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Wal-Mart appears to be stepping up efforts to measure sustainability among its produce suppliers and is using some tools developed by the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops.
In a recent presentation to some industry members at the 2011 Sustainable Food Lab Leadership Summit in late June near Portland, Ore., officials with Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart said it is looking at what types of data to collect with an expanded pilot program for measuring produce sustainability.
Industry sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the retailer indicated it will ask top producers in its global food sourcing network to complete a Sustainable Produce Assessment this year.
Metrics developed by the California-based Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops are at least partially included in Wal-Mart's Sustainable Produce Assessment, Wal-Mart officials said in their presentation. Those metrics include growers' use of water, energy and fertilizer/nutrients, and a measure to track soil organic matter. From growers, Wal-Mart also is requesting measures of waste, pesticides, refrigerants, yields and other inputs.
While it has used a self-assessment from some produce suppliers in the U.S. Wal-Mart is employing sustainability audits for growers of South African apples and pears, Spanish stone fruits United Kingdom leafy greens.
The retailer said it plans to draft merchant pilot reports, launch additional crop pilots and add a packing phase to its assessment.
A Wal-Mart spokesman declined to comment.
Industry sources said Wal-Mart is seeking input on sustainability measures, and posted a survey online for input on what items to include on its sustainability assessment.
According to the presentation, the company is working with the Sustainability Consortium to adopt produce category assessments to speed up the development of an index for fresh produce.
Membership of the Sustainability Consortium, jointly administered by the University of Arkansas and the University of Arizona, includes representation from Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Tyson, Unilever, Proctor and Gamble and others. According to the group's website, the group formed in 2009 and its mission is to understand and standardize measures of sustainability. A call to the group for comment was not returned.
"The bottom line is that the Stewardship Index metrics are going to be available for use by any of the stakeholders throughout the fruit and vegetable supply chain," said Jessica Siegal, program director for the California-based Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops. "Wal-Mart has been involved on the coordinating council for the Stewardship Index since the very early days of the program and they are looking at how to figure out how to incorporate the metrics into their sustainable produce assessment."
By mid-September, Siegal said the beta version of the Stewardship Index metrics will available on the group's website.
"The idea is that the Sustainability Consortium is a bigger look at a number of sectors in addition to fresh food and the plan is that the Stewardship Index would be able to feed directly into the food and beverage component of what the Sustainability Consortium is working towards."
Siegal said the Stewardship Index is focused on the development and adoption of metrics, forging consensus on what is in the metric and also how the metrics are adopted by the entire supply chain.
In 2010, the Stewardship Index had 38 growers participating in pilot projects, which Siegal said yielded 58 data sets. Those pilots resulted in refined metrics that were smaller and easier to use. Beta metrics include measures of energy use, water use, nutrient use and soil condition. The Stewardship Index has developed a calculator that can be embedded in a spreadsheet to help growers input their data.
Siegal said the Stewardship Index wants to establish one set of metrics for fresh produce.
"We will be far better off if it is a single set of metrics that is everybody is collaborating around," she said.
Kathy Means, vice president of government relations and public affairs for the Newark, Del.-based Produce Marketing Association, said the advantage of the Stewardship Index metrics is that growers would only have to measure one for any standard.
"We are not creating standards. We are creating yardsticks," Means said.


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Genus: Physeter
Species: macrocephalus
The sperm whale, which made its biggest public splash in the guise of Moby Dick, was hunted for centuries for oil taken from reservoirs in its massive head and rendered from its blubber. The species was especially beleaguered by whalers from the end of World War II until 1985, when the International Whaling Commission created a treaty among its members that virtually stopped sperm whale hunting.
The species is still recovering, though its numbers are likely increasing. Nonetheless, whaling--which targeted large males--so severely affected the species that males today are rarely more than 60 feet long (historic records suggest they once may have exceeded 70 feet).
Description: The sperm whale, also called "cachalot," is generally gray with wrinkled, prunelike skin covering a torpedo-shaped body. The blunt head accounts for a third of its body length and much of it is filled with a waxy, oily substance called spermaceti that lies above and ahead of the skull. This substance once was used for fine lubrication and for fueling lamps.
Whales are mammals, which means the sperm whale has lungs and breathes air. It inhales and exhales through a blow hole located toward the front of the head. The exhalation is misty with condensed moisture, usually projects forward and is characteristically bushy shaped, making it one means for identifying the species.
The tail, which is plainly visible when the animal goes downward head first for a deep dive, is triangular when seen from top or bottom. Each sperm whale bears 20 to 26 banana-shaped teeth on its lower jaw that fit into sockets in the upper jaw. Upper teeth are rudimentary and may not show, but lower teeth may weigh as much as 2 pounds.
Size: A large male may grow to more than 60 feet, females up to about 40 feet. The sperm whale is the largest of all toothed-whale species. Its closest rival in size among toothed whales is Baird's beaked whale, which grows to about 40 feet long.
Diet: Fish and squid, including giant and colossal squid that grow more than 50 feet long
Typical Lifespan: 70 years, perhaps longer
Habitat: The sperm whale prefers ice-free waters at least 3,300 feet deep. When hunting squid, a whale may dive in excess of 6,500 feet--more than a mile--and can stay under for more than an hour.
Range: The species occurs throughout the world's oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to whaling, sperm whales may have numbered 1.1 million worldwide, according to the American Cetacean Society; today they number perhaps 300,000.
Communication: Little is known about sperm whale communication. The animals are capable of producing clicking sounds that are roughly equivalent in volume to a rifle shot and rank among the loudest animal sounds. Such sounds may be used as a form of sonar to locate prey. The large head and its oily filling apparently help the animal to direct or aim its clicks. Some divers have reported feeling pulsations, probably from sound, emanating from nearby sperm whales.
Life History and Reproduction: Much of the sperm whale's life is spent under the sea far from land, so the species remains largely a mystery. Individuals are born into groups composed of about a dozen females and their young.
Like elephants, females tend to stay together, but males leave the group as early as their fifth year. Young males form groups with others about their age. As they mature, the males break into smaller groups; older males usually live alone.
The bulls tend to stay in cooler, higher latitudes, while females remain in warmer waters. Males are ready to breed at 18 years old but don't reach full size until about 50. They return to female ranges to mate.
Females are sexually mature at 7 to 13 years and produce young at intervals of 3 to 6 years, with gestation lasting 14 to 16 months and usually resulting in a single baby. Females will cooperate in defending young from dangers such as orcas and also will suckle one another's young.
A small population of fewer than 1,500 sperm whales lives in the Gulf of Mexico; the species was much more numerous there before whaling put a dent in its numbers.
Federally listed as endangered, gulf sperm whales spend much of their time along the continental shelf and in the Mississippi Canyon, a region of deep water off the river delta where prey concentrates. Females and juveniles in particular reportedly favor this area.
The whales feed on fish and squid, including giant squid , such as the 19-foot, 103-pound specimen captured in the gulf by researchers in September 2009.
Studies have found that gulf whales are a distinct population. They use combinations of calls different from those of other sperm whale populations and are smaller in size, probably an adaptive response to the limitations of their habitat and its food sources. This population stays year-round in the gulf.
For years now, biologists have feared that oil development in the gulf could harm sperm whales. During the past decade, oil companies have been drilling in increasingly deeper waters. The Gulf of Mexico is studded with 4,000 offshore oil platforms and holds 25,000 miles of active petroleum pipeline; the platforms and various exploratory activities are focused on the Mississippi Canyon and continental-shelf edge favored by sperm whales.
Consequently, the federal Mineral Management Service, which grants drilling permits to oil companies, has administered several studies during the past few years to understand how whales behave in the Gulf.
"We first started this directed sperm whale work in 2000, and that is because industry was moving into the waters out there, and we frankly needed to know are those kind of activities a determent or an impact to sperm whales," Carol Rodin, an official with the service, told a reporter for Mississippi Public Broadcasting last March.
These studies were funded by the oil industry, however, and yielded reportedly inclusive results about the potential dangers that oil development poses to gulf whales. Moreover, in 2004 some studies were canceled or reduced in scope by the service and its industrial partners.
However, late last winter federal researchers did sail the gulf to collect data on sperm whales and particularly on their prey species.
Studies have suggested that loud sounds used by the oil industry to detect oil deposits under the gulf floor may interfere with the whales' use of sonar to locate prey. To avoid conflicts with hunting whales, the oil industry said it would not use its noisy exploratory techniques within a third of a mile of sperm whales.
The Gulf Oil Disaster poses several threats to sperm whales and to other whale species in the gulf, as well as to dolphins.
• Oil floating at the surface can emit toxic fumes that surfacing whales and dolphins will breathe.
• Oil can coat baleen--comblike growths in the mouths of toothless whales used for filtering prey out of ingested water--and make it ineffective for capturing prey.
• For sperm whales, which are not filter feeders, the biggest threat from the BP oil disaster and from the toxic chemical dispersants used by BP to break up the oil is the harm that may be done to prey species deep under water.
• Even if not killed outright, prey animals are likely to absorb the toxins and pass them on to the whales. This factor could impair reproduction in both whales and their prey.
"The spill was from the gulf floor, so contamination of the entire water column, from top to bottom, is a very grave concern for all marine life in the area," says Doug Inkley, NWF senior scientist.
Experts believe that an average of only 2.8 human-caused sperm whale deaths a year could jeopardize the species' recovery from endangered status, according to figures cited recently by a New Orleans online news service.
Read More:
• "Gulf Sperm Whales Face Oil Spill Threats"
• Gulf Oil Spill's Impact to Mammals
The sperm whale is federally listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The animal is safeguarded in U.S. waters by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and worldwide by international whaling agreements. Because few are killed by hunters yearly, future prospects for this species are promising.
• Clash of Titans: When Sperm Whale Meets Giant Squid
• Gulf Sperm Whales Face Oil Spill Threats
• Dead Sperm Whale Found on Gulf Beach
• NOAA Fisheries Service
• eNature

subset: commoncrawl


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Friends, family and colleagues recalled the life of William Moore, a longtime produce buyer for Publix Super Markets Inc., Lakeland, Fla.
Moore, 52, died in his home April 16. April 19 services memorialized Moore in Ormond Beach, Fla.
He worked for nearly 30 years for Publix, finishing as produce buyer.
Born in Salem, Mass. to the late Willard and June Moore, William Moore leaves his wife of 24 years, Angela Moore, two sons, a granddaughter and three brothers and a sister. William Moore was preceded in death by another son, William Moore.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Good Sheppard Hospice in Lakeland, Fla.
Friends can share condolences at this site.
William Moore remained active in hunting and fishing, golf and softball.


