text:
Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata Class: AvesOrder: CharadriiformesFamily: LaridaeGenus/Species: Rynchops nigerCommon Name: Black skimmer
Federal Status: Not ListedFL Status: State ThreatenedFNAI Ranks: G5/S3 (Globally: Demonstrably Secure/State: Rare) IUCN Status: LC (Least Concern)
The black skimmer is a seabird with defining physical characteristics that make it easily distinguishable from others. The key physical feature of the skimmer is its large red and black bill. The bill begins to widen at the top and gradually becomes smaller as it forms a sharp tip at the end of the bill. The lower part of the bill is longer than the top, which is important because they use their bill to skim along the top of the water to catch fish, for which they are aptly named. Skimmers can reach a height of 19.7 inches (50 centimeters) with a wingspan of 3 to 3.5 feet (.9-1.1 meters) (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011, E. Sachs pers. comm. 2011). Skimmers have a black back, black wings with white edging, and a white belly and head.
The diet of the black skimmer primarily consists of fish. The skimmer has a unique style of feeding that involves literally "skimming" the surface of the water with their lower bill. When they contact a prey item, they quickly bend their head forward and snap the upper bill closed, seizing their prey.
Breeding occurs during the summer, generally between May and early September (Katja Schulz, n.d.). Skimmers nest on the sand along beaches, sandbars, and islands developed by dredged-up material. Nesting occurs in colonies consisting of one to several hundred pairs of skimmers. Skimmers are protective of their nests and offspring and will utilize group mobbing to protect the nests. Skimmers usually lay three to five eggs per nest and eggs are incubated by both parents for approximately 23-25 days (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011). Each parent incubates the eggs for up to four hours at a time (Gochfield and Burger, 1994). Once hatched, parents guard the offspring until they are able to fly at about 28-30 days old (Katja Schulz, n.d.).
The black skimmer inhabits coastal areas in Florida such as estuaries, beaches, and sandbars. Skimmers can be found from the coasts of the northeastern U.S., down to Mexico, and over to the Gulf Coast of Florida. Breeding range is from Southern California, down to Ecuador.
The black skimmer faces many threats as the human population increases and spreads to previously undeveloped coasts. Habitat loss due to coastal development is the main threat to the species. People are relocating to the coasts at unprecedented levels causing increased development and traffic on the beaches, as well as increased predators; all of which are detrimental to skimmer habitat. Predators will feed on skimmer eggs and chicks and include species such as raccoons, crows, opossums, feral hogs, and coyotes. Because skimmers nest on the beach and are colonial they are extremely vulnerable to disturbance by people, pets, and predators. Other threats include recreational activity, beach driving, shoreline hardening, mechanical raking, oil spills, and increased presence of domestic animals, all of which may prevent or disrupt nesting or result in the death or abandonment of eggs and young. Global climate change is an impending threat to the black skimmer. Sea level rise may cause destruction to primary nesting areas, resulting in a decreased population size.
The black skimmer is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is also protected as a State Threatened by Florida's Endangered and Threatened Species Rule .
Because of their high degree of sensitivity to disturbance and the intensity of recreational use of Florida's beaches, most colonies in Florida would fail without management. All documented colonies of black skimmers in Florida are managed to some degree, usually involving the posting of informational signs and symbolic fencing. Much of this effort is undertaken by volunteers or local land managers.
Biological Status Review (BSR) Supplemental Information for the BSR
Species Action Plan
Encyclopedia of Life Florida Natural Areas Inventory FWC Species ProfileInternational Union for Conservation of Nature The Cornell Lab of Ornithology U.S. Geological Survey
Printable version of this page
Gochfeld, Michael and Joanna Burger. 1994. Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online.
Katja Schulz. Editor. "Rynchops niger Linnaeus 1758". Encyclopedia of Life, available from http://www.eol.org/pages/1178552 . Accessed 02 Mar 2011.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2011). Black Skimmer. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from All About Birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Skimmer/id
Image Credit Photo by FWC
FWC Facts:The manatee is Florida's official marine mammal. Fossils indicate they have been in Florida waters for millions of years.
Learn More at AskFWC
Get FWC News Feeds
Copyright 1999-2018 State of Florida • Technical Help •
EEO/AA/ADA • Privacy Statement • Advertising Statement & Disclaimer • Site Map
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission • Farris Bryant Building
620 S. Meridian St. • Tallahassee, FL
32399-1600 • (850) 488-4676
Pursuant to section 120.74, Florida Statutes, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has published its 2018 Agency Regulatory Plan.
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
Employee Resources (Password required)
Intranet Portal | Outlook E-Mail | Retiree Info
Disaster Information for FWC Employees


text:
The dust is still settling from Apple's earnings this week, and investors are still frantically trying to refill their blood pressure medications after the stock plunged.
But if those investors are looking for some reasons for optimism, they might do well to check Apple's numbers related to its research and development spending.
Tucked way down deep in its 10-Q filed on Thursday, the company noted that spending on R&D increased 33% in the quarter ending in December. That amounts to an increase of $252 million to a cool $1 billion.
QUIZ: Test your Apple knowledge
What's more: That rate of increase is a bit larger than than the 32% increase for the same quarter last year. A year ago, Apple bumped up R&D spending $183 million.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Despite their names, many of your finishing products simply are a form of varnish.
By Bob Flexner
Pages: 90-92
From the June 2005 issue #148
Buy this issue now
You are surely familiar with varnish. It is one of the oldest and most widely available wood finishes, and it is a very popular finish with amateur woodworkers. Varnish is easy to brush, and it provides excellent protection for wood surfaces and resistance to scratches, heat, solvents and chemicals.
You may not realize it, but varnish is packaged and sold under many different names, some with no indication that the product is simply varnish. If you count all the supposedly different finishing products that are actually just varnish, you probably have a shelf full. Here are the eight categories of varnish:
• alkyd varnish
• polyurethane
• spar varnish
• marine (boat) varnish
• wiping varnish (sold under many different
• salad-bowl finish
• wood conditioner
• gel varnish
From the June 2005 issue #148
Buy this issue now


text:
K & G Roofing94 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
I am a reliable Roofer with 25 years experience. I deliver my work to a high standard. I carry out all roofing works, including flat and pitch roofs, U.P.V.C, fascia/soffit/gutter replacement, lead work and various other aspects of roofing. Domestic&commercial projects...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By elricardo74 on 19th Oct, 2018
Middleton Contracts136 Feedback reviews, 99% positive
Activity has been dormant for past four years due my Engagement with a major Contractor as Contracts Manager. Working on projects upto £5,000.000.00. It's our intention to offer a first class service, exceptional after care on all works ranging from small repairs to major...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By penny_736 on 26th Sep, 2018
A K Shailes & Sons Roofing Services176 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
hi my name is kevin im 52 been roofing 35 years.and still like my job.all aspects of roofing. fascias and soffits guttering.new roofs.re-roofs-leadwork.and roof-repairs.flatroofs renewed.all work carried out to the highest of standard.best services-lowest prices.yours A K...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By uniqueshaz on 31st Mar, 2018
o s c roofing10 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
Hi my name is Ollie i have been roofing on private properties for 10 years. I have a gnvq in roof tiling and slating. We cover all types of roofing such as re-roofs, new roofs, repairs, fascia and soffits and gutter. We are a fully insured company. All work we do is done to...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By paul123_41 on 23rd Feb, 2016
Paul Bateman Roofing Ltd5 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
Hi, my name is Paul. Ive got over 20 years experience specialising in flatroofing, tiling & slating. I also offer a soffit, fascia & guttering renewal service.
