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Project Management Infrastructure Redesign 2011
This effort is being tracked by Bug 243223.
Note that this document is not intended to be all inclusive. The combination of this document, the existing Developer Portal Use Cases, and the Eclipse Development Process form a more complete picture.
Problem Statement
Current infrastructure (i.e. The Developer Portal) is inadequate.
Data concerning projects, people, organizations, members, and more is spread across multiple, separate data sources. This makes querying across data challenging. In some cases, data is replicated from one database to another to facilitate some queries while providing an added layer of protection. The database that contains committer information, the so-called "Foundation" database, is kept separate from other systems to provide an added layer of protection against private data being compromised. Bits of that database are replicated into an "Eclipse" database for access from the public website.
Portal is separate from the the resources being managed; this requires a context switch to use. The content displayed in the project summary pages, for example, comes from the portal. When a committer notices that the data in the project summary is incorrect, they must switch into the portal to make the change. Most committers have difficulty (or outright refuse) to make that context switch.
Some management tasks are spread out. Specifying a description for a project, for example, requires that an HTML file be created in the project directory (requires CVS check-in), and then the specification of a URL in the portal. This is very difficult to maintain as it is separated from where and how the description is used, and requires multiple steps with multiple tools to complete. As a result, descriptions tend to be poorly specified, and rarely maintained.
Too much information is not included in or managed by the portal. Project proposals, review documentation, IP logs, are all separate.
Technology Choices
Project management is essentially a document-management and workflow problem. Several solutions exist in this area.
The Eclipse Foundation currently uses Drupal for Eclipse Marketplace, Eclipse Live, and the EclipseCon Website. Several Eclipse Foundation employees are already well-versed in Drupal development, and finding temporary resources with the necessary skills in the local area should be relatively easy and cost-effective. Drupal is based on PHP, a language that is known to most of the Eclipse Foundation staff, and is currently in wide deployment by the Eclipse Foundation.
Perhaps one of the features that weighs most heavily in Drupal's favour is the size of the community behind it (which measures in the hundreds of thousands) and the hundreds (perhaps thousands) of plugins that are available to extend it. The availability of plugins, combined with the relative ease with which Drupal can be extended means that the overall amount of custom code that needs to be maintained should be relatively small (as compared to other solutions that may require more customization).
There are several other options that have been considered, including a handful of Eclipse-based solutions (which would allow us to "eat our own dogfood"). After careful consideration, however, we have determined that we do not have the resources to implement these solutions.
- EMO(ED) - EMO Executive Directory (i.e. Mike)
- EMO(PM) - EMO Project Manager (i.e. Wayne)
- EMO(LC) - EMO Legal Council (i.e. Janet)
- EMO(IP) - EMO Intellectual Property Team
- Proposer
- Committer
Communication Channels
The communication channels used by the system are expected to change with time as technologies and communities evolve. Favoured technologies of the day are Twitter, RSS, and the eclipse.proposals forum.
Drupal 7.2 is used for initial implementation.
The new system will use LDAP for user authentication and for some aspects of authorization. This implementation will be based on work being done in bug 364605 that intends to standardize the entire eclipse.org infrastructure on the LDAP (Bugzilla-based authentication is used for most eclipse.org properties; LDAP is currently only used for committer authentication).
LDAP groups are used for project-based authorization. Users who have committer access to a project are members of an LDAP group that corresponds to the project. This group membership is bound to Drupal authentication via Drupal "organic groups" functionality. Additional authorization schemes are required to handle PMC-access to projects and other corner cases. For more information, see bug 363614.
The following themes will guide the development of the new Project Management Infrastructure:
- Trust committers to do the right thing;
- Once and only once (avoid repeating information);
- Everything is undoable (i.e. revision tracking); and
- Do the simplest thing that can possibly work (avoid complexity)
We assume that committers will always endeavour to do the right thing. Specifically, we give committers leeway to do what they think is right. This, in combination with revision tracking means that mistakes can be easily undone. A committer may, for example, make ill-informed changes to a project's scope that is later reversed by the project lead or PMC.
It would be easy to get mired in multiple layers of approvals for various activities, or complex logic to prevent committers from shooting themselves in the proverbial foot. But such complexity makes the cost of later change and ongoing maintenance prohibitively high.
Note that we make a distinction between committers and general users. We do not--as a general rule--trust the general population to do the right thing. For completeness, we include with the definition of "committers" all those users with roles that permit them access to the project (including project leads, pmc members, EMO staff, etc.)
Requirements and Implementation
Requirements for the new Project Management Infrastructure are detailed in Eclipse Bugzilla (note that requirements are still be added at this time). Eclipse Bugzilla bug 363868, Reimplement the Project Management Infrastructure/Developer Portal, provides the root for the initial effort; all features and functionality planned for the initial release are captured as subtasks.
Overview and Design
Much of the design is captured in Bugzilla (as indicated above).
The model of the system is captured in an Ecore file. Note that the model will continue to evolve as we progress through implementation.
Much of the project management infrastructure revolves around the Project type. Much of the information tracked by a project is represented very simply as fields (e.g. websiteUrl and wikiUrl).
Representation of projects in the new system is not all that different from the old system. The main difference is that we will represent the project description, scope, and retention policy directly with the project.
- Project information can be viewed by anybody;
- Project information can be modified by any project member;
- Values for all URLs represented by a project must point to eclipse.org properties (www, downloads, wiki) unless otherwise specified;
- The project's relationship with Bugzilla is specified as a combination of Bugzilla Product and Component names that can be used to query Bugzilla in arbitrary ways, or provide assistance to a user in creating a bug;
- Text-based fields (description, scope, retention policy) are restricted to a subset of HTML tags:
- Basic text markup, and links;
- Limited use of links is recommended;
- Content is expected to be concise, so there should be no need for heading ("Hn") or structural ("div") tags.
- Description is a short (1-2 paragraph) description of the project that is suitable for displaying on the project summary, on pages that provide an overview of multiple projects, and other places (a consistent, paragraph-based format will make for a very consistent experience);
- Additional information about the project (over and above the information provided in the description) can be obtained from the project web site (websitesUrl);
- Scope is the scope of the project as defined in the project proposal;
- The scope is editable by anybody with access with the caveat that changes to the text are permitted, but changes to the actual meaning of the scope must be vetted by the community via Restructuring Review;
- The retention policy is the formal policy set by the project regarding how they distribute their code, how older versions are retained, archived, etc.; and
- Projects are marked active immediately upon creation, they are marked inactive when terminated.
Issues to be addressed:
- Links to external content;
- Incubation conforming vs. nonconforming;
Person is the generalized term that we use to represent committers, project leads, company representatives, and more.
Very basic information, including a
committerId (UNIX name),
firstName, and
lastName are represented in the instance. A person has zero or more phone numbers, mailing addresses, and email addresses.
Instances of person represent relationships with other types through direct and indirect means. A person optionally tracks a primary employer (
primaryEmployer). Indirectly, an instance has relationships with zero or more Project instances, and zero or more Organization instances; those relationships are represented via Role instances.