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Memorial Grove at Michigan Tech: Planting a Green, Living Memorial
Last Modified 4:47 PM, November 25, 2009
October 30, 2009—
Dan Lorenzetti is not a man who likes to wait for results. When he heard that Michigan Technological University was planning to add approximately 150 trees to the well-traveled eastern approach to its campus along Highway 41 over the next 15 years, his response was: "I want to see that approach to campus beautified immediately."
So he came up with a win-win plan to achieve that goal: Invite the public to sponsor a tree in a Memorial Grove, in honor or memory of someone they admire. That way, a public entrance to Michigan Tech gets its trees, and the community has an opportunity to become part of a living memorial to friends and family who made the Copper Country what it is today.
An individual, family or organization can sponsor a tree for $600, a tax-deductible charitable contribution. The name of person whom it honors or memorializes will be displayed on a plaque that maps the grove.
The trees will be planted between the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts, the Walker Arts and Humanities Center and Highway 41.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for ordinary people in the community to become part of a living memorial and at the same time to support Michigan Tech," said Lorenzetti, a community volunteer and active supporter of the University. "Everyday people can't contribute a million dollars to build a building, but they can help beautify the campus and their community by planting a memorial tree."
Lorenzetti, owner of Superior Block in Houghton, grew up in Hancock near Quincy Hill. After a career as a high school principal in Wisconsin, he and his family returned to the Copper Country to take over his family's business.
"We thank Dan Lorenzetti for this creative proposal that will further beautify and green-up the Michigan Tech campus while also providing a creative memorial legacy opportunity for local citizens and alumni," said University President Glenn D. Mroz. "We deeply appreciate Dan's ongoing commitment to Michigan Tech and the University community."
Lorenzetti is thrilled about the idea of a Memorial Grove at Michigan Tech. "I'll be able to bring my grandchildren to see the tree we planted in memory of my grandfather," he explained.
Shea McGrew, vice president for advancement at Michigan Tech, is equally enthusiastic. "Dan Lorenzetti approached us about this, and we agreed it is a wonderful idea," McGrew said. "Those participating in the project can remember a loved one or friend in a tangible, lasting way. And, they invest in the beautification of the east end of campus and an enhanced first impression for visitors arriving in Houghton from that direction."
Memorial groves have been established at a few other universities around the country, including the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis.
People who want to sponsor a tree should contact Paula Nutini, director of annual giving at Michigan Tech, at 487-3609; firstname.lastname@example.com , or Dan Lorenzetti at 482-2731; firstname.lastname@example.com.
Michigan Technological University (www.mtu.edu) is a leading public research university developing new technologies and preparing students to create the future for a prosperous and sustainable world. Michigan Tech offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in engineering; forest resources; computing; technology; business; economics; natural, physical and environmental sciences; arts; humanities; and social sciences.


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jd84 wrote:Hi all,
After doing a few 10 day courses (both goenka and mahasi) my teacher suggested I come back for 30 days of mahasi meditation this summer. I wasn't sure at first if I was ready for that (and thought maybe I should do 20 days) but he said if I want to do longer retreats then I should just go for it (not put quite like that!). Now I'm really looking forward to it.
Would anyone like to share their experiences of longer mahasi retreats? and any advice would be appreciated.
thanks a lot,
rowyourboat wrote:Sounds good, but you should attain your jhanas first. Otherwise you will spend considerable time just developing the required amount of samadhi!
good luck!
with metta
Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:You don't need any level of jhāna before undertaking a Mahāsi style retreat. The practice develops awareness of ever-changing mental phenomena, not absorption onto a single kind of phenomenon. Concentration and insight will develop as mindfulness develops.
See Sayādaw U Pandita's discourse on Vipassana Jhānas
chargingbull wrote:Why sleep little? I still dont understand this aspect of meditative practice...! Surely a refreshed mind is able to prolong effort. All of my 'best' meditations have been whilst refreshed and alert...?
Return to "Vipassanā / Satipaṭṭhāna Bhāvana"
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text:
Application of Miglustat in Patients With Niemann-Pick Type C
This study has been completed.
National Taiwan University Hospital
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
National Taiwan University Hospital
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: January 2, 2013
Last updated: January 3, 2013
Last verified: November 2012
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
To evaluate the changes in cognitive function after miglustat treatment in Niemann-Pick type C patients.
|Niemann-Pick Disease Type C
|Drug: Miglustat
|Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Application of Miglustat in Patients With Niemann-Pick Type C
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: CHMP2B-related frontotemporal dementia GRN-related frontotemporal dementia Niemann-Pick disease frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17 inclusion body myopathy with early-onset Paget disease and frontotemporal dementia
Drug Information available for: Miglustat
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center resources: Primary Progressive Aphasia Frontotemporal Dementia Frontotemporal Dementia, Ubiquitin-positive Pick's Disease Semantic Dementia Niemann-Pick Disease Niemann-Pick Disease Type A Niemann-Pick Disease Type C1 SphingolipidosisU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Swallowing [ Time Frame: 12th month ]videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS), or NP-C functional disability rating scale if VFSS can not be performed due to safety issue
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Mental [ Time Frame: 12th month ]IQ test or Mini-Mental Status Examination if a full IQ test can not be performed
|Study Start Date:
|January 2008
|Study Completion Date:
|December 2010
|Primary Completion Date:
|December 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Miglustat
miglustat 200mg tid
Drug: Miglustat
miglustat 200mg tid for adult. For children surface area correction will be made. A lower dose may be used initially to decrease side effect.
Other Name: Zavesca
Detailed Description:
Patients with Niemann-Pick C disease will be treated with Miglutat 200mg tid. Neurologic evaluation and safety will be monitored periodically.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Confirm diagnosis of Niemann-Pick C disease
- Symptomatic including motor or mental symptoms
Exclusion Criteria:
- Unknown severe diarrhea for more than 7 day
- Allergy to miglustat
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01760564
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01760564
|National Taiwan University Hospital
|Taipei, Taiwan
Sponsors and Collaborators
National Taiwan University Hospital
|Principal Investigator:
|Whu-Liang Hwu, MD, PhD
|National Taiwan University Hospital
More Information
Keywords provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|National Taiwan University Hospital
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01760564 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|January 2, 2013
|Last Updated:
|January 3, 2013
Keywords provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
Niemann-Pick disease type C
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Pick Disease of the Brain
Niemann-Pick Diseases
Niemann-Pick Disease, Type A
Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Neurocognitive Disorders
Mental Disorders
Speech Disorders
Language Disorders
Communication Disorders
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Metabolic Diseases
Lysosomal Storage Diseases, Nervous System
Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn
Brain Diseases, Metabolic
Lymphatic Diseases
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Lysosomal Storage Diseases
Lipid Metabolism Disorders
Aphasia, Primary Progressive
Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration
Neurobehavioral Manifestations
Neurologic Manifestations
Signs and Symptoms
TDP-43 Proteinopathies
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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Posted 5 years ago
(172 items)
1995 postcard of Hurricane Luis from satellite & below picture of it under all the fluffy white at 150 mph.. Then a lucky guy as approx. 1,000 boats were lost & over 800 lives(grossly contrary to news releases of "2").
Sorry about the last pic. but the lettering on the hub-cap is raised white on white & no angle could get it. It is 1 of the Land Rovers the gendarmes got & reads DEFENDER. Obviously the French are trying to learn English by labeling the parts of their vehicles. Tried to explain to them that,"that ain't de fender but de spar tyre".


