the GAE SDK. So they're not making it easy for you to deploy elsewhere—they definitely want deploying on Google to be the path of least resistance.
Is that "evil"? Well, no, not really. But it isn't exactly "good" either. Which means, if you're a developer, you have to make the same tightrope decision: will you choose convenience and merely try to "not be evil", or will you choose freedom and try to actively "do good"? I can't condemn either option, but you should make the choice with your eyes open.
Good article, Terry.
Good article, Terry. Thanks.
"By far the most suspicious"?
If the fact that the SQL is not 100% ANSI standard is the "most suspicious" thing that you could come up with, then maybe this Google API thing isn't that bad. Given, my research is a couple of years old, but at the time, NONE of the SQL implementations where 100% ANSI compliant, or compliant with each other.
I'm a huge fan of software freedom and I would never want to enter into a case where my data was controlled by a corporation. Still, I don't see the big threat even after all that text.
What *does* Google do that is really not nice? Base a huge part of their business on free software and then release programs for Windows only. Got a free software distribution? It might run if we get around to it, if you install WINE.
Maybe you know GQL better than I do, but...
Maybe you know GQL better than I do, but the fact that they aren't calling it SQL, nor are they claiming that it is even a subset of SQL, is bothersome.
It suggests that if you write code for GQL, you are going to have a very hard time switching to anything else. MySQL and PostgreSQL may not be totally compatible, but there's a large subset of SQL that will work fine on either.
More importantly, you can install MySQL or PostgreSQL on your server if you want, but the "real" GQL engine isn't available -- unless you host with Google. Or you can use the stuff that comes with the SDK -- but it's not complete enough to deploy on a production server.
You could probably derive a system you could deploy on another site, but that's not the same thing (you could write your own web server, SQL engine, or any other thing, too, but having to re-invent the wheel is NOT "open source friendly").
A Distinction With A Difference
A well balanced exposition that is respectful of the differences among those who are trying to promote an alternative to corporate control of information technology.
Keeping the goal in mind is absolutely necessary in the real world where nothing moves in a straight line.
At a more abstract level, I would also refer to the following link:
Open is a term also related to networks as well as code. We have misplaced expectations if we believe that a private, closed network has any obligation beyond its own purposes and as the article link above points out, Google is a private closed network that permits but is not obligated.
Business has no choice but to seek differentiation and differentiation means private control whether of brand or process or product.
No matter how broad free software and open source become, there will always be a host of business people looking to find a way to gain control of human decision making so as to make money and most people will not care.
That doesn't make the activities and work of free software advocates futile. Any check on power no matter how small is always better than no check at all, just don't expect people to be grateful. Make your own rules that work with your goals.


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Joe had a good idea for the league party. Here is the copy of an email from Joe French.
A lot of us have played a lot of tournies over the years, and most of us have tons of plastic and disc golf swag laying around that we don't need or will never use or don't know what to do with. Ive talked with quite a few Bushwackers who feel the same way so if this describes you at all then bring what you have to the BW party on Sunday and in between all the other awesome things to do lets have a big Swap Meet and trade/sell some disc golf stuff we don't need!
Thanks for your time!

subset: commoncrawl


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|Amount Per Serving
|% Daily Value
|Total Carbohydrate
|6 g
|0 g
|Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin)
|1000 mcg
|5 mg
|MVP Proprietary Blend
|8474 mg
|Beta Alanine (Carnosyn)
|BCAA Blend (L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine, L-Valine)
|Creatine Monohydrate
|Betaine Anhydrous
|Agmatine Sulfate
|Caffeine Anhydrous
|Panax Notoginseng Root and Astragalus Membranaceous Root Extract Blend (AstraGin)
|Dendrobium Nobile Stem Extract (Concentrated for Dendrobine)
|Nelumbo Nucifera Seed Extract
|Huperzia Serrata Whole Plant Extract (containing 1% Huperzine A)
|Piper Nigrum Fruit Extract (Bioperine)
To assess tolerance, mix 1/2 serving (1/2 scoop) with 4-6 oz of cold water and mix vigorously. Once tolerance is established, you may increase to a full serving (1 scoop) with 8-12 oz cold water.
For best results take 30-45 minutes before exercise on an empty stomach. It is important to maintain proper hydration when taking MVP Fuel.
To avoid sleeplessness, do not consume within 4 hours of bedtime. Do not exceed one full serving (one scoop) in any 24 hour period.
AstraGin is a trademark of NuLiv Science.
CarnoSyn is a registered trademark of Natural Alternatives International, Inc. (NAI)
Consult your physician to ensure you are in good health before using this product. Not for use by persons under age 18. Do not use if pregnant or nursing. Do not use without consulting your health care professional if you are taking any medication or have any medical condition. Contains 199mg of caffeine. Limit the use of other caffeine-containing products while taking this product, as too much caffeine may cause nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness and occasionally rapid heartbeat. Do not combine with alcohol. Discontinue use and consult your doctor if any adverse reaction occurs.
|1 Scoop (15.2g) Contains:
Protein0 Carbs6g Fat0 Calories25
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Sweeteners: Sucralose, Acesulfame-k
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The 8th annual Wood Lake Battlefield Symposium will take place on Saturday, September 21.
The event, which again will be held at the Kilowatt Community Center, will feature Franky Jackson, the director of the Renville County Historial Society as the keynote speaker. Jackson's discussion is titled "The Aftermath of the U.S./Dakota War and the Exile of the Dakota." He will expand that with a discussion on the plight of many half-breeds during and after the U.S./Dakota Conflict of 1862
Registration and check-in for the event begins at 10:00 a.m. and the event get underway at 10:50 with a welcome and the keynote presentation by Jackson.
In the afternoon, Bill Crowder a bugler and Civil War re-enactor will offer an explanation of Bugle Calls and Commands.
At 1:15 a bus will be available to take symposium participants to the Wood Lake Battlefield Site, and visit various battle locations where Crowder will demonstrate bugle calls and commands.
The tour will conclude with a closing ceremony held at the nearby Wood Lake monument along County Road 2 and the bus is scheduled to return to the Kilowatt Community Center at 3:45 p.m..
The registration fee for the symposium is $30 dollars per person and $20 dollars per student. The fee includes the Symposium as well as a buffet lunch and information as well as registration deadline has been extended to Tuesday Sept. 17 . a scholarship will be available to one history teacher and one history student For more information, on the symposium or the scholarship contact Tom Hosier at email@example.com. of call him at 507-280-9970.
Location, ST | website.com


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The whole Robert Pattinson-Kristen Stewart thing doesn't seem to faze Cameron Diaz
The 40-year-old was allegedly all over Pattinson on Oct. 27 at the L.A. County Museum of Art's Art + Film Gala, according to Us magazine.
I'd make a "Mrs. Robinson" joke here, but anyone interested in this story probably wouldn't get it.
"She was pretty obvious," says one of three witnesses who watched Diaz come on to the 26-year-old "Twilight" star. "Cam was seated next to Rob at dinner. She was touching his arm, doing her big Cameron laugh at everything he said and trying really hard. He was polite, but not having it."
He should've bitten her.
His non-interest shouldn't be surprising. Just two days earlier, Pattinson and Stewart couldn't keep their hands off each other at a Prince show at Hollywood's Sayer's Club.
"They were inseparable -- kissing passionately," says a concertgoer. "It was like watching one of their movies"
That bad, huh?
Just kidding, Twihards. Please don't come to my house.
The pair even danced together. "Rob was grinning the entire time," said the onlooker.
Contact Tony Hicks at email@example.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks.


