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Erika Schultz/Seattle Times / MCT
Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014 | 2 a.m.
Three months after taking the helm at REI, Jerry Stritzke looks every bit the part of CEO at the Northwest's popular outdoor-equipment retailer.
Stritzke, 53, walks the grounds of REI's Kent, Wash., headquarters sporting a three-day stubble and none of your typical CEO attire. Jeans, flannel shirt and Patagonia vest have replaced the suit and tie he wore as president and chief operating officer at posh New York-based handbag-maker Coach.
The Stillwater, Okla., native describes himself as an avid outdoorsman — a guy who spends his summer vacations fly-fishing and mountain-climbing, skis and snowboards in the winter, and now bikes to work from his new home on Mercer Island.
While his appointment last fall to REI's top post seemed something of a head-scratcher, Stritzke said the opportunity to combine his retail expertise with a passion for the outdoors "was really a dream come true."
He gives off the impression that selling tents and bikes, not pricey purses, is what he was meant to do all along.
"We do a lot of different things for work," he said of REI's core customers. "But our love for the outdoors is a constant through our lives, and that's been true for me."
Stritzke is the seventh CEO in REI's 75-year history, replacing Sally Jewell, who joined the Obama administration as secretary of the interior last spring.
Jewell, a former banker, led REI through the Great Recession as CEO for eight years, nearly doubling its annual sales from $1 billion in 2005 to $1.9 billion in 2012.
Stritzke, a lawyer by training, brings a different background to REI. He was the No. 2 executive of publicly traded Coach for more than five years. Before then, he held a number of top posts at Limited Brands in Columbus, Ohio, including a stint as chief operating officer of Victoria's Secret.
REI, which was founded in 1938 as a member-owned co-op, has 132 stores in 33 states and more than 5 million active members.
Stritzke sees competition mounting from retailers as diverse as Amazon.com, Cabela's and Nordstrom, and one of his responses is to mull more flagships like REI's big downtown Seattle store.
REI Board Chairman John Hamlin said Stritzke was chosen for his long history in retail, strong leadership skills and passion for the outdoors.
Hamlin also rejected the notion that Stritzke is an odd cultural fit because he comes from fashion mainstay Coach.
"If you looked at Sally's background, people would have said, 'Wow, why did you get a banker to come in and run the co-op?' The answer would have been, 'We needed the financial stability,'" Hamlin said.
"We now strongly believe we need the retail expertise, and we're seeing that value from him already," Hamlin said.
Stritzke, he said, also is an authentic outdoors enthusiast: "He spends all his free time hiking and fly-fishing. He has every bit the same connection to the outdoors that our members do."
Stritzke, who earned $4.4 million in his final year at Coach, probably took a pay cut to join REI.
He said his pay is similar to Jewell's, which was worth $2.1 million in 2012, including incentives and deferred compensation. REI says it will disclose Stritzke's pay in its annual financial report this spring.
Stritzke said he has been in listening mode since his Oct. 1 start date and will lay out his priorities in the next few months.
But he already has made some changes. One of his first moves as CEO was to launch a national search for a chief marketing officer, a new position. REI announced this month the new CMO will replace senior marketing vice president Angela Owen, who is leaving the company.
Stritzke said he's also asked his leadership team to consider new store concepts and a separate strategy for more flagships. He praised REI's largest stores in Seattle and Denver and another flagship in Manhattan's SoHo district.
"They do an amazing job of telling the REI story," he said in a recent interview at REI headquarters. "They're incredibly successful, and I actually believe there's an opportunity for us to do more of that."
Stritzke takes over REI at a time of fierce competition from the likes of Amazon, Cabela's and Dick's Sporting Goods. Even Seattle-based department store Nordstrom sells North Face apparel, Stritzke said.
"Increasingly, we're seeing a number of retailers try to take a piece of that outdoor experience and integrate it into their stores," he said. "What makes REI unique is it's at the core of what we do. That puts us in a position of amazing authenticity, and we're able to tell that story in a very different way."
REI's annual profit declined 4 percent in 2012 amid tepid sales growth. Last year's results won't be announced for a couple more months.
A focal point in the past few years has been new technologies, including mobile checkout devices and a combined inventory system that merges online and in-store sales.
With a large cash pile and no debt, REI is poised to make more technology upgrades, open additional stores, and perhaps expand its distribution network beyond a pair of warehouses in Sumner, Wash., and Bedford, Pa.
"I'm impressed that as I show up, online represents about 20 percent of our sales volume," Stritzke said. "I'm thrilled with that 20 percent figure."
Stritzke counts among his key accomplishments at Coach helping to expand the company's business in China after it was bought back from a distributor in 2008.
"A lot of that was telling a brand story, building a flagship, creating a presence and really engaging a customer base," he said.
Hamlin said Stritzke can use his brand-building experience to make REI better known outside of its long-established markets on the West Coast.
More than a third of its stores are in California, Oregon and Washington. Three are in Nevada, including one in the District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson. REI plans to open at least seven new stores in 2014, up from five last year. Its newest markets include Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City; and Columbus, Ohio.
"We've done a pretty good job on both coasts and a reasonably good job in Texas and a couple of other states," Hamlin said. "But we still have a large opportunity to raise awareness of our brand and add stores."
While REI has a "towering presence" in the Pacific Northwest, it's not exactly a household name everywhere, said Sandeep Krishnamurthy, dean of the University of Washington-Bothell School of Business.
"They have to figure out if they want to be a national player or a niche regional player," he said. "Right now, they're very much a West Coast retailer."


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Music maestro A.R. Rahman will not be attending the Michael Jackson tribute concert in Chennai due to a Hollywood project.
'The Chennai concert, which is a tribute to Michael Jackson organized by my friend, will be a great show. However, unfortunately I won't be present there since I have to complete my commitments and resume work on my Hollywood project 'Couples Retreat',' Rahman told reporters here.
The proceeds of the show, 'Heal the World' organised by music director Praveen Mani, will go to autism awareness programmes and other allied projects.
The show, to be held on the King of Pop's birthday Aug 29, is expected to feature a multitude of prominent playback singers.
Recalling his association with Jackson, Rahman said: 'When I met Jackson, he had asked me to compose a song like 'We are the world'. But sadly we lost him too early.'
The 43-year-old who has won thirteen Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe and two Academy Awards was in the capital for a concert in association with Phat Phish Records, to commemorate 50 years of Doordarshan.
'I am proud to be associated with Doordarshan. It feels great to be part of such a momentous occasion today when the channel is completing 50 glorious years,' he said.
Asked about his studio in Los Angeles, Rahman said: 'Right now the studio is not there. I am in the middle of getting loans sanctioned to start other things on the project.'

subset: commoncrawl


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Take your pick, or your prospect, Senators fans.
Senators GM Bryan Murray told Sun Media yesterday that he'll be looking to acquire prospects and draft picks in any deal he makes by next Wednesday's NHL trade deadline -- particularly for pending unrestricted free agents Chris Neil and Filip Kuba.
Murray also confirmed he'll meet face-to-face with Neil and Kuba in the next couple of days to see if there's anything that can break the stalemate in contract talks with both players before the Senators make a trade.
"I can't really say definitely (they'll be traded)," said Murray. "I have talked to their agents and I haven't talked to the individual players really, which I'd like to do before I make a final decision ... but very definitely people are calling and asking about a number of players on our team. The unrestricted guys are the first that they ask about."
Neil reiterated yesterday that he wants to remain with the Senators.
"There's not much I can do about it. Whatever happens, happens. Hopefully, I can get something done here to stay in Ottawa and I can stay here a long time," said Neil. "That's the goal, but it's got to be right for both sides. It's got to be right for the Senators and for me.
"If it's pretty close (then a contract will get done). If not, (Murray) has got to do what he's got to do. It's between my agent (Todd Reynolds) and (Murray). I kind of stay out of it. Obviously, I have the final say because my agent reports to me at the end of it, but they've got some talking to do. Hopefully, we can get something resolved."
It's believed Neil, 29, is asking for about $2.5 million (all terms US) per season on a long-term deal, with the Senators offering $1.5 million. Kuba, 32, is looking for a bump from the $3 million he is earning this season to something in the $4-million range.
While Kuba would have to waive his no-movement clause for any deal to go down, Neil hasn't played for any other NHL team besides the Senators.
There is plenty of interest in both players. Sources say the Sharks, Oilers, Red Wings and Penguins have all shown interest in Neil, who hasn't played since lacerating his calf on Feb. 7.
Neil hinted he wouldn't mind the chance to make a run for the Cup.
"There's not much you can do about it. If it was closer to July 1, I'd have more say in where I was going," said Neil. "If I do get moved, it will be to a team that's in the playoffs as of right now and there'd be a good opportunity to go deep in the playoffs.
"If I'm able to stay in Ottawa, that's where my heart is and that's where I want to be. They always say the grass isn't always greener on the other side, but I've got no control over that."
It's believed there are also a couple of teams looking at blueliner Christoph Schubert.
Murray said the phone calls have picked up in the past 48 hours.
"There are more calls from real interested parties that are definitely contenders looking at teams like ourselves, on the outside looking in," said Murray.