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Dear all
I hope my message find you all well !
We've done a project which was a climatic Chamber control , using the sbRIO 9641 with NI 9802 SD Card Module
we usually save the data logged during a test cycle using the Mount SD Card InvokeMethod at the RT , the FPGA is just doing some sensors acquisition and scalling , but as i mentioned saving and reading is done from the RT.
next , after mounting , i can access the files inside the SD using the drive letter , I then collect all the file names available and send them all to the host (list box)
user can choose one of the available file from the list box and then can retreive it's data , and so on
things go perfectly , until i decided to build the RT VI to be as (Run as startup) while we are at the end phase of the project.
I found that the files retreived is something else , everything stopped and i can view such files as shown below :
I don't know where are those files located , and if there is any precautions i should take when deploying my RT VI as "Run as startup"
Looking forward to hearing from you
Best Regards
02-22-2012 11:25 AM - edited 02-22-2012 11:28 AM
Hello Mohammed,
The files you are seeing are located in the root directory of the RIO. You can see this by opening windows explorer and typing in the IP address of the RIO preceded by "ftp://". What is likely happening is that when you deploy the application as startup it is being placed in the /ni-rt/startup/ directory which is different from the directory you have been using. Confirm that you are navigating to the correct location irrespective of the directory the application is located in.
David A
Dear David
Thanks alot for your reply
I use the Invoke method 'Mound SD Card' , and it has an output called 'Drive letter' , my files is in that drive letter root (e.g. u:\)
it works fine when under development , but once deployed , i don't know what's go wrong although i used this 'Drive letter' output to access the files there
So is the issue that you do not know where the files shown in the listbox in your original post are located? Or is the issue that you cannot access files on the SD Card that would normally show up in that listbox? Regardless, you may want to confirm that you have the most recent version of the RIO driver. You can find the most recent version here which is version 4.0. If you already have the most recent version or updating does not resolve the issue please post your code or a screenshot of the code that is not functioning properly when deployed.
David A
You may also want to try deploying some of the examples for the 9802 found in the example finder. If you open up the example finder and navigate to Toolkits and Modules>>FPGA>>CompactRIO>>Module Specific>>File Input and Output you will find several example for the 9802. The NI 9802 Write.lvproj and the NI 9802 RT Access.lvproj would both be good examples to test out.
David A
Dear David
Thanks alot for your rreplies
actually I tried the mounting SD card example in the module specific examples shipped with labview
the strange thing is that it worked well , but with my program , it behaves the strange way i discussed earlier.. same code regarding the mounting and unmounting , does it related to the size of the program ?! sounds odd but just asking
Anyways ,meanwhile I am downloading the latest RIO drivers and will update you
Please if you have any clarifications tell me about it , and soon today i will post that part of my code here
Best Regards..
I am just experiencing exactly the same problem as you have described! Did you manage to solve it, how?
Thanks for your help,
Franjo Tonković
01-20-2014 10:39 AM - edited 01-20-2014 10:40 AM
I would recommend building a debuggable executable and watching where it fails and then comparing what you are doing to existing code that works. Examples of existing code can be found in the example finder. An interesting example that uses a startup exe to access an SD card through the 9802 can also be found here.


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Biodiesel has had a couple of tough years. Production capacity stands at more than three billion gallons, while actual production stands at less than 1.1 billion gallons in 2012.
"We saw a huge growth in capacity in the industry in 2006, 2007 and 2008, supported by the introduction of a blenders tax credit for biodiesel as well as a brisk export market opportunity," said Gary Haer, vice president, sales and marketing, Renewable Energy Group (REG), one of the country's largest producers of biodiesel.
Actual production also grew quickly in the past 10 years from 500,000 gallons to a federally mandated 1.28 billion gallons projected for 2013. The export market went away, and the rapid growth may have contributed to user problems with the fuel. Quality control was blamed, and many users were turned off. Critics, such as the petroleum industry, had a field day. The biofuels industry response was significant; however, repairing the damaged reputation continues to be a challenge. Supporters insist those problems have been solved, thanks to efforts such as adopting BQ9000 quality standards, and a strong future lies ahead.
"The improvement in quality control and quality assurance is a real compliment to the National Biodiesel Board," said Jeffrey Stroburg, CEO, West Central Cooperative, and board chair, REG. "They've done a good job making sure testing procedures are followed. Plants that weren't capable of making quality biodiesel were either upgraded or are no longer making biodiesel."
Others suggest more remains to be done. While CASE IH and New Holland endorse blends up to and including B100 (100 percent biodiesel and no petro diesel), AGCO and John Deere are more conservative.
"Biodiesel has not developed at the same speed that emission legislation has required of engines," said Antti Marttinen, manager, product management - global engine installations, AGCO Corp. "The quality of first generation biodiesel is behind the level where it needs to be, and it's also sensitive to storage time and conditions. Biodiesel ages much faster than normal diesel fuel, and this needs to be considered. Second generation biodiesel, paraffinic diesel BTL/HVO (renewable diesel), is more comparable with low sulfur diesel fuel and can be used up to 100 percent bio content (B100) in engines utilizing SCR systems."
Although he supports the commitment to quality the industry has made, Marttinen remains concerned that low quality biodiesel could have a negative impact on clean diesel technologies such as his company has developed. "Modern electronic controls are sufficient to correct the behavior of the engine in regards to the fuel, but mechanical parts of fuel injection and catalysts are not able to handle low quality bio blends," he said. "With first generation biodiesel, we do not recommend blends over 5 percent and then only from a list of biodiesel suppliers committed to BQ9000."
John Deere started using biodiesel at the B2 biodiesel blend in factory fills about eight years ago before transitioning to B5. "If you put good, high quality biodiesel in the tractor, we don't worry about the blend; however, if it is above B5, we recommend additives be used," said Don Borgman, director, industry relations, John Deere. "Biodiesel does have different characteristics from diesel fuel, and if water gets in the storage tank, you get opportunity for corrosion and bacterial growth. You need to treat it so you don't get microbial deposits."
Borgman also congratulated the National Biodiesel Board and its efforts and success in enhancing quality control. "They had some immature plants without the quality control needed, and they went to work on that," he said. "We don't see one iota more quality issues with biodiesel today than we do with regular diesel."
Kevin Lockart, energy consultant, Ag-Land FS, is an enthusiastic, indeed, evangelical supporter of biodiesel. As a distributor and user of biodiesel, Ag-Land FS has embraced the fuel and addressed concerns in an aggressive manner. The company purchases all of its biodiesel from REG, a BQ9000 supplier. However, Lockart argued a quality supply is not enough, due in part to those differences to which Marttinen referred. In particular, the affinity of biofuel for water, a quality shared ironically, by Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) creates problems in extended storage.
"We address the water problem through additives, but another problem is clean tanks," said Lockart. "If you are considering going to biodiesel, tank cleaning is step number one. You can't put biodiesel in a dirty tank and then blame your problems on the fuel. We recommend it for ULSD as well."
Ag-Land FS takes this concern seriously enough that they won't sell biodiesel to a commercial customer who won't allow Ag-Land FS to clean the tank first. They also recommend tank cleaning to farm customers.
"We spent $20,000 on a tank cleaning system, one of the few in Illinois," said Lockart. "We can clean a 30,000-gallon underground tank or a 500-gallon aboveground tank."
While a growing understanding of quality control and proper storage are repairing biodiesel's reputation, attitudes and expectations have been buoyed by recent Federal government initiatives. These include a 28 percent increase in the amount of biodiesel mandated for use in trucks. Initially set at 800 million gallons in 2011, it was raised to a billion gallons for 2013. The federal mandate requires petroleum refiners to purchase biodiesel or show compliance for blending biodiesel. They or others who blend can capture a $1 per gallon biodiesel blending tax credit. State initiatives, such as Illinois' sales tax exemption, are also seen as important to current and future biodiesel use.
Stroburg welcomes the increased Federal mandate, though it was less than the industry had lobbied for. He emphasized the importance of the $1 tax credit for helping build and maintain the infrastructure for biodiesel.
"We have to have it in place if we are going to have high quality fuels available to the marketplace," said Stroburg. "Continuing to build out the infrastructure is a major challenge. We need to continue to develop new types of feedstocks to convert. The recent price swings in commodities have been a challenge to plants without a management process in place to handle them. We need to find sources of unwanted fats and oils and convert them into high quality biodiesel."
Although biodiesel was first promoted as soy diesel and soybean growers were early funders and promoters, biodiesel has spread its wings in terms of feedstocks. Haer reported that soybeans made up only 55 percent of biodiesel feedstocks last year with canola accounting for 11 percent, recycled cooking oil 12 percent, animal fats 14 percent and corn oil from ethanol plants 8 percent. These alternatives to soybean feedstocks are expected to grow.
"We are a good market for inedible corn oil from ethanol plants, and there is an opportunity for growth in extraction of oil from distillers dried grains," said Haer. "There are also opportunities for canola to replace wheat acres and new oilseed crops like camelina to expand in more arid regions. We'll just have to see how the economics of producing oilseeds pans out."
As a supplier seeking customers, Lockart said an even bigger challenge than the cost of biodiesel is winter use. It is one that he has been working to overcome, with extended use through the winter by the Ag-Land FS vehicle fleet that runs B11 or B20 blends year round. Many of their fleet customers are now doing the same with no issues reported in several years.
"We've proven B20 is efficient and, if used right, can be used year round," said Lockart. "Even when soybean prices go up as they have, we still have a market for it here, thanks to the sales tax exemption. Biodiesel can run 15 cents less than diesel in Illinois. With the blenders credit, it runs about even with diesel in surrounding states."
Biodiesel evangelist Lockart insisted there is much more to the story. It is a gospel he is eager to share, and one he feels is increasingly important to prospective customers. It is also one that Ag-Land FS has extensive data to support.
"Putting aside the economics, we want people to understand that biodiesel is just the right thing to do," he said. "It lowers emissions and reduces foreign oil imports. It may sound corny, but I've never worked with a product in my 20 years in energy that I could feel as good about at the end of the day."


text: My wife's aunt asked me to get stop and get her a police scanner at Radio Shack--She is a shut in(doesnt drive). I got her the best one they had. I dont know much about these things. I thought she did but once I got it to her house she was as clueless as I am. The Radio Shack people "cloned" info off of another scanner and now she gets pretty much gets everywhere around here except the area she wanted to get. She only wants 6 local frequencies and I got that off of Radioreference .com but apparently Butler Co(Oh) is on a trunked system called BRICS. We called Radio Shack back to see if they can just program the 6 she wants but they say all they do is the "cloning"...You have to be Spock to understand the directions on this thing....If there is an expert out there is it not possible to just have these 6 frequencies and nothing else?????It is a Pro-197 Digital Trunking Radio Scanner.