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On-site registration is mandatory for new students, for students transferring from Santa Fe, and for other students who haven't received class schedules. Registration is held on the first day of the semester in the Barr-Buchanan Center.
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Please download the Student Handbook; students should be sure to read through the relevant sections.
All new students participate in a seminar on Plato's Meno, 70-86d, on the day prior to the start of the semester in the spring and summer, and on the first day of the fall semester.
Convocation is the occasion when new students are welcomed into the College. It takes place in the Great Hall of McDowell at the start of the spring and summer semesters, and in the FSK Auditorium at the start of the fall semester. This is a somewhat formal event, and students should dress accordingly. If a new student must miss convocation, he or she should notify the Graduate Institute office ahead of time.
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Two representatives from each seminar are elected to the Council at the beginning of each term, but all students are encouraged to attend meetings and offer student insight into any aspect of the St. John's experience for the Council to discuss.
Mailboxes are re-assigned to all students each semester. Students are responsible for checking their box frequently for notices of academic matters and social events. Students who expect to receive mail from outside the college should have it sent in their name to St. John's College, 60 College Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401. For any questions please contact the Assistant Dean's Office.
All students are required to activate their St. John's email accounts when they first enroll, and are responsible for checking their email regularly throughout their enrollment. Students are strongly urged to register for "e2campus," the St. John's security alert system. The college Information Technology Office will activate students' email accounts."
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- May 8:
- Kawakami: Khalil Mack could end Raiders' first-round hex
- NFL draft: 49ers draft safety Jimmie Ward
- NFL draft: Johnny Manziel falls to Cleveland Browns at 22nd overall pick
- Thompson: Raiders might've hit jackpot with Khalil Mack
- Raiders' NFL draft: The Khalil Mack File
- NFL draft: Raiders take linebacker Khalil Mack at No. 5
- NFL draft: Jadeveon Clowney taken No. 1 by Houston Texans
- NFL draft: 49ers' Harbaugh eyeing Aldon Smith replacement?
- Kawakami: Raiders, 49ers good bets to choose wide receivers in first round
- NFL draft prospects for Bay Area players
- May 7:
- Purdy: 49ers must avoid 'knucklehead factor' in draft
- Kawakami: Can Raiders avoid NFL draft wackiness?
- NFL draft: 49ers size up the cornerback, receiver market
- NFL draft: Breaking down the Raiders' biggest needs
- NFL draft: Bay Area draft prospects
- NFL draft: Receiver Davante Adams from Palo Alto a potential first-rounder
- Raiders' NFL draft: Steve Corkran's five they could pick
- Raiders' NFL draft: Jerry McDonald's five they could pick
- NFL draft: Silicon Valley company breaks athlete's physical potential down to a science
Is David Fales one of the top quarterbacks available in the NFL draft or destined to be a career backup? It depends on whom you ask.
"I'm a big fan," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of the former San Jose State star. "My personal quarterback evaluation of this class has David in the top five."
Harbaugh's opinion seems to leave him on a bit of an island, with most talent evaluators pegging the 6-foot-2, 212-pound quarterback as a mid-to-late round pick when the draft gets under way with Thursday's first round.
Fales, who plans to spend the draft with his family in his hometown of Salinas, will begin watching in earnest when the second and third rounds begin Friday. Rounds 4-7 are Saturday.
"I think Fales will go in the fourth or fifth round," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said. "And I think he's one of those guys that will probably wear a baseball cap for 10 years and occasionally be able to compete for a starting job."
With names such as Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater capturing much of the quarterback attention in the draft, Fales is sitting in the familiar position of being overlooked.
It's no different from when he was under-recruited out of Salinas' Palma High, when he didn't stick at Nevada or when he had only one major college scholarship offer after two seasons of junior college ball.
His circuitous journey is one of the red flags about Fales, along with an arm that some claim isn't strong enough. Mayock, despite that career backup evaluation, said there's a lot he likes about Fales.
"He throws with some anticipation and timing," Mayock said. "I thought the Minnesota game showed that he had enough arm strength to win. He got the ball the down the field. He pushed it down the field with strength and accuracy. Does he have a big arm? No. But he's a smart kid who understands the game."
Harbaugh, who carries a strong reputation for developing quarterbacks, said he didn't see the arm strength issues when Fales worked out at the 49ers' local pro day recently.
"You see a very compact throwing motion," Harbaugh said. "More compact than I saw during his career, but he was still throwing the ball 50-55 yards downfield. Throwing the deep comebacks, the outside lanes like he threw in college -- easily, accurately and on a line."
His strengths -- toughness, accuracy and timing -- have led to him being pegged as a system quarterback who could do well with a team that runs a West Coast style offense. Fales disagrees.
"I don't feel like I'm just a system guy," he said. "I've been able to at my junior college play in a whole different system. I was at Nevada for a little bit and then being at San Jose and being able to adapt to different systems. I think that's something I'm really good at doing, being able to adjust and understand the offense and play to its strengths."
Fales has been praised by 49ers general manager Trent Baalke as a "very smart football player," with "good arm talent." Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie attended Fales' pro day in March and said he displayed that he could "make all the throws."
Both local teams are likely to draft a quarterback over the next three days, and Fales has visited both facilities. He's also met locally with the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams and visited the Green Bay Packers.
Fales acknowledges he might not be immediately ready to step onto the field. The speed of the game will be enhanced greatly in the NFL.
"I don't know if I'm ready immediately," Fales said. "It's a whole 'nother speed, and that's something you've got to adapt to. But I've been able to adapt at all levels, so I feel like, again at the next level, I can adapt and learn and pick up the game pretty quick."
As for the negative reviews, Fales doesn't deny that it provides him additional motivation.
"You could say, 'No, it doesn't,' but it definitely does," Fales said. "It definitely fuels the fire."
Follow Jimmy Durkin on Twitter at twitter.com/Jimmy_Durkin.


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Hi.I've recently come into a tuft of Pablo's nose hair* which was donated by a goodly sheep from the Llangollan region. It's been dated tentatively c.1977 and is in very good condition.Please PM for further details (sensible offers only).* [neon]I'm not trolling; I'm moderating. [/neon]
Stupid cunt!
In reply to:Stupid cunt!
Stupid cunt!
On-topic responses only please. Your comment has greatly devalued everybody's entertainment to be had in this thread. [neon]I'm not trolling; I'm moderating. [/neon]
Black Prism, you're an ass."Vasectomy is your friend." - RabbitFighter
What's the problem then?stop smiling at metreat me unpleasantly
I was wondering exactly the same thing.On the subject of Grasshoppers, what do you think of this little ditty by the late, great Ivor Cutler?The man was out there on his own
I don't see what the problem is. It's not even that clever.______________________________Your cadaverous pallor betrays an aura of foreboding, almost as though you sense a disquieting metamorphosis. Is this haunted room actually stretching?
Exactly, it isn't clever, funny, nor interesting, and he comes back five weeks after his last uninteresting foray to post this and a another equally uninteresting post elsewhere. There was a time that Prissy could at least insult with style and wit, sadly his time away from here has dimmed his wit somewhat. I think he is down to the state of halfwit at this time. It can only get worse.I thought Strawman was predictably unfunny using the same joke for the last three years against me, but now it seems that his chum has gone as unfunny and boring as the ginger twit from Norfolk. Two illuminaries now a shadow of their former selves.
In reply to:Ivor Cutler
Ivor Cutler
Yeah, superb. I've only gotten into his stuff since I heard the tributes pour in after his death - Life in a Scotch Sitting Room (vol 2) and Dandruff are terrific - the best 'comedy' records I've heard.Knocks bells out of that Zappa crap, eh, Schmitzo?
In reply to:Pablum whining
Pablum whining
Yeah, two posts in a month are difficult to ignore, aren't they? I would normally chide myself for so hastily attributing your little outburst to a persecution complex if you weren't so utterly void of ideas, humour, and anything remotely resembling a life outside of your PabloWankerWorld site and wiping your mother's bottom each time she craps on the carpet, but we can't all be that great, huh? [neon]I'm not trolling; I'm moderating. [/neon]


