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Thu. December 2, 2010 | Adam Berry
TAMPA — The final season of Phillip Ely's impressive high school career didn't start quite how he had hoped — nor how most people expected.
The previously undefeated (19-0) starting quarterback was on the wrong end of a nationally-televised preseason blowout against Manatee, struggled with an ankle injury that forced him to sit out Plant's 20-13 win over Hillsborough and suffered the first two regular-season defeats of his career to Abilene (Texas) and Armwood, a 17-0 shutout.
Ely completed just 53.3 percent of his passes for 160.75 yards per game and threw as many touchdowns (three) in his first four games as interceptions while trying to adjust to an almost entirely new cast of skill-position players around him.
"We knew that we were talented in those spots. We just knew it was going to take some time," Plant coach Robert Weiner said. "They have faith in the process …even when things don't look so good or people say, 'Oh, this doesn't look like Plant,' and, 'God, this is bad for Phillip.' "
In eight games since the Armwood shutout, Ely has connected on 69.4 percent of his attempts for 1,934 yards (276.3 per game) and 23 touchdowns heading into tonight's Class 5A region final against Countryside.
"He hasn't just stayed there and let everybody catch up to him," Weiner said. "He really has been the guy who's raised the level of play of everyone around him. It's an expectation."
Lost in all the preseason hype surrounding the nation's No. 1 team was the ugly truth that Plant only returned three starters on offense: Ely, DE/RB James Wilder Jr. and OL Tony Posada. But that revealed itself quickly, as the offense sputtered and stalled early on, averaging 11.75 points in four of its first five games (exempting a 56-6 rout of winless Riverview).
"Our team doubted ourselves as well, so we just had to have that kind of click in our head where everything flows right," Ely said. "We just kind of got used to each other and started motivating each other and came a lot closer together."
Ely lost his top five receivers from last season, and his four best options entered this year with a combined 19 career catches. But the 6-foot-1 Alabama commit has spread the ball around, with five Plant players catching 15 or more passes: Antonio Crawford (45), Scott Greacen (43), Austin Aikens (37), Daniel Casselli (29) and Wilder (15).
Though the fluidity of the feeling-out process makes it difficult to find a specific turning point, the offense began to find its way in Plant's 36-20 win over Spoto on Oct. 15. Despite three interceptions, Ely threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing and ran in another score.
Was that the single moment Ely began to get comfortable with his receiving corps? Not quite.
"I'm still doing it now," Ely said. "Obviously we've gotten to a point where we feel comfortable with each other and I know all their moves and stuff like that, where they're going to be."
"We know we're going to have to be the guys making the plays," added Greacen. "We don't have (Eric) Dungy, Allen (Sampson), all them that we had last year. Now, it's us. It's our time, and we're just comfortable now."
Crawford said the wideouts have had to work to get to that point. They hit the weight room on Wednesdays and Saturdays when no one else can be found, and they're always the first group on the practice field and the last off it.
But their efforts have paid off. With Ely entering his final weeks as a high school student before enrolling at Alabama in January, Plant's sights are set on winning a third straight state championship. That idea may have seemed ludicrous in September, even to Ely and his teammates, but not anymore.
"I definitely want to try to go out with a bang," Ely said. "It just took time during the season. I'm disappointed about how it was at the beginning of the season, but I'm glad we're still playing now, so we definitely got a lot better."
Catching on
While quarterback Phillip Ely has developed greater chemistry and comfort with his receiving corps, much of Plant's improvement in the passing game can also be attributed to the wideouts finding their roles in the spread offense.
"Our four positions, we don't want four guys with similar talents. There's some very specific characteristics that each one has," coach Robert Weiner said. "Not only have we all gotten better together, but the pieces are starting to fit as far as what it is those positions are supposed to be."
It took some time, Weiner said, because his coaches didn't necessarily know what to do with the new set of receivers who had to fill four spots in the passing game (the X, Y, Z and slot positions).
Take a look at the Panthers' primary targets and how they have grown into their roles, as described by Weiner.
Antonio Crawford, 5-11, 180
Stats: 45 receptions, 602 yards, seven TDs
The job description, slot receiver: "He's the guy who's going to stretch the field. We try to stretch the field up the middle with him and try to inside-out people with him."
Daniel Casselli, 6-3, 185
Stats: 29 receptions, 436 yards, four TDs
The job description, X receiver: "A target guy who's got some height to him and we can throw a ball to him."
Scott Greacen, 6-0, 170
Stats: 43 receptions, 482 yards, seven TDs
The job description, Y receiver: "A guy who is going to be tough underneath, who's going to make the tough catches, who's going to be able to block the slots for us."
Austin Aikens, 6-1, 175
Stats: 37 receptions, 727 yards, six TDs
The job description, Z receiver: "A guy who needs to be able to do everything. He needs to catch the deep ball, catch the intermediate ball, be able to run with it when he catches."


