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MISSILE DEFENSE: A 21st CENTURY STRATEGY
Remarks By
The Honorable Jacques S. Gansler
Under Secretary of Defense
Acquisition and Technology
BMDO-NDIA Forum '98
Alexandria, Virginia
April 16, 1998
Co-ordination: BMDO, PA, Security Review
Thank you very much for inviting me here today to speak at this forum sponsored by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the National Defense Industrial Association. I feel right at home here. I have spent more than 40 years on both sides of the military/industrial complex, with most of my career in the missile field.
Back in 1960, I participated in the first successful test firing of an anti-ballistic missile - Hawk versus the Honest John Rocket - out at White Sands. I modified the Hawk antiaircraft guidance system to handle the higher closing velocity and reentry vehicle trajectory, and we had a direct hit! Despite this early successe – in a relatively simple case -- ballistic missile defense still poses considerable technological challenges for us. In fact, this is one of our most significant and difficult challenges for the next few years
To compound the problem, the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization has taken on new responsibilities, this year, for developing a joint architecture for theater air and missile defense, including cruise missile defense. Its mission is no longer restricted to "ballistic" missile defense. In the near term, cruise missile proliferation could become at least as severe a threat as the threat we now face from ballistic missiles. One of the key assignments for BMDO will be to integrate our overall missile defense systems - achieving a single, integrated air picture and joint operational defense capability for the warfighter of tomorrow. General Lyles - and all of you involved in missile defense systems - have your work cut out for you.
This afternoon, I would like to address the issue of the emerging ballistic missile and cruise missile threat from rogue nations in the broader context of The Revolution In Military Affairs and Joint Vision 2010, the key elements of our early 21st century military strategy. I would also like to discuss how we are going to pay for the systems and systems- of-systems we will require to maintain our nation's unquestioned military superiority against likely early 21st century threats -- i.e., through the Revolution In Business Affairs. The key elements in our business strategy are the issues of interoperability, jointness, life cycle costs, and affordability,
Today, we find ourselves in a world that is already far removed from the Cold War, from a time when our defense strategy relied almost exclusively on the threat of massive retaliation to deter ballistic missile attack on our nation . Our military strategy, for years, reflected the likely scenarios posed by a single super power adversary. The enemy's moves were fairly predictable; many of our long-range programs could be structured to meet the limited range of hostile activity we faced; and retaliation worked as a deterrent.
Although we no longer face the threat posed by a global peer competitor like the former Soviet Union, we still live in a very dangerous world. It is a world marked by uncertainty and unpredictability, one in which multiple possible aggressors pose a wide range of potential threats and hostile actions; a world where individual terrorists, transnational actors, and rogue nations can unleash firepower in many ways as terrifying as that of a major global power. They represent a different and difficult challenge to forces organized and equipped around traditional missions.
We are no longer dealing with a few disorganized political zealots armed with pistols and hand grenades. We are dealing with well organized forces armed with sophisticated weapons and access to advanced information and technology. And, they often have little or no regard for human life.
These hostile forces are unlikely to attempt to match overwhelming U.S. superiority on a plane-for-plane, ship-for-ship, or tank-for-tank basis. They are more likely to use asymmetrical strategies against us -- including weapons of mass destruction, "information warfare", low-cost cruise and ballistic missiles, and the like. They can use commercial navigation, communication, and imagery satellites; buy advanced weapons technology, and skilled labor on the worldwide market; and project their destructive power anywhere and anytime – including attacks on our citizens at home.
In order to meet these new threats, the U.S. military must be prepared to conduct multiple, concurrent contingency operations worldwide. Our missile defense must not only protect our homeland, but, increasingly, our combat forces and our allies abroad.
As Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology, I have set five priorities for maintaining our unquestioned military superiority in the face of multiple threats and accelerating technological change:
These five priorities form the building blocks of a strategy for maintaining our strength and building our security in the face of a new generation of threats. These priorities must become realities. As General Lyles put it in his recent Congressional testimony: "If we fail to invest today in a coherent and relevant manner, those component technologies and follow-on systems will not be there when we need them five, ten or fifteen years hence."
To reach our goals, we expect you to continue to provide leadership in advanced technology to support our overall range of responses to the growing threat of weapons of mass destruction from rogue nations - to dissuade potential adversaries from using those weapons; to disarm the threat through our counterproliferation activities; and, should all peaceful efforts fail, to defend against the threat. Unfortunately, absent a dramatic deterioration in the world situation, we must accomplish all this with no overall increase in defense spending.
Because of the top line limit on our budget, we must engage in a fundamental transformation in the way we do business. If we are to provide both adequate investment in modernization and the development of capabilities to achieve total battlespace dominance on a global scale, we must restructure not only what we buy, but how we buy it. This will require us to cut costs - not only on infrastructure and support - but on the weapons systems we purchase. Our goal must be to do the job better, faster, cheaper. The days of unlimited resources for major weapons systems are over.
Therefore, while continuing to explore long-term qualitative leaps forward in military technology, BMDO must simultaneously lead the way in low cost, advanced technology. Affordability is just as great a technical challenge as performance. Orders of magnitude advances in cost reduction will be required. The big challenge is to develop an affordable system of systems that will be ready when initially required and evolve as the threat becomes more sophisticated and longer range.
In this regard, one of my goals as Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Technology is to institutionalize the concept of "Total Cost of Ownership" -- the requirement to deal with the entire life cycle of our acquisition process – from drawing board to decommissioning. We must seek ways to create a seamless architecture which links concept, design, manufacture, testing and evaluation, maintenance, and repair. Cost is a key element in our design process. If the enemy has lots of lower cost cruise and ballistic missiles, we must have sufficient numbers of lower cost interceptors, or we lose.
Furthermore, the Department of Defense must accomplish developments and deployments on much faster cycle times in order to make the best use of the continuing advances in technology. Our Year 2000 acquisition goal is to deliver new major defense systems to users in 25 per cent less time. We hope to exceed that goal; and we must. Information age technology cycles are 18 months, not the typical DoD cycles that can run 11-13 years. Cutting the cycle down to five or six years is impressive, but still not good enough.
We must learn to capture commercial technology (both product and process technologies) wherever applicable and apply that to defense-unique use. We are learning important lessons from successfully restructured world-class corporations -- to concentrate Defense Department energies on those functions that are inherently governmental: combat, policy, management, and oversight. For all other work, we will utilize competition to achieve the best performance at the lowest cost -- to get the "best value" for the government -- either from the public or private sector. Increasingly, we must look to the private sector to competitively supply a wide range of goods and services many of which they can deliver faster, better, and cheaper.
Next, we must recognize that there is still too much autonomy in the systems we are developing. This increases costs and makes testing much too expensive. That is why it is essential for us to accelerate "joint" missile defense systems -- systems built from the ground up with the ability to communicate and fight side by side in a joint battlespace environment. We have recently established a Joint Technology Board which is expected to play a key role in achieving our goal of merging technology efforts, resources, and technical experience. The Atmospheric Interceptor Technology program in BMDO is one of the first fruits of this effort. The program develops and refines endoatmospheric interceptors for the three services. All the services have been working together to map out critical technologies and develop them together. Promoting 'joint' programs and achieving interoperability with our allies are key elements in our vision for the future.
Lastly, let me observe that testing is a particularly difficult challenge in the missile defense arena. When we consider the interlocking strata of technical hurdles we must overcome on each of these programs -- each of the individual elements incorporated into a complex system; then each system combined with multiple systems into a "family of systems"; all of them operating in joint service and allied battlespace environments – we know that we require a high level of testing and evaluation.
But this can become very expensive. Techniques like simulation and modeling can help us in both areas by reducing the risk associated with new products and processes, by saving time in the development and production phase of new systems, and by making efficient use of scarce and increasingly expensive resources.
I have, in the past, been critical of the Department of Defense for designing tests that will not fail; for failure to include enough testing in the development process; and for discovering flaws late rather than early in the process - when modifications require huge cost and time outlays. If we are going to reduce cycle time, we must insure that performance and quality are built into our total system package; we must identify and resolve problems early in the game; and we must focus on overall program objectives, not pass/fail tests (developmental or operational) which can produce incomplete and/or misleading metrics of success.
One of our most important testing programs involves development of the proposed National Missile Defense -- a system designed to provide the nation with cost-effective protection against limited ballistic missile attacks from a rogue nation - when and if such a threat emerges at some point in the future. By the Year 2000, we must be in a position to make a decision on deploying such a system -- within three years -- if we believe that a credible threat has emerged by that time. As you know, this is a high risk program. We will be able to make a deployment decision in 2000, but it would be smart to continue to reduce the risks associated with a program of this magnitude, complexity, and cost [$962 million in FY99 alone – almost 30 per cent of the total $3.6 billion BMDO budget] until the threat warrants deployment. If a deployment decision is not justified in 2000, the capability to deploy the system within any three-year time period in the future will be maintained, while we continue to apply advances in technology and rigorous testing of systems to our NMD. And, as you are well aware, development and testing of the NMD must comply with the ABM Treaty.
The increasing threat from ballistic and cruise missiles is real. It is possible that, in spite of our best efforts to reduce the threat and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, a rogue nation will present a ballistic missile threat to the United States. At that time, we must be prepared to deploy our defensive capability. However, we can take advantage of any time at our disposal, before deployment is justified, to test and to improve the system we deploy. A constantly evolving and dramatically improved deterrent -- in and of itself -- can help to discourage any potential rogue aggressor who contemplates developing the means to launch an attack on the United States.
In summary, all of our efforts to achieve affordability, jointness, interoperability, and a seamless architecture in the life cycle of our systems will fail if we do not have the technical expertise, production capability, and dedication of industry on our side to make this happen. We fully recognize that the Department of Defense "manages" missile defense programs; it does not build the systems. Therefore, we need our industry partners to do the best possible job of building effective – and affordable – missile defense systems. As the nation's largest buyer, we can and must expect the best prices, the highest quality, and the best service from our private contractors. This is too important a mission to provide anything less.
I know that I can count on all of you – military, DoD, and industry -- to help us make missile defense a reality. Our security depends on your continued hard work and commitment
Thank you very much.


