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There are two environmental situations clashing along Brush Creek in Eagle Ranch - beavers and pollution control.
Beavers are the root of the problem.
"We want to leave the beavers alone but we also don't want pollutants going into Brush Creek," said Eagle Open Space Director John Staight. "This is a real problem, not just a nuisance."
About a month ago, Eagle Public Works Inspector John Boyd noticed some trees around the Eagle Ranch storm ponds that had been chewed on by beavers. He didn't worry too much about it until they started damming up the hydraulic systems between the ponds a couple weeks ago.
Some rather large trees were lost around that same time. One had to be cut down early one morning last week before it fell over the bike path. On that tree, beavers had whittled the trunk, which was about 15 inches in diameter, down to about four inches.
"We had to take that down before a breeze knocked it over," Boyd said.
Several damaged trees are still standing but will probably die.
The storm ponds are the main concern, however. They are a filtration system for water going back into Brush Creek from the Eagle Ranch development. By flowing from one pond to the next, pollutants such as fertilizers and petroleum are strained from the water before it goes into the creek.
"The beavers had raised the water level of the ponds a little more than a foot over the weekend," Boyd said last week. "I noticed that some sticks and debris from the bottom of the pond were piled over the grate (where water drained from one pond to the next)."
The beavers were damming the outlets of the last two ponds. The final pond is only separated from Brush Creek by a narrow berm. "At that rate, it wouldn't be long before the pond water washed out the berm and went straight into the creek," Boyd said.
The final pond is very clean but it wouldn't be that way if the pond above it washed out as well.
The first response was to trap and relocate the beavers. One large male was trapped and relocated two weeks ago, and last week a smaller, younger one was trapped. The second was simply released on site.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Officer Craig Wescoatt informed the town that it's too late in the season to relocate the animals.
"I recommended that any trapped beavers be put down in a humane manner," he said. "A relocated beaver would have trouble adapting to a new environment and would likely starve over the winter."
The town's new solution is to let the beavers remain and hope they go somewhere else in the spring.
"This isn't the best habitat for them anyway," Staight said. "We're trying to make the area even less appealing to them for now. In the spring, when the water rises in Brush Creek, they'll hopefully go downstream where there's better habitat."
The measures to make the area less beaver friendly include putting wire around trees and making a "beaver deceiver," as Boyd called it. The beaver deceiver is intended to dissuade attempts to dam a pond outlet. It's made of wire and T posts.
"The key is to make a trapezoidal shape," Boyd said. "That way they can't make a linear dam across the outlet."
The second-to-last pond has a drainage grate, the one Boyd first noticed blocked with debris. He simply circled wire around the grate to keep the animals from putting material over the top of it.
"At first I thought kids were doing this," Boyd said. "Sometimes I see them trying to dam up the outlets with rocks and stuff. Then I noticed the chewed sticks."
The other step being taken to discourage the animals is adding wire around trees. Some of the trees were planted when Eagle Ranch was built and already have chicken wire around them. The chicken wire is inadequate, though. The wire wasn't placed in a wide enough circumference around the trunks and now the trees have grown around the wire. The chicken wire is also thin enough that the beavers have chewed through it. Ultimately, the wire stopped them from finishing the job in a few cases, but not before the trees were damaged too heavily to recover.
Boyd recently placed thicker wire in a wider circumference around the plants, wrapping more than 30 trees.
All the measures appear to be working.
"They haven't tried to dam any of the outlets since," Boyd said last Thursday. "We did find a bigger dam upstream (on Oct. 31), though, and a lodge across from the first dam."
The first dam is near the storm ponds and Capitol Street.
"The second dam is in a place where we normally don't go," Boyd said. "Someone on the bike path noticed the rising water and called us."
The dams on Brush Creek don't pose much of a problem and will be left alone for now. Staight said they might even be washed out by the spring runoff.
Boyd grew up in Pennsylvania and trapped beavers as a kid in the 1970s, so he already knew some things about them. He had to do a bit of research to deal with the situation in Eagle Ranch, though.
"I've had to go back, do some research and rethink things," he said. "I integrated a variety of plans that I found on line."
Colonies can have seven or eight beavers and as many as 30, depending on the size of the habitat. Boyd thinks there might be half a dozen in the Eagle Ranch area.
A colony consists of a mating pair and a couple generations of offspring. The offspring will live with the parents for a year or two, depending partly on how quickly the colony grows. Boyd and Staight think the Eagle Ranch Beavers came from the colony downstream, by the medical center.
"These beavers seem to be getting a late start, which might be why they chose this area in Eagle Ranch, which isn't the best habitat for them," Staight said.
Travis Barton grew up in the area and has been trapping beavers all over the county for a long time. He's the guy people call up when the animals need to be removed. He said he's trapped at least 30 beavers on Brush Creek alone through the years. It's been a side job that pays him for each animal he catches.
His full-time job is managing a lumber yard in Summit County. He chuckled and acknowledged that his occupation with wood might give him something in common with his prey.
"In a year, every tree here would be lopped off if you didn't do anything," he said of the Eagle Ranch situation. "It's hard to say how many beavers we have here but probably quite a few."
He said trapping the animals in limited numbers keeps the population healthy.
"Otherwise they'll overpopulate and eat themselves out of house and home and then move on," he said.
Beavers are vegetarian. They eat wood and some plants like cattails. For baiting traps, scent is more important than anything else.
"They don't have great vision but they have an acute sense of smell," Boyd said.
The traps are baited with a musky scent.
After releasing the second beaver back to its Eagle Ranch lodge, Barton packed up his trap. He might not need to come back at all.
"Hopefully we'll only have to deal with the activity for the next couple months, before they hunker down for winter, and then we'll re-evaluate in the spring," Staight said.


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Ruby F. McDowell, 89, of Hendersonville, Tenn., and formerly of Hannibal, Mo., died at 4:35 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012, at the National Health Care Center in Hendersonville, Tenn.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, at the Clover Road Christian Church in Hannibal. Pastor Tim Goodman will officiate. Burial will be at Grand View Burial Park in Hannibal.
The James O'Donnell Funeral Home in Hannibal is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation will be from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, at the James O'Donnell Funeral Home.
Mrs. McDowell was born Oct. 17, 1923, in Hannibal to Archie and Ethel Carrico Kerns.
She was married to Billy Glenn McDowell on July 7, 1946, in Hannibal, Mo. He preceded her in death Dec. 30, 1969.
Survivors include her sons, Ron McDowell of Hendersonville, Tenn., and Jeffrey McDowell of Cypress, Calif.; her sisters, Rosetta Moss of Naples, Fla., and Virginia Bell of Anna, Ohio; nine grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Jimmy Kerns, Orville Kerns, Roy Kerns and Richard Kerns; and her sister, Alberta Kerns.
She worked for 18 years as a book binder for Western Printing in Hannibal. She also worked as a secretary for the Hannibal Police Department, and for the Pastry Box in Hannibal. She was a Mary Kay Cosmetic representative for more than 30 years. She was a member of the Clover Road Christian Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to Clover Road Christian Church in Hannibal.
Online condolences may be made at www.jamesodonnellfuneralhome.com.
Location, ST | website.com

subset: commoncrawl


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HERCULES -- A deal to sell the city-owned Victoria Crescent tract to a developer is still alive, after the City Council this week extended a crucial deadline to March 31, and the redevelopment successor agency's oversight board signed off on the action.
San Francisco-based City Ventures LLC was supposed to complete by Friday a feasibility study to determine whether it should proceed with the purchase of the vacant, 6.37-acre property along San Pablo Avenue, north of Highway 4, for about $2.1 million. The developer wants to build a residential project of 36 to 44 units with solar panels and other "green" features.
A draft resolution before the council last week to extend the deadline appeared to die when no one seconded Councilman Dan Romero's motion to adopt. But it became the subject of Tuesday's special meeting at the initiative of Mayor John Delgado and the urging of Councilman Bill Kelly, after the two said the resolution would have come to a vote last week if not for some confusion for which both took responsibility.
Kelly said he had intended to vote for the extension last week, but his enthusiasm dampened during the council discussion of the delay. When it came to Romero's motion, and Delgado did not second it, Kelly, believing the mayor might have some adverse information, did not second the motion either, he said. Delgado said he didn't second it because he thought the usual mayoral practice to leave it to other council members to second a motion was a rule rather than just a custom.
Councilwomen Myrna de Vera and Sherry McCoy said last week's demise of the motion should stand. De Vera said renewing the motion created an appearance of impropriety. McCoy said it was awkward and set "an unwise precedent."
They also noted that City Ventures' senior vice president, Phil Kerr, emailed Kelly and Delgado after last week's council discussion. Kelly and Delgado said they reported the emails to City Manager Steve Duran and did not reply to Kerr.
De Vera told Kerr: "I think it's very disrespectful to come back, even if it was a parliamentary mistake."
Earlier, McCoy questioned whether Kerr ever intended to meet the Jan. 18 deadline. She also expressed skepticism over administrative officials' claims over the past year that a sale of the property was a matter of urgency.
Victoria Crescent, along with another property, are attached under a 2011 court settlement with the city's bond insurer, Ambac Assurance Corp.
Opponents have criticized housing plans for Victoria Crescent, saying the tract should be developed for retail. Building houses there would require environmental and design review as well as rezoning, officials have said.
Romero noted that Tuesday's action involved renewal of a motion, not reconsideration of a vote, because there had been no vote. He thanked Delgado for "thinking out of the box" in calling for the special meeting.
"Let's not start painting a picture to the public that there's something wrong going on at City Hall," Romero said.
The vote to extend City Ventures' deadline was 3-2, with Kelly, Delgado and Romero voting yes, and de Vera and McCoy voting no. The oversight board confirmed the action Wednesday night.
Contact Tom Lochner at 510-262-2760 and firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/tomlochner.