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ALAMEDA -- The Raiders moved in to their temporary home at the Napa Valley Marriott on Wednesday still two rookies shy of a full draft class.
Neither first-round pick D.J. Hayden nor second-round selection Menelik Watson had signed, which isn't a cause for concern given that the first practice isn't until Friday and that signings of prominent picks are routinely put off until the last minute.
The question regarding Hayden is whether he will be physically ready to begin practice following abdominal surgery related to his earlier procedure for a ruptured vena cava last November.
Raiders coach Dennis Allen, who isn't scheduled to address the media until Friday after practice, said during the team's mandatory minicamp in June he expected Hayden to be ready to go in training camp.
Second-year guard Tony Bergstrom, who was on one of two buses that departed for Napa from the team's facility in Alameda, said he felt much more comfortable the second time around.
"That's the biggest difference, just knowing what to expect,'' Bergstrom said. "There's not a ton of surprise, and with that you can go in with a little more confidence, just knowing what's coming. We had a whole lot of extra time in the off-season workouts to learn everything, so there's really no surprises coming at you now.''
Bergstrom's message to draft picks and undrafted free agents: "Don't pace yourself, number one. That would be the No. 1 message. Come in with confidence, don't worry about what's coming up. Just take advantage of every day. It's a process, and you have to live in the process.''
Running back Rashad Jennings, vying to be the primary backup for Darren McFadden, was impressed with the training camp setup.
"This type of setting is first for me,'' Jennings said. "In Jacksonville, they did it where we were at the city-- right at the facility. I'm excited to be away a little bit and get to bond with the fellas and build upon what we built in minicamp and OTAs.''
Raiders players are scheduled for meetings and physicals Thursday before taking the field Friday morning at 8:50 a.m. The league's collective bargaining agreement doesn't allow teams to have full padded practices until the fourth day of training camp.
For more on the Raiders, visit the Inside the Oakland Raiders blog at ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders. Follow Jerry McDonald on Twitter at Twitter.com/Jerrymcd.


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The Pocatello City Council did not pass an amended version its anti-discrimination ordinance Thursday night. The council was evenly split, with the mayor casting the deciding vote.
Here is the breakdown:
Roger Bray – yes
Steve Brown - no
Craig Cooper - no
Jim Johnston - no
Gary Moore - yes
Eva Johnson Nye - yes
Mayor Brian Blad - no
Many people at the meeting were stunned Blad voted no.
He said with such a divided community, he didn't feel the ordinance was right the way it was.
Nye said she thinks it's a good ordinance, and is proud of the work that was done on it, but the deciding vote came down to Blad.
The vote occurred after Cooper proposed an amendment to target those who "willfully commit" discrimination.
Under the proposed ordinance, a person in the Gate City would not be discriminated against based on "his or her actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, age, marital or familial status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression."
The proposal had been met with some resistance from citizens who felt "gender identity" was too loosely defined and were afraid this might allow some loopholes for individuals who exploit those who associate with being transgender, such as men who say they are women using the women's restroom or being admitted to women's shelters.
"People can believe what they want," said attorney Kirk Bybee, who drafted the ordinance.
"What we were doing with this ordinance is regulating their conduct," he said, referring to those he said were discriminating against others.
Chris Cole spoke with Mayor Blad Thursday morning to address some issues that have come up with the ordinance.
"We cannot afford to be split. We have to be one," said Blad. "We have to agree to disagree and move on and respect and be a part of the community."
Blad addressed some concerns on both sides of the issue.
One accusation was that an American Religious Freedom Foundation lawyer was paid to come to Pocatello to convince the council to vote no.
"We were never asked to not pass it, never asked to table it, never asked to do any of that. We were asked to just make sure people's rights are protected," said Blad.
He also said the City of Pocatello did not put any funding toward the accommodations of the lawyer, and said he didn't know what funding she received to come to Pocatello.
"She asked if they could give suggestions. We said yes," Blad said. "They sent us a copy of a draft ordinance, and that was that."
On the other side of the aisle, was the accusation that the American Civil Liberties Union was also brought in with outside dollars to sway the council.
"Truly, before it even started the ACLU was in the middle of it," said Blad, "Before a draft came out."
Blad also said meetings happen all the time, and there's just no way to tell everyone about each one.
He said city leaders were accused of holding several closed-door meetings were held and intentionally did not tell the public. However, he emphasized that officials were careful not to go against open meeting laws.
"Somebody wants to come in and meet with me, I'm not going to give notice to everybody that I'm meeting, who I'm meeting with, when I'm meeting, and how I'm meeting," he said.
As of noon Thursday, Blad said the majority of people who have contacted him do not support the ordinance, but there are still a strong number of people that do.
"The best thing for us to do is to find an ordinance that will bring the community together. That's the important thing," he said. "A community that's split is never going to be able to function."
For those who think this ordinance is a lost cause, there is still hope. Blad said he and the council will continue to discuss an ordinance until an agreement is reached. Blad said they want Bybee to present a new version on May 9.


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No progress made in new round of NHL labor talks
By IRA PODELL AP Sports Writer
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Cleanse and moisturize any hair type with this lightweight, hydrating blend of African shea butter, hops, nettle, comfrey and vitamin B5. Can be used as a shampoo and conditioner in one on fine, medium or short hair types. Fragrance-free.
$30.00$0.14 / ml
Philip B.® African Shea Butter Shampoo is rich yet lightweight, moisturizing, fragrance-free and color safe. It is gentle conditioning shampoo for fine, medium, thick, very coarse, and chemically treated hair. The mild PH of 5.5 and the penetrating hydrators help to retain color longer! Shea Butter is tree nut with healing and natural sunscreen qualities.
Philip B.® African Shea Butter Shampoo is also enhanced by pure plant extracts along with Vitamin B5 to increase manageability, moisture, and shine without weighing hair down.
Philip B.® African Shea Butter Shampoo can be used as a One Step Shampoo for fine, medium, and short hair. For fine to medium hair, alternate with Philip B.® Peppermint and Avocado Shampoo. For thick or coarse hair, use everyday.
Cruelty free, environmentally safe, please recycle.
For external use only. If irritation occurs, discontinue use. Keep out of eye area. Keep out of children's reach.
|Water (Aqua), Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamide MIPA, Decyl Glucoside, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycol Distearate, Panthenol, Propylene Glycol, Betula Alba Leaf Extract, Echinacea Purpurea Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Dioscorea Villosa (Wild Yam) Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Equisetum Arvense Extract, Frangula Alnus Bark Extract, Geranium Maculatum Extract, Juglans Nigra (Black Walnut) Leaf Extract, Larrea Divaricata Extract, Quassia Amara Wood Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Symphytum Officinale Rhizome/Root Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone
Shake well. Wet hair, apply shampoo, lather, rinse. Repeat if desired. Follow with Philip B.® Finishing Rinse. For thick, coarse, and damaged hair, follow with Philip B.® Deep Conditioning Creme Rinse and Finishing Rinse.
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®by PowerReviews
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Reviewed by 4 customers
Not as good as advertised
By Lefty
from Dallas, TX
describe yourself Product Junkie
- Cleans Thoroughly
- Smells Bad
- Too Runny
Best Uses
- Daily Use
Comments about Philip B. African Shea Butter Shampoo For All Hair Types, 7.4 oz:
I purchased this product for the shea butter and the fact I have dry hair. I was expecting a thicker consistency with moisterizing effects. Probably my own fault but I didn't thoroughly examine whether it had scent. This shampoo is basically without scent. If you are highly allergic then this product may be for you but I expect at least a light scent in my shampoo.
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Bottom Line No, I would not recommend this to a friend
"I have a new favorite"
By Hepistanna
from Kotzebue, AK
describe yourself Minimalist
- Adds Shine
- Cleans Thoroughly
- Gentle
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Best Uses
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- Thinner Hair
Comments about Philip B. African Shea Butter Shampoo For All Hair Types, 7.4 oz:
I live in a cold dry environment, I can use this product daily. This shampoo feels good on my scalp and keeps my hair shiny and soft with out overdrying, and a non greasy feeling. My hair is very fine thin, I've tried many, many shampoos but this shampoo is the best one yet.
- Hair Type:
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Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
My hair feels great!
By micpre
from Sherman Oaks, CA
describe yourself Product Junkie
- Gave body to my limp hair
- Could smell better
Best Uses
Comments about Philip B. African Shea Butter Shampoo For All Hair Types, 7.4 oz:
Overall liked this shampoo.
- Hair Type:
- Straight Hair
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
This deserves 10 stars! ...
By Suzanne
from Charlotte, NC
Comments about Philip B. African Shea Butter Shampoo For All Hair Types, 7.4 oz:
This deserves 10 stars! It is truly free of fragrances. Moisturizing for my hair (dry strands) but not greasy (I have a very oily scalp) and no conditioner is needed. It is worth every penny!
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)