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Sunday, August 28, 2016
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Alphanim's 'Calimero' to Hatch on Italy's RAI
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La Dolce Vita Animata
Indie animation producers in Italy continue to deliver the goods despite tough financial challenges and the slow growth of revenue from multimedia projects. A lot has happened and evolved ... Continue Reading →
Imira's 'Lucky Fred' Lands in New Countries
Barcelona-based Imira Entertainment has found a few new homes for its new animated series Lucky Fred: RTM in Malaysia, e-Vision in UAE, TG4 in Ireland and Kidz in Turkey have joined ... Continue Reading →
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:: Michael Ammar Easy To Master Thread Miracles DVD #2
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Section 2 The One-Hand Hookup
Al Bakers Erectile Bill
Socrates Personal Chi Power
Section 3 The LeClair Hookup
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Care and Feeding of the Stealth Retractor
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August 8th, 2011
6 Tips on Dealing with the U.S. Credit Downgrade
4 Comments |
There's a lot of information floating around the World Wide Web about the recent U.S. credit downgrade. But what is the important information that consumers should know? Here we go over a few basics and what you should do in light of the changes in our economy.
Credit Ratings: The Big Three
The three noteworthy international Credit Rating Agencies (CRAs) are Standard & Poor's (S&P), Moody's and Fitch Group. Just as Equifax, Experian and TransUnion decide how creditworthy you and I are by assigning us credit scores, the CRAs determine the creditworthiness of national governments by giving a credit rating ranging from AAA to D.
These credit ratings guide other countries when it comes to backing a nation's debt. The U.S. used to hold the highest credit rating (AAA) by all three CRAs, but that changed on Friday, Aug. 5. This is how the U.S credit rating ranks in each CRA now:
Standard & Poor's: The U.S.-based company downgraded the country's credit rating from AAA to AA+. John Chambers, head of Sovereign Ratings for S&P, gave two reasons why: the political infighting that took place during the debt ceiling debate and the lack of a better plan to tackle long-term debt.
Moody's: Although the New York City-based agency has not yet downgraded the credit rating of the U.S., it has given the country a "negative" outlook.
Fitch Group: Headquartered in New York and London, Fitch is the only one that has yet to downgrade or give a negative outlook to the U.S's credit rating. However, that may change when their review of the country concludes later this month.
How should I react?
With the U.S.'s credit downgrade by S&P, consumers will also be affected. Those with stock investments will likely be hit negatively. Also, nations investing in riskier U.S. debt will charge higher rates to the country, which will trickle down as higher loan interest rates to consumers. We may also begin to see increases in some consumer pricing.
Amidst all of the forthcoming changes, how should you react with your own money?
First of all, don't panic. It's not the time to lose your head; it's time to use it. Here are a few tips on how to deal with the U.S. credit rating downgrade:
- Diversify your stocks. If you're already invested in the stock market, make sure your stocks are properly diversified. Like Elle suggests in our Community Karma post, do your research to be sure you've chosen wisely and have varied investments. That way, if the market continues to decline, you won't have invested all of your funds into singular vehicles.
- Make sure you're not overexposed to stocks. Personal finance guru Alan Haft suggests sticking to the "Rule of 100," which states an individual should subtract his or her age from one hundred to find the maximum percentage that their money should be exposed to stocks. Being overexposed puts you at a much higher risk for loss.
- Don't fret over your long-term investments. Unlike some short-term investments, your 401(k) is meant to work for you over a longer period of time. That means that you shouldn't "make any knee-jerk, emotion-driven movements" advises personal finance writer Farnoosh Torabi. Take a look at your 401(k) investments. If you're young, you can afford to be riskier in your investments, but if you're closer to retirement age, allocate your investments toward more reliable sources like bonds and CDs. The economy will likely recover during your 401(k) investment's lifetime.
- Keep your FDIC-insured deposits. These savings accounts are typically insured up to $250,000 per depositor, per institution, reminds MSNBC. Historically speaking, economic recessions occur every five to six years, Torabi says. Keep some money secure in liquid savings before investing in more risky vehicles like stocks.
- Brace for consumer loan interest rate increases. As U.S. debt becomes riskier, creditors will likely charge higher rates for holding it. Those rates will trickle down to consumers in the form of higher home loan payments for new borrowers and an increase in home loan payments for those with adjustable-rate mortgages. You can also expect credit card, personal loan and auto loan interest rates to increase.
- Build your emergency fund. Rate increases combined with uncertainty in the markets means that you should reprioritize your emergency fund. It's always a good idea to have a cushion of an emergency fund, and if you've been neglecting yours, take the time to set a bit more aside each month. Invest in yourself first.
Disclaimer: All information posted to this site was accurate at the time of its initial publication. Efforts have been made to keep the content up to date and accurate. However, Credit Karma does not make any guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the information provided. For complete details of any products mentioned, visit bank or issuer website.
4 Comments
I think it's very important, now more than ever, to make sure your bank is FDIC insured. Financial institutions are taking really hard blows, and you want to make sure your money is protected. Building (or starting) an emergency fund is also a great tip. We can't rely on our government to protect us and our money anymore, so it's important to take matters into our own hands to make sure we can get by during these hard financial times.CreditShout at 12:51 pm on August 10, 2011


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Definition of particular intention in English:
particular intention
Another term for special intention.
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- Rosary leaflets will be available and if you have any particular intentions you would like included in prayers, please write them on the leaflet and return.
- You can call to the Sacristy any evening, Tuesday to Friday, between 7 and 8 p.m. to receive such certificates or to arrange to have a particular intention remembered at Mass.
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Walking out of the walls of the traditional Theological Seminary, GETS efficiently and dynamically marches on to places of needs, in a non-traditional and innovative manner.
Aiming at different student audiences, GETS establishes complete theological training programs of various levels, equips ministers of churches and organizations, and cultivates people for Chinese theological education.
John Wesley said: "I look on all the world as my parish." ; GETS faculty members say: "We look on all the world as our campus".


