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Abstract: Time Warner Cable has backed down, at least for now, from its attempt to introduce tiered pricing for Internet service in Greensboro. The company announced earlier this month that it would test the new pricing model here and in three other cities around the country.
Anger Over Time Warner Pricing Raises QuestionsPDF (Portable Document Format)47 KBCreated on 4/24/2009Views: 904
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Weekend Reading: Harold Meyerson: How California Hopes to Undo Trump
Weekend Reading: Harold Meyerson: How California Hopes to Undo Trump: "America's mega-state is now clearly its leftmost, too...
...and on social insurance, climate change, and immigrant rights, it has more capacity and desire to defeat Republican reaction than any other institution.
Spasms of fear often shake California, a state prey to earthquakes, fires, and floods. One such spasm—a manmade one—is shaking the state today.
Business is down at groceries featuring Mexican and Central American food, and at other stores catering to an immigrant clientele. The possibility of stakeouts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents has led thousands of Angelenos to abbreviate their daily rounds.
"Since Election Day, children are scared about what might happen to their parents," says Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles. "And parents for their children. We fill out at least ten guardianship letters every day for [undocumented] parents who fear for their [U.S. citizen] kids if they—the parents—are deported."
The fear is rooted in the grim reality of the new president's war on immigrants, and in the power that ICE possesses to wage that war. "Sanctuary city, or sanctuary state, is a misleading term," says State Senate President Kevin de León, who more than any other public official has emerged as the leader of California's resistance. "It creates the image of an invisible force field you're safe behind, or reaching home base when you're a kid playing tag. Actually, that force field doesn't exist. If you're undocumented, ICE can pick you up whether you're in Paducah or liberal Santa Monica." ICE can and does conduct sweeps in search of undocumented immigrants, and it doesn't need a warrant to do so.
All of which has made California's undocumented—about 2.5 million, by recent estimates, fully one million of them in Los Angeles and Orange Counties—and their family members who are citizens, deeply and understandably fearful.
It has also made millions more Californians angry. The Trump crackdown on immigrants has few supporters in the Golden State. In a January poll, the Public Policy Institute of California asked respondents whether they believed "there should be a way for them [undocumented immigrants] to stay in the country legally if certain conditions are met," or believed instead that "they should not be allowed to stay in this country legally." Fully 85 percent said they should be allowed to stay, a figure that included 65 percent of Republicans. Asked further if they favored or opposed "California state and local governments making their own policies and taking actions—separate from the federal government—to protect the legal rights of undocumented immigrants," 65 percent "favored" while just 32 percent "opposed."
Since Jerry Brown became governor in 2011, he and the legislature enacted laws that expanded Medicaid so comprehensively that the percentage of uninsured Californians dropped from 19 percent to 7 percent.
Sentiments like that led to the state's Trust Act of 2013, which forbade county jails from notifying ICE when releasing undocumented prisoners unless they'd been held or convicted for serious crimes. Sentiments like that have led to a bill currently before (and likely to pass) the legislature that would appropriate state funds to provide potential deportees in immigration court with attorneys. Sentiments like that have led cities up and down the state to forbid their police departments from participating in ICE arrests or inquiring about suspects', or witnesses', or anyone's, immigration status. Sentiments like that have led de León to author another bill before the legislature that would require all local police and jail officials, whether in "sanctuary cities" or not, to devote no state or local resources to working with ICE on any immigration matters. And sentiments like that led thousands of Californians to rush to local airports, unprompted by any organization, to protest ICE's interdiction of travelers from predominantly Muslim countries.
CALIFORNIA IS THE TRUMP administration's most formidable adversary, not only on matters of immigration, but on damn near everything. No other entity—not the Democratic Party, not the tech industry, surely not the civil liberties lobby—has the will, the resources, and the power California brings to the fight. Others have the will, certainly, but not California's clout.
There's no mystery to the clout. California is immense, a state of 40 million, home to an economy that is the world's sixth-largest. But the will? Has the home state of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan truly become so overwhelmingly progressive?
It clearly has. What was remarkable about California's performance in last November's election wasn't merely that it went for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a margin of four million votes; that's partly just a testament to the state's size. What was remarkable was that the share of its voters who cast ballots for Clinton—61.5 percent—was greater than any other state's.
And this is hardly the only metric that spotlights California as the nation's most progressive state. California is one of just six states that have a Democratic governor and Democrats in control of both houses of the legislature (California Democrats actually hold two-thirds of the seats in each house). No Republican has been elected to a statewide office (there are ten of them, counting the two U.S. senators) since 2006. In 2012 and again in 2016, state voters have approved ballot measures that made the nation's most progressive state income tax even more progressive.
Since Jerry Brown became governor in 2011, he and the legislature enacted laws that expanded Medicaid so comprehensively (including a provision that extended it to undocumented minors) that the percentage of uninsured Californians dropped from 19 percent to 7 percent; raised the minimum wage to $15; created the nation's first automatic retirement plan for workers (who numbered an estimated 6.8 million) whose employers didn't provide one; registered as a voter every California citizen who showed up to get a driver's license; set the highest fuel-efficiency standards in the nation; and appropriated $30 million annually for legal assistance for immigrants before Donald Trump was even nominated. Currently before the legislature, with a good chance of enactment, is a bill that would have the state cover all the costs—tuition, room, board, books—incurred by students at the University of California and the California State University system, and another bill, less of a sure thing, that would establish single-payer health care in the state.
The state's leftward movement continues apace. Hillary Clinton carried 46 of the state's 53 congressional districts, including seven represented by newly nervous Republicans. She carried Orange County—ancestral home of the Goldwater Revolution—thereby becoming the first Democrat to do so since Franklin Roosevelt in his landslide victory of 1936. All four Republicans with Orange County districts will face strong challenges in 2018.
Californians know the state's demographics explain a lot of this change, but only a relative few can tell you what the forces were, and are, that translated the rising number of Latinos and Asians into progressive political power. Both California and Texas, for instance, are 39 percent Latino, but in California, the nation's most strategically savvy labor movement politically socialized and mobilized the Latino community as Tammany once did the Irish, while Texas, all but devoid of a labor movement, has seen no such development. California's fast-growing Asian communities, which constitute nearly 15 percent of the state's population, have moved left in recent decades, with more than 70 percent of their vote going to Democrats in recent elections. Add the Latinos and Asians to the state's African American population and the large number of white liberals in the state's metropolitan centers, and California's newfound status as the nation's leftmost state should come as no mystery. Indeed, among the world's six largest economies—the United States, China, Germany, Britain, France, and the Golden State—California's citizenry and elected leaders are clearly the most progressive.
And they have the wherewithal, along with the will, to fight the Trump administration on climate change, social insurance, immigrant rights, and much else.
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS journeyed to Detroit and announced that the fuel emissions standards put in place by his predecessor—initially California's standards, which the Obama administration then decided to adopt nationally—were job killers. He pledged that his new man at the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, would scrap them.
But Pruitt can't scrap them for California, or for the 13 other states that adhere to California's standards. Unless Trump means to revoke the waiver that permits the state to have higher standards than the feds, 40 percent of the domestic auto market will still have those tighter standards.
California's unique legal standing in matters of clean air and climate change began, of course, as a response to Los Angeles's eternal battle with smog. The state started regulating tailpipe emissions in 1966, and when the federal government first enacted the Clean Air Act in 1970, it allowed California, and only California, to set its own clean air standards so long as they were stricter than the feds'. In 1977, the law was amended to permit other states to adopt California's standards, too.
In 2002, California augmented its concern over the quality of gas and emissions with concern for their quantity. Worried by climate change and the fossil fuel emissions that were speeding that change, the state passed a law limiting auto emissions by demanding stricter fuel-efficiency standards—and those 13 other states, thanks to that 1977 amendment, adopted those standards as well.
Over the years, the EPA has granted California about 100 different waivers, but the George W. Bush administration denied the one for increasing fuel efficiency to curtail climate change. California took Bush's EPA to court, and the case was still in progress when Barack Obama became president and the EPA granted the waiver. More than that, as a condition for the 2009 auto bailout, and then again in 2012, Obama got the car companies to agree to his EPA's standards, which the EPA had written to match California's.
Trump's announcement, then, did nothing to affect California's standards; indeed, California was a signatory to the 2012 agreement and its deal with the auto industry is still in place, as, presumably, are those of the other states. To negate California's accord, Trump's EPA would have to revoke its waiver that permitted California to set its standards. That would be breaking new legal ground, as the EPA has never before attempted to revoke a waiver.
In order to undo California's ambitious fuel emission standards, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt would need to convince a federal court to revoke a waiver that has allowed the state to surpass federal standards since 1970.
The problem for Trump and Pruitt, says Ann Carlson, a professor of environmental law at UCLA, is that "to be effective, to give the automakers what they want, the only way is to roll back the California waiver." For now, that's apparently a bridge too far for Trump's EPA, though there's no telling what it may do later. It's already too late to roll back the first set of stricter standards, due to be in place by 2018, since the auto industry has already made the investments to meet those specifications. It's not until 2022 that the next set of still stricter standards are supposed to take effect, so Trump and Pruitt have some time before they decide whether to revoke the waiver and be taken to court.
Such a case, says Carlson, would be heard in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, which currently has a majority of Democrat-appointed judges. It's not clear it could even advance to the Supreme Court, since, as Carlson says, it poses statutory rather than constitutional questions. But if it were to advance, the deciding vote might be Anthony Kennedy's—who'd have to decide whether to vote as a Republican or a Californian.
Even if Trump were to revoke the waiver and prevail in court, California would still have one legally unassailable option: Placing a much higher sales tax on new cars and trucks that fail to meet what would have been the state's standards than the tax on cars that do meet those standards. California's market share is so large that this might compel Detroit to still turn out more efficient cars. "We're at least 10 percent of the national market," says one state air quality official, "and 10 percent matters to manufacturers. When we've set efficiency standards before, the manufacturers have made a product to match those standards." And once they go to the trouble of making those products, they just might make more to sell to buyers across the nation.
THE BIGGEST HIT THAT California might have to take from the White House and the Republican Congress would be an attack on Medicaid. Because the state has used the law's discretion to extend Medicaid (which in California is called MediCal) to as many eligible recipients as possible, fully 14 million Californians get their health coverage through the program—about one-third of the state. Roughly 20 percent of all Americans on Medicaid are Californians.
Expanding both Medicaid and subsidized insurance under the terms of the Affordable Care Act has been a notable California policy success. "Prior to the ACA, we ranked sixth among the states in the percentage of uninsured," says Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. "But no other state had as big a reduction in the number and percentage of uninsured as we did." California extensively marketed the programs, and did automatic enrollments of food stamp recipients. "We have the uninsured rate down to 7 percent now, and are making progress toward universality," Wright adds. "But if the Ryan plan is enacted, we could be set back for an entire generation."
Some of the highest rates of Medicaid coverage are found in California congressional districts represented by Republicans—particularly in agricultural areas of the Central Valley. "Half of [GOP Representative David] Valadao's 800,000 constituents are on Medicaid," says Wright, adding that Valadao's district was carried by Clinton. "The percentage of residents on Medicaid in Kern County is 45; in Fresno, 50; in Tulare, 55. Cutting back Medicaid in the Central Valley would affect half those Republicans' constituents; you'd see closures of hospitals that serve everyone."
Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget Project, estimates that the cuts to California Medicaid funding in the Ryan bill would come to between $7 billion and $10 billion. Could the state make that up by raising its own taxes?
The problem with that is that the voters just approved more high-end tax hikes, along with a higher tobacco tax, in November. "We already have the highest income tax rates on high earners of any state," says Wright. "If the differential between us and other states is 5 or even 10 percent, they're not likely to move, but if it's 30 percent? Nobody knows." Other options include a sales tax on services, or a repeal of Proposition 13's limits on property taxes, at least for commercial properties, which might go on the 2018 or 2020 ballot. It's been holy writ in California for decades that voters would never tamper with Proposition 13. Whether massive cuts to state services would make a difference is anybody's guess.
A more plausible option might be to enact a state estate tax, which California tax expert (and occasional American Prospect contributor) Roy Ulrich estimates could bring in as much as $4 billion annually. California once had an estate tax of its own, but voters abolished it in 1982, at the height of Proposition 13 tax-cutting mania. Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener has announced he'll try to put a measure on the 2018 ballot that will recreate such a tax if, and only if, the Trump administration follows through on the president's vow to repeal the federal estate tax. Wiener's proposal (and Ulrich's idea) is to set its rates identical to those in the federal tax, so that heirs to wealthy estates would be paying the same amount—only to Sacramento rather than Washington. If enacted, the state could use those funds to keep more Californians on Medicaid—and set some aside for cities whose police departments and jails lose funding as a result of Trump's attack on sanctuary cities and states.
One other aspect of California's social insurance that's under attack in Washington is the state's automatic retirement set-aside program, that's scheduled to go into operation next year. As crafted by de León, the program requires employers who don't offer retirement benefits to automatically deduct a small portion of their employees' paychecks to be invested in a state-run retirement investment fund, unless the employees opt out of the program. De León had to persuade President Obama and Labor Secretary Tom Perez to alter federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulations to make the program legal. ("And we'd like to have created an employer contribution, too, but that required an act of [the Republican-controlled] Congress," de León says.)
Since the current Congress convened, a number of Republican members have suggested it should alter the ERISA regulations to keep the program from going into effect. Their actions have been prompted by major banks and other financial institutions that offer retirement programs of their own.
"This is going to be the largest expansion of retirement security since 1935," says de León. "We've created a new market for people left out of the existing system. It doesn't take a market away from Wall Street. But Wall Street doesn't like that it will charge lower fees than they do."
Congress has yet to act on the GOP proposal—which would not only scuttle California's plan, but those that other states adopted once the ERISA regulations were altered.
ON A WIND-WHIPPED SATURDAY in late February, a crowd of undocumented immigrants and their families, about 700 in all, have come to Los Angeles Trade Tech, a community college in downtown L.A., to learn what they can do to fight deportation. Convened by de León, the "Know Your Rights" forum features attorneys talking one-on-one with worried Angelenos. It also features County Sheriff Jim McDonald and Deputy L.A. Police Chief Robert Arcos, who both assure the crowd that their officers will not participate with ICE in any investigations or arrests, or inquire about anyone's immigration status. "We know you're suffering from fear, anxiety, and distrust of law enforcement," Arcos says, "but know that your LAPD is here to serve and protect you." The crowd greets this bit of what is normally pro forma boilerplate with cheers.
Several of the speakers are immigrant-rights attorneys, including the dean of the Los Angeles immigrant-rights bar, Peter Schey. "When people know their rights, they will not be deported," Schey begins. "If ICE is at your door, you have the right not to let them in unless they have a court order. You have the right to remain silent—99 of 100 deportations are due to statements made to agents at the time of arrest. They will not have any evidence against you if you remain silent. Silencio! Silencio! Does everybody understand that?"
"Yes!" the crowd responds.
Much of California's civil society has rallied to the immigrants' defense. The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, a body of 300 local unions, has formed a rapid-response team that will offer financial and other forms of assistance to families whose breadwinners are detained or deported. The federation's Miguel Contreras Foundation (named after the late labor leader who turned the city's labor-Latino alliance into L.A.'s most formidable political organization) has assembled a group of more than 100 private attorneys who will work pro bono or "low-bono" for undocumented immigrants in deportation proceedings. "The question before us," says Rusty Hicks, the federation's executive secretary-treasurer, "is how do we make this different from 1942, when Japanese Americans were carted away and no one lifted a finger."
The Service Employees International Union, which has 700,000 members in California alone, is organizing a massive pro-immigrant May Day rally—the second time it's undertaken this task. The Service Employees International Union, which has 700,000 members in California alone, is organizing a massive pro-immigrant May Day rally—the second time it's undertaken this task. In 2006, when immigration reform was before Congress, an estimated one million people, the vast majority Latino, filled Wilshire Boulevard for miles in support of legal status. Eleven years later, in much more dire circumstances, SEIU and its many allies are hoping for a similar turnout—this time bringing together not just Latinos and immigrants, but the Angelenos who turned out for the Women's March as well. That kind of turnout wouldn't alter federal policy, but it would at least display Californians' support for immigrant families.
Thousands of Californians are already working to do the one thing that would alter federal policy: Cow Republican members of Congress to heed the better angels of their nature (that is, oppose Trump's immigration crackdown, Ryan's gutting of health coverage, and the thousand other unnatural shocks the GOP is promoting), and defeat them come 2018. Of the seven California GOP House members whose districts Clinton carried last November, two come from Central Valley districts that are home to hundreds of thousands of Medicaid recipients. Four hail from Orange County, including Darrell Issa, who eked out the narrowest of victories last November, winning by a scant 1,600 votes. Fully aware of the approaching political storm, Issa has called for a special prosecutor to investigate Trump's Russian connections, and said he's not committed to voting for Ryan's bill.
On a late February evening, I travel to Fullerton in the heart of Orange County to attend one of the five town-hall-without-the-member-present meetings that Indivisible had called in the district of Ed Royce, a GOP congressman who has flown beneath the public's radar since he was first elected in 1992. Clinton carried Royce's district by 8.5 percentage points, and the 150 attendees, many of them never politically active before, hope that margin means Royce can be beat next year.
The side room of a Sizzler steakhouse is packed, even though the meeting was called just two days previous. It's largely a white middle-class gathering, with some longtime Democratic activists, League of Women Voters stalwarts, and staunch progressives making up perhaps half the attendees. They're not really representative of the district, which is one-third Latino, one-third white, and one-third Asian, including a large Vietnamese community that has long voted Republican, like most refugees from communist countries. Like Cuban Americans, however, the children of Vietnamese refugees have been voting more Democratic, and the grandchildren, overwhelmingly so.
The Indivisibles are eager to join up with groups that may be new to them and come from other parts of the progressive cosmos. Many sign up for a candlelight vigil the next night outside Royce's home, an event sponsored by the largely Latino SEIU Orange County janitors' local union. A number also register for precinct walks planned for the day following by Knock Every Door, a group staffed in California by veterans of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign.
Middle-class white liberals, a mobilized Latino community, left-moving Asian Americans, a powerful environmental community, a uniquely vibrant union movement, a tech sector willing to fund at least some anti-Trump campaigns, women coming forth as candidates, properly enraged millennials, and some deft political leaders—these are the pillars of the California resistance. Together, they form Trump's most potent opponent.