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DADS - be warned. The bar has now been set higher than ever for the old backyard cubby house with Townsville students designing their own pimped-out versions for the city's biggest display village.
Forget a few nails and a few pieces of timber - the six cubby houses will resemble miniature houses and train carriages with two being pint-sized replicas of a Queenslander.
Just to add to the fun there'll also be two forts, with kids able to try out the funky play areas at the North Shore display village in April.
So what are the crucial ingredients for a state of the art cubby?
Tec-NQ business development manager Joe Hoolahan said for starters, forget boring and basic and instead think a similar structure to your own home.
"They are built like houses from a structural point of view...the large cubby houses are actually the size of a small bedroom," he said.
"The replica Queenslanders even have a little kitchen and all the fittings.
"They'll be the envy of dads everywhere I'm sure."
While most mums and dads will need a sizeable backyard to fit these fancy cubbys Mr Hoolahan said he expected them to inspire plenty of home buyers when they go on display at the village, and said all in all the project had been a great opportunity for Tec-NQ.
"We've got 25 Year 11 carpentry students (building them),,' he said.
"They have been involved in everything from framing to insulation, roofing and fit-out to getting them painted.
"So this is a big kicker for us ... we might even get some orders from parents.''
"North Shore's Display Village features homes from 16 of Townsville's leading builders so that's great exposure to local industry for our students.
North Shore Project Director Andrew Astorquia said the cubby houses would add another attraction to the display village and said they expected to eventually hold an auction of the cubby houses and donate the proceeds to charity.
"We can't wait to see the cubby houses...we are not sure if it will be the parents bringing the kids along to visit our display village or vice versa," he said.
The 26 home North Shore Display Village will open to the public on April 6. For more information on North Shore visit www.northshorenq.com.au.


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The May 4 ''Powder Puff'' hazing party at Glenbrook High in Northbrook, Ill., brought many disturbing images of how cruel initiation rites can become. Five girls were hospitalized after being smeared with feces, pelted with garbage, and beaten silly by their classmates. More than 30 students were suspended, and many face charges of battery, punishable by up to a year in prison. Why would otherwise normal high school girls engage in this type of outrageous and illegal behavior?
more Sacco columns
Arnold van Gennep, a Belgian anthropologist, devoted his career to the study of rites of passage. His research provides some important information regarding the impetus for hazing. Van Gennep discovered that rites of passage occur in three distinctive phases.
The first phase is separation. Separation may be symbolic or actual. In this phase, the person passing to a new social position is separated from his former identity.
The next phase is called transition. Transitioning occurs as the initiate is taught the history, rules and expectations of his new position. During transition, the initiate is tested to determine his suitability for the new role.
The final phase is called incorporation, which is the successful passage into the new role or identity.
These predicable phases have not changed over time. Modern day humans carry out rites of passage in the same fashion preliterate societies did, and the rites serve the same purposes. Hazing, though, has found its way into the second phase of initiation. A look back into history provides some insight into how this happened.
In the 19th century, Crow Indians were not allowed to enter the ranks of warrior societies without enduring rigorous, ritualized suffering and personal mutilation which took place in the transitional phase of their passage to warrior status. Initiates were subjected to a torturous and bloody ritual called the Sun Dance. Full-fledged warriors sliced open the initiates' chests and skewered them with stakes.
Crows were regarded as the most fearsome and dangerous adversaries in the West by nearly every tribe around them. Initiates who successfully completed the Sun Dance proved they had the exceptional threshold for pain and profound self-discipline required to become some of the greatest warriors native America ever produced.
The Sun Dance tested personal attributes needed by warriors who would have to persevere while suffering grievous wounds or go for days without food or water while engaged in running skirmishes with enemies. Today, groups still test, but the traits to be measured are far less definitive than they were for societies such as the Crow.
What attributes were the Powder Puffs testing for by abusing initiates? Webster's Dictionary defines hazing as ''to harass or persecute with meaningless, difficult, or demeaning tasks.'' The high school harassment served no purpose, and it was not a measure of Powder Puff suitability. This kind of activity demonstrates how hazing has replaced the need to test for personal attributes vital to assuming a new role in society.
Unfortunately, rites of passage have not progressed along with human cultures. We still engage in transitional phase testing, but, unlike the Sun Dance, the testing is often nothing more than meaningless humiliation. Modern groups such as high school clubs, college fraternities and the military academies have the challenge of devising new rites that accomplish the same transitional objectives as those of the past, but they must do so without incorporating activities which are demeaning, socially unacceptable or illegal.
Steven D. Sacco is a University of Georgia graduate and U.S. Army veteran who lives in Athens.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, June 22, 2003.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Kedzie's performance against Correia wasn't terrible but it wasn't anything to write home about either. Though she arguably deserved the Split Decision nod, "Fireball" doesn't display the type of technique she should as someone with her experience who also happens to have trained with Greg Jackson for years. Perhaps recognizing that herself, the fan-favorite has decided to retire, ending her run in the ring on a sour note (i.e. four straight losses) instead of giving it one more go on the regional scene. (PHOTO CREDIT: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
Last night's lineup for UFC Fight Night 33 is one fans will be talking about for weeks to come if not longer thanks to some of the tremendous efforts turned in by nearly all the involved athletes. However, while certain competitors saw stocks receive a nice boost, others weren't so lucky after falling short in their respective efforts. Here's a look at what might be next for some of the evening's biggest losers…
Front-Page Photo Credit: Josh Holmberg-USA TODAY Sports
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As with any other business purchase, you should do your homework before making the decision to buy a waste oil furnace. Any open, honest salesperson from a reputable company will be happy to inform and educate you on what you can expect from installing a waste oil burner in your facility. Being in the know to make an empowered buying decision is your first step to gaining the cost-savings and environmental advantages from owning your own waste oil heater.
When talking with a salesperson, keep the following questions in mind before you sign on the dotted line. And to give you a head start, we've also provided some answers that will help you in your dialogue with a sales representative. Keep in mind that various makes and models have unique characteristics, so the information here is meant as a general guide, and might not hold true in all situations.


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Briar Woods wins Dulles District competitive cheer crown
Briar Woods edged Broad Run by 1.5 points to repeat as AA Dulles District competitive cheer champions Oct. 20 in front of its home fans in Ashburn.
The host Falcons scored 229.5 points, while the Spartans were a close second with 228 points. Loudoun County (213) placed third, followed by Dominion (210.5) in fourth place.
All four squads qualified for the Region II meet, scheduled for Nov. 6 at Orange County High School. Briar Woods is the defending Region II and AA State champions.
Dulles District results
Briar Woods (229.5)
Broad Run (228)
Loudoun County (213)
Dominion (210.5)
Potomac Falls (204.5)
Freedom (202.5)
Woodgrove (199.5)
Tuscarora (171)
Park View (130.5)
The stamina, flexibility, endurance and training that is needed for cheerleading proves it IS A SPORT and should be universally recognized as such. These girls (and some guys) work very hard to achieve the perfection that is needed in competetive cheerleading. Congratulations to all the squads that competed and good luck to those who are continuing on to Regions and States.
Congrats to all the girls that took part in this competition. I was there and was very impressed with all their hardwork and dedication. I wouldn't be surprised if the regional and state champion come from this district again.
|The Loudoun Times-Mirror
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of the printed newspaper.Click here for all e-editions.
Get sports news via email.


text: I just came back from lunch at Escondido off Maple Avenue. Guess who I had lunch with? Nope. Nope. Not even close. Bill Addison, the new dining critic at the DMN. He debuted last week with three reviews. He also announced that he is going to tighten up the star rating system. I said, "Good luck with that, buddy. You're fighting a losing battle." (I hate the star system.) Anyhoo, he reduced Aurora by a star (from 5 to 4), and now kitchens all over town are having staff meetings and tightening up their acts. They all want to know what this guy looks like. SO, I took my trusty hidden camera and took a picture of him. Restaurateurs, don't ever say I've never done anything for you. Here he is in all of his glory. And he's coming after you!


text:
XMI X-mini KAI Bluetooth Capsule Speaker Review
Main Features and specifications:
- Portable capsule speaker with 40mm driver
- Bluetooth 2.1 audio streaming with control capability (play/pause/track advance/mute)
- Built-in microphone for hands-free calls
- Measures 50mm x 62mm when collapsed
- 8-hour lithium ion battery, charges via USB
- 3.5mm analog audio input (dual connections)
- Includes cloth travel pouch
What We Liked:
- Big Sound From A Small Package: The sound that comes from the X-mini is truly impressive. What's even more remarkable is how small and lightweight it is. One of the tricks XMI deploys to make the X-mini sound larger than life is the expandable resonator. Acting as a type of tuned port, the accordion-like tube drastically modifies the sound coming from the miniature driver. Close it up and the speaker becomes extremely portable.
- Speakerphone Functionality: The X-mini comes equipped with a built-in microphone for enhanced conference calling. In our tests callers voices were piped in loud and clear over the 40mm driver and the microphone did an excellent job at picking up voices from up to 5 feet away. Will it replace your office Polycom? No. But for a quick coffee shop conference call, it's one of the best solutions we've come across and beats the pants off the phones built-in speaker.
- Bluetooth Controls: On the side of the X-mini you'll find a multi-function rocker switch. This single switch allows you to play/pause as well as advance tracks over Bluetooth. Want to keep your phone in your pocket while controlling music playback? No problem.
- Excellent Battery Life: KMI claims an astounding playback time of up to 8 hours. While we were unable to verify this claim during testing the KAI did indeed seem to play forever. After the initial full charge (via laptop USB port) we did not need to charge it again during the entire month-long testing period. Needless to say, we were impressed.
What We Didn't Like:
- Bluetooth Connection Issues: We connected the X-mini to an iPhone 4S without any issues but when it came to re-pairing we were unable to get it to do so automatically. A Bluetooth headset, for instance will remember the pairing and when the headset is turned on, the connection will be reestablished. This was not so with the X-mini and the need to manually connect each time the speaker was powered down was not exactly convenient.
- Best Used Indoors: There is no question about it, the X-mini sounds larger than it looks. But put it outside and output is greatly affected. We're not saying this little guy can't be used outdoors, but just don't expect too much volume from it.
- Cost: At a street price of around $100 the X-mini KAI doesn't come cheap. While the design is uber-portable, a wide variety of portable speakers can be had at this price.
Our Verdict:
The X-mini KAI adds Bluetooth support to KMI's lauded capsule design -- but at a price. The original sells for around $30 whereas the KAI goes for $100. The math isn't hard -- that's a $70 premium for wireless functionality. Price aside, the KAI is a neat little speaker to have on hand. It sounds louder than it looks, the speakerphone functionality works well, and it can go for what seems like forever on a charge. If you don't mind parting way with the greenbacks, you won't be disappointed with this tiny wireless capsule.
Our Score: 4 out of 5
(Click pictures to go to gallery)
- From Online Store Coupons in Audio Components


text:
Support for the kuid_t/kgid_t types and for Linux 3.10 was added. xt_geoip will now no longer throw a warning for empty country sets.
This release fixes an infinite loop in xt_ipv4options, fixes a WARN_ON in xt_ECHO and adds checksumming and IPv6 thereto. ipset 6.10 is provided with a TCP port name and ICMP4/6 type/code parser fix.
UDPLITE support was added to all modules. Support for Linux 3.1. Restored functionality of UDP with xt_psd.
This release adds more boundary checks to xt_ipp2p and endianess has been corrected in xt_ACCUONT. ipset was updated to version 4.1.
This releases fixes removal of rules with the fuzzy match and adds protocol checks to the SYSRQ target.
This release adds a reworked version of the "ipv4options" match, and works with the recently-releases iptables 1.4.3.