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In the first of a two part series, CIMA marker and tutor Cathy Sibley explains one of the aspects of the C02 financial accounting fundamentals syllabus – incomplete records.
Incomplete records are, as they suggest, accounting records that are incomplete. The lack of information could be due to loss of information, for example as a result of a fire or flood where the records are kept or having simply just not been kept by the business proprietor perhaps through a lack of book keeping knowledge.
In the past, questions on incomplete records were a headache for students as they were like a giant jigsaw puzzle where some of the pieces were missing! Today life is much simpler due to the nature of computer based exam questions.
Our starting point will be the bank and cash accounts. The summary cash and bank accounts are often used to help compile sales and purchase information, as we'll see later.
The cash account will often represent a cash register, till or even petty cash tin. Cash that comes into the business will be entered here, and from it cash expenses will be paid or perhaps cash purchases made.
From time to time the surplus cash will be banked for security and use within the business. The frequency of this will depend on the business and the volume of cash.Cash accountHopefully there will be some receipts available to show what cash was actually spent on.
Bank accountThis information will all be available from the business's bank statement. Cash received from customers could be cheques banked or direct transfers from customer's bank accounts.
The proprietor should have a cheque book in which the payee of each cheque is recorded. If this is not available the full information can be obtained from the bank but this can take time and be expensive.
Now consider the sales ledger control account:
Sales ledger control accountThis pro-forma relies on you having a complete book keeping system, so we could simplify it as follows:
Receivables accountThe amount owed by customers, if not known already, can be established through contacting customers for confirmation.
If you start with what they owed you at the end of the last accounting period, consider what has been received in the current period from the cash and bank accounts. Compare that to the amount owed at the end of the period and the balancing figure will be 'total sales'. Often the distinction between cash and credit sales is not made within incomplete records.
Use the same approach for the purchase ledger control account. For a complete book keeping system it would be as before.
Purchase ledger control accountThe simplified version would be:
Payables accountIf not already known, the amount owed to suppliers can be established through contacting suppliers for confirmation.
If you start with what you owed at the end of the last accounting period, consider what has been paid in the current period from the bank account and compare that to the amount you owe at the end of the period,the balancing figure will be 'purchases'.
QuestionLet us consider an example. The following information is relevant to the calculation of the sales figure for Spencer, a sole trader who does not keep full accounting records:
What figure should appear in Spencer's trading account for sales?
AnswerStart by drafting a receivables account.
Receivables accountNow fill in the figures that you have starting with opening and closing balances.
Receivables accountNow think about your sales ledger control account and enter the transactions.
Receivables account* the expenses paid out before the cash was banked reduced the amount banked overall. That means that the amount received from customers will be higher by USD6800.
Total sales = credit sales USD414,500 (above) + cash sales USD112,900 (from the question) = USD527,400
An alternative answer would include all cash received from customers which means including the cash sales as cash received. As you can see it gives the same overall answer.
Receivables account Notice that the only difference in the account in the inclusion of cash sales in cash received and the balancing figure is labelled total sales, credit and cash combined.
Now we have the four basic accounts in place – like the four corner pieces of a jigsaw – we can build on that information using cost structures, the trading account and the accounting equation.
See details on cost structures and the trading account, plus many more examples of dealing with incomplete records.
Part twoPlease read part two of this article (PDF 421KB).
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Bako is Backo
UPDATE: ESPN AM 1000 reports the deal as a $750K non-guaranteed contract that becomes guaranteed if Bako survives (on the roster) to the end of March. Bako gets $150K if he is released before the contract becomes guaranteed, and he can earn an additional $300K in incentive bonuses, based on At Bats (or more likely Plate Appearances?)... -- AZ Phil
As expected, the Cubs have signed veteran catcher Paul Bako to a 2009 contract. ESPN's Bruce Levine reported yesterday on XM radio that Bako will get $725,000, but that has not yet been confirmed. Bako replaces Henry Blanco as the Cubs back-up catcher.
The 36-year old left-handed hitting Bako has spent all or parts of the past 11 seasons in the big leagues, playing for ten different MLB clubs in that period. If you're at a Super Bowl Party on Sunday and the game isn't too interesting, see if anybody can name the ten MLB teams Bako has played for.
This will be Bako's second tour of duty with the Cubs. He was previously with the Cubs for two seasons (2003-04).
Bako hit 217/299/328 last year as the back-up catcher for the Cincinnati Reds, and has gone 196/239/346 versus LHP and 216/293/271 versus RHP over the past three seasons. He has hit 231/305/317 over the course of his career (745 games). Obviously, he isn't much of a hitter, but he makes up for it by having virtually zero power. But at least he hits left-handed.
Defensively, Bako threw out 29% of opposing base-sealers in 2008 (Henry Blanco threw out 46%).
Bako is so old, he attended Louisiana - Lafayette back when it was still called Southwestern Louisiana.
As an Article XX MLB free-agent, Bako will have "no trade" rights through June 15th.
Somewhere, Koyie Hill is warming up the circular saw.
Re: Bako is Backo ...
...taking getting more lefthanded to the point of absurdity.
"I have to admit when we left Vegas at the winter meetings, we were a little worried." - Jim Hendry
2 articles up about what Jim Hendry had to say at the Fort Wayne Sports Corp. Banquet
Re: Bako is Backo
Re: Bako is Backo
It's all been said for weeks, but seriously, if we save a half-mil here and a million there, that's the cost of keeping someone like DeRo on the team this year.
Re: Bako is Backo
assuming major league minimum salaries
the difference between Koyie and Bako was 325K fwiw...
the difference between Pie and Gathright would be 400K
assuming we didn't grab Miles, there's $2.2M
keeping Cedeno instead of getting Heilman, would be 803K
I get 3.72M there... DeRosa will make $5.5M plus potential incentives...
Re: Bako is Backo
1 mil for Marquis in Colorado
2 million for Gaudin
1.1 for Wuertz
1-3 million we probably could have gotten by waiting Milton Bradley out
1-3 million by waiting Dempster out
Make no mistake, Money has been left on the table in plenty of places.
Re: Bako is Backo
the Cubs saved about $5M moving Marquis for Vizcaino, how is that relevant?
we'll see what happens with the arbitration pitchers, I am worried that some of them just ended up getting cut.
can't say I agree at all about Dempster, he wanted to stay in Chicago, I just don't think there were any other offers that were reasonably better, but I don't think he would have made less.
Bradley maybe, $7M for this year is a helluva deal though...
and why is everyone in love with DeRosa now, the guy had a career year last year...I can't imagine he'll ever hit 20 HR's ever again. Bitch about selling high, bitch about selling low...
Re: Bako is Backo
also on Bradley, the report was the Cubs and him had an understanding by the Winter Meetings and the Cubs just needed to move salary to complete it. I don't think it's unreasonable to guess that he could have been signed a lot sooner by another team.
Re: Bako is Backo
1-3 million we probably could have gotten by waiting Milton Bradley out ... 1-3 million by waiting Dempster out
And you know either of those how?
By the way... when did you become the new Hendry hater around here? Just because manny isn't around much doesn't mean we need a new manny.
Re: Bako is Backo
I'm hating because he has had an awful offseason.
Take away the 2006 offseason and he has sucked alot more than he hasn't.
I'm guessing that Hendry could have gotten guys for less, because there is a huge surpluss of guys STILL on the market heading into spring training.
I think this team is worse than it was last year, and I don't particularly like that it is.
If we had to get more "Lefthanded", Why not Orlando Hudson? Why thin out the bench and go into the season relying on Mark Prior in RF and KW Harden figuring promenently?
I think this has been a lackluster showing from the front office. If I can't bitch about it here,then where do I?
I hope I am wrong about all of this in 2009. However I imagine there will be more people echoing my sentiments if Doug Deeds is playing RF and Mitch Adkins is taking a rotation turn come June?
Re: Bako is Backo
feel free to keep bitchin here, we really don't mind...
that being said, there's not many who liked the 2006 offseason either... DeRosa off a career year, Soriano for way too much, Lilly was a 4th starter at best, etc, etc....
Re: Bako is Backo
Bradley's contract is not out of line with anyones - and he was the best hitting RF available.
Dempster's contract in hindsight maybe we could have saved a little, but he was the first pitcher to sign and did so before the economic collapse. It's a better deal than the two contracts the Yankees gave out and arguably better than Lowe's deal. How you expect Hendry to know things that nobody on Wall Street or the nations top economists knew is beyond me, though.
Not offering Wood arbitration was probably a bad idea, but look at what has happend to Cruz.
Miles seems a little overpaid.
Blanco into Bako probably the dumbest thing he's done, but Pinhead may have forced his hand on that one.
Pie into Gahtright = making manager happy again
Pie and Cedeno into Heilman = seems like a reasonable trade, and adds the depth he likes.
I do have to agree that I wish Hendry would take the same attitude towards Piniella, that Pinhead takes with his players "Shut up and play".
Re: Bako is Backo
I hope that's how it plays out Neal,
I just didn't see the harm in waiting things out a little bit. In hindsight it would have been a better way to go. I still feel that, given Bradley's injury history. We might have been better served with
A) Abreu,Hudson,Cedeno,Pie,Koyie Hill
B) Bradley,Miles,?(Aurilia) ,Gathright,Bako
It will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Anyhow, have a good weekend kids.
Re: Bako is Backo
Although I can understand why people are keen on Abreu, if you look a little deeper, I think, you'll change your mind. He's likely to be the worst of the 'name' FA outfielders in 2009. The Bradley signing makes a little less sense now that the Gathright and Pie transactions have been made.
Lets see him, Aurilia and Hudson sign before we assume how much salary they're going to get.
All of these bench moves though are Pinhead's deal. I guess it's good that they're on the same page, but Gathright and Bako aren't good ballplayers.
Re: Bako is Backo
Levine says it's 750K in his blog, either he misspoke yesterday or I misheard...
$300K in potential incentives, non-guaranteed contract that becomes guaranteed at the end of March. He'll get 20% though if he's cut.
Re: Bako is Backo
It's sign of a good team when the backup catcher is a major concern....but, still.
Re: Bako is Backo
that's the problem. This team has major concerns and they are wasting time worrying about backup catchers.
This team is looking worse and worse every way we turn.
With the exception of MAYBE right field (i am afraid that any gains Bradley will make will at best be a draw by what we are losing in center), we are the same or weaker at every spot.
Re: Bako is Backo
Vizcaino and Heilmann figure to be better setup guys than Eyre and Howry were last year.
Re: Bako is Backo
if heilmann isn't given a shot at #5 starter i'd be shocked.
Re: Bako is Backo
Vizcaino and Smardijzia figure to be better setup men than Howry and Eyre were last year.
Re: Bako is Backo
I don't think the team has regressed on the whole, but the problem is that all of these chips (such as they were) have been tossed away in order to remain relatively static outside of the bullpen (and RF was a FA move). And then stuff like swapping out Hank for Gabor, brought about by a ridiculous desire to get more lefthanded when the individual pieces which were exchanged almost completely negate each other (if you want to be kind to Bako).
I mean, is Gathright better than Pie? Both guys can't hit or get on base, and both guys can run really fast, but the difference is that Pie's younger and there's still a CHANCE he puts it together. Would we not have been able to pick up Heilman without dumping him off on the O's?