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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a rare on-time budget a day before the start of California's fiscal year, a package that is a combination of spending cuts, fee hikes and the promise of higher tax revenue that might never materialize.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a rare on-time budget a day before the start of California's fiscal year, a package that is a combination of spending cuts, fee hikes and the promise of higher tax revenue that might never materialize.
Brown signed the $86 billion spending plan after majority Democrats passed it without Republican support. They acted for the first time under a voter-approved law that allows budgets — but not tax increases — to be passed with a simple majority, rather than a two-thirds vote.
Lawmakers also were motivated to complete a deal because the same law halted their salaries and living expenses until they passed a balanced budget.
In signing the budget, Brown said general fund spending is at its lowest level since the 1972-73 fiscal year when measured as a share of the state's economy.
"This is an honest but painful budget that returns California's General Fund spending to levels unseen since the 1970s," he said in a statement. "This is a huge step forward. But California's long-term stability depends on our willingness to continue to pay down debt and live within our means."
In years past, lawmakers sometimes went months beyond the start of the fiscal year before approving a budget, including last year's record stalemate, which ended in October.
While California has a spending plan for its new fiscal year, Brown has warned that the state will continue to have ongoing deficits unless it can find a way to bring its annual tax revenue in line with spending obligations.
The latest budget include cuts to higher education, welfare, health care for the poor and disabled, in-home supportive services, state parks and other core functions of government. It also relies on optimistic projections that tax revenue will be about $12 billion higher in the coming fiscal year than projected in January, largely because the wealthy are doing so well.
If that higher revenue does not materialize, more cuts would have to be made during the middle of the fiscal year. That would include authorizing school districts to reduce their school year by seven days.
The new spending plan projects a $5 billion shortfall for the fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2012.
Brown has said the best way to avoid ongoing deficits is to find new ways to raise revenue. The Democratic governor was unable to renew several expiring tax increases this year, but has vowed to fight for more tax revenue at the ballot next year to help the state pay down debt and restore education.
California had started the year with a projected $26.6 billion shortfall, forcing Democrats to adopt billions of dollars in cuts to social service programs, higher education and corrections.
The remaining budget package passed this week relies on further spending cuts to close the remaining $9.6 billion deficit.
While the governor projected $6.6 billion in higher revenue in his May revision, the new package projects an additional $4 billion in higher tax revenue and an additional $1.2 billion coming in spring.
Brown has indicated he will pursue another ballot measure for November 2012, but so far has given no details on what taxes he would include. That means it will be up to voters to decide the biggest issue the governor promised but failed to deliver this year — an increase in taxes to help end the state's ongoing budget mess.
Brown promised voters during his campaign for governor last year that he would not impose tax increases without a vote of the people.
He had hoped to ask Californians to extend for up to five years a series of temporary increases in the sales, vehicle and income taxes approved by the state Legislature in 2009. But he was unable to get two Republican votes in each house of the state Legislature to put that measure on the ballot.
The last of those tax increases will expire Thursday.
"The devastating cuts contained in this budget are a direct result of the unwillingness of legislative Republicans to allow the people of California to vote on tax extensions," said Lillian Taiz, president of the California Faculty Association and a history professor at California State University, Los Angeles.
In addition to higher fees for college students, the new budget imposes an extra fee on vehicle registration and a $150 assessment on rural property owners for fire protection. Those levies are almost certain to be challenged in court because they did not get the two-thirds vote required for tax increases.
The budget also shifts responsibility for low-level offenders from the state to counties, helping the state meet a federal court mandate to reduce its prison population.
Rank-and-file lawmakers have lost about $400 a day in salary and living expenses since the June 15 constitutional deadline for the Legislature to pass a balanced budget, or a total of roughly $4,000 each. Their base salary is $95,291 a year, not counting per diem expenses that can add another $20,000 or $30,000.

subset: commoncrawl


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AROUND 1,500 jobs are to be axed at Worcestershire County Council by 2018, it has emerged.
A new, four-year plan to shrink the cash-strapped authority by handing over some services to outside bodies has been revealed, with the Conservative leadership saying it expects to have 2,000 in-house workers by April, 2018.
The change is being driven by the need to slash budgets by around £100 million and focus on the county's ageing demographic. It follows several previous rounds of job cuts since 2011 which has seen County Hall's workforce already shrink by around 800.
The leadership is banking on many of the staff transferring to new employers, minimising some of the impact on the economy, and insists it needs to adapt the way it operates to survive.
But the opposition Labour group has called it "outrageous" and wants a review into the funding the council gets from central Government.
The changes are part of a new operating model called Futurefit aimed at handing services to outside bodies, a tactic known as commissioning. Vital services like adult and children's social care will stay in-house, as will some business and environmental functions, while roads maintenance is staying with Ringway, which has just agreed a new contract to 2020.
But everything else is up for grabs, with the council acting as a contract manager.
Councillor Adrian Hardman, the leader, said: "We've already been changing they way we operate in an evolving way, but we need to more agile and work towards a strategy of becoming a commissioning body.
"I've been to seven staff roadshows where this has been quite the topic of debate.
"There are always concerns with change but we've looked at models across the country in the process of getting to this.
"I realise it'll be quite a change for staff – but if you work for Jaguar Land Rover you need to change your skills every seven years.
"The staff will have to develop their commercial acumen, negotiating skills and contract management."
Councillor Peter McDonald, Labour group leader, said: "He uses this silly example of Jaguar Land Rover, they build luxury cars.
"If the car breaks down you can go elsewhere. Our services are not a luxury, but a necessity."
The new operating model will go to a vote of the entire county council on May 15.


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STOCKTON - University of the Pacific and several social service organizations are joining forces to try to bring more money to nonprofit groups serving the nearly 20 percent of the population in San Joaquin County living in poverty.
STOCKTON - University of the Pacific and several social service organizations are joining forces to try to bring more money to nonprofit groups serving the nearly 20 percent of the population in San Joaquin County living in poverty.
Pacific's Beyond Our Gates Community Council, First 5 San Joaquin, Health Plan of San Joaquin and Behavioral Health Services announced Monday a plan to hire a 20-hour-a-week grant writer as a consultant who would work to boost the flow of foundation money into the county.
"There are a lot of great programs in San Joaquin County," said Jennifer Torres Siders, Beyond Our Gates' community relations manager. "What we don't have is ways to connect programs, to help agencies and organizations work together effectively. We felt a program like this would build the capacity of our nonprofits: 'We know you're doing good work; let's help you get the money.' "
San Joaquin County, with 688,000 residents, received about $876,000 in foundation grants in 2011, according to Beyond Our Gates research. San Francisco County, with a population of 805,000, received nearly $54 million. In 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18.1 percent of San Joaquin County residents were living in poverty. The San Francisco County poverty rate was 13.8 percent.
Lani Schiff-Ross, executive director of First 5 San Joaquin, said few agencies can afford to hire grant writers of their own.
"Many are really stretched," Schiff-Ross said. "If we can help our nonprofit community in addressing this issue and bring in more resources, it would be a benefit to the community."
Much of Beyond Our Gates' focus is on increasing the rate of early childhood literacy. Only 36 percent of third-graders in San Joaquin County are proficient readers. Myriad factors contribute to the lagging reading proficiency of children in the county, Torres Siders said.
"They need to be healthy; they need to have safe neighborhoods," Torres Siders said. "They're all sort of complementary areas. We're looking for grant proposals to create programs in those areas."
Torres Siders said she expects the search for a grant writer to begin shortly with the hope that someone will be hired in a matter of months. She said the Community Foundation of San Joaquin has agreed to provide work space for the grant writer at its main office in Stockton and its satellite facility in Tracy. The job will begin as a two-year pilot program.
"We're just recognizing the need in this community to bring in more funding dollars," Schiff-Ross said. "The cry going out for years is that foundations pass over us. We've seen them fund Fresno, Sacramento and the Bay Area, but they pass over us.
"We have so many great things going on here, but we're so busy doing the work, we forget to tell the story. We need to tell the story better."
Contact reporter Roger Phillips at (209) 546-8299 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/phillipsblog.


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In the beginning there was mono. Then there was stereo. And then, along came quadraphonic. But that flopped, so we went back to stereo. And that's pretty much the way it stayed until the recent technological revolution brought us the awesome auditory delights of 5.1 Surround Sound, a cinema-like audio experience that's taken the world by storm. Indeed, 'listen, the bullets are all around you' has become the mantra of practically every 5.1-owning braggard tech-head in recent years. Whether it's Avatar on BluRay, Daft Punk on your iPod or World of Warcraft on PC, 5.1 Surround Sound has become a must-have accessory for any self-respecting audiophile.
The only problem is, how do you listen to your favourite sounds in glorious 5.1 without incurring the wrath of your neighbours and housemates? The answer, good people, lies within the softly padded confines of the incredible Medusa NX USB 5.1 Surround Sound PC Gaming Headset. Forget stereo 'phones, the Medusa gives you the full, spine-tingling, all-encompassing 5.1 surround sound experience.
Basically, three speakers and a subwoofer have been ingeniously shoehorned into each comfortably padded, swivelling ear pad, thus enabling reproduction of the full sound spectrum. With a nifty controller integrated into the cable, you can adjust the sound to suit your individual preferences. Separate controls for rear, front and centre allow you to precisely balance the volume. An amplifier box allows connection to any 5.1 sound source with integrated decoder and also controls the master volume.
These ultra bombastic babies really come into their own when the subwoofers are cranked up - all round clarity is truly staggering: explosions sound bigger, guitars sound badder and bullets sound, well, plain scary. Immersive audio experiences don't get much better than this. We said, 'IMMERSIVE AUDIO EXPERIENCES DON'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!'


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Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds: Married!
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have reportedly tied the knot!
The 25-year-old actress and the 35-year-old actor married in a ceremony on Sunday night (September 9) at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., according to People.
The reception featured a performance by Blake's good friend Florence Welch, the lead singer of Florence + the Machine, who sang three songs during the evening.
Blake and Ryan, who starred together in the 2011 film The Green Lantern, have been romantically linked for nearly a year. This is the first marriage for Blake and the second for Ryan, who was previously married to Scarlett Johansson.
Congratulations to the happy couple, if the news is true!