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By clare_557 on 16th Dec, 2015
DRB Plastic Installations5 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
I specialise in UPVC rooflines, Windows and door installations.I will provide a solution; geared towards providing a high quality service without delay or comprise. I started my own business after gaining experience working for A&B Sudbury Suffolk and Everest. I have 20...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By tones on 10th Oct, 2016
Trusted Roofing Solutions65 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
We are a Roofing Company located in Sudbury, Suffolk. We operate within a 50 mile radius and have over 35 years experience in the roofing industry. We offer free estimates and ensure all work is carried out in a professional manner from start to finish, with everything...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By debbie99265 on 27th Sep, 2018
Graham Fowler Painting & Decorating8 Feedback reviews, 75% positive
A well established painter & decorator providing interior & exterior work. A reliable and friendly service with a very high standard of work, which is fully insured. I am also part of a company called Suffolk Building & Restoration Co, a 'team' of highly experienced...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By christee_51 on 23rd Nov, 2015
Saints Building and Roofing Services3 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
Small Suffolk based Roofing business, Have been Sub-contracting for Havebury housing for the past year, sub-contracting for White roofing services Based in Cambridge for the past 3 years
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering client reference:
Reference taken by MyBuilder on 22nd Jan, 2017
DE Construction & Maintenance8 Feedback reviews, 88% positive
I am a sole trader and run a small family business. I have been trading for over four years and we are now looking to expand our working area due to growth. We do general building, from ground works, brick work, patios to EDPM roofing and we specialise in UPVC and Ali...
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By bill_648 on 10th Jul, 2018
DC Carpentry Ltd26 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
All aspects of carpentry and general building covered, from fencing and decking to extension and new builds. over 12 years experience in the trade.
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By zarina_54 on 20th Apr, 2017
Gav-Matt Roofing & Construction3 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
Gav-Matt Roofing & Construction: Family run business for all your roofing needs. From repairs to full re- roofs, fascia replacement service with a 20 yr guarantee and guttering services.
Latest Fascias, Soffits & Guttering feedback review:
By agarlinge on 2nd Sep, 2017
BJA RoofingNo feedback
I am fully qualified roof slate and tiler with 20 years experience. On all pitched roof and lead work guttering soffits facias
Pdm home improvements2 Feedback reviews, 100% positive
The partners of pdm home improvements are both city and guild qualified carpenters with over 25 years experience in the building trade, ranging from fitting kitchens to fully fitted conservatories. Our company can fully supply and fit kitchens all the way through the process...
Latest Windows feedback review:
By briang_84 on 10th May, 2016
M & A RenovationsNo feedback
Mark and Aaron are a two man small general building company. We pride ourselves on being hardworking, polite and honest people. We take great pride in our work. We have been in the building game for the past 10 years. Have completed several extensions. We both look forward...
Need a tradesman?
Post a job on MyBuilder to find a quality, local tradesperson.
How MyBuilder works
1. Post a job
First, create a job listing for your fascias, soffits & guttering project. It's quick, easy and free - the first step to finding recommended fascias, soffits and guttering specialists in IP12, Woodbridge.
2. Hire a tradesman
Having met our recommended fascias, soffits and guttering specialists in IP12, Woodbridge and read customer reviews, you're ready to decide which fascias, soffits and guttering specialists to hire.
3. Leave feedback
After your project is successfully completed, you can leave a review for your fascias, soffits and guttering specialists. This review helps you and future MyBuilder users.
What our customers say
- "Fantastic website - would definitely use again. I had no idea it would be so easy to find someone to do the work."
- Karen Roche
Tradesmen in IP12, Woodbridge
- Architectural Designers
- Bathroom Fitters
- Bricklayers
- Carpenters & Joiners
- Carpet Fitters
- Chimney & Fireplace Specialists
- Conservatory Installers
- Conversion Specialists
- Damp Proofing Specialists
- Demolition Contractors
- Driveway Pavers
- Electricians
- Extension Builders
- Fascias, Soffits and Guttering Specialists
- Fencers
- Flooring Fitters
- Gas Engineers
- Groundworkers
- Handymen
- Heating Engineers
- Insulation Installers
- Kitchen Fitters
- Landscape Gardeners
- Locksmiths
- Loft Conversion Specialists
- New Home Builders
- Painters & Decorators
- Plasterers
- Plumbers
- Restoration & Refurb Specialists
- Roofers
- Security System Installers
- Stonemasons
- Tilers
- Tree Surgeons
- Window Fitters
- All Tradesmen


text:
|MLB Career Stats
|Colorado Springs
|Colorado Springs
|11th in NL
|25th in NL
|19th in NL
|6th in NL
|14th in NL
|22nd in NL
|16th in NL
|May 23, 2016
|Omaha Storm Chasers released SS Clint Barmes.
|April 2, 2016
|SS Clint Barmes assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers.
|April 1, 2016
|Kansas City Royals signed free agent SS Clint Barmes to a minor league contract.
|March 28, 2016
|Kansas City Royals released SS Clint Barmes.
|February 18, 2016
|Kansas City Royals signed free agent SS Clint Barmes to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.
|February 18, 2016
|SS Clint Barmes assigned to Omaha Storm Chasers.
|November 3, 2015
|SS Clint Barmes elected free agency.
|December 5, 2014
|San Diego Padres signed free agent SS Clint Barmes.
|October 30, 2014
|SS Clint Barmes elected free agency.
|August 25, 2014
|Pittsburgh Pirates activated SS Clint Barmes from the 15-day disabled list.
|August 18, 2014
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent SS Clint Barmes on a rehab assignment to Indianapolis Indians.
|August 14, 2014
|Pittsburgh Pirates sent SS Clint Barmes on a rehab assignment to Altoona Curve.
|July 6, 2014
|Pittsburgh Pirates placed SS Clint Barmes on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to June 30, 2014. Left groin strain
|December 13, 2013
|Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent SS Clint Barmes.
|November 21, 2011
|Pittsburgh Pirates signed free agent SS Clint Barmes.
|October 30, 2011
|SS Clint Barmes elected free agency.
|April 29, 2011
|Houston Astros activated SS Clint Barmes from the 15-day disabled list.
|April 27, 2011
|Oklahoma City RedHawks sent 2B Clint Barmes on a rehab assignment to Corpus Christi Hooks.
|April 25, 2011
|sent 2B Clint Barmes on a rehab assignment to Oklahoma City RedHawks.
|March 31, 2011
|Houston Astros placed SS Clint Barmes on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 26, 2011. Left hand fracture.
|November 18, 2010
|Colorado Rockies traded 2B Clint Barmes to Houston Astros for RHP Felipe Paulino.
|August 30, 2010
|Clint Barmes roster status changed by Colorado Rockies.
Clint Harold Barmes (pronounced "BAR-miss")…he and his wife, Summer, have two children, one son, Wyatt, and a daughter, Whitney…is a 1997 graduate of Lincoln High School in Vincennes, IN…played one season of baseball (2000) for Indiana State University after transferring from Olney Central Community College in Illinois… named the 2000 Newcomer-of-the-Year in the Missouri Valley Conference and its first-team all-conference shortstop…led the conference in runs (60), triples (7) and total bases (146) in 2000…compiled a school record-tying 30-game hitting streak, which was the third-longest in Division 1-A that year…played Little League and American Legion baseball and at age 12, faced Jimmy Rollins in the Bambino World Series in Pueblo, CO…given the Colorado Rockies "Good Guy" award by the local chapter of the BBWAA in 2008 for his professionalism and cooperation in working with the media… originally signed by Rockies scout Ty Coslow.2014
Made his eighth career appearance on an Opening Day roster and third straight with the Pirates...Played in just 48 games for the Pirates, missing time while on the DL from 7/6-8/25 with a left groin strain...Made 26 starts total, including 21 at SS, four at 2B and one at 3B...Started at 3B on 6/25 at TB…fifth career start at 3B and first since 8/7/08...Hit .300 (9-for-30) over 15 games during the month of May...Tied his career-high with four hits on 6/19 vs. CIN (eight times).2013
2013 SEASON: Was Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter at shortstop for the second straight season...Connected off Stephen Strasburg for first home run on 5/4 at PNC Park - his lone homer hit at home in 2013...Hit .395 (15-for-38) in 13 games from 4/27 to 5/13, raising average from .131 to .232...Hit safely in a season-high seven straight games from 5/8-16, going 10-for-26 (.385)...Received his sixth walk of the season on 7/9 - his first since 5/11...Appeared in 1,000th career game on 7/22 at Washington...Hit .296 (16-for-54) during the month of July...Homered three times in a 14-game span between 8/15 and 9/12 after going deep just twice in his first 80 games...Hit a game-winning, three-run homer off lefty Madison Bumgarner in the seventh inning at San Francisco on 8/23 (Pirates won 3-1)...Hit four of his five home runs off right-handed pitchers and four of the five on the road.