Perhaps most importantly, why in the blue hell did our answer at second base have to involve Aaron Miles?
Re: Bako is Backo
That last line made me laugh.
Then I cringed at how dark it was.
Then I laughed again.
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That last line made me laugh.
it worked for mordecai brown...maybe they should be looking at converting Koyie to a pitcher?
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Re: Bako is Backo
3/44 loser :)
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Re: Bako is Backo
it was in the comments in the previous thread...just messin' around..
it's also in the new post that is up...
Re: Bako is Backo
Maybe I'm a bit behind, but what is Hendry's motivation for letting Hank White walk and bringing in Bako? Bako is an embarrassment to the game of baseball. Seriously, how does he stay at catcher (or in baseball) after throwing out runners only 29% of the time, and hitting for a stellar sub-mendoza average?
Re: Bako is Backo
Re: Chad, comment 7
With the exception of MAYBE right field (i am afraid that any gains Bradley will make will at best be a draw by what we are losing in center), we are the same or weaker at every spot.
My thesis is that the Cubs have traded regular season depth and versatility (DeRosa and Marquis) for post season balance and LH power (Bradley).
Cubs will have the same pesonnel at 5.5 of 8 offensive positions (C, 1B, SS, 3B, LF, RHCF). I believe that group won't produce as well in 2009 as they did in 2008 since I think the only hopeful places for improvement are 1B and LF (if Soriano produces the same rate in more games by staying healthy).
Considering Fukudome as the full-time RF and DeRosa the full time- 2B last year, the Cubs are replacing Edmonds (in a platoon), Fukudome, and DeRosa with Fukudome (in a platoon), Bradley, and FontyMiles.
The Cubs mgmt believes they will make the playoffs with the current team even if they don't win as many regular season games in 2009 as in 2008.
So to me the whole essence of the offseason, from the offensive perspective, has been to replace the 2008 playoff ABs that went to the group Edmonds/Fukudome/DeRosa with the 2009 playoff ABs of Fukudome (in a platoon rather than full time)/Bradley/FontyMiles.
I happen to think it's an upgrade, and I think the Cubs brass thinks it, too.
Re: Bako is Backo
AramRam and Soto both can do better than they did last year. If he's healthy, I would expect Ramirez to.
Reed Johnson's not going to hit .333 playing in center again.
Re: Bako is Backo
Aram will not do better. If he does the difference will be negligible. I mean he hit 27 homers, maybe he'll get 7 more? That's good but his numbers were in line (if not better) than his career numbers.
With Soto, we'll be lucky if he repeats last year's numbers. I just don't see a catcher improving from what he's done. I think it's very realistic that he'll be about the same.
I think in both cases there is a better chance they will do worse than there is better. Soto because it's damned hard to be a catcher and Aramis as he's getting a bit older now.
Re: Bako is Backo
"Aram will not do better. If he does the difference will be negligible. I mean he hit 27 homers, maybe he'll get 7 more? That's good but his numbers were in line (if not better) than his career numbers."
Aram had is lowest batting average and slugging percentage since 2003.
Soto's EQA last year was about .015 below that of 2007. It's not a guarantee, but it's a possiblitly.
Re: Bako is Backo
Not arguing with you here, Neal, just wanted to point this out: A-Ram's walk total in 2008 was the highest he ever posted. How did that happen? I'm not really sure. But The Hardball Times had an article they ran around the beginning of the 2008 season discussing the correlation of an increase in walks one year to the a drop in batting average over the next few. They were really looking at older and declining players, but is it still a concern.
Okay, I doubt it. I was happy to see A-Ram take more walks. I'd like to see it continue, especially if Soriano or Bradley somehow ends up batting behind him.
Re: Bako is Backo
In 2001 Barry Bonds had his highest walk total. In 2002 he batted .370. Sammy Sosa and Ryne Sandberg did the same thing. By becoming more selective at the plate, you have a chance to increase your BA and slugging%.
I'm alwayw suspsicious of trying to predict what is going to happen to one player, based on what happened to some subset of other players.
Re: Bako is Backo
"But The Hardball Times had an article they ran around the beginning of the 2008 season discussing the correlation of an increase in walks one year to the a drop in batting average over the next few."
too bad a webpage can't be used as toilet paper.
Re: Bako is Backo
"The Cubs mgmt believes they will make the playoffs with the current team even if they don't win as many regular season games in 2009 as in 2008."
So our management went into the offseason "expecting" to make the playoffs...why don't you go ahead and ask the Idians and the Tigers about how that mentality works?
I don't believe we are as good as last year. Bullpen is not as strong. Weaker at second base. We gave up our most valuable player, Derosa...when you consider what he does when Aram pulls a muscle, when soriano goes down, when fukudome spins himself into the ground, etc...he was a huge loss. we are weak defensively up the middle. Backo is terrible. still no real lead off hitter...unless you prefer a weak OBP and no ability to run in the top spot.
let's just hope lilly's fast ball is above 78 come April.
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The best thing about the Bako deal is that he has to compete for the job in Spring Training with Clevenger, Hill and Johnson. Provided Soto stays healthy whoever wins the job is going to be capped in all likelyhood to 175 AB's so I am not going to cry about being Hank Whiteless. The only dumb thing this offseason was the Gregg-Ceda deal that now is compounded by the fact we lost Woody for nothing and we got Heilman who if healthy can be an 8th inning guy for cheap, but you cant blame Jimbo for not guessing the Mets-M's-Tribe would do a 3 way deal and Heilman could be gotten for cheap. Given that we won the division games by 7 games last year to a team that lost its best 2 SP and nobody else in the division made upgrades, this team is still head and shoulders above everybody else in this division.
Re: Bako is Backo
rumor has it that manny might sign with the cards. If that does indeed happen, then winning the division might be alot harder.
Maybe jim and lou thought turning a 97 win team into an 88 win team with lefties was a good idea. But I'm thinking both are jobless if were sitting home extra early in October.
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that wasn't the rumor...
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I live in memphis (cards country). I've heard that pujols is trying to bring his friend manny to st louis for 2 days. Now I just watched the same rumor on espn news. I would venture to say there is some level of validity to those rumors.
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yeah Pujols wants the Cards to sign Manny, he also said maybe Manny could give a discount to the Cards...
what do you think the odds are of Manny/Boras giving any discounts?
especially with the Dodgers just waiting with a 2/40 or 2/45 deal...
Re:this team is still head and shoulders above everybody else
There's still plenty of time for Hendry and the DL to take care of that.
Re: Bako is Backo
from the LA Times:
Albert Pujols, after all, was quoted by the Dominican Republic newspaper El Caribe as saying he had asked the Cardinals to sign Ramirez. And, three years ago, when no one thought Barry Bonds had any suitors besides the Giants, Cardinals Manager Tony La Russa met privately with Bonds' agent at the winter meetings.
So we called Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak. Is your team interested in Ramirez?
"The answer is no," Mozeliak said.
Scratch another mystery team off the list.
-- Bill Shaikin
Re: Bako is Backo
What another great Lefty pick up...it will be great to plug in his lefty hitting .231 career batting average to blance our team lineup....don't get it unless the saw severed koy's hand completely don't see how Bako's will be the key to the season....at least don't try and convince me that it's because of the lefty bat...tell me he's good teacher and throws out runners...because the left bat is crap!
I love how we are making some many trades for crap right now...just dump jobs! As much as I love Hendry these deals lack foresight...hope I can eat what I just said when Heilman a great 4th starter!
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Abreu may be the "worst" of the FA right fielders this season.
Bradley:126G, 78Runs, 32 2B, 1 3B, 22 HR, 77 RBI, 5Sb, .321/.436/.563
Abreu: 156G, 100 runs, 39 2B, 4 3B, 20 HR, 100RBI, 22 SB, .296/.371/.471
Bradley had a better season as far as his ba/.obp/.slg...while DHing...in 30 fewer games...and putting out career highs in all categories.
If last year's Bradley shows up and plays like that in 140 games in RF in 2009, he will be loved by Cub fans. If the Bradley who played in 141 games in 2004 shows up:.267/.362/.424...there may be a problem.
Re: Bako is Backo
"If the Bradley who played in 141 games in 2004 shows up:.267/.362/.424...there may be a problem."
Yeah, then we should have signed Abreu since that's about what he's going to hit in 2009.
Re: Bako is Backo
Yeah, then we should have signed Abreu since that's [.267/.362/.424]about what he's going to hit in 2009.
Hmmm... being that CHONE/Bill James/Marcel/Oliver predictions average out to 281/379/445, which is significantly better than what you are predicting, I would be curious where you are getting your predictions from.
Re: Bako is Backo
He's getting them from IRNAIAR: I'm Real Neal And I'm Always Right
Recent comments
it took you 4 posts to get to this?
have you checked the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector?
#droppingknowledge #savinglives
Fwiw, Billy Hamilton's actual WAR numbers that relate to the ones that I posted for Mike Trout are:
- 2014: 2.5
- 2015: 1.0
- 2016: 2.6
But by all means #crunchsplain on the stupidity of WAR while exaggerating your points. I can't wait to read more.
*stroking intensifies*
Thanks for the awesome give and take today and for the 535 words you spilled filling in all the gaps that I woefully neglected. We're all a little wiser and better for it. I look forward to your play-by-play summary later in the comments.
it was about a post comparing players based on WAR...and comparing WAR values of a CF to a slew of other players...a post that you made...and i made a comment...that talked about D weighting of WAR...and comparinging WAR values of a CF to a slew of other players...etc etc...
hell, we didn't even get in deep. i didn't even involve UZR or FIP versions and their strengths/weaknesses...or position mandated "handicapping" in points...etc.
let's not talk about that...cool, fine, awesome. context sucks. san dimas highschool football rules.
Thanks for shining a light on this very important topic and steering it away from the frivolity that was the awesomenes of Mike Trout, but moreso on the foolishness of WAR as a metric to judge the value of center fielders. We're all a little wiser now and your contributions are invaluable to this community and to America's pastime. God Bless!
so...what's chan-yong lim up to these days?
yes, those hamilton WAR numbers are very reasonable. i'm on your side now based on that biting commentary and reasoning of why he's a 3.5-ish WAR player over a 600 PA season.
those numbers are obviously well deserved and worthy of no scrutiny...none at all. no issue.
CF D is rarer than a jon lester pickoff at 2nd...totally irreplaceable...no way in hell there's good D, low/no-hitting CF's in anyone's system that could do what hamilton is doing. guys like this don't exist...you get like, 2-3 at any given time in history.
Please do not discuss War here. I think the Cub Reporter should be politics free.
But yes, whether you support War or Peace...Mike Trout is ridiculously consistent and good.
"According to FOX Sports' Jon Morosi, Tim Tebow's baseball workout Tuesday in Los Angeles will be attended by scouts from "roughly half" of the 30 major league teams."
"One scout told ESPN.com last week that Tebow's swing is so long it might "take out the front row." That's not a good thing."
MyrtleBeachPelicans [email protected]
The #MBpelicans and @Cubs have extended their PDC through 2020!
Carolina League getting 2 new teams too.
CF WAR is ridiculous...billy hamilton is pulling a 3.0 WAR somehow...and managed a 2.0 WAR last year (even though he missed a month of the season)...and a 3.7 WAR in 2014.
yeah, a lot depends on how one is doing relative to others at a given position, but WAR is common used (right or wrong) as a blanket comparing all kinds of players.
trout's one of the best, and at this point should probably win over donaldson (and should have more MVPs in the past, too), but the defensive aspect of valuing WAR still needs more tweaking...imo.
Mike Trout is ridiculous