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Killer-Core: Do not be intimidated by the title! This class will revolutionize the way you think about your core, which is the center of movement for your entire body! Increase performance, posture, appearance and more through the fundamental movements that use the core the way they are supposed to. Come ready; you will be doing much more than mere sit-ups for the core workout!
* Appropriate for ALL levels of age and fitness. Bring water, a mat, and towel


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|Pirelli has a range of industrial tyres :agricultural, forklifts, tractor tyres. It is one of the most complete on the market, developed specifically to meet the needs of professional operators. The constant search of excellence in quality and technology places Pirelli in a leading position by anticipating market requirements and offering creative solutions for industrial applications.
With an outstanding leadership history in technology and innovation, Pirelli returns to market radial agricultural tyres, maintaining its tradition of innovation with the new product: Earth Agro PHT.
Please visit our local websites:
Copyright © 2014 Pirelli & C. S.p.A. - Pirelli Tyre S.p.A. - v. 2.1.25 DP2


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Donate to GiveWell for the support of SCI
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Using the button below, you can make a one-time or recurring donation to GiveWell. We will use the entirety of your donation to support the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI). GiveWell collects no fees from donations to its recommended charities.
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U.S. Venture Capital Investment Highest Since 2001
Venture capital investment continued to trend upwards in the first quarter of 2014 with $10.74 billion raised by U.S. based companies, up 18% from the fourth quarter of last year and the most raised since the first three months of 2001.
Venture investment was flat last year, but fourth quarter numbers from Dow Jones VentureSource signaled growing investor confidence. The latest VentureSource data show that continuing with a much stronger first quarter – 44% higher than the first period of 2013 when equity financing for U.S. venture-backed companies was $7.48 billion.
This is only the second time since 2001 that venture investment exceeded $10 billion in a quarter. The prior instance was in the third quarter of 2011 when it hit $10.68 billion. Investment peaked at $26.36 billion in the first quarter of 2000, during the dot-com bubble.
But while venture capital investors deployed more cash, they did fewer deals, according to the VentureSource data.
There were 862 financing rounds in the first quarter, down 3% from a year ago and 10% from the fourth quarter of 2013. When investors last deployed more than $10 billion, they did 953 deals.
There isn't a clear trend, however. In the final three months of 2013, investors deployed $9.1 billion into 956 financings.
Most of the money is going to later-stage venture rounds, which accounted for $5.79 billion, a 31.7% increase from a year ago. This reflects the large ranks of older companies in VCs' portfolios, many of them awaiting a shot at the IPO market.
Second rounds also registered an upswing to $1.75 billion, a 39.8% increase from a year earlier, a continued sign that investors are concentrating on those companies showing market traction and poised for growth. First rounds meanwhile were down 5.9%, to $1.44 billion. Financings for companies at the startup stage of development fell 62%.
The latest data show that companies selling to other companies – known as the enterprise market – remain in favor. Business support services accounted for $1.93 billion of the investment total, a 79% jump from the first quarter of 2013. Software, another large segment, rose 85%, to $2.77 billion. The largest deal of the quarter was Intel Corp.'s $740 million investment in database software company Cloudera Inc.
Consumer Internet companies, though, were not entirely out of favor, with the consumer information services sector drawing $858 million, up 11% from a year ago.
With the public markets again receptive to drug developers, biopharmaceutical companies raised $1.15 billion from venture investors, a 7% increase from the first three months of last year. Medical software and information services, a much smaller sector but one that is drawing close attention because of health-care reform, attracted $297 million, a 130% increase from a year ago.
Tied for the most investments in the first quarter were industry giant New Enterprise Associates and accelerator 500 Startups with 27 deals apiece.
VentureSource is owned by VentureWire publisher Dow Jones & Co.
Write to Russ Garland at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RussGarland


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ScopeBox gives you a high quality, highly flexible preview monitor. You get all the settings you'd expect to find on a high-end field monitor, plus some software-only extras like focus assist and zebras. Add framing guides and overlays to make sure that your shot works out exactly the way you expect.Read more
You get all of your "old favorites" - waveform and vectorscope - plus some new ways of visualizing your signal like the RGB histogram or Channel Plot. You can mix and match scopes, save layouts, and be confident that you're seeing every pixel and every frame of your signal.Read more
Turn your older Mac Mini into a dedicated scope system, or take your scopes on the go with a Macbook, Macbook Air, or Macbook Pro. By leveraging the Mac you've already got, you can have scopes in any environment.
ScopeBox doesn't limit the frame size you can monitor. From SD to 4K, if you can feed the signal into your Mac, ScopeBox will monitor it.
Scopes can be used far more accurately when they work in the same format as the rest of your production pipeline. Whether you're in YCbCr or RGB, 8 bit or 10bit, 4:2:2 or 4:4:4, ScopeBox will display your image perfectly.
With the ability to save layouts and source settings, you can easily create a "turnkey" scope station, which launches directly into your preferred configuration.
When combined with an inexpensive Thunderbolt capture device, ScopeBox turns your Mac laptop into the ultimate portable quality analysis solution.
Hardware scopes cost tens of thousands of dollars. By leveraging the power of the computer you already own, we're able to sell ScopeBox for only $99
When capturing, ScopeBox constantly writes coherent QuickTime data to disk so that, no matter when or how the record is stopped, you'll will end up with a valid, playable file. In addition, Live Edit can be enabled on most Fail-Safe captures, allowing the Quicktime movie to be reviewed, logged or cut while still being recorded.
ScopeBox transcodes video sources in real time, so you can capture directly in ProRes, AIC, DNxHD and other production formats.
Alerts allow you to better keep an eye on your signal while juggling multiple sources and tests. Alerts generate annotated notes when threshold values are detected in the user's video, audio or timecode signal. These alerts can be exported as lists or edit-ready markers for later review.
ScopeBox recreates in software every major video quality assurance tool. Each of these can be arranged, resized and customized for your needs. These layouts can be saved and recalled later.
ScopeBox's video preview shows you every pixel of your image, exactly as you're shooting it. The monitor calibration ensures that the colors you see accurately represent your video as well.
To help you frame your shot, ScopeBox includes a number of overlay features. Center marks, rule of thirds, letterbox masks, title safe and graphics safe are all available. In addition, you can overlay any QuickTime movie or image - great for framing greenscreen shots or shooting around lower 3rds and other graphics package elements. The focus assist option adds peaking on edges to make focusing even easier. With the option to overlay Zebras, you can see exactly what in your image is overexposed or saturated.
Most post-production workflows involve substantial color correction and image adjustment before a project is finished. For example, many productions shoot in a "log" mode which maximizes dynamic range detail - this video must be color corrected or it'll look washed out and low-contrast. The LUT support in ScopeBox allows you to quickly apply a transformation to your video signal, so you can get a sense of how your color corrected footage will look. Many cameras even include sample LUTs for doing log-to-linear conversion. ScopeBox supports 3D and 1D LUTs in the CUBE and Lustre (3DL) formats.
ScopeLink allows you to feed video directly from many popular applications directly to ScopeBox. Whether you're working in Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, or even Adobe After Effects, you can use the same professional scopes.
ScopeLink gets every frame of video that your NLE or compositing application outputs, in realtime. With ScopeLink, you can have dedicated, fulltime scopes without external hardware. It's so fast, you can even use it to replace your NLE's built in preview.
The scopes found in most desktop editing applications leave a lot to be desired - they're not accurate, they're slow, and they're not configurable. ScopeBox provides industry leading quality, configurability and performance. With ScopeLink connecting your software editing or compositing application to ScopeBox, you don't have to be constrained by the built in scopes ever again.
ScopeLink isn't an "add-on" or a special license key. It's included with every copy of ScopeBox, as long as you're running Mac OS X 10.8 ("Mountain Lion") or later.
ScopeBox Quick Tour
Working with Sources
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In our day to day support, we get a lot of common questions about ScopeBox. We've listed some of the more common ones here. If you have a question about ScopeBox, there's a good chance you'll find your answer here or in the extensive user manual. If not, please contact us directly and we'll be happy to help.
IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU RUN THE TRIAL ON YOUR HARDWARE. You can receive a key and download here. Its the best way to make sure that you'll be happy with ScopeBox and your hardware.
Please fill out the form below, and we'll email you a trial key which will allow you to download and test ScopeBox on your own machine.
ScopeBox requires an Intel Mac running OS X 10.7 or later. If you're running Mac OS X 10.6.8, you can download the previous release. We've put together some tips on getting a signal into your laptop or your desktop, but if you're just testing, you can use the built in test patterns or your Mac's iSight camera. There is an extensive user manual available from the ScopeBox help menu and online.
Requires Mac OS X 10.7 or higher. If you're running Mac OS X 10.6.8, you can download the previous release