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Tulowitzki takes BP, hopes to return on Tuesday
LOS ANGELES -- A day after suffering a strained left rotator cuff on Sunday, Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki felt good enough to take batting practice in the indoor cage at Dodger Stadium.
Tulowitkzi was not in the lineup for Monday night's game against the Dodgers and he had about as much pain as the Rockies' training staff told him he would have, but it doesn't appear he will miss many games. Tulowitzki suffered the injury on a slide into home plate during the Rockies' 4-2 loss at Arizona on Sunday.
Tulowitzki called a return for Tuesday night's game against the Dodgers "a possibility."
The injury was to his non-throwing shoulder, so the concern is hitting.
During the batting-practice session, Tulowitzki passed a key test. He felt comfortable using his full swing, which ends with the bat only in his left hand. If he had been in pain or didn't have confidence in the health of the shoulder, he would have kept two hands on the bat through the entire swing.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Hardball in the Rockies, and follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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The symbolism of Mike Tolbert's role in destroying the Chargers on Sunday was as damning as the reality.
But damning it absolutely was.
Another former Charger come back to haunt a crumbling franchise, providing further representation of the team's downward spiral.
Tolbert's pair of one-yard runs accounted for the first two scores in a 31-7 Carolina Panthers victory. Just a monster slap in the face – on the day the Chargers' last vestige of respect shriveled in the mist.
"If you keep getting rid of key players," Tolbert said, "that's a lot of production lost."
As if the loss alone was not hurtful enough.
Sunday tied the biggest margin of defeat in the Norv Turner era and was arguably the most embarrassing too -- in addition to being the one that assured the team will miss the postseason for a third straight year and suffer its first losing season since 2003.
What a perfectly appropriate exclamation point on this failure of a season.
Up to yesterday, five of the Chargers' eight losses had come by seven points or fewer. It had been easy to see (and to argue) that they were, at least, full of vigor if not victory. Trailing 31-0 in the fourth quarter and losing by 24 doesn't automatically mean they gave up.
In fact, they did not.
What they did was give in.
That may be just semantics.
"We have a ton of fight in us, and we just didn't have it today," said Antonio Gates, one of just two players to have been Chargers the last time they had a losing record. "For whatever reason, I don't know why we didn't. But we didn't have the fight we normally have. It's just not who we are as a team."
If you think about it, it wasn't a surprise the Chargers lost so badly. It was a surprise it hadn't happened sooner. What happened Sunday indicates as much as any previous result that it's a credit to the coaching staff and players that they haven't been blown out several times before.
They stink.
Other Chargers would not go as far as Gates in assessing a lack of fight. What they did say is that the game got away from them, when it was 14-0 after 10 minutes and 21-0 four minutes after that.
Well, then, it was perfect, Tolbert's role in amassing that deficit.
It was also apt that Sunday's loss completed an 0-4 run against the NFC South this season. Not for nothing, each of those teams have a popular and important former Charger on their roster.
Not that those players have necessarily been the ones to bury the Chargers in those four losses. Moreover, their loss to the Chargers has been significant.
As much as the drafting of Larry English and Ryan Mathews in back-to-back years is indicative of a crumbling Chargers talent base, the departures of Vincent Jackson, Darren Sproles, Michael Turner and Tolbert have stripped the Chargers' offense to the core.
Not that Tolbert can be held up in the same way as Sproles or Jackson. And the Chargers did make more of an effort to keep him than they did the other departures.
The Chargers offered Tolbert $1 million more than the Panthers did over the life of a four-year deal. Tolbert said after signing with Carolina that he chose to go home, nearer not only to his family but also where the cost of living made losing $250,000 a year a virtual draw. But he said Sunday his desire to stay in San Diego was thwarted when his agent called to accept the Chargers' offer, only to be told it had been pulled. The Chargers' contention has always been the deal was not accepted within the time frame they had established.
Regardless, there is a trend, and its results are not flattering to the Chargers.
"I had a bad taste in my mouth about leaving," Tolbert said. "I wanted to stay … I've been looking forward to this game. I've been trying to control myself for three days."
Now, let's be honest, Tolbert was not a Pro Bowler. He was a brilliant special teamer and excellent short-yardage back. For his 19 touchdowns in 2010 and '11, he ran a total of 56 yards.
But he was a core member of the team, voted by teammates as the Chargers' Offensive Player of the Year in 2010 and Special Teams Players of the Year in '11.
"Mike Tolbert was Mike Tolbert," one longtime Charger said recently when discussing the multiple departures. "But he was our Mike Tolbert."
Of the many former Chargers, one veteran said: "It's not like these guys' careers are over. They're contributing where they've gone."
Which is not here.
And that means this is not surprising. It is what the Chargers get.


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I want to continue sharing brief information on the black women I've learned about during Black History Month. The more women I've researched this month, the more I have discovered. There is an embarrassment of riches in this area that has been unknown to me. One reason is the overshadowing, during their time, of black women by white women they worked jointly with such as Josephine Ruffin who worked with Julia Ward Howe and Lucy Stone to form the American Woman's Suffrage Association. There is also the simple fact that women and African Americans are not fully present in the typical history curriculum. To anyone who thinks that we don't need to emphasize Black History or Women's History, I challenge you to do what I have done this month and search the internet for one person they have never heard of each day. You may be surprised.
Now for more black women from the SSS Facebook page. There are two women who should be remembered as the earliest African American female physicians: Rebecca Lee Crumpler and Rebecca Cole.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 – 1895) was the first African-American woman to become a physician. She graduated in 1864 from the New England Female Medical College. After graduation and the end of the Civil War, she worked with the Freedmen's Bureau and other community groups to provide medical services to freed slaves in Richmond, VA. Later she returned to practice in her home in Boston, MA. Most of what we know about her comes from the introduction to her book "Book on Medical Discourse," written from her clinical notes and published in 1883.
Rebecca Cole (1846 – 1922) was the second African-American female doctor. She graduated in 1867 from the Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania and received her clinical training at Elizabeth Blackwell's New York Infirmary for Women and Children. She practiced medicine for over 50 years working primarily with destitute women and children.
Sarah Jane Woodson Early (1825 – 1907) was the first African American women to become a college faculty member. She graduated from Oberlin College in 1856 and two years later took a position at Wilberforce College. The college had to close during the Civil War due to lack of funds, but for the next 40 years Sarah Jane was a teacher and school principal in Ohio and, after the war, in the South.
In 1868, Sarah Jane married the Rev. Jordan Winston Early, an African Methodist Episcopal minister, and continued teaching and working with him in his ministry. She also traveled and lectured as the national superintendent of the Black division of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. In 1894, she published a biography of her husband including both his life as a slave and his ministry.
Fannie Williams (1855 – 1944) was a teacher, lecturer, and social reformer. She helped organize Provident Hospital and its Training school for Nurses in Chicago (both interracial institutions.) After speaking at both the World's Congress of Representative Women and the World's Parliament of Religions, held in conjunction with the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, she was in great demand as a lecturer.
Fannie helped found the National Association of Colored Women, was among the founding members of the NAACP, and became the first Black member of the Chicago Woman's Club. She wrote frequently for Chicago newspapers and in 1924 became the first African American and the first woman to be named to the Chicago Library Board. She also believed in a fully integrated women's movement and was chosen as the only African American to eulogize Susan B. Anthony at the 1907 Women's Suffrage Convention.
Edmonia Lewis (1844 – 1907) was an American sculptor of African American and Native American descent. She attended Oberlin College where she began sculpting and quickly became successful. She held her first solo exhibition in 1864 and produced popular works such as medallion portraits of John Brown and William Lloyd Garrison.
In 1865 Lewis went to Rome to study where she spent much of her adult life working and studying. One of her major works was a marble sculpture called "The Death of Cleopatra." It was displayed at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, this monumental piece (3000 lbs) was lost for almost 100 years. It was rediscovered, although covered in paint, and finally restored and donated to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 1994.
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917 – 2000) was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. Raised in Chicago, she had approximately 75 published poems by the time she was 16. In 1943, she received her first award and in 1945 her first book "A Street in Bronzeville" was published to critical acclaim.
"Very early in life I became fascinated with the wonders language can achieve. And I began playing with words." Gwendolyn Brooks on Poetry
In 1950, Brooks became the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry with her book "Annie Allen." She received many other awards including the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement, the National Medal of Arts, and was honored as the first Woman of the Year chosen by the Harvard Black Men's Forum.
Mary Frances Berry, born Feb 17, 1938, was Provost at the University of Maryland, Chancellor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Assistant Secretary for Education in the US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare. She received her education at Howard University, and the University of Michigan, obtaining Ph. D. and J. D. degrees.
Berry was one of the founders of the Free South Africa movement and she was arrested and jailed several times due to her support of the cause. She was in Capetown in 1990 to greet Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison.
In 1980, Berry was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as a Commissioner on the US Commission of Civil Rights. She was later fired by President Reagan for criticizing his stand on civil rights and won her reinstatement through the federal courts. She was appointed Chairperson of the Commission by President Clinton and served until her resignation in 2004. Since then she has been a professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania.
Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992) was an American poet, essayist, and activist of Caribbean descent. She was politically active in civil rights, anti-war, and feminist movements. Later she also became active in lesbian and gay rights causes. She co-founded "Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press" with author Barbara Smith, the first US publisher specifically for women of color. She was the State Poet of New York.
"I am defined as other in every group I'm part of", she declared, "the outsider, both strength and weakness. Yet without community there is certainly no liberation, no future, only the most vulnerable and temporary armistice between me and my oppression."
Lorde described herself as a "black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet." She believed that the typical feminist approach of defining things and issues based only on gender was simplistic, if perhaps necessary, and that there were other issues of difference that needed to be addressed.
Violette Neatley Anderson (1882 – 1937) was an African American attorney and judge with many "firsts" to her name. Anderson was born in London and moved to the US as a young child with her family. After graduating from Chicago Law School in 1920, she became the first African American woman admitted to the Illinois bar, the first female city prosecutor in Chicago, the first African American woman to practice law in the US District Court Eastern Division, and the first African American woman admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court.
Pearl Mae Bailey (1918 – 1990) was known as an actress and singer, but she was much more. She wrote 4 books and at 67 earned a degree in Theology from Georgetown University. At 15, she won an amateur contest and decided to pursue a career in entertainment. Beginning in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in 1946 in St. Louis Woman. She won a Tony Award for the lead role in the all-black production of Hello Dolly in 1968. Her career was varied including both movie and television, voices for animation, even commercial jingles. During WW2, Bailey sang with the USO; she also sang in nightclubs with some of the greats including Duke Ellington.
One more post tomorrow will let me finish up the brief information I've posted on these women for the month. If you missed them be sure to read Part 1 and Part 3.