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Thursday, January 08, 2009
I Am OK With It
If Bill Ladson's latest source is correct, I am OK with it.
I really am.
And I don't care if someone inside Our Team is bluffing to hide something more definitive down the line, because I truly believe you don't give up on your very own.
You give them every single opportunity to succeed and win--for you.
Would Adam Dunn and Orlando Hudson be an integral part of the first truly excellent team for Our Washington Nationals?
Probably not.
Washington has a better chance of improving and receiving something better in return, if both Nick Johnson and Shawn Hill recover fully. If both NJ and Hill realize their potential--and remember Our Number 24 is in a contract year--they would be far more tradeable than they would ever be today. No question about it, there is nothing to lose by sticking by them.
By casting Johnson aside for Dunn--you give up the opportunity to make any significant trade if Nick breaks out.
The same for Hill.
Orlando Hudson costs you a 2nd round draft pick.
I understand the "BIG IF" part of this equation. I really do. But right now JimBo's not going to get anything significant if Johnson and Hill do resurrect their careers. Do you really just want to release them or swap them for a utility infielder down the line? That's what Washington would receive in return right now--a lower level prospect.
Odder things have happened, but I would bet there have been countless players on this same bubble throughout the history of baseball. And many times--when everybody else wrote those guys off--they recovered and became significant contributors to their teams.
The Quality Of The Individual Is Important to me. Both Nick Johnson and Shawn Hill CARE about their game and their profession. Those are the type of players I would back until they can't possibly go any longer. They are worth my patience. And it pleases me to read that Our Washington Nationals HAVE NOT given up on them.
I just wish they hadn't given up on Chad Cordero.
Because if Nick Johnson and Shawn Hill become the performers everyone has envisioned in 2009--Our Washington Nationals will win on both sides of the equation.
And if the report that Washington's not going to sign any free agents is true, they could still make a significant trade and shake things up for the better.
Patience is important.
So yeah--I AM OK WITH IT. I Really Am.
26 comments:
SBF - With all due respect, I think you are in the minority on this one. There are a lot of UPSET fans and STH's now that the reality of 2009 is before us. In 2005, yes, the 5 year plan was ok. But as we enter the 5th year of baseball back in DC, I fail to see the progress. I may be wrong, but this team is going in reverse.
SBF and Nats' Nation,
The Nats cannot, simply cannot, go into the 2009 season without any significant free agent signing. The team, as it stands now, is scarcely better than last year's disaster. They should have signed Smoltz to tutor their young pitchers. He's a true professional and a class act. If not Dunn and Hudson, then Abreu, left-handed, veteran, better than any other OF we have.
We are not a normal market. We went 33 seasons without the game, 2 seasons without real ownership, and three seasons without a true ballpark (though I treasure RFK, it had no attraction to the casual fan). We have major competition just up the road, competition that claimed and took much of the DC market and still retains more than its fair share in the region. We deserve better than a chancy rebuilding effort that dooms us to endure poor, losing teams for the next 3-5 years.
The team MUST act. If they stand pat, the average attendance at Nationals Park will be less than that of the Washington Capitals this year and fewer than 2 million in the second season of a brand new ballpark. That's simply not acceptable.
I am not OK with it! Not by a long shot! - 9:14 PM
I am OK with it if there is a plan for Nick Johnson. I just think he can't play 7 days a week.
Give NJ a rest against southpaws as he can platoon with Willingham or Wily Mo on those games. I think Willingham still is your starting LF, but I just think you can't play Nick every game.
I am surprised by Orlando Hudson not being in the price range as he would seem to be a "buy" at the $8 million level but as SBF speculated you can pull yourself out and see if the market gets more reasonable.
Dunn wants near Teixeira money which is laughable and I couldn't see paying anything more than $14 mill per year.
The only problem I see is the PR defeat to the fanbase that here is another year ownership didn't sign anyone "significant" in Free Agency. Strides made on Teixeira but in the end you would hope for progress on the key that Bowden set from the start which was a lefty power hitter! - 9:17 PM
- Screech's Best Friend said...
Just like the post subject, I am also OK with being in the minority. I don't believe in the team spending money just to make a move. I am not interested in that. I truly believe that a little creativeness and good judging of the marketplace and other teams woes can lead to good trades that can help this team. They might also find contract signings well below market value by waiting--something which in this economy can't be understated.
Thanks to financial woes, It's a different game out there right now unless you are top quality free agent. Everybody else is going to have to settle for less. Any player with holes in their game better understand that or they are going to be left out in the cold.
And I don't live and breath on every single move as being the end all of Our Washington Nationals. I am not the GM or Team President or Owner, but I would bet there is a lot more going on than anyone realizes. No one is trying to stand still. What they are hopefully doing is judging the marketplace--correctly--and not overpaying for someone damaging to the near and long term future of this team.
As I stated at the top, I am OK with being in the so-called minority too. - 10:35 PM
- An Briosca Mor said...
I am surprised by Orlando Hudson not being in the price range as he would seem to be a "buy" at the $8 million level but as SBF speculated you can pull yourself out and see if the market gets more reasonable.
Dunn wants near Teixeira money which is laughable and I couldn't see paying anything more than $14 mill per year.
I don't think it's the per year cost that's the issue with Dunn or Hudson. It's the number of years they're looking for that's the problem. A max of three years for each of them would probably be the longest the Nationals would want to go (two years would be even better), and the players are likely asking for four or five. Let's see what happens in the month or so left before ST starts. You don't see any other teams beating down the door to sign these guys, do you? - 11:51 PM
- Record digger said...
I agree 100% with Steve.
DC is not a small market! Quit acting like we are the KC Royals and spend some money..
It takes money to make money...We need to give fans a reason to go watch the games otherwise there won't be fans in the stands and no money with which to strengthen the team..
My take: ownership is running the team into the ground. - 12:01 AM
- Edward J. Cunningham said...
DC is not a small market!
Everything else besides the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and Dodgers [b]is[/b] a small market. Anytime a team other than these four win the World Series, there is no national interest. (Even when the White Sox won the World Series, people in Chicago still weren't interested.) The NFL can get fans across the nation interested in new teams wearing new uniforms. Baseball can't. The Toronto Blue Jays were the worst drawing road team in baseball when they were an expansion team AND when they were winning two consecutive World Series.
I sincerely believe that if you got a time machine and brought back the 1927 Yankees to play baseball today as the White Sox, Tigers, or Marlins, nobody nationwide would pay any attention. - 5:14 AM
- Edward J. Cunningham said...
What I am worried is this. I love Nick Johnson, but I have absolutely NO faith that he can last a full major league season. None. Aaron Boone played first base most of last year, and he is gone.
Never mind about Mark Texiera. We should have a veteran first baseman to back up Dmitri Young and Nick Johnson when one or both of those two get hurt.
Although the Nats have insisted that going after Texiera was a one-time deal and that the money offered to him would not necessarily be available to other free agents, that's not how many Nats fans see it. Many of them consider this off-season a failure unless the Nationals sign a big-name free agent...even proven team cancer Manny Ramirez.
I'm worried because winning through buying free agents is something only large market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox can do. Since there is no interest in non-name teams nationwide, even the Mets have to overpay free agents like Carlos Beltran to get them to consider them rather than the Bronx. D.C. is smaller than both N.Y. than Philly, and thanks to Peter Angelos, WTEM, and the Washington Post, there are probably more casual Orioles fans in the D.C. area than Nats fans. The Nats *have* to overpay to get top free agents to come here.
What also worries me is this. Even IF the Plan works and we build enough talent in our minor league system to create a contender, unless perception of this team drastically changes, how are we going to hold on to our talent? Nobody expects any of the stars of the Tampa Bay Rays to stay in St. Petersburg when their contracts run out. If the Nats ever win a pennant and World Series, will we really be the second coming of the Atlanta Braves or just the east coast version of the Oakland Athletics? - 5:38 AM
- mainiacmike said...
I agree with you 100%. NJ came back from a "freak" accident--a broken leg is extremely difficult to come back from. You can count on Nick to be in tip top shape. Signing Dunn or 'Done' (Reds fans weren't to friendly to him) low BA. You never know what you'll get. - 7:38 AM
Let's face it, the bigger name free agents aren't going to sign with the Nats unless we over match by 20% or more. They want to play with the premier teams. Further, most of these big name free agents bomb out and turn out to be huge long term financial burdens. Soriano hasn't done much with the Cubs, Zito has bombed out with the Giants, Pavano with the Yankees and on and on. Very few high priced free agents ever earn their eye watering salaries. I am glad Nick is back at first base and I hope he has a healty season. I say, sign Sean Casey as backup insurance. Casey would provide a nice left handed bat off the bench. Casey hit .322 in a reserve role with the Red Sox last season and has a .302 lifetime BA. Give Hernanzez the second base job and, if he fails, we have Belliard to back him up. Let's concentrate on upgrading the pitching and away we go.
One thing that really bothers me is the total lack of Nats coverage by the Washington Post. If you have read the sports section since Tex signed with the Yankees, it is like we don't have a major league team in DC. Is this happening because the Post doesn't care or is it happening because the Lerner regime is so secretive that the beat reporters can't come up with a newsworthy story? Take a look at the online version of the Baltimore Sun. Just about everyday there are articles on the O's. In fact, there was much more Hot Stove League coverage of the O's by the Post before the Nats came to town. Maybe the Post is just pinching pennies as the newspaper industry becomes a thing of the past.
- Oxhead said...
What Mr. Cunningham says about the Nats retaining talent is pretty scary...and probably pretty accurate. I wish--but hold no hope for--major league-wide changes to make the playing field even more fair.
- VCUAlum Kyle said...
Its been five years Back in D.C.
2.5 Years with a Real Owner.
That being said, I will be "OK" with this decision, I dont like it but I will be Ok. I have to agree with Dunn and Hudson comment in a previoius post, they are only worth 2-3 years MAX in a Nats Uniform. Giving either of them 5 years is riduclous, Dunn because of age is worth a 4 year contract at max.
My issue is we did not sign any pitching and we lost pitching in Odalis Perez, which I think was a bad move, he pitched well in 2008 if he had an offense.
After the 2009 season is over and what ever the record is the Nats post (and right now I see this being another 100 loss season) there will be much to judge.
If we have another 100 loss season it will be 3.5 years since the Lerners took over. If we loose 100, the nats would have had a better record under MLB ownership. Baseball landscape is like college football now, you give a coach 4 years for one recrutig class, if he fails then he is out.
If the Nats lose 100 games in 2009, then we need to get rid of everyone (Kasten, Bowden, Manny Acta, and some players) and change what we have been doin (the plan, No Free agent spending) because obvisouly its not working in 3.5 years (really four).
Again, I will be "ok" with this decision for 2009 but if we loose 100 expect less season tickets, less fan base, less everything if that happens. The Lerners will need to FIRE alot of people and change and also they will need to give tickets away if they want butts in Nats Park for 2010. - 10:51 AM
- SenatorNat said...
IF the Nats had an Ovechkin (like the Expos had an upcoming Vlady)coming up through the system, a bona fine five-star everyday player, then the prudent position they are adopting would be more than fine. But they do not. Thus, they are going to have to overspend if they care to actually fill out the line-up.
Counting on Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young for 2009 is beyond risky - in all probability, Josh Willingham and Ronnie Belliard are going to man the position, as
A. Boone did with Belliard last season. Line-up with Kearns in right, with his Flubber Swing, and the rest of the no-hit wonders could be very Senatorsish, actually...
I, personally, am O.K. with the Nationals being perceived and treated like second-class sports team by major media in D.C. - count on 1.75 million fans per year and a $55 million payroll - and enjoy a 71-91 team or so, year in and year out. I can live with it, since I agree with the other commenters that outside of the NY Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and LA Dodgers, there does seem to little public interest in MLB. (It is not politically correct to be a Nationals fan, anyway, apparently - has the connotation of something Sarah Palin would do...)
And D.C. has wasted a lot more than $625 million on lots and lots of expenditures that will never come close to break-even propostions. If Feds had built it, would have been $625 billion, and not built!! But it is built, so lose some $$$$ and cry about it, Meto Section - who cares?
Why pay some guy hitting .235 more then $2.35 million per year, really. Orlando Hudson may be worth $6 million per for two years, but no more, despite being a clutch hitter - what did Dunn and Hudson do for getting Arizona into the World Series in 2008? It's like being forced to draft out of a lousy group of college QB's since your team went 0-16 and you must build around another Peyton Manning. Better to just go with the single-wing and draft a defensive end...
I thing fans should reverse engines and demand that the Lerners and Stan not overspend and complain should the park be "overcrowded." This would relieve tension, all the way around.
Trust in the power of rationalization. Everything is small-ball...Except the Federal Deficit... - 11:25 AM
Does anyone here even think a player like Smoltz would ever have a serious thought about playing for the Nats? WOW!
End of career.
Extremely competitive person.
Hates loosing.
Doesn't need the money.
Wants a ring this year.
Not going to play here to tutor the young players. (Get an extra coach for that. Much cheaper)
I want the Nats to succeed just as much as any fan, but let's get real here folks. - 3:04 PM
- Edward J. Cunningham said...
One thing that really bothers me is the total lack of Nats coverage by the Washington Post. If you have read the sports section since Tex signed with the Yankees, it is like we don't have a major league team in DC. Is this happening because the Post doesn't care or is it happening because the Lerner regime is so secretive that the beat reporters can't come up with a newsworthy story?
Here's a clue. Can you name any other major newspaper in a city where either the MAJOR or ONLY MLB team was in the National League, where the standing are consistently printed with the American League on the top or bottom? The Post doesn't do this with the NFL, NBA, or NHL. I'd say that while a few writers DO care, overall the Post doesn't.
Oh, there is one more factor. The Washington Post is a LOT thinner than it used to be. There used to be much more pages printed in the sports section then there are now. With less space to cover sports, is it any wonder the Post is only giving limited coverage to out-of-season sports right now? - 5:24 PM
- Record digger said...
The reason there is little interest in the Nats is not because of the Washington Post folks its because they are a LOSER team in a very competitive town. The product on the field stinks which is turning away fans... no fans means no money ...
I don't know why people accept we are such a small market... The Nats ownership is turning the team into a small market team..Its a self fulfilling prophecy: act like you are a small market team that can't even get one decent free agent even though you had the worse record in the majors and guess what: you will be a small market team..Its now going to take MORE money to get players to sign here!
I don't have a problem with building from within but at some point you have to give the fans a reason to go to the game.. what we need is someone like Soriano was a few years ago and if you have to pay for that then you have to pay for that.. Also if a team was ever going to overspend a little the time to do it was yesterday in order to get the city and the fans behind it (with new stadium etc)..its not like DC is a town that does great with baseball (we've lost two teams already for pete's sake)...
There's a lot of competition for people's sports dollar in this town (O's, Wizards, Caps, Skins, United, Mystics, the new female soccer team, etc.) and if you don't provide a good product all you're going to draw are the baseball diehards... That doesn't bode well for the future...
One last question: what happens when Zim refuses to resign with us because he sees the way things are going, sees he lacks protection in the lineup etc??? - 6:26 PM
Chet Baker - The good news is Zim is under Nationals control through 2011. Let's hope they tie him up long-term before their arbitration hearing!!!
Bigger issue is after the '09 season the Nats don't have any 1st baseman as Nick and Dmitri both will most likely go to Free Agency, and next years crop of 1st baseman Free Agents is very thin with nobody younger than 30 years old. Here's the list: Russell Branyan,Frank Catalanotto, Tony Clark, Carlos Delgado, Ross Gload,
Nick Johnson, Adam LaRoche, Chad Tracy, and Dmitri Young.
The Nats need to prove that they are not the AL's version of the Kansas City Royals rather a faster paced version of the Tampa Bay Rays (11 years to reach Post-Season). - 7:34 PM
I personally believe that 2009 will be the last, best shot for both Shawn Hill & 'Slick' Johnson with the Nationals (or elsewhere, for that matter). If either of them show anything in Viera, they'll be with the team until June. If not, buh-bye.
With Hill, at least the team has a 'fall-back' position in Bergmann, Clippard, Detwiler, Atilano, et al. With Johnson, there isn't much of a safety net - Willingham, then Casto/WMP/Kearns/Syracuse callups? Yuck. - 8:14 PM
Chet I was ok with things until you dredged up the old canard about DC's fans "losing" two baseball teams.
The owners abandoned DC without ever really giving fans a chance to prove if they were deserving of a team or not. The years they had a decent team, the fans turned out in decent numbers (like 1969 -- Short undercounted customers by about 50-60K and they still almost outdrew the 109-win team up the road).
The Caps and 2005 Nats prove that DC will support a team it perceives as competitive (and a football team no matter what!). What it won't do is support a team that appears to not even try to win - that's why they need to sign a FA (or, at minimum, Chad Cordero and Frank Howard (for F.O, though he might be a good pinch-hitter, too!) - 8:33 PM
- An Briosca Mor said...
Trust in the power of rationalization. Everything is small-ball
So, SenatorNat, even you have given up on the giant iconic baseball in center field? - 8:44 PM
- Edward J. Cunningham said...
So, SenatorNat, even you have given up on the giant iconic baseball in center field?
The Mets heard about what we were planning to do to Mr. Met and he's under 24 hour protection. That's why there's no baseball in center field. - 4:30 AM
- paul said...
Can we please stop talking about Shawn Hill as a viable MLB pitcher? I wish him all the best, but I'd say he has about a .1% chance of having an impact on the team this year.
- Jeremy said...
I'm a long-time reader of this blog and a huge Nats fan. That said, I expect attendance at Nats Park to be about 1.5 million this summer, the team to be in the neighborhood of 110 losses, and many people to be questioning the viability of this team in the future. We're an irrelevant joke right now. And it pisses me off.
-Jeremy said the team to be in the neighborhood of 110 losses, and many people to be questioning the viability of this team in the future. We're an irrelevant joke right now. -
Jeremy, we all have our opinion, but my opinion is that there is no basis for 110 losses in fact the Nationals off-season so far has been rated above the Phillies, Braves, and Marlins so only the Mets have had a better off-season in the NL East.
Having all the key components returning (and healthy) will bode well for not losing as many games as last year plus the addition of Willingham and Olsen will be a plus. Not sure how Cabrera taking Redding's spot (in theory) will play out.
Also in the Nats favor is another year of experience for guys like Lannan and Balester.
With that said, I expect losses to be over 85 games unless the Nats can get a few key components.
What is disappointing is the Nats set the Off-season expectations with the need for a true lead-off man and the power lefty bat and they haven't achieved either. - 7:22 PM
I'm truly disappointed in the actions by our Nats management. They made a big deal per Mark Texeria, but that foiled and no other holes filled. Something tells me that they really had no off-season plan.
I'm struggling like others to the direction of this team other than down. At this rate we will finish in six place out of division of five teams. There could be another 100 loss season and then what...back to the drawing board.
Sooner or later...folks are going to pickup on the idea that Kasten, Bowden, and the Lerners just don't make good sound decisions. The club record and the low attendance to name a few - well it's enough said.
Sad... - 9:20 AM