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8.1-1 Sale or Possession with Intent to Sell a Controlled Substance -- § 21a-277 (a) and (b)
Revised to December 1, 2007 (modified June 13, 2008)
The defendant is charged [in count __] with the illegal (sale / possession of with intent to sell) of <insert type of substance>.1 The statute defining this offense imposes penalties on any person who (sells to another person / possesses with the intent to sell to another person)2 any controlled substance, which includes <insert type of substance>.
For you to find the defendant guilty of this charge, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knowingly (sold / possessed with the intent to sell) a controlled substance. In this case, it is alleged that the substance was <insert type of substance>. You must first find that the substance was <insert type of substance>.
"Sale" is any form of delivery, which includes barter, exchange or gift, or offer therefor, and each such transaction made by any person whether as principal, proprietor, agent, servant or employee.
[<If possession with intent to sell is alleged:> "Possession" means either actual possession or constructive possession. Actual possession means actual physical possession, such as having the substance on one's person. Constructive possession means having the substance in a place under one's dominion and control.
Possession also requires that the defendant knew that (he/she) was in possession of the <insert type of substance>. That is, that (he/she) was aware that (he/she) was in possession of it and was aware of its nature. The state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knew that (he/she) was in possession of <insert type of substance>. <See Knowledge, Instruction 2.3-3.>
<If some form of constructive possession is alleged, see Possession, Instruction 2.11-1.>3
Conviction for possession of <insert type of substance> with the intent to sell requires proof of the specific intent to sell the <insert type of substance>. A person acts "intentionally" with respect to a result when (his/her) conscious objective is to cause such result. <See Intent: Specific, Instruction 2.3-1.>
You should consider all of the surrounding circumstances in determining whether the defendant had the intent to sell.4]
In summary, the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant (sold / possessed with the intent to sell) a controlled substance, specifically <insert type of substance>.
If you unanimously find that the state
has proved beyond a reasonable doubt each of the elements of the crime of (sale
/ possession with intent to sell) a controlled substance, then you shall find
the defendant guilty. On the other hand, if you unanimously find that the state
has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt any of the elements, you shall
then find the defendant not guilty.
1 Subsection (a) prohibits the distribution of "a controlled substance which is a hallucinogenic substance other than marijuana, or a narcotic substance." Subsection (b) prohibits the distribution of "any controlled substance, except a narcotic substance, or a hallucinogenic substance other than marijuana." The difference between the two is in the punishment. Thus, this statute covers the distribution of any controlled substance other than marijuana.
The court should indicate the specific substance(s) according to the allegations of the information. See Defining the Controlled Substance in the Introduction to this section for applicable definitions.
Also, the parties may be willing to stipulate to the nature of the substance. See Stipulations, Instruction 2.6-9.
2 See Drug Transactions in the Introduction to this section.
3 Ascertain from counsel what form of possession is alleged. The definition should be narrowly tailored to the allegations.
4 See State v. Avila, 166 Conn. 569, 579-80 (1974) (the possession of a quantity of narcotics far greater than the amount a drug user would usually possess for his or her own use is sufficient to prove the intent to sell); State v. Brown, 90 Conn. App. 835, 840, cert. denied, 276 Conn. 901 (2005) (defendant's presence in area known for drug activity, his possession of cash and a cellular phone, and the packaging of the drugs were all indicia of the intent to sell); see also State v. Brown, 14 Conn. App. 605, 616-17, cert. denied, 208 Conn. 816 (1988) (evidence of intercepted phone conversations regarding drug sales was sufficient evidence to support a probable cause determination).
Subsequent offenders
General Statutes § 21a-277 (a) and (b) provide for an enhanced sentence if the defendant has previously been convicted of one or more violations of § 21a-277. Pursuant to Practice Book § 36-14, the prior conviction must be charged in a Part B information so that the jury is unaware of the prior conviction during the trial on the current charge. If a guilty verdict is returned, the jury must then be instructed on the second part of the information. See Subsequent Offenders, Instruction 2.12-2.


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The silence around here has been caused by my having to get a gazillion things done before moving back to New Hampshire (while also still teaching -- the last day of work for me is June 25). What I've discovered this year is that continually being overwhelmed and stressed out has a negative effect on my writing productivity -- imagine that! It's not that I'm lacking time so much as lacking the ability to focus. It often feels like I've been crowded out of my brain. Even just writing more than a few emails a day has felt difficult.
A year ago, I taught 3 classes, was head of a department, did all the various extra things required in boarding school work, searched for a new job, wrote the thesis for my master's degree, helped edit the first Best American Fantasy, wrote various reviews and essays and columns, still kept up with blogging, and felt guilty and miserable for not writing more fiction (I finished only a couple stories, maybe one of which was worth submitting anywhere). I did just write a new 10,000-word story ("The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid" -- with luck, coming soon to an anthology near you!), but my reviewing has been cut down to a quarter of what it used to be, and blogging has been, at best, erratic. Ugh.
But! There is a light at the end of this tunnel, and this month is probably the last really overwhelmingly busy-draining-numbing one I'll have for a while. I have my fingers crossed that at this time next year, I'll be back to my previous level of productivity, if not higher, and I'm planning on devoting a lot more time to writing stuff other than blog posts and reviews, because I miss the other, more demanding, things.
And to think I began this post intending to just say, "Sorry for the light blogging -- been busy, in case you didn't figure it out!" If I'd had time to write a shorter blog post....
08 May 2008
On the Recent Decline in Productivity at the Mumpsimus Factory
posted by Matthew Cheney
Labels: Announcements, personal blather
2 comments:
Good to have you back!ReplyDelete
I identified so much with this. I'm amazed that you've managed to write anything at all with your university load. I find I have to be spacious to write, as I can't do the mental gymnastics involved with a head full of lumber. In fact I'm in the process of altering my university job beyond recognition so that the majority of my time is given over to writing. Who knows whether that will work? But life is short and I might as well risk a try. Good luck getting to 25th June and hope the landscape is inspiring when you get there.ReplyDelete
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Detached Log Cabins And Lodges
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cabins and lodges.