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Home & garden calendar
Updated 11:54 am, Monday, September 3, 2012
Fall vegetables: Horticulturist David Rodriguez will discuss how to grow backyard vegetables in cooler months. 10:30 a.m.-noon. today. Fanick's Garden Center, 1025 Holmgreen Road. 210-467-6575. Free, donations are accepted to support the Children's Vegetable Garden program.
Texas landscapes: Mike Pecen, landscape designer, will talk about lessons from historic Texas landscapes and how to "design the future without destroying the past." 9:30 a.m. San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N. New Braunfels Ave. 210-824-9981. Free.
Project Puffin: The San Antonio Audubon Society will host speaker Linda Weisenmiller, caretaker for more than 300 penguins and puffins at SeaWorld San Antonio. Weisenmiller will discuss the National Audubon Society's project on the island of Matinicus Rock in Maine. 7 p.m. The First Tee, 915 E. Mulberry Ave. www.saaudubon.org or 210-308-6788. Free.
Floral design: Learn how to create centerpieces and arrangements in a workshop led by Botanika owner Melissa White. Registration opens Wednesday. Class runs Thursdays through Oct. 18 at the San Antonio Garden Center, 3310 N. New Braunfels Ave. www.sanantoniogardencenter.org or 210-416-2826. $140.
Lifestyle Channel
Birding for kids: Children can learn about bird identification, habitat and how to use binoculars. The program will include a hike. 9-11 a.m. Sept. 8. Mitchell Lake Audubon Center, 10750 Pleasanton Road. tx.audubon.org/mitchell-lake-audubon-center or 210-628-1639. Free, but reservations required.
Email event notices to firstname.lastname@example.com at least three weeks before the event. Fax: 210-250-3405. Mailing address: Home & Garden Calendar, c/o S.A. Life, P.O. Box 2171, San Antonio, TX 78297-2171.


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Nobody likes being criticized. But to truly grow and learn, we have to learn to be open to constructive criticism.
But what if we didn't even look at it as "criticism?" What if we viewed everything through the more positive, productive lens of "feedback?" Or at the very least, "kid-friendly criticism?"
Then we're acting more like Responsible Sports Coaches. And we're paving the way for more motivated, smart, successful young athletes under our instruction. Not to mention a better, closer, smarter and more successful team.
This month at Liberty Mutual Responsible Sports, we're going to take a closer look at how coaches always do their best to provide responsible feedback and instruction to their kids.
Responsible Coaches Are Not "Soft"
Contrary to what some might think or say, being a Responsible Sports Coach does not mean being "soft" on the athletes entrusted to your care. Yes, coaching methods such as giving players a "Magic Ratio" of five specific, truthful praises for each specific, constructive correction exist in stark contrast to the stereotypical, screaming, demanding, my-way-or-the-highway, win-at-all-costs coach.
Still, Responsible Sports Coaching is not soft. It's every coach's job to help athletes improve – especially Responsible Sports Coaches, who also strive to teach athletes life lessons through sports, and therefore must carry extra credibility in the athletic arena. After all, young athletes who don't think their coaches can help them improve their games may very likely also tune out and miss their coaches' life lessons.
To be effective, Responsible Sports Coaches must know when and how to correct players. In fact, the "Magic Ratio" works not only because it helps young athletes feel good about themselves, but because that good feeling keeps athletes open and receptive to the necessary corrections.
When To Correct Athletes
It's been said that there is a time and a place for everything. And providing feedback and correction for young athletes is no exception.
Almost all correction and feedback should occur in practice. In the heat, competition and organized chaos of a game, technical skill correction rarely works well.
Especially in flow sports, such as volleyball, a player in the game must focus on continuous action and stay aware and ready for the next play. Yet too often, coaches yell about an already past error or try to physically demonstrate corrections in technique, which only distracts players – who already are fighting distraction due to whatever mistake prompted the coach's urge to correct.
If a coach feels absolutely compelled to correct an athlete's technique during a match, it should occur during a break in the action, and should be no more than a minor adjustment that the coach has previously addressed with the player in practice. It also helps if this correction can be communicated or reinforced with trigger words, a hand signal or other gesture that just serves as a reminder.
Other opportunities for brief, simple corrections occur during timeouts, when players sub out of a game and between sets. Of course, each of those scenarios has its own challenges and balances to be struck.
For example, during a timeout and even between sets, you won't want to correct players at the expense of their understanding any discussion of strategy to be used when play resumes. You might just deliver the trigger words a certain player needs to hear and then keep the player included in the strategy discussion. And players coming out of the match likely are not open to correction at all, especially if they sense they are coming out because of mistakes or poor play.
In all of the above circumstances, it's best to correct privately unless there are several players who will benefit from hearing the same correction at the same time. In summary, the more removed from action a player is, especially the action that requires correction, the more open to correction the player is.
How To Correct Athletes
Depending on athletes' ages, skill proficiency and your team's level of competitiveness, it often helps to ask athletes if they are open to correction. If you do so, and the athlete says "no", then it's best to respect his or her wishes and say something along the lines of, "OK, when you're ready to talk about it, please let me know."
A "Criticism Sandwich" can also be helpful (watch this video to see a lacrosse coach using this technique). Try to "sandwich" the "meat" of your message between two pieces of praise – and make it calm, quiet, specific, constructive instruction. For example, "That was a great effort to get to the ball. If you be sure to watch the attacker's angle of approach on the next one, then you'll be able to judge and move into the most likely attack direction even better and sooner. That read on the hitter's approach will really help you take advantage of the defensive skills you've worked so hard to develop."
In that Criticism Sandwich, notice the "if-then" statement. Rather than just telling the athlete what to do, the if-then structure gives power to the player. In the throes of a mistake and a correction, athletes regaining a sense of control can be critical to their absorbing the correction and implementing it as soon as possible.
Determining when and how to effectively correct young athletes is part art, part science. The suggestions here may make the correction more palatable for the athlete, and thus more accepted. However, note that you, as a Responsible Coach, must provide the occasional hard-to-deliver, hard-to-hear truth that will improve your athletes' performance and help them learn the life lesson of how to benefit from coaching on the field and beyond.
As parents, we have to sometimes correct our children to help them improve. But how best to do so as a Responsible Sports Parent?
Easy. By delivering our feedback with useable information that helps empower our children. For example, "You need to focus!" contains virtually no useable information at all. But, "remember that coach wants you to get your platform ready early" contains highly useable information.
The following are a few more handy tips on imparting kid-friendly criticism:
Learn More About Giving Feedback
For more information on how you can provide feedback, criticism and instruction in a Responsible Sports way, visit our Responsible Sports website at ResponsibleSports.com.
You can learn even more by subscribing to Weekly Coach Tip. You'll get a helpful coaching tip delivered right to your inbox each and every week.
Parents and coaches alike can also sign up for Fundamentals: The Responsible Sports eNewsletter at ResponsibleSports.com. Each month, we'll deliver the latest news from Responsible Sports right to your email inbox. You'll receive relevant and informative feature articles, news from our partners, updates on the Community Grants and Responsible Coaching Awards, key dates and much more.
Focus on kid-friendly criticism and quality feedback and you'll be well on your way to a truly winning season. Your friends at Liberty Mutual Insurance and Responsible Sports are here to celebrate your success!


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Scheduled for release mid 2013 the new FCS 2 Fin System is a fully tool less system that will replace current system. Now you'll be able to pop your fins in and out on the fly in a matter of few seconds. You would think the fins wouldn't be as locked in, or pop out while your riding them, but FCS and their team riders have been hard at work testing the new system, and they're all giving it the thumbs up, calling it the best fin system out there. The system will require special tool less fins to work as a tool free setup, but will still be compatible with older FCS Fins. So if you have a set of fins that is no longer made, you can still throw them in with the new FCS II system, but you'll have to screw them in.
We'll have the new FCS 2 Fins for sale on our website as soon as they're available, so keep checking back, or subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page to get updates on new arrivals.