2013 POSTSEASON: Started five of the six games at shortstop and went 3-for-11.2012 Made a career-high 142 appearances and 135 starts at shortstop... Ranked sixth in the N.L. with a .972 fielding percentage, third in assists (399) and sixth in total chances (562)...Batted .257 following the All-Star break after hitting .204 in the first half...Hit seven of his eight home runs off righthanders (his lone homer against a lefty came on 7/26 off Houston's Dallas Keuchel)...Was Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter at shortstop... Went hitless in his first 12 at bats before taking Chad Billingsley deep for his first hit of the year on 4/11 at Dodger Stadium...Went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a homer on 4/24 vs. Colorado...Made first career appearance at first base on 5/13; played final two innings there during 12-inning game but did not have any chances...Went 24 straight games without an error at shorstop before making a fielding miscue on 6/3...Hit first career grand slam on 8/12 vs. San Diego's Ross Ohlendorf while also recording a season-high four RBI...Tripled on 8/16 vs. Los Angeles; his first triple since 6/4/09...Batted .269 (46-for-171) in his last 55 games, beginning with his two-hit game in Houston on 7/28...Went 7-for-16 (.438) with a home run and 17 RBI with the bases loaded. 2011 Began season on Houston's 15-day disabled list after suffering a fractured left hand during spring training on 3/25 - was hit by an Ivan Nova pitch during a game in Tampa...Was reinstated from the D.L. on 4/29 after going 6-for-15 (.400) in four rehab games...Established career high in walks...Made all 122 defensive appearances (120 starts) at shortstop - the most starts there since he made a career-high 122 starts with Colorado in 2006...Ranked fifth among N.L. shortstops with a .978 fielding percentage...His 12 home runs were his second-highest single season total behind career-high of 23 hit in 2009 and ranked sixth among all Houston shortstops for a single season...Hit .266 (72-for- 271) with nine home runs and 28 RBI in his final 75 games, beginning on 6/27. 2010 Spent the majority of the 2010 season as the Rockies' starting second baseman for the second straight season... started 69 games at second base, and 39 games at shortstop...hit .235 (91x387) with 29 extra-base hits (21 doubles, 8 home runs) in 133 games...set a new career high with 35 walks, besting his previous high of 31 set in 2009...marked his fifth Major League season to have at least 350 at-bats and start at least 75 games in the Rockies' infield...had a career-long, 14-game hitting streak from June 23-July 7...hit .386 (22x57) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and 14 runs scored over the 14 games of the streak...it was the second-longest hitting streak for a Rockies player in 2010 (Carlos Gonzalez 16 games, Aug. 23-Sept. 9)... hit .313 in June and .271 in July while starting nearly every Rockies game at shortstop or second base...started 32 of the Rockies 33 games at shortstop that Troy Tulowitzki missed from June 18-July 26 with a fractured right wrist...hit .284 (31x109) with two doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI and 19 runs scored during the 32 games while Tulowitzki was out...had a season-high four RBI on June 29 at SD...went 2x4 in the game, including a lead-extending three-run home run in the 7th inning...had a .982 fielding percentage on the season between second base and shortstop...averaged the third-most assists per game (3.07) among NL second baseman with at least 60 starts in the field in 2010...finished fourth among NL second baseman by turning 92 double plays in 2010...only Kelly Johnson (106 DP's), Rickie Weeks (102) and Brandon Phillips (95) turned more double plays among NL second basemen, and each of those players started at least 146 games in the field during the season...his 126 RBI since 2009 are the fourth-most among NL second baseman, trailing only Dan Uggla (195), Chase Utley (158) and Brandon Phillips (157)... played 306 games at second base in his Rockies career...only Eric Young (413) has played more games at second in a Rockies uniform... started the third-most games at second base in Rockies history, as only Young (398 starts) and Mike Lansing (269) have started more at second base in a Rockies uniform than Barmes. 2009 Set career highs in games, at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI and walks...led all Rockies players with 154 games and 550 at-bats (never had more than 131 games, 478 at-bats prior to this year)...also set career high in strikeouts, fanning once every 5.0 plate appearances...set Rox club records for homers (23) and RBI (76) by a Rockies second baseman, passing Jose Ortiz's mark in HR's (13 in 2001) and Eric Young Sr.'s mark in RBI (74 in 1996)...his 76 RBI ranked T-8th among 2009 NL middle infielders... played in career-high 124 games at second base (130 starts) and 16 games at shortstop (12 starts)...led all NL second basemen with a 3.24 assists per 9 innings while logging a .982 fielding pct. at the position...scored 69 runs and the Rox went 43-15 in games when he scored at least once...finished second on the club with 10 HBP (Iannetta, 11) and reached on an error 6 times (also tied for most on the club)...recorded best first half totals of his career in runs, hits, doubles, triples, HR's, walks and stolen bases...hit 13 post All-Star HR's (2nd on club, behind Tulowitzki) as 13 of 51 hits were HR's after the break...hit 4 HR's against the Dodgers, more than any other team he faced...went 9-for-18 with 8 RBI vs. the Cardinals...Barmes was on the Opening Day roster for the 4th time in the last 5 years (began 2007 season at Triple-A Colo. Springs)...started 15 of the first 20 games (12-2B, 3-SS)...started 49 straight games from 5/14-7/4...hit first career pinch-hit HR in bottom of 8th 4/24 vs. LAD to tie the game...had 16 multi-hit efforts in 28 games played in June (.314 AVG)...took off in the No. 2 spot in the batting order after Jim Tracy moved him to the spot his first day on the job - he hit .338 during the club's 17 wins in 18 games stretch in June...finished with 37 hits in June (T-4th in NL), his most hits in any month (career)...19 RBI in June were T-12th in NL (also career high for him in any month of his career)...2 doubles 7/9 vs. ATL, including 100th career double...led NL with 51 hits from 5/30-7/9, including 21 multi-hit efforts in 37 games in that span...batted .192 in July followed by .191 in August...credited with game-winning sac fly in 8th inning - Rox 4th last at-bat win 7/8 vs. WAS...hit homers in consecutive road games, 7/16-17 at SD... went 4-for- 57 (.070) from 7/22-8/11; was hitting .274 on 7/21 and dropped to .244 on 8/11...had back-to-back 3-hit games, 8/12-13...7 of his last 14 hits on the road (from July 16 through the end of the season) were HR's...hit the 2nd inside-the-park homer of his career 9/22 vs. SD (last: 5/8/05 at FLA off Al Leiter), the 12th in Rockies franchise history; it was the first homer of that variety for the Rox since Seth Smith (7/18/08 vs. PIT) and Jeff Baker (6/17/08 vs. CLE) each accomplished that feat last season...finished the season with 6 multi-hit efforts in last 12 games from the end of Sept. into October; .333 AVG in that span. 2008 In his best season since his 2005 rookie campaign, Barmes hit .290 with 11 home runs (career high) and 44 RBI for the Rockies...after playing just 27 games in the Majors in 2007 (108 games at Triple- A Colo. Springs), the utility player also set career highs in hits (114), triples (6) and stolen bases (13)...while splitting most of his playing time at shortstop (32 starts, 36 games) and second base (54 starts, 61 games), Barmes ranked 8th among all NL middle infielders with a .468 slugging pct (min. 300 AB)...had just 9 starts at 2B before '08 but still posted a .978 fielding pct. at the position (6 e, 275 tc)...he also played 12 games at third base (13 games, 4 starts), centerfield (5 games, 2 starts) and right (1 game/start)...batted .350 (41-for- 117) w/ 2 outs...in fact, 41 of his 114 hits came with 2 outs...hit .312 w/RISP, the 2nd-best mark on the club...excelled at Coors Field, posting .362 OBP, .330 avg. at home in '08...hit .333 (39-117) when leading off an inning...Barmes won a utility job out of spring training, where he played SS, 