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Description: When his twin brother falls ill in the family's chateau in the independent republic of Geneva in the eighteenth century, sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein embarks on a dangerous and uncertain quest to create the forbidden Elixir of Life described in an ancient text in the family's secret Biblioteka Obscura.
Review: This Dark Endeavor is a stylish gothic story, first in a planned series, which chronicles the adolescences of Victor Frankenstein. When Konrad Frankenstein, the beloved twin brother of headstrong, quick-tempered Victor, falls inexplicably and deathly ill, Victor is devastated and confronted by his own mortality. Without much hesitation he embarks on a dark quest to find a cure. Enlisting the help of his distant cousin and crush, Elizabeth, and his best friend, Henry Clerval, he seeks a disreputable alchemist named Polidori who sends them to retrieve the ingredients for a potion that will supposedly restore Konrad's health. The potion, of course, does come with a cost: it has a history of killing those who drink it. Despite the ambiguous nature of the remedy and warnings to look for the elixir by his father, Victor pushes forward and feverishly follows his course. He not only pulls himself but also Henry and Elizabeth into greater danger with each relentless step.
Readers familiar to Shelley's original story will have an advantage while reading this series. They will easily see where this series is going and will pick up on familiar personality traits of a megalomaniac in the making. While I never liked Victor as a character because I found him to be too arrogant and cold, I thought he was more approachable in this installment. Though his arrogance and desire to overcome the power of illness and death is still prevalent, we also see that his intentions to save his brother's life is noble. Victor is also plagued by jealousy and sibling rivalry, which also makes him more realistic to the modern reader, which isn't an easy task to do but Oppel does it well. My favorite character, Elizabeth, has a small role in this first book, but I hope she will play a major role in the next as she is a vital character to the story as she provides the voice of reason and caution.
Though the gothic ambiance is much of a character of itself and sets the mood to the story, the book is highly readable despite its 19th-century style. The author stays true to the original tale by adding his own unique touches to the story including taking a closer look into the dark side of his characters. As a result This Dark Endeavor is tale is melodramatic, exciting, disquieting, and intentionally over the top. It is a delicious mixture of science, history, and horror. Even though I know what the end outcome will be, I'm curious as to how Victor will get to the point of no return.
Curriculum Connection: Use along with the original novel.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: Mild PG language and some disturbing images. Recommended for Grades 6 and up particularly for those who enjoy historical fiction, horror, and adventure with a minor romance subplot.
If you like this book try: Such Wicked Intent (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein Book 2), Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Death Note manga series by Tsugumi Oba