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Photo By: Ciera Pasturel/LAHS Talon
Poet Chinaka Hodge performs a poem about her experiences living in New York at a Writers Week event at Los Altos High School.
The following article appeared in Los Altos High School's newspaper, The Talon, in an online post March 8.
Los Altos High School's 28th annual Writers Week, which featured authors of almost every background and genre, ended with "An Evening of Pure Poetry" earlier this month.
Guest poets Paul Flores, Mario Chard, Chinaka Hodge and Amy Glynn Greacen each performed two of their poems and spoke about their experiences as poets. Senior Noah Schramm and sophomore Elizabeth Kristian, winners of the Poetry Slam, also performed their poems.
Assistant Principal Galen Rosenberg started the evening by thanking everyone who participated in and made Writers Week possible. Noah then performed a poem he had written for a class assignment. The poem reflected his love of music.
"He's a saxophone player," Rosenberg said. "I'm also a saxophone player, so he definitely deserved to win, just on that note alone. But I think if you hear the poem, you'll understand why the students in the audience and the judges thought it was so amazing."
Afterwards, prominent "spoken word" performer Flores introduced his poem, "Spanglish." Flores first asked the audience what their thoughts on Spanglish were, including what they believed it to be. After a little discussion, he launched into song, danced around the stage and flowed into his poem. His poem reflected on his culture and the "in-between" of Spanglish.
"I've been doing this for so long that I don't really care where I'm at when I perform, and I try to turn it all into my own shower or living room or mirror or whatever," Flores said.
After Flores' performance, award-winning poet Greacen read a piece written recently, titled "Gravity Is Always Attractive."
"I don't normally … read something that I wrote really recently," Greacen said. "I usually let things kind of cure, like concrete, for a really long time, and I feel like I'm naked on stage for doing this, but I figure, why not?"
Chard, a Wallace Stegner Fellow in Poetry at Stanford University, read his poem "Angel" next in a soft tone that heightened the impact of his words on the audience.
Poet and playwright Hodge went last, performing her poem "For Those of You Who Must Know How I Am Doing in New York."
"New York has this thing every year called 'winter,'" Hodge said. "Yeah, anti-that. I wrote this poem in the winter of 2004, when all of my best friends were enrolled at UC Santa Cruz and were going surfing at the beach. So, they called me to ask how New York was. Um, well, snot was freezing my scarf to my face, my hair was breaking off 'cause it was so cold, and I was bundled up top to bottom."
After the performances, the poets discussed their experiences, starting from their earliest memories of poetry to their current hardships as poets. Some of the poets also offered advice to aspiring young writers.
"Read," Chard said. "Read as old as you can and as new as you can and that will sustain you."
The guest poets each performed one last poem before Elizabeth performed her winning poem, "Restless."
"I really enjoyed (the evening)," said audience member Amelia Evard, a senior. "The small turnout was pretty disappointing to see, but it was an absolutely amazing performance. It was exciting to see the school branching out in picking keynote speakers, and I liked the mix of different kinds of poets."
For more Talon news, visit www.lahstalon.org.


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Giants shut down by Royals' Shields
SF musters four hits; Hudson allows three runs in six-plus innings
KANSAS CITY -- The inability to capitalize on an abundance of opportunities was to blame in the Giants' loss Friday. Conversely, there were no opportunities to capitalize on Saturday as James Shields twirled a four-hit shutout and San Francisco lost, 5-0, to the Royals at Kauffman Stadium.
"Last night, I thought that was one we let get away. But this one, we just ran into a well-pitched game and there's not much you can say about it," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy, whose team fell for the third time in a row and now has dropped 11 of 16 games.
San Francisco collected 12 hits Friday, but only had two runs to show for it. A night later, Shields limited them to three singles and a double and kept the Giants -- except for Joe Panik -- out of scoring position for the entire game. Gregor Blanco, Pablo Sandoval and Angel Pagan collected the singles, while Panik doubled. No one else reached base for San Francisco, and only Panik touched second base.
"[Shields] had everything going tonight, I mean everything. He had a good fastball, good cutter, good curveball, great changeup, and he was commanding every pitch extremely well. He was nails tonight," Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Kansas City won the game on Alex Gordon's solo home run off Giants starter Tim Hudson in the fifth inning to open the scoring. The Royals, winners of six straight, have already clinched the series. San Francisco can salvage a game Sunday.
"We're playing a good team. They're playing very well," Bochy said. "They're getting the timely hits and great pitching, and you have to play your best ball when you're playing a good team."
The first runs of the Giants' 4-2 loss the night before came when starter Madison Bumgarner left a fastball up to Billy Butler, who deposited it into the left-field stands to give the Royals a 2-0 lead in the first. Hudson made a similar mistake to Gordon that put Kansas City on the board. The left fielder crushed an elevated fastball for a homer, as the Royals drew first blood.
"It was a 2-0 fastball that, obviously, wasn't in a very good spot," Hudson said. "He's a really good fastball hitter and you get into a hitter's count with him, you've got to make a quality pitch right there. And I didn't do it."
Hudson's night ended in the seventh inning. He entered the frame with only three hits allowed -- including Gordon's home run. But Kansas City matched that number with the first three batters, and Lorenzo Cain's RBI single brought on reliever Jeremy Affeldt.
The former Royal immediately induced a double play, but the Royals went to work with two outs. Mike Moustakas brought home Gordon for Kansas City's third run with a double, and Alcides Escobar and Jarrod Dyson pushed the lead to 5-0 with RBI singles.
The seventh-inning carnage ensured Hudson's third straight start of allowing exactly three runs. He's 1-7 with a 4.28 ERA since June 12, when his ERA sat at 1.81.
"I thought our guy threw really well too," Bochy said. "Huddy did a nice job keeping us in the game there, and it just got out of hand there in the seventh."
San Francisco needs to beat Kansas City on Sunday to finish its 10-game road trip at .500.
"We got off to a good start on this road trip and [we] were close to having a good road trip with that start, but now it's up to us to fight all we can, try to win every game," Bochy said.
Jackson Alexander is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Burton Trick Pony Snowboard
A different spin on 'true-twin' design, with more than enough power and stability to take your creativity to any conditions.
For park riders who also love pow, the Burton Trick Pony pushes your abilities into natural terrain with a unique shape and feel that's unlike anything else in the Burton lineup. Harnessing float and freestyle playfulness, this tweaked true twin takes the power and float of PurePop Camber from pat-down takeoff to stomped landing. It's an evolution in Bend featuring flat zones outside your feet and early rise at the tip and tail to give you way better control and ollie power in either direction, while still letting you float effortlessly with a centered stance.
- Bend PurePop Camber
- Shape Twin Shape
- Flex Twin Flex
- Core FSC™ Certified Super Fly II™ 700G Core, Dualzone™ EGD™
- Fiberglass Triax™ Fiberglass
- Base Sintered WFO Base
- Mounting The Channel™
- Features Squeezebox, Carbon I-Beam™, Frostbite Edges, Pro-Tip™, Infinite Ride™
- Burton Warranty 3-Year Warranty


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Q. What degrees will I earn in Dordt's nursing program?
A. Students earn two degrees in four years, the A.S.N. (Associate of Science in Nursing) from St. Luke's College, and the B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) from Dordt College.
Q. Is Dordt's nursing program accredited?
A. Yes, both St. Luke's and Dordt's nursing programs are nationally accredited and approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing.
Q. Where do nursing students live?
A. Dordt's nursing students live in Dordt campus housing all four years.
Q. Since I live in Sioux Center, how do I get to my clinicals at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center?
A. Students carpool, depending on when their clinicals are scheduled, and Dordt reimburses them for miles driven.
Q. What can I expect regarding the exam and employment after graduation?
A. You will be eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam upon graduating from St. Luke's College. Our nursing graduates score above the national average on the NCLEX-RN exam and have a 100 percent employment rate.
Q. What will my B.S.N. allow me to do after graduation?
A. Work in the field, enroll in graduate programs, and take on nurse educator or administrative roles.


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"The rhythm of my morning includes DAB." -Michele
Just a few seconds of prayer will impact lives around the world.
"This is a beautiful community and I'm so glad I started listening. The impact Daily Audio Bible has had on my life is immeasurable. This is my second year."
We have always done this together...as a community. If the Daily Audio Bible has been life-giving to you, you can help give life to it.Give today
To bring the spoken word of God to anyone who will listen, anytime, anywhere. And to do it in community—so that no one has to ever feel alone again.