2B, 3B and CF...was on the Opening Day roster for the 3rd time in the last four years (began 2007 at Colorado Springs)...entered at 2B and tripled to lead off 9th inning 4/5 vs. ARI in his first PA of the season; was the last position player on Rox Opening Day roster to receive a plate appearance... received his first start at SS on 4/13 at ARI and went 3-for-6 with 4 RBI (most RBI since 5/19/06 vs. TOR); hit 2-R HR in 1st inning to give Rox their first 1st inning lead of the year...had multiple hits in five straight contests from 4/12-18... his 9 AB 4/17 at SD tied Helton (also 9 AB) for 2nd-most in a game in club history...homered on 4/23 vs. CHI; first 2 homers hit while batting #2 in lineup...took over club's primary shortstop duties when Troy Tulowitzki went on the DL on 5/3 (left quadriceps tendon tear)...matched career-high 13-game hit streak from 5/6-20, which was the 2nd-longest active streak in majors at that time; hit .469 (23-for-49) with 3 HR, 8 RBI and 8 multi-hit games during streak...homered in 3 straight games for first time in his career from 5/18-20...left 5/23 game vs. NYM with a with a sprained right knee in the 10th inning; went 2-for-5 with 2 RBI as SS before leaving... placed on 15-day DL (right knee sprain) on 5/24; hit .343 (46-for-134) with 5 HR, 20 RBI in 39 games prior to going on DL...finished May with a .391 avg. (27-69), the 3rd-highest mark during the month in the NL...reinstated from D.L. on 6/22 after missing 28 games...started at 2B in 4 of 5 games after returning from DL and went 2-for-17...would hit .263 the rest of the season...had 4 hits 7/4 vs. FLA, his most since 7/23/06 at ARI... drove in Rox' only run 7/10 at MIL (1st inn. single)...made first career start in RF and went 0-for- 3 7/30 at PIT...made first start of 2008 as leadoff hitter and went 2-for-5 8/4 vs. WAS...HR 8/13 vs. ARI was first since 5/20 vs. SF, a span of 123 at bats...had consecutive 3-hit games 8/29-30...matched career high with 4 hits and one RBI shy of career high 5 RBI 9/24 at SF...homered in consecutive games 9/24-25 at SF for 3rd time in '08...hit leadoff in 24 of his last 34 games; Rox went 14-10 when he led off...hit 6th triple 9/15, extending career high (led Rox in triples in '08)...9th HR 9/20 vs. ARI was eventual GW-RBI...hit .306 (37-for-121) in last 29 games, 10 multi-hit efforts (five 3-hit games). 2007 Barmes started the year at Triple-A Colorado Springs after having been on Colorado's Opening Day roster the previous two seasons...spent most of the season at the Triple-A level, but was recalled to the big leagues on three different occasions: April 15-30, Aug. 9-18, Aug. 29-end of season...batted .216 (8-for-37) with three doubles, one RBI, and five runs scored in 27 games for the Rockies...went 4-for-10 as a pinch-hitter... started six games, three at shortstop, two in center field, and one at second base...was recalled from Triple- A on April 15 and appeared in 10 games for the Rockies, going 2-for-20...his lone multi-hit game of the season came during that span, as he went 2-for-5 with a double in his first start of the season on April 21 vs. San Diego...was recalled for a second time on Aug. 9 and played in six games for Colorado, going 4-for-9 with two doubles and one RBI...hit a pinch-hit double on Aug. 11 vs. Chicago-NL, and stayed in the game in center field, playing the ninth inning...marked his first career appearance in center field...the following night, made his first career start in center field, but did not have a fly ball hit to him...was recalled for the final time on Aug. 31 and appeared in 11 games, going 2-for-8...both of those hits came as a pinch-hitter...played in 108 games for Colorado Springs, batting .299 (128- for-428) with 11 home runs, 44 RBI, 20 doubles, six triples, and 68 runs scored...played the majority of his games at shortstop (90 games), but also appeared in nine games in the outfield (8 in CF, one in RF), two at second base, and one at third base...hit .331 (45-for-136) against PCL left-handed pitchers and batted .284 (83- for-292) vs. right-handers...was named to the midseason All-Star team, the third time that he's been named to the All-Star team in his Minor League career...hit .298 (31-for-104) with RISP...batted .274 (37-for-135) over the first 2 months of the season, but hit .397 (46-for-116) in June to rise from .274 to .331...hit safely in 17 consecutive home games from May 14-June 16, tied for the fifth-longest home hitting streak in the Pacific Coast League...hit safely in a season-high 12 straight games from June 3-16...batted .397 (23-for-58) during the stretch to raise season average 35 points from .275 to .310...drove in season- high three RBI on June 22 at Las Vegas...had multiple hits in six consecutive games from June 19-25 to rise from .304 to .332, his highest average of the season... tied his season-high with four hits (4th time) and hit a pair of leadoff home runs in the Sky Sox's 15-7 win on July 3 vs. Portland...was named to the mid-season All-Star team...started at shortstop for the PCL club and went 0-for-1 with a sacrifice fly in a 7-5 loss to the International League All-Stars on July 11 at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque...batted .252 (30-for-119) over his last 32 games in the Minors to drop from .317 to .299. 2006 The club's starting shortstop for most of the year, Barmes spent the season on the 25-man roster and batted .220 with seven home runs, 56 RBI, 26 doubles, and 57 runs scored in 131 games for Colorado...established career highs in several categories, including hits (105), doubles, runs, RBI, walks, and total bases (160)...tied with teammate Cory Sullivan for 2nd in the major leagues with 19 sacrifice hits, T3rd-highest single season total in club history...grounded into just two double plays in 478 at-bats, an average of one every 239.0 at-bats...made him hardest player to double up in National League as the ratio also ranked third in the majors behind only Ichiro Suzuki and Grady Sizemore...ranked among club leaders in sac flies (T1st, 7), hit by pitch (2nd, 9), RBI (5th), doubles (T5th), and home runs (T5th)...led club with six bunt hits...was one of six Rockies with a qualifying batting average...his .220 average was the lowest qualifying average in the major leagues, also lowest in club history...Barmes' .264 on-base percentage was lowest in the N.L. and second-lowest in the majors among qualifiers in 2006...ranked 9th among N.L. shortstops with a .969 (18 e/581 tc) fielding percentage...had 4.87 total chances per nine innings, third-highest ratio in the league...started 111 of the club's first 125 games, but had starts in just 11 of final 37 beginning Aug. 24...played four games (no starts) at second base in September, his first appearances at a position other than shortstop since start at second on Oct. 2, 2004 at Houston...hit safely in nine of first 11 games through April 15 at .333 (16-for-48), highest mark all season...from April 16-May 30, batted .139 (19-for-137) in next 37 games to drop to season-low .189...hit .291 (53-for-182) over 50 games from May 31-Aug. 4, rising to .240...in final 33 games, batted .153 (17-for-111) to finish at .220...made second consecutive Opening Day start at shortstop on April 3 vs. Arizona...had season-high four RBI on May 19 vs. Toronto...led all Rockies with a .333 (30-for-90) avg. in July, his highest figure in a full month since April '05 (.410)...four of his seven homers came in July, including three in a span of six games July 9-17...hit safely in a career-high 13 straight games July 9-25, 2nd-longest hit streak by a Rockie in '06...that streak included season-high four hits July 23 at Arizona in Rockies' 9-7 come-from-behind win...would hit his final home run of the season the next day, July 24 vs. St. Louis, as he would end the year with a 43-game, 149-AB homer drought...had just two RBI final 25 games, both on Sept. 24 vs. Atlanta...July 21 at Arizona was first and only career game with multiple walks...hit two-out, RBI single in 11th inning Aug. 5 at SF, providing winning run in Rockies' 2-1 extra-inning victory. 