text:
Definition of blue chipper in English:
blue chipper
nounNorth American informal
A highly valued person, especially an athlete.
Example sentences
- Still, despite the uncertainty at a few positions, the Scorpions mix of high-ceiling blue chippers and sure-bet second tier prospects should make for quite a few trips around the bases.
- If 'nearly all of their blue chippers… performed well' then why are they all the way down at 8?
- Now, many blue chippers go right from high school to the NBA.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: blue chip·per
Definition of blue chipper in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
Comments that don't adhere to our Community Guidelines may be moderated or removed.
= trending


text:
Best Customer Service Initiative
Owners: Mark Tkach and Bill Coulter Location: Tucson, Ariz. Store size: 52,000 sq. ft. Vehicle brands: BRP/Can-Am, E-Ton, Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Redline, Schwinn, Suzuki, Yamaha URL: www.ridenow.com
One would think that a promotional campaign with a tagline like "Don't be a gas-hole" would have caught the eye of the Dealernews Top 100 judges, but it was a customer service initiative that got this dealership on the winner's block. The Tucson branch of the RideNow dealer network has produced posters that ask if customers are 100 percent satisfied and lists the store GM's cell phone number for further contact. Now that's direct access.
But the dealership makes a habit of putting its management out there, even using pictures of their smiling mugs and e-mail address on direct mail fliers. One mailer even has a personal note from new service manager John Ogden welcoming new customers and greeting existing clientele. The flier includes coupons for service work.
One other customer campaign gives $100 gift cards for referrals. Oh, and if you liked the "gas-hole" promotion, the dealership also sponsored a root beer garden at a local Octoberfest.


text:
SEIA's International Trade division engages with leading global trade associations, government agencies and business leaders in order to promote the development of the solar industry and its associated economic and environmental benefits. One pillar of the global trading system is collaboration and competitive cooperation. SEIA believes that as the voice of the U.S. solar industry, we must be a proactive leader in the development of a strong system for international trade in solar energy products.
To learn more about our collaborative efforts regarding government support programs please visit our Local Content Provisions page.
APEC Initiative
SEIA and the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) have been working together to engage the member governments of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in a trade dialogue on solar and other clean energy products. We believe this conversation between governments and industry leaders will provide an excellent framework for a much larger, global agreement on acceptable solar energy policy.
Multilateral Consensus Document on Acceptable Government Support Programs for Solar
SEIA strongly believes there is a role for government support for the solar industry - understanding the value of solar energy in a strong economy and sustainable energy development. However, given the rapid growth of the solar industry and relative infancy of government support programs, SEIA feels there is an urgent need to agree upon acceptable forms of government support. Concurrent with our APEC initiative, SEIA is currently developing a voluntary multilateral consensus document that would clarify WTO-acceptable government support programs.
SEIA Statements in Support of Collaboration
China Polysilcon Investigation Escalates U.S.-China Solar Trade Conflict
Growing Trade Conflict Has the Potential to Severely Slow Solar's Global Growth
SEIA Seeks Mutually-Satisfactory Resolution of Growing U.S.-China Solar Trade Conflict
SEIA Calls on Governments and Industry Groups to Pursue Global Dialogue on Solar Trade Conflict
Additional Resources
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - APEC is a consortium of Asia-Pacific economies that work in a collaborative environment to promote sustinable economics growth for the region.


text:
Can pregnant women bathe in the lagoon?
Every individual is on his/her own responsibility while bathing in the lagoon. The temperature of the lagoon is between 37°-40°C (98°-104°F). Many pregnant women bathe in the lagoon but it is important that every woman evaluates her physical condition before entering the lagoon.
Some women may find the lagoon too warm so it is important to drink plenty of fresh water and avoid being hungry during the visit. Please also note that the water is fairly shallow so by standing up in a shallow part you can easily cool off.
In-water pregnancy massage is available. It takes place on a buoyant mat floating in the lagoon. It is heavenly for the common discomforts during pregnancy.


text:
Romney Adviser Jabs at Obama Immigration Plan
By Jennifer Corbett Dooren and Alicia Mundy
A top adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday suggested an executive order by President Barack Obama that would allow some young people who are illegally in the U.S. to stay and obtain working papers could be repealed if Mr. Romney were elected.
"Every executive action that President Obama has taken will be subject to review," Romney senior adviser Ed Gillespie said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." There are "legitimate questions about the legality of it," Mr. Gillespie said of the executive order on immigration, which would ban the deportation of certain children and young adults of illegal immigrants.
Mr. Romney said in a speech on Thursday that he would "replace and supersede the president's temporary measure" with his own long-term solution on immigration.
Mr. Gillespie, however, side-stepped questions about whether the executive order, which also establishes a process for some illegal immigrants under age 30 to obtain temporary work visas, would be rescinded immediately.
On NBC's "Meet the Press," Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), who had been working on legislation addressing the status of the children of illegal immigrants, accused Mr. Obama of "injecting election year politics into an issue that will never be solved as long as it's a political one."
Immigration policy has been in the political spotlight since President Obama issued his executive order and as the Supreme Court is set to announce a decision this week on the legality of Arizona's immigration laws.
The issue has become touchy for Republicans. The Romney campaign had to respond to rumors among Latino Republicans this week that the campaign had eliminated Mr. Rubio as a vice-presidential candidate, and Mr. Romney himself later said that the senator is being thoroughly vetted as a running mate. Mr. Rubio has taken a middle position on Arizona's tough immigration law, saying the state had the right to pass the measure, but that he doesn't think it should be a model for the nation.
Democrats have played down the impact of the potential addition of Mr. Rubio to the Republican ticket. "I think historically vice presidential selections give you little bit of a bump–but they don't give you much else," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat, said on CNN's "State of the Union" that Hispanic voters are more likely to be influenced by Mr. Romney's criticism of the Dream Act, legislation that would have granted temporary status to some children of illegal immigrants that stalled in the Senate. "The Latino community just isn't going to suffer from amnesia and forget" the GOP candidate's earlier statements, said Mr. Gutierrez.


text:
Japanese Wrestling Legend Wins Seat
The Japan Restoration Party officially has a colorful new lawmaker in Antonio Inoki. On Sunday, the feisty former professional wrestler, frequent traveler to North Korea, and one-time hostage negotiator, won a seat in the upper house.
The 70-year-old's election victory appears to be one of the few bright spots in what has otherwise been a disappointing outcome for the JRP. Early exit polls indicated only seven to eight JRP-backed candidates are projected to win seats. The party had wanted 10.
Declared among the early winners, Mr. Inoki made a decisive claim on one of the 48 seats decided under the proportional representation system, in which candidates don't represent a specific electoral district.
"I will show my energy and build a healthy Japan," said Mr. Inoki, donning his trademark red muffler after his win, according to local media reports.
Mr. Inoki, who was the first Japanese wrestler to be inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment's Hall of Fame, will bring a much-needed shot of vigor to the floundering party. Founded with much fanfare by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto in October, the JRP's ambition to become a political "third force" to counter Japan's two major parties seems like a distant dream these days. The party has been knocked off its game ever since Mr. Hashimoto made a string of controversial comments in May suggesting that comfort women–who were forced to serve as prostitutes for Japan's imperial army–were a necessary evil.
In announcing Mr. Inoki's run for office, Shintaro Ishihara, the former Tokyo Governor and co-head of the JRP, said the wrestler who once matched up against Muhammed Ali would help pull the party out of its funk.
"Antonio Inoki is here to give us new life, and help us fight through this trying time," Mr. Ishihara said last month.
In a way, Mr. Inoki—whose real name is Kanji Inoki–fits in well with Messrs. Ishihara and Hashimoto, both known as straight talkers who delight in making waves. His resume is wide-ranging and even includes a previous single-term stint in the upper house. He was elected in 1989 as a representative of the Sports and Peace Party that he created.
Mr. Inoki is fearless in his travel. For a while, he was a frequent visitor to North Korea, despite Japan's ongoing tensions with the hermit country. But he may be most respected for his trip to Iraq in late 1990, during the early days of the first Gulf War, when he met with Saddam Hussein and successfully secured the release of Japanese citizens being held hostage there.


