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Winter Meetings: Part 1
Joe Nathan pitches for the Giants in the spring of 2003.
It looks like Autryism has been averted for one day, as the Detroit Tigers agreed to flush their future to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins. Good luck signing those guys in their free agent years.
A rumor made the rounds earlier in the day that the Angels had made a bid for Twins ace Johan Santana, but Angels GM Tony Reagins squelched that rumor.
"We haven't had any discussions with regard to adding starting pitching," Reagins told MLB.com's Lyle Spencer. But he did acknowledge discussions with the Twins. Spencer wrote, "Reagins did speak with new Twins general manager Bill Smith on Monday, as the four-day Winter Meetings commenced, but he claimed Santana's name did not surface in the conversation."
I'm going to speculate that they talked about Twins closer Joe Nathan.
MLB.com ran a story that the Twins might be shopping Nathan, who's a free agent after 2008. Reagins said he and GM Smith hadn't talked about "starting pitching." Well, what about relief pitching?
According to the MLB.com article, Nathan (who turned 33 last month) will be paid $6 million for 2008, making him an affordable commodity. Angels owner Arte Moreno has said the Angels are already over budget for 2008.
I wrote in my October 9 blog that I thought the Angels should move Francisco Rodriguez this winter. Frankie made $7 million in 2007 and is up for arbitration this winter, so he'll certainly make more than Nathan. Rodriguez will be a free agent after 2008, and personally I have strong doubts he'll sign an extension with the Angels. Frankie is an increasingly unstable personality on the mound, as demonstrated by his having "no game plan" facing Manny Ramirez in Game #2 of the ALDS playoffs, surrendering a walkoff homer that essentially sank the Angels' hopes to advance in the post-season.
At the time, I suggested the Angels pursue Mariano Rivera if he hit the free agent market, but he's returned to the Yankees. I also thought Troy Percival might help the bullpen depth, but he signed a two-year deal to join Joe Madden in Tampa Bay.
So if the Angels can swing a trade for Nathan, it'll free up Rodriguez for a deal. Package Frankie with a spare starting pitcher and other teams will come flocking to Reagins' suite door.
Reagins also told Spencer he'd had no contact with Baltimore, so I think the Miguel Tejada deal is moribund for now.
What would Minnesota want from the Angels in exchange for Nathan? I've no idea. I don't follow the Twins. But he'll sure be a heckuva lot cheaper than Cabrera or Tejada.
This article is copyright © 2007 Stephen C. Smith DBA FutureAngels.com. It may not be reprinted elsewhere without the prior expressed written permission of the author. To obtain permission, e-mail Stephen at email@example.com.
4 Comments
Twins needs outfielders.
Angels have lots of those.
Between Willits, Rivera, Haynes, Murphy, Evans, Gournault — there's lots to trade.
Gorneault was claimed on waivers by Texas. Murphy was a minor league free agent and signed with Washington.
I guess that would explain why those guys are no longer on the Angels roster.
I guess there was no room for them.
Well, I guess they can still free up Rivera and Haynes or Willits.
They should keep Evans.
I think Nathan would be a good pickup. He's a solid closer and Frankie would then make very good trade bait.
I very much like the team as it stands today. I have no problem with Figgy handling 3B, as long as he puts up good numbers offensively. A #1 starting pitcher would be the "frosting on the cake", as long as no holes are created to acquire one. But they are very well stocked for the start of the season and for any necessary trades before the July 31 deadline.


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"I was raised Evangelical and just recently started looking, with an open mind, into the Catholic Church. You guys have been instrumental in my leaning more and more towards coming home to the Catholic Church."
~ Jacob
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Q&A Newsletter
"The longer it lasts the better it will be."
~ Theo Venard, Blessed, missionary priest, martyr in China; to his executioner, who had just asked Venard what he would give to be killed quickly because the executioner coveted Venard's clothing. Fr. Venard was beheaded.

subset: commoncrawl


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"I am a cradle Catholic and my husband of eight years just went through RCIA this Easter. Praise the Lord! His conversion was due, in large part, to your show and the awesome answers of Tim Staples, Jimmy Akin, and the rest of the gang. Your show has helped me, my now husband, grow deeply in love with the Church."
"I should not believe the Gospel except on the authority of the Catholic Church."


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Phillip E. Callighan
Class Year:1974
Alumni Recognition Award Winner 1985
Phillip Callighan is senior account executive, Knorr Marketing in Traverse City, Mich. He promotes the agency as well as working on behalf of the company's clients. Articles he has written have appeared in various publications ranging from Aerospace Engineering to Shotgun Magazine. Since moving to Michigan in 1993, Callighan has been involved with the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, Old Town Playhouse Community Theatre, Central United Methodist Church and Encore Wind Symphony. Memberships in professional organizations include American Banking Association, Marketing Network and Northern Michigan Advertising Club.


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Figure. No caption available.
Silver screen star Teri Garr is the host of the American Academy of Neurology Foundation's newest patient-education video and guidebook, Living Well: A Guide to Managing Multiple Sclerosis for Patients and Families. The video and guidebook are aimed at answering important questions for newly diagnosed MS patients and their caregivers and can be viewed for free at aan.com/patients . A DVD and printed booklet can be ordered from aan.com/patients as well.


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"Jack the Giant Slayer" joins the pack of recent storybook titles that have been turned into sprawling Hollywood cinematic spectacles. You know the recent trend, "Snow White and the Huntsman," "Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters," but unlike many others, "Jack" sticks close to its fairytale roots and is all the better for it.
Director Bryan Singer, in his first film since the 2008 World War II drama "Valkyrie," which starred Tom Cruise, has selected a worthy beast in Jack to come out of hiding for. A Cruise-ish looking Nicholas Hoult, who was so engaging in the recent "Warm Bodies," plays Jack as a wide-eyed farm boy whose run-in with a monk nets him some magic beans. Stanley Tucci, in a role that he milks for all its worth with wonderful results, is the gap-toothed villain who is in hot pursuit of the beans. The magic they possess is, as we know, that the beans will sprout a giant beanstalk. In this case, it leads to a place between Heaven and Earth where a legion of hideous giants lives.
Adding to this Arthurian drama is a princess who is desperate to not live her life cloistered (not ironically, the name of the kingdom she'll eventually inherit is Cloister). Newcomer Eleanor Tomlinson is the likeable Princess Isabelle who finds fancy with Jack after he rescues her from some drunken peasants who mistake her for a commoner.
Their adventure begins when she and Jack end up in the middle of the chaos of the sprouting beanstalk. When Isabelle is captured by the giants, it's up to Ewan McGregor, who is cast as a brave knight, to risk life and limb to rescue the princess. McGregor is one of the many high points of the film, channeling his former self from Jedi knight days.
Singer keeps his giants under wrap just long enough to build the excitement for the Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum introduction. The giants are spectacularly rendered, as is the beanstalk, and worth every penny of the $190 million budget -- giant, even by Hollywood standards.
The story by Darren Lemke, Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney, adds an evildoer element to the proceedings. These giants want to take over the world rather than just smell the blood of an Englishman. The giants, no doubt, are the stars of "Giant Slayer" and they are fantastical. The most impressive is the Giant General, voiced with wonderful manic energy by Bill Nighy. He's a two-headed monster (his smaller twin-self head is voiced by John Kassir, whose voice is most recognizable as the Cryptkeeper in "Tales from the Crypt.")
Undoubtedly, critics will find reason to skewer "Jack the Giant Slayer," but this inventive adventure deserves a chance. At less than two hours, it moves along at a pleasurable pace with plenty of action to keep audiences fully entertained. The producers have faith in the film, too, leaving the "happily ever after" open-ended at the closing credits for a sequel.


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People who say preseason games don't count don't know sports. This is another great opportunity for us to get live practice I hope to see Brewer lock them up!
a thunderous kick to the scrotum.
Team Reports
New York: The team was handed good and bad news at Sundays practice session. Amare Stoudemire flew back to New York after an MRI revealed a ruptured popliteal cyst behind his left knee. The power forward will have his knee reevaluated and is now listed out for approximately 2-3 weeks. On the flip side, Ronnie Brewer participated in the scrimmage session on Sunday and head coach Mike Woodson was optimistic that the shooting guard could play in Mondays game against Philadelphia. Marcus Camby is on the trip with team but will not suit up for the contest at Syracuses Carrier Dome. J.R. Smith remains in New York nursing a sore ankle. The Knicks are entering their second to last preseason game with a 2-2 overall record.
Last Time Out
New York: The Knicks fell to the Celtics 109-98 on Saturday night in Albany despite 34 points from Chris Copeland.
Philadelphia: With a 88-79 win over the Celtics last night, the 76ers improved to 5-1 in exhibition play.
The Numbers Game
While fighting for a roster spot, Copeland showed some promise on Saturday night with most the Knicks starters on the sidelines. Copeland scored 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 3-of-4 behind the arc, and 9-of-9 at the charity stripe in 37 minutes of action.
Match-up to Watch
Ronnie Brewer vs. Jason Richardson
Brewers potential return to the Knicks lineup is significant. Carmelo Anthony categorized the offseason acquisition of Brewer as underrated and most opposing shooting guards in the league would agree. Brewer is considered a stingy wing defender with a strong frame that helps him stifle some of the elite shooting guards in the NBA. One would assume he will be New Yorks 2-guard on opening night if healthy and Monday night is a great chance for Brewer to regain game conditioning against Richardson.
People who say preseason games don't count don't know sports. This is another great opportunity for us to get live practice I hope to see Brewer lock them up!
I would combine the two evils together...If somone sewed my scrotum with a knitting needle it would relieve alotta tension for me
Lookin forward to see how we look with Brewer on the court and I wonder if we'll see Melo play PF
I just want to see us getting good shots. Not concerned with them falling so much as I'm concerned with us being able to find and take open looks.
I saw some Melo again settling for bad contested jumpers against the Raptors. Need guys to get open and not stagnate.
Originally Posted by Knicksin60
Starting lineup is
I believe this will be our first preseason game where Carmelo is starting at PF...could it because of the return of Brewer?
Or is it because perhaps Woodson is expecting Stat to be out more then 2 to 3 weeks, and is preparing this team for a season with one less PF then they planned on having?
CHandler shooting outside the paint?
Thats a first lol
Oh god... Brewers shot..