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Hello pacific. #leigh365 Get link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Other Apps - June 18, 2017 via Instagram http://ift.tt/2rufVJu Get link Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Other Apps Comments
Eumorpha labruscae "Gaudy Sphinx" or scary ass giant moth on my patio. #moth #ecuador #leighec Thank you for the crowd source identification AC friends. - March 22, 2020 via Instagram https://ift.tt/2QCbZoE Read more
Black Sheep Inn and Lake Quilatoa - October 09, 2017 We had a 3 day weekend and it was my first chance to really get out of Quito and visit parts of Ecuador. I rented a car because of my friends I'm the only one who could drive a stick shift (thanks mom and dad!). Quick aside - I was so glad that I had had the opportunity to drive a couple of different types of stick shift cars. When I rented the car the company showed me how to/where to put gas, open the trunk, use the radio, etc. The one thing the didn't show me was how to put the car in reverse. I've driven cars where reverse is on the far right. I've driven cars where it was on the left, where you had to push a button to put the car in reverse. I got the car home to my parking garage and I realised I had no idea how to put the Chevy Aveo into reverse. I spent 20 min trying to get the care in reverse, slowly inching towards a wall. I finally remembered I had the power of Google on my phone. Thank you Google for showing me where the tiny ring was that I had to pull up on while putti Read more
Setting up our digital display. Apple TV and Status Board. #statusboard #leigh365 23/365 - January 23, 2017 via Instagram http://ift.tt/2jqbGL8 Read more