text:
With a complete combustion or fission, approx. 8 kWh
of heat can be generated from 1 kg of coal, approx. 12 kWh from 1 kg
of mineral oil and around 24,000,000 kWh from 1 kg of uranium-235. Related
to one kilogram, uranium-235 contains two to three million times the
energy equivalent of oil or coal. The illustration shows how much coal,
oil or natural uranium is required for a certain quantity of electricity.
Thus, 1 kg natural uranium - following a corresponding enrichment and
used for power generation in light water reactors - corresponds to nearly
10,000 kg of mineral oil or 14,000 kg of coal and enables the generation
of 45,000 kWh of electricity.
Comparison of the input volumes of various
primary energy
carriers for the generation of a certain quantity of electricity
ENS conferences
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text:
Singapore. New Orleans. Shanghai.
Hoping to turn the sleepy community on San Jose's northern edge against San Francisco Bay into a bustling port, a coalition of South Bay government and business leaders has paid $360,000 for a consultant to study the idea's feasibility.
Backers envision ferry boats, shops and perhaps major economic development, along with a way to move supplies in case a major earthquake wrecks roads. But the idea is not without its challenges: Environmentalists say it's crazy and are vowing to kill it. And at low tide, the water is just four feet deep.
"It was an active port once before," said Rick Callender, government affairs manager for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is backing the idea. "If there's an active interest in having waterborne access in the South Bay, here's an opportunity for it. There are naysayers in every situation."
Callender said that with some dredging, hydrofoil ferries could be brought in through Alviso Slough to the shores of San Jose, a trip of about four miles from the open bay.
"We aren't talking about a major shipping port like Oakland or Richmond," he said. "There would be ferry service that could connect to jobs and the new 49ers stadium."
The idea, which originated with the water district, will have its first opportunity for public input tonight at a workshop hosted by the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The water district and the chamber were awarded a $180,000 federal grant to study the idea last year by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The city of San Jose, Santa Clara County and the water district then each contributed an additional $60,000 toward the study.
The work will be done by AECOM, a Los Angeles firm, with a feasibility report scheduled to be released next spring.
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, has requested $100,000 for the studies in the current federal budget, citing the potential to move supplies in an emergency.
Founded in 1852, Alviso once was a port for steamships and other boats that carried local redwood, quicksilver, hides and orchard fruits around the world. But when railroads were built between San Jose and San Francisco in the 1860s, they bypassed Alviso, and eventually the port silted in.
Environmentalists said Tuesday that any attempt to build a port again at Alviso is folly.
"There's zero chance. It's too impractical. It's too expensive. It will be a regulatory nightmare," said Eileen McLaughlin, with the Palo Alto-based Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge. "It's throwing public money away. A well-informed meeting with some scientists — people who could explain the practicality — and this wouldn't have been pursued."
Alviso Slough, which empties the Guadalupe River into the bay, is surrounded on both sides by a national wildlife refuge. The sediments contain mercury. Endangered species live around the edges.
In 2008, a grant application submitted to the federal government by Callender said that with a port, Alviso could become a center of commerce.
Callender's proposal called for retail, restaurants, a hotel and promenade, along with a museum, an IMAX movie theater, a concert facility and an amusement park in Alviso, which is currently home to 3,000 people.
Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Dando was unavailable Tuesday to comment on those plans, her staff said. Spokeswoman Pat Sausedo said at this point, the consultant's study will look only at the pros and cons of developing a port to help bring in supplies in emergencies.
"We'll see what the results are," she said. "We don't have the results of the study yet. One step at a time."
The engineering challenges are formidable. Construction of industrial salt evaporation ponds in the 1930s rerouted the Guadalupe River, cutting off tidal action. In the 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers and the water district straightened the river to improve flood safety, but they inadvertently created a freeway for sediment.
The county opened a recreational boating marina at Alviso in the 1960s, but it silted up at a rate of two feet a year, and by the early 1980s, the bulrushes and cattails began to take over. The marina was abandoned.
Although the county opened a small boat ramp in Alviso last month, and the water district is planning to dredge a portion of the slough down to eight feet deep, the channel capacity remains much smaller than it was generations ago.
Dave Schoellhamer, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Sacramento, noted that further dredging of the channel would mean millions of tons of mud and silt would need to be disposed of somewhere by barge. Because the South Bay collects huge amounts of sediment that flow down rivers, the water level south of the Dumbarton Bridge averages about six feet deep.
The closest port, the Port of Redwood City, spends about $2 million every two years dredging its channels.
"At low tide, you can't get down to Alviso with anything much bigger than a rowboat. For barges, or ferry boats, you want 10 or 12 feet of water," said Mike Giari, general manager of the Port of Redwood City. "So that means dredging, and dredging is not easy to do.
"But who knows what the potential could be? That's the purpose of the study."
Contact Paul Rogers at 408-920-5045.
If you plan to go
A workshop on the port plan is scheduled from 5 to 7 tonight at the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, 101 W. Santa Clara St. in downtown San Jose.


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Penalty minutes for Mikael Backlund after he stood up for Curtis Glencross, who was knee'd by Ben Lovejoy. He got 5 for fighting, 2 for instigating and a 10 minute misconduct.
Backlund's faceoff win percentage in the opening period. He won all six of his draws.
Hits for Brian McGrattan through two periods of play, leading all Flames skaters.
TJ Brodie's ice time through 40:00.
Assists for Mike Cammalleri.
Brian McGrattan scored his third goal of the year in the win.
Miikka Kiprusoff was the game's first star. He made 32 saves and received a lengthy standing ovation from the C of Red.
www.calgaryflames.com is the official Web site of the Calgary Flames. Calgary Flames and www.calgaryflames.com are trademarks of Calgary Flames Limited Partnership. NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup and NHL Conference logos are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. Copyright © 1999-2016 Calgary Flames Limited Partnership and the National Hockey League. All Rights Reserved.


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Asymptotic properties of some minor-closed classes of graphs
M. Bousquet-Mélou, K. Weller
Let A be a minor-closed class of labelled graphs, and let Gnn be a random graph sampled uniformly from the set of n-vertex graphs of A. When n is large, what is the probability that Gnn is connected? How many components does it have? How large is its biggest component? Thanks to the work of McDiarmid and his collaborators, these questions are now solved when all excluded minors are 2-connected. Using exact enumeration, we study a collection of classes A excluding non-2-connected minors, and show that their asymptotic behaviour is sometimes rather different from the 2-connected case. This behaviour largely depends on the nature of the dominant singularity of the generating function C(z) that counts connected graphs of A. We classify our examples accordingly, thus taking a first step towards a classification of minor-closed classes of graphs. Furthermore, we investigate a parameter that has not received any attention in this context yet: the size of the root component. This follows non-gaussian limit laws (beta and gamma), and clearly deserves a systematic investigation.
Full Text: PostScript PDF


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Contact Information
Keven Klopp
Development Services
400 South Federal Highway
Hallandale Beach, FL 33009
Ph: (954) 457-1375
Fax: (954) 457-1488
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Monday – Friday
The Development Services Department strives to provide quality service to residents and business owners as well as developers and contractors doing business in the city. The Department's efforts can be seen through continuing development and redevelopment throughout the City.
The Department's mission is to protect the health, safety and welfare of Hallandale Beach residents while enhancing the City's aesthetic appearance, maintaining responsible growth management principles and providing high-quality customer service.
The Development Services Department is comprised of the following Divisions:


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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Halloween comes to the Paradise...
5 comments:
I would have to say it would be a prime spot for some paranormal investigators. I'd be curious to see what a legitimate group would find, but the motel is definitely not safe at night...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousThursday, October 29, 2009
Crazy Stuff Midtown,ReplyDelete
Give you props for driving in there at night!
Yeah. I don't think I'd spend too much time hanging out there in the daytime, let alone at night. If the cops don't pick you up the creeps might pick you off. Cool posts, tho.ReplyDelete
I went to the Paradise once 20 years ago or so. My girlfriend made me scrub the hot tub top to bottom for 45 minutes before she would agree to use it. I didn't think it was necessary back then, but in retrospect it probably wasn't a bad idea.ReplyDelete
You could hear hookers and other types plying their trade outside and through the walls. Strangely enough, she never agreed to go back there. I'm not sure I really wanted to either.