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INGREDIENTS:24 dried hot chiles or fresh, chopped and seeded 3 Tbsps. olive or vegetable oil 3 cups chopped onion 12 cloves garlic, minced 6 chayote, cubed 9 cups cassava (or yuca), peeled and chopped 3 cups chicken broth 1 ½ tsps. salt 1 ½ tsps. pepperDIRECTIONS:1. If using dried chiles, place chiles in boiling water; blanch for 2 to 3 minutes or until skins are softened; drain, cool slightly. Remove stems and seeds; mince finely. 2. In a large skillet, heat oil; sauté onion and garlic for ...
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Kia concept shows possible future SUV
Published On: Dec 31 2013 01:00:16 PM PST Updated On: Feb 07 2013 11:00:15 AM PST
Want a peek at the SUV of the future? Kia has a suggestion.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to our Terms of Use.


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Wis. gov set for China trade mission this spring
Gov. Scott Walker says he's heading to China this spring.
Walker's office says he'll embark on a trade mission to the country on April 12. Members of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection will accompany him. The itinerary calls for visits to Beijing, Shanghai, Hefei and Harbin. The group is scheduled to leave the country on April 21.
Walker's office says the trip is designed to reinforce and expand trading partnerships in the country, which is already Wisconsin's third largest export market behind Canada and Mexico. The state moved nearly $1.4 billion in exports to the country in 2011.
Walker's predecessor, Jim Doyle, traveled to China on trade missions five times during his two terms in office.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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New librarian to work on building improvementsBy Gordon Dritschilo
Staff Writer | September 02,2014Albert J. Marro / Staff Photo
Abby Noland is the new director of the Rutland Free Library. Noland replaces Paula Baker, who retired.When she saw a job listing in Vermont, Abby Noland did what a librarian does.
We did a lot of research, the new director of the Rutland Free Library said. Its the second happiest state in the U.S. Its the second healthiest state in the U.S.
Nolands daughter is starting as a freshman at the University of New Hampshire, so the family capped off its research by passing through Rutland on the way through for a campus visit.
When we hit Vermont, my kids were like, Oh, Mom, this is it, she said. They fell in love with Rutland.
Nolands first day was Aug. 18. She was still settling in last week.
Im trying to acclimate, she said. I cant get used to this office its so big.
Noland arrives from the Preble County, Ohio, library system. During her time there she oversaw the conversion to a consortium catalog a more intense version of inter-library loan. She said Rutland has already made that conversion, and that she is spending her time getting a feel for the local system.
I am taking everything in, she said. I am going to work with my staff on the internal goals. I absolutely want to work with the board on the overall goals of improvements to the building.
Rutland quickly impressed her with how welcoming it was.
We moved in, all the neighbors greeted us, asked what do you need, she said. Its got that small-town atmosphere, but its more sophisticated. The cafes, the galleries, the small shops, the music, the farmers markets theres always something going on.
Also welcoming, Noland said, has been her predecessor, the newly retired Paula Baker. Baker stayed on for a few extra days to help Noland with the transition.
Shes an incredible mentor, Noland said. I am amazed at what shes done in the community. I am eager to stand on the shoulders of giants. I can never fill her shoes.MORE IN This Just InMONTPELIER A new report from a commission that studied the cost, availability and quality of... Full StoryVermont fish hatchery changes focus, looks inland
BETHEL, Vt. Full StoryHONOLULU (AP) A group of Hawaii musicians and a Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant provided... Full Story
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Restoring LGF
OHIO HOUSE REP. Jack Cera is one of the co-sponsors of House Bill 17.
The bill, should it eventually gain passage, would help channel hundreds of thousands of dollars back into the Ohio Valley.
The legislation would return the Local Government Funding back to the level of 2005. Local Government Fund money has been methodically eroding away, creating headaches for our Eastern Ohio governmental entities.
It is safe to say we are staunch supporters of House Bill 17 as it would enable those entities to restore some of the basic services they have been forced to reduce due to state funding cutbacks. Fire, police and street-lighting, as well as many other services, have felt the brunt of a lack of money.
"The purpose of this legislation is simple. Our local communities are struggling to make ends meet and provide basic vital services. We can alleviate their financial burden by reinstating cuts to the Local Government Fund. The safety of our citizens is at risk and I believe enough is enough," Cera said. The Bellaire native is dead on the money. Due to the Local Government Fund cutbacks over the course of the past several years, safety has been compromised. House Bill 17, which has been assigned to the House Finance and Appropriations Committee for consideration, would be the financial shot-in-the-arm to boost ailing local coffers.
Cera noted the state budget was balanced to the detriment of local governments and schools. He said that now that the state is projecting a large budget surplus it should help local communities recover.
We agree. The state needs to give back some of the surplus to help those same entities it has stripped of vital funding for years.
Since 2008, when the four-year freeze of local government funds ended, money to Belmont County has been reduced from $3,263,471.26 to $2,025,705 in 2012 and $1,548,445.47 in 2013. Shortchanging the county by nearly $2 million yields many hardships.
With that said, House Bill 17 can serve as the vehicle for delivering money back to Eastern Ohio.


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The thing to remember about corporate history is that it tells its own story. This may seem obvious, after all doesn't everyone? What version of events is true? Normally, your own, right? (Witness today's news about the sexual assault case against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former French head of the International Monetary Fund and contender for the French presidency, said to be "on the verge of collapse as investigators have uncovered major holes in the credibility of the housekeeper" who accused him of assaulting her.) The fact that corporate history tells its own story may also seem benign.
Yet when you visit an exhibit created for a company or industry, you need to be on your toes. Ask yourself, Why are businesses and industry interested in history? What is the role of the historian in the corporate context? And both, Whose stories are corporate historians usually telling, and whose stories are not being told?
I normally would not want to comment on an "exhibit" that I had not seen. However, I was fascinated when it was reported this week that in Japan, the only country in the world to have suffered through a nuclear holocaust, the nuclear industry there has:
"…devoted vast resources to persuade the Japanese public of the safety and necessity of nuclear power. Plant operators built lavish, fantasy-filled public relations buildings that became tourist attractions. Bureaucrats spun elaborate advertising campaigns through a multitude of organizations established solely to advertise the safety of nuclear plants. Politicians pushed through the adoption of government-mandated school textbooks with friendly views of nuclear power."
Putting aside the debate about whether nuclear power is actually safe, let's take a closer look at the propaganda – the "fantasy-filled public relations buildings." It turns out that after Chernobyl, the nuclear energy industry (and Japanese utilities and the government worked together) created nuclear-energy-promoting theme parks, playgrounds, and exhibits, even holding events with anime characters to attract children and young adults, at their nuclear plants in order to create a sense of safety and security with regard to nuclear power in resource-poor Japan.
The exhibits in fact do not concern themselves with history (again, an astonishing omission anywhere but particularly resonant in Japan). Instead they show models of the control rooms, and models that promote the idea of cleanliness and efficiency. They also provide virtual tours of the facilities, and encourage children to play outside on playgrounds, and in on video games. Perhaps the most surreal examples (from the article in any case) are the ones in which characters from Allison in Wonderland and a forest of dwarfs are used to explain the safety and benefits of nuclear energy. Throughout, one can see the bright, colorful, smiling bubble characters for which Japanese pop culture and art are known, Japan's culture of cute.
It's pretty clear whose stories are not being told in this environment, and ironic that Japanese anime, which is often full of apocalyptic imagery and toxic wastelands, has been used to further the ends of the nuclear establishment. More than that, it seems the whole of the culture of cute has been co-opted for corporate ends, in this case quite damaging ones, clear now in the wake of the March 11 tsunami and the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Remember, Little Boy was the name of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
For a slide show of the P.R. buildings click here.


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McHenry County residents know Stew Cohen as news director at STAR 105.5 FM, (1039 The Fox). Now you can learn more about Cohen as author of "The WYEN Experience."
For three years, Cohen researched former announcers who sat where he did on his first day on-air Aug. 16, 1976. He recounts how a mannequin leg hung from the ceiling of the studio, strategically placed near the on-air board visible to the news anchor.
"I remember this visual because I was so nervous on my first newscast at WYEN," said Cohen, who was a newscaster at WYEN for three years. "Having a leg hanging nearby made concentrating all that much harder."
The book includes stories of celebrities and newsmakers, including Cohen's interview with Shirley Temple Black in a Chicago hotel penthouse. Cohen's words of anguish describe sitting in front of a microphone for the first time and "getting grilled" for failing attempts at professionalism. He writes about WBBM's Bob Roberts, WGN Radio's Garry Meier and WLS FM's Greg Brown, who once broadcast at WYEN in Des Plaines.
Cohen's attributes his drive to tell stories to his fourth-grade teacher, Cathy Wallace, who left an impression by reading to his class.
"A simple thing of reading to our group gathered around her rocking chair meant so much. I thought about her contribution and evaluated how I could give back. People of all ages love a good story whether they read it on their own or are told the story."
Cohen spent weekends writing his book from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. and experienced many exhausting evenings falling asleep at his keyboard, waking up and typing, falling asleep, and repeating the entire process.
"This was self-torture, but I couldn't give up," he said. "I typed in my spare time after putting in an 8- to 10-hour day at STAR 105.5."
He grew up in Morton Grove, and graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a degree in radio-television. He came to Woodstock in 1979 and lives in Crystal Lake with his wife, Rita, and their two children. Cohen is a multiaward-winning broadcast journalist with radio stations WZSR-FM and WWYW-FM in the Chicago area.
His community service includes emcee for Miss McHenry County Pageant and Alzheimer's Walk; Woodstock Children's Summer Theatre volunteer; McHenry County Spelling Bee as a pronouncer; Love to Read Week reader; Crystal Lake Central High School speech coach; organizer of Scout Day at STAR 105.5 FM; and yearly job shadowing sessions. For 21 years, Cohen co-hosted the Adult and Child Therapy Center Cablethon and served on boards for Crime Stoppers and Ambutal.
For more information, visit www.thewyenexperience.com.
• Don Peasley has been editor, columnist and historian in McHenry County since 1947. He began his association with Shaw Publications in 1950. 815-338-1533.