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Times past for Dec. 15
December 15, 2012
Dec. 15 25 years ago ¯ Kingsmore's contract was approved by a 3-2 vote. As superintendent of Marietta City Schools, he faces $1 million in budget cuts and an 8.5-mill operating levy....
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Who doesn't love a good picture of themselves? Even the camera-shy are less likely to feel bashful when they're in control of the photograph. Just twist to your good side, look up slightly (you want to avoid a double chin, don't you?), extend your arm and shoot. Now, post to Facebook and wait for the barrage of compliments. Feels good, right?
In a relatively short time, selfies have become our culture's collective visual diary. Currently, the hashtag #selfie yields more than 31 million hits on Instagram, and the Oxford Dictionaries selected selfie as the Word of the Year for 2013. Even President Barack Obama was photographed last week taking a selfie at Nelson Mandela's memorial service. Clearly, we're in the midst of a self-portrait renaissance.
Some think it's turning us into a nation of narcissists, but psychologists say that in moderation, selfies are a feel-good and often creative way, particularly for teens, to chronicle their lives and emotions and express their personalities. And people who post selfies assert that they can have an effect on their moods and self-esteem.
Stephanie Eads, of Walnut Creek, sees shutter-bugging as a healthy habit. The 35-year-old receptionist snaps several selfies a day with memorable backgrounds -- the beach, a beloved Raiders game -- and posts at least one a week to her Facebook page. Because her family lives in the Midwest, selfies are Eads' way of showing them her day-to-day experiences.
"I'll usually post if I have a new haircut or makeup, or if someone's in a bad mood I'll text them one where I'm making a goofy face to cheer them up," Eads says. "It just makes me feel good, and when you're by yourself, it's my way of not feeling alone."
John Casey, a procurement contract specialist in Santa Clara, has been posting selfies to his Facebook page every Saturday for the past four years. He says it's a ritual he loves because it gives people he's never met a glimpse, literally, into his personality.
He sits at his desk and shoots the selfies while donning different hats. Over the years, he's snapped selfies in hard hats, Giants caps, beanies and fedoras. He typically gets about 50 comments or likes. If he gets a negative comment, he shrugs it off and deletes it.
"It's cool to have people say nice things about your picture," says Casey, 57. "Selfies have made people who are reticent to chat with me more likely to do so. That's also a good feeling."
Selfies can damage our self-esteem, though. When we get so distracted by the marketing of ourselves, we can lose touch with our authentic identities and struggle to build real relationships, says Lucie Hemmen, a Santa Cruz clinical psychologist and author of "Parenting a Teen Girl: A Crash Course on Conflict, Communication and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter" (New Harbinger, 2012).
"There's a continuum of health and authenticity in what you shoot and post," she says. "A secure, mature person is going to post selfies that are spontaneous and not overly engineered or edited, and they're going to do it less often. A more insecure person is going to post staged or sexualized photos, and they're going to do it so much that they become consumed by it and the comments they receive."
Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center in Boston, calls selfies a "really interesting psychological shift" in self-portraiture and in our relationships with ourselves. "Selfies allow you to be the producer, director, curator and actor in your own story," says Rutledge, an adjunct professor at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. "In this new relationship with yourself, you're using creative expression to show not just how you look in that shirt but how you feel in the moment. It's an interesting progression in communication, like telling a visual story."
Teenagers are among the largest group of storytellers. According to a recent study from the Pew Research Center, 91 percent of teens have posted a photo of themselves online. Many also use photo messaging applications such as Snapchat to attach text.
Fifteen-year-old Brandon Garnsey likes to include inspiring song lyrics or film quotes to his daily selfies on Instagram.
"I like the whole idea of expressing where you're at and getting to freeze a moment in time," says Brandon, a Danville resident. This past Sunday, after seeing "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," he posted a series of moody selfies with the caption, "I had to do it just once," quoting Gale Hawthorne, a character in the film.
"It was my first time posting a selfie on #selfiesunday so I thought the quote was fitting," Brandon says. No matter where he is or what's in the background, he always makes sure to angle his face to the left, his "better" side, and comb his hair to the left.
"I just think it looks better, and when I like the way I look, it motivates me," he says. "It makes me feel more confident."
Even when he's not at his best, positive comments can help lift his spirits. Recently, Brandon posted a selfie looking stressed out and frustrated with a pile of homework behind him. One of his 700 followers responded, "I feel the same way." "It made me feel like I wasn't alone," he says.
Robert Ward, of San Jose, can relate. When his mood is sour or pensive, Ward says he still posts selfies. His mood improves tremendously when he receives a nice comment on Facebook asking what's wrong or saying that he looks handsome.
"Especially when they're comments from girls from the high school days," he says.
In fact, taking selfies over the years has helped him learn to capture his best image. The 58-year-old screenwriter has never liked the way the dark circles under his eyes appear in photos; with a selfie, the blue-eyed brunette has mastered how to minimize them: He shoots looking up.
"It makes the circles lighter and your face thinner," Ward says. He rarely gets negative comments, just an occasional sarcastic jab from a friend, like "Nice '70s hair, dude!" Those don't bother him, Ward says. What does is no comments at all.
"That means I didn't affect anyone enough to comment or even take that millisecond to tap Like," he says. "Getting no comment on a freshly posted selfie is like asking people to dance, and they shake their head no in front of everybody."
To get their best comment-worthy selfies, Caitlin Cozine and her friends in Los Gatos like to wear "pretty dresses" for selfie "photo shoots" in Vasona Park or Hakone Estate & Gardens and take turns snapping shots of each other and themselves in flattering poses.
"It improves your social status and makes you feel good to see the comments, 'Gorgeous' or 'You look so nice,' " says Caitlin, 15. "But I think selfies are good as long as they're done in moderation because if not, it looks like you're fishing for compliments."
Therein lies the challenge: practicing selfie control. Because teenagers are often driven by insecurity to construct a desirable persona, they are particularly vulnerable to the negative side of self-portraiture, Hemmen says.
"If a young girl poses provocatively and gets 300 likes for that photo, that's false self-esteem for that kid," she says. "Selfies can be fun and give people a burst of satisfaction in the moment, but we still want to encourage people to have authentic identities in real time and with real people."
Reach Jessica Yadegaran at email@example.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/swirlgirl_jy.