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Vicenza Hardware - Carlotta Collection
Inspired by old-world craftsmanship, each of their solid pewter, Vicenza-designed pieces are handcrafted in the U.S.A. by their master craftsmen for your specific order, and shipped directly from their manufacturing facility in California. You will notice subtle differences in each piece, which is the result of each step of the manufacturing process being performed by hand, using centuries-old techniques combined with modern technology. Choose from hundreds of designs, from the whimsical to the classically elegant. Place your own unique, personal stamp on your home or business. We offer a natural bamboo collection, animal collections, western themes, fruit & vegetable designs, nature collections and many other patterns, designed to meet any taste. Our original designs can be ordered in the finish of your choice, including Antique or Polished Silver, Antique or Polished Gold, Antique Copper, Antique Brass, Oil-Rubbed Bronze, Gunmetal, and Polished, Satin or Antique Nickel. Many of their designs can be ordered in beautiful two-tone finishes, combining our classic antique silver and luxurious polished gold. Choose inlays of onyx, mother-of-pearl, tigers-eye, and many other stones to complement your chosen finish. They also offer inlays of many leather patterns, including cowhide, zebra-stripes, palomino-jag cowhide, and brown and black crocodile. Make your unique hardware statement with Vicenza's cabinet jewelry!
Caring for Your Vicenza Hardware
We recommend simply dusting your Vicenza hardware. You may use a very soft brush to remove dust from designs and crevices, and use a soft micro-fiber cloth to dust the surface gently. You may also clean with a soft damp cloth using a mild dish soap if necessary. Generally, your Vicenza hardware will not require more than this to stay looking as beautiful as ever. Never use abrasive cleaners or pads as these will mar the finish.
With the exception of our Antique Silver and Polished Silver finishes, we do not recommend any additional measures, other than the gentle cleansing described above.
In the event that your polished, non-plated hardware (Antique Silver and Polished Silver) should require deeper cleaning, you may use a non-abrasive metal polish with a soft cloth to restore your hardware to its original luster.
- 1


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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY, April 27, 2010--The staff was thinking about making a place for Calvin Borel on the HRI Power 10, then remembered he's three years plus forty.
Without his brilliant assistance, however, it's unlikely Super Saver could have made it to the top of the HRI Triple Crown Power 10 any other way.
There are other reasons for the colt's success, of course, such as his affinity for both Churchill Downs and wet racetracks. And, of course, a pedigree that made 10 furlongs within his grasp.
Between the colt, rider, and a trainer who crafted a peak performance in start three off the layoff for the most important challenge any American three-year-old could have, Derby 136 felt good on so many levels, right down to Glen Fullerton's $900,000.
The best line belonged to trainer Eoin Harty, who told Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal, "Most of these guys are on the inside," trainer Harty said. "Calvin is on the rail. He is on the fence. I tell you, if you can't love Calvin, you just hate life. You'd be better off dead."
In the spirit of all this bon ami, it was good of the invading Jeremy Noseda to speak about what an honor it is to compete in the "American Kentucky Derby." You wish he could have had better fortune.
The focus has now shifted from the Derby to Triple Crown chase. Next stop, Baltimore. Will Super Saver repeat? Right now, $100 will get you $250, according to Bodog.com, or you could lay $325 that he won't.
And as far as Calvin's prediction goes, that same $100 will get you $475 today for the sweep. Doubters would need to lay $700 to win that same C-note. More on the Preakness, and Triple Crown, next week.
As for Derby preparation, the trend favoring the influence of the Arkansas Derby and Florida Derby continues. The wet conditions appeared to hinder many synthetic horses, those with an obvious preference for slop, such as show finisher Paddy O' Prado, notwithstanding.
Some observers thought the young Mr. Talamo was in a hurry with Sidney's Candy. We didn't see that he had a choice, riding a speed horse from the extreme outside and stalking Conveyance from close range. Neither did trainer John Sadler: "He just wouldn't relax. He used up all his energy."
Meanwhile, the genius of Calvin Borel is more than one dimensional rail rider, even as Steve Asmussen noted, "everybody knows what he's going to do and he does it anyway."
But no one could have predicted--even the few who thought Super Saver would win Derby 136--that Borel could take his mount that far back off the early pace and out-kick the field late.
Borel has a knack, especially in this race, on this track, for knowing the correct tack, the strategy that will work best. After all, he didn't need to take Mine That Bird back to last, either. What he did Saturday was quintessential race-riding.
Parenthetically, a caller into a Capital OTB television network show might have had it right Sunday morning when he said: "Move over Pat Day, there's a new 'King of Churchill Downs'."
In terms of Borel's ability to relax his mount from a position uncharacteristically far back, the caller had it right. Only a jockey with the ability to communicate with his mount through the reins can achieve unusual results on horseback.
Maybe Shoemaker should make room for Borel, too.
More than the horse, or the future first-ballot Hall of Fame trainer who finally won the Derby in his 10th attempt, Borel was the impetus of this feel-good Derby, moving even the "Sports Reporters," where horseracing normally is not spoken, to comment favorably:
"Yesterday reminded you of the glory days the sport once enjoyed," said Mike Lupica.
"I can't get over a trainer who was 0-for-24 and kept coming back for more," added Mitch Albom. "It was like the Bills finally winning a Super Bowl," Lupica replied.
Said Michael Smith: "My favorite part was the guy jumping up and down because he just won $900,000. That's what this race is all about."
The Kentucky Derby is about many things. Mostly, it's about magic. Or, as the great essayist Bill Nack said in one of his narrations about the Derby horses on Saturday:
"Twenty fur coats wrapped around a score of imponderables."
The HRI Triple Crown Power 10, Week 14:
1. Super Saver (36): Perfect preparation, pluperfect handling and all the requisite tools, a colt in the right place at the right time in more ways than one. As far as a Triple Crown sweep, he's the only one eligible. But first things first. And, just for the record, I prefer crab cakes broiled, with a squeeze of lemon, and a tangy, homemade tartar sauce.
2. Lookin at Lucky (26): For trainer Bob Baffert, it turned out to be Plan B: "Screwed." Following his Santa Anita Derby debacle and Baffert's television promise that, whatever happens, "he won't get fired," a rider change is in order just to change the karma. Another remarkable effort equaling zero. But this one was not Garrett Gomez's bad.
3. Ice Box (17): Can't argue with those who thought he was best. The trip was horrendous and not the fault of young Jose Lezcano. Excellent preparation by Nick Zito who, after owner Robert LaPenta cools out, should get his wish re: the colt's next start. Coming back in a fortnight after six weeks of hard training and an enervating effort is not a high percentage move. Take advantage of Zito's Belmont karma.
4. Paddy O'Prado (16): Neither can we strenuously argue with those who believed this colt was best. Still was going strong at the end of 10 furlongs and perhaps should have been second except for possible pilot error, his earlier difficult trip notwithstanding. Connections inclined to run in either the Preakness or Belmont, but not both. Pedigree and spacing says Belmont; running style, Preakness. Tough call.
4. Dublin (16): Once again he didn't get up but this time there were extenuating circumstances. Steadied in close quarters early, he settled, made a sustained, bold move while very wide on the final turn and understandably tired late. The turn-back, a fast strip, smaller field and D. Wayne's Preakness karma all good reasons for continuing on the trail.
6. Noble's Promise (12): Stayed on very well for a horse whose pedigree is on the short side. He was carried into Lookin At Lucky in the early going, was a tad anxious, yet made an excellent move to take the lead into the stretch, then battled with Super Saver, who had him outmatched on pedigree. Again showed his class in a highly competitive effort. Coming back in two weeks might be a bit much.
6. Caracortado (12): Won't need no stinking graded earnings to break into this. He's fresh, has won on dirt, and is training very well. Gained a national following with his victory in the Robert B. Lewis Memorial and has the right running style should the Preakness attract sufficient speed which, at the moment, seems unlikely.
8. Make Music for Me (10): Class is a wonderful thing at this level. Lacking a national reputation as does his trainer, Alexis Barba, acquitted himself well in Southern California before trying Midwest dirt. And despite his apparent quality going in, proved a pleasant surprise with his fourth-place Derby finish. Because of Lucky's troubles in the Santa Anita Derby, this guy's rough trip went virtually ignored.
9. Sidney's Candy (9): Back in California for some R & R. Caught between a rock and a wide draw in Kentucky, the dice came up snake eyes as the rains that began a week before the Derby continued right up until about 30 minutes before the race. Unable to finish strongly in his wet pre-Derby trial, he was no better under similar conditions on race day.
10. Pleasant Prince (4): Did well to finish third in the Derby Trial, a useful harbinger of Derby form, and was beaten a dirty nose by Ice Box in the Florida Derby after showing promise in the Fountain of Youth previously. His style should fit the conditions at Pimlico, providing he's not a bit over the top at this point. The speed-at-Pimlico angle, like the "tight turns," is overblown.