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Did you know there are about 20 million stamp collectors in the United States? You can join this great community by simply asking your friends and relatives to save their mail! You may not find any valuable first editions, but you will learn the basics of a new hobby. Rare stamps can be hard
Coin collecting in Oshawa is widespread, too. The United States mints 10-15 million coins per year and many of those coins end up in the hands of collectors. Some coins are collected for their intrinsic value – like old silver dimes and quarters – and some for their beauty, or historical value, like the recent 50 states quarter series.
If you're looking to start a collection of stamps or coins in Oshawa, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money. You can ask friends for help and keep your eyes open for interesting coins and stamps. Even if you're a seasoned Oshawa stamps and coins collector, you can find great deals or coin/stamp trades online.
You never know what you're going to come across when you start collecting stamps and coins in Oshawa. Your change from the coffee shop could have a 1943 double-die steel penny, or your letter from grandma could have a two-dollar dark blue James Madison stamp from 1892. Auction that puppy on eBay, and you can pay off some of your debt!
Oshawa classifieds, garage sales, cost, free, used, scam, fraud, find, wanted, ads, Oshawa want ads, place an ad Oshawa, best, cheapest, least expensive, inexpensive, affordable, Oshawa buy and sell, local ads, craigslist, cheap, price, prices, yard sales, local, marketplace and backpage.


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I had a mass amount of linen fabric to make a scarf but then ended up with two, so I'm giving the second one away! It is 100% linen, hand frayed, and hand double dip dyed in organic coffee. It may even have a lingering coffee aroma :)
You will be entered for each of the following, but at minimum do one to qualify:
-Pin this post with the original link (not just the blog URL)
-Like the Immer Wachsen Facebook page
-Post this giveaway on Facebook with a tag to the Immer Wachsen page
-Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this original post and tag me (@ImmerWachsen)
-Instagram this giveaway and mention me (@immerwachsen)
Make sure to tag correctly or there's no way for me to know you entered :)
winner will be announced ends February 16th.


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The Nimda worm has spread wildly, infecting many Microsoft Windows 9x, ME, NT 4.0, and 2000 machines, and its network scans have brought some networks to their knees.
It was first reported on September 18th in the morning almost one week after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. There is however no known or reported connection between the two attacks. The worm has also been known as W32/Nimbda-A, Concept5, Code Rainbow, and Minda. The word Nimda could be admin spelled backwards.
The damages inflicted on machines infected by the Nimda worm include:
The Nimbda worm uses four methods to spread itself to new machines:
Have you encountered Nimda? What other methods should system administrators rely on to protect their networks?
Also in Security Alerts:
Email. The Nimda worm spreads itself using email by exploiting a vulnerability in the Microsoft Internet Explorer libraries used by Outlook and Outlook Express to parse and display HTML code. The email has the worm as an attachment that is marked as an audio/x-wave MIME type. When this message is viewed or previewed, Outlook or Outlook Express will execute it and infect the machine.
Servers. The worm uses several methods to attack web servers. It scans the Internet looking for machines running Microsoft IIS and checks these machines for a back door installed by the Code Red II worm. If it fails to find the back door, it will try to exploit a series of IIS vulnerabilities. The vulnerabilities the worm attempts to exploit include:
the "Microsoft IIS and PWS Extended Unicode Directory Traversal Vulnerability",
the "Microsoft IIS 4.0/5.0 File Permission Canonicalization Vulnerability",
and the "Microsoft IIS/PWS Escaped Characters Decoding Command Execution Vulnerability".
Browsing. Once a machine is infected, a piece of Javascript code is added to all HTML, HTM, and ASP files that will cause a file named
readme.eml to be downloaded automatically when the page is browsed using a vulnerable version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. This downloaded file will then be executed and will infect the machine.
Virus. The worm also has virus-like capabilities. It will search local
drives and shares on the network, infecting executables and copying
itself using names such as
admin.dll, and
These copies and executable files will infect or re-infect machines
when they are executed. If executed with the parameter of
on the command line an infected file will execute only the worm.
Each of the vulnerabilities that the Nimda worm exploits to spread itself has been announced previously on mailing lists and other sources and patches announced by Microsoft.
Each of the vulnerabilities that the Nimda worm exploits to spread itself has been announced previously on mailing lists and other sources and patches announced by Microsoft. For example the "Microsoft IIS 4.0/5.0 File Permission Canonicalization Vulnerability" was announced August 10, 2000. This should be a lesson to all administrators about the need to keep patches for security problems up to date. While it is true that keeping machines patched will not prevent all exploits, it would have prevented successful exploitation of a machine by this worm.
Signs that a machine has been scanned by the worm are lines in the logs such as:
GET /MSADC/root.exe HTTP/1.0"
Email systems will have transfered email with attachments
readme.exe. Signs of infection of web pages will be the
addition of the infecting Javascript in the web pages.
Vendors of anti-virus and intrusion detection tools have released updates and signatures. Administrators and owners of Microsoft 9x, ME, NT 4.0, and 2000 machines and network administrators should update their tools and use them to detect and clean infected machines. It is also necessary to apply the appropriate patches or upgrades to Internet Explorer and IIS.
An interesting and creative defense developed against the Code Red worm but useful for this worm is LaBrea. LaBrea creates what the author calls a tarpit or a sticky honeypot. It listens on unused IP addresses on a network and will answer connection attempts in a way designed to slow a scan by an attacking machine and cause it to get stuck. One thing to watch for is that LaBrea will by default take up all unused IP addresses on its subnet (what it decides are unused IP addresses). It is written to try and protect against problems with other machines on the network but there is still a potential for problems.
This worm is very dangerous and difficult to eradicate. The multiple infection vectors make it very difficult to stop from spreading and the multitude of machines with unpatched vulnerabilities give it a fertile field to grow in. It is the first or one of the first worms that infects not only the client but also the server machines. Patching all vulnerable machines and cleaning infected machines will be required to control the spread of the Nimda worm. Keeping our machine's patches as up to date as possible will prevent problems in the future.
Noel Davis works as a Unix system administrator. He first started using Unix in 1994 when he purchased a copy of Yggdrasil Plug-and-play Linux Summer 1994 Release.
Read more Security Alerts columns.
Return to the Linux DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


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First Semester, 2013-14
August 1
Final deadline for registered students to notify College of intention not to return for first semester, 2013-14. Remainder of general deposit forfeited for withdrawals after this date.
August 23
Residences open for all first-year and new transfer students at 8 a.m. First contract meal—lunch.
August 24
Residences open for all upperclass students at 8 a.m. First contract meal—dinner.
August 26
First day of classes. Final enrollment for all students.
August 28
Krishna Janmashtami—Hindu
September 2
Labor Day. No classes.
September 3
Last day to drop and/or add a course
September 5
Rosh Hashanah (sunset 9/46-sunset 9/6)—Jewish
September 7
Community Day
September 9
Ganesh Chathurthi—Hindu
September 10
Last day to register for credit/no credit option. Paryushana—Jain.
September 14
Yom Kippur (sunset 9/13-sunset 9/14)—Jewish
September 19
Sukkot (sunset 9/18-sunset 9/25)—Jewish
September 20-21
Family Weekend
September 22
Autumn Solstice
October 5
October 11
October 11-13
October 15
Eid al Adha (sunset 10/14-sunset 10/15)—Islam
October 19
Burmese Lights Festival—Buddhist
October 21-22
Fall Break
October 23
Academic advising for second semester, 2013-14 (through October 31)
November 3
November 4
Online registration for second semester, 2013-14 (through November 14). Last day to withdraw from a course with a grade of "W." Al-Hijra (sunset 11/3-sunset 11/4)—Islam.
November 13
Ashura (sunset 11/12-sunset 11/13)—Islam
November 27
Thanksgiving vacation begins. No classes. Residences close at 10 a.m. Last contract meal—breakfast.
November 28
Hanukkah (sunset 11/27-sunset 12/5)—Jewish. Thanksgiving.
December 1
Residences open at noon. First contract meal—dinner.
December 2
Classes resume at 8 a.m.
December 6
Last day of classes. Final deadline for registered students to notify College of intention not to return for second semester, 2013-14. Remainder of general deposit forfeited for withdrawals after this date.
December 7-8
Reading day
December 9-12
Final examinations
December 12
Final examinations. Residences close at 7 p.m. Last contract meal—dinner.
Second Semester, 2013-14
January 19
Residences open at noon for all students—no contract meals.
January 20
Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. No classes. Orientation for entering first-year and new transfer students. First contract meal—dinner.
January 21
First day of classes. Final enrollment for all students.
January 28
Last day to drop and add a course
January 30
Last day to remove incomplete grade from first semester, 2013-14
January 31
Chinese New Year
February 4
Last day to register for credit/no credit option
February 15
March 5
Ash Wednesday—Christian
March 7
Mid-semester. Spring vacation begins at 5 p.m. Last contract meal—dinner. Residences close at 7 p.m.
March 16
Residences open at 10 a.m. First contract meal—dinner.
March 17
Classes resume at 8 a.m.
March 20
Spring Solstice
March 24
Academic advising for first semester, 2014-15 (through April 1)
March 31
Last day to withdraw from class with a grade of "W"
April 7
Online registration for first semester, 2014-15 (through April 17)
April 13
Burmese Water Festival (through 4/17)—Buddhist
April 14
April 15
Passover (sunset 4/14-sunset 4/21)—Jewish
April 18
Classes end at 1 p.m. Good Friday—Christian.
April 20
April 21
April 24
Honors Convocation. Elkin R. Isaac Student Research Symposium.
April 27
Yom HaSho'ah (sunset 4/26-sunset 4/27)—Jewish
May 1
Last day of classes
May 2
Reading day
May 3-7
Final examinations
May 7
Final examinations. Residences close for all underclass students at 9 p.m. Last contract meal for underclass students—dinner.
May 10
Commencement. Residences close for all students.
Summer College, 2014
May 17
Residences open for summer college residents at noon.
May 19-July 3
Summer College
August 1, 2014 is the final deadline for registered students to notify College of intention not to return for first semester, 2014-15. The remainder of general deposit forfeited for withdrawals after this date.
Dates in bold are religious holidays that may be cause for students to request an excused absence from class or other academic requirement. Dates in italics are during a weekend or break. They are important to note for purposes of scheduling class trips and extracurricular activities, as well as honoring campus diversity.