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The GNOME desktop environment comes with a simple and single-minded CD burner application built into the Nautilus file manager (not dissimilar to what Microsoft bundles with Windows XP's Windows Explorer and Vista's Explorer) that can handle a lot of your file burning needs. But what do you do if you need more complex tasks done, like burning or ripping an ISO file, or creating an audio CD?
When Nautilus begins to feel cramped and underpowered, it's time to begin looking at some excellent free software utilities to fill the gap. Each one has its own unique style, benefits and weaknesses. All of these can be installed by following the directions on the project's website, or by using your distribution's package installer. I've tested these programs on Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy) and with a $69 LG CD/DVD super-multi burner I picked up at the local office supply store.
A quick note on some common disk burning terms is in order. Firstly, "burning" a disk is adding files to a CD or DVD using a laser. "BurnProof", "BurnFree" and similar technologies are designed to allow disk burning applications to recover if at some point the drive is burning data faster than the application can send it. "Ripping" is the process by which data (usually audio tracks) are copied from a disk to the hard drive. Finally an ISO is the standard file used to represent a CD image, it contains all the files and folders to be burned to the disk and usually has a
.iso extension.
When Nautilus begins to feel cramped and underpowered, it's time to begin looking at some excellent free software utilities to fill the gap
GnomeBaker (registered as a SourceForge project since late 2004) takes the approach of integrating with the GNOME desktop as much as possible, even using the native GNOME folder bar. It also boasts a large array of features; it can blank CD-RW and DVD-/+RW media, copy CDs and DVDs, burn and create ISO files (including copying an existing disk to ISO) and create audio CDs.
GnomeBaker also allows disk burning "projects" to be saved and reopened later, perfect if you need to make a lot of CDs, a few at a time. It also had the most disk burning options of the utilities reviewed here; with speed, mode, file system, BurnFree, and meta data options.
However, this plethora of options can be confusing at times, and GnomeBaker provided limited to no help on the features it provided (such as BurnFree, a tool to protect against bad writes); probably leaving those without knowledge of what the options do to stare and ponder. These downfalls limit GnomeBaker to being more of an "experts" CD burner.
There are some features GnomeBaker lack, namely "ripping" audio CDs and DVD video to hard drive. Also, it isn't possible to select whether a disk is to be closed after writing (not closing a disk allows you to burn files to a disk now and then add more files to the same disk again later, until the maximum limit of the disk is used—a useful recycling feature).
|Luke Biddell
|MARKS (out of 10)
Brasero (the project formerly known as Bonfire) takes a different approach, it focuses on simplicity and usability, and succeeds by having a more task-based interface than GnomeBaker, and simpler options. When you first open Brasero you are presented with four options: Audio Project, Data Project, Disk Copy and Burn an Image.
Brasero also has the option to save the disk layout as a "project", to be reused later. Like GnomeBaker, Brasero also had the option of burning a set of files to an ISO, and allowed disks to be copied to ISO. It also shares some of GnomeBaker's weaknesses in that it cannot "rip" Audio or Video from disks. That said Brasero does give the option of leaving a disk open to add more files later, something GnomeBaker lacked.
Brasero keeps its advanced options in a separate "properties" window out of the way of users who don't want to configure those options, or don't know how. "Burnproof" (the equivalent to GnomeBaker's "BurnFree") is also available, and enabled by default.
Overall, Brasero is a much simpler disk burning solution, and has a nicer user experience over GnomeBaker. I would recommend this for those who don't want to think much about their disk burner, and just want it to work.
|Philippe Rouquier
|MARKS (out of 10)
Serpentine is an Audio CD burner bundled with Ubuntu Edgy, and available separately for other GNOME desktops. It's a work-alike for the audio CD functions of Brasero and GnomeBaker. It accepts many playlist formats as well, including those of Rhythmbox. You probably wouldn't need Serpentine if you had one of the above disk burners, unless you needed to use one of these less-common playlists.
However, when used separately for audio CD mastering, Serpentine is great at its job; and it's perfect for those who just want to burn audio CDs.
|Tiago Cogumbreiro
|MARKS (out of 10)
Sound Juicer
Sound Juicer is an Audio CD "ripper"/"juicer" also bundled with Ubuntu, and available as an RPM for other GNU/Linux distros. It's the only application reviewed here that can "rip" music from a CD, useful for making smaller audio files from a CD for use on a portable music player. It supports ripping into OGG, FLAC and WAV natively.
Sound Juicer requires some custom configuration to rip to MP3, the legality of which is somewhat questionable. There are two good how-tos I've found for enabling MP3 support here and here. Because MP3 is a patented technology, many free software programs opt for free standards, like OGG and WAV, but if your portable player only supports MP3 you'll need to utilize one of these solutions.
|Sound Juicer
|Ross Burton
|MARKS (out of 10)
Overall, there are a lot of great programs that can make your disk burning life with GNOME a lot easier. I encourage you to try out some of these programs, and find what you like. I focused only on the GNOME desktop, but all of these tools can be installed on KDE too as long as GTK is available. Likewise, you can easily use KDE's K3B CD Kreator on GNOME (but you'd need to install all of the KDE libraries to do so).
Hopefully, you'll find this information to be helpful the next time you take a journey through the disk burning jungle. Until next time.
Good Article
I've been using GnomeBaker for the past couple of years for my CD burning needs and it is ok. However, every now and then, I have some issues with its limitations. In those moments, I wish that KDE's K3B CD burning application is completely ported to Gnome because -in my eyes- K3B is the ultimate CD burning program.
what would be the significant benefit of porting k3b to gnome?
i hardly use any "bloated" desktop environment, whether kde or gnome. (i always have open: openbox, rxvt, midnight commander, firefox, sylpheed, jpilot, xmms, psi, & gkrellm; primarily gtk apps.)
i occasionally use nautilus, gthumb, totem, & k3b. in my opinion every one of those applications drags along the bloat of gnome or kde, but the good outweighs the bad and i use them regardless.
if you have a resource-limited environment (not enough disk or memory to store or run the kde libs), then look into xcdroast. its interface isn't as modern as k3b, but it's very functional (even supporting network burning using cdrecord's rscsi).
gnomebaker + others = no multisession
I like Gnomebaker a lot, but honestly, Nautilus fills almost all my needs. It can burn an ISO, if you right click an ISO file in the Nautilus browser then select Write to Disc. It can automatically detect if a disc is empty and should be formatted first (if its RW), and I can create ISOs and burn CD/DVD discs.
However, a major limitation of Nautilus, Gnomebaker, K3B, Graveman and all other burners that use cdrecord or dvdrw-tools is that they cannot burn multisession CD/DVD discs. This is a major setback, as I often have this need. Thwy cannot format DVD-RW discs either. Don't know why this is the case when Windows has had these features for over a decade.
Err, well, maybe you should
Err, well, maybe you should check your facts again,
because they CAN burn multisession discs, and that has been the case since, ... over a decade or so? :)
Maybe you're confused by the fact that some of them don't call it "multisession" but only have an option to leave the disc "open".
And if i don't recall wrong, some even default to this option if the disc is not completely filled. (Maybe with the exception of Nautilus-burner, i haven't used it enough to be sure).
And I'm not 100% sure about formatting dvd-rw, as i only use dvd+rw, but i'm pretty sure they can format them (just take a look at dvd+rw-tools home page).
K3b supports multisession
Multisession burning exists in Linux / K3b. The CLI supports it. In K3b the multisession option is named differently. In the advanced tab you have an option to start/ continue multisession .
One of the frustrating
One of the frustrating things about the gnome burners is that none that I have used convert and burn on the fly.
I am going to try brasero asap, but I doubt that software will do it either.
By not converting and then burning on the fly like programs like nero in windows do, audio cd creation times seem to double.
Also, sound juicer may be OK for the casual audio CD ripper but I find it to be very lackluster in features and performance. It is definitely under par compared to things like CDex and EAC.
So far I find that linux and audio cd creation/ripping is lacking compared to windows, but I find it easier to make a data cd in linux due to command line tools and the like.
With linux becoming more popular on the desktop, it is only a matter of time before audio cd creation and ripping matches the power of the apps on other platforms.
rip & burn
maybe try k3b (kde app). i use it for burning 99.9% of the time, but one time i used it to burn mp3 to an audio cd (before i installed an in-dash mp3 player).
for ripping i use grip. an oldie, but a goodie (much like cdex). more featureful than sound juicer, but maybe not as nice as cdex (can't remember as it's been years since i used cdex or ripped on windows). for my purposes grip and cdex were equivalent, but maybe not for you.
There is a NeroLinux now apparently:
GnomeBaker does
You can throw mp3s at GnomeBaker, and it'll convert and burn them fine. Don't know what you're talking about.
Also, try "Graveman" which
Also, try "Graveman" which converts and burns on the fly. Funky interface, but it does the trick!
I personaly find Nautilus CD burning feature everything i need to burn CDs. No extra installation needed, simple, easy and just works :)
nautilus-cd-burner is *almost* enough
It's nice to be able to burn from Nautilus, but it is lacking some important functionality (might be mistaken)
* No choice for closing disks
* No choice for adding a session to an existing disk
* No choice for burning an audio CD
* No choice for ordering the tracks
With these, nautilus-cd-burner might possibly be all that I needed. It does not seem to difficult to add all this, and I don't think it would muddy the user interface very much (beyond the fact that burning cd's *is* a muddy procedure).
Yes you're right; I don't
Yes you're right; I don't need to make any special things with DVDs an CDs.
The one thing that all Gnome CD/DVD burning apps lack is burning video DVDs. That is a serious lack of functionality.
Linux is not all there is
Why are all apps marked "Platforms GNU/Linux"? All of them are in the FreeBSD ports collection.
Nautilus burns ISOs too
Nautilus burns and rips ISOs too:
To burn: Right-click the .iso file and select "Write to Disc".
To create an ISO file with Nautilus, use the normal CD Creator, then select "File Image" after "Write disc to:" instead of your drive.
You can also browse and extract ISOs by right-clicking them.
What about Gnome Toaster ?
doesn't anyone use that ?
I've used that plenty in the past, and never had a problem :)
Subjective value...
I'm a bit partial to k3b: yes, it is very complete, no, it's not GTK-based (even though I use Gnome), but then it has something other CD/DVD burning tools don't have:
That nice theme created by Ayo. Heh.
A computer is like air conditioning: it becomes useless when you open windows.
Other options
How about something like Rhythmbox or Banshee? They can rip from cd, and burn to cd. Perhaps this is more music rather than file based, but for me, that's 90% of what I do. Outside of that, burning ISOs is easily accomplished by a right click in Nautalis.
about KDE
I know this article was about burning CD:s in gnome, but since in comments it has turned something like "it's difficult to rip cd's in _linux_" or similar, I think it's ok to but something about ripping audio-CD in KDE allso:
"Or, as another example, you can pop an audio CD into your CD drive, and Konqueror opens a window with virtual folders of your songs in MP3, Ogg Vorbis and other formats (depending on which extensions you have installed). Ripping your songs to MP3 format is as simple as copying and pasting the virtual MP3 files to another folder or to your MP3 player."
And here you can see allso pics: http://docs.kde.org/userguide/audio-cd.html
I allso think that lacking of ability to burn video-dvd is big downside of gnome-burners. I personally nautilus burner + K3b, since K3b is superb for everything I can't do with nautilus burner. So I would like to see gtk version of it. Maybe I just have to consider to moving to KDE after KDE4 is released.
Tray kaudiocreator for ripping. Using lame --preset standard works flawlessly. CDDB support, and all the extras.
Perhaps this one feature is just plain hidden but after having tried most of the mentioned apps for GNOME, they all seem to lack a simple feature that K3b does: after-burn image verification. Yes, I can do it manually but there is no reason not to have it in the app itself. K3b is bloated like a mofo but as long as it has this and the others don't I cannot trust the others after burned many a coaster with Nautilus/GNOMEBaker/et al....
You say K3B is bloathed, yet
You say K3B is bloathed, yet you require a rather obscure feature. Can't you imagine everyone needs different features, leading to an app like K3B? K3B does everything most ppl need, and in a very usable way - you won't be able to point me to a app which has the same or more features, but is more usable... (the same goes for amarok, btw, and many other KDE apps - though there are exceptions like konqueror which IS to hard to use for what it does, no matter how much that is)
K3b Bloat
Sorry dude; from a dev standpoint, K3b *is* an extremely heavy app. Look at the dependencies vs most of the others. However, the funniest part of your reply was that you *completely* missed the point:
I was saying and pointing out that I use K3b even though it is bloated because of the feature it has that none of the others do. The others may be lean and mean but without something like image burn verification, I will choose K3b everytime.
Moreover, image verification is not a heavy feature to add; it can be done in like two lines of shell script so this 'obscure' feature doesn't cost much in terms of code bloat.
So unless you have never EVER needed an md5 checksum to confirm what you burned is what you downloaded, I don't see what makes this 'obscure'.
KDE - flashy but not for me...
KDE - it has everything I want; everything Gnome lacks... it's just that I haven't found it to be entirely glitch-free. Gnome is (IMHO) just more stable and I find things (like network-manager and vpn via pptp) "just work" whereas in KDE, they're really pretty but fail me.
Can this software fill in
Can this software fill in the tools you need to burn audio/dvds cds??
Now what would be nice here,
Now what would be nice here, as a high ranking Google hit, would be a little list of aps.
brassero / bonfire (renamed)
also see: nautilus and konqueror for basic needs
also see: rhythmbox, banshee, and amarok for music needs
Given that many of these aps are frontends, it should be possible to write scripts to add more burning functions to your fave filemanager.
My fave is Thunar, and it makes adding scripts easy, so I'm going to add one which allows me to right click, burn an iso, and select files to add to a cd session (if i can. i expect i can)
I've tried lots and lots of applications for burning cds:
- the nautilus one if pathetic because of the lack of features/settings
- K3b is great but it's KDE/QT
- GnomeBaker is ok... but i've heard the project is like dead/deprecated
- Brasero is OUTSTANDING! I simply love it.
"Burning CDs" in title, but it's about Sound Juicer? What???
Sound Juicer is for ripping CDs. If you want to burn CDs, the matching app (by which I mean little lightweight pre-installed GNOME thing) is Serpentine.
Thanks for the review
Thanks for this article!
I didn't read it all, but the Brasero review was enough to me to give it a try, and it was worthwhile. I am new to Gnome, and Brasero seems pretty good for what I need to do.
Great Guide
With this guide it is now easier to burn blank CD's using Gnome. Thanks for this great guide. - J White