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Even though women are permitted to serve, the nature of their service is limited because Defense Department regulations exclude them from most combat positions.
Excerpted from an editorial by the Los Angeles Times.
When politicians pay tribute to members of the U.S. armed forces, they almost always refer to our "brave men and women," a recognition of the fact that women now constitute 14.5 percent of the nation's 1.4 million active-duty military personnel. But even though women are permitted to serve, the nature of their service is limited because Defense Department regulations exclude them from most combat positions, a policy that primarily affects the Army and Marine Corps.
That would change if four servicewomen who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan are successful in challenging the Pentagon policy. Their lawsuit ... persuasively argues that regulations barring women from combat violate their constitutional rights. The current version of the policy, with minor changes, dates to a memorandum in 1994 from then-Secretary of Defense Les Aspin that barred women from units whose primary mission was to engage in "direct combat on the ground." The directive also allowed for the exclusion of women from assignments "where job-related physical requirements would necessarily exclude the vast majority of women service members."
Women seeking to rise in the ranks of the military find themselves in a paradoxical position. On the one hand, they are excluded from an array of combat positions that can be crucial to advancement. On the other, they find themselves in danger anyway because the military engages in legal fictions such as saying that a female soldier is "attached" but not "assigned" to a ground combat unit.
For example, one of the plaintiffs, Capt. Zoe Bedell, graduated at the top of her Marine Corps officer candidates class. In Afghanistan, she oversaw "female engagement teams" that accompanied male infantry units into the field. "My Marines supported infantry units," said Bedell, who is now a reservist. "They patrolled every day. They wore the same gear. They carried the same rifles. And when my Marines were attacked, they fought back."
In asking the courts to strike down the Pentagon regulations, the plaintiffs aren't proposing that the military compromise its physical requirements for service in combat or sacrifice readiness on the altar of sexual equality. They are not arguing that women shouldn't meet the same standards as men. But today's blanket exclusion makes it impossible for a woman to demonstrate that she possesses the necessary skills.
One argument that has been made against allowing women in combat is that they supposedly don't have the necessary strength and mental toughness to serve. Another is that the presence of women in a combat operation might undermine "unit cohesion." (The same argument was made about gays in the military.)
During this year's Republican presidential primary campaign, former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said if women were to take part in combat, their male comrades might neglect the mission because of "the natural instinct to protect someone that's a female." It also has been argued that integrating combat units poses logistical difficulties such as the need for separate bathrooms; yet such concerns haven't prevented women from being placed in the thick of combat operations as part of female engagement teams.
Given the flimsiness of these arguments, the plaintiffs are on solid ground in contending that the exclusion policy fails the Supreme Court's requirement that laws treating the sexes differently must have an "exceedingly persuasive justification" substantially related to "important governmental objectives."
That test was laid out by the court in a 1996 ruling in which it ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women. ... Even if it is ultimately successful, the servicewomen's lawsuit could take years to change the status of women in the military. A swifter and surer way to end the injustice they complain of is for the Pentagon or Congress to repeal the current policy. Women are serving — and dying — in war zones. It's time the rules caught up to that reality.


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By Reuters Staff
(Reuters) - Police said two people died on Tuesday in a shooting at a medical center in Spokane, Washington, and that it appeared a man shot a woman before taking his own life.
The Spokane Police Department said it appeared to be a case of domestic violence, adding that officers were securing the area and asking the public to stay away.
"Early investigation indicates man shot woman and then himself," the police department said on Twitter.
"Major Crimes detectives are investigating scene, however there is no threat at this time."
Citing unnamed relatives and friends, local broadcaster KHQ said the dead woman was an employee at the Rockwood Cancer Treatment Center and was the mother of two children.
Local TV showed police and emergency services vehicles in the street outside the center, which is part of larger medical complex that includes Spokane's Deaconess Hospital.
(Reporting by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Susan Heavey and Jim Loney)


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*Longitudinal study of the course of ADHD, to understand subtypes and subgroups (Dr. Nigg and Dr. Karalunas).
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text: OK, my brother called me up at 1 AM ranting about how insane our parents were because they wouldnt let him put Solaris on the computer WITH their windows, thinking it would damage it. Hes gonna check this post regularly, so, could you guys tell him how to put it on and how he can do it without mom and dad noticing? I DONT want him waking me up at 1 o clock again


text:
Jewel Bratton, 88 - April 02, 2008
Jewel Maxine (Nafus) Bratton, 88, of Cassville, MO, formerly of Gothenburg, died Monday, March 17, 2008, at Red Rose Inn in Cassville.
Memorial services were held on Friday, March 21, at the First United Methodist Church at Cassville. Interment was at Grand Junction, CO.
Bratton was born on Aug. 8, 1919, at Barry County, MO, near Mineral Springs, the youngest daughter of Stella Beeson and Andrew (Pete) Nafus.
The family moved to Lamar, CO, in 1923, due to her health. She and her sisters received their educations at numerous schools in Missouri, Colorado and Nebraska.
Bratton graduated from Gothenburg High School in the spring of 1938, and entered nurse training at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Lincoln on May 17, 1938.
In September of 1939, a car accident interrupted her education and she moved to Yampa, CO, to recuperate.
She was united in marriage to Arvel Bratton on Nov. 19, 1939, at Rawlins, WY. To this union two children were born.
Bratton and her family spent many years in Grand Junction, CO, where she worked as a clinical laboratory technologist for 30 years while continuing her studies at Mesa College in Grand Junction. She had spent several years working with Dr. Geno Saccomanno in his nationally recognized cancer research.
She and her family returned to Missouri where she continued working as a lab tech at St. Vincent's Hospital in Monett. Her husband retired from National Cylinder Gas and they purchased a farm at Mineral Springs, which had originally belonged to her parents.
From August of 2006 until her death, she resided at the Red Rose Inn at Cassville.
Bratton and her husband, Arvel, while busy with work and family, found time to share their love and guidance with orphaned children, according to family members.
She was preceded in death by: her parents, Andrew and Stella Nafus; her husband, Arvel Lawrence Bratton, Sr.; her son, Arvel Lawrence "Larry" Bratton, Jr., April 16, 1981; two sisters—Corine Smith and Ferrel Summers.
Survivors include: her daughter, Janeen (Lynn) Rowsell; two grandchildren—Jackson and Nicole; special friend, Shirley Smith.
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The draft constitution that Egyptians will vote on Dec. 15 is supposed to usher in the kind democratic reform that protesters demanded nearly two years ago in protests that led to the fall of then President Hosni Mubarak. Yet the rushed document is peppered with caveats and does little to clarify what role government should have in a democratically ruled Egypt.
On Saturday, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi gave his stamp of approval to the document and urged its passage. The Muslim Brotherhood, the organization through which Morsi gained prominence, made clear it would bring its vast organizational abilities to ensure passage, turning out millions at rallies on Saturday in a show of support. Many of those participating in the rallies wore headbands urging approval for the document.
In setting the date for the referendum, Morsi, who is locked in a battle with the country's judiciary that will reach a climax Sunday with a ruling on the legitimacy of the assembly that wrote the constitution, pointedly noted it would reduce the authority of the president, removing the executive's right to dissolve the Parliament without a referendum. Morsi also has vowed to hand back a number of powers he has given himself during the writing process.
But even approval of the document promises possibly years of debate over just what a government will be able to do in this country that never before has had truly elected leaders.
Of the document's 234 articles, 33 include caveats on certain freedoms and powers usually phrased as "regulated by law." For example, Article 39 protects citizens from government searches of their homes, except where the law says otherwise. But in what cases can there be such exemptions? The constitution does not say.
"Private homes are inviolable. With the exception of cases of immediate danger and distress, they may not be entered, searched or monitored, except in cases defined by law, and by a causal judicial warrant which specifies place, timing and purpose. Those in a home shall be alerted before the home is entered or searched," the article says, according to an English translation published by the Egypt Independent newspaper.
Article 43 protects the freedom to practice religion "as regulated by law." News organizations cannot be shut down except by "court order," without spelling out under what circumstances a court could issue such an order. The establishment of new organizations is "regulated by law," without explaining what those laws would regulate.
The proposed constitution also doesn't make clear what exactly is expected of each branch of government or the repercussions if the legislature, president or judiciary fail to carry out their duties. It spells out how one qualifies to run for the People's Assembly, the lower house of the bicameral Parliament. It also says where the assembly can meet, how one can resign and how to fill vacancies. But it does not say precisely how the legislative body goes about passing laws.
If a budget is not passed before the start of the fiscal year then last year's budget continues, the constitution reads. But how exactly will a budget pass? How many votes are needed to override a veto of a bill? The proposed constitution does not say.
Article 101 states that "The President of the Republic, the Cabinet, and every member of the People's Assembly shall have the right to propose laws. Every draft law shall be referred to a specialist committee of the Assembly, which shall study it and submit a report." But it's not clear if a majority of the committee must approve before the Assembly votes. The constitution does say that the same legislation cannot be presented twice during a legislative session.
Article 140 describes the role of the president but offers no specifics on how he should go about carrying out those duties. "The President of the Republic, in conjunction with the Cabinet, shall lay out the public policy of the State and oversee its implementation, in the manner prescribed in the Constitution," Article 140 reads.
The most specific direction in the constitution is reserved for the cabinet in Article 159, which spells out eight duties.
And while constitutions are supposed to be longstanding documents, the proposed Egyptian constitution refers frequently to the 2011 uprising. Article 64, for example, calls for the state to "honor [those killed during the uprising] and support their families, as well as war veterans and the injured, the families of those missing at war, and similar cases."