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MARTINEZ -- On the second full day of deliberations, "Juror No. 6" walked into the jury room, sat back in his chair, crossed his arms and made an announcement.
"I've heard all I need to hear and ... the minute I walked out of the trial my mind was made up," he proclaimed, stunning the other jurors as they prepared to weigh the evidence against East Bay prison gang leader Coby Phillips on charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy.
It was hardly a "12 Angry Men" moment -- for one thing, Juror No. 6 wanted to acquit Phillips on every count and had significant support -- but it prompted a rare jury misconduct hearing where his fellow panelists accused him of failing to deliberate and sought to bounce him from the panel. And Juror No. 6's outburst was just one example of conflict during 16 or so raucous hours in May, punctuated by yelling matches, name-calling and concerns about missing vacations.
The Contra Costa judge eventually ruled that the juror had not committed misconduct, but declared a hung jury and mistrial after hearing of the panel's dysfunction.
Jury deliberations usually are about as secret as widespread 21st-century technology allows; this glimpse into the inner workings of the Phillips deliberations was unusual. However, jury research and anecdotal stories show that conflict is to be expected when a dozen strangers with a wide range of personalities are placed in the same room to make what is sometimes a life-or-death decision.
About 7.5 percent of jury trials hang on all charges and almost 13 percent hang on at least one charge, according to a 2002 report by the National Center for State Courts Center for Jury Studies. It's just the way a sometimes messy system works, experts say. But it may disappoint those who have a more idealistic view of our justice system.
"We failed everybody," said Mary Gerrard, Juror No. 12 in the Phillips case. "We failed you the taxpayer, we failed the court and we failed Coby for not giving him a fair trial. People were putting their own interests ahead of it."
Andrea Roth, a UC Berkeley law school professor specializing in criminal law and procedure, said a disgruntled, contentious jury is not necessarily bad.
"We're a pluralist society and disagree on all sorts of things, and that's part of the beauty of it," she said. "Deliberations are supposed to be heated and passionate; that's why (judges) don't venture too much into the box. ... Jurors are not supposed to check their common sense at the door; they are supposed to bring their life experiences to the deliberations."
During May's misconduct hearing, Contra Costa Superior Court Judge Charles Burch shared a story with the attorneys about a federal case in which one juror threw a cup of hot coffee in the face of another.
"Jurors get into rows," he said.
In August, prosecutors began the process to retry Phillips; the next hearing is scheduled for November. Eventually, an entirely new jury will be convened, and those new panelists also may consider nine new counts against Phillips for crimes he allegedly committed in jail.
It was 3:13 p.m. May 21 when testimony ended and the judge dispatched the jury to deliberate the charges against Phillips, the tattooed founder of Family Affiliated Irish Mafia, a Contra Costa-based prison gang.
The monthlong trial had been tense; it included extra security, a verbal outburst from Phillips in open court and a lineup of prosecution witnesses who were under federal witness protection.
The case was also complicated: Prosecutors were accusing Phillips of attempted murder, even though he was in jail when the shooting in question happened. Some of the witnesses testifying against Phillips had accepted deals to take the stand, and they had long criminal backgrounds themselves. The conspiracy charge against Phillips was far from black-and-white; it involved a complicated legal calculation to determine whether his gang worked with other gangs to run their drug trade and commit violence.
Jurors struggled with the evidence, particularly on the conspiracy charge, Gerrard said. Stuffed into a tiny jury room adjacent to the courtroom, they sat around a long table that left little space to walk around.
After an hour or so of deliberations the first day, the foreman -- an older Italian-American man -- took a quick poll of where everyone stood on the three counts and marked it on a chalkboard at the end of the table, Gerrard said. They were not unanimous, and the judge's gift of doughnuts and coffee did little to ease their already fraying tempers, jurors later told the judge.
"Santa Claus could have done it ... Donald Duck," Juror No. 6 began to postulate.
The next day, the foreman began rereading the long jury instructions to the group when Juror No. 6 erupted.
"Don't raise your voice to me! You're bullying me!" Juror No. 6 yelled at the foreman as he waved his finger.
Juror No. 6 -- a middle-age vector control employee -- insisted during the misconduct hearing that he did not yell, but was taking a stand.
Meanwhile, Juror No. 1, a federal parks guard, was urging speedy deliberations so he could take his scheduled vacation. He spent breaks switching travel reservations, Gerrard said. Juror No. 7, a teacher, also wanted to hurry things along so he could watch his students graduate, she said.
It all got in the way of reaching agreement. The discussion veered off on tangents; the parks guard cited his law enforcement expertise, while another juror, an ex-drug addict, shared his personal views about the world of narcotics.
The final internal vote by the jury had Phillips not guilty (9-3) of attempted murder, not guilty (7-5) of murder and guilty (10-2) of conspiracy.
Phillips' attorney Daniel Horowitz said the arguments among panelists about whether they all deliberated appropriately were part of the process. "To me, jury misconduct is voting with the majority on Friday so you don't have to come back Monday," he said. "Extreme arguments are just fine. Same as in Congress; the day they all get along, as a nation, we're through."
Nevertheless, those arguments can make the jury's job more difficult. In an age of social media and Internet searches, it's easier than ever for jurors to run afoul of the rules, Paula Hannaford-Agor, director of the Center for Jury Studies, said in an email.
"I suspect that there is a great deal more 'misconduct' that goes on under the radar of judges," she said, "so we're probably not seeing as many hearings as there ought to be."
Contact Matthias Gafni at 925-952-5026. Follow him at Twitter.com/mgafni.


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PARKERSBURG - Residents in south Parkersburg and the surroundings have a new option for medical needs.
Camden Clark Medical Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday afternoon for its new Outpatient Diagnostic Center at 2838 Pike St., near the Patriot Center shopping center.
The new diagnostic center is adjacent to and part of the Camden Clark Primary Care office, which CCMC opened in December at 2812 Pike St.
Article Photos
Photos by Wayne Towner
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Monday for the new Camden Clark Outpatient Diagnostic Center in south Parkersburg. From left are Taia Lincicome, patient access manager; Terri Richards, director of radiology and transport services; Dave McClure, vice president of operations; Bobbi Ward, lab director; and Mike King, CEO and president of Camden Clark Medical Center.
Terri Richards, left, director of radiology and transport service, and Bobbi Ward, lab director, display the CT scanner in the newly opened Camden Clark Outpatient Diagnostic Center on Pike Street in south Parkersburg.
The diagnostic center will be open from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Among the services available will be CT and ultrasound examinations by appointment, along with general X-ray services and lab draw services like phlebotomy. The center will have direct connectivity to CCMC, so all testing at the site will appear in the hospital medical record and the results will be available online through the ordering physicians.
"I think it's just going to be so convenient for people, especially on the south side (of Parkersburg), Jackson County, Wirt County and Mineral Wells, especially," said lab director Bobbi Ward, adding the availability of the alternate location may also help improve service flow at the main hospital campus.
Terri Richards, director of radiology and transport services for CCMC, said the location's positive aspects, including easy access and convenient parking for patients.
"That's what we're really striving for, patient satisfaction and more convenience for our patients," Richards said.
Monday's opening was part of Camden Clark's work to expand service availability throughout the Parkersburg area, said CCMC CEO and President Mike King.
Two more Primary Care offices are in various stages of preparation, one on Rosemar Road and another on Division Street. King said the Rosemar location involves an existing office which is being renovated while the Division location will be constructed.
King said each of the offices will house up to three or four primary care doctors, like the Pike Street location, but it is the only one which will have the diagnostic center. The idea of the facilities is to put primary care doctors in areas where people can have easy access to them, he said.
"The new health care system, I think, is really all about convenience and access in places where people live. Rather than making everybody come to a center, the idea is that the center goes out to people and meets them where they live," King said.