2005 Barmes was well on his way to NL Rookie of the Year contention before he suffered a broken left collarbone on June 5...was among nine players receiving votes for NL Rookie of the Year...sustained injury in a fall while carrying deer meat up stairs at his apartment...was on the disabled list from June 6-Sept. 1, missing 78 games...despite the missed time, still ranked among rookie leaders in several offensive categories, batting .289 with 10 home runs and 46 RBI...ranked among NL rookie leaders in multi-hit games (3rd, 30), hits (4th, 101), total bases (4th, 152), average (5th, .289), runs (5th, 55), RBI (T5th, 46), doubles (T5th, 19), slugging (7th, .434), stolen bases (T7th, 6), extra base hits (8th, 30), and home runs (9th, 10)...had 2nd-longest hitting streak of any NL rookie, career-high 12-game streak from May 4-17...ranked among club leaders in stolen bases (3rd) and runs scored (5th)...batted nearly identical .289 (26-for-90) vs. lefties and .288 (75-for-260) against right-handers...hit .348 (16-for-46) with RISP and two outs...had a .958 (17 e/247 tc) fielding percentage in 80 games/78 starts at shortstop...his 17 errors were most in majors among any player with 80 or fewer games and was T2nd-most among NL shortstops...split most starts between leadoff (54) and second (22) spots in order...opened season by going 4-for-6 with a walk-off two-run homer off Trevor Hoffman in 9th inning on Opening Day, April 4 vs. San Diego...game was tied at 10-10 when the long ball ended the 12-10 victory...Barmes became the first rookie in major league history to hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day...it was the 21st Opening Day walk-off in Major League history and the second by a Rockie, as Dante Bichette hit a walk-off three-run homer in the 14th inning on April 26, 1995 vs. New York-NL...the Bichette game was first regular season contest at Coors Field...it was the first walk-off homer by a Colorado rookie...batted .410 (34-for-83) with four home runs, seven doubles, 20 runs scored and 14 RBI in 21 games in April...was named the National League Rookie of the Month for April, joining Jason Jennings (August of 2002) and Garrett Atkins (June of 2005) as the only Rockies to earn that honor...Barmes became the first rookie to bat .400 or better in April (minimum 50 plate appearances) since Montreal's Andres Galarraga hit .415 in April of 1986...he is one of just three rookies to bat over .400 in March/April since 1969 (also Willie Randolph in 1976)...was one of just 13 occasions for a player to hit over .400 in a month in 2005, the eighth-highest mark by a player in any month all year...Barmes had three four-hit games in April, becoming the first rookie in the expansion era (since 1961) to accomplish that feat...posted a career-high 12-game hit streak from May 4-17 at .362 (21-for-58) with three HR and 12 RBI...posted career-high five RBI on May 13 vs. Arizona as it was his first career game with three extra base hits...became the first NL player to reach 50 hits on May 12, going 2-for-5 to give him 51 hits on the year...homered on June 5 vs. Cincinnati, his final game before going on the disabled list...suffered broken left collarbone while hauling deer meat up stairs at his apartment on evening of June 5...was placed on the disabled list on June 6...at time he landed on DL, led Major League rookies in most offensive categories and ranked seventh in NL with a .329 average...after recuperating from the collarbone injury, was assigned on rehab to Double-A Tulsa of the Texas League from Aug. 23-31 and hit safely in 7 of his 8 games...was activated by Rockies on Sept. 2...went 0-for-5 in his return on Sept. 2 vs. Los Angeles, first game with Colorado since June 5...overall, batted .216 (27-for-125) with two HR and 12 RBI in 27 games after his return from the DL, dropping season figure from .329 to .289...went 3-for-6 with a homer, double and 3 RBI in season finale on Oct. 2 at New York (NL), one of two 3-hit games after his return...batted .333 (20-for-60) with 3 HR and 12 RBI in 22 spring games for Colorado...played for Escogido in Dominican Winter League following season. 2004 Spent the final five weeks in the majors after capping off what was his finest minor league season...led the Pacific Coast League and Rockies organization with 175 hits, the second most in Sky Sox history and third most ever by a Rockies minor leaguer...he ranked eighth in the PCL in average (.328) and tied for second in both doubles (42) and runs scored (104) en route to being named a PCL All- Star...Clint had two stints in the majors, one game in early in August and then a permanent promotion later that month...was recalled by the Rockies Aug. 14 as insurance for Aaron Miles who was hit in the hand by a line drive during batting practice...got the start at second base that night in Pittsburgh, going 1-for-3 before returning to the Springs immediately after the game...recalled again Aug. 28, Clint went on to bat .282 with a pair of homers and 10 RBI in 20 games (17 starts) for the Rockies...played both middle infield positions, making nine starts at shortstop and eight at second base and committed only 2 errors in 141.1 innings...cracked his first career home run the night of his second recall, Aug. 28 at Florida, a 3-run shot off Carl Pavano which gave Colorado a 3-2 lead in an eventual 4-3 loss...the 3 RBI set a career high, a total he matched Sept. 11 vs. San Diego...with the Sky Sox, Clint went hitless in successive games only three times and had six different hitting streaks of at least seven games...was the organization's Player of the Month for April, batting .395...hit a game-winning solo home run in the 10th inning to give the Springs a 3-2 victory at Nashville on May 31...hit .353 in June with 12 doubles, 5 homers and 13 RBI...was the PCL's starting shortstop at the Triple A All-Star Game on July 14, going 0-for-3 in a 4-3 loss to the International League. 2003 Spent the season at Colorado Springs (AAA) before earning himself a September call-up with the Rockies...tied for the Pacific Coast League lead with 35 doubles and finished 5th in games played (136)...recalled by the Rockies on Sept. 5, Barmes started at shortstop that night in his major league debut vs. Los Angeles...was 1-for-3 with a single off Kazuhisa Ishii for his first big league hit...the very next day, Sept. 6, Clint went 3-for-3 with a double and his first RBI, a run-scoring double off Odalis Perez...wound up batting .320 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI in 12 games as a Rockie...started 8 games, all at short...with the Sky Sox, Barmes posted a team-best 16-game hit streak from Aug. 8-22 and a 15-game streak, May 8-25...delivered a game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the 9th to defeat Oklahoma 2-1 on June 27 and then a 2-run single in the bottom of the 10th for a 5-4 win on July 13 vs. Salt Lake. 2002 Named a midseason and postseason All-Star by the Southern League in his first summer at Double-A...his 15 homers and 60 RBI were not only single-season bests but also surpassed his career totals entering the year of 7 HR and 53 RBI...the 15 long balls actually wound up leading the club...Carolina's everyday shortstop and leadoff man, Clint played 102 games at short in helping the Mudcats to the playoffs...compiled a 17-game hitting streak, May 31-June 21...was the Southern League's "Hitter of the Week" for June 7-13...represented Carolina in the Double-A All-Star game on July 10 at Norwich, Conn...Clint later played with the major league club at the Hall of Fame exhibition game on July 29 in Cooperstown, NY, going 2-for-5...was forced to miss the last 3 weeks of the season with a fractured left hand...officially on the disabled list from Aug. 8 to Sept. 17, Clint was not able to participate in the postseason series against Jacksonville...played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. 2001 Began the year on the disabled list from April 5-30 following left hand surgery...still played 74 games at shortstop for Asheville (A), batting .260...promoted to Salem on July 23 and made his High A debut on that day vs. Frederick, going 2-for-4...hit .248 in 38 games with the Avalanche, all at shortstop. 2000 Opened his professional career with Portland (A-short season) before finishing the year at Asheville (A)...his 4 triples with Portland ranked 4th in the Northwest League...hit safely in 33 of his 45 games in short-season action...promoted to Single-A on Aug. 9, Clint struggled in the South Atlantic League, batting just .173 (14-for-81) with no homers and 4 RBI.