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Fatdog64s good... ROX sucks!
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[12 Posts]
Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 18
Posted: Sun 06 Jan 2013, 23:00
Post subject:
Fatdog64s good... ROX sucks!
Subject description: How to change default file manager
I have been playing with puppies for bout 6 years now. I cant stand the ROX filer. I used NOP and K-9 puppies for this reason. I love that puppy "runs in ram" and now that I have 16GBs of ram I want 64 bit puppy. FATDOG!
But how to successfully remove JWM and ROX and replace with Xfce kde gnome anything without ROX.
I try but I always !@% it up. The info I do find is for 32 bit...not sure it works for Fatdog64.
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Joined: 18 Apr 2009
Posts: 623
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Posted: Mon 07 Jan 2013, 00:04
Post subject:
Agreed! I do not like ROX at all
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 18
Posted: Tue 08 Jan 2013, 01:58
Post subject:
Is an error free replacment of Rox in Fatdog64 just a dream?
Can't be....other puplets use alternate (Default) file managers.
Sure I can install another....but how to change the "System" file manager?
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Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 1234
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Tue 08 Jan 2013, 19:12
Post subject:
ROX rocks, if you give it a chance. Otherwise, look at Saluki / Carolina with PAE to see all your RAM, or Lighthouse puppy can run KDE (I believe) and is 64bit.
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Joined: 05 Jun 2012
Posts: 1935
Location: Wisconsin USA
Posted: Tue 08 Jan 2013, 20:22
Post subject:
to me Rox is ugly and is incompatible with most icon themes.
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Joined: 29 Jun 2008
Posts: 10548
Location: SwedenEurope
Posted: Tue 08 Jan 2013, 20:51
Post subject:
Is there some way to show what you guys talk about?
what is ti the others do that work better?
I use Google Search on Puppy Forum
not an ideal solution though
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 18
Posted: Wed 09 Jan 2013, 01:11
Post subject:
I really like Saluki ! ....if it was only 64 bit.
i have an intel i7 2600k
EVGA GTX 570 x 2 sli
Kingston HyperX 1600 MHz 16GB
2 x 42 inch HD TV's
I want to test a 64 bit puppy "runs from ram" against an 64 bit Ubuntu hard drive install, on modern hardware.
I was unaware that Saluki came in a PAE version. The version I ran shows only 3.5GB of ram.
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Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 1234
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed 09 Jan 2013, 01:34
Post subject:
Saluki can be remastered with the PAE kernel, which must be pretty easy, after all I did it..!!
I believe that Carolina uses PAE by default, and is the extension of saluki.
Using my PAE saluki, I see all 8gig of ram on an otherwise similarly specced system to yours. Perhaps that will be an easier endeavour for you, rather than making massive changes to FatDog.
I upgraded my system a few months ago, and figured with the extra horsepower, I'd try Ubuntu / Mint again, after not using them for a couple of years. Puppy kicks both their butts in speed and usability. I use Saluki now, because it looks pretty, but reality is, traditional puppies, 32bit, PAE or 64bit are the fastest, and all are faster than Ubuntu in use. I did find Ubuntu boots faster on my SSD however than Puppy.
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 18
Posted: Wed 09 Jan 2013, 05:31
Post subject:
p310don - You make a good point...about making so many changes to Fatdog....I'm no "coder or script writer" But consider this:
I have Windows on 2 x 120GB sata2 raid 0 which boots fast enough, but Shutdown is slow (its the Bios boot screen that takes the longest).
Puppy from USB is painfully slow to boot! But who cares...when you're running windows you have to reboot with almost every new program install, unlike Puppy the where the changes are usually instant, so you don't have to Reboot.
I envision a 64 bit, high performance configured Puppy system. Intel's i7 with 4 memory channels 64 GB (1600 MHz or faster) Ram. A Small 64 GB Sata3 SSD for the Operating System "storage" and Fast Automatic saves of the Changes made (not the whole SFS) during your puppy session. Something like "caching" the disk writes in ram until there is ample processor time to write to disk, or something like that.
Anyways, I don't think Puppy has to be a "Toy" or "Virtual Upgrade" for Old computers anymore. Puppy works differently than other Linux distros and has the potential to be even Better on New Hardware. But then I could be just dreamin. What do you all think
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Joined: 19 May 2009
Posts: 1234
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posted: Wed 09 Jan 2013, 08:59
Post subject:
I can't comment on how good this is, as I've never given it time to properly look at it, but look at lighthouse puppy. All reports are that it is excellent.
I believe that might be what you're looking for.
To comment:
With a frugally installed puppy, which runs in ram, there is no advantage that I can see to having an SSD, apart from bootup speed. I upgraded to SSD, and the only benefit is on my saluki install, which does a FSCK on the savefile every boot, the boot time, or fsck time is greatly reduced.
64bit stuff from what I have used is not really any better than 32bit in terms of speed. Unless a program is specifically made and compiled for 64bit, it doesn't benefit much over 32bit.
I would love to use 64bit, but have found that Flash in particular is very buggy, making the internet virtuallly useless, or at the least, painful. Plus, many programs are just 32bit programs, compiled for 64bit, so not taking advantage of all of the benefits of a 64bit system.
I agree with you, I don't like to see puppy labelled as a tinkerer's OS, or something for just old machines. It fits those labels really well, but, is perfectly suited to full time use for most people.
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Posts: 18
Posted: Wed 09 Jan 2013, 19:32
Post subject:
p310don....I am typing this from Lighthouse Puppy. its kinda buggy and configured strangly.
BUT, There is a "Select Default Programs" setting that allows me to switch from Rox to PCfileman and Thunar!!!! (almost all other apps too) I am really happy about that. Works flawlessly.
I installed the Nvidia driver....got the "Twin View" working, Set the resolutions to 1920 x 1080 60 Hz(both TVs), but the desktop streches out on both displays and Zarfy (the screen setup configuration from Pup Control, displays 3840 x 1200 50Hz.
Oh well, at least now when "tweaking" Lighthouse....I'll be using Thunar file manager instead of Rox!
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Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 3156
Location: The Blue Marble
Posted: Thu 10 Jan 2013, 05:34
Post subject:
Usage of rox is entrenched in Fatdog, in three places:
a) drive icon display is very specific to rox (you can "fix" this by using other ways to manage drive icons, such as pup-volume-monitor)
b) application launcher uses rox for mime-type detection (ie, xdg-open calls "rox")
c) And a lot of scripts which calls "rox" to open filer windows, etc.
So, removing rox isn't going to be easy. Removing "rox" desktop though, is not too bad (but you need pup-volume-monitor or equivalent as above). Assigning Win+E to open another filer isn't too difficult either.
If all you hate is the filer, there are choices in the pet repo. You have xfe, you have emelfm2, you have tuxcmd, you have pathfinder.
64bit isn't exactly the same as PAE. 32-bit gimp running on PAE kernel can only access 3GB of memory - PAE or not. 64bit gimp can use all available memory.
Fatdog64, Slacko and Puppeee user. Puppy user since 2.13.
Contributed Fatdog64 packages thread
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Way back in the early days of non-linear editing, one could sit in front of the television and figure out the model and version of NLE used to cut the program. Each time a new effect was introduced it was quickly overused. Editors could play drinking games. Versions of After Effects and popular plug-ins were as easily identifiable. It wasn't that editors were less creative or took more shortcuts 20 years ago. It was the novelty of being able to do something previously difficult or expensive. Eventually the novelty passed.
Today technology has advanced to the point that consumers fall prey to the same creative tendencies editors and designers did two decades ago. Instagram, Hipstamatic, and a bevy of other mobile photo apps allow users to apply all sorts of retro filters to give their snapshots an air of sentimentality with a twist of grunge. Professional photographers and videographers cringe. It's artificial. It degrades the image. The same effect can be achieved more authentically in Photoshop.
But the fact is that few are going master Photoshop or After Effects. Few editors took up After Effects. Good enough is good enough for most.
Rather than turn our professional noses up at these apps, let's give them their due. They make image creation and sharing fun. In doing so they encourage some to take visual design to the next level. Even more gain a greater appreciation for photography. Many looked over their reading glasses and down their noses at Harry Potter and the Hunger Games, but educators loved the books. Anything to get kids reading.
We should embrace Cinemagram and Flickr filters. Not because they help create high art, but because they help people develop their eye. I love to send students out with Hipstamatic. It teaches them to look at a scene critically and determine in real-time what lens and film combination will accentuate the emotions they want to elicit from the viewer. They don't get to fix it in post. Like acid washed jeans and Oasis, these apps and their kitchy effects won't have a great shelf life. But we should enjoy them while they last.