text:
See About this website for notes about tips and links provided.
(This page had 10,000 views between Oct 2005 and Dec 2006 [rank: 1]; if this information helps you, consider making a small donation using PayPal - think of it as a tip!)
Date created: ~2003; Note: This doesn't seem to work in Firefox v1.5 (Dec 2005)
<head> section and the
<body> tag.
In the <head> section
function changeScreenSize(w,h)
window.resizeTo( w,h )
In the <body> tag
<body onload="changeScreenSize(500,300)">
In this example, the window size has been set to 500 pixels wide and 300 pixels high. Experiment with different width/height pixel values to get the effect you want.


text:
Tempo change automation
Hello, I am new to Ardour so apologies if my question maybe requires just an obvious answer from you guys.
I am using Ardour version 2.8.12 I would need to change the tempo on the timeline so that I can incrementally speed it up/slow it down from point A to point B (without having to manually create 20 separate tempo changes in between the 2 points). I was looking for a functionality that allowed to draw an automation for this purpose, but it looks like automations can happen on tracks but not on the timelines, is that correct or am I missing the functionality somewhere?
Thank you in advance for your help.
You are correct, as of right now it cannot be done. I believe there is a feature request in Mantis about this, but it is likely more difficult than it seems to implement it my initial guess.
Thank you :)
It would be nice if there was some external program that can do this, and syncing it with jack, you can have ardour recording and the other external program clicking the tempo you want.
If that external program exists, let us know xD


text:
Type: Sub-task
Status: Resolved
Priority: Major
Resolution: Cannot Reproduce
Affects Version/s: 1.6.0
Fix Version/s: None
Component/s: maven-plugin, mini
Maven 3.0.4 on JDK 6u31 on Jenkins
I've seen the following three tests fail multiple times over nightly builds.
Test Result (3 failures / +3) org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.MiniAccumuloClusterTest.org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.MiniAccumuloClusterTest org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterGCTest.org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterGCTest org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterImplTest.org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterImplTest
Issue Links
- is related to
ACCUMULO-2676 Make minicluster ZooKeeper startup wait time configurable
- Resolved
- All
- Comments
- Work Log
- History
- Activity
- Transitions
I asked Eric Newton about removing the failure when zookeeper does not start in a certain amount of time. He had two concerns :
1. That it will make this type of issue harder to debug because you will not know why a test timed out. He said this could be handled by making MAC log a message still waiting for ZK to start, instead of throwing an exception.
2. He mention that MAC is started in @Before and @BeforeClass methods which junit may not time out.
Just did some log gathering on this. Out of my previous 167 builds, 20 have been unstable for this reason. So, not the 50% I originally claimed, but more like 15%.
All 20 test failures only occurred on one slave, so it might be something up with that slave's configuration. 26 of the successful builds have been on that same host.
I just remembered something. When I was seeing ZK server hang because of DNS issues, if I gave more time for ZK to start then something would timeout and the ZK server would eventually start.
Re starting a zookeeper in process. This might be cool, especially if it sped up MAC. However it may not fix this issue, if zookeeper is going to hang on something like a bad DNS config then it may not matter if its in process. It would certainly be worth trying.
Googlin Listening for transport dt_socket at address seems to indicate that message is related to enabling JDWP. Those two test that had the message call setJDWPEnabled(true). So maybe you could connect to the debug port an get a jstack
Earlier when I looked for dt_socket I was looking in test/target/mini-test and found nothing. I tried looking in minicluster/target/mini-test and did find dt_socket messages.
$ pwd /local/disk1/jenkins/workspace/accumulo16/minicluster/target/mini-tests $ find . -name "*Zoo*.out" | xargs grep "dt_socket" ./org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterImplTest/logs/ZooKeeperServerMain_1826463271.out:Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 37923 ./org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.MiniAccumuloClusterTest/logs/ZooKeeperServerMain_523145999.out:Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 48270
Looking into this further, this dt_socket message is not the zookeeper port.
$ cd ./org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.impl.MiniAccumuloClusterImplTest/logs/ $ grep dt_socket ZooKeeperServerMain_1826463271.out Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 37923 $ grep inding ZooKeeperServerMain_1826463271.out 2014-04-16 15:30:26,212 [server.NIOServerCnxn] INFO : binding to port 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0:2617 $ grep 2617 ../conf/zoo.cfg clientPort=2617
Maybe the dt_socket port is a debug or jmx port??? Whatever it is, its the very first think printed and if you see nothing else, then it implies zookeeper is hung. I think it would be really useful to jstack one of these hung zookeeper servers if you can catch it.
These jobs are only failing on a Jenkins instance that I do not have shell access to, so I cannot jstack the processes.
I picked a random MAC dir from a 1.6.0-SNAPSHOT run yesterday.
Looking at the following file :
I see
2014-04-16 17:10:10,077 [quorum.QuorumPeerConfig] INFO : Reading configuration from: /local/disk1/jenkins/workspace/accumulo16/test/target/mini-tests/org.apache.accumulo.test.DumpConfigIT_test/conf/zoo.cfg 2014-04-16 17:10:10,078 [server.ZooKeeperServerMain] INFO : Starting server
then I see
2014-04-16 17:10:10,135 [server.NIOServerCnxn] INFO : binding to port 0.0.0.0/0.0.0.0:59228
There are no lines in the log containing the string "dt_socket". I grepped every zookeeper out file for that string and did not see it.
In the past DNS was flaky on my Jenkins machine and for some reason zookeeper would hang. I jstack the zookeeper server process and saw it was hung in java name resolution calls during initialization. Also I know there was very little in the zk out when this happened, but I can not remember exactly what. Have you been able to jstack?
I don't recall ever seeing this either. I guess you have your work cut out to figure out what's happening
These failures happen approximately 50% of the time on our Jenkins.
I have two ideas for how we can resolve this, but both seem a little heavy-handed.
- We could switch from starting a full separate ZK to using an embedded one in the process. There are several ways to do this, some of which would require us to bump up our dependency from 3.3 to 3.4
- We could provide configuration options to allow for using an existing ZK.
Assuming that nobody figures out what this error actually is, I'd prefer the first solution but can see the merits of both.
There shouldn't be any issues with 3.0.4. I guess this is just an issue that plagues mini in general (not being able to reserve a ZK port). I'm not sure if there's a good fix. How frequently do these happen for you? And, do you see any extra failures with the maven-plugin specifically on this (e.g. more reproducible in that module than the test module ITs)?
In my case this is on a Jenkins box.
- the run was on a CentOS 6 box.
- Jenkins is configured to only allow one Accumulo job on that box at a time, so it shouldn't have anything concurrent.
- This was after I stopped doing parallel builds because of IT failures (although that had been parallel with the IT forking arg and not -T)
- JDK6u31
- Maven 3.0.4
I can try to get a newer Maven set up, but it will probably take some time. I should be able to rely on 3.0.4 right?
I am unable to reproduce this with Maven 3.0.4 or 3.1.1. Was there something else running on the port? Which OS is this failing on? Have you tried with 3.1.1 or newer Maven? Was this build running concurrently with another build that may have caused a port conflict? Was mvn executed with -T to do parallel builds across modules that both use mini?
Clicking through to one of them yields the following exception message:
Zookeeper did not start within 20 seconds. Check the logs in /var/lib/jenkins/workspace/apache-accumulo-1.6/minicluster/target/mini-tests/org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.MiniAccumuloClusterTest/logs for errors. Last exception: java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused
Going to that directory, I find an empty ZooKeeperServerMain_1480462011.err and a single line in the .out file:
Listening for transport dt_socket at address: 33078
The port changes between runs, but I'm fairly sure that is expected. However, looking at conf/zoo.cfg I see:
#Wed Mar 26 05:38:18 PDT 2014 maxClientCnxns=1000 clientPort=26281 dataDir=/var/lib/jenkins/workspace/apache-accumulo-1.6/minicluster/target/mini-tests/org.apache.accumulo.minicluster.MiniAccumuloClusterTest/zookeeper syncLimit=5 initLimit=10 tickTime=2000
So for some reason the ports don't match up.