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Bloomingdale's Ippolita Trunk Sale
Bloomingdale's, alongside San Francisco magazine, hosted shoppers to a lovely afternoon of cocktails and appetizers while perusing fantastic Ippolita jewelry pieces not normally offered for purchase at the department store. Guests enjoyed white wine while they shopped along with passed light bites provided by Blowfish Sushi. Models showed off these hard-to-find pieces in the Ippolita gallery on the first floor of Bloomingdale's on Market St.
Photos By Eddie Hernandez


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Catholics differ from some Christian Churches which accept the Scripture as the only source of God's revelation. Catholics have a strong belief in the truth of Scripture, but we also believe in tradition as a way in which God continues to reveal truth to us. Tradition can include beliefs, customs, prayers, and worship, the teaching of popes, bishops, theologians and Church councils. It's our process of continually reflecting on the way in which the Word of God encounters our own experience as a community of faith.
Catholic understanding is that tradition includes the Scripture, and began before the gospels and letters were written. We do believe that Scripture is a unique revelation from God and that the truths of tradition must always be tested and evaluated against the truths revealed in Scripture. They should not contradict Scripture. They should find their roots in Scripture.
The belief that Mary lived without sin from the moment of her conception springs from Church tradition. It evolved over a period of time, and was not formally defined as a teaching of the Church until 1854. It is not found explicitly in Scripture, but seems for Catholics to flow naturally from the testimony of Scripture that Mary was "full of grace" (Luke 1:28) and "blessed" (Luke 1:42).
In Catholic understanding the belief in Mary's "immaculate conception" does not say so much about Mary as it is about Christ's saving power. We believe that God created the human person to be in God's own image. Grace is more original than sin. Our natural state was to be "full of grace." Sin is our universal experience but it's not what God intended for us in the past nor wants for us in the future. We are saved from sin through Christ. Mary's being conceived without sin takes place in the context of the entire saving act of Christ. In being "full of grace" she is a model of what we human beings were intended to be and who we are redeemed to be through God's saving power. She is the first sign of God's victory over sin in Christ.
You also ask: "Why are Catholics who are baptized when they were infants, choose to lead unholy, even atheistic lives, die and then the priest at the funeral says they are going to heaven because they were baptized?"
The bishop of Rome, as head of the Catholic Church, sometimes declares certain people to be "saints" because they lived such exemplary and holy lives that we can believe with confidence that they are "with God in heaven." Such a declaration only comes after a long investigation into the facts of that person's life. The Catholic Church has never declared any deceased person to be "in hell." Aside from this we don't know and can't presume the eternal state of any person who has died, although we believe that God desires all people to be with him in death as well as in life. Baptism does not automatically ensure that a person will go to heaven when he or she dies. We must try to live out our Baptism with lives of faith, hope and love.
The Catholic Church asks its members to pray for those who have died BECAUSE we know that we are all sinners, and even when we have tried to live a good life we can die short of the purity of heart that makes eternal life "with God" a reality. Yet we believe that God's mercy is not thwarted by death and that God has the power to purify and transform the soul even after death so that it is fully open to participating in eternal life. Purgatory is not a place of "sentences", like a prison, because it exists in eternity which is timeless.
We should certainly pray for the living as well, that they may accept God's grace into their lives.


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The alarming age of surveillanceJune 13,2013The New York Times said the following in an editorial:
Perhaps the lack of a broader sense of alarm is not all that surprising when President Barack Obama, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee, and intelligence officials insist that such surveillance is crucial to the nations antiterrorism efforts.
But Americans should not be fooled by political leaders putting forward a false choice. The issue is not whether the government should vigorously pursue terrorists. The question is whether the security goals can be achieved by less-intrusive or sweeping means, without trampling on democratic freedoms and basic rights. Far too little has been said on this question by the White House or Congress in their defense of the NSAs dragnet.
The surreptitious collection of metadata every bit of information about every phone call except the word-by-word content of conversations fundamentally alters the relationship between individuals and their government.
Tracking whom Americans are calling, for how long they speak, and from where, can reveal deeply personal information about an individual. Using such data, the government can discover intimate details about a persons lifestyle and beliefs political leanings and associations, medical issues, sexual orientation, habits of religious worship, and even marital infidelities. Daniel Solove, a professor at George Washington University Law School and a privacy expert, likens this program to a Seurat painting. A single dot may seem like no big deal, but dozens together create a nuanced portrait.
The effect is to undermine constitutional principles of personal privacy and freedom from constant government monitoring. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday, challenging the programs constitutionality, and it was right to do so.
The governments capacity to build extensive, secret digital dossiers on such a mass scale is totally at odds with the vision and intention of the nations framers who crafted the Fourth Amendment precisely to outlaw indiscriminate searches that cast a wide net to see what can be caught. It also attacks First Amendment values of free speech and association.
In a democracy, people are entitled to know what techniques are being used by the government to spy on them, how the records are being held and for how long, who will have access to them, and the safeguards in place to prevent abuse. Only then can they evaluate official claims that the correct balance between fighting terrorism and preserving individual liberty has been struck, and decide if they are willing to accept diminished privacy and liberty. If Americans have been slow to recognize the dangerous overreach of the NSAs phone surveillance, it is largely because they have scant information to judge the governments conduct.
Even if most Americans trust Obama not to abuse their personal data, no one knows who will occupy the White House or lead intelligence operations in the future. The governments capacity to assemble, keep and share information on its citizens has grown exponentially since the days when J. Edgar Hoover, as director of the FBI, collected files on political leaders and activists to enhance his own power and chill dissent. Protections against different abuses in this digital age of genuine terrorist threats need to catch up.MORE IN CommentarySure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he wont wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate... Full StoryA lot of serious long-term national issues simply werent addressed in the recent national election. Full StoryI have written on the anomaly of the separation of the private and public sectors in our society,... Full Story
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Health care and safety in Romania
From Peace Corps Wiki
The revision #7727 of the page named "Health care and safety in Romania" does not exist.
This is usually caused by following an outdated history link to a page that has been deleted. Details can be found in the deletion log.


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Due to a power failure my friend PC cameback up with message: Windows can not load the local storage profile. To solve the issue I ask her to follow the steps below.
1 - Reboot the PC in safe mode.
2 - Logged as the administrator, I created a new User.
3 - I applied admin rights to the created user.
4 - Reboot the printer again in regular mode.
5 - Login to windows using the new User ID.
The documents that I used to have under missing profile were not in the PC. I believe that they were always working as the aministrator and the administrator profile got corrupted.


text: Our collection of scrub tops for men blends quality with comfort for a sleek, fashionable look. Choose from an assortment of stylish tees, tops and prints that keep you looking and feeling great all day. Side vents, patch pockets, back panels and a combination polyester / rayon construction all come standard for added durability and mobility. Scrubs and Beyond is committed to outfitting our customers with the quality apparel they deserve. Shop today!


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The Ouroboros
A copy, is a copy, is a copy, is a copy, of what? The ouroboros is a tail-devouring snake that symbolizes something that is constantly re-creating itself.
What other ancient symbol could possibly illustrate the very ephemeral and often circular nature of fashion, the way the ouroboros does? A fashion world where trends go in boom-and-bust cycles, the memory is like that of a guppy and people are constantly moving forward, often by recycling, imitating and copying themselves or others.
Snakes have an ability to seemingly rejuvenate itself by shedding their skin and throughout history most cultures have assigned symbolic meanings to the reptile. Particularly significant is the snake that bites its own tail, the ouroboros, as a symbol for eternity in a figurative sense. It has been of great interest to different religions, mythologies, alchemy, psychoanalysis and different expressions of popular culture. Along with the symbolism that surrounds the snake as an animal that is constantly rejuvenating itself, the circle forms a powerful metaphor for cyclic repetition.
What's for sure is that it keeps telling us that, through constant repetition, each end corresponds to a new beginning.
Together with Absolut we wanted to create a new kind of experience, where local artists interpret the idea of "orobouros" and how that can transform into art, design and music.
Unique and original content by talented contributors who bring you their latest take on fashion, beauty and photography.
The independent publication www.contributormagazine.com is produced by editor-in-chief Robert Rydberg, creative director Martin Sandberg, editor Antonia Nessen and publisher Magnus Magnusson, alongside editorial teams based in Stockholm and New York.
The local artists are artist Pella Kågerman, the designer collective Klaun and the band Tussilago.