text:
The outcome of a Texas abortion dispute could have an impact on Missouri.
A federal appeals court is considering a challenge to a new Texas law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the abortion clinic.
Missouri has a similar law that has been in place since 2005.
A federal judge originally issued a temporary restraining order against the Missouri law after it was challenged by a Springfield abortion clinic. But that clinic later dropped its lawsuit and closed, and the law has remained in effect since then.
The Missouri law is cited by both abortion providers and opponents as one of the reasons why the state has few abortion clinics.


text:
dogcrazyjen wrote:Ok, I will try switching her to turkey. I can buy a couple of turkey carcasess and that should be enough for her. Now I have been using a ratio of about 70% bone in and 20% boneless, the boneless being beef heart. That beef heart is also new to her. Should I just assume the meaty sections like turkey breast can count as boneless ? Are the giblits that come in a turkey enough organ meat for her per turkey? Seems like naturally speaking, the ratio per bird should be correct for the dog!
Oh, and my vet about had a cow when I said she got raw chicken bones Does she know something I do not? She IS a very young vet, so tends to be overreactive to many things. She would bleed me dry if I did all the tests she suggests! The dogs seem to really chew the bones well, and I was planning on only giving them chicken backs once they came in as opposed to leg and thigh pieces. I will grind those up.
Maryellen wrote:2nd night of california natural herring and sweet potato.
no licking of feet, no rubbing face on carpet, couch, or walls.. no pacing.. nice and relaxed...
Maryellen wrote:i know.. i cant do raw with her as it doesnt work well with the chicken and turkey... so far on the ca natural she is doing great, no licking, scratching, rubbing her head or anything.. she is actually calmer after eating, where before after eating she would be pacing alot and seem anxiious... if this doesnt work i guess i should do raw protein then? like rabbit, etc?
Maryellen wrote:if the dry kibble doesnt work should i go to prepackaged raw exotic meats?
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text:
FLOYD, Va. (AP) — Reuben Slusher may have gone to bed with sore shoulders after spending part of his afternoon filling buckets with rocks he scooped from freshly tilled ground on a Floyd County farm.
In time, the ninth-grader also will have the satisfaction of helping to produce the vegetables that he and his classmates consume in the Floyd County High School cafeteria.
Reuben was just one of the Floyd agriculture students who turned out Nov. 2 for the groundbreaking of a school farm about four miles south of the town of Floyd. The project pays homage to the county's rich agricultural history, and will provide future farmers and gardeners with valuable, hands-on experience they can't get in a classroom.
Two teams of draft horses pulled plows that churned up about a quarter-acre of land where students will plant potatoes in the spring. Reuben said he appreciated the old-school approach to tilling the soil, because his own family's farming roots date to the early 1800s.
"Learning about what my ancestors did, it's really interesting to me," he said. "It's all about tradition."
The draft horses were made available by Ryland Moore of Carroll County and Floyd County logger Jason Rutledge, who has become a local celebrity after appearing on the History Channel program "Ax Men."
The school farm project is designed to get agriculture students actively involved in raising food. As part of Floyd County's school-to-farm initiative, the student-grown vegetables will be used by the school's cafeteria system, said agriculture and life sciences teacher Joe Tesauro.
Tesauro, 34, was hired to head the school farm project. He said he learned about the high school job opening while taking a break from a "bad day" on his farm, where he grows vegetables and specialty crops.
"I've been having a great time," the second-year teacher said.
The potatoes are just the start. Students are already imagining what else they can produce on 15 acres that the school system is leasing at no cost from the Shelor Family Foundation.
"I hope it turns into a big garden taking up the whole land," said eighth-grader Jaren Kandzior, who was captivated by the draft horses and excited about the farm's possibilities.
"I like this view right now, but I'd like to see some greenhouses out here and maybe an orchard," Reuben added.
The land used by the school is just part of the 250-acre Shelor family farm. The farmland is protected under a conservation easement secured by Nola Shelor Albert, a longtime Floyd County teacher and guidance counselor who died in 2009.
"She would have been absolutely delighted" with the school farm project, said Dwight Shelor, Albert's cousin and a trustee of the Shelor Family Foundation.
The driving force behind Floyd's school farm program was Kevin Harris, the county's school superintendent since 2011. Harris came to Floyd from Carroll County, which had a thriving school farm program.
Students raised crops, sold produce and invested profits back into the farm, Harris said. The Carroll County students now raise livestock and grow the corn used to feed the animals, Harris said.
"There are a lot of people who have grown up here in Floyd County who would like to stay here in Floyd County," Harris said. "There are lots of family farms. There may be niche markets that students could learn to capture. We have some of that going on in Floyd now. But the idea of getting them out on the farm and teaching them to do things, even if it's just teaching them to put in their own garden to raise some fruits and vegetables for themselves, I think is a worthwhile endeavor."
The Floyd agriculture students also will get some hands-on experience back at the school. Tesauro secured a grant to convert a shop room into a hydroponic production space to grow lettuce for the school system. Students will raise fish in a tank, use the fish waste to fertilize the lettuce, and return the plant-filtered water back to the tank, Tesauro said.
Reuben said he thinks more students will eat fruits and vegetables with their lunches if they know the products are grown locally.
"I just like the idea of the school not having to get all the additive stuff from whoever supplies the food to the cafeteria," he said.
Tesauro said he doesn't blame kids for passing on canned vegetables.
"If it comes out of a can, it's not very good quality," the teacher said. "We're hoping that if it's fresh and they have the pride of saying, ' We were involved in the harvesting of it,' that they will get a little more open-minded toward eating more fruits and vegetables and less pizza and chicken nuggets."


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Peas, and Carrots, and Beans--Oh, My!
Who knew that donating food could be so much fun?
This past Friday, Woodward Academy students showed off their spirit of donating in a big way. The upper school students started early in the morning to create "Oz." As the yellow brick road led to the can structures of beans, peas and carrots that made up the Emerald City, the music was going, preparing for the pep rally that would culminate in all the food they had collected being donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank as well as other local pantries.
The rest of the upper school filed in and Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, The Cowardly Lion and Toto came in to cheers from their fellow classmates. Dorothy, as the MC, prepared the upper school for their version of 'American Idol' with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion as judges. Students from the freshman through senior classes came down to sing special songs--parodies of current hits that either revolved around donating food or Woodward Academy. In the middle of it all, they had Glinda, the good Atlanta Community Food Bank witch, come out to share hunger facts with the school. After all was said and done, the senior class won 'Idol', Dorothy was able to go home, the can structures came down and the food was loaded into barrels, trucks and trailers.
It was truly incredible to see the ingenuity and creativity of the students, but it was especially amazing to see how much they had dedicated to their food drive. Thank you again to the students of Woodward Academy for their donation and also for their dedication to this over twenty year tradition.