text:
Extend unemployment benefits
Open Minded Mormon Everett, 00Jan. 3, 2014 6:54 a.m.
@Mike Richards
South Jordan, Utah
The editorial pointed out that about 11,000,000 people are out of work and only 3,900,000 jobs are available for those 11 million workers.
You are a business owner.
You keep saying that Business is the answer - Not the Government.
YOU therefore should doing something - Not the Government.
How many people have YOU hired?
If you haven't, then YOU are the problem.
Government is trying to make up for what YOU are not doing yourself.
Dr. Thom Long Beach, CAJan. 2, 2014 10:51 p.m.
Considering that I personally know four colleagues with terminal degrees in such areas as law, chemistry, biology have been unemployed since 2011 when the college they worked for did a massive layoff and they haven't worked in academic since and trying to get a company or organization to hire someone with a PhD or over 60 is impossible.
Even adjunct work pays less than unemployment especially when you consider the lack of benefits, an office, access to other faculty processes such as committees, and living (sort of) from contract to contract.
JSB Sugar City, IDJan. 2, 2014 10:48 p.m.
Unemployment benefits should be in the form of a loan to be repaid by a small income tax surcharge applicable after the unemployed person gets back on his feet.
Mrcheex West Springfield , MDJan. 2, 2014 6:12 p.m.
I am one of the American citizens that had my benefits cut off with over 30 weeks remaining. The only reason why I am currently on unemployment is because I have been waiting for 3 months for a grant to obtain my CDL. I am due to start Monday fingers crossed. 45 hours a week at school,mind you it's only 6 weeks long, now I have no income while I'm in school. Oh and a stipulation for the grant is not being able to work more then 12 hours a week!! I am 34 years old and I have been working since I was 14, I've paid my taxes and it would be nice to have help for the first time in 20 years!! Sound like a quandary? That's the Government for you!
2 bits Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 4:24 p.m.
The Obama Administration says that every dollar the Government spends on unemployment benefits brings $1.90 into the economy (source PolitiFact).
If that is correct... we should lay EVERYBODY off... and the economy would double.
The sad fact they refuse to acknowledge is that for every dollar they actually pay out in unemployment benefits... they have to take $4.00 from some poor working stiff. And if none of us were working... there wouldn't be anybody to take from to pay these benefits.
I know in theory they take the money from your pay checks when you are working so it will be there when you need it. But in fact.. that money has already been spent and then some (that's why we are 16 Trillion dollars in debt). Reality is... they have nothing to pay these benefits today if nobody is working. So it's a good thing SOMEBODY's working in the private sector.
Unemployment is not currently limited to 26 weeks (in any State). Recently Congress did something that it has never done before - it extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks. That cost more than $100 billion, a huge expense for a government in debt.
Ultra Bob Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 4:09 p.m.
In your post you say you are willing to work for it. What if there is no one needing your kind of work? As members of a humane society we will see that you don't starve, die from exposure or such.
When we give you welfare, it made up of dollars we obtain from business activity, either wages or dividends. The point is, that everybody is supported in one way or another by business activity.
My thoughts are that we could make the system better if we change the way wealth is distributed.
The Hammer lehi, utahJan. 2, 2014 3:55 p.m.
@Ultra Bob
Here are the Cons to your idea.
Accelerate depression, Accelerates poverty, and keeps production down.
Unemployment benefits have to be paid from our treasury. Procuring the money requires increasing FUTA taxes and/or borrowing money. These taxes and excessive borrowing harm business efforts to hire and grow. This accelerates us toward a depression with long term unemployment.
Unemployment benefits decrease incentives to take low wage jobs that pay the same as unemployment benefits. Nobody will work flipping burgers if they can get the same pay for not working. Work=value=money. The lack of continues work hurts workers ability to earn more and perpetuates poverty.
With so many people out of work for so long and not taking lower paying jobs, we lose the benefit of that work. Work=production and eventually negatively factors into GDP.
Ending unemployment benefits is far more humane in the long run as it keeps us from a negative production cycle.
mcdugall Murray, UTJan. 2, 2014 2:45 p.m.
"Unemployment benefits are typically available for up to 26 months." This should actually read, "Unemployment benefits are typically available for up to 26 weeks."
Shawnm750 West Jordan, UTJan. 2, 2014 2:40 p.m.
@Ultra Bob - "The government should hire every available, employable, unemployed worker in America. Pay them at a wage according to the needs of providing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for themselves as an individual or as a family."
Do you REALLY want the government determining what those "needs" are? Last I checked, the "pursuit of happiness" varies amongst individuals, so basically you are saying that you want the government to tell us what makes us happy? Sorry, but I prefer to live in a society where I know that if I want something, and am willing to work for it, then I can do that without the government telling me: "Sorry, but it's been predetermined that your level of happiness and needs don't extend beyond a shared 1-bedroom apartment and part-time use of this government issued VW Beetle."
Ultra Bob Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 2:30 p.m.
Thid Barker.
I don't want everyone to work for the government. I would like everyone to work for private enterprise. Private enterprise will not hire people without some inducement. The last 50 years shows that giving money to private enterprise does not help. OK, lets try taking money from private enterprise. Do it in such a way as to allow private enterprise to pay the least cost.
If there is high unemployment, the government hiring will take the place of welfare and such and put people to work doing the millions of things we need done. Private enterprise will be paying the wages of the government workers by not getting any of the benefit of the labor. By hiring the government worker private enterprise not only reduce the tax but get the benefit of the labor.
When you say we don't have a healthy private sector, you must be only talking about working people. Private enterprise is booming, companies and corporations are sitting on trillions of dollars and frantically grabbing for more.
The need for human labor has changed from the old balance of wealth. If we don't bring our capitalist system up to date everybody dies.
cjb Bountiful, UTJan. 2, 2014 2:02 p.m.
The problem isn't that during this great recession that government has paid out benefits to the poor to help keep them above water. The problem is that during good times, our government has gotten further and further into debt. During good times we get further and further into debt. During bad times we get further and further into debt even faster.
Conservative republicans want to reduce spending and rightfully so, but to do it now, on the backs of the poor is wrong. Don't get into needless wars, don't stay in wars longer than is necessary. .. is one legitimate way to save money. What are we still doing in Afghanistan?
10CC Bountiful, UTJan. 2, 2014 1:38 p.m.
Productivity after the 2008 Great Recession recovered very quickly. Most companies & corporations found that the folks who were *not* laid off were highly motivated to NOT join the ranks of their less fortunate former colleagues.
When you combine a highly motivated workforce with increasingly impressive technology, there's just no reason to have as many employees as you had before, and considering the profits that flowed in after the labor cuts... you end up with situations like Walmart, which has opened 300-400 additional stores since then, but now has fewer employees than they did in 2008.
Economists are beginning to recognize that we're in a "new normal", where growth is modest, unemployment is persistently higher than we'd like, and most new jobs pay quite a bit less than we'd like. Higher productivity and record profits does not have to result in higher employment.
We need to extend unemployment support, without question, but what exactly to do with this "new normal" will be a lingering question for society into the future.
2 bits Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 12:55 p.m.
Too bad this isn't an election year. If it were an election year... I would be willing to bet you anything that they WOULD be extended.
Government benefits are a great bargaining chip when trying to buy public approval for incumbents in their never ending quest for more re-election votes.
Where it's not an election year... it may have a harder time passing.
2 bits Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 11:50 a.m.
Of course extending unemployment benefits is "humane". But that doesn't automatically mean not extending benefits indefinitely is "inhumane".
The question that's harder to answer is... at what point can we stop extending them? 9 months? 12 months? 24 months? 50 years? Are ANY limits on how long you can collect unemployment "inhumane"? If not... where can that limit be? That's the question here.
We need to decide (as a society) what that limit will be. And once people know what the limit is... they know what to expect and aren't shocked when their benefits run out.
It's this unknown... and the hope that MAYBE they will extend them just one more time... and then one more time.... forever. The problem is not knowing what to expect. We extend them sometimes, don't extend them other times (playing politics with it) that makes it so frustrating.
People just need to know what to expect, and adjust. We can't pay people not to work forever and not suffer consequences.
SCfan clearfield, UTJan. 2, 2014 11:47 a.m.
Patriot has it right. The best economy in the U.S., besides that in Washington D.C., is in the private sector run oil industry of the Dakotas. There, the minimum pay is well into double digits in all businesses because of a booming economy. You want to raise wages? Minimum wages? No need to get government to pass a law to do it. The law of supply and demand will do it if allowed to run without too much government interference in the form of regulation and taxes.
Mike in Cedar City
You might remember that back in 2009 when Obama and the Democrats had total power in government, they did pass a jobs bill. An 800 billion dollar shovel ready jobs bill. The fact that Republicans did not want it did not matter. It went through Congress, and Obama signed the legislation. Result? Well, do I really need to ask? You think we should do it again?
BeSmart Cheyenne, WYJan. 2, 2014 11:32 a.m.
I think they should extend the benefits, if the people have to do more to qualify. There are about 4 million open jobs in the US. That is a lot of work, Where I live (a city of 60,000 people around 25000 households) over 1000 jobs opened up last month.
Some of these people lack skills, don't interview well, or can't write a good resume. If they are receiving benefits they should be getting trained in their weakness to be able to get a job.
Looking for 5 jobs a week is a 15 minute process online. Many people need benefits but require them to do something to receive them.
Mike Richards South Jordan, UtahJan. 2, 2014 11:18 a.m.
The editorial pointed out that about 11,000,000 people are out of work and only 3,900,000 jobs are available for those 11 million workers. Extending unemployment will not generate new jobs. Creating "public sector" jobs will not reduce the deficit. Public sector jobs will just take more money from the private sector which will reduce the money available to build factories and hire workers.
I reluctantly agree with the Deseret News. People need to eat. People need to have a place to live. People need clothing.
Obama has mismanaged everything financial since he took office. He has added well over $5,000,000,000,000 (count the zeros - all twelve of them) to the deficit. That money will come from your pocket, my pocket, our posterity's pocket. He is sending over $1,000,000,000 per day to the Middle East for oil when we have more oil than the Middle East in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Obamacare is costing people with insurance thousands more per year for less coverage.
His economic policy has failed. Fix the PROBLEM. Limit government to its assigned duties.
Commodore West Jordan, UTJan. 2, 2014 11:01 a.m.
It is not only the humane thing to do, it is the right thing to do.
Thid Barker Victor, IDJan. 2, 2014 11:01 a.m.
@ Ultra Bob. Here is why your idea of everyone working for the government would never work! Let's say the average government worker earns 50K per year (plug in your own numbers) and pays back 20% in taxes. Where does the other 80% of his salary come from? Who must make up the difference to pay for all the government employee's salaries? Private sector! If we don't have a healthy private sector paying taxes, no money to pay government employees.
patriot Cedar Hills, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:58 a.m.
there are tens of thousands of jobs waiting to be taken...high paying jobs in energy production on PUBLIC land but Barack will NOT allow it. The Keystone pipeline is a no - brainier and will employ thousands of middle class Americans both union and non union but there it sets.. idle. Add to this an expansion of what is already happening in the Dakotas and you literally have an energy production BOOM. Think of the jobs - think of the number of people who get off the unemployment roles and get high paying jobs. This is just ONE example of how Obama has his foot on the throat of America's job market. America will not get out of recession so long as Barack Obama is president and that is a sad reality.
How many of those currently getting unemployment would rather be getting a pay check...not from McDonalds but from a high paying trade?
Open Minded Mormon Everett, 00Jan. 2, 2014 10:57 a.m.
"Extending unemployment benefits is not an ideal answer to sluggish job growth, but it is the humane thing to do."
And letting them expire is the polar opposite: INHUMANE.
Cold, Heartless, Stiff-necked, calloused,
trampling the poor, the needy, the sick...
The very reasons God allowed the Nephites to be destroyed,
as well as Sodom and Gommorrah.
[fyi -- it had nothing to do with Gay marriage.]
Fitness Freak Salt Lake City, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:46 a.m.
Usually, the DN is advocating for amnesty for illegal trespassers. Today they are advocating for job security for actual LEGAL American citizens.
Which is it? The two subjects are in conflict.
atl134 Salt Lake City, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:44 a.m.
We have a stalled economy. The problem is not supply but rather a lack of demand. Demand comes from spending. Spending comes, usually, from actually having money to spend. Cutting out a chunk of funds from the poor or middle class (in this case the unemployed) reduces purchasing power and further decreases demand. Jobs are only created if there's enough demand to make the added job worthwhile. As a result it's estimated that we'll take a .2% of GDP hit to the economy by not extending these unemployment benefits, and lose out on 100k jobs. Might not be much but well... making things worse is hardly a good idea right now.
You don't even necessarily have to extend it to 73 weeks anymore, you could just scale it back to 50 weeks rather than 27.
Ultra Bob Cottonwood Heights, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:34 a.m.
The government should hire every available, employable, unemployed worker in America. Pay them at a wage according to the needs of providing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for themselves as an individual or as a family.
The entire cost of such a government program to be paid by a tax upon all American business operations and even foreign business operations in the USA. If business operators would hire all the workers, the tax would be zero.
Eliminate poverty. Eliminate depressions, booms, and make the economy stable.
Business is the engine that pumps the economic blood (money) that supports our entire society. Like any other engine it must be controlled by the operator. The owner/operator of the business engine is the society where it performs.
Mike in Cedar City Cedar City, UtahJan. 2, 2014 10:18 a.m.
"something lawmakers should agree to as an act of compassion and a recognition that administration policies have failed."
DMN, you just can't support anything, no matter how "compassionate" without taking a nasty ill advised swipe at the Obama Administration. There would not be so many out of work for so long if your number two boss, the Republican Party, had supported some kind of a jobs bill to help re-build infrastructure and put a lot of people back to work.
marxist Salt Lake City, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:11 a.m.
RE: JDMAC "1- Require some measure of public work before receiving publicly financed unemployment (with time off for seeking a employment)." This is what Obama would have preferred - public works projects.
Christopher B Ogden, UTJan. 2, 2014 10:08 a.m.
Yes, barack has been a failure and his policies have come painfully short of what he told us, like when he said he's keep unemployment below 8% if allowed his first spendathon of 800 billion. Or the time he told us he'd be a one term president if he didn't cut the deficit in half, only to see him increase it.
But those aside, its not baracks responsibility to make sure everyone has a job. Its my responsibility to make sure I have a job. I don't want barack taking money from others who have earned it, to give it to me if I'm not earning it. That's not right
airnaut Everett, 00Jan. 2, 2014 10:03 a.m.
Dr. James Rawson
Orem, UT
Does BYU know about this?
btw - Sorry about your Father.
Flashback Kearns, UTJan. 2, 2014 9:45 a.m.
Good, then you at the Deseret News can pay for the extended benefits. Not me.
Dr. James Rawson Orem, UTJan. 2, 2014 9:28 a.m.
To Marxist: "Obama did his job and rescued American capitalism." The facts are obvious that this administration has done everything it can possibly do through taxation, illegal regulations from the EPA and other government agencies who make up their own laws and Presidential mandates; to destroy Capitalism or Free Enterprise. It would be wise to look at Obama's record and see exactly what he has done.....which is absolutely nothing to help this economy recover! He has placed more people on welfare than any other President in history and wants to keep them there with an additional "free lunch," without requiring any labor for it. And, the millions who have given up on finding employment, because of His anti-capitalism policies, are now dependent on the taxpayer handout and are willing to live on it. The economy is not recovering; placing the blame squarely on Obama and his administration's anti-growth, redistribution of wealth policies!
Hutterite American Fork, UTJan. 2, 2014 9:05 a.m.
I'm surprised to see you advocating socialism and entitlements.
RichardB Murray, UTJan. 2, 2014 9:02 a.m.
This is what happens when business and some government leaders flood our labor market. The taxpayer gets stuck paying for the surplus labor, or those who are replaced by them.
SCfan clearfield, UTJan. 2, 2014 8:35 a.m.
old switcharoo
Uh, you may have missed the memo, but when Obama took office he and the Democrats plowed about 800 billion into "shovel ready jobs" to do just as you claim the Republicans did not want to do. What went wrong?
Twin Lights Louisville, KYJan. 2, 2014 8:19 a.m.
I agree that the benefits should be extended but we need a more predictable (less political) method of determining and extending benefits. There should be a longer federal time period and it should increase automatically based on certain employment rate benchmarks. The reality is there are folks who hit long-term unemployment in better times when there is no action by Congress.
That said, blaming the long-term unemployment rate on this administration is laughable. If they do something it won't help, if they do, it hurts. Please. We need to accept three facts.
First, we are emerging from the deepest recession any can recall other than the very old who can actually remember the Great Depression and digging out will not be quick (expecting it to be so is foolish).
Second, though imperfect, both this and the Bush Administration responded about as well as could be expected. Could things have been done better in hindsight? When is that not true?
Third, in our system government can influence the economy - it cannot and does not control it. Expecting it to be able to make sharp, immediate differences reveals a lack of understanding.
JDMAC Salt Lake City, UTJan. 2, 2014 8:18 a.m.
Extend the unemployment "benefits" even further?
This would only make those receiving payments even more dependent.
Two things would really help:
1- Require some measure of public work before receiving publicly financed unemployment (with time off for seeking a employment).
2- Ease payees out of the program instead of cutting off all the benefit at once. Such as remove 1/3 of the original amount each month until it is gone.
Thid Barker Victor, IDJan. 2, 2014 7:55 a.m.
Why work? Its so easy to let the government pay you not to work.
the old switcharoo mesa, AZJan. 2, 2014 7:14 a.m.
We could be building things with the money but republicans won't agree to public financed building projects. So we spend half a salary per person and get nothing for it. Not too bright.
Tulip West Jordan, UTJan. 2, 2014 7:13 a.m.
Perfectly articulated DN. Not only is the administration hindering growth, they're doing it knowing it's creating an entitlement society. The blueprint for rapid and steady job growth has already been written and they don't seem the least bit interested in following it. It's astonishing when you really think about what they've done and even more so when you think the American people didn't see it coming.
SCfan clearfield, UTJan. 2, 2014 6:50 a.m.
Yes, Yes, Yes, we obviously don't actually want people to have no money. The problem is that for more than a few, unemployment and its attendent benefits is one of the biggest growth industries in the U.S. today. Unemployment and food stamps go hand in hand. Do Obama and the Democrats really believe than if their stewardship since 2007 were evaluated, that the huge increase of citizens "Dependent" upon the government to live is a positive success story? Because, I've always agreed with the more conservative view that the success of government is not in how many get government assistance, but in how many Do Not need government assistance.
marxist Salt Lake City, UTJan. 2, 2014 12:26 a.m.
"...and a recognition that administration policies have failed." Being a socialist myself I do no intend to carry water for the administration, but your remark carries a bit of partisanship. The administration took the necessary monetarist steps to save the banking system in 2009. This it had to do, because to rescue capitalism you have to rescue the top first (sad but that's the system). Obama would have liked to do more New Deal type stimulus, more public works projects - many of which are desperately needed - but could never have gotten them through the congress. Obama did his job and rescued American capitalism. I should think you guys would be a bit more grateful.