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While George Zimmerman still has not been charged in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, his public defense — as espoused by his lawyer and family members — rests on the fact that Zimmerman was involved in a physical altercation with Martin. New evidence, however, contradicts that version of events. First there was the security camera footage from the night Zimmerman claims Martin beat him senselessly: to most who watched the video, Zimmerman appeared unscathed.
Now Richard Kurtz, the Miami funeral director who examined Trayvon Martin's body, says the body "showed no signs of a violent brawl."
We could see no physical signs like there had been a scuffle [or] there had been a fight. The hands — I didn't see any knuckles, bruises or what have you, and that is something we would have covered up if it would have been there.
In the strongest statement issued, Kurtz says Trayvon Martin "looked perfectly normal to me when he came in and the story just does not make sense that he was in this type of scuffle or fight in anything that we could see." CBS has video of the interview with Kurtz.
Furthermore, EMS documents obtained by the New York Daily News Friday indicate that a second ambulance was canceled. It had been called for the "second victim" who was "not a gunshot." Whatever injuries Zimmerman did sustain in the apparent fight must not have been sufficient to merit emergency medical response.
[Image via AP]


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Houma power plant ready for emergency
Published: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:01 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:01 p.m.
The decades-old power plant sits dark and cold on the corner of Barrow Street and La. 311 most days.
But when extreme weather hits Terrebonne Parish like it did this week and the electric grid is at risk, local officials fire it up.
The plant's been around since 1927 but is rarely used. Each of the generators takes up to eight hours to heat up to capacity.
"The plant historically has run during peak season, winter or summer," Terrebonne Utilities Manager Tom Bourg said.
When temperatures dipped below freezing Tuesday night, parish officials started it up and put it on standby, just in case of an emergency.
Terrebonne did not report any large-scale outages during the winter storm.
If the power grid had gone down, the plant would start producing energy for the parish.
"The biggest concern was the remote possibility of a blackout," he said.
Temperatures for Tuesday in Houma and Thibodaux ranged from a high of 48 degrees to a low of 28, the National Weather Service said. Wednesday's high reached 38 and the low fell to 26, with the wind chill making it feel like 18.
The small chance of the storm shutting down the power grid fueled the parish's decision.
It's a rare occurrence, but the parish wanted to be prepared, Bourg said.
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MIDDLEBORO — The third annual Polar Plunge to benefit the Saint Vincent De Paul Society Food Pantry of Middleboro will be held on Feb. 16 at Onset Beach, in Wareham. Seven area high school sophomore girls, Caylin Amaral, Jen Cogan, Hannah Johnson, Taragh Murphy, Nicole Nickerson, Olivia Nicholson, and Micaela Pohl, will be inviting the public to "take the plunge" with them this year, in an effort to raise funds for the many local families that the food pantry supports.
Registration forms and sponsor sheets can be downloaded from their website, middleboropolarplunge.com, or picked up at the Middleboro High School office, or the Sacred Heart of Middleboro parish office. All who pre-register before Feb. 4 will receive a free t-shirt. All who collect sponsors will receive a ticket for the iPad raffle. See the registration forms for further details.
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YesStyle.com ships to the United States.
When Won Sung Hee set up Stylementor, she was determined to make the brand a leader in fashion for modern women. In the span of just a few years, Won has done just that and more, creating a wide range of affordable clothing that reaches out to the masses. From peppy urban fun to on-trend office pieces, each item can be mixed and matched to produce an outfit that looks designer-driven. YesStyle is an authorized retailer of Stylementor.


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Shrek The Musical
Shrek The Musical® is based on the story and characters from the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animation film Shrek, the first chapter in the much loved series of irreverent fairy tales.
Join Shrek (Dean Chisnall) and his loyal steed Donkey (Richard Blackwood), as they set off on an adventure to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona (Carley Stenson), from her tower, guarded by a fire breathing love-sick dragon. Add a wannabe King with a height complex (Neil McDermott as Lord Farquaad), a bunch of fairytale superstars, and a biscuit with an attitude, and you've got a must-see musical comedy!
Featuring all new songs as well as cult Shrek anthem – I'm a Believer, Shrek The Musical® brings the well loved characters to life in a hilarious and spectacular new production which turns the world of fairytales upside down in an all singing, all dancing, irresistible mix of magic, laughter and romance.
See www.shrekthemusical.co.uk for further information.
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Venue: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
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Grant Bosse: With Democrats in charge, state's top unions confident they can do better than 6.4% raise over next 18 months
The union representing the bulk of state employees has rejected a contract that would have given workers a 6.4 percent raise over the next 18 months, confident that they can get a better deal.
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Looking every bit like futuristic clones, hairstylist Guido opted for hair that was show-stopping at Alexander Wang. He chose to sweep the models' hair back without a part (he says skipping a part is super flattering because it makes everyones cheekbones and features standout and look beautiful), and used a lot of gel to create a sleek, wet look. Then, he used "cognac-colored" extensions to get a two-toned, extra-long ponytail.
Two things we love about this look: The to-die-for, Bianca Jagger-esque flipped-to-the-side 'do, which coincidentally celebs have been flaunting lately. And the vibrant pink lipstick swiped over the models' lips. Hello, gorgeous!
Valentine's Day Nail Art Inspired by Lingerie


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Todd Nelson argues in favor of assault weapons and high capacity clips, by conjuring up the specter of "multiple intruders" in your home, and by relating the necessity to defend yourself against mean, wild pigs in Texas.
Leaving aside the issue of the actual number of multiple intruder home invasions versus the number of accidental or domestic shootings in homes every year, I would ask Mr. Nelson to consider the fact that, when he is in Texas shooting pigs, perhaps he is the intruder into their homes, and perhaps they are more brave than mean, defending themselves and their families against him and his assault weapons with the only means available to them, their own bodies?
Going hunting with the express desire to kill another living being, or several of them, is not "defending yourself." I'll leave the discussion of the morality of hunting to another day, but please don't try and hide behind the "defense" argument when attempting to justify your lust for assault weapons, and for using them to kill. That's what they are for, after all, isn't it?
Ed Billeaud, Breckenridge


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Hi all, I've recently started using dxflib and have had some success, but have also come across a couple of things I'm not sure how to proceed with.
1) I'm dealing with files that have different units (one in mm, one in m [for example]). Is there a function that detects this?
2a) Some lines are absent and some are clearly in the wrong place when I re plot them (in opengl) and I think this is to do with blocks. I see there is a block data type in the class reference and function calls at the start and end of a block, but there doesn't seem to be enough information about how to use them. Surely it would need orientation of the block, not just its xyz position? And there appears to be no documentation on how they are dealt with generally. Does dxflib define the definition of the blocks as it reads them then produce the equivalent lines/polylines etc? Or is that left to us?
2b) A related question to do with dealing with format: In one of my files polyline structures obviously had say n=4 vertices associated with it, but the member Dl_PolyLine::number was 0 each time (it worked properly for another file). I *think* I have a workaround (based on the assumption that vertex data is only ever in a polyline, but is this a bug?
3) Finally, this might be a relevant point. I'm using version 220.127.116.11.1 because it is the only download (I could find) that came with a ./configure script and a makefile. The version 3.3.4 on the ribbonsoft website doesn't have either of these things (only a Qt project file?) yet the developer instructions clearly refer to a configure script and make file.