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I gather from the polls that there's a tight race for which of two violent, torturing, mass-murdering or potentially mass-murdering (Romney has had no opportunity to send out automated killer drones over civilian populations yet, but since he has every intention of doing so, the difference really is no difference) war criminals will lead the US. If the last sentence sounds cynical, well it is and it isn't. Since every president in my life time (born during the Nixon administration) has been either a mass murderer or a wanna-be mass murderer (don't talk Jimmy Carter to me – there's a reason we call our military oil policy "The Carter doctrine"), and that includes all the ones who won the Nobel Peace Prize, this seems to be a fact of life. In reality, actually, it is possible that not a single president in history other than William Henry Harrison (who died on his 32nd day in office) was innocent of the above charges. George Washington, for example was known by the Iroquois as "The Destroyer of Towns" after he ordered 40 villages burned to the ground in 1779and their populations mass murdered after they sided with the British.
So if the above sounds cynical, it is only so in the broadest sense – I think anyone who lives longer than few weeks as president is going to be responsible for crimes I would be afraid to have on my soul. I have yet to see a viable candidate who would not. That does not change the fact that I think there is a critical difference in quality between two mass-murdering, torturing, violent war criminals, and I also will be voting for one of them – because the lesser of two evils is simply lesser – and less matters. I think it is worth doing the work of voting for the man who will commit fewer and less appalling war crimes. Speaking as a person nominally identified with the US left (although since the US doesn't have a real viable left, I'm not sure how identified I actually am) I bet you can guess which one I would vote for if my vote mattered in the slightest (I live in NY state which is the 50th state in the list the US Republican party actually cares about and not in play, so I feel entirely free to vote for Kinky Friedman or Cookie Monster or the pickled brain of Groucho Marx in a jar, and just might ;-)).
Here is another thing that matters – doing everything we possibly can to address climate change, peak oil, and the consequent end of economic growth. Because things are going to suck if we don't. Does that mean we can fix everything? Absolutely not. But I do think that there are important differences here that are worth mentioning – the difference between four and six degrees of climate change, between a rapid decline in oil availability and a slower one that leaves some for the future, the difference between many people going hungry and fewer people going hungry, the difference between poverty that kills and that which merely causes suffering. These are all bad things – but they are not equally bad things.
I was talking about the fact that the US clearly is going to do absolutely nothing about climate change with a friend who is a conservative Christian writer. You probably know her name, but she's asked that this column keep her anonymous for now. She and I have been corresponding on and off for a couple of years, because while we are radically opposed on a number of issues politically, we tend to agree on climate change, peak oil and the economy. We have had some lively debates and occasionally offended each other, but never past saving, and recently, talking about our lack of action on these issues, she asked me a question:
"If I could deliver a lot of conservative votes on say, climate legislation or make peak oil a focal issue among a large group of conservatives, what would you and the people you influence be willing to compromise on to work across the aisle? Sharon, are you just writing another column about how people really should should work together, or are you serious? What political ground would you give to work seriously on these issues? Because what I see is that the left only wants us to give ground. I'm sure the right looks the same way to you. We both agree that we need to move past the barrier issues like gay marriage and abortion but that won't happen unless someone is willing to give ground. What would you give up on those issues and others? We could probably get very limited cross-aisle participation on very narrow and specific issues, but if you actually wanted to organize deep change, you'd have to figure out a way people who feel strongly on those issues can feel they've met in the middle somehow and can live with their compromises."
Well, that is where the rubber meets the road, isn't it? We cannot act on climate change because the right sees it as a leftist issue. We cannot act on peak oil because no one, left or right with power cares enough. What if it were possible to shift the ground and (not instantly, but eventually) gain influence on these issues? Would it be worth the price? What price would each side be able to pay?
I know that a number of my readers are going to say that any compromise on gay marriage or abortion should never be contemplated. Others on the right will say the same. But I think my correspondent is correct that ultimately if there was ever to be any serious cross-aisle work, it would break down over social issues unless everyone could say they had given some ground, found some way to work together.
If there is any such hope, my take on it is that it only comes if you are bluntly honest about the price you are willing to pay and are paying. There is no point in denying that the presidential candidates all advocate mass murder. There is no point in denying that if you are pro-choice and you compromise on abortion, some women will suffer and some will die having back alley abortions. There is no point in denying that if you truly believe life begins at conception, you are numbering your compromise in murdered babies. The only way to do this is to be honest about the price of our choices – which we generally aren't. We like to cloak them with nobility, and paint the other side in terms of evil. But often all we are talking about are the lesser of two serious evils.
And the evil of climate change and energy depletion and grinding poverty due to lack of growth are very real and have costs in lives too. Failing to address them because we can't talk across political lines is a choice as well – and one that we may equally go to hell for (this is more of a metaphor for me, since Judaism doesn't really have hell) – if I have to choose between hells, I pick the one where I was honest, and chose consciously, balancing costs and benefits, and choosing the lesser of two evils, rather than pretending that there was no difference. That doesn't make the choices less painful, or more clear, though.
So, she asks, what would you answer? Would you compromise anything in your political beliefs, particularly on hot-button issues that keep us apart? If so, where would you place the halfway mark, an it were possible to work together?