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Windjammer Capital Investors, a national private investment firm, has acquired Component Hardware, a supplier of hardware components and plumbing products for the foodservice industry and other specialized equipment markets.
Windjammer partnered with management to acquire the business from Liberty Partners. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Senior management will continue with the company.
"With the growth and customer expansion we have achieved over the past couple years, Windjammer is exactly the type of partner we were searching for to help take us to the next level," says Harry Franze, CEO of Company Hardware. "The resources that Windjammer provides, its access to capital markets, and its track record of working with management teams will definitely help us execute our plan for accelerated growth."
Component Hardware is headquartered in Lakewood, New Jersey, with additional facilities located in the Netherlands, Taiwan, and China. The company services original equipment manufacturers in diverse markets, including foodservice and other specification-driven industries, as well as foodservice equipment dealers and service agencies.
By offering industry-leading service levels, unparalleled engineering support, and a product line of more than 10,000 SKUs, Component Hardware has become a key strategic partner to its customers by driving design innovation and providing turnkey supply chain management solutions.
"Component Hardware provides significant value to its customers and we are excited to partner with management to support the company's growth initiatives, which include both domestic and international organic opportunities, as well as strategic acquisitions," says Greg Bondick, managing director at Windjammer, who led the transaction for the firm.


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I have noticed this very often. I have seen babies who are cheerful ever.
My brother in law's daughter has never (not literally though) been seen crying/fussy etc.
While as my brother's baby son is always fussy/crying.
In hospitals too I have noticed the pattern with the visitors. No, I am not talking about ill babies.
I would like to understand what causes such huge temperament differences among babies.
One thing more I have noticed is that the fussy babies are usually weak and the ever cheerful babies are mostly healthy.
Is this related to health?
Is this genetic?


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LANSING — The Michigan Senate approved legislation Wednesday to help finance a downtown Detroit project that would include a new home for the Detroit Red Wings.
Team owner Mike Ilitch this week announced plans for a $650 million multiuse development. He has said for years he'd like a new arena for the Red Wings, which now plays at the aging Joe Louis Arena.
The bill approved by the Senate would allow use of tax dollars collected by the city's Downtown Development Authority for the project. DDAs capture shares of local tax revenue to support development activities such as marketing and buying property.
Senate Democratic leader Gretchen Whitmer opposed the measure as a drain on funding for Detroit's public schools.
The city's DDA has been allowed for nearly two decades to pay down general obligation bonds with about $12.8 million a year that otherwise would have gone to education, she said. Now that those bonds are paid off, the bill would tap that same revenue stream for Ilitch's project instead of finally steering the money back to education.
"This is a direct subsidy by school kids to allow a billionaire to build a hockey arena," Whitmer said. "That's the Republican agenda we all know and love. ... It makes me sick. I hear my colleagues say, 'Oh, this is for Detroit and we're all in favor of Detroit now,' because one billionaire called you.' "
Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville said the Ilitch project would be an economic boon for Detroit and Michigan, pumping more than $1.9 million into the economy and creating about 8,300 construction jobs.
The bill was approved on a 27-11 vote and returned to the House. To take effect, it must be enacted before the 2011-12 session ends this month.