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Third Time's the Charm -- Russia's Proton Rocket Successfully Orbits SES-4
Russia succeeded in launching a communications satellite for SES today after two previous attempts were scrubbed.
In an anomalous situation for the Russian space launch industry, two previous attempts to launch the SES satellite in December 2011 and January 2012 encountered technical problems close to launch and the rocket had to be removed from the launch pad for repairs. Designated SES-4 or NSS-14, the satellite was successfully lofted today. The need to roll back from the launch pad received considerable media attention because Russia's aerospace industry is experiencing an unusual wave of accidents and failures.
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Maybe I just assumed the answer would've been inside linebacker, or outside linebacker, or just linebacker, when I asked someone with the Pittsburgh Steelers his opinion as to which was the deepest position on the team and would be the hardest to make cuts.
He said offensive line and wide receiver.
I asked for details and he gave me this one:
"Everyone wants to kill (Chris) Hubbard," he said. "But he plays center and guard and got us out of a game at left tackle last year."
Maybe "everyone" is me, if only because in the last installment of The Morning After I predicted that B.J. Finney would make the roster and probably even get a helmet on game day. Maybe I reached a bit with the helmet prediction because I believe Finney is behind Cody Wallace, who proved himself starter-capable last season in relief of Maurkice Pouncey.
And, yes, Wallace makes my team. So do reserve tackles Ryan Harris and Jerald Hawkins. That's eight offensive linemen.
Since Mike Tomlin has never brought 10 linemen into an opening game, it appears one of the two, Finney or Hubbard, will be cut.
Maybe that's why my team source believes one of the cuts could be in someone else's starting lineup this season, or, at least, he said, picked up as someone else's top reserve.
As for the competition at wide receiver, I have to believe seventh-round draft pick Demarcus Ayers is the talent they'll be trying to get through to the practice squad.
Just as occurred in the spring, Ayers didn't receive many reps early but appears to be getting more scrimmage work, and, as he did in the spring, is responding well.
Eli Rogers appears to be the No. 5 guy. Rogers is showing well as a slot receiver. He may not have the return skills that Ayers possesses, but with Antonio Brown available that's not a skill -- in and of itself -- that's going to earn someone a roster spot.
MAD MAX: The last time the Steelers kept 10 offensive linemen was Bill Cowher's last season, 2006, and they were coming off a championship in which the line, to quote Alan Faneca, "kicked ass."
All nine linemen from 2005 returned in 2006 and the team added two draft picks, so keeping 10 was a luxury that a champion felt it could afford.
And why not? The Steelers rushed for 2,223 yards in 2005. They haven't reached that number since. The previous season, 2004, was Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season and they rushed for 2,464 yards.
Yet, Roethlisberger called this year's version the best offensive line he has played with.
"That's because," said Max Starks, who played right tackle on that 2005 line, "he had that streak of losses when he threw more than 30 passes."
Roethlisberger's Steelers lost the first six games (and eight of the first nine) in which he attempted more than 30 passes. The breakthrough occurred in the second half of his third season against Cleveland.
Starks, working in radio covering the Arizona Cardinals, visited camp this week. He realizes the game has changed and that back then attempting more than 30 passes meant a team was trying to come from behind.
In the last two seasons, Roethlisberger has attempted over 30 passes in 27 games. The Steelers are 16-11 in those games, with the arrow pointing up in large part because of the potential health and efficiency of this offensive line.
"I'd still like to see them line up in the I-formation and beat people up in the running game," said Starks.
And he's undoubtedly not the only one. The Steelers are 8-0 the last two seasons when Roethlisberger attempts 33 passes or less.
TRUE STORY: A scout told a story of looking at a player with a history of DUIs, and he asked the player how he could rightly go to his boss with confidence in support of the player.
"Because I promise it'll never happen again," said the player.
"Why?" asked the scout. "Did you quit drinking?"
"No," said the player. "I quit driving."
DAMAGED GOODS: While Tomlin said on reporting day that the Steelers understood the depth of Ladarius Green's injury problems, it's not the organization's M.O. to sign injured players in free agency.
Prior to signing Green to a four-year contract last March, the Steelers had signed 23 free agents to mult-year deals since the last one -- Gabe Northern in 2000 -- had to open training camp on the PUP list.
[Edit: Mike Mitchell was on the PUP list until Aug. 4 after signing as a free agent in March of 2014.]
Green missed the entire spring while recovering from post-season ankle surgery. He's been on the PUP list through the first 12 days of training camp thus far and the tight end position is a big question mark.
The retirement of Heath Miller and the failed physical by Matt Spaeth has left second-year man Jesse James as the player with the most continuous service to the team at the position. Behind him are David Johnson, Xavier Grimble, Paul Lang and Michael Cooper.
* James has gotten stronger with a better anchor but he's still more of a receiving tight end, albeit one without much speed. That said, he got behind Lawrence Timmons in the two-minute drill on Sunday to haul in a 30-yard catch from Landry Jones. It was the key play of the two-minute drill that led to a touchdown between the first teams.
* Johnson always could block and alternated with Rosie Nix the other day at fullback in the goal-line drill. D.J. has also impressed coaches with his route-running since his two-year stint in San Diego.
* Grimble is the best pure athlete, but so far has been a tease. He makes a play and then misses. Robert Golden blew him up on a high bootleg pass in goal-line Sunday.
* Lang was signed late in the spring and was better known for his blocking in college. He did get open to catch a pass the other day, but we're more likely to view that in terms of Mike Reilly showing his weakness (coverage) as an OLB.
* Cooper replaced Jake Phillips who replaced Mendel Dixon who replaced Jay Rome in the succession of No. 5 tight ends. The last three have all worn No. 49.
As for Green, his expected activation date is of course a tightly guarded national secret.
Jarvis Jones hates being interviewed these days, and he has a point when in these rare meetings he tells the reporter to please ask a new question.
1. Are you stronger?
2. Are you better?
3. Are you disappointed the team didn't pick up your option year?
4. Are you motivated for a big contract next March?
Apparently, the answer is yes to all of the above, if we are to believe the Jarvis Jones of Friday night is the new, improved, stronger, more motivated Jarvis Jones.
The body looks tight AND strong and that physical presence was in evidence last night in backs on backers.
Jones opened the proceedings by beating a professional blitz picker-upper in Le'Veon Bell.
Later, in a drill used mainly for reserves and players trying to make the roster, Jones physically hammered Cameron Stingily.
Jones' showing also impressed our eagle-eyed analyst, Craig Wolfley.
"Stronger with a nice array of pass-rush moves," said Wolf. "That might've been his best practice series ever."
In other words, I might add, Jones wasn't the helmet magnet that seemed to forever be attracted to shoulder pads since being drafted in the first round in 2013.
So there might be some hope here.
And maybe a fresh interview.
* Wolfley also enjoyed watching Anthony Chickillo and said he was thinking a little bit about one of tonight's honorees, Kevin Greene, while watching the way Chickillo converts speed to power.
We're all raving about Chickillo, who received similar acclaim early in last year's training camp before fading.
Now, he may not be the 10-sack starter readers could be expecting after all of this glowing praise, but he's at least quality depth who can push guys like Jones, Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats. He'll definitely be a plus in the run game and will get his sacks with opportunity.
Last night, Chickillo was surprised in his first rep by the physical aggression of Xavier Grimble before whipping Jesse James twice, which elicited an "I wanna see Chick vs. Rosie!" from Mike Tomlin."
Chickillo and fullback Roosevelt Nix then had two satisfyingly physical reps -- (satisfying to the soul, in case you're wondering) -- and then swept James two more times, prompting Tomlin to wonder aloud, "Can anybody block Chickillo?!"
Tomlin called for "D.J." who did better against Chickillo than most, so Tomlin thanked him.
* James is too tall for this drill, and I'm not going to hold his performance against him because another reporter nailed it when he said, "He looks like Heath."
Yep, Heath Miller -- who wasn't used much in this drill as his status ascended -- wasn't much for bracing, anchoring and leveraging these wild-eyed linebackers with seven-yard headstarts.
* As reported last night, "Dirty Red," Tyler Matakevich, was the star of the drill. And then you think he's going to be a nasty, gritty interview after watching him play but he's a humble, wide-eyed, quick-to-smile kid. And I use "kid" in the most mature sense possible while trying to impart a true description of youthful humility and enthusiasm to the reader.
* "Kids" like Matakevich are the reason I don't take kindly to old farts ripping on "kids these days." There are always good and bad in every generation.
* Jordan Zumwalt is playing a new position with a seemingly new body. No, he's not the rookie who intrigued us so much in preseason games before being knocked out with a bad hip injury two years ago, but he's getting better every day here, and last night he used some effective pass-rush moves to win his share of reps.
* Bell may never do this drill again, as his status/seniority continues to rise, but he stepped forward in the middle of the drill last night and a surprised Tomlin asked him who he wanted. Bell pointed to Timmons, and Tomlin became even more surprised. The two combatants looked like big horn sheep rocking each other, but Timmons put Bell on skates and drove him straight back after the initial contact.
* The two most soul-satisfying reps, in terms of explosive contact, came early: L.J. Fort trucked Fitzgerald Touissant, followed immediately by Vince Williams blowing up D.J.
Sean Davis is playing three positions -- slot corner, strong and free safety -- and doesn't appear to miss an assignment. That was confirmed by someone who watches the practice tape.
What appeals to coaches about Davis' play, it was explained to me, is that as a safety who played cornerback his senior year in college, Davis understands what cornerbacks want and need from a safety.
Cornerbacks fear the deep post, of course, but they don't want to overplay the post because of the deep corner-post-corner, so they count on the safety to help with the post. And Davis can be relied upon to make the cornerback's job easier in that regard.
And he blows stuff up, which coaches like to see out of an inside, up-close slot corner.
If Davis continues this trajectory, coaches are not going to want to see him leave the field, and thus he could start the opener.
* I got a chance to ask Tunch Ilkin what he's seeing, what he likes the other day at practice.
"I like Sean Davis," was how he started. "I like his length, the way he moves, his ability to recover. And he gets enough cloth to slow receivers down. An official looking at that will say, 'Should I call that or not? Nah.'"
Tunch of course keeps an eye on the offensive linemen and I asked him about a guy who's impressed me, fourth-round pick Jerald Hawkins.
"I've seen some things I like and seen some things I don't like, and that's to be expected from a rookie," said Ilkin. "He's very athletic, but I don't know how tough he is. I'm not saying he's not tough. I'm saying I don't know."
Tunch also went on to say that he likes what he's seen from Ryan Harris, the veteran swing tackle who played on the left side for the champion Broncos last season.
While fans and media seem to immediately dismiss Harris for a perceived lack of athleticism, the veteran tackle in Ilkin understands the position and appreciates the little things Harris accomplishes.
* I also got a chance to ask the same question of former NFL scout Matt Williamson, who was in town working in media. The two guys who surprised him most are Chickillo and Hawkins.
* And finally, I asked center Maurkice Pouncey about rookie nose tackle Javon Hargrave. "I like him," Pouncey said. "He's short but that makes him tough to block. He's going to be a good one. I'm glad we have him."
Later that day, Hargrave blew past a center whom I believe will make the team and probably be active on game days, B.J. Finney. It elicted a "Grave Digger!" from an excited fan on the hill.
* The media bus is always the last of, oh, seven buses escorted by police from St. Vincent College to the downtown stadium for "Friday Night Lights." The players rarely set foot on said bus while parked at SVC. Mike Mitchell, for instance, stepped up and looked at our mugs and said, "Ugh," and turned back to find a seat on another bus.
But last night Ben Roethlisberger had no problem getting on board and sitting near the back. It seemed odd, then, that while driving past fans waving and chanting "Go Media!" (not really) that the adulation was directed not at Ben but at "Hey!! It's Kaboly!!"
To quote a safety of some renown, "Ugh."
* My brother is in town for his high school reunion this weekend. I asked him to bring my wife and daughter and daughter's boyfriend to Latrobe to take in the practice.
He thought it a good idea, and when they showed up I passed their tickets to them through the fence and past the masses. He said his first order of business was to get Antonio Brown's autograph for his son back home in Connecticut. I told him last I saw, A.B. was being swallowed up by a horde in the most densely populated segment of the stadium. He went anyway. I wished him good luck as the rest of my family set off for the other side of the stadium.
I caught up with my brother about a half hour later and asked him if he got lucky with A.B.
"No," he said as he unrolled his Terrible Towel. "But who's Will Monday?"
I've held onto this Keith Butler interview too long for any good use by now. The Senquez Golson injury and two days of hitting have probably rendered it moot. Not that it was any great shakes to begin with but the one nugget I wanted to impart on you was the one about the 4-3 look I thought I had spied during an early team scrimmage.
KB: Well we did it last year, the same thing.
Q: Just a new twist?
KB: It's not even a tweak. We did it last year against San Francisco. There might be a couple of things we'll do out of it that we haven't done before but we'll do that a little bit. We're trying to take advantage of putting one of our big defensive ends on their tight ends and see if we can get a mismatch in terms of the running game.
Q: Cam or Tuitt?
KB: Could be either one. They're going to play right and left and it will be according to the offensive formation as to who it's going to be playing the nine-technique.
It occurred in practice with Jordan Zumwalt originally lining up as a 3-4 OLB and then dropping into the 4-3 OLB spot he had played in college. The rest of the four players in the front shifted accordingly. It struck me that Zumwalt and/or rookie Travis Feeney would be perfect for that shift OLB position opposite Bud Dupree.
Press corner: Mike Tomlin called Artie Burns "a master bump corner" after drafting him in the first round, but Burns is having difficulty developing his press technique against the pros.
"He got away with some things in college so he's trying something new every play here," one personnel man told me. "Right now he's like the free-throw shooter who changes his approach every time he misses. He needs to find one technique and work on it. And he will."
The source doesn't doubt Burns' potential and believes he'll help this season. "Going against Antonio Brown every day will help him," he said. "He's hungry to get better. You can see it."
Stats are funny: The Steelers ranked 30th in pass defense last year. That's a yardage stat. But normally, in looking through stats behind the overall ranking, one can find the specific problem.
I couldn't. Was it lack of interceptions? They ranked sixth. Was it lack of a pass rush? They ranked third. Was it tackling? They ranked 16th in yards per completion. Are the cushions to blame? They ranked 18th in yards per attempt. Was it just poor coverage? They ranked 22nd in completion percentage.
All of those numbers align better with having the 21st-ranked defense overall, which they did, but the 30th-ranked pass defense should have some bottom-of-the-barrel numbers behind it. Yet it's just the composite yardage total that ranked near the bottom.
All I can surmise is that no one wanted to run the ball against a 3-4 team that didn't use a nose tackle on almost 70 percent of the snaps.
Cuzzo: We learned in backs-on-backers that not only can Darryl Richardson handle blitzes, but his nickname is "Cuzzo." He told me later that Maurkice Pouncey knew one of his buddies back in Florida, so he started calling Richardson "Cuz."
Pouncey was proud of it. He's in fact the modern day Plaxico Burress in that he seems to know everyone in the league, and everyone's cousin. Pouncey also gave me this:
"I don't want to speak out of turn here but I'll just say that I think Cuzzo's going to enjoy his time in Pittsburgh."
Translation: Pouncey thinks Richardson's going to make the team.
Ben's legs: The other day I corrected a couple of radio interviewers who told me Ben Roethlisberger looks just as young as ever. I've countered that he's not nearly as mobile at age 34.
Of course, that afternoon Roethlisberger sidestepped a couple of pass-rushers and found Brown in the back of the end zone to start Seven Shots. On the third snap he double-pumped to give Xavier Grimble just enough time to break free in the back of the end zone. On the fourth snap, Roethlisberger looked right and pivoted left to fire, without hesitation, to Brown, who was open for the fourth score of the period.
No, he may not be able to scramble in the open field the way he used to, but Roethlisberger still has all the niftiness and savvy that he needs.
Tight ends-on-backers: It's not the media spectacle of backs-on-backers. In fact, the drill only drew one reporter -- me -- the other day since the rest were either watching the one-on-ones between the linemen or the WRs and CBs. But Tomlin was over there, too, because this team needs to find tight ends capable of sealing the edge in the run game.
That man was not Grimble, who was laid to waste in three attempts by Anthony Chickillo.
Jesse James did better, but, again, Chickillo came out on top. In fact, James became so frustrated that after the last rep he shoved Chickillo in the back to send the yellow-jerseyed defender to the ground face first. Chick got up and said, "Come on, man, you can't get like that," to which James apologized and slapped Chick on the back.
A couple of the lighter OLBs -- Zumwalt and Feeney -- fared well against the tight ends who are listed deeper on the depth chart; Zumwalt showing progress at a new position and Feeney showing innate toughness.
After the drill, I asked a personnel man if he saw anything he liked. "Yeah," he said, "all from the yellow shirts, unfortunately."
What did I just see? Le'Veon Bell caught a pass in the flat and stopped suddenly before spinning 180 degrees to cut it up up freely into the middle of the field. I think the defender had the same look on his face that I had.
Big Al: There's so much to watch during a single scrimmage snap, and this time I chose to watch left tackle Alejandro Villanueva stone Chickillo cold on a pass rush. Chickillo looked so very average in his attempt against the 6-9 brick wall, but in a one-on-one setting, with most of the media watching, Chickillo blew by Villanueva in embarrassing fashion. That's what was reported in several notes columns, although Big Al did stop Chickillo on the second rep.
I bring this up because I asked Alan Faneca whether this line could compare to his 2005 line that won a Super Bowl. "Man, we kicked ass," Faneca said of his line that also included Marvel Smith, Jeff Hartings, Kendall Simmons and Max Starks. But Faneca added that he likes this group and in particular he raved about Villanueva's performance thus far at camp.
The buzz: In light of the loss of Golson, I asked one of the personnel men to give me a sleeper in the defensive backfield. He said he likes the potential of 6-2, 200-pound cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz.
The quote: A team of Pro Football Focus reporters were on hand to watch practice the other day and another reporter told me he overheard Ramon Foster say to them, "Your ratings suck."
I asked Foster the next day if he in fact took issue with PFF.
"Yeah, a little bit," he said. "We see ourselves as rated higher than what they gave us. But, hey, they gave them credentials, right?"
(For more of my thoughts on camp, check out this thread on our South Side message board.)
Welcome to August. I thought July would never end.
We're getting there.
I ran into a former player early Sunday and we talked about judging players before they put on pads. He said he doesn't put much stock in receivers who stand out in shorts, that he was looking forward to seeing some of them when they have to think about being hit.
Well, I wonder what he thinks of Sammie Coates today after the receiver suffered through a case of the dropsies during the first live session after starring for three months in shorts.
I realize that's a cheap assessment of Coates, who was spectacular Saturday and not so much Sunday, and I'll just keep in mind that Coates dropped a lot of passes in shorts as a rookie and therefore the exact analogy doesn't carry over. Was probably just a bad day.
* But we got to talking about headhunters in the secondary and I told him that the father of Anthony Smith -- the alleged bad boy safety with the Steelers of the late 2000s -- told me that his son's infamous open shot on Hines Ward the first day of pads some nine, 10 years ago was ordered by a coach. The ex-player Sunday said he didn't doubt it, that that practice went back to Bill Cowher, and in particular the arrival of Cedrick Wilson.
Why do you think Cam Heyward got in a fight almost every day his rookie season?" the ex-player asked. "The coaches wanted to test him. They wanted to check his tolerance and his toughness."
I asked him if he thought Bud Dupree's first-day fight last year, during his rookie camp, might've been premeditated.
"I wouldn't doubt it," he said. "I'll be looking forward to seeing who gets into a fight today."
* Nobody got into a fight Sunday afternoon. Mike Tomlin, in his opening remarks to the media, said "The only way we're going to grow and develop and be the type of group we need to be is we've got to compete against one another. In doing so, we've got to learn how to do it hard but also do it professionally."
I told him I was surprised by the lack of scuffling in the first padded practice and asked whether he had discussed that with the team beforehand.
"That's some of the professionalism I'm talking about," he said. "I just believe with this group that we can work and compete and sharpen the iron on the iron but also respect the professionalism that's going to be required to take care of one another as we do so moving forward."
I couldn't help but think they're getting ready for the Bengals the right way.
* The stretch period ended with the linebackers meeting in a circle around James Harrison, who began a call-and-response session that finished with a revival of Joey Porter's "Who Ride?/We Ride!" from the 2005 championship run.
* Without Ben Roethlisberger, Seven Shots started with Landry Jones at quarterback. On the first snap he found a wide open Bud Dupree in the end zone. The linebacker dropped the pass.
* On the second snap, Le'Veon Bell lined up wide with Lawrence Timmons over him. It definitely drew eyeballs, so that was probably the thinking behind the quick throw to tight end David Johnson over the middle for the score.
* Fullback Roosevelt Nix snared a pass from Dustin Vaughan for the only other score. Nix was being smothered in coverage by Anthony Chickillo and snared the low pass to continue the college defensive tackle's showing of outstanding hands this camp.
* Backs-on-backers is a notekeeper's dream. Here are some that I jotted down during the period:
- Timmons has either slowed down or was just being smart when he took on Bell in the first snap. Timmons used to be the highlight with the loudest popping of pads, but he didn't bring much into Bell, who tied Timmons up as the two pushed and pulled. "Y'all marrying your sisters!" Tomlin said of the draw.
- After a run of defensive wins, Tomlin asked if "Any white shirts gonna win one?" And Daryl Richardson stepped up and blasted Jarvis Jones.
- The 5-8, 200-pound fireplug, Brandon Brown-Dukes, showed courage in stepping up to pop Chickillo, but he still got run over. "Get your weight up Mercyhurst," Tomlin said to the rookie from the Erie school.
- "Law Dawg comin!" Tomlin hollered as Timmons lined up for his second turn. And he did, crushing Xavier Grimble.
- Vince Williams also brings about violent collisions, but Richardson continued his fine showing in this drill by stepping up and showing courage and a strong anchor.
- Ryan Shazier's mastery of this drill doesn't need recounted here. See "Shazier Leads Feeding Frenzy" for more info.
- "Let's go hyphenated Mercyhurst!" Tomlin said as Brown-Dukes lined up again. And the rookie anchored up and stopped the physical L.J. Fort as Tomlin said, "That's it B! I'm going to call you by your name if you keep that up!"
- Speaking of nicknames, the offensive star here, Richardson, is called "Cuzzo" as in Cuz-O, or Cuz, as in "Maurkice Pouncey knows one of my friends in Florida so he started calling me 'Cuz,'" Richardson explained. Tomlin picked it up from there.
* During team scrimmage, Eli Rogers caught a pass in the middle of the field and made some moves, got past some people, and for a minute I thought Antonio Brown had the ball. For a minute.
* The one-on-one line drills got off to a peculiar start with Chickillo and Alejandro Villanueva getting locked up by their facemasks.
* Maurkice Pouncey finally sat something out, the one-on-ones, but he did step in to snap for the reserves toward the end of the drill.
* Hargrave bullrushed Chris Hubbard straight and immediately backward in the most impressive moment of the period.
* Jerald Hawkins looked like the rookie tackle that he is when he was schooled by Chickillo, but Hawkins rebounded nicely by planting Arthur Moats on his back.
* Markus Wheaton seemed to be struggling with his quadriceps injury Sunday.
* Shamarko Thomas was a human missile Sunday, and he was zeroing in on Brown-Dukes near the sideline when Artie Burns shoved Brown-Dukes out of bounds. "Good thing for that boy you got him," Thomas said to Burns.
* I asked Craig Wolfley after practice if he had any hot takes for me, and he provided four:
1. Jesse James has a much stronger core this year.
2. Tyler "Dirty Red" Matakevich has that "Adam Sandler/Bobby Boucher" look about him during a play (that's a good thing).
3. Hargrave "has some twitch."
4. The inside linebackers looked better than the outside linebackers in backs-on-backers.
Finally, it's hitting day. And what better way than to celebrate the first day of real football than a talk with Joey Porter about his outside linebackers.
Porter's another one of those defensive coaches who gets fired up when talking about his guys. But instead of asking the No. 5 all-time QB sacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers a bunch of questions, I made a media statement/stance/generalization, whatever you want to call it, about each of his first six players. Joey then responded. Here's how it went:
* Jarvis Jones has plateaued and doesn't have any more improvement to make.
JP: "Well, that's a good thing about being in the media. You guys have your opinions and that's cool. But I think the arrow's still pointed up. There's A LOT of good football in that guy."
* Bud Dupree has lost weight, worked on his pass-rushing moves in the offseason and has an explosive plateau ahead of him, possibly this season.
JP: "Well, he's definitely going to get better because he knows the defense. He's going to come in and feel that much more comfortable. You're always supposed to see a change in a guy from his first year to the next year, and I think just by him learning the way he did last year, he's definitely grown. He's grown in communication, how he runs the defense, how he thinks. As far as him making plays, that's just going to happen. I think he definitely has another notch going forward."
* Arthur Moats is a solid, versatile journeyman who is everything you would want in a reserve.
JP: "Moats is a guy who can go out there if something were to happen to one of our starters. I would feel comfortable with him being in the game. I feel he can go out there and get the job done. He's given us everything we've asked him to do and I expect him to keep doing that and more."
* James Harrison works so hard that he could even be better this season than he was the last.
JP: "Well, the only thing James is fighting is Father Time, like we all do. As long as he keeps himself as healthy as he can, and we manage him in the best way we can, he's going to give us what we need him to give us. He played a lot last year and he did a lot for us. I mean, just the way he closed up the last game in Denver shows you that he still has some more in his tank. So I'm excited for him to go out there and give us another good one."
* Anthony Chickillo is now in his second year at his proper position and his proper weight and could be the camp surprise.
JP: "He'll surprise you guys because you don't see him like we see him every day. He's a really athletic guy. We just have a lot of guys at that position, so when he wasn't getting reps last year you really didn't get a chance to see it. But I think now that he's in that rotation where he's going to see reps, you're going to see him make some explosive plays. It's going to be a shock to you guys, but it's something I've been kind of counting on for a year now."
* Travis Feeney missed spring practices with and injury and looks too light, so he probably needs a redshirt year.
JP: "The thing about it is we don't have redshirt years so he'll have to play something. I think he might be too good to just be a practice squad player. When you say redshirt, I think practice squad. I don't see that for him. He's just so fast, and he'll definitely make special teams plays. Now, he has to fight hard to crack that lineup to get some playing time but I definitely think that the way he hits, and his speed, his range, I think Danny Smith will be wanting to see him do some things (on special teams). So he'll definitely have some opportunities there. And like you said, we haven't seen him in full pads. That's just a guy we're waiting to see what happens."
In conclusion, there appear to be six quality outside linebackers. The Steelers never keep that many. Porter is excited by his depth but how is this going to work out?
"Oh man, I have a lot of guys that I get to pull from," he said. "I have great options, and I'm rooting for all of them. I think all of them have a spot for me and on this team. I just don't get to make all the decisions. They know what it is, and they know what the competition is, and they came in shape and they're ready to prove themselves."
Here's some of the scuttlebutt I've heard on top players whose contracts will expire following the 2016 season:
* David DeCastro -- Shouldn't be a problem other than agreeing on the math, because DeCastro has no sense of urgency to rip up a contract that's already paying him $8 million this year and the Steelers have no urgency to entice a guard with much more.
* Lawrence Timmons -- Wait and see what he's showing this camp, his 10th.
* Antonio Brown -- His contract doesn't expire until March of 2018, and the team can simply take monies from his 2017 contract and pay him this year, as they did last year. As for ripping up a deal that pays a receiver who's caught 110, 129 and 136 passes the last three season the 18th-highest average salary per year at his position, GM Kevin Colbert said on radio that he's not going to do it. The Steelers aren't going to break their self-imposed negotiating rule (of not renegotiating with more than a year left) on a wide receiver. As for being poorly paid per his production, the Steelers will tell you he may have been overpaid when he signed the deal in 2012.
* Le'Veon Bell -- The Steelers believe in Bell because he hasn't failed a drug test. He's been given SEVERAL and has passed them all. Remember, marijuana doesn't leave the system quickly so in the team's eyes his alleged missed test had to have been a snafu in procedure, from one side or the other. With that knowledge, don't be surprised if they extend his deal.
Jon Ledyard has been doing such an outstanding job the first two days covering practice that he's left me little to report. But, he has left me a little and I'll run through that small opening to daylight every time. Here are a few observations:
* Mike Tomlin said at his opening press conference in announcing how the two PUP players were different from the under-conditioned rookie Devaunte Sigler, who was placed on the Non-Football Injury list, "Sigler, we've got a little something special for him." Well, that "little something special" is merely work in the famed Casey Hampton Pit, where trainers oversaw the big man's solo conditioning on a field separate from where the two PUP guys work out. Hampton, of course, was put on the PUP list for being under-conditioned when he reported to Tomlin's second camp.
* Speaking of nose tackles, Daniel McCullers drew chuckles during the first practice when he dropped to cover DeAngelo Williams in the flat/slot area where a tight end would line up. Ben Roethlisberger looked downfield, saw his first choices covered and looped a high pass over the 6-8 McCullers, who had his back turned to the ball. Williams went way up to snare the ball with one hand over the big man. "I have to work on my coverage skills today," McCullers told Mike Prisuta the next morning.
* McCullers also told Prisuta he's down to 354 pounds after having been as high as 380 during his two previous seasons with the team. I talked to McCullers the week of the draft and he told me he was down to 350 then. I thought he had put some weight back on during spring practices, so apparently he had suffered a bit of a setback since looking so fit and feeling so proud of his routine back in April.
* Javon Hargrave, the third-round pick and nickel nose tackle, looks like he's lost weight, but said he weighs the same, that he's just reapportioned it. In other words, he looks good.
* John Mitchell is quick to send Hargrave onto the field for a nickel that's used 70 percent of the time, or in other words the team's primary look. In the 3-man Okie, Hargrave is the second-team nose flanked by L.T. Walton and Ricardo Mathews. The other lineman in the second-team nickel is Mathews.
* I may as well run through the lineman depth chart, since some of you are keeping track at home. The third-team DL is Johnny Maxey-Roy Philon-Caushaud Lyons. On the offensive side, the second-unit OL has been Ryan Harris/Al Villanueva-B.J. Finney-Cody Wallace-Chris Hubbard-Jerald Hawkins/Brian Mihalik. The third OL has been Mihalik-Cole Manhart-Quinton Schooley-Matt Feiler-Hawkins.
* And as Tomlin says, "Don't read too much into any of that." So, OK.
* Sammie Coates has deservedly garnered much attention, but don't take A.B. for granted. He's been truly spectacular the first two days here. He caught one pass amid traffic, was off-balance and appeared certain to fall to the ground, but somehow regained his footing and went in for a touchdown amid raucous applause.
* In the first practice, Jordan Zumwalt lined up as a 3-4 DE and suddenly dropped off the ball as the unit shifted into a 4-3. I asked Keith Butler about it in a one-on-one I'll have for you tomorrow.
* Sorry, I have to tease sometimes.
* Speaking of teases, that's exactly what the free practice reports from Ledyard have been. They'll go under cover of the paywall starting today. I believe Jon completes the best staff we've had here.
* Maurkice Pouncey took a tumble the other day and limped through the next couple of snaps. I worry -- and this is strictly a selfish point of view -- that I may not get to watch the Pouncey of old again, as he comes off his medically troubled 2015.
* Then again, Pouncey didn't sit out a snap. He hadn't missed any of the volunteer workouts last spring and doesn't appear to be falling under the Tomlin "management" umbrella of injured and formerly injured players at this camp.
* Brandon Brown-Dukes received much more work at running back in the second practice than the first, and he looked like a playmaker, as expected. He's my darkhorse back there as Bell is seemingly headed for his four-game suspension. Cameron Stingily and Daryl Richardson have also looked good, but today's the day these guys start taking on contact. Stay tuned.