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Top Definition
Its something annoying girls do, trying to shame their boyfriends into doing it. Its really gay.
Sam was hanging out with the boys when emily sent him a hand heart. Sam sent one back and his bros kicked his ass
by soeasyavaginacoulddoit May 11, 2009
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
When either one person puts their hands together to form a heart, or two people each use one hand to form a heart. Used commonly by awesome people.
Beth made a hand heart at Adam, causing him to return the hand heart.
by strokermouse October 08, 2008


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Events on Wednesday March 26, 2014
Galaxy Music Gathering III
Wed Mar 26 at 08:00pm
Sanctioned Event
Venue: Mekka Nightclub
Address:950 NE 2nd Avenue (Downtown)
Time:08:00pm - 08:00am
Presented By:Shady Teez + Culture
Admission: $50.00
Badge Policy:20 with WMC Badge
Galaxy Music Gathering returns this year with a huge breakbeat and bass lineup. GMG has something for everyone. A WMC event not to miss if you are a true music lover of the broken beat and 808 sound.
Contact Name:Shade


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Click below to share this pageTweet
What hunter-gatherers can tell us about human social networks
Published: Jul 21, 2016 5:51:00 PM
Camp stability predicts patterns of hunter–gatherer cooperation
Published: Jul 13, 2016 3:05:00 PM
Bacterial immunization prevents PTSD-like symptoms in mice
Published: May 17, 2016 11:40:00 AM
- UCL-Japan collaboration on disaster management
- Apply for a Collaborative Science & Technology Workshop
- Declining dopamine may explain why older people take fewer risks: Robb Rutledge (UCL Institute of Neurology) guest blogs for ILC-UK
- GCHW 2016-17 Small Grants
- Grand Challenges UCL 2034 Grants
- Funding opportunities to support UCL's 2034 strategy
- UCL Researchers: Why contribute to The Conversation?
- Grand Challenges Student Fund: up to £750 available for student led projects – More
Summary from Susan Michie: Behaviour change and complex interventions: design and evaluation workshops (29 July 2013)
From left to right: Linda Collins, Susan Michie (workshop convener), John Graham
More than 200 people from UCL and beyond registered for the latest event hosted by the Behaviour Change initiative in July: a workshop entitled: "Behaviour change and complex interventions: design and evaluation". It was led by two international leaders and experts in methodology, both from Pennsylvania State University: Linda Collins, Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and of Statistics, and John Graham, Professor of Biobehavioral Health. The morning session focused on applying engineering principles to designing and evaluating complex interventions and introduced the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST). The afternoon session tackled the thorny issue of missing data in analysis and design.
There was a lively discussion throughout the day, with excellent contributions from many disciplines within UCL and many colleagues from beyond, including from Government and business, and from as far as the Netherlands and Canada. Discussion continued over a glass of wine with many new ideas and links forged. For my part, the day inspired me to progress two new pieces of work: a collaborative research article with Professor Collins and a possible UCL seminar, "Policy meets Academia: translating behavioural science findings into practice".
Future events will be publicised via the Grand Challenge of Human Wellbeing website. Meanwhile, there are three autumn events disseminating UCL-based behaviour change research:
"Specifying the Content of Complex Interventions to Improve Health: Using a Taxonomy of Behaviour Change Techniques", workshop before the BPS Division of Health Psychology conference, 10th September, Brighton
"Health-related Behaviour Change through Technology", research conference of the UBhave project, Wednesday 25th September, 2013 at the Macmillan Hall of the Senate House, Malet Street, London. Early booking essential.
"Designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions: Using the Behaviour Change Wheel and other tools in behavioural science", workshop after the UKSBM, Oxford, Wednesday 11th December 2013
Susan Michie, July 2013
Page last modified on 01 aug 13 13:58


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Opening Day
By Alanc-Oracle on Jun 14, 2005
As you may have noticed, the release of the first big batch of code from OpenSolaris project today is being accompanied by blogs from many of the Solaris engineers. When you read these blogs you'll see most of the engineers are writing about the parts of the code they know best. Unfortunately, for me, that's the parts not yet released. (There are a couple of lines of code here and there from me that I submitted as suggested fixes in bugs I filed, but I've never checked in any code directly to the source tree the released code comes from.)
Why is that? Because of the way Solaris is built - it's not one single monolithic source tree, but instead organized into chunks called "consolidations." Today's first phase is a single consolidation, called "OS/Networking" or ON for short, which contains most of the Solaris kernel, drivers and core utilities. The consolidation most of my work goes into is simply called "X", and includes both the Xsun & Xorg source trees for Solaris, but not the Xsun device modules. Other consolidations include CDE/Motif, JDS, Graphics and Networking drivers, Developer Tools, Administration/Installation, and so on. Each consolidation manages it's own source trees and builds, and delivers the built packages to a central dock where all the consolidations are combined into the Solaris WOS ("Wad of Stuff") which is the CD or DVD set delivered to the users.
Since Solaris is huge, instead of waiting until everything was ready for release, a staged plan was developed for OpenSolaris, starting with the consolidation at the core of the OS and then working out to the higher layers. Now that ON is out and the infrastructure used is set up, we're starting to work out how to release code from other consolidations. Once everything is in place for additional consolidations to be added to OpenSolaris, the next phase will probably be the source trees that come from open source releases and are thus not needing as much work to separate out the bits that can be released from those that can't, and that is expected to include our Xorg server source tree.
Of course, if you want to build Xorg for Solaris, you don't need our changes - there's not actually much you need that's not currently in the X.Org CVS repository on freedesktop.org. There's even stuff there that's not yet in our builds, like the experimental support for building 64-bit Xorg servers for AMD64 machines. Our Solaris builds are based on the Xorg 6.8.2 source tree, with various changes backported from the CVS head, such as the newer ATI, nVidia, and i810 drivers, and a few small customizations. Some of those can be enabled in the open source builds by using the BuildLikeSun Imake option recently added to CVS to document some of our customizations. The rest we'll be working on getting out there later this year.
We've also set up a "X Window System" community on the new OpenSolaris.org website where you can find out more information about the status of our X source releases, and talk to the engineering teams and other users. Come join us over there if this part of OpenSolaris interests you!


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Pepperdine Extends Win Streak, Tops Gonzaga 5-0
April 4, 2014
SPOKANE, Wash. – Not even a bout of illness could slow down the #29 Pepperdine women's tennis team today on the courts of the Stevens Center. The Waves won their eighth straight with a 5-0 sweep over Gonzaga.
Food poisoning plagued about half of Pepperdine's normal lineup, and even sidelined Apichaya Runglerdkriangkrai (Bangkok, Thailand/IMG Academy) for the day. Despite the setback, the ever-diligent Waves proved up to the challenge.
Yuki Chiang (Ojai, Calif./Campbell Hall HS), who was just nicely back to form after suffering from the flu two weeks ago, played alongside Michaela Capannolo (Melbourne, Australia/Genazzano FCJ College). The #62-ranked pair made their debut at No. 1 doubles and topped Kylie Peek and Samantha Polayes, 8-4.
Prior to today, Chiang and Capannolo had played eight matches together at No. 2.
Matea Cutura (Zagreb, Croatia/Gimnazija Birotehnika/DePaul) and Ale Granillo (Pachuca, Mexico/Instituto Hidalgo) played in the No. 2 slot and scored an 8-6 decision over Melanie Yates and Isabell Klingert to clinch the point.
Lorraine Guillermo (Walnut, Calif./Rowland HS) put away a dominant 6-1, 6-0 triumph vs. the Bulldogs' ace Peek to lift Pepperdine to a 2-0 lead.
Chiang almost earned her second complete shut out of the week, giving up just one game in a straight-set win over Isabell Klingert. The freshman won yesterday at Washington State, 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 2, Cutura edged Katie Edwards 6-4 in the first before rolling to a 6-2 victory in set two.
Granillo snagged the Waves' final point of the day with a straight-set win at No. 3
Cutura and Granillo were also stricken with food poisoning, but were both able to power through today.
With the dual clinched, the remaining matches were not played out to completion.
Pepperdine concludes its three-match road swing tomorrow with an 11 a.m. match at Portland. Both live scores and video will be available.
Pepperdine vs Gonzaga
#29 Pepperdine 5, Gonzaga 0
Match Notes:


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Deputy on leave after firing gun at woman
Published: Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 12:08 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, October 26, 2013 at 12:08 p.m.
SARASOTA COUNTY - A Sarasota County sheriff's deputy is on paid leave after officers said she shot at a woman who allegedly tried to run the deputy over with her car.
Deputies said Deputy Karen Boone fired her handgun at Kimberly Tomchinsky, 23, in the Bent Tree neighborhood after Tomchinsky refused to follow Boone's orders and almost struck Boone with her car.
No one was injured.
According to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Boone responded to an alarm at Bent Tree Golf Club off of Bee Ridge Road at 5 a.m. Saturday.
Once she arrived, Boone told investigators that she saw a driver inside a lone car in the parking lot.
Police said Boone tried to make contact with the person in the car, but that the person ignored her demands and drove the car at Boone.
Boone fired one shot from her handgun and the driver left the area.
Deputies found the car on the golf course soon afterward, but the driver allegedly took off again.
Authorities were ultimately able to stop the car and arrest the driver, 23-year-old Kimberly Tomchinsky.
Tomchinsky has been charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, fleeing to elude and obstruction.
Deputy Boone has been placed on paid administrative leave while law enforcement investigates the shooting.
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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Voice Candy
Voice Candy is a fun and useful recorder for the Mac. It does for the microphone what Apple's Photo Booth does for the webcam. Voice Candy makes recording enjoyable by providing eight different effects, such as Vader and Chipmunk, to alter the speaker's voice. Once you have made the recording, you can use it to set a reminder, send an email, or take it with you on your iPod.
Required OS: not specified
Tags: alarm , record , audio
3 Opinions
Charming app that has a suprisingly robust microphone interface. I got it to record from my Firewire DV cam's internal mic with no problem, whereas the device wasn't even recognized by most other programs including most Mac OS sound source stuff.
However, the recording quality is unsuprisingly poor- adequate for voice notes but crappy for the foley I was trying to do. I've since discovered how to set up a tapeless recording system using Final Cut Pro, which is what I use now for my recordings.
I posted my findings here:
Aside, I couldn't get the voice effects to work.
casev8: yes, Garageband let's you do all the effects, but there is a bit more in this app than just the effects. And I like it just because I don't have to open up GB just to record a funny little thing.
You can do this with Garageband and the onboard mic!