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Shaping the future of business
Our Capabilities
We come together every day to make things happen for the brands we represent. Our passion lies in generating new ideas and our philosophy is grounded in finding a human connection that can positively impact your bottom line.
Certified SC Grown
Fresh on the Menu
When our clients at the South Carolina Department of Agriculture asked us to revamp Fresh on the Menu, we jumped at the chance to create a consumer-centric approach to what was a business to business program. freshonthemenuapp.comView Work
Palmetto Health
Feel the Difference
Palmetto Health Baptist Parkridge opened to fanfare from the residents of Irmo, Harbison, Chapin, Dutch Fork and surrounding areas.View Work
Dayton Power & Light
Save with DP&L
The energy efficiency programs from DP&L offer residents and businesses of the Miami Valley the opportunity to become life-long Savings Champions. savewithDPL.comView Work
Social Connection
Social campaigning is all about optimization. Therefore, we tweak what we are doing for NFIB continually so that we can stay on a positive trend within the social spheres.View Work
Central Midlands Transit
The COMET
This branding exercise took what was Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority and turned it into a hip, new transit system with new leadership and new energy. Once reenergized, CMRTA became The COMET. CatchTheComet.orgView Work
Whether it's a website, marketing strategy, media plan or social campaign, our people will make magic happen for you. We like to say we speak human, because that may be the one thing that we all have in common. And really, in communications, that's what it's all about - finding the commonalities that bring us together.Meet Our Team


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Quit the snipingJuly 22,2013If the White House had hopes for improved relations with Venezuela after the death of Hugo Chavez, those hopes were dashed over the weekend by the late leaders handpicked (but elected) successor, Nicolas Maduro.
Annoyed by a remark made by President Obamas nominee for ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, Maduro declared he was ending his efforts which seemed minimal in any case to mend fences with the White House.
Power had told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee she believed in contesting what she described as a crackdown on civil society being carried out in countries like Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
Power says shell fight repression in Venezuela? What repression? There is repression in the United States, where they kill African-Americans with impunity, and where they hunt the youngster Edward Snowden just for telling the truth, he declared. He also demanded an apology.
Maduros kill African-Americans remark was an obvious reference to the controversial Florida case involving neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman, who was acquitted by a jury in the death of Trayvon Martin. That verdict triggered massive protests all across America last weekend.
And the U.S. government says they want to have good relations? What tremendous relations do they want, Maduro, a former bus driver, said, adding that Powers comments would please Venezuelas fascist right.
After being elected in April, Maduro called for closer relations with Washington and in June his foreign minister, Elias Jaua, met Secretary of State John Kerry, who described the meeting as the beginning of a good, respectful relationship.
Jaua said the Maduro administration was open to a more positive relationship based on the premise of mutual respect, non-interference in internal affairs and the proper treatment of disagreements.
Jauas optimism didnt last long. On Friday, he announced that his government had issued a letter of protest to the American embassy in Caracas. In the letter, he said, he asked if there is still willingness in Washington to improve relations.
The foreign ministry described Powers comments as interventionist and boasted that the UN had often recognized Venezuelas solid system of constitutional guarantees that ensured its citizens fundamental rights.
By contrast, the whole world is constantly expressing its concern over repressive practices carried out by the United States, the statement added.
Maduro earlier angered Washington by offering asylum to the fugitive intelligence contractor Edward J. Snowden, who has been stranded in a Moscow airport while seeking a home where hed be able to avoid prosecution by the United States. All but two have rejected his request.
I have decided to offer humanitarian asylum to the young American Edward Snowden, Maduro had explained, to protect this young man from the persecution unleashed by the worlds most powerful empire.
Washington may appear understandably preoccupied with pending talks between Israel and Palestine, the continued unrest in Egypt, the worsening situation in Syria and the sectarian violence in Iraq, but clearly the state department also must deal with hostility from certain parts of Latin America.
One oddity: More than 100 players on Americas Major League Baseball teams are natives of Venezuela, and their performances are closely watched by their friends, relatives and fans back home. And, unlike Cuban players, they didnt have to defect to play in the United States. Theyre well paid in this country.
Also, the United States is an important customer for Venezuelas major export, oil. The two nations can keep sniping at each other, but they also need each other, and that fact may help save their relationship.MORE IN CommentarySure, you can buy your uncle a necktie that he wont wear, or your niece an Amazon certificate... Full StoryA lot of serious long-term national issues simply werent addressed in the recent national election. Full StoryI have written on the anomaly of the separation of the private and public sectors in our society,... Full Story
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The HST data are from proposal 9700. Processed images may be obtained from the Helix MAST web site.
The Hubble Helix Team includes M. Meixner, H.E. Bond, G. Chapman (STScI), Y.-H. Chu (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), P. Cox (Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale, France), W. Crothers, L.M. Frattare, R.Gilliland (STScI), M. Guerrero R. Gruendl (U. Illinois, Urbana-Champaign), F. Hamilton, (STScI), R.Hook (STScI/ESO), P. Huggins (New York Univ.), I. Jordan, C.D. Keyes, A. Koekemoer (STScI), K.Kwitter (Williams College), Z.G. Levay, P.R. McCullough, M. Mutchler, K. Noll (STScI), C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University), N. Panagia, M. Reinhart, M. Robberto, K. Sahu, D. Soderblom, L. Stanghellini, C. Tyler, J. Valenti, A. Welty, R. Williams (STScI).
The CTIO data were taken by C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University) and L.M. Frattare (STScI). The science team includes C.R. O'Dell (Vanderbilt University), P.R. McCullough and M. Meixner (STScI).


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Ohio State makes playoffs
Changes must not infringe on rights
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States – particularly the 14 words in that last, independent clause – are what keep firearm ownership rights of Americans from being, well, infringed. Indeed, those who do not believe the advent of arms affordable for the common man merely was coincidental to the securing of democracies here and elsewhere in the world may feel correct in thinking the second item in the bill of rights preserves all other freedoms.
There are Americans who, for reasons based in good intent, would favor restrictions on firearm sales and possession, if not an outright ban. Short of passing another amendment, it would be difficult for Congress to grant that wish without violating the Constitution.
Some may hope, and others fear, President Barack Obama would at least limit or prohibit private ownership of certain types of firearms via executive fiat.
Yet most of the 23 points proposed by the president Wednesday appear to be common-sense approaches to reducing gun violence, and within the constitutional authority of the executive branch. Some – such as nominating a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – actually are overdue.
It's quite likely advocates of gun control will be more disappointed in the breadth and depth of the 23 points than gun-rights advocates. Regardless, presidential and congressional action in this matter must be within the bounds of the Constitution.
That must be remembered if the president pursues legislation seeking a ban on types of firearms and volumes of ammunition magazines – items absent from the proposal outlines Wednesday.


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Stay up to date with the latest supply chain and operations management news, career insights, and industry developments with APICS e-News.
Subscribe to APICS e-News by going to the apics.org homepage, scrolling to the bottom, typing in your email and clicking subscribe/manage.
First-quarter numbers are in, and China's economy expanded 7.4 percent. The BBC reports this result is better than expected, but the figure is still down from 7.7 percent growth in the last quarter of 2013.
China's government has taken actions to boost its slowing economic growth. Earlier this month, it extended a tax break for small- and medium-sized companies. It also is investing in its railway system. Next, China will work with Hong Kong to enable stock investment across borders, which, according to the BBC, is expected to start in about six months. Lastly, the Chinese government is testing economic reforms in a new free-trade zone in Shanghai.
However, despite these measures, the first-quarter data also revealed a steep decline in both imports and exports.
Elevating excellence
Although its economic growth may be slowing, China continues to impress due, in no small part, to the supply chain and operations management professionals who are dedicated to advancing their companies and their country.
Last week, I attended APICS 2014 Shanghai, where I joined 200 professionals to explore topics in supply chain and operations management. I was impressed with the diversity of the participants. Approximately half of attendees were younger than 35 and almost half were women. The group was nicely balanced in their experience and represented a variety of positions across the supply chain.
What struck me, once again, was how similar these attendees' APICS stories were to those of other professionals around the world. During our opening session, we asked participants to share their experiences. Slowly, one by one, people stood to talk about the positive difference APICS had made in their careers. They talked about how earning their APICS CPIM credential gave them the confidence they needed to be a part of transnational supply chain teams, make recommendations to their corporate leaders, and put themselves on a solid career path.
This group was eager for practical, applicable knowledge. Like all APICS professionals, they were especially interested in hearing how companies were using supply chain management as a key differentiator in today's highly competitive economic environment. They learned about the successes of Rockwell Automation, Lenovo, DuPont, Samsung, Unilever, Tesco, and others. They wanted to learn about both traditional APICS body of knowledge topics, including just-in-time manufacturing, and emerging topics, such as big data and chronic disruption. They wanted to learn how to develop leadership skills, such as strategic thinking, and be able to leverage those skills to increase the level of responsibility and influence they can have.
From a workforce perspective, China lags the West in retention of employees. Thus, turnover is very high. The reason is simple. Chinese professionals have a world of choices available to them. In my closing remarks, I encouraged senior professionals in the audience to be advocates for employee training and development—which, experience shows, increases employee loyalty. Talent retention is a key factor in sustaining growth. And from my point of view, the dedicated supply chain and operations management professionals who attended APICS 2014 Shanghai and other professionals like them are well worth the investment.
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Ever been to a presentation where evil trolls seemed to have taken over every technical apparatus around? Nothing worked right and the poor presenter muddled through the best he could while dealing with a blank screen, no audio or wrong slide deck.
Now imagine yourself in the situation. Entrepreneurs often have to think on their feet and be prepared for any eventuality.
This article in Inc.com offers some helpful tips to deal with presentations that run into technical glitches and how to avoid them in the first place.