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"Fight For Air" Run/Walk Fort Lauderdale 5-K Race
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Sat 10/05/2013
5-K, Recreational/Fun Walk/Run
700 Participants
|Sat 10/05/2013
|Recreational/Fun Walk/Run (5-K)
The 2013 Fight For Air Run/Walk 5-K in downtown Fort Lauderdale's Huizenga Plaza is a chance for families, individuals and teams join together in raising awareness and funds for the 35 million Americans who suffer from lung disease. The Saturday race on October 5th is a certified and professionally timed 5-K, however participants may choose to simply walk the route and enjoy the riverfront and downtown scenery! Join the American Lung Association for more than just a morning workout; come enjoy music, food, and family friendly activities! All proceeds from the Fight For Air Run/Walk go to local research, education and advocacy programs that help the American Lung Association save lives by fighting lung disease and improving lung health. Visit our website at www.fightforairrunwalkfortlauderdale.org for event information, and register now to receive the early-bird $15 rate! Registration Fees/Cost $15 Early Bird Registration for Runners & Walkers (Through August5th) $25 General Registration for Runners & Walkers (Until Sept 30th) $35 Late Registration for Runners & Walkers (October 5th) $10 Spectator Registration (Spectators are friends and family members of registered participants that wish to the event and show their support! Spectators will receive a wristband upon their arrival at the registration tent which will enable them to enjoy the food, drinks, and activities at the event. Spectators DO NOT receive event t-shirts.)
- Name:Gillian Salvador
- Email:
- Phone:954-524-4658
- Address:Fort Lauderdale, FL
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301