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Picture this:
The camera pans around a lone figure standing in a space suit. As you see the face of the helmet, you recognize the trademark green rays going up and down the face, the light slightly peaking from behind the metal. You expect another tension filled, slow trudge through horror and insanity...
Suddenly! Thirty explosions simultaneously set off, cars, parts and limbs fly in all directions, Lil' Wayne seemingly blast in the distant and the character pulls out a huge assault rifle with too much ammo, proceeding to mow down an army of un-scary, faceless creatures.
NOT to over-exaggerate ,
This is the third person shooter title known as Dead Space 3, a far cry from the two past games. Depending on how you view things, it's quite different, for better or for worse.
Dead Space 3 stars, once again, Issac Clarke. The tortured engineer is back in action as a shell of his former self, he's broken and suffering from past events.
The story picks up some time after the happenings of Dead Space 2. Issac is off to save Ellie, his love interest. With a little motivation from a set of characters, Isaac's journey through necromorph county begins yet again.
But something's different here. You'll notice within the first 20 or so minutes, this isn't your average Dead Space. It feels almost completely different. The brighter colors, the big weapons, fighting against humans. It's all in total opposition of the past games. The introduction is no where near to the beginning of Dead Space and ESPECIALLY not Dead Space 2. Where the others set the done to near perfection, 3's falls somewhat flat, it has the player questioning the true identity of this game. Is it a shooter? Is it a survival horror game? Is this, in fact, Gears of War re-skinned?!
At times, Dead Space 3 feels like it has no heart. This is not the Dead Space that everyone loved. My biggest issue with this title is that it has lost its Dead Space identity. The feeling of isolation, of dread, that feeling that you are never safe. It's all gone and it's a shame. Dead Space 3 often turns into a seemingly lifeless repeat of wandering corridors, slaying un-scary enemies and performing kinesis on lit-up prompts to proceed, full of back tracking, especially in the final chapters.
This is also where the game's pacing takes a major hint. To move the story along, the player will often have to perform myriad fetch quest. Time and time again, the player is forced to wander back and forth around an arena and search for parts to make a particular device. It's monotonous and uninspired, I often felt myself not having fun and sighing at the prospect of wandering around, literally looking for crap. It's tedious and you'll often wonder why these sections were ever included in development. It desperately disrupts the game's pacing. When the game wants you to have fun, you'll be having a literal blast, it's a shame that some sections of the game were not better designed.
Dead Space 3's narrative weave is interesting. It revolves around Ellie and the love triangle that she and Issac share with another character. It's the most human involved Dead Space tale, involving a group of characters in a series where there's usually isolation and loneliness aplenty. Once you accept the fact that this game is NOT lonely, at all, some of the story points can be fun to see play out. Some of the narrative notes struck here are very interesting and can pull you back into the storyline. The overall plot to this game is rather far fetched and silly. Once you get to the revelation you'll be asking, wait what?
Despite its flaws Dead Space 3 is as fun to play as ever. Combining tight third-person shooter game-play with the trademark abilities and you have a title that's up there with the best in terms of game-play. Perhaps the most impressive feature of Dead Space 3 is how the game changes based on if you're playing co-op or not. Certain scenes' dialogue can be totally different based on whether you have a partner playing or not. It's certainly an impressive use of cooperative play. The said implemented co-op system works very well and connectivity, jumping in and out is a breeze. Dead Space also includes a MUCH improved upgrade system and even sports a insanely deep crafting and resource system. You can gather resources for crafting and can even place little droids to scout the area for supplies. This system works very well and can lead to the creation of some truly amazing weaponry. Your gun will feel unique, like it's YOUR gun, personalized to the tooth, to your liking.
With Dead Space 3, my heart is broken. I wanted to truly LOVE it, as I did the others in the series. At times, this title can be brilliant, providing everything that I expected. It's certainly too bad that some of the awkwardly, boringly, designed sections were not crafted with more love. Even thought it attempts to, Dead Space 3 has none of those shocking moments that were often perfectly littered through the first and second editions. Whether it's someone cutting their own throat or someone being pulled out of an elevator, Dead Space 3 fails to include anything that makes the player watch with wide, shocked eyes. With that being said, this title has its game-play perfected, add that with its amazing upgrading and crafting systems and you have a game that plays fantastically. It's truly a shame because this game sits on the cusp of being truly great. Personally, it's just sad to think that the Dead Space of old is most likely forever gone, it's a true shame. In the end, this game is still very good and I do recommend it to all of the action fans out there.
Final Score: 7.5


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Twelve years ago, Ali Abu Hantash thought it was time to follow the American dream and evolve from a store manager to store owner.
Owning the Hinkley Market & Gas station fit those parameters well. There were trips to Disneyland with the kids, dinners out a couple times a week and money to buy pretty much anything the children wanted.
But as more homeowners and renters left town over concerns about the changing boundaries of the plume of chromium-6 in their drinking water, sales at his market, which is located south of Highway 58 on Hinkley Road, have plummeted.
"I'm so mad about this. And I'm so sad," he said. "My wife is mad at me. The kids are mad at me because I am always saying no (to things they need to buy). You wake up thinking about it."
Over the last three months, Abu Hantash said he has had to use his personal credit card to cover some of the business's expenses. He applied for a loan but was turned down.
Recently, his future took a giant step backward.
The Barstow Unified School District board voted in February to close Hinkley's only school. The school is less than a mile from the store.
"People come to the school to drop off their kids and come here maybe for a cup of coffee, a pack of cigarettes or whatever, a doughnut," he said. "That ends the morning business. Nobody is going to wake up in the morning and come here (with the school closed)."


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U.S. Bioethanol Makers Face 5-Year EU Anti-Dumping Tariff
The European Union imposed a five- year tariff on U.S. bioethanol to curb competition for German, French, British and other EU producers, threatening to raise trans-Atlantic trade tensions over renewable energy for autos.
The duty of 62.30 euros ($83.20) a metric ton punishes U.S. exporters of bioethanol including Poet LLC for allegedly selling it in the EU below cost, a practice known as dumping. The levy follows existing EU anti-dumping duties on imports from the U.S. of biodiesel, another renewable-energy source for vehicles.
European bioethanol manufacturers including Crop Energies Bioethanol GmbH of Germany, Tereos BENP of France and Ensus of the U.K. suffered "material injury" as a result of dumped imports from the U.S., the 27-nation EU said in a decision today in Brussels. The levy, which applies only to U.S. bioethanol used for fuel, will take effect after publication in the bloc's Official Journal by Feb. 25.
The duty, which is the outcome of a dumping probe opened in November 2011 after a complaint by European manufacturers, highlights some of the challenges the EU and the U.S. face as they prepare for negotiations on a free-trade agreement. Last week, leaders on both sides pledged to pursue an accord that would expand what is already the largest bilateral commercial relationship in the world.
Sticking Point
Agriculture threatens to be a sticking point in the planned trans-Atlantic trade talks. Ethanol is a form of alcohol distilled from grain or sugar that boosts the oxygen content of fuel so it burns more thoroughly, reducing tailpipe emissions.
U.S. ethanol producers that also include Marquis Energy LLC, Patriot Renewable Fuels LLC and Platinum Ethanol LLC increased their combined share of the EU bioethanol market to 15.7 percent in the 12 months through September 2011 compared with 1.9 percent in 2008, according to the bloc.
"This clearly exerted pressure on the Union industry," the EU said. The main other country that ships bioethanol to the EU is Brazil, whose share of the European market in the same period fell to 4.5 percent from 30.3 percent, the bloc said.
In December, the EU dropped a separate threat to apply five-year anti-subsidy duties on U.S. bioethanol by closing an inquiry that was opened at the same time as the dumping investigation. In such trade cases, the European Commission has the right to apply provisional levies pending a decision by EU governments on "definitive" measures. In the two EU probes on U.S. bioethanol, the commission, the EU's regulatory arm, refrained from introducing provisional duties.
The EU imposes anti-dumping duties and anti-subsidy duties on imports from the U.S. of biodiesel, a type of biofuel made from vegetable oils and animal fats for use in diesel engines. Those five-year levies were applied in 2009.
To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at email@example.com


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Dkny Summer Perfume
By Donna Karan for Women
Dkny Summer Perfume by Donna Karan, This fragrance was released as a special edition for the donna karan summer collection in 2011 . Inspired by the city of new york's summer life style, this fruity floral scent is perfect for the hot summer days. Energize your passions with this modern urban scent that has long lasting charm. It has top notes of goji berry, passion fruit and pink grapefruit. The middle notes of jasmine, lychee and magnolia. And the bottom notes of sandalwood, teak wood and ... Read More ... Read More white musk. All products are original, authentic name brands. We do not sell knockoffs or imitations.
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About Donna Karan
History and background of Donna Karan. Perhaps most famous for inventing "the body", one of the most practical items of clothing to come out of the Eighties, Donna Karan is now one of the most recognisable names in American fashion. Read more about Donna Karan
More Donna Karan fragrancesfor Women: Cashmere Mist , Be Delicious , Dkny , Golden Delicious Dkny , Pure Dkny , more
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lasting and draws compliments.
- Fragrance Type:
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THE county's first female Archdeacon of Wiltshire says she has been bowled over by the welcome she has received in Devizes, where she will be based.
The Ven Ruth Worsley was licensed by the Bishop of Salisbury at St John's Church in Devizes on Monday night, after having worked in inner city parishes in London and Nottingham. She comes to Wiltshire from a post as parish development officer for the Diocese of Southwark.
Mrs Worsley, 50, who is married to a fellow priest, Howard Worsley, and has three sons, is visiting the congregations on her new patch and is enjoying every moment of it.
She said: "I have never found such welcoming people in all my life.You go into a pub or a shop and people can't do enough for you."
Mrs Worsley would not be drawn on whether there would be more amalgamations of team ministries, such as the merging of the Redhorn and Cannings teams last year with one priest in charge of 11 churches, but she was full of admiration for what Wiltshire parishes achieve.
She said: "Coming from inner city parishes, I am used to one priest for one church. The parishes in the inner cities have a lot to learn from rural parishes. It's about how we can work smarter.
"Wiltshire is pretty well off, being able to draw on the generosity of giving of its congregations.
"You can either look at an issue as a problem or an opportunity, and I've always looked on the bright side. It's the kind of person I am."
Mrs Worsley was ordained into the Diocese of Southwell and is a former dean of Nottingham North, where she worked from 2006 to 2008, Nottingham South (2008-2010) and Dean of Women's Ministry (2007-2010).
The Bishop of Salisbury, the Right Rev Nicholas Holtam, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming Ruth to take up the particular responsibilities associated with being Archdeacon of Wiltshire. She has a welcome blend of parish, deanery and diocesan experience, which is just what we need as we continue to develop our sense of renewal in mission."