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Rivera riding at the top of his game
CHESTER – Displacing Deshawn Parker as the leading jockey at a Mountaineer Racetrack meeting is an unexpected feat. But during Sunday's meet, Luis Raul Rivera registered 61 wins to Parker's 55. Many believed it couldn't be done. Rivera did it.
Mountaineer's third (of four) meets during its 210-day season is now under way and today's card includes the first stakes of the year, a pair of one-mile turf events. Rivera has mounts in both of them. He'll be aboard Easy Crossing in the $75,000 Independence Day Stakes. And he will ride Sharp Sally in the $75,000 Firecracker Stakes.
Both horses are trained by Tim Schuh and are owned by Art Preston, an oil, gas and real estate entrepreneur from Texas. Easy Crossing, a 4-year-old colt by English Channel, has placed in turf stakes at Pimlico Race Course and Belmont Park. Sharp Sally, a 4-year-old daughter of Posse, won a pair of Mountaineer allowance races in her most recent efforts.
This will be Rivera's first time aboard Easy Crossing. He rode Sharp Sally to her allowance scores. Sharp Sally has only one prior effort on the grass, though, and she finished unplaced.
"I've never even seen Easy Crossing before, and I really have no idea about him," Rivera said. "The filly, well, I know what she can do on the dirt. And the weather could make a difference. The only thing I can really say is that I always ride to win."
Easy Crossing's career record includes six starts, two victories, three placings and purse earnings of $105,900. His sire won a half-dozen Grade 1 stakes, and was North America's 2007 male turf champions. Easy Crossing is 8-1 in the Independence Day morning line. He will be making his first start in nearly a year, and is a work in progress.
Sharp Sally's career stats include eight starts, from which she has gained four victories and purse earnings of $93,995. Her sire was a sharp sprinter, with a trio of graded stakes score on his resume, but not a grass competitor. Sharp Sally is 10-1 in the Firecracker morning line. She's a work in progress, too.
The 34-year-old Rivera is from Loiza on the northeastern coast of Puerto Rico. His family had show horses, and at age 14 he began working in the stables at the El Comandante racecourse.
"I'd be in high school on weekdays and at the track on weekends," said Rivera. "When I was 16, I began galloping."
He began riding races at El Comandante, and eventually took his gear to Calder in South Florida, and after that to Laurel Park, Pimlico and the state fair at Timonium in Maryland. "I also had some mounts at Delaware Park and Philadelphia Park (now known as Parx Racing)," Rivera said. "When it got cold, I headed back to Puerto Rico."
At one point he quit being a jockey. Rivera had problems keeping his weight down; the hiatus extended for three years. But he eventually returned to race riding in Puerto Rico, and in 2005 began riding at Mountaineer. Rivera had 950 career victories through Sunday. He's on pace to reach the 1,000-win plateau by early to mid-autumn.
Rivera has one career stakes win on his resume. In 2011, he booted Hot Hot Mama to victory in the $75,000 Ohio Valley Handicap at Mountaineer. Rivera's agent is Tim Freking, who used to handle the book for Dana Whitney, and currently handles Terry Houghton's book as well.
Mountaineer's season began on March 2. For the track's first two meets combined, Parker remains the leading jockey, with a total of 87 wins. Rivera ranks second, with 77. Christian Pilares has 69 and Houghton has 64.
With nearly six months of racing remaining, Parker remains the guy to catch. Doing so will be very difficult. But as Rivera has proven, it's not an unprecedented achievement.


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The Hawaiian Electric Companies are warning customers about an increased number of reports of telephone scams to utility customers. Recently, dozens of small business customers, mostly ethnic restaurants, have reported receiving telephone calls saying that their electric bill is delinquent and that they're subject to same day disconnection.
In some cases, the customers reported their telephone caller ID showed the calls were from Hawaiian Electric. The calls were not made by Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric or Hawaii Electric Light Company, indicating the scammers were using commercially available technology to emulate the utilities' legitimate caller ID.
Click here to hear an audio recording of the scam. Click here to read a transcript of the scam's phone call.
"These scams are growing increasingly sophisticated. The best defense is to exercise caution. We encourage our customers to remain alert and continue to report any suspicious activity," said Jim Alberts, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for customer service.
If customers receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to represent the company, the Hawaiian Electric Companies encourage customers to call their respective Customer Service Centers at the following phone numbers:
- Oahu: 548-7311
- Maui: 871-9777
- Molokai and Lanai: 1-877-871-8461 (toll free)
- Hilo: 969-6999
- Kona: 329-3584
- Waimea: 885-4605
In addition, the Hawaiian Electric Companies are reminding customers not to provide personal, confidential, or financial information to any unidentified individual and urge customers to exercise caution when responding to phone calls from unidentified individuals. If customers feel unsure about the identity of a caller, they should feel free to hang up and call their utility's Customer Service Center. Report any suspicious activity to police.
Reports may also be made to Hawaiian Telcom's Nuisance Call Bureau. Hawaiian Telcom customers can call 643-7111 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays with reports of harassing, illegal, threatening or obscene calls. Depending on the nature of the nuisance call, a specialized team will then either investigate or recommend options to manage unwanted or annoying phone calls. Some options may entail additional charges.
Recently, many electric customers have reported that they were directed to pay their utility bills by purchasing certain types of money vouchers called MoneyPak. This is not a legitimate method of making payments on electric bills.
Customers may report fraud cases directly to MoneyPak by calling 1-800-GREEN DOT through the company's website using the "Report Fraud" tab:
- https://www.moneypak.com/ProtectYourMoney.aspx#Scams
Customers wishing to pay their electric bills in person may do so at Hawaiian Electric's customer service offices in Honolulu, at Maui Electric's Kahului and Molokai business offices, or at Hawaii Electric Light's office in Hilo, Kona or Waimea.
In addition, other legitimate payment options include:
- U.S. mail
- Oahu: PO Box 3978, Honolulu, HI 96812-3978
- Hawaii Island: PO Box 909, Honolulu, HI 96808-0909
- Maui, Lanai, Molokai: PO Box 1670, Honolulu, HI 96806-1670
- Online at www.hawaiianelectric.com; www.mauielectric.com; or www.hawaiielectriclight.com
- Walk-in payments may be made at First Hawaiian Bank, Walmart, or Western Union locations (Foodland, Kmart, Sack-N-Save, Safeway, Times Supermarket)
- By Phone through charge, checking/savings debit card, or electronic check (Fees Apply)
- Residential customers, please call 1-888-813-2207
- Commercial customers, please call 1-888-813-2215
Here are some additional safety tips to keep in mind:
- Be careful when taking calls from an unidentified phone number; phone scammers will want to remain anonymous.
- Scammers may use technology to fake a caller ID, so don't be afraid to ask questions. Get the caller's name, phone number and company name. That might deter phone scammers from continuing the conversation.
- Hawaiian Electric employees would not direct you to make a payment at any location other than our customer service offices and the customer service desks of those sites noted above.


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Al's Nylon Cup Brush
Reviewed By Jason M (Summit, MS) Reviewed for a 1998 GMC C/K 1500 —2/6/2013 10:54 PM
Al's Nylon Cup Brush worked great on the back of my pickup bed. Also used it on Trac Rack ladder rack which worked great getting it prepped for spray liner. Caution get to close to your body it will prep you as well with a nice strawberry.


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Sound Off for October 30th: Should the election be postponed?
Could superstorm Sandy postpone the presidential election?
It could take days to restore electricity to more than 8 million homes and businesses that lost power when the storm pummeled the East Coast.
That means it's possible power could still be out in parts of some states on Election Day next Tuesday -- a major problem for precincts that rely on electronic voting machines.
Congress sets the date for the presidential election and could change it, but that's unlikely because Congress would have to come back from recess and pass a law.
Plus, it would wreak havoc on state and local elections scheduled for the same day.
Should the election be postponed? Or do East Coast states need to just figure out how to make it happen even if the power's still out?
Comment below or e-mail us at email@example.com.
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Necklace - CatRabbit
"There is nothing wrong with loving the crap out of everything. Negative people find their walls. So never apologize for your enthusiasm. Never. Ever. Never."
— Ryan Adams
Found here, thanks Melly.
that is one wicked necklace. you have the coolest things, adeline. i like that quote, too.ReplyDelete
you're welcome! ;) you're really amazing, you can pull SO many things off.ReplyDelete
Oh this is so beautiful! It's nice to have a splash of colour you can put on in these grey days to follow.ReplyDelete
I love the quote and the necklace of courseReplyDelete
like the quote and the necklace :)ReplyDelete