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I read Stanley Smith's column last week attacking S.C. Sen. Mick Mulvaney. As I was on Lancaster County Council at the same time as Smith, I thought I may be in a good position to point out the many, many things he was wrong about.
First, let me point out that I am a friend of Mick Mulvaney. I have known him for several years and spent time with him and his family. I have seen him at work in this community. I worked to help get him elected to the state Legislature and am working to help get him elected to the U.S. Congress.
I am writing to express my delight at an experience I had at a Lancaster restaurant recently.
My family and I were returning from an exhausting trip to Louisiana, and, having flown into Lancaster County Airport, were eager to go and get something to eat. We arrived at one of our favorite restaurants, Bo-Thai on S.C. 9, only to discover that we had missed their lunch hours by a few minutes.
While we were standing at the door, the gentleman inside, who I presume was one of the owners, opened the door and invited us in.
Lancaster County Council is moving in the right direction to get the county untangled, to some degree, from the Edenmoor development in Indian Land.
Last week, council decided to proceed with the condemnation process, a legal step necessary for the county to get its due – an Emergency Medical Services station and a 68-acre park.
Both the EMS station and the park were supposed to be given to the county as part of the development agreement for Edenmoor, which is situated on 800 acres off U.S. 521 between Jim Wilson Road and S.C. 75.
Lancaster County Auditor Cheryl Morgan received quite a nice surprise when she attended the S.C. Association of Auditors, Treasures and Tax Collectors' annual meeting Feb. 5.
Morgan had no idea she was the recipient of the highly regarded L.H. Sonny Siau Award of Excellence.
"I was totally surprised," said Morgan, who was touched by the honor. "I just cried. It was really emotional."
The coveted award is named in honor of the former auditor of Georgetown County.
I wish to tell you how much I appreciated our paper delivery man on Saturday, Jan. 30.
I looked out the window and saw him pull up to our paper box and I thought to myself "the paper will have to stay until the weather clears up."
Then he got out of his car and started toward our home.I tried to meet him at the door, but couldn't move fast enough. He knocked as I was trying to meet him.
When I think of America and what it means to me, I have to pause and collect my thoughts because it means so much more than hot dogs, parades, bands, balloons and fliers.
It means more than the fancy speeches that politicians always seem to come up with, although they rarely know anything about the way most Americans live.
To me, America means the right to live my life just as I choose. It means I have the right to vote or not to vote, the right to walk down Main Street in my sandals and shorts or ride down Main Street in my Cadillac.
On Feb. 22, County Council will vote on third reading of an ordinance that bans smoking and use of other types of tobacco products in all county-owned buildings and vehicles.
It looks like there is enough support to get the ban approved. Council voted unanimously on first reading, then 6-1 on second reading.
The Lancaster County Council on Aging Heath Springs lunch bunch community seniors and Mount Calvary Outreach seniors are truly appreciative for the gift of love from the class of Hillside Highside Class of 1970 for the shoe box gift. The boxes contained useful items that we all need and will carry us well into the new year.
Each time we use them, we will certainly think of you. In spite of the economy, you came through for us to make our Christmas merrier and we are elated that you remembered us in such a special way.
Copyright © 2017
The Lancaster News is your source for local news, sports, events, and information in Lancaster County and Lancaster, South Carolina, and the surrounding area..