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PENSACOLA, Fla. (October 28, 2012)--President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney head into the final full week of campaigning in a race that polls show is extraordinarily close, but there are some wild cards ahead of the Nov. 6 vote.
Coming Friday is one last jobs report before Election Day and there's also the big storm threatening the East Coast, which could affect campaign schedules and early voting.
Democrats claim math is on the president's side while Republicans insist Romney has the momentum.
The campaigns are scrambling to tweak schedules, shift manpower and pump millions of more dollars into TV ads in the nine states that will determine the outcome.


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Knitter's Review
June 24, 2004
You may recall I wrote about the
winter TNNA
, a vast trade show where yarn shop owners go to stock their shelves.
Last weekend, the summer TNNA show took place in Columbus, Ohio. We asked knit designer, writer, and teacher Annie Modesitt to give us
her report from the show
Get Ready for the Retreat!
I'm excited to announce open registration for the third-annual Knitter's Review Retreat, which will take place November 5-7 in Syria, Virginia.
Learn more and register to join us
. Rooms are limited, so act quickly.
In the Boutique: The Write Stuff
The power of a handwritten note should never be underestimated. Add a touch of fiberly flair to your words by using one of our eight
knitting-themed correspondence cards
. They're just big enough to say what matters most.
In the Forums: Difficult Techniques?
What would you consider the most
difficult knitting technique
you've ever mastered?
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June Subscriber Drawing
Congratulations to Sherry M., winner of this month's subscriber prize: a box of wonderful goodies from
Frog Hollow Farm
, a 120-acre organic farm located in California's Sacramento River Delta.
As always, I thank you for your readership and your support. Happy knitting, and I'll see you in the forums.
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Workout Supplement Reviews
An effective workout supplement contains both protein and amino acids, which fuel you muscles during weight lifting and cardio exercises and also help your muscles to recover after breaking down during an intense workout routine. It's crucial to understand that a workout supplement is not a diet supplement. It is meant to be used in conjunction with working out; otherwise it may actually cause health problems like stress on your liver and kidneys or even extra weight gain. If the FDA has taught us anything it is to research supplements and makers thoroughly.
The two main ingredients incorporated into workout supplements are protein and amino acids. Proteins help to build and maintain muscle. Before you work out, you'll want to ingest some extra protein along with carbohydrates. The National Institute of Health clearly explains the benefits of using workout supplements. Carbohydrates are digested right away and provide the immediate energy and stamina to jump start your workout. Protein takes longer to digest, thus helping to keep up your energy and endurance throughout the rest of the workout. A workout supplement rich in protein will also help you muscles to recover after the workout.
Amino acids are known as the building blocks of protein. Since essential amino acids are not manufactured by your body, you need to ingest a certain number of these amino acids in order to keep you muscles healthy during and after your workout.
When you browse our workout supplement reviews, you'll find information and reader comments that will help you decide which product may be good for you to try. Our readers have tried the products themselves, so they offer comments based on personal experience about how the supplement has worked or not worked for them.


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When the CEO Can't Stop Tweeting
Twitter is in a quiet period ahead of its initial public offering, but that hasn't silenced CEO Dick Costolo.
Costolo, head of the ultimate think-out-loud company, continues to tweet regularly about University of Michigan football, Twitter colleagues, and user questions about the service.
Last week, Costolo sparked an online debate with a tweet responding to an article in The New York Times that criticized the company's lack of women in leadership positions. Costolo's first tweet appeared to make light of the issue. When that elicited responses, Costolo continued to engage his critics.
Lawyers say Costolo's posts don't appear to have run afoul of Securities and Exchange Commission rules on permissible pre-IPO speech, but came close.
"I wouldn't advise the CEO to get into a Twitter spat over a topic that popular, and board diversity is a hot topic for many people," said Broc Romanek, a former SEC staffer and editor of TheCorporateCounsel.net, a website for corporate lawyers.
Eric Jensen, a Silicon Valley-based securities attorney with Cooley LLP, said Costolo's diversity tweets moved "closer to the line than just tweeting about his dog," but likely won't draw SEC scrutiny. One reason, Jensen said, is because Costolo's tweet was a "defensive statement," rather than a promotional appeal for Twitter.
Companies are barred from activities that promote their stocks in advance of an initial public offering, according to SEC rules. Earlier this year, the SEC blessed public companies disclosing important news via Twitter or Facebook, as long as they tell investors ahead of time where to look. That followed an investigation into a Facebook post by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, boasting about record viewership.
An SEC spokesman declined to comment. A Twitter spokesman declined to comment.
That can create a tough balancing act for executives at Internet companies who are accustomed to sharing. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg avoided the pitfalls in advance of the social-networking company's IPO last year, even as he regularly updated his personal page. On the day Facebook filed for its offering, Zuckerberg posted a photo from his desk with an Apple laptop, open Gatorade bottle and a poster that said "stay focused & keep shipping."
Others have stumbled. In 2004, Google ran into trouble with the SEC when Playboy published an extensive interview with co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. The SEC looked at whether the executives were promoting interest in the company ahead of the public offering. The same year, software maker Salesforce.com was forced to delay its IPO about a month after CEO Mark Benioff gave an interview to The New York Times.
Seven years later, Groupon landed in hot water with the SEC when one of its co-founders told Bloomberg News that "Groupon was going to be wildly profitable." The discount-deals website delayed its IPO for other reasons.
Jeff Vetter, a partner at Fenwick & West LLP, who uses the Google and Groupon cases as cautionary tales, says such delays can be "very serious." When stocks are volatile, "you'd really hate to have a market window close as a result of having to wait for the impact of a news story to die down."
The quiet period typically begins when a company has hired banks to begin the IPO process, says Vetter. For Twitter, that would have been prior to July 12, when it filed a confidential prospectus that listed Goldman Sachs as the lead underwriter. The rules remain in effect until 25 days after the first day of trading.
For naturally outspoken CEOs like Costolo, who is a former standup comic, a social-media outlet like Twitter where he can show off the unvarnished side of his corporate persona could be a selling point. Some investors may like the idea of an easily "accessible" and "engaged" chief executive, said Romanek of CorporateCounsel.net.
Jensen of Cooley said Costolo's tweeting "is probably a good thing. But it puts tremendous pressure on the CEO to be able to walk that tight rope and be able to be out there and to be accessible—to say stuff without saying the wrong stuff."