text:
Physicians treating patients at home may be an age-old concept, and nearly extinct, but it's getting new life now that companies are starting to offer the service as part of their benefits packages.
With her 18-month-old daughter Andersen sneezing, pulling at her ears and rubbing her eyes -- not to mention registering a high fever -- Susan Wagner knew her child needed medical attention.
At 8 p.m. on a Sunday, she figured getting treatment meant a trip to the emergency room, and she didn't like the idea of dragging her 4- and 12-year-old children into the hospital too, especially during what she anticipated would be a busy night, considering most doctors' offices were closed.
"At 8 o'clock on a Sunday night, just shoot me before you make me go," says Wagner.
If that weren't enough, the real estate and facilities regional director of the Americas for Microsoft had an 8 a.m. flight the next morning, traveling from her home in the Seattle area to Fargo, N.D., for a series of meetings. She vowed to cancel her trip if her daughter's health remained in danger, but the very thought of it -- added to the prospect of an emergency room visit -- was more than she could bear.
Unlike the majority of workers who get healthcare through their employer, however, Wagner had an alternative to heading to a hospital -- getting a doctor to make a house call.
Through a partnership with Carena, a Seattle-based medical-care company, Microsoft employees who may need a primary-care physician at odd times or have minor ailments that aren't emergencies, can now call Carena representatives to schedule an old-fashioned doctor house call. Needless to say, before the service became available, many were taking those non-emergency problems to emergency rooms.
Wagner called Carena via the company's health hotline, spoke to a nurse who performed a triage -- an assessment of the medical situation -- and determined that an emergency room visit would not be necessary, but a house call would.
Soon after, a doctor called Wagner to discuss her daughter's problem further, then came to her house about two hours after her initial call. No gathering the kids into the car. No driving. No waiting room. No reason to make her children -- especially her sick daughter -- get dressed and leave comfy beds and toys.
"For my child, it's a much more comfortable situation to be in her own home as opposed to a hospital," says Wagner. "I think for any kid, that would be a preferred environment."
The doctor even carried a black medical bag, indicative of a time when doctor visits were the norm, and he spent more than an hour with the patient and family. After performing a quick test, he was able to determine that young Andersen did not have strep throat, but did have infections in her throat, eyes and ears. Not only did he prescribe antibiotics, but he was armed with a list of 24-hour pharmacies in the area where Wagner could buy medicine.
"For me, that particular experience was pretty key in making sure that I could do what I needed to do at work while, at the same time, take care of my family," says Wagner, who flew out to Fargo the following morning with the understanding that her child's health was under control.
Although it may seem like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting and a bygone era of Americana, medical house calls are making a comeback through employers such as Microsoft. Companies offering the benefit through their health plans believe it will lead to lower health expenses by cutting down on unnecessary ER visits, which tend to be a costly part of any package.
In Many Cases, ER "Not Necessary"
Nationally, trips to the ER for non-emergency situations seem to be running rampant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, of the 11,919,100 emergency room visits in 2006 (the most recent statistics available), just 15.9 percent were deemed immediate, meaning the patient should be treated without delay, or emergent, meaning the patient should be seen within one to 15 minutes. The rest did not have to be seen instantly and 12.1 percent were deemed non-urgent.
According to the data, emergency rooms are being overrun like never before -- and not by the uninsured, but by insured people who aren't facing emergency situations. From 1996 to 2006, emergency room visits in the United States went up 32 percent to 119 million, according to the Atlanta-based CDC.
A report in the Annals of Emergency Medicine entitled "Are the Uninsured Responsible for the Increase in Emergency Department Visits in the United States?" says the uninsured have been going to emergency rooms at a steady rate from 1996 to 2003 (down from 15.5 percent to 14.5 percent over that time period). Families whose incomes were greater than 400 percent of the poverty level accounted for 29 percent of visits, up from 21.9 percent.
"The rise in ED [emergency department] visits between 1996 and 2003 cannot be primarily attributed to the uninsured," says the report. "Major contributors to increasing ED utilization appear to be disproportionate increases in use by non-poor persons and by persons whose usual source of care is a physician's office."
Ralph Derrickson, CEO of Carena, says many people head to the ER just because it's nighttime or a weekend, or they simply can't get a doctor's appointment.
"In most cases, the emergency room isn't necessary for treatment," he says.
Carena's service -- now used by 140,000 members at eight companies, including Microsoft, Costco and the Commonwealth of Kentucky -- can save companies big dollars, according to Derrickson. For a home doctor visit, Carena charges $583, while a typical ER visit in the Seattle area costs a company's health plan $850 to $880, he says.
The national average for an ER visit was $688 in 2006, according to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For employers that enroll more and more workers in the plan, Carena offers an even lower price. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At Microsoft, ER spending rose 70 percent from 2003 to 2006, says Julie Sheehy, director of U.S. health, wellness and productivity benefits at the Redmond, Wash.-based technology giant. By partnering with Carena in April of 2006 and specifically targeting non-necessary ER visits, the company has saved about 20 percent on its health expenses, she says.
"We were looking to see if there was a way we could target that and get people to seek care in a more appropriate venue for themselves and for their issue, rather than going to the emergency room, which is the most costly place to get care and it's also not the best experience for an employee or a family member who's ill either," says Sheehy, who adds that the house-call service is offered to about 85,000 Microsoft employees in and around the Seattle area.
Another company offering physician visits is Sickday Medical House Calls, which currently serves Manhattan, sending doctors to homes as well as offices. While the bulk of its business is through individuals paying privately for the service, the company has been increasingly partnering with employers that offer its service as a benefit. Kate Dessault, Sickday's chief marketing officer, estimates such partnerships now represent 20 percent of its business.
In addition to law firms and advertising agencies, Sickday works with hotel chain AKA, as well as the European Commission and Italian Commission, both of which bring people to New York to work with the United Nations. In total, Sickday currently partners with 10 companies, mostly large employers.
And like Carena, Sickday is helping companies cut down on high ER costs, which in New York can climb well above the $688 national average. Sickday, however, only charges a flat fee of $250, and the charge is just $200 for corporations.
Depending on the company and the benefits package, the cost of an in-home doctor visit can be paid in full by the company -- such as at Microsoft -- or shared with employers.
Sickday also sets up clinics for companies on their premises, promoting wellness or treating employees who may feel sick. Such clinics can also help employees with smoking cessation or dieting programs. Often times, companies don't get widespread participation in these programs, says Dessault, who notes that Sickday can work one-on-one with employees to set up specific plans and make sure to follow up.
Reluctance Still Reigns
For all its merits, though, many companies are hesitant to implement a house-call program. Dr. Michael Cryer, senior medical director at Lincolnshire, Ill.-based Hewitt Associates, says the large- and medium-sized companies he works with haven't bought in to the idea because they don't think it'll be cost-effective.
"What they're worried about is the fact that, if they offer [house calls], they won't get enough reduction in cost to really cover the cost of having the service available," says Cryer. "They anticipate that people will use the service more frequently because it's more available and it's convenient, but they don't really anticipate that it's going to lower their ER visits that much."
Cryer says the initial costs to implement are also a factor, with house-call providers asking for a retainer, guaranteed minimums or payment of a certain amount of money per employee. Also bear in mind, he says, that while house calls cost less than ER visits, they do cost more than visits to the doctor's office.
When it comes to liability, traveling doctors will surely carry malpractice insurance, and house-call companies cover themselves when performing triage over the phone, says Dr. Russell Robbins, a principle at the consulting company Mercer.
Also, companies like Sickday specify on their Web sites that they don't treat emergencies such as chest pains, head trauma, shortness of breath or loss of consciousness- -- people with those symptons are told to go right to the ER.
Whether a company is ready to launch or is merely considering the benefits of such a program, initial due diligence is, of course, necessary. When Microsoft was entertaining the idea of implementing a house-call program, HR was tasked with performing benchmarking studies and analyzing the cost of health claims from employees. Through that process, the company recognized the rising cost of ER visits.
"If we could understand why people are opting to go to the ER rather than seeing their [primary care physician] or getting the issue treated more appropriately, we felt that we could probably, through communication, really help people more effectively than we were," says Sheehy.
Microsoft then rolled out a pilot house-call program to the HR department. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
To initiate it to all Seattle-area staff -- which encompasses most of the company's workers -- HR promoted it through the company's internal Web site, a newsletter and a mass mailing.
Now, it's safe to say the offering has been a hit with employees, Sheehy says.
"The benefits of this program have been much more far-reaching than we originally thought and, certainly, the feedback we get from employees has been just tremendously positive," she says. "They absolutely love this benefit."
HR currently administers the program, she adds, running it just like any other employee benefit. Derrickson insists that house calls from Carena or other providers are not replacements for the emergency room.
Oftentimes, in fact, the nurse assessing the situation on the phone will recommend going to a hospital as the best option. Other times, the patient does not need either a trip to the ER or a house call.
"Very often, what happens is the doctor is able to give them some information, some advice and some reassurance [over the phone], and actually, they don't need either [treatment option]," says Sheehy. "In that case, we're saving the whole cost of the emergency room visit [and a doctor's call], which is fantastic."
Also beneficial to employees is the sheer amount of time spent with the doctor. A typical home visit lasts about one hour -- plenty more time than people generally get in an emergency room -- and, says Derrickson, a doctor inside the home for that long can lead to better healthcare down the road.
Since doctors are armed with a list of Microsoft's benefits, a doctor noticing a lingering problem, such as smoking or obesity, can suggest that the employee utilize Microsoft's smoking cessation or gym-membership benefit.
"Our consumers don't go on and get more unnecessary care because the encounter fully educated them and set them up to be a better healthcare consumer," he says.
And patients using the Sickday service certainly enjoy the cost savings, but are even more excited about the peace of mind it brings, says Dessault.
"Most people are telling us that the biggest benefit is the comfort that people have in the office, that they know they have someone they can call after hours and on weekends," says Dessault, "and that the company has gone out of its way to make sure that is provided to them."