text:
Skip to main content
Skip to navigation
Undergraduate study
Postgraduate study
International students
Open Days
Professional development
Applying to UWE Bristol
Prospectus request
Study abroad
Working with schools and colleges
Our story
Corporate information
Facts and figures
Departments and services
Working here
Support us
Visit us
Contact us
Innovation and funding
Professional development
Executive Education
Degree apprenticeships
Recruiting talent
Business events
Public and community engagement
Business enquiries
Venue hire and event management
Supporting UWE Bristol
Research portfolio
Research with impact
Postgraduate research study
Research Strategy 2020
Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014
Research staff support
Research news
Research governance
Research ethics
Research enquiries
Research publications
News & Events
News & Events
News releases
UWE Bristol in the media
Find an expert
Media enquiries
Events diary
Awards Ceremonies
Degree Shows
Bristol Distinguished Address Series
Could robots help older people look after themselves
Issue date:
24 March 2010
Researchers at the University of the West of England, Bristol (UWE) are taking part in a European project aimed at creating an intelligent system comprising a robot and smart sensors that can support independent living for elderly people.
MOBISERV (An Integrated Intelligent Home Environment for the Provision of Health, Nutrition and Mobility Services to the Elderly) has been funded with an EU Framework 7 grant of 2.7 million Euros, of which UWE will receive 267,605 Euros. The project co-ordinator is Systema Technologies S.A.,and the consortium has nine European partners from seven countries*.
The project will bring together a multi-disciplinary team in UWE with expertise in care for older people, Tina Fear and Simon Evans, robotics, Sanja Dogramadzi, and human-computer interaction, Praminda Caleb-Solly, who will look at the needs of older people and the potential of technology to meet those needs, with companies such as Robosoft (France) Smartex (Italy), CSEM (Switzerland) and Smart Homes (Netherlands). The team will also include health care providers St Anna in the Netherlands and the universities of Thessaloniki and Lappeenranta.
The project aims to produce three key systems of caring for older people. A wearable health status monitor with smart sensors woven into undergarments Smartex and CSEM); a secure tele-alarm and health reporting system; and a nutrition support system Thessaloniki), which might consist for example of reminders for when meals and drinks should be taken.
All these systems will be linked to a robotic platform, which will also facilitate communications – helping people to keep in touch with friends or relatives, or create shopping lists using voice recognition. ROBOSOFT will deliver 2 Kompaï-R&D robots for trials starting in May 2010.
Dr Praminda Caleb-Solly who is leading the user experience research for UWE explains, "We are very excited about this project. We are working with some of Europe's leading robotic and wearable sensor companies in this field, to ensure that the technology being developed enhances the lives of older adults and gives them the ability to make informed lifestyle choices. We hope that the health monitoring and the nutrition support systems will help people to track and maintain a better standard of health and activity, helping them live independently for as long as possible. Initially we will look closely at the context in which older people live, their expectations and perceptions, to ensure that the technology that is developed brings real benefits to them."
"Our aim is to bring the lifestyle of older adults closer to the engineers and to bring the MOBISERV technology and solutions closer to the users. Six user groups of older people – three in the UK and three in the Netherlands will take part in the research. We will be looking at older people living alone in their own home, people living in residential care homes and those who live at home and go to day care. We want to know what would be acceptable to them in a personal and social context, and make sure that the technology is easy and intuitive to use. In our initial meetings with user groups we will be taking a robot and samples of the smart textiles along, so that people can gain a more tangible understanding of the technology thus enabling them to engage in a more informed discussion about the scope and impact of these in their lives."
UWE and SMART HOMES researchers will work with user groups initially to gain a deep understanding of their needs, problems and issues, their experience of technology, routines and the context of their lives. This will help the team to compile a set of real scenarios of use, leading to design specifications for early prototypes which will subsequently be tested with user groups as part of field trials providing feedback for modifications. Several cycles of field testing and modification will be done to enable the technology to be closely aligned to user needs.
Dr Caleb-Solly says, "This research could have long term benefits in supporting a growing elderly population. We need to look at these systems holistically in the context of real lives and ensure that the support they give to older people living independently matches their expectations and meets a real need. The ethical aspects of using robots with older people will also be considered as part of this research."
Dr Dogramadzi participates on the international Service Robotics Standards development committee and sees this project as an important case-study to inform the standards being developed as part of ISO/TC184/SC2.
It is planned that standards and discoveries from this research will be shared openly. The project website is available at
In this section
News & Events
News releases
News by category
News by department
News by year
Back to top
Frenchay Campus
Glenside Campus
City Campus
Gloucester Campus
Car Parking
Contact Us
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Tel: +44 (0)117 9656261
More contact options
Quick Links
Term dates
Faculties & departments
News & Events


text:
Firefighter injured in two-alarm fire that destroyed Dover homeBy John Quinn
Union Leader Correspondent
December 28. 2012 8:33PM
DOVER - One firefighter sustained minor burns after a ceiling gave way during a second alarm fire which destroyed along Horne Street Thursday, according to Fire Captain Troy Brown.
Brown said the fire, which was burning above his head for some time, caused the ceiling to collapse as firefighters battled the blaze from both inside and outside a 2�-story New England Style home at 26 Horne St.
'An ember fell into the collar of his gear, burning his neck. He was treated and released that evening and continued to work,' Brown said, adding it was the only injury from the blaze.
Brown said the fire, which was reported at 1:46 p.m., was under control around 3:15 p.m. Aside from a local crew which watched the building overnight, firefighters cleared the scene around 6 p.m.
Local crews were assisted by firefighters from Durham, Portsmouth, Rochester, Rollinsford, and Somersworth. Firefighters from Durham, Newington and Berwick, Maine provided station coverage.
Brown said the fire caused about $300,000 in damage to the home, which was rendered unlivable. About six people lived at the home. They were assisted by members of the American Red Cross at the scene Thursday.
While the investigation began Thursday, no cause has been determined and firefighter have not said whether it was suspicious or not.
Public Safety Weather Rochester Dover Durham Newington Portsmouth Rollinsford Somersworth


text:
The fact of the matter is, he wore down pretty noticeably last season. I saw a game at the beginning of September in which he looked sluggish behind the dish. He allowed just six passed balls in 2013 (down from 11 in 2012), but was also "charged" with 45 wild pitches (up from 37 in '12).
Ellis, 33 in early April, has a lot of mileage on him. He's caught 2,691 1/3 innings in the majors. That isn't a lot, but he spent the better part of nine seasons in the minors and caught 515 games. It only makes sense that he'd wear down after a long season.