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Fitness Center
General Information
The Concord University Fitness Center, located in North Towers, has a variety exercise equipment to meet the needs of our campus community. Free weights, Matrix machines, treadmills, and exercise bikes are available for every kind of work out from high impact to low impact. The Fitness Center staff are always available to help anyone with their workout routine and give instruction on the proper use of the equipment and the facility. The Fitness Center is open to the entire Campus Community as well as to the Public.
Normal Hours of Operation
The Fitness Center is open:
- Sunday: 12:00 pm till 11:00 pm
- Monday through Friday: 6:00 am till 11:00 pm
- Saturday: 12:00 pm till 6:00 pm
Finals Week: Monday through Thursday: 9:00 am till 9:00 pm
Summer Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00 am till 6:00 pm
Note – The hours listed above are subject to change. Please visit our Facebook Group "Concord University Recreation & Wellness" for the most up to date information concerning current hours, events, and delays or closings due to Inclement Weather and Holidays.
In the event of Inclement Weather Schedule, the Fitness Center will only operate if the employees for that day live on-campus. If the campus is closed, the Fitness Center will be closed for that day.
- Anyone from the campus community must show a valid campus ID and sign in with the staff prior to using the facility.
- Anyone from the outside community must fill out and sign a waiver and obtain a Fitness Center guess pass prior to using the facility. These can be obtained from the staff at the check in desk. Upon obtaining the pass, all outside community members must sign in and present the guest pass prior to using the facility.
- Appropriate athletic wear is REQUIRED. Clothing with exposed rivets, buttons, zippers and other metal parts are not permitted. (Fitness Center staff have the authority to make decisions on apparel.)
- Appropriate footwear is REQUIRED. Boots, sandals, flip flops, and open toed footwear are not permitted.
- All Matrix equipment is to be used properly. Improper use of equipment such as adding barbells to the nautilus machines is prohibited.
- Rough housing and abuse of equipment is prohibited and can result in loss of priviledge to use the Fitness Center.
- Proper hand wear is required for the heavy bag and the speed bag. No bare handed use of the bags is allowed.
- Patrons are encouraged to bring a full length towel (24"x48") for use during their work out.
- Patrons are encouraged to clean the equipment after every use. Cleaning towels are provided by the Fitness Center Staff.
- Olympic Style lifts (cleans, snatches, and jerks) as well as any other dangerous workout procedures are prohibited.
- Possession or consumption of drugs and/or alcoholic beverages, including public intoxication is prohibited.


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A family of four escaped a fire at their two-story house early Monday morning.
Firefighters were called to 592 Jarvis Road at 3:48 a.m. and were on the scene for about four hours, said Capt. Doug Cincurak of the Green Fire Department.
The fire started in an electrical outlet on the west side of the front porch and was driven through the house by the wind, Cincurak said.
A man, woman and two children were asleep when the fire started but were able to escape, getting help from a passerby. The male resident tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher but was unsuccessful.
No one was injured in the fire, but damage was estimated at $300,000 and the house is unlivable, Cincurak said.
Firefighters from Coventry, Greentown, Uniontown and New Franklin assisted the Green Fire Department.
Comments are currently unavailable on this article
Location, ST | website.com


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As Mariano Rivera heads off into retirement, he does so with almost every World Series record a relief pitcher can own.
But he didn't get them all.
Former A's reliever Darold Knowles did something 40 years ago this October that nobody -- not even Rivera -- ever matched. Knowles remains the only pitcher ever to appear in all seven games of a single World Series.
"It's part of my claim to fame, which I'm very proud of," he said.
The left-hander totaled 6¿1/3 innings in helping Oakland topple the New York Mets in 1973. He saved Games 1 and 7, allowing the Swingin' A's to celebrate the second of three consecutive World Series titles.
Reggie Jackson earned MVP honors by going 9 for 29 (.310) with a homer, three doubles and six RBI. Knowles, though unsung, earned his own niche by going 7 for 7 on the mound.
"I had a good series. It was kind of unusual," Knowles, now 71, said. "I'm surprised that it hasn't been done before or since."
Rivera, the greatest reliever in history, never pitched more than four games in any of his seven World Series. Other relievers have appeared in as many as six games: Hugh Casey ('47), Fingers ('72 and '73), Pedro Borbon ('72), Dan Quisenberry ('80), Tim Worrell ('02), Felix Rodriguez ('02) and Alexi Ogando ('11).
Knowles is now the pitching coach for the Dunedin Blue Jays (Class A), where the October iron man concedes he still has a hard time adjusting to the modern fears over pitch counts and workload.
He said during that '73 World Series, he never once had a conversation with manager Dick Williams or pitching coach Wes Stock about whether he might be available.
"Years ago, we thought the more you threw, the better," Knowles said during a reunion of the '73 champions in Oakland earlier this season. "Obviously, it's not that way now. You protect young pitchers. You limit their innings. You limit their times getting up and throwing.
"They watch young pitches like a hawk from the top on down. They're all protected. It's like they're afraid they're going to get tired. And if they get tired, they're going to get hurt."
On the other hand, Knowles dismisses the notion that his own World Series feat was Herculean. He said that pitching in all seven games was made possible by two off-days -- and a few quirks of fate.
For one thing, the series needed to go the distance (that's only happened 36 times in the best-of-seven format). For another, the flow of the game dictated whether or not he would be used.
In Game 7, for example, Knowles wound up relieving a Hall of Fame reliever -- taking over for Rollie Fingers -- only because Gene Tenace committed a two-out error at first base, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Fingers had already worked 3.1 innings, so Williams summoned Knowles to finish things off against Wayne Garrett for the final out. He got coaxed a pop out to shortstop Bert "Campy" Campaneris to earn the save.
"I told Dick Williams, 'You were pretty brave to take Rollie Fingers out and put me in,'" Knowles said. "And I'm forever grateful to him. And to Gene Tenace, who booted a ball in the inning to help things along."
Knowles, a Missouri native, pitched 16 seasons in the big leagues starting in 1965. He made the '69 All-Star team while pitching for the Washington Senators (under manager Ted Williams) and went on to register 143 career saves.
But when Knowles overhears people saying, "Remember him?" he knows they're talking about 1973.
Asked if he kept any souvenir from his seven-game stretch in '73, Knowles said he was never too smart about tucking away such memorabilia. Then he suddenly recalled that he did have one keepsake.
"I have a ring," he said.


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About the Book
"The greatest writer of historical adventures today."
—Washington Post
Critically acclaimed, perennial New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell (Agincourt, The Fort, the Saxon Tales) makes real history come alive in his breathtaking historical fiction. Praised as "the direct heir to Patrick O'Brian" (Agincourt, The Fort), Cornwell has brilliantly captured the fury, chaos, and excitement of battle as few writers have ever done—perhaps most vividly in his phenomenally popular novels following the illustrious military career of British Army officer Richard Sharpe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In Sharpe's Fortress, Ensign Sharpe's adventures in India reach a grand finale at the Siege of Gawilghur during the Maharatta War in December 1803, as Cornwell's hero uncovers a foul treason and seeks a righteous revenge. Perhaps the San Francisco Chronicle said it best: "If only all history lessons could be as vibrant."
Be prepared for scenes of great action & heroic.The sword hissed an inch behind the boy's neck.
"I said to leave him alone!"
Sharpe said. "Or do you want to fight me instead?"
"None of us," a calm voice said behind Sharpe, "wants to fight Ensign Sharpe."
Richard Sharpe.
Soldier, hero, rogue—the man you always want on your side. Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles, whose green jacket he proudly wears.
Educator and Librarian Resources
Product Details
- Imprint: Harper Paperbacks
- On Sale: 10/23/2012
- Trimsize: 5.313 in (w) x 8 in (h) x 0.721 in (d)
- Pages: 320
- List Price: 14.99 USD
- BISAC1: FICTION / Historical
- BISAC2: FICTION / War & Military
- BISAC3: FICTION / Action & Adventure


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- Product Details
- Reviews (1)
- Fabric Estimator
- Rewards
Calling all activewear designers, this is the fabric for you! Here we have a shimmering, white fabric made from nylon and spandex. This type of material is excessively stretchy in two directions, is of a medium weight, and, for the most part, retains it's shape. Uses for this type of material include leggings, spankies, sports bras, leotards, bathing suits, etc. You will often see this material used by cheerleaders, gymnasts, and swimmers. This specific material comes in a wide variety of colors.
Width: 60"
Content: 20% SPANDEX, 80% NYLON
Learn about fabric careHOW TO CARE FOR NYLON FABRICS: Most items made from nylon can be machined washed and tumbled dried at low temperatures. To minimize static electricity use a dryer sheet when machine drying. If ironing is needed, iron on a low temperature.Mood strongly recommends test-laundering a swatch, if you plan to wash your garment or home furnishings yourself.
Customer Reviews
Ordered fabric for a prom dress
March 7, 2014
This is beautiful fabric the white and black spandex. I took a chance and ordered without getting a swatch. This will make a beautiful Prom dress for my client.
Thanks Mood!
sincerely the seamstress from Cleveland Ohio
PLEASE NOTE: The above numbers are estimations only. Please take into account garment size, lining and fabric width.