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Alcatel continues their product rollout today with the Idol X+, their flagship handheld. The device is a bit different from what we've seen recently, keeping a sleek look and mature styling. Though the Idol X+ doesn't have the playful colors of the POP series, it does make up for it under the hood.
Alcatel is quick to note the thin bezels on the Idol X+, going so far as to call them "0" bezels. They're a very slim 2.4mm, so the claim isn't too far off. Dan Dery, Chief Marketing Officer for Alcatel OneTouch says "The IDOL range has gained a reputation for offering the best balance of features, performance and design. The IDOL X+ continues this tradition and is set to surprise and delight with its image capture and display credentials."
In regard to specs, the Idol X+ is a strong offering from Alcatel:
- 5-inch IPS display, 1080 x 1920 pixels
- 2 GHz octa-core processor
- 13.1 MP full HD rear camera
- 2 MP 1080p front camera
- Android 4.2
- 16GB Memory (32GB optional)
- 7.9mm thin
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 2500mAh battery
Alcatel is one of the first to bring octa-core performance to a handset. Though they aren't saying which manufacturer makes the processor, MediaTekis the only one with an octa-core ready for shipment, so we'll say it's theirs. If it were Qualcomm, we'd think there would be more fanfare involved.
The device works on all the normal cellular bands, and we'll be looking for it on T-Mobile or AT&T. Alcatel hasn't yet made clear the availability or pricing, so we hope to hear more about that soon. If you need a sharp device that looks the part, the Idol X+ is one to check out.