text: Auto Show Attendance Up 15% in First Weekend February 14, 2011 12:44 PM Attendance for the first weekend of the Chicago Auto Show tracked ahead of last year's pace by 15 percent, according to show management. "Certainly the warmer weather worked in our favor," said General Manager Dave Sloan, "but I think there's more at play here than just Mother Nature. This show is simply spectacular and the buzz around town is that it's on everyone's 'must do' list for the week." The show's black-tie fundraising event, 'First Look for Charity,' raised nearly $2 million for 18 charities on Feb. 10, then opened to an eager public whose interest level stayed high throughout the weekend. "The discounted evening parking program seems to have had a positive effect, as well," continued Sloan. "All of the McCormick Place lots are available for $10 after 6 p.m." The Chicago Auto Show continues daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Feb. 20 when it closes at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or online. For full information please visit www.ChicagoAutoShow.com. Back to News


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LONG BEACH - Criminals who come to Long Beach should beware of, and remember to smile for, the cameras.
That's 400 cameras citywide, both publicly and privately owned, that have been linked to the Long Beach Police Department's communications center as part of a new program that combines law enforcement data with real-time video feeds from parks, beaches, business corridors, the Police Department helicopters and other sources throughout the city.
The new program, dubbed Long Beach Common Operating Picture, or Long Beach COP, was officially launched Monday by Police Chief Jim McDonnell and Mayor Bob Foster.
"We now have an entirely new and state-of-the-art program that uses the latest in technology, that will improve community safety and change the way the Long Beach Police Department responds to crime," McDonnell said.
The mayor praised the new program for facilitating greater cooperation among not only law enforcement agencies, but also businesses and residents. He also stressed the importance of developing such programs in light of the struggling economy and reduced budgets.
"We're finding ways to be more efficient, we're finding ways to deploy resources better and we're ... putting more eyes on the street without putting more bodies out there," Foster said.
Members of the media were given demonstrations of the new technology, which is controlled through six computer stations linked to specialized databases that provide information on anything from license plate numbers and vehicle registration to a suspect's past criminal history.
A simulated armed robbery at a liquor store showed dispatchers using a partial license plate number to uncover the name of a suspect registered to the car used in the crime, and that the man was on parole and lived at home with his father, who had several guns.
The live feeds are broadcast on a bank of big screen monitors at one end of the Police Department's communications center. As the information is uncovered, dispatchers can radio the information to officers in the field.
Though the computers installed in LBPD patrol cars can't download live feeds from the system, authorities foresee that development in the near future, McDonnell said.
Proof of the system's value has been seen on several test runs, and was seen again just moments before members of the media were shown the system as officers tracked the pursuit of a stolen vehicle via one of the police helicopters and watched in real-time as the suspects were taken into custody, McDonnell said.
It can also be used in times of natural disaster, such as earthquakes and fires, and will link to the Emergency Operations Center providing views of the city's infrastructure to areas around crime perimeters, the chief said.
Though some community members may have concerns of privacy violations, the chief noted the cameras are located in the public sector and the system won't be used to monitor any public location unless there are real security concerns.
Once it is 100 percent operational, it will be able to link with every city department, as well as businesses and residences who join the program, he said.
Both budget constraints and the need for specialized training mean the system isn't yet running continuously.
"We plan to deploy the system during high periods of crime, typically Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights," the chief said.
The program, which has been two years in the planning, was funded almost entirely by federal grants, meaning general fund dollars - which are used to hire police - didn't have to be used, McDonnell stressed.
Once police staffing levels can be increased from the current roster of around 815 officers, the system will be able to run around-the-clock with an officer, an analyst and a dispatcher, he said.
"This is not a camera monitoring center, nor is it designed to replace people," McDonnell noted. "It is designed to increase efficiencies and maximize technologies in combatting crime, and to promote greater community and officer safety."
email@example.com, 562-714-2150, twitter.com/tmanzer


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Fairfax County to Host 2015 World Police and Fire Games
Aug. 5 2009
News Highlights
More Information
Fairfax County has been selected to host the 2015 World Police and Fire Games, the Board of Supervisors confirmed at its meeting on Aug. 3.
"This is the second largest international athletic competition in the world, and is a wonderful opportunity for the county," notes Board of Supervisors Chairman Sharon Bulova. "In addition to the economic benefits, the games are a chance to promote our county to thousands of visitors from around the world."
One of three finalists, Fairfax County outbid Toronto-Ontario and Winnipeg-Manitoba to win the rights to host the competition, which will take place at venues across Fairfax County and the region.
"We were very excited to be chosen. We think we have an exciting product to sell," said Sully District Supervisor Michael Frey, who represented the county on the bid committee. "But there's no question that the involvement, passion and commitment our public safety officials have demonstrated over the years is what really sold the federation."
The games are an Olympic-style event held biennially throughout the world to promote friendly competition, camaraderie and international relationships among participants. More than 10,000 emergency personnel from over 60 countries participate in the events.
More information about the 2015 World Police and Fire Games in Fairfax County can be found online.
Contact: Merni Fitzgerald, Director, Office of Public Affairs
703-324-3189, TTY 711, Media Pager: 703-324-NEWS (6397)
To request this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-3187, TTY 711


text:
THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
I've been slow to get shows out this year but am pleased to announce that show 44 with guest SQL Server MVP Simon Sabin is now available for download from www.sqldownunder.com.
In this show, Simon discusses full text indexing in SQL Server plus some thoughts on learning MDX and on technical book writing.
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The government of Kuwait recently pushed the closing date for bids to build eight gas turbines from mid-December 2001 to January 2, 2002. Germany's Siemens, General Electric of the United States, France's Alstom and Mitsubishi of Japan are expected to compete for the project.
Four turbines, with a generating capacity of 100-160 megawatt each, are to become operational in mid-2003, while the remaining four units are expected go online the next year. The first power sector project to be offered to private investors, the tender is part of a larger 780 million Kuwaiti dinar ($2.5 billion) power and water project.
The first power and water desalination plant, with a 2,500 megawatt (MW) capacity, will be built in the Southern Al-Zour region, at an estimated cost of KD130 million and financed by the government. The second—a two-part 1,000 MW dual cycle plant to be built in Shuaiba, south of Kuwait City, and in Subbiya north of the capital—will cost KD553 million and will be built under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) formula.
As part of government plans to privatize basic services, Kuwait is seeking investors to boost the country's energy capacity by 1,000 megawatts by 2004. However, the government's moves to offer private power projects have been hesitant. Kuwait currently operates five power plants, with production capacity of 8,000MW per hour of electricity and 250 million imperial gallons (1.14 billion liters) of water daily. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com [1])
[1] http://www.menareport.com
[2] http://www.albawaba.com


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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The city is narrowing its focus on how to solve the $1.5 billion pension crisis.
A city retirement task force is finishing up its work and will be making some recommendations soon to the mayor and the City Council.
On Wednesday, the board spelled out where it wants to go with the measure and how to pay for the problem.
Higher taxes are on the table but are not the only option, according to the board chairman.
Police and firefighters' salaries and pensions make up a big portion of the city budget, and the retirement plan is one of the city's biggest problems.
The task force's recommendations could force changes in the way the city negotiates new contracts with the police and fire unions. Also, the board is looking at ways the city can bring in more money.
"There is no revenue side of it that has been taken off the table, but that does not mean that is where we are going to end up," said Bill Scheu, who's on the task force.
Those ideas will come up later this month.
Mayor Alvin Brown listened in on Wednesday's meeting. Normally he dismisses the talk of tax increases right off the bat, but this time was different.
"Everyone knows I do not support a tax increase on anything. But I am not going to get in the way by dictating what the task force is going to do," Brown said.
It's a topic the board wants to wait on talking about as well. But members are looking at possible changes in the way the city negotiates with the unions.
Randy Wyse, the head of the fire union, said that could be a problem because deals have already been made with the pension board and the way they invest retirement funds.
"To unravel that is dangerous, very dangerous," Wyse said. "I don't think people have looked at what the financial impact of that would have on the city. So I say be very cautious about where you are stepping just because the judge's ruling says it deserves to be in collective bargaining. Be very careful. Be very cautious."
The board will meet three more times. It will list the funding possibilities on Jan. 21.
The judge's ruling on the lawsuit regarding the Florida Times-Union and pension negotiations is having an impact at the meetings. The task force is making sure everything is in the open and that it is following the rules.
Copyright 2014 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Curriculum Mapping
Curriculum mapping software allows the WCUCOM to more easily identify what is being taught in the curriculum by content area, topic, course, session, teaching method, assessment method, and relationship to course and curriculum objectives.
- Provide information needed to insure that we are meeting curriculum objectives
- Identify gaps and redundancies in curriculum content
- Meet the needs of COCA reporting requirements
- Assist faculty in planning and conducting courses by providing information about content that precedes and follows individual courses
- Support vertical and horizontal integration in the curriculum
- Provide a guide to the curriculum that may assist students in studying for courses and examinations
As we work through the mapping of the current curriculum we will use the information gathered to guide pilot projects during the curriculum revision process. Once the implementation begins for the new curriculum, we will continue with curriculum mapping as a means to support continuity in curriculum delivery and to promote continuous evaluation and improvement.