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WALNUT CREEK -- Two new City Council members are set to take the dais next month, with the city budget, police staffing and accommodating downtown growth likely to be major topics of discussion early on.
Incumbent Mayor Bob Simmons and challengers Loella Haskew and Justin Wedel were the top three vote-getters, with Barry Grove trailing Wedel by a slim margin to finish out of the running.
The name of another incumbent, Kish Rajan, appeared on the election ballot, but he dropped out of the race in September after being appointed director of GO-Biz, the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.
Longtime incumbent Gary Skrel did not seek a fourth council term.
A number of mail-in ballots still awaited counting as of Wednesday morning, but probably won't affect the outcome of the race.
"I thought that it was a vigorous, competitive election without the rancor of personal attacks," said Simmons, who was gathering up his campaign signs Wednesday morning. "We have shown other communities that it is possible to participate in an election that informs and educates the electorate without personal attacks.
"I am looking forward to working with then new council and dealing with some of the issues that we, as a community have to resolve," Simmons added.
Said Wedel, a local businessman, "I'm just happy with the results. I look forward to working with the rest of the council."
The Walnut Creek city budget was a primary campaign issue, and Haskew -- a certified public accountant -- said her skill sets and interests are just what the city needs for "proper fiscal balance."
Wedel talked about a long-term financial plan and "community driven balanced budget process."
"The budget is why I decided to run," Wedel commented."The council has been spending too much for too long."
Grove, a Contra Costa County deputy district attorney, said he stay involved in the Walnut Creek community, including through his work.
"Also, as a private citizen there are many issues such as the new aquatic facilities, the fire hazard on Acalanes ridge and increased public safety manpower that I will continue to support," he said Wednesday.
Simmons and Haskew said a half-cent sales tax increase should be considered; Haskew said she doesn't expect cost-cutting alone can pay for all the city's capital needs. Voters would have to approve any sales tax increase.
Wedel, successful in his second run at a council seat, and Grove opposed increasing the sales tax, saying the city should instead use the money it has in different ways.
Wedel and Grove also said Walnut Creek needs more police officers, both in downtown's night club neighborhoods and in the residential parts of the city. Grove contended that money saved in recently ratified police officer contracts should be used to fund more officers. Simmons said a balance between city budget constraints and recommendations from the police chief on the best way to deploy officers must be achieved.
"We have a two-year budget in place and the police department has been authorized to fill two of the vacancies that were frozen," Simmons said. "The chief has indicated that if we develop as much multifamily housing as planned, we will need to add additional police resources."
The Walnut Creek Police Association endorsed Simmons, Grove and Wedel in this election.
Police department leaders have said additional officers will be needed to serve an expanded population downtown, where some 1,400 apartment units in several large developments have either been approved or are in the planning pipeline.
Haskew intends to take a short timeout after campaigning.
"I truly didn't know what campaigning was," she said. "I had worked at the polls and on campaigns, but it different when you are the candidate."
Also, Simmons, Wedel and Grove publicly supported efforts to bring all public schools in Walnut Creek under the same district; some local schools are in the Mt. Diablo and Acalanes districts.
BOB SIMMONS -- 26.37% (14,932 votes)
*Rajan pulled out of the race in September
Source: Contra Costa County Elections Department


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It's a year of transformation with the Weekend of Chamber Music, so this year the Sullivan County organization is celebrating with "Transformations," its 20th summer festival, running July 14-28.
The Times Herald-Record reported Friday changes at the top of Weekend of Chamber Music, and new artistic directors Andrew Waggoner and Caroline Stinson have booked six programs for the two-week period this summer. According to the Weekend of Chamber Music, the festival will focus on two pillars: composer-in-residence John Harbison and WCM founder, former artistic director and flutist Judith Pearce.
Events will include the traditional MusicTalks! concerts, a return to the Callicoon Farmers' Market and two main event Saturday night concerts. More WCM concerts will take place starting in April, through August.
For more information, visit wcmconcerts.org.
Location, ST | website.com


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How to Lose Weight at 7-Eleven
Your pit stop just got a whole lot healthier thanks to these surprising tips from a leading dietitian
Unfortunately, if you don't have the willpower to avoid the chip and candy aisles -- and of course, that delicious Slurpee machine -- those quickie mart pit stops could cause you to pack on some serious pounds. To help make eating on the go a little less diet wrecking, we asked Ashley Koff, RD, a celebrity dietitian and author of "Mom Energy," to go shopping with us at our local 7-Eleven. She happily accepted the challenge.
Skip to see 10 ways to lose weight at 7-Eleven now.
And trust us, it was quite a challenge. Because convenience stores are, to put it bluntly, fat traps. With their "freshly baked" donuts, hot dogs, and endless amounts of pre-packaged snacks, it's hard to find something remotely healthy to choose when you're looking for a quick bite. Until now.
To avoid the common pitfalls dietiers -- or anyone trying to eat healthy -- will face at quick-stop shops like this, read on. Luckily, when you're armed with Koff's sneaky tricks, you can pull up without packing on any unwanted pounds.
SEE NEXT PAGE: Rule No. 1: Find a snack with a good nutrient balance
Older comments
Fascinating tips in this article. Who thought that Kettle chips should be chosen over Pringles? That was a huge surprise.
by GigiSD Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 08:41PM Report as inappropriate
This was pretty helpful. I love 7-11, but some of their stuff isn't too healthy. I like baked chips and Greek yogurt though, so I'm good on that!
by NillaButterfly Saturday, March 16, 2013 at 04:22PM Report as inappropriate
I like this idea
by LittleBunny Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 07:07PM Report as inappropriate
this was very helpful! I'm always stopping at gas stations for meals between school and work so I'll make sure to keep these in mind next time I'm grabbing a quick lunch.
by tulipsarebetter Wednesday, January 2, 2013 at 08:00PM Report as inappropriate
Like crackers instead of cookies.
by EricaF123 Tuesday, December 25, 2012 at 01:20PM Report as inappropriate
I was intrigued by the title of this column, Lose weight at 7-11?!? How could it be? Well, I didn't find anything in this article that was specific to any convenience store diets. I mean... really if you're going to be eating healthy in the first place, 7-11 isn't the place to go for your food. I can understand an occasional grab-on-the-go snack, but most of the items in this article are thing that I would purchase as I grocery shop. Obviously, the tips are valid and can help shave some calories when making your food choice. But who is going to buy an apple or strawberries at a 7-11? Not me! Thanks for the alternative selections though I didn't realize that greek yogart was so much higher in protein - I've just hear that it doesn't taste good so I've been afraid to try it. Maybe now I will.
by flirtygirl214 Friday, September 7, 2012 at 04:57PM Report as inappropriate
I usually see two for one dollar bananas.
by beautybody Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 08:04PM Report as inappropriate
I will make sure I remember these tips the next time I hit the 7-11!
by powerwoman033 Tuesday, March 20, 2012 at 01:32PM Report as inappropriate
I've never heard of that FRS drink but I'm excited to try it!
by sportimonki13 Monday, March 12, 2012 at 07:00PM Report as inappropriate
I always get nuts at the gas station for a snack, then just watch my portions.
by ladyboarder9669 Monday, February 13, 2012 at 12:56PM Report as inappropriate
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NBA 2K13 was a monstrous release for the world's #1 NBA video game franchise, with more than 38 Sports Game of the Year and "Best Of" mentions. NBA 2K14 will raise the bar yet again, providing the best basketball gaming experience for legions of sports fans and gamers around the world.
Game List Statistics
Now Playing
13 Users
Wish List
4 Users
Hot List
8 Users


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OAKLAND -- There are some hidden depths to the A's trade with the Cubs for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.
One of which is that it is a pre-emptive strike at the rest of Major League Baseball's contending teams, almost all of which believe they need more starting pitching.
The Yankees do. The Orioles do. The Blue Jays do. And the list is long.
With this one move, Oakland has taken three pitchers out of the mix. Three, because it's best not to forget that while he's limped along this year after being demoted by the A's, Dan Straily, who was sent to the Cubs, was a 10-game winner last year.
Straily, too, would have been a candidate to be traded somewhere in the run-up to the July 31 trade deadline.
The A's already had as deep a corps of starting pitching as any team in the game. Now it's deeper. And that's good.
Starting rotations elsewhere are shallower, and from the A's point of view, that's good, too.
Oakland's starting rotation numbers were excellent before this trade, but they only had two pitchers who figured to be ace-type material in the postseason, Sonny Gray and Scott Kazmir. Now they have three with the addition of Samardzija.
In the postseason, you need three. The A's learned that in the postseason the last two years watching the Tigers move past them in 2012 and 2013 thanks in part to having better starting pitching. Should the two teams meet again, the playing field as far as the starters vs. starters goes will be more level.
The A's are counting on that.
For more on the A's, see John Hickey's Inside the A's blog at ibabuzz.com/athletics. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JHickey3.


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During winter break we will be having casual practices during Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at REC Court 4 from 6pm to 8pm. Keep in mind that we will not have practices on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.
For winter term, we will be meeting at the Gerlinger B54 from 4pm to 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We do not have Friday practices as of now.
Our practice schedule page has been updated accordingly and should reflect these recent changes.