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H2 Production & Fueling Station
- Modular, deployable hydrogen production and fueling station, designed and developed by HydraFLX Systems, composed of Packaged Operating moDules (PODs), which are crush proof-designed, DOT transportable, carbon steel packages for military or commercial transport. Opened in Nov 2006.
- Three primary PODs:
- Hydrogen Fuel Processor (H2FP) using two Teledyne Energy Systems HMX 200 electrolyzers; production output 50kg/day.
- Hydrogen Pressure Management (H2PM) using HydraFLX compression system; pressurizes H2 up to 5000psi.
- Hydrogen Pressure Storage (H2PS) using 9 Dynetek composite tanks; stores H2 at 5000psi.
- Two additional PODs provide Power Control and Water for electrolysis; MEP 9 Generator used for deployment.
Modular & Deployable PODs
Recent Hydrogen Station Upgrades
Oxygen collection and storage
270 kg Hydrogen Storage
Pending Upgrades
- PEM Electrolyzer - 65 kg/day
- Global Water Box for Brackish and Salt Water
- 700 bar refueling capability


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2009: Saw action in all 12 games with most of his playing coming on Blazer special teams.
2008: Saw action in 10 games, nine of those coming after he was switched to tight end ... was used as blocker primarily on extra points and field goals.
2007: Saw limited action for the Blazers, seeing playing time in four games during the season.
2006: Did not see any action as a true freshman and was redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Huntsville High School ... named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team as a 5A offensive lineman at Huntsville High School ... named to The Birmingham News and The Huntsville Times Super All-Metro team ... led Panthers to the 5A state playoffs ... finished senior season with a 7-5 record ... was coached by Kevin Wieseman.
PERSONAL: Born Oct. 28, 1987 at Huntsville, Ala. ... son of Becky and Lane Waller ... major is communications management.


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In addition to the two and one-half hours per week of individual supervision interns receive for their work in individual/couples therapy and group therapy, the following meetings and seminars are also part of the training experience.
Intern Orientation
During the first two weeks of the internship year, interns participate in an orientation to the Center which includes: 1) an introduction to the sources of clerical and technical support they are provided (e.g., training on Titanium, videotaping equipment, computer support from ICT, etc.); 2) becoming knowledgeable about Center policies, standards of care for crisis services, and university resources; 3) didactic and experiential training in outreach programming; and 4) meeting with staff and other individuals within the university setting who they will be interacting with on an ongoing basis. The orientation is also a time when interns' rights and responsibilities, due process, and grievance procedures are reviewed, and the initial assessments of intern skill level, interest areas, and individualized goals for the internship year are identified.
Staff Meetings
Interns are viewed as being integral members of the Center and attend bimonthly staff meetings and yearly staff retreats where administrative issues are addressed.
Clinical Issues Meeting
The Clinical Issues meeting is an opportunity for professional staff and to meet and discuss clinical cases, consult with one another, and obtain support and feedback. It is also a time when clients who are of concern because of the potential to harm self or others are staffed. Additionally, once a month the staff meeting is used for consultation with the Campus Health Center psychiatric nurse(s) regarding clients who are currently receiving medication and therapy services.
Intern Seminar
The intern seminar meets weekly during the fall, spring, and summer semesters. This seminar is devoted to professional staff members and other professionals providing presentations on various clinical topics (e.g., psychodrama, theory and practice of career counseling, eating disorders, brief treatment). Professional development topics such as job search strategies or professional identity concerns may also be a focus during this seminar.
Outreach and Program Evaluation Seminar
The seminar takes place in the fall semester and focuses on the importance of primary prevention (outreach) efforts at college counseling centers while considering multicultural, developmental and other systemic issues. Interns will learn prevention theories and models while developing their own outreach programs/presentations. Program evaluation theory and methods will also be discussed and interns will develop and implement their own evaluation form/tool, while learning to incorporate the feedback for program improvement and/or other objectives. Each intern will also be able to choose an existing outreach liaison relationship with a staff member and be involved in consultation efforts and partnership building with their respective campus office/department.
Consultation Seminar
During the spring semester, interns receive training in the various consultation models and other relevant aspects of consultation (i.e., ethics, multicultural issues). Interns will also create their own outreach/consultation project and receive feedback on that project from senior staff members at the end of the internship year.
Supervision Seminar
This seminar meets for 1 hour/weekly during fall semester. Interns are presented with various theories of supervision and relevant research for discussion to prepare them for the provision of supervision in the Spring.
Multicultural Awareness Seminar
The seminar takes place throughout the internship year once a week for 90 minutes. The overall goal of the Multicultural Awareness Seminar is to encourage the development and enhancement of cultural sensitivity and competency in accordance with the Guidelines on Multicultural Education, Training, Research, Practice, and Organizational Change of the American Psychological Association (2003). Interns will enhance their cultural competence by promoting their continued development of their knowledge and skills training within a supportive environment that nurtures self-reflection and expression. Efforts will be made to attend to (and challenge) both overt and subtle biases, assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices by examining existing beliefs and considering other perspectives in order to enhance their cultural sensitivity and reinforce existing social justice attitudes/beliefs. Once a month the seminar will be substituted with an All Staff Multicultural Conversation Hour in which the entire staff and trainees engage in a discussion pertaining to topics of interest.
Research Support Seminar
The goal of the Research Support Seminar is to provide interns with an opportunity to continually work on their dissertation projects or get involved in other areas of research. Interns are given 1 hour per week to use towards individual research efforts, and will convene as a group once per month to check in on progress and discuss any research-related issues.
Opportunities for Interns to Give Feedback
Whereas feedback is always welcomed and encouraged, each quarter interns will meet with the Training Director to provide feedback on their training experience during internship.


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The Crookes tube is in principle an Edison lamp with the filament broken.
Fig. 220 shows a Crookes tube fitted with a metal plate, so that the cathode rays coming from C will strike it.
Physicists did not take long to discover that the radiation from radium was very like the radiation in a "Crookes tube."
The Crookes tube became one of the toys of science—and the lamp of other investigators.
Both in the case of the Crookes tube and the aurora these streamers are produced by electrical discharges through rarefied air.
Thus the Crookes tube is active while the shutter is open but inactive while it is closed.
This fact should be borne in mind when we come to speak of the electrical region outside a Crookes tube.
The current that produces the X rays is led into the Crookes tube by wires.
The films are put in the mouth, and the Crookes tube placed outside in such a position that the rays can pass through the jaw.
Finally, in a tube exhausted as highly as possible, he obtained a faint fluorescent glow, like that produced in a Crookes tube.