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Automatic federal budget cuts that took effect earlier this month could jeopardize housing vouchers for more than 700 low-income Riverside County families, county officials say.
It is anticipated that so-called sequestration will yank $6 million out of a $71 million program that helps nearly 9,000 families make rent, said Heidi Marshall, an assistant director for the Economic Development Agency who oversees the county Housing Authority.
"These are trying times. We have never seen anything like this before," Marshall said in a telephone interview recently. "The bottom line is we're going to have to downsize the cost of that program somehow."
Marshall said officials are weighing whether to cut off support from as many as 746 families to trim the $6 million, or to require everyone to pay a greater share of rent. As it is, participants pay 30 percent and the county picks up the other 70 percent.
Neither option is attractive.
More than half of those served are elderly or disabled, Marshall said.
"You're talking about people on a very fixed income. Any increase is going to be detrimental," she said.
Three-fourths of all participants enter the program making no more than 30 percent of the median Riverside County income -- $13,400 for a one-person household or $15,300 for a family of two, Marshall said.
The maximum they earn is half the median income, defined as $22,300 for one person and $25,500 for a two-person family.
Not only will the federal move affect some or all of 8,952 families who receive rental assistance, for the rest of 2013 it will prevent anyone else from enrolling, Marshall said.
More than 15,000 people are waiting for Section 8 housing vouchers, including veterans who are having difficulty finding places to live, Marshall said.
"It's just a shame because we have close to 1,000 veteran families on our waiting list right now," she said.
County supervisors said Tuesday that Congress should have exempted the housing voucher program from the automatic across-the-board cuts.
"I think that the way we treat our veterans has been a black eye in this country," said Supervisor Jeff Stone. "I think as U.S. citizens we should all be embarrassed and disturbed that we find homeless veterans and veterans without appropriate medical care. ... It breaks my heart when I drive up at an intersection and I see a homeless veteran panhandling to make ends meet."
Marshall said officials are holding out hope the federal government will adopt a budget and halt the cut on housing voucher funding.
Voucher participants with questions about the local impact are invited to contact their case workers or call the Housing Authority at (951) 351-0700 or (800) 655-4228.


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When I was editing my Weekend Fix video, cutting out clips and fast forwarding through parts of it to keep the time down, I cringed a little bit when I had to cut out the bit about Sandra Bullock being one of the few remaining box office draws. Indeed, gone are the days when nothing more than an actor's name could draw audiences to the box office in droves. Very few movie stars actually exhibit consistent drawing power. Unlike the Old Hollywood Era of yesteryear, these days, big box office grosses have more to do with spectacle, story, or popular franchises than they have to do with the actors' popularity. Still, that doesn't mean that there aren't a few names that can truly mobilize the masses and get people into the theaters. Therefore, since I didn't get to say my piece in my video, and it is List Wednesday, I present to you (in no particular order) these eight legitimate box office draws:
The fantastic $34.1 million debut of The Blind Side inspired this list, and Sandra Bullock has proven time and time again that she can open movies. Beautiful, hilarious, and yet somehow down-to-earth and relatable, Bullock comes across as funny and appealing to guys, and appealing as an everyday woman to her fellow females. While her main audience is certainly females, and most of her big box office hits are romantic comedies (Miss Congeniality – $106 million, Two Weeks Notice – $93 million, The Proposal – $163 million), she's proven a few times that she's more versatile than that. Look no further than Speed, with its $121 million gross, or The Blind Side's current box office performance- she's a true-blue box office star.
I wrote about Sandler's box office viability extensively a while ago. You can read that post here. All you have to know, is that this man is one of the smartest decision makers in Hollywood. He knows his target audience, and he constantly releases films that they want to see. Voila! You've got a formula for great box office results.
The go-to man for comedy. Jim Carrey, more than any other funnyman in the last 20 years, has established himself as the most popular comedian at the box office. Audiences love his brand of absurd facial expressions and heartfelt sincerity. He's been trying to branch out lately, but when he sticks to high profile, big budget releases like Fun With Dick And Jane ($110 million), Bruce Almighty ($242 million), How The Grinch Stole Christmas ($260 million), Liar Liar ($181 million), and Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls ($108 million) features, he really hits his stride and rakes in the dollars. I personally love it when Carrey mixes his comedy persona with some more serious roles, like in The Truman Show, which resulted in great reviews great box office ($125 million).
People love to tear down Jennifer Aniston, saying she hasn't been successful as a movie star and that she should have stuck to TV. I beg to differ. When Aniston sticks to the breezy romantic comedy genre, she's remarkably popular. She's found big success with films like Along Came Polly ($88 million), The Break Up ($118 million), Marley And Me ($143 million), He's Just Not That Into You ($93 million). By my calculations, that makes someone a movie star.
Like Sandler above, way back in the day, I dedicated a whole post to Will Smith's box office success. I don't need to tell you how famous he is… Just read the old post and add 2008's $227 million gross for Hancock to the mix.
The godfather of all celebrities has really established himself as a major box office force in the 2000s. He doesn't have as much of a defined genre as some of the other people on this list, but he typically plays cocky, comedic characters, though he has done his fair share of dramas as well. In the last decade, he's found success with Oceans Eleven ($183 million), Troy ($123 million), Oceans Twelve ($125 million), Mr. And Mrs. Smith ($186 million), Oceans Thirteen ($117 million), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button ($127 million), and Inglorious Basterds ($120 million).
Heigl is certainly the youngest and least proven actor on this list, but in the last three years, since che burst onto the scene in TV's Grey's Anatomy, she has chosen her film roles wisely, and I have my eye on her as the young box office star with the most potential drawing power. She already has figured out that her bread and butter is in the romantic comedy genre. In 2007, she starred in Knocked Up, which grossed $146 million. In 2008, she took 27 Dresses to $76 million. And in 2009, she helped The Ugly Truth to $88 million. If she continues to pick strong roles within her genre, she'll keep seeing strong returns.


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DURHAM, N.C., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Mason Plumlee poured in 28 points and Rasheed Sulaimon added 19 Sunday in ninth-ranked Duke's 88-67 win over Florida Gulf Coast in a Battle 4 Atlantis game.
Plumlee augmented his career-high scoring total with nine rebounds for Duke (3-0).
Ryan Kelly also yanked down nine boards to go with 14 points for the Blue Devils, who racked up a school-record 96th straight home win over a non-conference foe.
The Eagles (2-2) were led by Bernard Thompson with 24 points, six rebounds and five steals.


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Nothing heals a wound like bacon (not real bacon). Each metal tin contains fifteen 3" x 1" latex-free adhesive bandages with sterile gauze to take your mind off of the excruciating pain.
Availability: In stock
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Ulster cybercop and the online cafe that keeps kids safe
The Ulsterman who heads the UK police organisation which tackles child sex abuse has launched a new Cybercafe website to protect children from online predators.
The website - www.thinkuknow.co.uk/cybercafe - uses state of the art technology to create a site where children between the ages of eight and 11 will meet a character called Gryff and his friends while learning about different aspects of online safety.
It is the first time that children as young as eight have been the focus of an online safety programme.
Through a series of games, the children can help the characters use the internet to complete their homework, send emails and text messages, post online forums and a host of other activities safely. There is also a glossary for children to use should they need help in understanding online language.
Bangor-born Jim Gamble is the head of the Child Online Exploitation Centre (CEOP) which is behind the new initiative.
The former RUC officer said: "What we have learnt from children and teachers alike is that children as young as eight are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their use of the internet.
"But where the natural, innocent naivety of children collides with the open and often unrestricted nature of the virtual world then their safety is always going to be called into question.
"We see that danger first hand all the time. At CEOP we receive on average 10 reports a month relating specifically to children between the ages of eight to 11 years. That should concern us all."
Mr Gamble added: "So I say this to all teachers. If you are working with children between the ages of eight and 11 years then please now work with us and help deliver this resource.
" After all many of you have said to us that you want this kind of service and teachers and children have been involved in the design, content and overall layout. Not only that but it is totally free. So download the lesson plans, explore the virtual world with your class at your side and help us make children safer today."
It is intended that the programme can be delivered either as a stand-alone online service for children and parents at home, or through teachers in schools who can download lesson plans and other resources - all of which are free.
Belfast Telegraph