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rogerfederer.com - Rally for Relief
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© Leslie Martino
Rally for Relief
13.01.2011 | Off Court, Starseite 1
Dear Fans
This coming Sunday, we will be organising a fund-raising event for the victims of the floods here in Australia. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Kim Clijsters, Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur and Pat Rafter will also be among the players to participate. Our aim is to raise as much money as possible for the people in Queensland who have lost everything in the devastating floods.
Tickets for the event in Rod Laver Arena are available at www.ticketek.com.au, they are 20 Dollars each. Furthermore, the ATP and WTA will donate 10 Dollars for each ace hit at the tournaments in Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and the Australian Open.
This is for a really good cause - I hope lots of you can come out here to help the flood victims!
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Thank you Roger - this is a great cause indeed - and it is wonderful to see the tennis community coming together to help.
Thank you Roger - this is a great cause indeed, and it is wonderful to see the tennis community coming together to help - lucky folk who will see Pat and all the others play.
God pless you champ
Roger, u r the best On AND Off the court!!! I can't make it to Australia, but will c u in Miami for the Sony Ericsson in March. Best of luck getting ur 17th Grand Slam!!!
Love your sense of civic duty, Roger. Hope you raise lots of money.
u r very very nice.. i wish i could come to see your match :(
you are a great man.
Roger, u r really a good man~! U deserve to win this year~~~~ Come on!!!!
Roger, you are amazing, and I have an obligation as a latinoamerican to tell you that Brasil is in the same situation, I believe you know that, and if you can do something about it, it would be really great. Thanks for being like this. Best luck in Australian Open. Kisses from Argentina.
thank you for thinking of these people ...and thank you for doing something, for taking a concrete step to help them...kudos to you, roger!!! may God bless you in return....all the best to you always!!!


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Global Customers Seek Global Firms
Why is global account management so critical now?
Big companies that operate around the world have realized that a country-by-country approach may not be the most effective or efficient way to manage their procurement. Increasingly, they are developing global procurement organizations and mandating that goods be purchased through that channel; often, they'll use separate structures for local procurement.
Many organizations are outsourcing more and more of their activities. Effectively, they place operations into two categories: what they buy through procurement versus what they continue to do internally. The balance is shifting toward procurement as organizations outsource operations such as data centers and travel arrangements. This makes procurement more important — saving a few percent on procurement has a major impact on the bottom line.
It's quite a large shift. Imagine if 15 or 20 years ago the boss said to a manager, "Your next position is going to be in purchasing." That was often the kiss of death in terms of career advancement. If today the boss says to a manager, "You're going to procurement" — which is purchasing rebranded — you're a high flyer.
What did customer management look like before global account management?
Most multinational firms developed by sending someone abroad to manage their activities in a single country, a country manager who was responsible for revenues and profits in that country. The marketing and sales organizations would typically do their best for customers operating in that country. The customer — the buying company — might get different product variations because, for example, Argentineans wanted one feature while the Australians wanted a different feature. For both buyers and sellers, these were multinational operations, not global operations.
Today, on the procurement side, companies are recognizing that it doesn't make sense for them to do all of their buying country by country, for two reasons: First, the price they pay for a given item might vary dramatically by geography. Their supplier might charge more in Argentina than it charges in Australia, or vice versa. Second, there is a lot of product variety. IBM might produce one set of computers for customers in Argentina and a slightly different version of the same computers for customers in Australia.
Buying companies increasingly want to know why they can't get one price schedule across the world. They also believe that standardizing the different varieties they are buying in different countries should help reduce prices. But when they take this question to the selling company, their supplier, there is no one to talk to — the selling is organized by geography.
In short, multinational firms assign country managers to handle many customers in a single country; global firms assign global account managers to handle a single customer's needs in many countries all over the world.
So, you make a distinction between multinational and global operations.
Globalization means two different things. There have been multinational companies for decades, companies that realized there were opportunities in foreign markets. Both European and U.S. firms have done a great job in moving out of their domestic markets into many countries in the Americas, Europe and Asia, for example. Now Asian firms are doing the same.
We tend to talk about that as going global, but it's more likely that such firms are operating with a multinational — that is, country-by-country — perspective. A global company makes its decisions — and in particular, its procurement decisions — around the world, as a whole, rather than country by country.
What risks are involved in developing a global account management program?
The strongest internal barriers are found in multinational firms, typically divided into four or five geographic regions, and where individual country managers are measured and rewarded on how well they do in their countries.
What happens when a key customer wants to buy globally? Suppose IBM is selling products and services to Citibank, and Citibank has operations in Argentina. IBM has a global account manager to manage IBM's Citibank business all over the world, and Citibank says that its Argentinean operation is very important. The IBM country manager in Argentina has Citibank as one of his customers, but he also has local South American customers. Perhaps Citibank is not a big deal for him — his local customers are more important to him — and he might not want to put a lot of effort into Citibank because he's got scarce resources and he's measured and paid on how well he does in Argentina.
That's the core dilemma. If a firm's organizational structure and reward systems are set up for multinational business, global account management has to cut across that.
How can a business make the transition to global account management less challenging?
Firms can reorganize to modify the role of countries and country managers and put more emphasis behind the global account manager. The other way is to continue with the multinational organizational structure but work at the margin to make the organization operate more globally. Taking the previous example, if the CEO is constantly saying that big global customers are critical to the company, he has to tell that country manager for Argentina, "I know we pay you on what you do overall in Argentina, but I really want you, no matter what, to make these global customers a key priority. We will make sure you're rewarded for how well we do with those customers."
It takes a lot of resources. All managers want resources, so if you are putting resources into global account management, you're asking, "Is this the right place, or should I be putting resources into R&D or another area?"
Firms also have to constrain the behavior of geographic-area managers and country managers. The global account manager has to figure out how to make that country manager in Argentina put more effort towards the global customer than he or she may want to because of commitments to local customers. Maximizing performance in Argentina is not the same as maximizing performance at Citibank around the world. It takes a lot of leadership from the top to say, "Our Global customers are really important, and we are going to support them wherever they want to do business with us."
A firm should not launch a large global account management program from scratch. If it starts off with 50 customers at the same time, the program will fail. I advise doing it slowly: say, a half dozen customers first. Figure it out, get it right and then add new customers incrementally. It's important to understand that it takes a long time for a company to create a system that really works.
The global account management approach is still taking hold. As that happens, what can local markets take from it?
A lot of companies have adopted the key/strategic account management approach, which recognizes the 80/20 rule — 80 percent of a firm's business comes from 20 percent of its customers. The firm has got to be somewhat more concerned about that 20 percent than with the average customer. In a sense, the global account management approach ratchets that up a notch.
Does that mean that strategic account management is good preparation for global account management?
Yes, but you have to be careful. A very good domestic account manager may not be a good global account manager. Several years ago a Fortune 50 firm had a good domestic strategic account management process and realized it had to go global. The firm made its national account managers global account managers. But some of them had never had passports!
It can be difficult to find good global account managers. It's a very difficult job to manage one customer around the world in different time zones and in different cultures — it's much more complex than managing a customer in a single country or even a single region. Until a year or so ago, there was no educational opportunity to develop global account managers. That's why Executive Education here at Columbia Business School worked with St. Gallen University in Switzerland to create a world-class four-week Global Account Manager Certificate Program to fill that void.
Managing a global customer is like running a business; Your customer is a core asset and requires a lot of investment. Our IBM global account manager for Citibank is managing a business whose revenues could total several hundred million dollars a year. That's why it's critical to understand that global account management is not just a sales job. It's long-term, strategic, business-management job.
Noel Capon is the R. C. Kopf Professor of International Marketing at Columbia Business School.
Noel Capon
Professor Capon teaches the Marketing Strategy core course and the electives Strategic Marketing in the Modern Corporation and Developing and Managing Strategic Customers. His research interests are in key/strategic account management, and marketing planning and strategy. He has published more than 80 articles, book chapters and books. His latest books —Managing Global Accounts, The Marketing Mavens and a marketing-planning workbook,
Read the Research
Noel Capon, Dave Potter, Fred Schindler
"Managing Global Accounts: Nine Critical Factors for a World-Class Program"