His 2012 campaign was fantastic. Ellis hit .270/.373/.414, hit 13 home runs and was worth nearly four wins. That's All-Star-level production. After a fast start in 2013 -- .304/.435/.446 in 17 games -- he hit just .228/.296/.350 in 98 games.
It might be time for the Dodgers to acquire a catcher to help take the load off -- a starting catcher, perhaps.
I was mulling this over in my head on Tuesday and had the perfect catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia. It was set up so beautifully. "Salty" absolutely crushes right-handed pitchers and is at least half-way...ish decent defensively. But then the Marlins went and signed him to an economical 3-year, $21 million deal. Saltalamacchia is from the Miami area, so that's the only way this signing makes sense.
So, in my quest to find another, I looked at Matt Wieters. It's been reported the Orioles would entertain moving the Gold Glove catcher with two years of team control remaining. Wieters is one of the best power-hitting catchers, but he doesn't walk a whole lot or hit for much average. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be upset if the Dodgers were to acquire him, but he isn't the guy for my liking.
Jared Massey suggested the Astros' Jason Castro as a possibility in episode 61 of 'Dugout Blues.' I really liked that idea, but he would require 130-plus games of playing time, which makes Ellis a true backup catcher. I'm not ready for Ellis to be solely a backup just yet.
Yasmani Grandal.
Say wha?
Yes, the very same Grandal who was suspended for 50 games last winter after testing positive for testosterone. The very same Grandal who was acquired by the Padres in the Mat Latos deal.
Grandal, 25, has only played in 268 games between the minors and majors in his career. In 2012, he played in 60 games and was a 2.4-win player. In just 28 game last season, he was a 0.6-win player. He's been worth three wins in just more than a half-season. That's damn good. Steamer projects him to be a 1.8-win player in 65 games. With San Diego, he should be the team's starter, but it also has Nick Hundley, whom it signed to a 3-year deal before last season (with a fourth-year option).
In the last two seasons, Grandal is the 12th-best offensive catcher in baseball (according to weighted on-base average). He only has 224 plate appearances in those two years, so his long-term effectiveness is yet to be determined. In his only fullish minor-league season, he hit .307/.406/.502 against right-handed pitching (some of the aided by the hitter-friendly California League).
Grandal, a native of Cuba, has solid power potential with a .429 career slugging percentage and has performed better on the road (.859) than at the cavernous Petco Park (.759 OPS). But his most attractive offensive ability is his walk rate. Grandal has walked 14.7 percent of the time in his abbreviated career. In the minors, Grandal walked 13.6 percent of the time. That's elite walk-rate territory. That's better-than A.J. Ellis walk-rate territory.
This is from John Sickels (Minor Leagut Ball) on June 4, 2012, two days after his Major League debut.
"He's a very solid hitter, with good power and excellent strike zone judgment. He isn't likely to hit .300 at the major league level, but he should produce above-average numbers in the power and OBP departments. He's had few problems with professional pitching, maintaining his production at each level. His bat speed isn't superb, but his refined approach to hitting helps him adjust.If the Dodgers were to acquire Grandal, I could see a straight 81-81 split with Ellis, who has hit just slightly better against righties than lefties in his career (.729 to .721 OPS). The Dodgers have Tim Federowicz penciled in as Ellis' backup. If that's the case, the Dodgers will struggle offensively behind the plate again in 2014. More likely, Ellis would still get the lion's share of playing time, but I'd like to see his games-played cut to 100-110 games to make sure he's still effective in September and October. Grandal could take over that role as early as 2015, with Ellis battling Tim Wallach for the Dodger managerial job come 2017.
Owner of a solid defensive reputation in college, he had a few problems last year, giving up 19 passed balls and committing 13 errors in 90 games behind the plate. He has more than enough mobility and has strong leadership skills, and his reliability should improve with more experience. His arm is average but his release can be a little slow; he caught 34% of runners last year and 24% so far in 2012. Although not a spectacular defender at this point, he will certainly stick at catcher and basically just needs more experience ironing out his receiving."
Yes, catcher isn't needed to be an offense-first position, but with third base still unresolved and the outfield (outside of Yasiel Puig) still in question, perhaps some offensive boost could come from a Grandal-Ellis combination.
There is something to be said for Ellis' rapport with the pitching staff -- something I'm sure Grandal could pick up on and develop going forward.
It'd take a little bit to get Grandal, as the Padres probably aren't actively looking to move him. They have the best catching prospect in baseball with Austin Hedges who should make his MLB debut sometime in 2014. The Padres are always looking for good, young arms, so perhaps a Chris Reed- or Onelki Garcia-for-Grandal swap could be in order (might take more than that... I'd stop short at Zach Lee). The package could expand to include Chase Headley and other Dodger players/prospects, but that doesn't seem to likely with the intradivisionness.
If the Dodgers don't find a suitable third baseman -- be it Headley, Juan Uribe or someone else -- the Dodgers might have to go with a really light bat/good glove guy and upgrade offensively elsewhere.
Baseball America ranked the Top 15 talents 25 years old and younger with the Dodgers' Top 10 prospects on Monday. Of the 15, just four had regular or semi-regular playing time for the parent club last season: Puig, Chris Withrow, Paco Rodriguez and Dee Gordon. The Dodgers are a decidedly veteran team and will need to get younger. They've already talked about it with regard to the outfield, but it stands to reason they could use some youth infusion into the big league team. Acquiring a guy like Grandal would be a step in that direction.


text:
Italian police, apparently executing a "routine sweep against illegal immigration," arrested twenty-eight Pakistakis–all apparently living in a single apartment–after finding:
"800 grams (28 ounces) of explosives, 230 feet of fuse and various electronic detonators crammed behind a false wall.
Islamic religious texts, photos of 'jihad' (holy war) martyrs, piles of false documents, maps of the Naples area, addresses of contacts around the world and more than 100 mobile telephones were also found in the run-down lodgings, police said."
The explosives were said to be enough to blow up a three-story building. The Naples-area maps had a number of targets designated, including NATO's Southern Command headquarters.
I like the reference to "addresses of contacts around the world." While I have no basis to challenge the report that this was a routine sweep, this is the latest in a series of al Qaeda arrests in Europe (including Italy) that began with the ricin arrests in London, and I wouldn't be surprised if this one is related.
- Subscribe now!... Get rid of ADs!Support Power Line...VIP MembershipPresentsPower Line
Most Read on Power Line
Our Favorites
- American Greatness
- American Thinker
- Ann Althouse
- Belmont Club
- Churchill Project
- Claremont Institute
- Dartblog
- Gatestone Institute
- Hot Air
- Hugh Hewitt
- InstaPundit
- Jewish World Review
- Legal Insurrection
- Library of Law and Liberty
- Lileks
- Lucianne
- Michael Ramirez Cartoons
- Michelle Malkin
- RealClearPolitics
- Ricochet
- Roger L. Simon
- Steyn Online
- The Federalist
- Tim Blair
- Urgent Agenda
Subscribe to Power Line by Email
Find us on Facebook
"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


text:
LIMA, Peru (AP) — Ashaninka Indians armed with shotguns killed eight men who encroached on their ancestral lands in an Amazon jungle region of Peru plagued by illegal logging and cocaine trafficking, relatives of the slain men said Wednesday.
The eight were attempting to settle in a community called Centro Tsomaveni in the San Martin de Pangoa district and were killed last week, said Marco Velasquez, the father of one of the dead men.
"I had to retrieve my own son's body," Velasquez told The Associated Press by phone from the region. He said 42 relatives of the slain men had made the trip to recover their loved ones' corpses without assistance of police or soldiers.
Drug-trafficking remnants of Shining Path rebels who dominated the region in the 1980s and early 1990s remain active in the area. Peru's government gave shotguns to Ashaninka communities in those days to battle the Shining Path.