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Canada w20 making progress at Costa Rica camp
Posted on 18 February 2012 in ↳ Women's EXCEL U-18 to U-20
Canada's U-20 coach Andrew Olivieri is pleased with the progress his team has made after just four days together in San José, Costa Rica. The team is currently preparing for the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship, which runs 1-11 March in Ciudad Panama, Panama. The Canadian team will have 15 days together before leaving for Panama on 27 February.
As part of the preparations, the Canadian U-20 team faced an older Costa Rica "A" side on Saturday 18 February at the Piedades de Santa Ana. All 11 of Costa Rica's Saturday starters recently featured in the 2012 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver. Saudy Rosales, Raquel Rodríguez (two) and Wendy Acosta scored for Costa Rica before Catherine Charron-Delage countered for Canada in the dying minutes.
"We could have liked the result to be better, but the performance was good," said Olivieri of the Canadian team's first match together. "It is very good to see the progress our players have made in just four days."
Coach Olivieri made sure that all 22 Canadian players featured in the exhibition match. By 27 February, Olivieri will have to trim his roster down to 20 players for the trip to Panama. Before that departure, Canada will also face club side Arenal Coronado during its stay in Costa Rica.
"We are seeing this team start to build an identity," said Olivieri. "The players are buying into our new program. They are buying into a new culture - not just on the field, but also off the field. They are buying into everything of which we ask them."
Canada opens the eight-team CONCACAF Women's Under-20 Championship on 1 March against Haiti. Canada then faces Jamaica on 3 March and Mexico on 5 March. All matches will be played at the Estadio Rommel Fernández. Matches will also be televised live online via CONCACAF TV.


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James Sponaugle 'Puma' fixed blade knife
Blade Steel: CPM-154 highly polished, R/C 59-61
Handles: Thunderstrom Kevlar w/ thin red liners
Handguard: Stainless
Sheath: leather
Blade: 4″ and 5/32″ thick
Details: James Sponaugle resides in TN and is a PT maker and retired toolmaker from TRW which has helped him become an expert knifemaker. His F&F is outstanding and he is a wonderful man to deal with. James does not make many pieces and this is a wonderful example of his work! This is a gorgeous knife!


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Plenty of upside in the middle
2005 draft is rich in shortstop and second base prospects
By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com
Once upon a time, speed was the name of the game in the middle infield. If a guy didn't have wheels at shortstop, he wouldn't even get a sniff in the upper rounds.
But times have changed. Now, being a good "baseball player" -- perhaps the highest compliment from scouts for players who just play the game the right way, but perhaps without a lot of individual tools -- is enough to get first-round consideration.
"You would never draft a shortstop who was a below-average runner," one scouting director said. "Now, it's morphed into guys who are good baseball players, and you look past that [they aren't fast runners].
"Like Bobby Crosby: He can't run, but he can play the game. Some of those guys will be able to stay at shortstop."
That's not an issue for the guy who is the consensus No. 1, not only at this position, but in terms of overall talent, in next month's First-Year Player Draft. Justin Upton is a high school phenom who some think is even better than his older brother B.J., who went No. 2 overall in the 2002 draft. Whether or not he stays at short is up for some debate, but there's no argument over his tremendous upside.
Troy Tulowitzki is the other shortstop often mentioned in the top five or so picks of the draft. The Long Beach State star definitely benefits from the change in philosophy, and teams looking for someone to move through their system quickly may decide to go with "Tulo."
There's a definite drop-off after that, with most other middle infielders projecting in the second half of the first round and beyond.
It should be noted that "middle infielder" is a general term for both shortstops and second basemen. But there's only one actual second baseman -- Stanford's Jed Lowrie -- worth noting among the top draft prospects up the middle.
"That's normal," the scouting director said. "There are several shortstops on there who'll become second basemen."
Here's a look at the top names to watch in the middle infield on June 7:
Justin Upton, SS, Great Bridge HS, Chesapeake, Va.
There is no question about Upton's overall ability. He's considered to be the best overall talent in the draft, with the strong possibility that he'll go No. 1 overall to the Diamondbacks. He's a future five-tool player, the kind that makes scouts drool. He can drive the ball to all fields, runs well and has soft hands at short. The only problem comes with his throws to first; he's been struggling with accuracy of late. But even as a center fielder, he's still the top guy in the class.
Scout's view: "The obvious thing is that you start him at short, because you're not going to move him from center field to shortstop. If he's spraying the ball around, then you move him."
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Long Beach State
"Tulo" has been an outstanding college player, one who could make it to the big leagues quickly. He's compared frequently to Crosby, and not just because Crosby was LBSU's shortstop, too. They have similar body types and games. Tulowitzki will be able to stay at shortstop defensively and should show some power at the position. The comparison could be a positive and a negative. It's never bad to be compared to an American League Rookie of the Year, but there might be some who think Tulowitzki gets overhyped because of the apparent similarities. He played very well for Team USA last summer, beating out Georgia Tech's Tyler Greene for the starting job.
Scout's view: "He's a good player, but you hope he's not getting a free pass because Bobby Crosby went to Long Beach State."
Tyler Greene, SS, Georgia Tech
Greene has been on the radar for a long time now, as he was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Braves out of high school three years ago. Greene's had an uneven college career, though he's put together some good numbers this season with a .343 average, nine homers, 50 RBIs and 25 steals. He's got excellent baserunning skills and a nice, fluid stroke at the plate. Defensively, he's much improved with easy throws that carry and fairly soft hands. It must be noted that Greene is advised by Scott Boras, which could affect his draft status.
Scout's view: "Having his agent is going to hurt him. He's not a premium guy that you have to have. When you have that guy and he's going to ask for premium dollars, it has to enter the equation. He didn't play with the confidence I was hoping to see."
Jed Lowrie, 2B, Stanford
The lone second baseman on this list, Lowrie has helped himself with a terrific offensive season. A preseason All-American, he's a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and is on the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award. He's hit 29 homers over the past two seasons, providing rare pop at this position. He only hit .230 for Team USA last summer, but most consider that a blip on the radar.
Scout's view: "He's a very good baseball player. He looks like he's got hands of steel, but he doesn't. He's a little better than that. He didn't handle himself well on the USA team, but I'm trying to look past that. The track record on Stanford position players is [not good]."
Cliff Pennington, SS, Texas A&M
Once rumored to be part of a pre-draft deal with the Royals all the way up at No. 2, it now seems more likely that the Aggie will go near the end of the first round. Pennington is a classic overachiever, a high-energy guy with outstanding makekup. Pennington is a pest on the basepaths and has 26 steals this season, making his patience at the plate (.446) a more dangerous tool. He's also slugging over a hundred points higher than in any other collegiate season. Defensively, he has good instincts and a plus arm, though some see him more as a utility guy at the big league level.
Scout's view: "He's a nice player for the teams that are looking for that kind of stuff."
Brandon Snyder, SS/C, Westfield HS, Centreville, Va.
There is some debate over whether Snyder projects as a catcher or a shortstop. There is a chance a team may want him to play short, though many do like him better as a backstop.
Scout's view: "To me, he's a first-rounder as a catcher. He's too heavy-legged to play short."
Reese Havens, SS, Bishop England HS, Sullivan's Island, S.C.
Havens has had a tremendous senior year, moving him up many draft charts. There is some debate about whether he'll be able to stay at short or have to move to third or second down the line. His bat, however, might project into an everyday presence in a big league lineup. He should develop more home run power with his strong, compact stroke. He has very good judgement of the strike zone for a high school player, perhaps a reason why there were reports that the Red Sox -- usually a college-heavy drafting team -- have been watching him closely.
Scout's view: "He's going to have to watch his lower half if he wants to stay at short. He loves to play, put on a show for those in there to see him. He's a legit guy."
Ryan Mount, SS, Ayala HS, Chino Hills, Calif.
For a high schooler, Mount has a very polished approach at the plate. The ball jumps off his bat with his short, quick swing. Long and lean, he's got room for growth, which makes pro scouts and Cal-State Fullerton, the college he signed with, excited about the potential there. He's in the Bobby Crosby mold in terms of skills, though he's got a plus, plus arm on defense. "A good baseball player," he even tries to look like the 2004 AL Rookie of the Year.
Scout's view: "He's probably made as much progress as any kid in the draft as far as positioning himself. He was off the screen coming into this."
Brent Lillibridge, SS/OF, Washington
Lillibridge has surprising pop for someone his size (5-foot-11, 185 pounds), with double-digit homers his freshman and sophomore years and a .586 slugging percentage this year. Lillibridge added outfield to his resume to add to his versatility, which might help since some scouts see him more as a utility guy down the line. He's a smart baserunner and shows solid actions on defense as well, with a build similar to the Astros' Chris Burke.
Scout's view: "I thought he was going to be something a few years back, but he's positioned himself into being a utility type."
And a few from the baseball family tree:
Ivan De Jesus, SS, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
Just like his dad, who's now the manager of the Astros' Class A Advanced affiliate in Salem, the young De Jesus is a glove-first shortstop. Of course, the elder De Jesus made a living out of that, even if the bat never fully came around.
Steven Tolleson, SS, South Carolina
Not only did Tolleson's father, Wayne, spend eight seasons in the big leagues with the Rangers, White Sox and Yankees, but the younger Tolly's uncle and grandfather also played pro ball. Tolleson hit .316 as a sophomore and was hitting .291 with 19 steals this season.
Drew Thompson, SS, Jupiter Community High School, Jupiter, Fla.
He's got a similar body type to his father, Robbie, who manned second base for the San Francisco Giants for so many years. A line-drive hitter to all fields, he's shown a little power in his high school career. He's a smart baserunner and his arm strength looks like it will play at shortstop, though he also knows how to play second.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.