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Eska-Poo - Eskapoo Puppy Pictures
View More Eska-Poo - Eskapoo Pictures
Price: $450
Age: 8 weeks
Gender: Male
Gender: Female
Create your PuppyMatch profile in 3 minutes to save countless hours in your search. Get matched with up to 5 dog breeders based on your lifestyle.
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1 Comment
The Poodle is a 10/10 on the intelligence scale for training while the American Eskimo is a 6/10 on the intelligence scale for training. So your pup would be fairly intelligent.
With any limp, you should go to the vet right away. Dogs are extremely good at hiding pain, injury and illness. Their instincts tell them to hide all things of that sort. It could be a lot worse than you think.
An Eskiepoo is an Eskimo/Poodle mix. It sheds less, but needs to be groomed more often or the curls can tangle.
Yes! Eskapoos are great for allergy sufferers.
We have had 2 Eskie-Poos. The first had more of a poodle coat. He did not shed. We had to have him groomed every 9-10 weeks. Even when we combed him there was not much hair in the brush. The one we have now looks more like the Eskimo dog and he has the winter/summer Eskimo type coat. He does shed, but not as much as an Eskimo dog. He has never been to a groomer because he loses his coat twice a year. Mostly this is the major time of shedding. Usually around May/June and then again late Sept/October. Most of it comes out with brushing.
At Next Day Pets® you can find the perfect four-legged companion from the comfort of your home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Next Day Pets® employs stringent verification checkpoints to ensure our puppy listings are safe and secure. Take advantage of our PuppyMatch service or simply browse our massive directory of dog breeds, dog breeders and puppy for sale listings. Next Day Pets® provides the only safe and secure means of selecting and purchasing the perfect Eska-Poo - Eskapoo puppy from the comfort of your home.


text: When the car is cold, it works absolutly perfectly, however after driving it for 1/2 hour or so the disengage point moves closer and closer to the floor until I can't disengage at all. If I let the car sit for a little while (cool down) then the problem goes away (until it warms up again). I've replaced both master and slave cylinders. I haven't checked the crank for play lately, but as of 8 months ago or so it was fine...doesn't seem to happen w/ any of the tell-tale signs of crankwalk (left turns etc)....any ideas?


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Grantee Profile
House Development Corporation
Grants to House Development Corporation
2009 (Inactive Grant)
Arts & Culture in Chicago
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — In support of twenty Lawndale youth traveling to the University of Veracruz in Mexico to study race relations and improve cross-cultural understanding.
The MacArthur Foundation awarded House Development Corporation $50,000 between 1978 and 2017.
Related NewsSee All
October 1, 2009 - Article
International Connections Fund Past Grants
List of grantees from the MacArthur Foundation's Chicago International Connections Fund. More


text: MILWAUKEE, Jan. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, says U.S. companies must build up the right business leaders needed to strategically evolve their business across fast-changing industries and regional economies, as the world's talent shortage ensues and the risk linked to business decisions in today's economy intensifies. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110330/CG73938LOGO-a) The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics today reported that the overall December jobless rate was 7.8%. The U.S. private sector added 156,000 new jobs last month, while October's jobs figure was revised down from 138,000 to 137,000 and November was revised up from 146,000 to 161,000. "Developing leaders who can navigate volatility and build the flexible workforce needed to fulfill a business strategy is too often, today, just a concept versus a top priority for executive teams," said Jeffrey A. Joerres, ManpowerGroup Chairman and CEO. "The unpredictable nature of today's economy is forcing all business leaders to make quick, yet carefully vetted decisions. All business leaders must think very critically about the complex decision-making skills required by their executive teams in the Human Age." According to ManpowerGroup's 2012 Talent Shortage Survey results, 49% of U.S. employers struggle to fill mission-critical positions. Despite this statistic, a substantial proportion of employers indicate unfilled positions are expected to have little or no impact on key constituents, such as customers and investors; this proportion grew from 36% in 2011 to 56% in 2012. "Complacency does not enable a company to manage risk, find the best talent or make effective business decisions," said ManpowerGroup President Jonas Prising. "Business decisions in the Human Age carry more risk than ever before. A specific mix of skills and mindsets need to be developed in leadership teams to frame the right context for the decision-making process." Optimism among U.S. hiring decision makers continues to improve, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey's new U.S. results. When seasonal variations are removed from the data, the Net Employment Outlook for Quarter 1 2013 is +12%, a 1 percentage point increase from Quarter 4 2012 and slightly elevated from +9% during the same period last year. This quarter's research concludes that this quarter is the strongest first quarter data collected since 2008, and is significantly stronger than the weakest first quarter Outlook in the history of the survey, reported in 2010. Full survey results appear here: http://www.manpowergroup.com/press/meos_landing.cfm About ManpowerGroupManpowerGroup™ (NYSE: MAN), the world leader in innovative workforce solutions, creates and delivers high-impact solutions that enable our clients to achieve their business goals and enhance their competitiveness. With over 60 years of experience, our $22 billion company creates unique time to value through a comprehensive suite of innovative solutions that help clients win in the Human Age. These solutions cover an entire range of talent-driven needs from recruitment and assessment, training and development, and career management, to outsourcing and workforce consulting. ManpowerGroup maintains the world's largest and industry-leading network of nearly 3,600 offices in 80 countries and territories, generating a dynamic mix of an unmatched global footprint with valuable insight and local expertise to meet the needs of its 400,000 clients per year, across all industry sectors, small and medium-sized enterprises, local, multinational and global companies. By connecting our deep understanding of human potential to the ambitions of clients, ManpowerGroup helps the organizations and individuals we serve achieve more than they imagined – because their success leads to our success. And by creating these powerful connections, we create power that drives organizations forward, accelerates personal success and builds more sustainable communities. We help power the world of work. The ManpowerGroup suite of solutions is offered through ManpowerGroup™ Solutions, Manpower®, Experis™ and Right Management®. Learn more about how the ManpowerGroup can help you win in the Human Age at www.manpowergroup.com. ManpowerGroup is the most trusted brand in the industry, and was once again the only company in our industry to be named to the Ethisphere Institute's 2012 World's Most Ethical Companies list for our proven commitment to ethical business practices, including an outstanding commitment to ethical leadership, compliance practices and corporate social responsibility.


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Can I file contempt on my ex in Iowa, for not paying child support or his portion of the credit card payments without a lawyer?
Question Details: Basically, can't afford another retainer fee. I barely make more than the salary limit for legal aid.
You do not need a lawyer in divorce court. Indeed, many people cannot afford lawyer in divorces and the court has made it easy for people to get divorced without needing lawyers and the people at the court help facilitate the divorce. In this case, your ex has failed to pay child support. Failure to pay child support constitute contempt of court as the court initially made the order. thus, the failure for your ex to pay is a violation of the court order and your ex may be incarcerated. I suggest that you go to the court and locate the clerk's office. The clerk should be able help you fill out the form to file the correct pleading.


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the wrong choice.
CAROL: And...and the wrong choice probably is not apparent unless you've actually gone through kind of a step-wise approach to evaluating a tool.
ELISABETH: That's very true. Until you know exactly what you hoped that the tool is going to give you. And not just at the high level of...of..."Well, this is going to solve all of our problems." So, I have yet to see a tool that can actually accomplish that, though, I have seen plenty of tool marketing material that would indicate to you that it is going to. You have to understand what all those problems are, so that you can understand whether or not the tool will actually address your problem.
CAROL: Would you compare it to if you went out shopping for a car or shopping for a vehicle based on going through the car ads in a magazine or going through your local newspaper and saying, "Oh, this looks really shiny, I should go out and just try it." Then going out to the lot and saying, "Oh, I...I love the S2000's or...and you really need to take a whole soccer team out and a two-seater roadster won't do it.
ELISABETH: Yes, that's absolutely true. If you have a family of five and you decide that you are going to get a little two-seater, then that had better not be your only car.
CAROL: Well, that's true, but I have to qualify something. I just...I went out and purchased my first midlife crisis car and it probably won't be the last. It's my total selfish car and it is an S2000 two-seater roadster, and I can take one person to the soccer game, and that could be my son but not my husband.
ELISABETH: But you see that met a requirement for you.
CAROL: Well, yes, yes.
ELISABETH: You had a requirement that you feel really good about your car.
CAROL: And I feel really good about me when I'm in that car.
ELISABETH: Well, now, would a minivan have satisfied that requirement?
CAROL: No, not at all.
ELISABETH: Well, see, you had a requirement.
CAROL: That's right. And there was a step-wise process to go through it, and I did pick the wrong vehicle the first time based on going with the wrong evaluation. Oh...very similar to software vendors. When I first bought my car about three years ago, we were lured into the Infiniti dealership by a promotion...
ELISABETH: Uh huh.
CAROL: ...for free. We went in and came out with a car. Went in to get a golf umbrella and came out with a car. They were that good. And I wanted a two-seater, roadster convertible at that time. So, I kind of know what you're talking about with software. But I think sometimes the software choice can be even worse and more costly than a bad car choice.
ELISABETH: Sure. Because you can resell that car. You will have lost whatever the depreciation was, but software licensing is a little bit different. And you can't just turn around and decide that you are going to sell your Segue or Mercury licenses to somebody else to recoup your cost.
CAROL: That would be an interesting thing, wouldn't it. To be able to have kind of a...kind of what they do with timeshares. You could resell your Mercury license at a discount.
ELISABETH: Yeah. And the licensing fees are actually only the smallest part of it. In order to get up to speed on any tool, you've got all of your training costs and you have the amount of