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Jan. 22, 2018
In this presentation I review the paper "Toward Implementation of Green Infrastructure in Japan Through the Examination of the City of Portland's Green Infrastructure Projects" by Takanori Fukuoka and Sadahisa Kato. I add to the authors' three recommendations with three recommendations of my own based upon my knowledge of Portland's green infrastructure. The paper was originally published in the Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture.
Dr. Vivek Shandas and I received an email from Sadahisa Kato that read: "Tak and I are in the center of the Japanese GI movement. We've been trying hard to connect academics, industry people (developers), and policy makers. We are seeing more and more public symposiums on GI. We've also published the first comprehensive GI book, filled with case studies– together with 40 authors.
Fukuoka and Kato first set the historical context by examining some of the federal and local events that led Portland to undertake such a wide-ranging green infrastructure program. The history included the federal Clean Water Act of 1972, the development of US Environmental Protection Agency's Low Impact Development program in the 90's, and EPA's Innovative Wet Weather Grants in 2005. At the local level, the history included the Combined Sewer Overflow lawsuit in 1991, the creation of Bureau of Environmental Services Sustainable Stormwater Division in 2002, Water Quality Friendly Streets in 2003, the Watershed Management Plan in 2006 and the Grey to Green Initiative in 2008. They do not list the National Invasive Species Act of 1973 nor the listing of various species of salmon in 1998 that were further impetus for Portland's program.
Their Case Study Research is based upon Interviews, Discussion, Site Visits, and Categorization. Their categorization is based upon project types, project information, managed stormwater areas, implemented stormwater tools and environmental benefits from the projects.
The ten sites Fukuoka and Kato categorized based upon the previously mentioned criteria are viewable in the above list. This is a good mix of relatively old and new facilities of various types.
The green street benefits the authors chose to emphasize are viewable above.
This is one of three photos included in the paper: a flow-through planter at the west edge of the PSU campus. The plant in the foreground (lower left corner) is Nandina (aka Heavenly bamboo). When I first returned to Portland in 2007, the City had been planting it in nearly all GS facilities. I asked them over and over again to STOP this practice as the plant is invasive from Washington, DC to Florida—and possibly soon here. I haven't seen any recent GS plantings of Nandina by the City, so someone may have listened.
This rain garden green street facility is set back from the street in a location that had empty space because of the street configuration. Rain gardens often add a park-like quality to these leftover spaces—in addition to filtering stormwater.
This photo shows one of Portland's earliest green roofs—located on the Multnomah County Headquarters Building. Plant selection criteria included adaptability to roof conditions, ecological function, local availability, drought tolerance, seasonal interest, aesthetics, and maintenance requirements. I hope that habitat for native species and biological diversity are part of ecological function. Ekorufu is the Japanese spelling for Ecoroof—a word popularized by the City of Portland.
Fukuoka and Kato Recommendation One for Japan: For each planning, design, construction and management phase: 1. Use multi-departmental teams AND 2. Stress flexibility and cooperation.
Fukuoka and Kato Recommendation Two: Plan and design for: A stormwater management manual defining criteria for sustainable stormwater management for new development and redevelopment, public and private AND A series of stormwater management manuals with a wealth of illustrations and examples from Portland, with a focus on: Architecture; Construction outside of the site; and References in urban scale
I was somewhat relieved that illustrations and examples from Portland did not include PLANTS although I would have liked to see more discussion of plants in the paper
Fukuoka and Kato Recommendation Three: Actively promote: Grants for pilot projects with a focus on public facilities AND An aggressive subsidies menu which also targets private business.
I first summarize my recommendations to Japan
- Focus on mimicking nature, not slick design
- Consider focus on NATIVE PLANTS to create biodiversity
- Consider using fungi to capture toxins
My Recommendation #1: To focus on mimicking nature—not slick design, stress the need for designers—both municipality-employed and consultant—to have training in: ecological restoration; native plant horticulture and perhaps even a bonus for mycoremediation –using fungi to take up toxins…
Before today when most facilities are done in-house, Portland geared its Requests for Proposals to landscape architecture and civil engineering firms rather than ecological restoration firms when it sought consultants. The private sector still does. The City's in-house staff does not necessarily have such training either.
My Recommendation #2: Consider More Focus on Native Plants to Create Biodiversity
While the authors mention the creation of biodiversity as a function of Green Streets, they don't address plant species—a vital part of creating biodiversity. In another paper, Sada says "These scattered green spaces, "bits of nature," even if they are not connected, can increase the overall habitat quality of the urban matrix."
YES! Green Streets CAN increase the overall habitat quality of the urban matrix, but only if they are designed to do so by professionals who know ecological restoration. I've been fighting for years to get Portland to use only NATIVE plant species. Native plants are the base of the food chain because the larvae of many native insects need native plants to develop. Insects are in turn the base of the food chain for birds and other native wildlife. This slide of a Green Street on East Burnside does show largely native plants.
Yellow flag iris was first planted in the stormwater planters on the opposite side of the plaza from what's shown here at South Waterfront—a private passageway, but subsidized and approved by the City of Portland. After much effort on my part over a couple of years, they were finally removed, but not before much damage was done. I recently discovered that they have volunteered in this planter across the way, so it's still there. The sunny area in the background of the first slide is the Willamette River. With the river so close by, you can see why Iris pseudacorus has now shown up at the mouth of tributary streams like Tryon and Stevens Creeks and tributary rivers like the Clackamas and Tualatin Rivers. There it degrades fish habitat and bird nesting and rearing sites.
Portland now has Iris pseudacorus on its invasive list, BUT it lists Iris ensata as an alternative—a plant ranked as an invasive by USDA so it is NOT an appropriate alternative, even if not yet invasive in Oregon. Multiple species of Cotoneaster are listed as invasive by the California Invasive Plant Council. It seems irresponsible to approve the planting of ANY species of Cotoneaster (the plant in the foreground of the photo on the right) on a major flyway like the Willamette River.
My Recommendation 3: Consider Using Fungi to Take Up Toxins and Improve Soil
Portland Green Streets currently need their top layer of soil removed and replaced periodically to stay permeable and also so that toxins they accumulate will not kill plants. Japan might consider some pilot projects in mycoremediation—as some mushroom and fungal species can both transform the toxins captured while keeping tilth in the soil. The photo shows fungal mycelia decomposing twine made of wood fibers. Those same mycelia can do a great job of decomposing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other toxins from motor vehicles as well—even heavy metals. I have written about mycoremediation research—including Washington County, Oregon's Clean Water Services on my blog: PlanGreen.net/blog. Look for mycoremediation blogs from May 2015 to Aug 2015.
Portland has much that is great in its green infrastructure efforts. But many of its 1900+ Green Streets could do much better at increasing habitat and biodiversity through the use of native plants–and perhaps mycoremediation. It is my hope that Japan will show us how by putting biodiversity front and center in its GI program as both preserving biodiversity and installing/protecting green infrastructure are crucial to addressing climate change—and keeping snow on these two iconic peaks. I also hope that those students in Portland viewing this video will someday take over the bureaucracy and work to change the issues this presentation points out.


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Chinese artists Ren Hang creates provocative staged photography that focuses on exposing highly fetishistic, mind bending scenes. Hang's attention to detail and great sense of composition deem the photographs as visually stunning even if it subjects are a bit raunchy and bizarre at times.
Ren Hang's work is not all about just about naked men and women in weird poses, however. It powerfulness as a political tool is probably the most redeeming quality of his work. Hang's homeland of (China) is highly conservative and its conventional codes in art and communication will not, and will probably never accept Hang's work. You are probably thinking that his story is very similar to that of dissident Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei. Consequently, Hang's rejected work was found to be a reinvigorating addition to the newly flourishing group of young Chinese artists, and because of that, Hang was invited by artist Ai Weiwei to collaborate with him. Hang was part of one of Shanghai's most pivotal group show to date, 'Fuck Off' (2000), which showcased the new wave of 21st century Chinese artists. Ren Hang was also included in 'Fuck Off: 2′, which took place in the Netherlands back in 2008; the show has been traveling around the world since its debut.
,Although Ren Hang's work has been banned in many parts of China, he is still part of some Chinese galleries. He has also been exhibited widely in Russia, Italy, France, Sweden, United Kingdom, and Austria. (via Juxtapoz)
Rebellious Chinese Artist, Ren Hang Creates Raunchy Photographs With Attention To Detail appeared first onBeautiful/Decay Artist & Design.


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SRD:Monk's Belt
From D&D Wiki
This material is published under the OGL 1.0a. |
Belt, Monk's: This simple rope belt, when wrapped around a character's waist, confers great ability in unarmed combat. The wearer's AC and unarmed damage is treated as a monk of five levels higher. If donned by a character with the Stunning Fist feat, the belt lets her make one additional stunning attack per day. If the character is not a monk, she gains the AC and unarmed damage of a 5th-level monk. This AC bonus functions just like the monk's AC bonus.
Moderate transmutation; CL 10th; Craft Wondrous Item, righteous might or transformation; Price 13,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Open Game Content → System Reference Document → Magic Items


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Replacing the Engine Speed Sensor
Prior Experience: None Necessary
Cost: approx. $87.00
Time: aprrox. 25 minutes
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I was having problems starting my car for quite some time. It would crank and crank, but never start. I tried just about everything in the book - spark plugs, injectors, fuel filter, etc. Finally, after one hard start the vehicle turned on and my EPC light was lit. I scanned for codes and got the messaged displayed above. I searched around the message boards and found that it was due to a bad engine speed sensor. For some models this sensor is located on the transmission, but since I had just done the Southbend OFE SS Clutch Install I knew that mine was not located on the trans. I found that the part number I needed (dealer only) was 078-906-433-A. As usual, the hardest part about these sensor installs is just finding the sensor. I figured I would save you the trouble and show you how it's done here. |
SUPPLIES - The only thing you need is a hex head bit and the speed sensor |
In order to access the engine speed sensor you need to remove the coolant reservoir. This has been shown previously in the Oil Change writeup. You simply remove the one screw shown to the left, and pull up on the reservoir. Lift it out of the way to the right so you can access the speed sensor connector. |
After the cooolant reservoir is out of the way, you can disconnect the speed sensor at the third connection circled to the left. You will want to follow this wire around to see how it is run. You will find that it takes a crazy path to the sensor which is actually located next to the oil filter. There will be multiple zip ties that you will have to cut along the way. |
After the coolant tank is out of the way, you have to get under the car and remove the plastic covers at the bottom. I am sure you have probably done this before. |
With the belly pan removed, you will have to look back at the oil filter (from just in front of the driver's side wheel) and you will see the sensor. It is held on by a single 5mm hex head bolt. I got to it with a single extension and a single swivel on my 3/8' wratchet |
After removing the single bolt, you can simply pull back on the sensor (with a little force) to remove it from the engine. There is a small O-ring which makes it a snug fit. |
Here's a pic of the removed sensor: |
Installation is the same in reverse. At the end, open your VAG-Com and clear the code. Hopefully it will never come back.....good luck |


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Natural Gas is colorless and odorless. A distinctive odor resembling rotten eggs is added so that you can smell the gas immediately should a leak occur. If you think you smell gas, please call FING immediately at 864-862-0042, the visit is free of charge.
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New-service applicants or previous customers who are applying for service again must pay a $50 non-refundable service application fee. Based on a satisfactory credit score from ONLINE UTILITY EXCHANGE, new-service applicants or previous customers who pose no credit risk will not be charged a deposit. If an existing Fountain Inn Natural Gas customer is moving into another location and requests gas service there, no deposit will be required with excellent credit status.
If your account number starts with an ODD number you are Cycle 1 and your bill is due the last day of each month. If your account number starts with an EVEN number you are Cycle 2 and your bill is due the 15th of each month.
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You need to call SC811, at least 3 full business days prior to any excavation. The number is 811. This service is provided free and required by law.
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Please call our main number at 864-862-0042. We will inform you of availability of natural gas in your area.