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VEGA gives a nod to the Honda Goldwing crowd by offering some of its helmet styles in colors that coordinate with Goldwing colors.
The ColorMatch helmets include the Vega modular Summit helmet, NT200 open-face and XTA Touring half helmets.
The Summit helmet features a two-tone color scheme to complement the Goldwing: black/silver, Pearl White/silver, Candy Red/silver and Ultra Blue Metallic/silver.
The NT200 offers seven ColorMatch colors, including solid Gloss Black, Pearl White, Candy Red and Ultra Blue Metallic. The XTA half helmet also is available in the aforementioned colors.


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With 162 of the 284 precincts counted, the Canton Local Schools' bond issue now is passing, 1,720 votes to 1,620.
The income tax issue in the village of Brewster is failing 145 to 142.
In Canton , 48 of the 54 precincts have been counted, so results are nearly final there.
The parks levy leads 3,295 votes to 2,865. And the Ward 4 council race is complete, with Chris Smith winning. The Ward 8 race is nearly over with only one precinct left to count there — Edmond Mack is the apparent winner over Mark Butterworth.
Location, ST | website.com


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By Saint Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke, translated by Theodosia Tomkinson, p. 24.
But those who are of God keep Faith and therefore cannot suffer from the moth which divides the garment. For everything which is divided within itself, like the kingdom of Satan, cannot be everlasting [cf. Mt. 11:25] Moreover, it is rust of the spirit when the keenness of religious intention is dulled by the defilement of worldly desires or the purity of faith is stained by a cloud of unbelief. Rust of the moth is desire for the familiar; rust of the mind is carelessness; rust of the mind is longing for honours, if the greatest hope of the present life is set thereon. And, therefore, let us run toward the Divine and let us sharpen our character; let us drill our disposition, so that we may have that sword which the Lord bade us sell our garment and buy [cf. Lk. 22:36], always ready and shining, as if sheathed in the scabbard of our mind. For the soldiers of Christ must always have strong spiritual weapons for the destruction of fortifications against God [cf. II Cor. 10:4], lest when He come, the Leader of the Heavenly Host [cf. Lk. 2:13], offended by the dullness of our weapons, separate us from the company of His legions.
from St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries and the Treatise on the Sacraments, Translations of Christian Liturature, Series III. Translated by T. Thompson, B.D., 1919, pp. 120-121.
Illustrations of the Blessings of Communion from Psalm 23 and from the Canticles
Therefore thou hast come to the altar, thou has received the body of Christ. Hear again what sacraments thou hast obtained. Hear holy David speaking. He too foresaw these mysteries in the spirit and rejoiced and said that he lacked nothing* Why? Because he that hath received the body of Christ shall never hunger.1
How often hast thou heard the twenty-second Psalm2 and not understood ? See how it is suited to the heavenly sacraments. The Lord is my shepherd; and I shall not want. In a green pasture, there hath he made me to lie down. He hath tended me by the water of comfort, he converteth my soul. He hath led me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.3 Rod is rule, staff is passion ; that is the eternal Divinity of Christ, but also his passion in the body. The one created, the other redeemed. Thou hast prepared a table before me against them that trouble me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my inebriating cup how glorious it is.4


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What Keeps Health-Care Costs Low in Grand Junction, Colorado?
Remember the New Yorker article about how health-care costs can vary widely between different areas of the country? The story favorably singled out Grand Junction, Colo., saying that the community is "one of the lowest-cost markets in the country" but "nonetheless has achieved some of Medicare's highest quality-of-care scores."
Since then, as two researchers write in a perspective piece just published online in the New England Journal of Medicine, "numerous reporters have made the pilgrimage to this low-cost mecca, attempting to explain why health care there is cheaper than elsewhere in the United States."
Obviously, some things about the community, such as its "small-town nature" and "relatively homogeneous racial makeup," can't just be adopted by other areas looking to hold down their own health-care costs, write Thomas Bodenheimer, of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine's Center for Excellence in Primary Care, and David West, a hospitalist at Grand Junction's own St. Mary's Hospital.
But, they write, "seven interrelated features" that may help explain Grand Junction's lower costs might be more easily transferred. Here's what they identified:
Leadership by the primary care community: Family physicians, more plentiful in Grand Junction than elsewhere, control the county physicians' practice association and physician-run Rocky Mountain Health Plans, a benefits provider. They "fostered a culture of incentives for cost control and cost transparency," the authors write.
A payment system built on risk-sharing: Rocky Mountain Health Plans and the physicians' association withhold 15% of doctors' fees, then give them back if costs stay low during the year. And physicians who rack up unusually high costs are singled out.
Equal reimbursement for private and public insurance: Because physicians are paid the same for treating Medicaid patients as for other patients, those publicly insured patients have access to private primary and specialty care and were less likely to rely on the ER.
Well-organized and tiered services: St. Mary's is the only tertiary care hospital in the region and is fed by smaller hospitals "that don't offer expensive interventional services" such as cardiac procedures.
Limits on supply of expensive resources: St. Mary's "has kept its number of beds and expensive equipment at reasonable levels."
Payment of primary-care docs for hospital visits: This improves continuity of care and, the authors say, helps to cut the chance of unnecessary hospital readmissions.
Robust end-of-life care: The area's nonprofit hospice also offers palliative care, physicians learn to discuss advance directives with patients and the public learns about end-of-life choices.
"These features could be replicated in other markets — though generally not without political battles," they write.
Do you agree?
Image: iStockphoto


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Upon greeting each other at the metro station she excitedly told me that she bought me a present, and questioned whether I wanted it that instant or at lunch. Despite my overwhelming curiosity over an unexpected gift and the desire to acquire said object, I said we ought to wait until we sat down over food.
Having arrived at the restaurant, and settling into our seats I couldn't handle the suspense any longer, I told her I was ready for my present.
Over the table she handed me "Queer Quotes: On Coming Out and Culture, Love and Lust, Politics and Pride, and Much More." I was especially thankful, for both the thought of getting me a gift "just because" as well as the fantastically chosen gift.
Not having any time to read through the book between bites of food and chatting about our plans for the rest of the week, I put it away to be read later. Upon arriving back at PFLAG National, I took it out, flipped it open, and began looking through the pages.
hile it was the third quote listed, it was the first that struck my eye: "Anyone who thinks that love needs to be cured has not experienced enough of it in their own lives," –Joan Garry, the Executive Director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
This quote especially stood out to me because of Exodus International's plan to have their "International Freedom Conference" (their title for a large "ex-gay" ministry conference promoting so-called "reparative therapy") in Asheville, NC this July.
Fortunately, there have already been some events scheduled to counter the false and harmful messages of "ex-gay" ministries (in 1998, the American Pyschiatric Association stated it was opposed to reparative therapy, stating "psychiatric literature strongly demonstrates that treatment attempts to change sexual orientation are ineffective. However, the potential risks are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive [suicidal] behavior..."). The schedule of events for July 15-20 are as follows :
- Tuesday, July 15, 7:00-8:30 PM, Kick off Event
"Can You Pray Away the Gay?"
Firestorm Café & Books (48 Commerce St., Asheville)
Speakers: Wayne Besen, Director, TruthWinsOut.org and author of "Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-gay Myth," and Ian Palmquist, Executive Director, Equality NC
- Wednesday, July 16, 7:00 PM
Film: "For the Bible Tells Me So"
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley (500 Montreat Rd. Black Mountain , NC 28711)
Co-hosted by Common Light Meeting Place, Discussion follows, led by Laine Calloway,Gay & Lesbian Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of WNC
- Thursday, July 17, 6:45 PM
Film: "For the Bible Tells Me So"
Henderson County Library (301 Washington St., Hendersonville, NC 28739)
Hosted by PFLAG Flat Rock/Hendersonville & Love Welcomes All Committee
Discussion afterward led by Rev. Jerry Miller (a PFLAG regional director)
- Friday, July 18, 7:00 PM
Film: "Fish Can't Fly"
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville
Charlotte St. at Edwin Place, Asheville, NC 28801
Discussion follows. Wayne Besen will discuss appearing in the film
- Saturday, July 19, 11 AM - 2 PM Real-Families Picnic!!
Recreation Park - 69 Gashes Creek Rd. Asheville, NC 28805 (off Swannanoa River Rd. next to WNC Nature Center)


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I love bows. and diamonds.
Still a Rockstar from Lisa Kathryn Designs
Have had my eye on this ring for the longest time...
Wendy Brandes Diana Ring
And Wendy is even holding a Valentine's Day sale! For those of us not in NY and can't make the sale she is taking pre-orders on 2/9. Go to her blog for the details.
So cute. (and cheap!)
Finest Imaginary Heart Ring
I love cutout letters on rings.
obsessed with this.
I wouldn't wear these but had to post them because they are too cute!
a mini camera on a ring? I need it.
Etsy picks
Bows and diamonds and pearls all in one!
Whatever Lola Wants by Untamed Menagerie
Felt cupcakes! Such a cute gift for someone who loves cupcakes (me!). I'm also in love with the dumplings. too cute!
Felt Cupcakes by Little Fluff Stuff
The perfect pink hairbow!
the dainty bow by Mandizzle
Such a cute and funny card right? They have other ones like "I love you more than my iPhone" which I think a lot of men should give to their wives. LOL. They need to make an "I love you more than shoes" card for me. :)
I love you more than cake by Storey shop
I'm not a chocolate girl but caramels? Hell yes! My mouth is watering...
Caramel of the Month Club by Have it Confections
And even though it's a bit out of the budget...
I will take any of these Valentino bow bags.