text:
Dear Moms-to-be / Parents,
Hi, this is Shannon Courtney and today I am going to make a quick review on two wonderful books by
Rebecca Washburn and Ashley Spencer that can really help you to choose sex of baby gender.
I know many mummies and daddy so wish to choose sex of baby boy or girl, thus I just wanted to share with you my discovery to determine sex of baby. Furthermore, I also hope to clear some of the doubts that many of you have asked me questions regarding to the book that I recommended to them.
Are you 100% confidence that you can choose sex of baby boy or girl? Now, ask yourself these questions below. Can you answer all these Commonly-Asked-Questions that thousand of couples have been asking everyday?
Q1) Is shallow or deep penetration important on choosing a boy or girl? - Solved!
Q2) Should woman have orgasm during the intercourse? And why? - Solved!
Q3) What kind of diet is recommended in order to choose the sex of baby? - Solved!
Q4) I want a boy, what should I eat more? How much should I consume? - Solved!
Q5) I want a girl, what is the best foods to eat? Why? - Solved!
Q6) Why acidic PH is good for choosing a baby girl and alkaline PH is best for a baby boy? - Solved!
Q7) Can guy wearing Boxers or Briefs really helped? What other things can a man do to choose sex of baby? - Solved!
Q8) Why some people say drinking more caffeine can boost your chances to have a baby boy? is it true? - Solved!
Q..) Some say those techniques worked! Other say that will work better... - All Solved!
All these doubts can be answered if you really know where to find the proven & tested solutions, that already been used by thousand of couples around the world! You may like to take a quick look at the comparison table to see why I highly recommended these choose sex of baby books to all mommies and daddy who have come to me for help. Hope all these help! ;)
Before Reading Further...
Don't Forget to Download Your Baby Shower Book!
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The Untold Secret of Baby Shower 99% Never Knows. The Hottest Baby Shower Themes All Uncovered For You. Step-by-step Guide On How to Manage a Baby Shower From Start to End... + Our Exclusive Newsletters & Updates Free! - And Many More...
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Up to the present moment, I think this is by far another highly recommended book by many of the mothers. Why? Read below:
The content is arranged in a very clear and easy-to-follow formats. The author will give you basic information like Why X or Y Chromosome Sperm will give you a baby girl or boy. The book also focuses on choosing the correct foods that you should eat or avoid in order to change the PH level.
I am amazed by the section where Ashley Spenser told me not to have simultaneous orgasm! Although I had read a TON of other books on choosing sex of baby, but this book has given me a lot of new concepts to keep me reading.
The author writes in a very common sense approach, especially for those inexperience moms-to-be having their firstborn baby. A very good book recommended for new and experience mothers! It is one of the best resources to choose baby gender boy or girl. My hubby and I have used this book as a reference repeatedly.
And I am glad to tell you that Ashley Spenser is endorsed by OB/GYNs, and she used to give speeches and seminars ($250) on her unique techniques to a lot of couples. But now, she had decided to input all the formulas inside this book hoping to share all the secrets on how to conceive a baby boy or girl.
After reading this book, you will understand why I can say this book is one of the 'must-have' books for every mommy-to-be! Do believe me; the ways and methods the author teaches to choose sex of the baby gender will amaze you!
Another thing I like about this book is that the chapters are very well-organised, with a lot of useful information to help you to conceive girl or boy.
This is a highly recommended book of mine as it has all the facts and complete materials that many couples are looking for! The best way I could describe her material is "comprehensive". In fact, this is one of the more popular books, which received a lot of good feedback!
In conclusion, her method focus more on adjusting the overall PH level in the vagina using the food route. It does not really rely upon douche's techniques. Thus, anyone who is opposed in using douching method would make this a better choice.
Lastly, I also like her confident on the money back guarantees policy. (But believe me, nobody will ask for a refund for such an useful book) :)
Give it a try and you will know what I mean!
My Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Click Link to See More:
How To Choose The Gender Of Your Baby
Someone handed me this book a year ago. Initially, I thought this will be another write-up to choose sex of baby, which is going to tell us all those stuffs related to baby gender calender or baby gender selection.
However, I was wrong after reading the book. Well, this book emphasis very much on the 3 proven steps using to choose sex of baby.
There is a chapter on food where you will learn the kinds of food that you should avoid or somehow eat less during those 'trying' periods.
Rebecca Washburn is even kind enough to give us a list of her special home recipes that have proofed to works on her and others. These are the real home recipes for douches. In fact, they are worth $400 in other baby gender selection kits.
Frankly speaking, I have a busy work life but her easy-to-prepare ingredients really make my life kicking! - Wonderful! Everyone should try it. In short, you must be prepared to make 'minor' changes to your diet lifestyle. :)
A lot of people I met don't really know exactly the correct ways to calculate the exact timing. Are you one of them? In fact, I believe timing is one of the most important factors to choose sex of baby.
It is true that our body responds differently at different time of the day. We must really understand how our body responds in order to get the best timing to conceive a baby boy or a baby girl. (Note: timing will also affect our vaginal PH level)
Each chapter comes with helpful advice and tips for each phase of the cycle. Rebecca Washburn gives solid advice and her methods are extremely flexible and realistic.
You will not encounter any more frustrating guidelines (from other books) that you and your hubby must follow.
Overall, this is a wonderful 75 pages book which the author had really done a lot of in-depth research and come out of this ideal process. The $450 gender clinic douche recipe is most worthy for couples who are trying to use this method!
This book also comes with 100% money back guarantees! Thus, you can rest assured of the content. You can simply refund the book if the information is unsuitable for you.
My Rating: 4.8 / 5.0
Click Link to See More:
How To Pick The Your Baby's Gender
A Doctor even wrote a testimonial to praise her method!!
By Abani Warrier Chicago, Illinois:
Hello Ashley, my name is Abani Warrier.
My husband and I have 3 wonderful little girls here in beautiful Chicago (Actually just south of Chicago). In 2004, I gave birth to our first son. It always made my day every time I saw my husband hold him, since he always wanted a little boy to raise.
In Spring 2005, we were on our way to a friend's house for dinner one Saturday evening when someone driving a SUV
Ran a red light. Our 3 month old son passed away that day.
It was the hardest thing to overcome in my entire life, but eventually we were able to accept what happened and move on with our life. In early 2006 I decided that we should try for another precious baby. Specifically a baby boy.
I heard about your method through a friend that I worked with at the time. My husband said it wouldn't hurt to try your gender selection method, to which I agreed.
Fast forward to November 22, 2006. Our second son, Dylan was born. What an incredible joy! Thank you so much for everything you do!
Thank you from the deepest depth of our hearts!
-Abani Warrier Chicago, Illinois
Yes! Read one feedback from a mommy, who had the choose sex of baby successfully.
By Erin Maginnis, Florida:
Check It Out Now:
100% Natural & Safe, 94.8% Success Rate...
(Open in new window)
100% Natural & Safe, 94.6% Success Rate...
(Open in new window)
Latest News:
A study to choose sex of baby, taken from"Journal of American Medical Association Studies" have prove that "Specific Types of Gender Selection To Be Up To 94% Effective". (jama.ama-assn.org)
Before Reading Further...
Don't Forget to Download Your Baby Shower Book!
(Limited Copy Left)
(Note: This '50 Pages' Book Alone Worth $49.90)
The Untold Secret of Baby Shower 99% Never Knows. The Hottest Baby Shower Themes All Uncovered For You. Step-by-step Guide On How to Manage a Baby Shower From Start to End... + Our Exclusive Newsletters & Updates Free! - And Many More...
*Simply Enter Your Name & Email Below to Download Instantly.
First Name:
Email address:
PlanBabygender.com Spam-Free Guarantee:
We will never share, trade, sell, deliver, reveal, publicize, or market your email address in any way, shape, or form.
All the Best,


text:
Kaskade's Automatic Bliss at Pier 94
October 30, 2015
Arguably a mashup that most of us have cried our eyes to at one point or another. A Mashup that Armin Van Buuren premiered last year at A State of Trance 550. This mashup features Will Atkinson's uplifting remix of Giuseppe Ottaviani and John O'Callaghan's Ride the Wave and the heart wrenching vocals from Justine Suissa of Armin Van Buuren's Burned With Desire. This track is the perfect remedy to get over the hump day hardship and is sure to induce extreme levels of euphoria as well as some tears. The vocal fits almost too perfectly with the gorgeous uplifting melody and has become a trance treasure. Here it is for your listening pleasure, so sit back put your hands in the air and let this mashup transport you to another universe!


text:
Developers love WordPress' flexibility, scalability, and security. And users appreciate how easily they can manipulate their website with a WordPress CMS
Web & App
Many marketing agencies offer web design. But few have development talent to match.
Let's Talk!
Many firms outsource development completely or design websites that don't translate successfully online.
At Atomic, we're proud of the fact our developers are just as genius as our website designers. The two teams work collaboratively, from research through strategy and implementation. That means that we approach design with a strong understanding of what's possible on the back end of the web. And we bring a robust design sense to each development effort. Plus, we have experience developing a wide range of apps on a variety of platforms. So whether you need Ecommerce, content management, mobile web development, or something completely custom, we'll be there for you, working together to build what you need.