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I was in Tijuana, Mexico late last year visiting Easton EMX, Easton's wheel development facility, to see how the wheels were developed in Mexico for production in Asia. As a small collection of media was queued in a room for the tour, a wheel leaning against box in the corner caught my eye. It looked...different.
I cruised over, lifted it high over my head and asked in an innocent tone, "what's this?" Heads swiveled. Clearly, I had some "project" in hand. An alarmed Easton employee rushed over, relieved me of the wheel and hurried it out of sight. "This was not to be seen by you guys."
But I could not unsee it; I knew Easton was headed toward the industry trend of wider rims for increased aerodynamics. But I didn't know the backstory on its shape.
Months later, while all new-tech eyes were looking at the Tour de France, it was Ironman Austria where the EC90 Aero 55 was spied as the front wheel (along with a disc) that carried Andreas Raelert to a win and sub-eight-hour performance.
More: How to Choose the Best Bike Wheels
Easton has now unveiled that wheel: The new EC90 Aero 55. It's a 55mm deep wheelset with its own new wider shape, its own aero storyline and a marked hubset improvement. The combination results in what Easton claims makes for the new category (50-60mm rim depth wheels) leader.
Raelert's result on the covert wheel is one thing, but given this wheel's all-around performance story, it's going to be better suited to the rest of us age groupers, at slower speeds, on different courses, at different wind angles. In short, the Aero 55 is cycling's version of the utility player: damn good at doing it all.
The Aero 55 has been several years in the making. While it's easy to lump Easton's Aero 55 in with the rest of the wide rim lot, the Easton rim's cross-section shape is very much its own.
The eight-year development, which took place both within CFD programs and in 10 separate testing sessions at the San Diego Low Speed Wind Tunnel, came with an assist from noted aerodynamicist Len Brownlie.
The Aero 55 with a 16-spoke radial front, 20-spoke rear configuration, will be available in two versions: a standard tubular and a fully certified Tubeless-ready carbon clincher; it has a fully-sealed interior (i.e., no spoke holes) without the need for carbon rim bands. Just install the valve core, tire and a bit of sealant and you have a bombproof wheel.
More: Do You Need a Tri Bike?
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Crop Protection Industry Sales Remain Strong in 2013, According to Kline
PARSIPPANY, NJ – May 27, 2014 - Affected by prolonged rainfall, weed resistance issues, and higher manufacturing costs the U.S. crop protection industry remained strong in 2013, posting an 8.2% increase over the previous year. Net manufacturers' sales within the crop protection industry total $9.2 billion, according to the recently published Crop Protection Manufacturers Report: A Strategic Market Analysis of the U.S. Crop Protection Industry by worldwide consulting and research firm Kline & Company.
In anticipation of a healthy planting season, corn growers purchased high inventories of herbicides but excessive spring wetness in the Corn Belt and throughout the country caused almost 2 million acres to remain fallow and deferred spring planting, forcing some corn growers to switch to short maturity soybean varieties. The wet conditions reduced insect pressure, causing the insecticide segment to decline at a double-digit percentage while promoting disease pressure and modestly increasing fungicide sales. However, many growers halted or did not start fungicide applications as the wet weather was soon replaced by the summer time droughts. The plant growth regulators segment declines slightly as it heavily targets the cotton markets where acres planted decrease almost 16% in 2013.
"The wet weather conditions were ideal for growers to utilize the value of seed treatments. The feedback from growers planting treated seed was that they saw very good control when faced with additional pressure from disease and insects," comments Joseph Prochaska, Project Manager at Kline's Agriculture and Specialty Pesticides Practice. "Both Bayer and Syngenta saw excellent market share gains as their recent product introductions performed very well during the year."
"With high commodity grain prices still warranting maximum crop production, major crop acres planted during the year declined just 1.2% from the previous year. Despite the decline in planted acres, growth within the crop protection market came in part from factors outside of planted acres," adds Prochaska. The major growth drivers included weed resistance issues, increased prices due to higher manufacturing costs and major research-based manufacturer leverage of integrated strategies within its seed business. As a result of weed resistance issues and higher manufacturing costs, the industry witnesses glyphosate prices climb from an average of $9.50 per gallon in 2012 to $11.50 per gallon in 2013.
While the growing biological market within crop protection remains a hot topic of discussion, it has been pushed aside by the weed resistance problems that continued to persist in 2013. Consequently, herbicide use rate applications grew 10-20% to combat resistant weeds. According to the report, growers are formulating their own mixtures and looking for new and innovative solutions from manufacturers to target resistant weeds. As a result, manufacturers are developing new formulations with multiple modes of action and products that combine with new herbicide-resistant traits that aim to combat this persistent problem. Strategic alliances and partnerships are being formed for development of these new formulations that can best solve the resistance issue.
Kline's Crop Protection Manufacturers Report covers the 2013 marketing year for the U.S. crop protection industry. The study provides an extensive review of the sales and trends affecting the crop protection chemical industry along with extensive profiles, including individual product sales, of the leading 20 companies which supply over 97% of the total industry sales.
About Kline & Company
Kline is a worldwide consulting and research firm dedicated to providing the kind of insight and knowledge that helps companies find a clear path to success. The firm has served the management consulting and market research needs of organizations in the chemicals, materials, energy, life sciences, and consumer products industries for over 50 years. For more information, visit www.KlineGroup.com.


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Executive who oversaw Zune development plans to leave Microsoft.
The software maker said the departure of Bryan Lee, a corporate vice president in Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, was for personal reasons and "absolutely not" related to sales of the music player, which came out in mid-November to soft reviews.
Zune still lags far behind Apple Inc.'s iPod in the United States. Microsoft's device captured about 10 percent of the U.S. market for hard-drive-based MP3 players in December, while 85 percent of the market went to iPod, according to research firm NPD Group.
Microsoft has said it expects to sell 1 million units in fiscal year that ends June 30.
Lee, 43, led business development and marketing efforts for the Zune, while J Allard, another corporate vice president, oversaw design and development. Allard will assume Lee's Zune-related duties, after a transition period of several weeks, Microsoft said.
Lee was hired in 2000 to work on business development for the Xbox video game console and served as the first chief financial officer for the Entertainment and Devices division.
Lee "felt there was never a great time" to leave Microsoft, but that "after reaching this milestone, he's going to leave the company and pursue other things at this time," said Molly O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for the division.
Lee also oversaw Microsoft's eHome group, which handles Windows Media Center Edition and the company's television efforts. Those teams will now report to Robbie Bach, Entertainment and Devices Division president.
Van Baker, an industry analyst with Gartner Inc., saw Microsoft's announcement Wednesday as "clearly a sign of trouble in Zune-land. It had an acceptable launch week, but then it immediately slowed down."
But NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker said Thursday he didn't believe Microsoft watchers should read too much into the move, because Bach and Allard remain in place.
Lee had a role in Microsoft's unusual agreement to share a reported $1 of the $250 purchase price of each Zune device with Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, a move intended to help Microsoft to build relations with major recording labels.
Even so, content owners have been loath to cooperate with Microsoft by easing the digital restrictions on music tracks, said Rob Helm, research director at Directions on Microsoft in Kirkland.
"It's a hard job," Helm said. "It's not something any other company has managed to do, either."
Microsoft has acknowledged that some songs are unavailable for sharing through wireless song-swapping, a key feature by which the company has tried to distinguish the Zune from the iPod. Microsoft has said that's because the technology is in an early stage rather than because recording labels have blocked certain tracks from sharing.
If you're willing to do some legwork to set it up, a device similar to a Surface Hub can be yours at a fraction of the cost.
Tech giants are coming together to combat misinformation that may arise during this year's election season.
To analyze VMware's place is in the IT space, it's important to take a look back of where the company has been.
Google this week suggested that organizations can use its ChromeOS Flex operating system to stave off trashing their old hardware.
We're going to build off my previous series to show how to further the communication channel between Excel and PowerShell.
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Our team has run in to a problem working with wordpress 3 multiblog. We usually work with a local copy of the site (localhost/testsite) but with the same database to keep all changes up to date.
This works fine in a single install because you can override the database configs from php with:
define( 'WP_CONTENT_URL', $path.'/wp-content');
But this doesn't work on the multisite because of the extra tables (wp_blogs
, wp_site
) and they have the path to the blog in their settings.
Does anyone know how to override these settings? I would like the site to run on domain localhost for our developers, developerdomain.com for our test servers and then realdomain.com when the site goes live.
It feels kind of overkill if we have to setup different databases for each of them and change the domain and path manually and then copy the post, blog and userdata between the databases to do debugging and continue the development..