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You are Here:
/ Watersheds
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The purpose of the Watershed Program, including River Basin operations, is to assist Federal, State, local agencies, local government sponsors, tribal governments, and program participants to protect and restore watersheds from damage caused by erosion, floodwater, and sediment, to conserve and develop water and land resources, and solve natural resource and related economic problems on a watershed basis. The program provides technical and financial assistance to local people or project sponsors, builds partnerships, and requires local and state funding contribution. Find out more about the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Programs.
For further information on the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, contact:
John Ramsden, P.E., State Conservation Engineer
8030 Excelsior Drive
Madison, WI 53717
Phone: 608-662-4422, ext. 234
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
John Ramsden, P.E., State Conservation Engineer
8030 Excelsior Drive
Madison, WI 53717
Phone: 608-662-4422, ext. 234
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
The purpose of the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program is to undertake emergency measures, including the purchase of flood plain easements, for runoff retardation and soil erosion prevention to safeguard lives and property from floods, drought, and the products of erosion on any watershed whenever fire, flood or any other natural occurrence is causing or has caused a sudden impairment of the watershed.
It is not necessary for a national emergency to be declared for an area to be eligible for assistance. Program objective is to assist sponsors and individuals in implementing emergency measures to relieve imminent hazards to life and property created by a natural disaster. Activities include providing financial and technical assistance to remove debris from streams, protect destabilized streambanks, establish cover on critically eroding lands, repairing conservation practices, and the purchase of flood plain easements. The program is designed for installation of recovery measures. More information on the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
For further information on the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, contact:
Emergency Watershed Protection Program factsheet, 2013 PDF 144 kb)
Wisconsin Report on PL566 Dams in Vernon and Richland Counties-October 2007 PDF
EWP in Black River Falls, 2010 (PDF; 178 KB)
EWP in Readstown, Vernon County, 2009 (PDF; 214 KB)
EWP in Webster, Vernon County, 2009 (PDF; 177 KB)
Wisconsin Emergency Response Plan DOC
Request for Advancement or Reimbursement (SF270) PDF
Damage Survey Report - EWP Recovery (NRCS-PDM-20) PDF
Damage Survey Report - EWP Recovery (DSR) XLS
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Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Standing Committee on Antarctic Geographic Information (SC-AGI). 1998. Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica (CGA). Rome, Italy: Programma Nazionale di Ricerche in Antartide (PNRA), in association with the Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AADC). Digital media. Accessed 16 May 2008.
Class name: round features
Description: Any feature having a circular shape.
Examples: Amphitheatre, Arena, Basin, Cave, Circle, Hole


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Legee Elementary is looking for "likes" this week to earn a free trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Ms. McCormick's second and third grade classes created an environmental-friendly wreath, as part of a regional competition conducted through the aquarium's Facebook page. The competition is open to classes, from kindergarten through 12th grade.
To vote, students, parents and residents simply need to "like" the photo of Legee's wreath on Facebook. Top vote-getters earn a free field trip to the historic aquarium.
Interested in voting? Simply click on the link.


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Bloodfart McCoy
Q: Should I keep practicing the harmonica?
Q: But I don't want to be a pothead again.
Q: Okay ... maybe just every other day.
Q: Okay! All day everyday!
Yes, sir
Donald Trump is constantly being compared to infamous political figures and villains from movies. Finally, the correct comparison is here.
Now that Bob Dylan has won the Nobel Prize in literature, hopefully these other great musicians will win the award in the future.
What is this mysterious suit-man holding?
Punch 'em all, let the law sort it out.
Me: 6'6" lumberjack I'm 6' tall the other measurement isn't overstatement
The Comedy Goldmine examines the funniest and most creative threads from the Something Awful Forums. Although the Comedy Goldmine has changed authors many times over the years, its focus on the Something Awful Forums is still the same. Includes hilarious Photoshops, amusing work stories, parodies, and other types of oddball humor.
Copyright ©2016 Rich "Lowtax" Kyanka & Something Awful LLC.


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Yield: 24 1-cup servings. 5 quarts Pearl® Original Organic Soymilk 1 1/2 tsp. salt 4 lb. old-fashioned rolled oats 2 1/2 lb. dried cherries 9 oz. chopped toasted natural almonds as needed, brown sugar as needed, Pearl® Organic Soymilk, warmed For each serving, to order: In a large pot over medium heat, bring soymilk and salt to a boil. Stir in rolled oats; cook about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in cherries and almonds. Serve with brown sugar and warmed soymilk. ...
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Gleneagles Access Statement
Our site is designed to be machine readable as well as user friendly. Whilst efforts have been made to create a site which will apeal to all, many users will want to change our default settings. The site has been designed to make this as simple as possible. There is an excellent resource detailing what preference can be changed and how to change them at the BBC's my web, my way web site.
Missing widgets
You may have noticed that this site lacks some "standard" web accessibility widgets. For example, a text resizer. This is a deliberate act - we think that it is better to educate users how to set their own browser preferences rather than trying to recreate browser functionality on our web site.
Futher information on this can be found at the W3C's (World Wide Web Consortium) accessibility information page
It has also been a conscious descision not to enforce access keys or a tab index. There has been much debate on the benefits and possible harm caused by both these features. Access keys are notorious for causing conflicts with web technologies. Tab index is often not necessary when a site has logically ordered content.


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In the Adirondacks, October 10, 2009, along Route 3.
It started out as a chilly, heavily overcast morning in the Adirondacks. We were on our way up to Tupper Lake's Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks-"The Wild Center". Early in the afternoon the sun finally came out.
On the way home we made a few stops to enjoy the crisp fall air and enjoy the colors. Stopping off at the Piercefield Flow, which is between Raquette Pond and the Raquette River, just north of the town of Piercefield.
Later on a quick stop in the village of Wanakena. Here they have their famous foot bridge, built in 1902. In 1999 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. This last pic shows looking down stream, even the water looks cold. Which I'm sure it was.


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Understanding Oracle Certification Exams
October 17, 2012 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Article
If you have never experienced an Oracle certification, you may be wondering about the different types of Oracle exams that are available to take. Most all of Oracle's certification tracks require an exam that serve as confirmation that the candidate does indeed have the knowledge and skills in a given focus area. As part of your preparation, Testslive offers expert exam practice tutorials for a wide variety of Oracle exams, providing an effective compliment to your study arsenal.