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Helping Someone During a Panic AttackSkip to the navigation
Topic Overview
If someone you know has a panic attack, he or she may become very anxious and not think clearly. You can help the person by doing the following:
- Stay with the person and keep calm.
- Offer medicine if the person usually takes it during an attack.
- Move the person to a quiet place.
- Don't make assumptions about what the person needs. Ask.
- Speak to the person in short, simple sentences.
- Be predictable. Avoid surprises.
- Help the person focus by asking him or her to repeat a simple, physically tiring task such as raising his or her arms over the head.
- Help slow the person's breathing by breathing with him or her or by counting slowly to 10.
It is helpful when the person is experiencing a panic attack to say things such as:
- "You can get through this."
- "I am proud of you. Good job."
- "Tell me what you need now."
- "Concentrate on your breathing. Stay in the present."
- "It's not the place that is bothering you; it's the thought."
- "What you are feeling is scary, but it is not dangerous."
By following these simple guidelines, you can:
- Reduce the amount of stress in this very stressful situation.
- Prevent the situation from getting worse.
- Help put some control in a confusing situation.
You can offer ongoing help as the person tries to recover from panic disorder:
- Allow the person to proceed in therapy at his or her own pace.
- Be patient and praise all efforts toward recovery, even if the person is not meeting all of the goals.
- Do not agree to help the person avoid things or situations that cause anxiety.
- Do not panic when the person panics.
- Remember that it is all right to be concerned and anxious yourself.
- Accept the current situation, but know that it will not last forever.
- Remember to take care of yourself.
Related Information
ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Christine R. Maldonado, PhD - Behavioral Health
Current as ofDecember 7, 2017
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Coach Benjamin Wade: "If anybody calls me 'Benjamin' to my face, I'm gonna go nuts!"
Funniest line I've heard all week. Honestly. What could be more disgraceful, insulting, and humiliating than to be called "Benjamin"? This is why Master B. Franklin of the Founding Fathers always insisted friends call him "The Stove," and, in his later years, his homies all called him: "C-Note."
|Oscar-winner Benjamin Affleck. You may debate his acting chops, but not his beauty.
|Ok, beware Benjamin Linus, although word is, he's reformed.
Stacy, who may have escaped from the Blaxploitation version of Six Feet Under, explained to us that Tribal Council was all "fake." We know this. It's a TV show. It's fake, like Stacy's sanity. This woman has serious anger issues. I understand not wanting to be hugged by Benjamin. No one in their right mind (which, ironically, excludes Stacy right there) ever wants to touch, let alone be hugged by, Voldepussy. But she has full-on rage happening. Her stiffs - I mean clients, don't give her trouble like this.
Christine to Stacy: "I was hoping it wouldn't be you." In her situation, I'd hope it wasn't Stacy also. I'd be hoping for Albert to come tap, tap, tapping at my backdoor, to be perfectly frank.
Stacy: "All you-all goin' straight to Hell with gasoline drawers on." Yes, just the person I want telling me bedtime stories as she tucks me in, all alone with a camera crew out on Redemption Area at Midnight.
|Benjamin Bratt is so dreamy!
"I don't care what people think of me out here," sobbed Russell Junior, lying once more, as it is painfully obvious that he does care what people think of him, or else, why bother to tell us "I'm a good guy"? And why cut out the eyes of his victims who have seen his lust and his sin, which they, the Temptresses, the Delilahs, the Jezebels, deliberately provoked from him, if not because he couldn't stand the accusations that flashed in their dead eyes as they looked at him. Or was that someone else? The case is still unsolved.
Benjamin was hoping that Albert, beautiful Albert, and that Playboy Bunny-Delilah person (How ironic that as she's out here being a Playboy Cover Model, The Playboy Club became one of the first cancellations of the new season.) would report back from the Duel For Redemption that Christine and Scary Stacy keep their mouths closed like good little soldiers, and not spill any beans to the other side. Has he met Scary Stacy? Did he see, when Russell Junior first came out of the Hantz closet and confessed his Bad Seediness, the triple-take Stacy did at the "revelation," one that Daffy Duck would consider overdone? And then there's the small problem of what possible motive would Scary Stacy have not to use her last remaining weapons, "Tribe Intel"?
Stacy on Coach: "Adults call him Benjamin." I've heard adults call him Voldepussy. Now Stacy might have gotten by if it had stopped there, but helpful Christine had to chime in: "Whether he likes it or not," thus exposing the essential pettiness of the matter. Jeff was on it in an instant, and went right after the underlying pettiness of refusing to call him "Coach," utterly eroding the "adult" portion of the Rage-With-Dignity pose Stacy had chosen for her appearance. But full-on craziness awaited, once Jeff got her mouth going, and he knew then to sit back, like the "clients" she talks to all day long, every day, as she pumps them full of Formaldehyde. The Dead never call her "crazy," or at least, not twice.
Albert, accurately, called Stacy's rant "Sour grapes." It was, big sour grapes, in a big sour whine, but what most of it also was, was incomprehensible, barely intelligible, and dependant on mental leaps she was making alone. Anyway, she got across that Benjamin was running his tribe, much like Ozzie thinks he's running his tribe.
I love the catch-the-balls-in-the-swirly-ramps challenge. It works best as an elimination challenge, with five or more people. All those balls whizzing, and the faltering concentration that, one-by-one, eliminates folks makes for great viewing. As a one-on-one duel, it depended on only a single error, which is a waste of its potential. There was never any doubt that Stacy would lose it. She was enraged, and few things monkey with your concentration more than being enraged. Believe me, I know, God fucking damn it!
Of course, having Jeff Probst hollering stuff at you interferes with concentration also. And he missed a great opportunity to announce, on CBS: "Ladies, its time to drop your balls."
Stacy: "I'm a diva." Ah yes, one of the many, beloved Diva Morticians popular culture is so enamored of. She's like Tina Turner, as she would be if she were up to her elbows in a human cadaver.
Albert was mad at Stacy letting the other tribe know that he is Benjamin's Bitch. "These were the things I thought we'd be able to keep under the radar pretty well. Just pisses me off." Yes, isn't it awful how, when you make an enemy, that enemy then does stuff you wish she wouldn't?
Albert predicted: "Coach is gonna be pissed." Close. If they'd had a reasonable supply of vodka, say 9 or 10 gallons, he'd have gotten good and pissed, but as it was, he merely got pointlessly peeved. He so wanted revenge against Stacy who is totally gone now, beyond his reach. She is with The Dead now, literally. (And you know how work piles up when you're out of the office for two weeks.)
|"If anyone calls me 'Sir Benjamin' to my face, I'm gonna go nuts. I will go all Medieval on his diaper."
And so we learned that "Benjamin" is the worst thing you can call someone. "Who's 'Benjamin'?" asked Russell - Shh, My Last Name, Which is Tattooed All Over Me, is a Secret - Junior. That boy is swifter than snails.
|Benjamin Graduates
Over in Red Tribe Land Elyse is in full Manson Girl Mode for Ozzy. She saw how being a total Susan Atkins to Boston Rob and Russell in past seasons had worked out well for those floaters, and decided to be a floater here. In the words of Pennywise the Dancing Clown: "We all float down here, and when you're down here, you'll float too!"
|Not a Benjamin. It's Pennywise, the Dancing Clown.
Ozzy also saw the last season of Survivor, and thinks he's The-Boston Rob-Who's-Done-Porn. Unfortunately, as he will quickly find out today, this isn't a repeat of last season. Everyone else saw last season also, and the others are not happy little Manson Girls.
Elyse thinks it's just cute as Hell the way Cochran works at camp, instead of spending all day sunbathing in her Playboy Mansion Lifestyle. Imagine. If he'd only take the time to tan like she does, he wouldn't be so pasty. (You know, Elyce actually looks like Susan Atkins in 1968, with just a touch of Patricia Krenwinkle.)
Elyse took Cochran's "Little Engine That Could" appellation and instantly, without even meaning it as meanly as it was, emasculated him further into "The Little Cochran That Could." Actually, most of the Little Cochrans I've encountered over the centuries could, it's just, who wanted them too? Cochran refused to confirm the proper spelling of "Cochran" to Ozzy, to keep him from being able to write it on a ballot. If certain past contestants have proved anything, it's that in Tribal Votes, spelling does not count. (Remember "Ressell"?) And in any event, I'm sure Ozzy could spell "Jew Boy" without a problem.
Ozzy saw Benjamin's dominance of his tribe as Natural and Good; the Way the World Works. So did Susan Atkins. However, Hairy Pothead, Dawn, Cochran, and even Keith the attractive-but-mildly-vacant one, felt a new game plan was needed, one where Ozzy didn't ride on their backs to a shot at the big money. (And if they'd enjoyed Ozzy's porn career as I have, they'd know that Ozzy is experienced at riding a co-star's back to a big money shot.)
Jim, aka Hairy Pothead, picked up instantly that Ozzy's unasked-for advice to Benjamin to eliminate Albert (Heresy!) translated into his own plans to eliminate Keith and Hairy. Of course, Ozzy's real plan is to eliminate Cochran, but Cochran, for all his social ineptitude, is smarter than the rest of his tribe combined, and saw that in encouraging the "Ozzy-is-the-threat" campaign, his - ah - bacon would be safe from the fryer again.
Why do I love Survivor? Well part of it is that it occasionally throws stuff at me like Albert's Idol Hunt. Sure his early display of smartness in finding the clue was quickly negated by his sharing it with Benjamin and the dumpy broad, thus allowing Benjamin to go out and actually find the idol (So the idols are both found, and in the possession of the two vets, natch.), but so what? He was shirtless and gorgeous every moment of it. Look at him: physically flawless, and in those wet-shorts walking-shots, clearly hung like a sperm whale, handsome, level-headed, smart-but-not-too-smart. He is The Perfect Man! Tallulah is in love....
We heard Albert say: "I'm gonna have a target on my back once we come to the merge," over a beautiful shot of his walking full back to camera, head-to-toe shot, with him wearing a buff on his head, shoes, and some VERY tight, damp shorts, as indeed my own shorts were becoming quite damp just watching this shot. All I could think was, "That target will be just below your back, gorgeous."
We watched Benjamin pray to whatever weird god he believes in (Yottle? Yog-Sothoth? Baron Munchhausen? Mary Baker Eddy?) to find the idol. He must have prayed to something powerful and big, because he shortly thereafter found the idol. (By looking for it, not by waiting for a "sign".) The only thing big enough to do that which I know Benjamin believes in is his own Awesomeness, so he undoubtedly was praying: "To My own Awesomeness..."
|The best parts of Benjamin and Gerold.
Cochran's Excellent Fishing Expedition really went no where, and was mostly an excuse for gorgeous underwater-photography of Ozzie spearing helpless little animals. Cochran's contribution to the expedition consisted of - ah - his presence, you know, in case a smart Jewish lad of no physical skills should suddenly be needed to - ah - to know something. Yeah, that's it. He was crucial!
Ozzy told us: "Fishing's not easy. It might look easy to somebody watching it at home." Actually, to this viewer watching it at home, it looks impossible. Hollywood Squares looks easy. Underwater hand-spear fishing looks impossible.
"I feel like they're finally becoming My Tribe." said Ozzy, as we watched him walk ashore carrying his catch, home is the warrior, home with his kills. Ozzy is one Tribal Council away from learning they are not His Tribe.
|Ok, he's a loony Creationist, and nearly 40 years on, he's still kissing Richard Nixon's ass, but still, he has money to win.
|Not a Benjamin, but he'd have been great at the Immunity Challenge!
The important thing about how the challenge turned out is that Albert is safe for another week.
Russell Junior made the "feast" of recycled pork. I guess he's used to recipes involving hand-me-down food. "Hey! This meat has only been in one, or at worst, two mouths. Growing up, my par on most dinners was four mouths. And only in their mouths this time too. This is luxury."
Elyse: "We're all gonna have pig guts break-outs tomorrow." Her grasp of science is every bit as weak as Cochran's grasp of society, when he suggested that eating pig will give them all "Oral Herpes." To what terrible extreme did Mama Cochran go to scare her son into keeping Kosher? Or was it just because every guy in his high school that got herpes, got them from, they said, the same pig?
"Doesn't everyone have herpes?" asked life-of-the-party Cochran. He really doesn't get out much, does he?
Ozzy was weirded out by Cochran working a lot, and felt quite secure in his tribe's willingness to vote out someone who contributes constantly over someone who lies around in a bikini all day, saying stuff to Ozzy like: "You're a good guy." (Which, to be fair, to Ozzy, does constitute "contributing.") Ozzy is soon to stop living on Planet Ozzy.
Hairy Pothead believed Keith and he were "on the same page." Maybe so, but in different paragraphs. Keith did not want to blindside Ozzy through Elyse. He and someone called Whitney, whom they swear was on the show prior to her materializing at this point in this episode (Like Nikki & Paolo materializing in season 3 of Lost, and we were supposed just to believe they'd been there all along. Sure. Pull the other one. No! I said the other one!) both liked undermining Ozzy, if they could do it without seeming to do it. The term for this sort of play is "Chickenshit."
They edited the Tribal Council to make it look like Cochran was in deep crap, and this was also part of blindsiding Ozzy by voting out Elyse.
Jeff gave Dawn a chance to go off on Cochran, but she's a Mormon lady from Utah who's probably never seen a Hebrew in person before in all her life, apart from local Indians (Never forget, Mormans believe really weird, stupid stuff.) and in Woody Allen movies. She thinks Cochran is cute as a button, and there's no way she's got the taste to detect the difference in wit between Woody Allenisms written by one of the great jokesmiths of the last 70 years, and Cochran's "hilarious" assertion that they'll all get Oral Herpes from eating that pigmeat.
When Dawn mentioned Cochran's "joke" about all getting a communicable disease, from sharing tainted, unsanitary meat, she said: "I don't know where you get that." Dawn, you get that in science class. Try spending less time in church and more time in a science class. Read a book by Richard Dawkins or Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking instead of by Joseph Smith, excuse me, by the Angel Moroni.
Well Elyse suffered a classic blindside that hit Ozzy as hard as it hit her. Loved it.
Anyway, I'm on record: I like a lot of Benjamins.