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Instructor Drop
Op3.04-34 Instructor Drop
If a student does not attend by the second class meeting of a semester or summer session, and has not informed the departmental office of the intent to remain in the course, the instructor may institute proceedings to drop the student from the class. This should only be done when the space is needed for another student. A faculty member may not institute drop proceedings after the third week of class. A student cannot drop a class merely by not attending. The student who is dropped by the instructor will be notified of such action by the Office of the Registrar.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Review: The ultimate Chromebook challenge
Google laptops from Acer and Samsung go head to head
Cloud computing
On the subject of folders, a more advanced file browser still wouldn't go amiss. What you get from Chrome is functional but nothing more and doesn't even tell you how much free local storage space you have left. In line with Chrome's emphasis on the cloud, the file browser presents local and remote storage side-by-side in the same style.
To make remote storage more attractive both machines come with the offer of 100GB of Google Drive space free for two years to add to the 5GB every Google account holder gets. After those two years are up, maintaining your 100GB will cost you $4.99 (£3.16) a month at current rates.
I've heard it said that a Chromebook with a conventional HDD is an exercise in pointlessness. I beg to differ. Running a cloud-oriented OS in no way detracts from the appeal of having enough local storage space to squirrel away a shed-load of video files.
As someone whose cloudy escapades occur largely on Google's servers I get along with Chrome's back-end - Google Drive, Picasa, Gmail, et al - just fine and really appreciate the one-shot Chromebook sign-in to all my Googly content. But if you have no truck with the Big G's services, the attraction diminishes massively.
Make no mistake, breaking away from Google is a hard and ultimately pointless task with a Chromebook. Fancy a video chat? If you are using Google+ Hangout you're in luck, it works brilliantly. But Skype is out of the question. You can use a browser-based IM client like IMO, but you can't video chat with that, nor can you with Facebook which of course uses Skype.
The Acer comes apart easily
Almost by definition a Chromebook only makes sense if it is permanently connected to the internet, but neither of these machines has the facility for 3G connectivity. In the US, $330 (£209 before taxes) gets you a 3G version of the Samsung but that option is not available in the UK yet.
That said, when it comes to cellular laptop connectivity I pray at the altar of Three's MiFi, or use my phone as a hotspot. So the lack of a Sim slot in a Chromebook isn't a killer. Since neither machine has the Chrome OS ModemManager packages installed there was no way - that I could find, at least - to get a traditional 3G USB dongle to work.
If you are cut off from the network, Chrome does now offer more in the way of offline support so you can at least use Gmail, Slides and Docs, and then sync your changes when you next connect. Usefully apps in the Chrome web store that work offline are marked with a grey lightning bolt.
The Samsung's ports are all round the back
To print anything, you'll need to get to grips with Google's Cloud Print service, which while easy to use is still more aggro than simply plugging in a USB cable. Other USB peripherals like storage dongles, keyboards and mice work a treat, though. Sadly the ability to connect MTP devices like Android or Windows Phone 8 smartphones is still a work in progress.
Since Chrome relies on web rather than native apps I ran FutureMark's Peacekeeper, which rates HTML 5 performance, and SunSpider, which measures JavaScript speed, to get some benchmark numbers.
Numbers aside, there is actually little difference between the two machines when you are messing about in a browser. Pages load quickly and scroll smoothly even with multiple tabs open. If you fancy a little light gaming then the likes of Angry Birds and Bastion, both available in the web store, run perfectly.
Futuremark Peacekeeper results
Longer bars are better
Sunspider results
Shorter bars are better
Both machines also coped well with locally stored 1080p H.264 video and 1080p YouTube streams. Codec support by the stock video player is, however, dismal: MKV and WMV files won't play at all, and AVI support is patchy at best. On a side note, at the moment the Samsung won't play Netflix streams, something the Intel-driven Acer does with aplomb.


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Cigar Review by Matt Zaccheo (guest)
Cigar Photography by Jay L (cigarphoto.net)
Jay's Notes:
This week we are photographing and reviewing the Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Petit Lancero prerelease. Antonio of Reinado will be making a follow-up splash at this year's IPCPR'13 by introducing additional vitolas to his popular Grand Empite Reserve line – Petit Lancero Limited Edition (6 x 38), Corona Gorda (5 5/8 x 46), and Toro (6 x 52). In addition, "couple months" after the IPCPR, Antonio will be releasing the Gordo size (6 x 60). When asked why Gordo is not coming out at the same time as the other 3 new vitolas, Antonio responded – "Blend needs work for the size. We want to be able to translate the essence of the GER notes as close as possible and don't feel it is there yet." So, there you have it. Four additional vitolas to the popular Elegidos (5 x 55) original release.
If you have enjoyed the flavor & performance of the Elegidos but prefer the lancero format, the Petit Lancero might be just what you have been waiting for. Keep in mind though, the Petit Lancero will be a limited edition – 10 count boxes (250 boxes total).
Country of Origin: Nicaragua
Wrapper: Nicaraguan Habano Maduro
Binder: Nicaragua
Filler: Nicaragua
Length: 6"
Ring: 38
Matt's Review:
Cut: Palio
Drink: Unsweetened Lipton Cold Brew iced tea
Palate: Fresh
# cigars smoked for review: One…..it was all I could get my hands on!
Pre-light: The cigar presents itself with an oily and attractive mocha brown maduro wrapper. It's not as oily as the Elegidos, but it still exudes that sexy, velvety tactile experience. The palpable veins and ultra fine tooth create subtle color variations and accentuate deeper dark chocolate and reddish hews. Perfect symmetry: tight, crisp seems and evenly packed throughout. Off the foot, the pre-light aroma is gripping: huge plum, raisin and sweet tobacco. Way too sexy for the barnyard! The cold draw gives up more sweet tobacco and jammy notes balanced by earth and hints of leather.
Draw: Classic lancero: a little snug, but not uncomfortable.
Flavors: The lead in is an initial warm blast of red pepper spice(tip of the tongue) that commands your attention and gradually fades out into a wave of sweet cedar, dark chocolate, and moist earth, while soft wisps of leather try to emerge from the depths below. It's a much more lively and spirited red pepper spice up front and on the retro hale when compared to the Elegidos. It may be petite, but it sure as hell is bold as brass coming out of the gates! Saucy……I like it!
The smoke starts off bright and sharp on the palate. There are delicate floral and herbal notes that unfold to soften the cedar edge. The core is earth and dark chocolate. The finish is long…….coffee, roast nuts, and soft leather. Getting into the second third, around the second ash drop, it is clear that act I has closed………but the show must go on.
A very interesting transition / transformation occurs: the smoke becomes much more dense and lush, yielding a bigger mouth feel on the palate. The crisp floral and herbal notes are put to rest and the overall texture gets much creamier. A distinct sweetness, not present at all in the 1st third, starts to reveal itself. It's not the blackstrap molasses I get from the Elegidos. It is a lighter / less aggressive and more delicate sweetness … it's honey! This in and of itself is worth the price of admission … but it's not even close to the best part.
Simultaneously, as the mouth feel is becoming much more substantial and creamier, the warming sensation of the red pepper on the tip of my tongue changes dramatically! The honeyed sweetness builds and a particular floral note becomes readily apparent … it's mint! On the tip of my tongue, throughout the second third of the cigar, a wonderful cool minty, fresh grated nutmeg spice led into a long, smooth finish of earth, coco, coffee, leather, and more roast nuts. The leather is more assertive throughout the remainder of the cigar and the mild cedar evolves into more of a toasted oak. The honey and mint mesh well and subtle graham cracker notes fleet in and out…… it's truly a happily ever after moment going on here.
The strength and body build throughout the cigar. For me, it was a solid medium that developed into full throttle…..hitting the final third! The flavors are BIG and diverge and contrast at points, but are never conflicting or opposed. She will tangle you in an elaborate complex web. Damn….MORE please!!!
Burn: Required one touch up. Tight potash grey salt and pepper ash.
Construction: Excellent
Description Adjectives: Rollercoaster. Big things come in small packages. Petite….my ass!
Box Worthy: Oh HELL yes!
Overall: Another clear winner from Reinado. I love the GER blend and this vitola showcases it's different characteristics and attributes extraordinarily well. When I was growing up my parents taught me if you were going to do something….do it right. This is a job well done…done right….. and not to be missed.
Please consider the following posts:
* http://cigarphoto.net/blog/2012/11/reinado-grand-empire-reserve/
* http://cigarphoto.net/blog/2011/02/reinado/
* DISCLAIMER: Reinado Grand Empire Reserve Petit Lancero sample was gifted by Antonio of REINADO. Antonio's generosity had no impact on the actual experience. The cigar spoke for itself.
- click on photographs (slideshow)-