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Kids' Nike Lights Out Knit Training Pants
The Nike Lights Out Knit Boys' Training Pants help keep him comfortable during practice or when he's just kickin' it. Made with strategic mesh and fabric that battles, he'll stay dry and ventilated when things heat up. And with flat seams to minimize chafing, these training pants reduce distractions so he can keep his eyes on the prize.


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Punta Gorda woman dies, another injured in crash
Published: Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 10:21 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 10:21 p.m.
CHARLOTTE COUNTY - A 51-year-old woman died in a collision Sunday afternoon at Harbor View Road and Laverne Street.
The Florida Highway Patrol says that, at about 2:40 p.m., Kelly De Reno of Punta Gorda was eastbound on Harbor View Road when, for unknown reasons, her Honda Accord went into the westbound lane. Her car collided with a Dodge Caravan driven by Michelle Saunders, 47, of Punta Gorda.
De Reno died at Peace River Hospital. Saunders is in serious condition at Fawcett Hospital.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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STOCKTON -- A man walked into a business in the 1200 block of South El Dorado Street around 8:40 p.m. Monday wearing a dark bandana over his face, armed with a piece of metal and demanding money, police said.
The clerk complied, then ran out of the business. The assailant, described as a man around 19 or 20 years old, also left on foot.
Location, ST | website.com


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For the past 50 years, Perspectives on History has been the principal source for news and information about the historical discipline. Published monthly during the academic year, Perspectives on History offers articles and commentary on teaching, computers and software, history in the media, museum exhibitions, and archives and research. Also includes the most comprehensive current listings of employment openings and historical activities, both within and outside academia.
Summer 2016
This summer, the editors of AHA Today and Perspectives on History teamed up to create a mixtape. We've come up with a set of tracks to keep road-trip spirits high, rock a house party till the cops show up, and definitely win the affections of a school crush. Just kidding—these are stories from AHA publications over the past year that inspired us, made us stop and think, and generally provided evidence that "historian" is a great thing to be. Side A, "Being a Historian," focuses on careers, while Side B, "Doing History," shows the importance of our research in public conversations. We see this tiny archive as a gift from us to you. Now play it loud.
Access the full table of contents now.
2016 Features
Reach the 15,500 plus readers of Perspectives on History. Display and classified ads run in each print issue September through May.


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Change the
Questions,Change the World!
Right now, a single
question can connect your work to the only thing that has ever made the world a
better place: our ability to bring out the best in each other.
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new website is under development. Subscribe and we'll keep you posted
the Future is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization


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VAIL- For now, he's known to many as "that 14-year-old Japanese snowboarder kid," but make no mistake, Ayumu Hirano is well on his way to becoming a household name here in the U.S.He's been competing against adults and reaching the podium in big comps for a little while now, but he really caught the attention of Americans in January when he finished runner-up to Shaun White at the X Games superpipe, the marquee event in the sport of halfpipe snowboarding. A few weeks later, he was able to come away with a win at the Burton European Open -the European version of the event now happening in Vail -- with Shaun White not in attendance."Their skills are similar,"says Hirano's coach here in the U.S., Ski & Snowboard Club Vail's Elijah Teter. "He likes to go big. And if you look at Shaun White, he's a skater too, Ayumu skates vert ramps real well, being able to ride both well like that is typical (for halfpipe snowboarders)."Hirano's been living in Summit County with a manager and crew that Teter calls Hirano's "second family in the U.S."That family includes an actual family member, Hirano's brother Eiju, as well as some well-known names in the world of Japanese snowboarding including Kazu Kokubo, Kohei Kudo andTaku Hiraoka."It's a cool crew, all great snowboarders who just love the sport," says Teter.Teter says he first took notice of Hirano at Burton U.S. Open two years ago."I was just like, 'holy cow, look at that kid go,'" Teter said. "He was just tiny, going so big for how tiny he was and oozing with style ... It was pretty cool to watch that a couple years ago and then have the opportunity to work with him this winter."Teter and Hirano have mainly been working on variations of the "double," a trick where two off-axis invertedmaneuversare performed in the same trick.Teter says as Hirano has been learning, so has he."It's been fun, working on coaching without as many words," says Teter. "Just explaining what you mean through gestures and having him understand, you know. It's pretty cool."But, says Teter, Hirano's been learning more than just variations of the double."His English is getting a lot better," he said.Check out Hirano in the halfpipe semifinals starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday.
Back to: News
February 26, 2013
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Demolition crews Tuesday began tearing down the Lisbon landmark restaurant Graziano's Casa Mia.
The restaurant closed in March 2012, after more than 40 years in business.
Spectators lined the sidewalk across the street to watch as demolition crews worked to raze the building.
Lisbon officials said the property has been purchased by a local company. No information is available on what the new owners plan to do with the site, which is located at the corner of Route 196 and Village Street.


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Mr. and Mrs. Martin M. Fehr Jr. of Matthews, N.C., announce the engagement of their daughter, Adrienne Nicole Fehr of Columbus, Ohio, to Richard Sterling Claiborne Snead of Columbus, Ohio.
The bride to be is the granddaughter of Mrs. Martin M. Fehr of Cincinnati, Ohio, and the late Mr. Fehr, and Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Pearson of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Adrienne graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University with a bachelor of science degree in textile apparel management and a bachelor of arts degree in multidisciplinary studies.
She was the Eli Whitney Scholar and a member of the honor societies Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Beta Kappa and served as senior class council representative for the College of Textiles.
She is employed at Abercrombie and Fitch Corporate Office as senior sourcing Manager in New Albany, Ohio.
The groomto be is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Snead of Clinton.
He is the grandson of Mrs. Allan L. Williams of Clinton and the late Mr. Williams, and the late Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Snead of Clinton.
Richard graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor of science degree in agricultural economics.
At UT, he served on Freshman Council and served on the Student Government Association. He was also a four-year member of the Campus Entertainment Board, a member of the National Agri-Marketing Team and a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
Richard interned and was a staff assistant to former Congressman Zach Wamp in Washington, D.C.
He is employed as an agricultural statistician by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Columbus, Ohio.
The couple plans an 11 a.m. wedding on July 20 at St. Joseph Catholic Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio.
Location, ST | website.com


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To show our appreciation for the continued support of our devoted DC players, we will be giving away some dragon stones to them. All players are welcome to participate in the event!
Event Time:
(EST time) 22:00 PM, Nov.25th – 22:00 PM, Nov.28th
(GMT+8) 11:00 AM, Nov.26th- 11:00 AM, Nov.29th
I. Recharge Amount Get Additional Dragon Stones
Players who recharge $10 or more in one transaction will receive additional Dragon Stones!
The ratios are as follow:
$9.99 – $39.99 → 5%
$49.99 – $99.99 → 10%
$119.99 – $199.99 → 15%
E.g. recharge 9.99 dollars = 200 Dragon Gold + 10 Dragon Stones
E.g. recharge 99.99 dollars = 2000 Dragon Gold + 200 Dragon Stones
II. Recharge Amount to Receive Massive Debris
During the event time, the top 5 players who recharge the most Dragon Gold will be rewarded with 3 Lustrous Lucky Gems, 10 prismatic dragonshards and 100 magic debris each!
III. Recharge Amount to Receive Sacrilege Item
The top player each server who recharge the most Dragon Gold will receive any sacrilege equipment that you can specify what prefix and suffix you want.(i.e.: body armor with Prefix: Psychic9 and Suffix: Stamina, 2 natural sockets).
IV. Instance on Sale
Instance buy one get one free.
Note: All prizes will be sent to you within 3 business days after the event closed.


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Seated female nude with her left hand on her head. Study for The Mediterranean
Maillol, a painter by training, was a self-taught sculptor who came to sculpture via woodcarving. He made many clay models throughout his career. Like his sculptures, they were preliminary stages of his major works.
This particular work is very similar to the artist's first large figure, The Mediterranean, which found favour at the Autumn Salon of 1905. These little figurines constitute a repertoire of shapes to which he returned endlessly.
The simplicity of these terracotta statuettes is quite remarkable in the context of the early 20th century. Maillol treats the female body like a relationship of masses in an abstract spatial construction. His statuettes appeal to enthusiasts (including the donor in this instance, Jacques Zoubaloff) and decorative arts dealers, principally Ambroise Vollard, who produced bronze versions of some of them.