text:
- log in
- account
Retrospective On Agile After 10 Years
Posted by Dave West on February 22, 2011
Last week Agile reached the milestone of 10 years. Ten years ago a group of 17 thought leaders met to draw up the original guiding principles and manifesto for Agility. These principles not only define the approach of many Agile methods but are the line in the sand when discussing if something is Agile or not. There is little doubt in my mind that the creation of these principles set in motion one of the most important transformations that the software development industry has seen ― focusing development teams on the things that really matter and challenging ideas of work, processes, and practices that make no sense in the development of software. But the question is, after 10 years, should the guiding principles be updated?
Reviewing the principles
When working with organizations that are introducing Agile methods, conflict sometimes occurs when reviewing the principles in the following areas:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. The words individuals and tools usually cause the most concern when adopting Agile. Software development is a team sport, but this principle focuses on individuals. And as Agile grows in use, increasingly tools play a key role.
- Working software over comprehensive documentation. The challenge of documentation is often discussed when talking about this principle. As the adoption of Agile grows, so does its use in industries where documentation is crucial and legislated.
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation. This is very true with internal development teams, but when external vendors enter the mix, contracts are important and will form the basis of the engagement.
- Responding to change over following a plan. Implementation of this principle often results in lack of upfront planning, which is contrary to most organizations' funding processes.
In addition to the issues with the core principles, many Agile adopters look for two other principles:
- Team-based process improvement. For successful Agile, it is important that Agility does not just apply to the result but also the means.
- Transparency and reporting. Another key tenet to effective Agile is that the whole team and other stakeholders understand the status.
A changed set of principles
The principles of working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change have stood the test of time. However, I would think about changing and adding the following:
- Teams and interactions over processes. Introducing the team concept reminds Agile adopters that teams are more important than individuals. I removed the emphasis on tools because though without tools, many large-scale Agile adoptions would not function, adopting a tool in support of a process that is not Agile would be a major mistake as well; thus, it is importance to use tools that support the team rather than the process.
- Transparent reporting over management dashboards. Putting in place simple open reports rather than focusing on dashboards that only support management provides consistent organizational knowledge.
- Team-led process improvement over process-group-developed change. The importance of retrospective and process ownership by practitioners needs to be front and center in any Agile adoption. Putting these principles at the front of Agility enables organizations to put in place the right organizational constructs and practices to encourage practitioner-driven change.
The Agile manifesto was a major success. Even after 10 years, it is difficult to improve on those original principles. That is a testament not only to the original 17 people who created it but also to the truth that those principles describe. However, Application Development & Delivery Pros should not just think that Agile is finished; instead, they should continue to extend the ideas, challenge their use, and apply what makes sense in their organizational context. The changes that I made to the principles are illustrative of the need for App Dev & Delivery Pros to continue to challenge the status quo and strive to improve the way software is delivered. I am looking forward to the next 10 years.
Revised principles
Comment from Hans-Christoph Ro... on Tue, 03/01/2011 - 06:55
Hi Dave,
First of all it good to see the Lean and Agile methodologies becoming mainstream and it is worthwhile to celebrate the 10 years since the manifesto.
I also agree that some of the statements would benefit from updates.
I would actually propose "Actionable reporting..." instead of "Transparent reporting...". My major concern of commonplace dashboarding and reporting is the lack of connection to the management decisions which invites to playing the numbers.
Another point is the use of the term "process": I actually believe that Lean and Agile is valuing process very highly in the sense that it puts a simple but strict process around everyone's and everyday's work instead of defining a superficial process frame which defines every year's procedures. That is actually supported by your last proposal: "Team-led process improvement ..."
Best regards
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text:
Welcome to New York. Enjoy the Oysters
New York City is the former oyster capitol of the world. There was a time when New York Harbor had over 350 square miles of oyster beds, half of the world supply. Street-side oyster vendors were as popular as hot dog carts are today. Local oysters were a delicious treat, they cleaned the waterways and they bolstered aquatic wildlife. But oysters have since disappeared from New York Harbor, mostly because of human intervention. Now, there are new efforts to reintroduce them in Jamaica Bay.
Mark Kurlansky, the author of The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell, and Jeffrey Levinton, distinguished professor of ecology and evolution at SUNY Stony Brook, visit The Brian Lehrer Show to talk about the history of oysters in New York Harbor, and plans to reintroduce them.
Listen to the whole show:
Andrea Bernstein: Let's start with a history. I'm very intrigued by this idea of oysters being sold like hot dogs.
Mark Kurlansky: Well, oysters are an animal that lives in brackish water, which is water that's saltier than fresh water but not as salty as the sea. Estuaries of rivers, places where fresh water dumps into sea water are the ideal climate. New Yorkers too easily forget that the five boroughs of New York City are at the magnificent estuary of the Hudson River and the estuary used to be full of oysters.
That means the East River and the Hudson and out in the harbor around Staten Island and Liberty Island and Ellis Island, which used to be called Big and Little Oyster Island. The coast of the Bronx, back when the Bronx had a non-industrial coast, and the Brooklyn coast into Queens and Jamaica...it was all full of oysters. There was this tremendous natural resource that was identified with New York so that, for centuries, if somebody said they were going to New York City, the typical response was 'Enjoy the oysters!' They were sold everywhere.
Bernstein: Until when?
Kurlansky: Until 1927 when the last bed was closed. A process began in the 1880's when they started understanding about germs. There were chronic epidemics in New York history and they never really understood the cause of them. Everybody sort of assumed that it must be caused by foreigners and immigration and poverty. Then they started understanding what really caused things like cholera and developed the ability to trace them. They kept tracing them to oyster beds. One by one, with each disease outbreak, a bed was closed. The last bed, which was in Raritan Bay between Staten Island and New Jersey, was closed in 1927. Then it was over.
Bernstein: When you say 'closed' do you mean they took out all the oysters?
Kurlansky: No, it just became illegal to harvest them. In fact, most of this pollution was from dumping raw sewage. It seems amazing in retrospect that it took centuries to understand that dumping raw sewage in the food supply was unhealthy.
After they closed them, oysters could still live in that water and Joseph Mitchell, The New Yorker writer in the 1950's, in The Bottom of the Harbor, wrote about old oyster families from Staten Island where oystering was the main economic activity. They used to go out in the harbor and just harvest a few for a family celebration and they would all get very sick.
'In Jamaica Bay we've been growing oysters for the last year and half and they grow faster than oysters anywhere else in this region, believe it or not.' Jeffrey Levinton, distinguished professor of ecology and evolution at SUNY Stony Brook,
But then in the 50's, 60's, 70's, really bad things happened to the water; industrial things. Just about anything you could imagine got dumped in from oil refineries and PCB's and heavy metals and napalm...
Bernstein: Really?
Kurlansky: The byproducts of manufacturing napalm for the Vietnam War in New Jersey got dumped in, everything got dumped in and it got to a point... I sure remember when the water around New York was kind of black and slick and in places it would be kind of bubbly and not much could live there. Oysters sure couldn't live there.
A lot of this stuff got cleaned up, thanks to the 1972 or 1973 Clean Water Act which mandated the clean up. Unfortunately, they still haven't been able to clean up all the heavy metals and PCB's, but they have cleaned up to the point where oysters can now live. Over the years it was tested and they would find that not only would planted oysters not live, but the shells would get etched with acid in a very short period of time. It's not like that any more. Oysters can live around New York City waters now.
Bernstein: Why are you trying to bring oysters back, Jeffrey Levinton?
Levinton: Oysters have lots of functions. We don't really expect oysters to be eaten in many of New York Harbor waters today. There are just too many toxic substances coming in and they have to be managed. But oysters are very good for the ecosystem for many reasons. One of which is they create a habitat that creates fishes and lots of species. Its just a missing habitat that would be a magnet for many types of crabs and fishes that would come in.
But also oysters process water. They filter water. They suck. They suck in great profusion. They clear water and they would be very useful in very shallow water to clear the algae out of water and make it clear. That would allow eel grass to live. It would also allow lots of other organisms to live on the sea bed and would, to some degree, increase water quality. So there is a great interest in restoring oysters throughout the region.
Bernstein: How do you go about that?
Levinton: It's not easy! One of the biggest problems we have is that oysters are so rare now that we don't have a lot of larvae in the water. If you're down in Chesapeake Bay or further south, there are still enough oysters around that there are lots of larvae in the water that will come and settle on the bottom. But you have to create a habitat first.
Bernstein: Oyster larvae?
Levinton: Oysters have really fantastic sex. They first grow up as males and then they turn into females, and both the males or females spawn gametes in the water and they fuse and form a larvae and that larvae sits in the water for three weeks and swims around and that larvae is what's essential to settle on a hard substratum.
To make an oyster reef, you first have to have a hard bottom. Oyster shell is the best. Then you have to have reasonably clear water. Oysters can't have too much algae in the water. They settle down, they attach to the shells and then they start growing. Then they have to reproduce.
Bernstein: How do you get an oyster to reproduce?
Levinton: You don't have to do much! And in fact in Jamaica Bay we've been growing oysters for the last year and half and they grow faster than oysters anywhere else in this region believe it or not. They grow up, they become sexually mature and they spawn out. You just give them healthy water and a good bottom and enough food and they will grow and reproduce on their own. But you have to have enough oysters in the water to provide enough larvae so they will settle, so you can get sustainable reefs. Just having one oyster is not enough or two oysters. You have to have enormous populations to start with. That's the problem, kick starting it.
'Oysters have really fantastic sex. They first grow up as males and then they turn into females, and both the males or females spawn gametes in the water and they fuse and form a larvae.' Jeffrey Levinton, distinguished professor of ecology and evolution at SUNY Stony Brook
Kurlansky: You have to have enough lime content in the water, right?
LevintonYou really need a bottom that's hard. The simplest way of doing that is putting a lot of oyster shells down. But now in New York Harbor, even oyster shell is limiting because unless you have live oyster growing, the shell just deteriorates. You have to have a living reef to sustain a reef and get it going.
Bernstein: How far away from New York do you have to go before you can eat the oysters?
Levinton: In Eastern Long Island Sound there are very active oystering fisheries going on.
Bernstein: Orchard Beach is on the Long Island Sound but I don't know if I'd want to eat the oysters from there.
Levinton: Maybe not from there. There are a few poor, pathetic oysters living on Orchard Beach. But there is active oystering in central Long Island Sound and even as far west as Greenwich. You may know that Greenwich, Connecticut recently had its oyster fishery re-opened.
I would say that Jamaica Bay will be for our grandchildren.