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Ever since the invention of Linux and the appearance of open source, potential uses for the software have fallen into three broad categories: server, embedded, and desktop. With the widespread success of Linux in both the server room and on devices such as the Nokia 770, Zaurus, and Motorola phones, the desktop is the last remaining battlefield. Though many deem its success as inevitable, what is the Linux desktop, why should we use it, and why on earth should you care?
The story of the Linux desktop began many moons before Linux itself was invented. Back in the early '80s, the efforts by Richard Stallman to create free implementations of Unix applications under his GNU project were largely intended for rather mundane but important tools such as compilers, editors, and languages. At the time, most people did not use a graphical interface; they were simply too expensive. In 1984, boffins at MIT invented the X Window System, a framework for drawing graphics on different types of computer. Released later in 1987, X has provided an industry standard for creating graphical applications. Luckily, the free implementation of X, Xfree86, was available to support the growing free software community. XFree86 has since evolved into X.org, a cutting-edge implementation of X.
As Linux burst onto the scene and Linux distributions matured, an increasing importance was placed in the graphical interface. Early window managers such as
twm, and
fvwm were rather primitive and simplistic for the then-current state of the art. To provide a more complete environment, Matthias Ettrich started work on KDE, a project to create a complete desktop environment. Based on the Qt toolkit, KDE matured at quite a pace and soon provided a compelling, attractive graphical interface that many distributions shipped as the default environment. Despite the engineering success of KDE, licensing concerns about Qt (a toolkit that was not considered entirely free software) drove a number of concerned developers to create a competing desktop called GNOME. Although it was pedal to the metal for KDE and GNOME, a good desktop is more than just the environment itself; it is all about applications, applications, applications.
Related Reading
Linux Desktop Hacks
Traditionally, the Linux platform was more than capable when it came to development or academic processing, but there was something of a barren wasteland of desktop applications for common needs. With KDE and GNOME providing an insight into what could happen with the open source desktop, more and more work went into creating these kinds of applications. In addition to open source efforts, some companies made concerted efforts to solve the applications problem. One of the biggest events at the time was Netscape open sourcing its Communicator suite. With Netscape Navigator as the most feature-complete browser available for Linux, this move cemented confidence in the burgeoning platform. Another major event was the open sourcing of the StarOffice office suite when Sun purchased StarDivision. StarOffice had existed for a number of years on Linux, but the suite had become rather bloated and lost. These two applications would later become Firefox and OpenOffice.org, two of the most popular open source products.
As the desktop has continued to develop, more and more support has evolved from commercial organizations. With support from major hardware manufacturers, support organizations, training companies, and application vendors, desktop Linux is edging closer to everyone's radar each day. With the availability of tools such as Acrobat Reader, VMWare, Nero, and Skype, and rumors of Macromedia tools available for Linux, the desktop is still edging towards that reality. Although the choice of commercial applications for the Linux desktop still does not compare to its Windows and Mac cousins, today's Linux desktop still offers an incredibly capable platform.
The modern Linux desktop offers a comprehensive platform for a variety of different tasks. This platform is not only useful by the technical cognoscenti, but is genuinely useful by non-technical users who simply need to use a computer for word processing, spreadsheets, web browsing, sending email, looking at digital camera photos, and listening to music. More and more stories are reported of moms and dads across the world getting in on the Linux desktop and it saving untold hours of pain from spyware, viruses, and other internet nasties.
Deciding how the Linux desktop can work for you is largely dependent on what you want to use it for. Here are some examples of different types of users and how the Linux desktop can help:
Office productivity: Creating documents in various forms is an essential requirement for any office. Word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, drawing, diagrams, desktop publishing, and more are all needed. The OpenOffice.org suite can satisfy many of these needs. OpenOffice.org also supports a range of formats, including those of Microsoft Office. For more specific desktop publishing, Scribus has been particularly popular. Providing a level of functionality akin to Quark XPress, Scribus can be used for everything from flyers to entire magazines.
Graphic design: Graphic designers typically need to work in both 2D and 3D. For 2D work, the GIMP is a popular Photoshop-like tool for 2D bitmap drawing. Although some high-end Photoshop users may find that the GIMP lacks a few features, many users find it entirely capable for their needs. If the designer needs to venture into vector graphics, Inkscape is another useful application. Inkscape provides a very feature-complete toolbox for creating resizable graphics. For 3D work, Blender provides an insanely complete 3D modelling environment. Blender has been used extensively for creating 3D images, animations, and interactive walkthroughs. Combined with Yafray, Blender can produce photorealistic results. The Blender project is cementing its potential in the open source Project Orange initiative in Amsterdam. Their DVD pre-sales are supporting the creation of a complete, professionally produced, animated short.
Web development: Web developers primarily need tools to create web applications as well as attractive designs. Aside from the hugely popular PHP/MySQL development platform (installed easily with the XAMPP framework), there are a number of tools and extensions available for easing development work. This includes Eclipse, a powerful, modular development environment, and Nvu, a simple WYSIWYG editor for visually creating websites. With the huge success of the Firefox web browser, many of its new users don't realize that Firefox can be expanded with extensions. One of the most useful extensions is the Web Developer Toolbar, which provides a range of essential features such as CSS editing, validation, debugging, and more.
Communication: Everyone loves to talk, and email and instant messaging are the most common methods of online discussion. The Linux desktop has plenty of support for all types of communication. Integrated email/calendaring tools such as Evolution and Kontact provide Outlook-type functionality, and the Gaim instant messenging program supports a wide range of networks, including MSN, AIM, and Google Talk. For those of you with a meaty network connection, GnomeMeeting can be used for audio/video conferencing.
These four use cases demonstrate a small fraction of the opportunities available with the Linux desktop. There are, of course, hundreds of other applications and tools available for a variety of common uses, such as media production, development, marketing, etc., as well as less-common uses, such as machining, custom engineering, stress testing, and so on.
Although the Linux desktop is an intriguing proposition for many users, there are naturally both advantages and disadvantages to the platform in its current form. Luckily, many distributions provide live CDs (such as Ubuntu) that can be used to try out the desktop by booting and running from a CD. This can give you a hands-on idea of how well the Linux desktop works for your needs.
The advantages of the Linux desktop come in various forms and include:
Virus free: Although Linux can technically get viruses, the security model behind open source is strong enough to make them so rare that they are virtually non-existent. This is a major benefit compared to the virus-ridden Windows world.
Scalable: The Linux desktop is incredibly scalable and can run on both cutting-edge computers and older hardware. This is particularly useful when you want to re-birth an older machine. There are a range of window managers and applications that are particularly well-suited for older hardware, such as Xfce and Abiword.
Software installation: Software installation has traditionally been a pain on the Linux desktop, but with recent distributions such as Ubuntu and Fedora, software installation is as simple as selecting a package from a list. With Ubuntu boasting over 11,000 packages, the selection is vast.
Although the desktop boasts these advantages, there are also some areas that are not quite so nice, and sometimes rather frustrating:
Conceptual change: For users coming from Windows, the Linux platform is conceptually quite different to Windows--the GUI looks a little different, the icons are in different places, and there all of these new programs to learn and use. This can be quite off-putting for many users.
Hardware support: Unfortunately, some hardware devices are not well supported in Linux. This is primarily because the hardware manufacturers don't release specifications and don't create Linux drivers. This is less of an issue in modern distributions, but is still a problem with some specialist hardware devices.
Too much choice: With the huge range of applications and an array of different distributions, it can often be difficult for newcomers to get started with the Linux desktop.
Like everything else in the IT industry, the Linux desktop is certainly not standing still. There is feverish development going into its every nook and cranny, much of which is concentrating on truly innovative uses of technology. Although some of this technology will not be mature for the next few years, the work of today is promoting a promising future for the desktop.
The development of the desktop is largely pushing in two directions: refinements and entirely new concepts. The refinements are exactly what you expect--improvements and changes to existing tools. An example of this includes the constant attention to OpenOffice.org to slim it down, add new features, and refine the user interface. This work is happening across the full gamut of the desktop, with exciting user-facing applications (such as KDE/GNOME) and less-exciting but important applications (such as system libraries and compilers) getting buffed and sheened all the time.
In recent years, a number of developers have sat back and considered entirely new directions in which development should focus. Aside from intriguing niche projects such as SymphonyOS, both the KDE and GNOME projects have ideas about how a re-engineered version of their desktops will function. These proposed ideas are pushing for a different method of users interacting with the desktop that is more task- and people-oriented than application-oriented. For KDE, their vision is in the form of Plasma and the other components of their Appeal Project. For the GNOME camp, their visions of GNOME 3.0 are being solidified with Project Topaz. Both of these projects are heavily in the design stage and their developers are thinking of new and innovative ways to push the desktop forward.
One of the most interesting areas in which both Plasma and Topaz are keen to improve is in the quality of the graphical interface. In addition to usability changes, both projects are keen to create a truly attractive desktop. To make this easier, other developers have been working on underlying technology to improve the user interface. One such project is Cairo. Cairo provides a very high-quality 2D drawing framework that can be used to easily create graphics that are the same quality on the screen as they are when printed. Recently, GTK+ (the graphical toolkit GNOME uses for its buttons, scrollbars etc.) has switched to Cairo. This has opened up the possibility of high-quality Cairo themes in the future, such as Clearlooks. In addition to Cairo, other developers have been working on Xgl to provide a hardware-accelerated OpenGL interface for the X Window System. Xgl can be used to create exciting effects, such as spinning the entire screen, lighting effects, zooming, and more.
In addition to the look and feel of the desktop, work is also going on to better support hardware devices and multimedia. The already well-established Project Utopia stack is making it simple to plug in USB devices and work with them easily, and extra efforts are concentrating on better support of printers and USB sound cards. Many of the multimedia hardware devices are also benefiting from the powerful GStreamer framework, a comprehensive system that makes it simple to write applications to perform a variety of types of multimedia operations. GStreamer supports a range of codecs and has been used successfully with tools such as Amarok, Totem, and Rhythmbox. GStreamer is making the Linux desktop a particularly exciting place for video editing, with both PiTiVi and Diva promising exciting opportunities.
The Linux desktop is an exciting beast to observe due to its intense rate of development. When you consider the progress made in the last ten years, you can see how dedicated the developers behind the platform are to its success. As more and more people jump aboard and contribute to different parts of the desktop, it is sure to become a more compelling option for everyday users. When you roll into the mixture the work on technologies such as Cairo, Xgl, GStreamer, Plasma, and Project Topaz, the Linux desktop certainly has a bright, attractive future.
No one really pays that much attention to the predictions about the "year of the Linux desktop," but with so much going on, it is likely that it will be sooner rather than later.
Jono Bacon is an award-winning leading community manager, author and consultant, who has authored four books and acted as a consultant to a range of technology companies. Bacon's weblog (http://www.jonobacon.org/) is one of the widest read Open Source weblogs.
Return to the Linux DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


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Information on making sculpted dolls, creating large craft items and cooking turkey will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and noon Thursday.
Author and doll maker Terese Cato says all of the doll bodies she makes are made with Kona Cotton fabric. She'll also show some ideas for dressing the doll and says there are endless possibilities for fabric choices. Her book is titled "Make Cloth Dolls: A Foolproof Way to Sew Fabric Friends." She lives in Las Vegas, Nev.
Jann Johnson is a crafter and will show how to make several unusual large craft items, including a spaceship and a carnival booth. She represents Decoart.com, Scotchblue.com, elmers.com/crafters and hammondscandies.com. She's from Long Island City, N.Y.
Marty Van Ness is a spokeswoman and home economist for Butterball, and she's going to tell how to enjoy turkey throughout the year — not just during the holidays. She will demonstrate traditional turkey recipe ideas with a more contemporary twist — especially good for the Millennials. She is from Naperville, Ill.
Information on easy-to-make casseroles, Japanese tailoring techniques and decorating a teen's bedroom will be the featured topics on "Creative Living" at noon Tuesday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
Cooking instructor Jan Hauptmann (now deceased) will demonstrate some easy-to-make casseroles that make use of leftovers and can be frozen and cooked later.
Sewing expert Judy Barlup will demonstrates the Japanese tailoring method, which allows for shape to be built into the garment during construction. Her company is Unique Techniques, and she's from Bellevue, Wash.
Designer Andrea Schewe will share some suggestions for decorating a teen's bedroom. She represents Simplicity Pattern Co. in New York City.


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3 Comments leave one →
March 6, 2012 5:30 am
Hello!! I discovered your blog recently & i love love it!! Your little potato is just the cuteness & he's really really looks like my frenchie Floyd!! It's always a pleasure to found another french bulldog lover! ♥
March 6, 2012 8:36 am
I love potatoes. …and Lily😉


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Federal Real Property Council (FRPC)
About the Federal Real Property Council (FRPC)
The FRPC was created according to provisions in Executive Order 13327, "Federal Real Property Asset Management," signed by President George W. Bush on February 4, 2004. Executive Order 13327 states:
"The policy of the United States is to promote efficient and economical use of America's real property assets and to assure management accountability for implementing federal real property management reforms."
Major provisions of the order include:
- Establish the position of a Senior Real Property Officer (SRPO) at all major landholding agencies
- Direct the Senior Real Property Officers to develop and implement agency asset management plans
- Create interagency Federal Real Property Council (FRPC)
- Authorize the development of a single and descriptive database of federal real properties
Within the FRPC…
The FRPC consists of SRPO's, the Controller of OMB, the Administrator of General Services, and any other officials or employees permitted by the chair of the Council. The Deputy Director for Management for OMB is the chair of the Council, and OMB provides funding and administrative support to the Council.
Role of General Services Administration
The Administrator of General Services lends support to landholding agencies governmentwide in implementing Executive Order 13327. GSA supports the FRPC by:
- Providing oversight guidance to the executive departments and agencies on real property, including the managing of properties; delegating operating responsibilities to an agency; and providing leadership in the development and maintenance of property information systems
- Publishing performance measures and standards adopted by the FRPC
- Establishing and maintaining a database on real property owned and leased by federal agencies and collecting inventory information on the federal government real property holdings
- Establishing information technology standards for landholding agencies to facilitate the reporting of real property information on a uniform basis