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Just downloaded and installed this on my OSX, easy to setup and it works great for streaming video, music and pics.
Is there any way to set it up so it would stream for example HULU from my browser to my tv?
Thank you in advance.
Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 2 guests


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Pastor Invited to be a Thompson Scholar at Columbia Seminary, May 19-24
Decatur, GA.—Jarred Hammet, Jr., pastor of Northminster Presbyterian Church, Macon, GA, has been invited to participate in the Thompson Scholars program, "Evangelism and Emerging Culture," held on the seminary's campus, May 19-24. Steve Hayner, Peachtree Associate Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth at Columbia Seminary, is leading the seminar along with several guest facilitators who serve emergent church communities in the Atlanta area. Dr. Hayner says, "The culture is changing, and former ways of communicating God's good news no longer seem relevant. Many churches are struggling as they think about evangelism with younger generations and other emerging cultures. This year's scholars will consider ways in which emerging generations think, and we will talk about such topics as preaching, discipleship, worship, and leadership development for a new time." The Thompson Scholars reading list includes many of the leading voices in the emergent church conversation, including Brian McLaren's A Generous Orthodoxy, Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God, Emerging Worship by Dan Kimball, and The Church in Emerging Culture: Five Perspectives by Leonard Sweet, Andy Crouch, Brian McLaren, Erwin Raphael McManus, Michael Horton, and Frederica Matthewes-Green. Eighteen scholars from around the country were selected to participate in the program. According to Steve Hayner, while the group represents significant diversity within the church, "All are working diligently at reaching emergent generations and cultures around them. They bring a wealth of experience from their own contexts and an eagerness to learn and to grow in community with others." One goal of the program, Dr. Hayner says, is to build a learning community that will continue to meet after the program ends. Toward that end, this year's program is designed so that participants will have opportunities to share in emergent worship experiences, meet in their leaders' homes, and prepare meals together. The Thompson Scholars program supports the work of evangelism in the church and is made possible through the financial contributions in honor of Dr. Cecil Thompson, professor of evangelism, rural church, and mission at Columbia from 1946 to 1967. Columbia Theological Seminary, located in Decatur, Georgia, was established in 1828 and is one of 10 theological institutions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Media Contact:
Michael Thompson
Director of Communications


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Waterville, Ireland, Ring of Kerry
Lachowice, 20.07.2016
We made a brief visit to Duxford this afternoon to see what was flying. There wasn't a lot of activity but a couple of Tiger Moths came in to land and I caught…
Das Studentenleben in Schweden darf natürlich auch nicht zu kurz kommen ;) Auf dem Weg zu einer Geburtstagsparty 🎉😊 BBQ at the beach with some exchange students…
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- Dec 18:
- San Jose's $324 million question: Who bought a winning lottery ticket?
- Mega Millions: San Jose and state won't hit tax jackpot despite local winner
- Mega Millions lottery: Atlanta winner used family birthdays to pick her numbers
- Mega Millions lottery: Waiting for winner of jackpot ticket bought in San Jose
SARATOGA -- Al Castellano's "heart stopped for two seconds" when he heard one of the $648 million MegaMillions jackpot winners bought the ticket in San Jose.
Then, like nearly everyone, he discovered it was somebody else's fortune this time. But Al and his wife, Carmen, know exactly what that somebody else is going through -- and they're ready to offer plenty of advice.
Back in 2001, the South Bay couple were the lucky winners of a $141 million lottery that has changed just about everything -- except the store where Al still exclusively buys his weekly lottery tickets: Union Liquors in San Jose. For an instant Tuesday night, he let himself imagine his once-in-a-lifetime luck had doubled.
"It all came crashing down," said the Army veteran and former grocery clerk, "when they said the winning ticket was bought at a store on Tully Road."
Still, with all the excitement around this week's local, unknown winner, the Castellanos are happily reliving some of the joys and tribulations that go along with being working class folks who are suddenly and very publicly announced as being multi-multi-millionaires.
"Strangers will start coming to your door," said Carmen, 74. "We wanted to stay in our San Jose home, but we were in the phone book and so we simply couldn't stay there. People started coming all hours from everywhere, including other states. We also got mail every day from places like Florida and Germany, South America and Mexico, always asking us for money."
Slow down
If the Castellanos had two words for the mysterious local winner, it would be: slow down.
The couple discovered they had won their big prize on a sleepy Sunday morning, but did not claim the prize until the following Thursday. The interim was spent seeking formal counsel from attorneys, investment experts, bankers, accountants, tax professionals even a public relations firm.
"You must surround yourself with close family and people you trust," said Carmen. "We also spent the four days discussing everything with our three, adult children who also had our best interests in mind. By the time we stepped forward, we were confident and comfortable in how we were going to proceed."
Al confesses that minutes into discovering they were winners, Carmen, a career secretary, wrote down a list of community organizations they would help financially.
"I thought she was crazy," recalls Al. "She had a hard time talking me into doing something like that. It was all Carmen's doing."
The "it" blossomed into the honored Castellano Family Foundation of San Jose, which began with $5 million the couple initially set aside. Today it has funded more than 500 grants and has donated nearly $4 million to grateful organizations.
"Doing something for the community was a natural inclination," said Carmen. "This community had done so much for us, we wanted to give back."
One sweet morning
Once new millionaires finish with the more pressing business, the Castellanos suggest the next step should be selectively helping family -- kids and kinfolk with vitals like tuition, paying off college loans and helping pay off reasonable debts connected to quality of life. After that, they happily support the pursuit of good-life pleasures.
"First I bought my wife a brand, new car," said Al. "A four-door Jaguar sedan, titanium colored,'' Carmen added. Then Al bought himself a black Jaguar XKR. After four months, they moved to a spacious, four-bedroom home in Saratoga, then settled into collecting art and the consumption of entertainment and travel. "We've been to Europe, the Far East and South America," said Al. And then chuckling, "and every now and again we take trips to Las Vegas. I'm no gambler, but it's very nice to go to Vegas, to see the best shows and to stay in some really nice places."
The new lottery win reminded Al of his personal, sweet morning of June 23, 2001, a few days after he had won $10 playing the game. He used those winnings to buy tickets — and the clerk scoffed at the amount. And then, on Saturday, he bought $4 more. On Sunday morning, while Carmen still slept and he was waiting for a fragrant pot of coffee to brew, Al discovered that magic came tumbling way out of those final four tickets.
"It took me about an hour to understand what was happening to me," said Al. "I stood there thinking, is this a miracle? A dream? Or what?"
Today he has an answer: "It's nothing but pure, dumb luck."
Contact David E. Early at 408-920-5836.


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Science in all its mystery – latimes.com
tags: freshmen science article articles
The Beautiful Minds Challenge
tags: challenge freeformfriday visual literacy visuallearning visualliteracy
Honors Track – Molly Patterson – The Atlantic
tags: cheating academicintegrity freshmen shortstory
Why Students Cheat on Tests — New York Magazine
tags: cheating academicintegrity freshmen
Book Chat Evolution « Room 149
tags: bookchat 40bookchallenge reading
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Giants expect a raucous crowd for Saturday's Cactus League opener at Scottsdale Stadium, and the team's groundskeepers took to the field Friday afternoon to provide a not-so-subtle reminder to fans of what this current group of Giants has accomplished.
Painted behind home plate in Giant block letters are the words "2012 World Champions." The quest for a repeat begins Saturday when the Giants host the Los Angeles Angels. There are few position battles in what has thus far been a quiet camp, but one of them will get off to a rousing start.
Right-handers Chad Gaudin, Scott Proctor, Jean Machi, Shane Loux and Dan Otero are scheduled to throw in Saturday's opener, and all are vying for the final spot in the bullpen. Ryan Vogelsong will get the start and Jeremy Affeldt, Sergio Romo and George Kontos are scheduled to see action. Manager Bruce Bochy's son, Brett, could also come on in relief.
The matchup at Scottsdale Stadium is the first of 37 exhibition games for the defending champions, who will get plenty of looks at those aiming for a different N.L. West result. The Giants visit the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and play 10 games against division rivals. General manager Brian Sabean said he thinks the West is one of the most underrated groups in sports.
"It's a tough division to win," Sabean said. "And even though we're the defending champions, our first goal is always to win the division."
The early move brings a raw but intriguing arm into the system. The 21-year-old Soptic has a 5.09 ERA in 30 relief appearances over the past two seasons, but according to Baseball America, Soptic had the best fastball in the White Sox minor league system. Soptic was a third-round pick in 2011 out of Johnson County Community College.
Gillaspie was the Giants' sandwich pick (37th overall) in the 2008 draft and set a franchise record by making his MLB debut 96 days after the draft thanks to a clause that was worked into his contract. He hit for a high average (.287) in five minor league seasons but never broke through in the Majors, hitting just .205 with one homer and four RBIs in 29 games.
"He understood," Bochy said. "This gives him probably a little better chance of breaking (camp) with a Major League club. This makes sense."
The move frees up a spot on the 40-man roster, but Sabean said not to expect a corresponding move. The Giants generally prefer to have one or two open spots on the 40-man.


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This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.
May 25, 2011
DOE Expands Industry Partnership for Next-Generation Auto Technologies
Innovations such as this lithium-ion battery replica, displayed in front of a Chevy Volt, will be supported by the DOE-industry partnership.
DOE announced on May 19 U.S. DRIVE, a cooperative partnership with industry to speed development of advanced energy-efficient technologies for cars and light trucks. U.S. DRIVE (Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability) will also address the infrastructure needed to support their widespread use. Formerly known as the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, U.S. DRIVE brings together top technical experts from DOE, its national laboratories, and industry partners to identify critical research and development needs. As part of that effort, the initiative is designed to develop technical targets and strategic roadmaps, and to evaluate R&D progress on a broad range of advanced vehicle and energy infrastructure technologies.
The announcement marks the addition of two new members that bring additional focus on electric-drive vehicle technologies to the partnership. The Electric Power Research Institute and Tesla Motors will join DOE and long-standing industry partners that have renewed their strong commitments to collaborative, pre-competitive R&D. Existing partners include the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (the collaborative research company for Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors), BP America, Chevron Corporation, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corporation, Shell Oil Products US, DTE Energy, and Southern California Edison. The partners will work together on an extensive portfolio of advanced automotive and energy infrastructure technologies, including batteries and electric-drive components, advanced combustion engines, lightweight materials, and fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. See the DOE press release and the Vehicle Technologies Program's U.S. DRIVE Web page.


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NEW! Paint by Numbers:
Unlock the "gateway" to the pasture by using the color key. Your child will enjoy painting the panels and take pride in the handiwork when the wooden pieces are glued into place in this pastoral 3-D display. Numbered paints, brush and glue are included.
Dimensions: 7″ x 8.5″ x 1.82″ Assembled
Recommended Ages: 4+ years
Contains small parts.