Velasquez said he did not know whether the slain men were involved in illegal logging or the planting of coca, the basis for cocaine, as Peruvian media speculated. He said two other men had survived and reached the town of Pichari after two days on foot.
He said he had proof of the attackers use of shotguns: empty 12-gauge shell casings.
Esperanza Ambrosio, the sister-in-law of a settler who disappeared in the attack, complained that police and soldiers spurned her pleas to search for him.
Local prosecutor Ida Romero told the AP that authorities were investigating the case.
Paula Acevedo, a spokeswoman for a group that seeks to protect Ashaninka communities in the region, said such killings could not be justified and called for an immediate investigation.
She said the Ashaninka in the Ene river area "have historically been forgotten by the state and live in communities transited by members of the last battalions of the Shining Path." She said there are also major problems with land tenure and a lack of property delineation.
The region is also a major cocaine cultivation and transit point.
A truth commission convened to study Peru's 1980-2000 conflict found that the Tsomaveni region was one of the worst affected by Shining Path violence. It said rebels had destroyed schools, killed community leaders and enslaved part of the population.


text:
Your current filters are…
by Adam Bell and David Peterson
The Australian War Memorial is connecting and enriching online archives and collections toward building a platform for telling history. Through Drupal 7 and Linked Data, the Memorial intends to develop tools that designers, researchers and historians can use to help find new ways of building historical narratives.
During this session we will demonstrate some early prototypes and experiments, key uses of Linked Data, practical publishing tools and discuss how this work is unfolding inside one of Australia's major collecting institutions.
11th–14th October 2011


text:
In the future," Andy Warhol once said, "everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." Mr. Warhol's premonition seems to have come true in our popular culture—the world of Snooki, JWoww and Honey Boo Boo. Or has it? And what exactly did Mr. Warhol mean? The historian Benjamin H. D. Buchloh tells us that what Warhol was trying to say was that the "hierarchy of subjects worthy to be represented [by artists] will someday be abolished." That seems like a stretch, even for our increasingly relativistic sensibilities. A world without a hierarchy of values, in art or anywhere else, is inhuman and unlikely.
This issue of America indicates as much. In addition to the review by Leo J. O'Donovan, S.J., of a recent exhibition of Mr. Warhol's work, whose fame is, for better or for worse, in its 48th or 49th year, this issue also explores the lives of the church's 20th-century martyrs, those whose "fame" is, dogmatically speaking, eternal.
Life this side of heaven is a spatio-temporal mix of St. Augustine's two cities, an amalgam of the fleeting and the everlasting. A Christian, of course, is supposed to have his or her global positioning system set for the City of God rather than the City of Man. All those billions of tweets, however, can interfere with the satellite signal, so the church gives us some other markers for the journey, some ways of re-calculating the route. In the lives of the saints and martyrs (some famous, some not) we find roadmaps to holiness; we find Christians who set their hearts on the good and the true, the everlasting. As a result, a funny thing happened: these Christians found the faith, hope and charity they needed to make their earthly pilgrimage.
To be honest, as a boy I found the lives of the saints really quite boring. I was making a common mistake. I thought that holiness was just about following the rules. In fact, it's still tempting to think that. When we hear, for example, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," we are tempted to think, "Ah, I just need to be poor in spirit and then I'll be a saint and heaven will be mine." We might even start out on some kind of self-improvement project, an attempt to make ourselves poor in spirit, the way one might sign up for a class at the local Y. The truth, however, is that we don't make ourselves saints. In fact, not even the church "makes" saints. Only God makes a person holy, the grace of God within us, transforming us, changing us. That's not to say that we just sit back and let it happen. We must say yes to God's invitation to holiness. And if we are to have the strength to say yes, then our eyes must be fixed on the things above, on the One who is above.
The glimpse of the eternal that gave the saints and martyrs the strength to live in their earthly moment was not a glimpse of some eternal law but an encounter with the God of love. In the midst of their great diversity, what all the saints and martyrs have in common is the simple fact that they were in love—with God and with God's creation. It was this love that gave meaning and direction to their lives. In other words, their lives were more about faithfulness in relationship than obedience to the rules. Rules matter, of course, but discipleship is about a good deal more than mere discipline.
God knows it isn't easy. It never was. The lives of the saints, however, demonstrate that our yes is possible, even in a broken world. Mr. Warhol may or may not have been right about fame. And as this week's editorial makes clear, the price of fame in contemporary America is far too high. Ultimately, however, the lives of the saints and martyrs demonstrate that holiness, not fame, is what matters most. And that prize, God willing, lasts a lot longer than 15 minutes; indeed, it is eternal.
Regarding the Divine Mercy revelations, which one does not have to accept, Saint Faustina Kowalska, records Jesus saying, at the hour of death, he comes one last time to everyone offering opportunity to sincerely say, "Yes, Lord, I do believe!" I choose to accept Faustina's word because it links up well to scripture, wherein we learn that "God wills that all be saved." It also links well to ordinary human experiences, in that repeated opportunities to repentant are offered as can be seen not only in the lives of saints, but in our lives too, for "Saints are sinners who never stop trying!"
I don't want to bore anyone to death with preachy, dogmatic assertions on justification, but it is simply true that, saying "Yes" to the Lord in sincerity at any time even if back pedaling happens, is the ultimate Profession of Faith, upon which depends either everlasting life, or the total oblivion into everlasting death, truly a hell of self-inflicted annihilation in which resurrection from the dead has been forfeited, speaking speculatively. In the final analysis there will be only three types of beings – Angels, Saints, Devils. At least so it seems to me.
Happily, one doesn't have to be a sad sack to be a saint, morosely striking one's breast, breaking a rib so to speak in venomous fervor! We don't even have to weep as Peter did, although tears of repentance are cleansing to more than the eyelids! A sincere "Yes!" to Jesus will do it. Here is an example of "bend over in laughter holiness," inviting us to"rejoice in the Lord always," the net result of having said "Yes" to Jesus to the end.
Pope St. Pius X, as rector of the diocesan seminary liked to sit with his seminarians at the end of the day, smoking a cigar. He liked American cigars! One evening he lacked a match so one of the seminarians produced the kind that can be ignited anywhere and bending struck the match on his backside lighting the rector's cigar. Almost immediately future Pontiff humorously commented, "I have often heard "thunder" coming from that direction, but this is the first time I have seen "lightening!" In his Beatification process the Promoter of the Faith also called the "Devil's Advocate," tried to use that remark to prove that Pope Pius X was no saint, but was over ruled.
In short, to be a saint one has got to be a "yes man/woman" in relation to Jesus AND be able to crack a smile, tell a joke, laugh. Like St. Teresa of Avila who said many funny things, the following one my favorite, "God and chocolate are better than God alone!" P.S. Angels are joyous beings and have their own special way to smile Devils are too bitchy to smile, Saints (that's where we hope to be) can smilSo, for Christ's sake, SMILE!
on yet another group abusing children they are supposed to succor, I made a saturnine comment on the sorry state of affairs. Reading Fr Malone's essay above and your comment relieved that sourness and helped me refocus a little more productively. You both called to mind John XXIII's supposed comment along the lines of "Relax, Giussepe, the Holy Spirit guides the Church, not you."
(#4) Hi, Norma – Keep smiling and make this world a happier place – it's also good for the muscles of your (our) face preventing wrinkles, also brings joy for miles and miles 'cause in every sMILE there is a mile of camaraderie, which in its simplest form is what Jesus' redemptive service was all about namely Peace and Goodwill. Good for the New Evangelism too. No cream puff venture, this!
The Smile is also related to the Holy Spirit's Gift of Joy, indelibly marked for us Christians in Baptism and embedded on the soul through the "Hammer of God" called Confirmation. Hmmm, does it matter than I'm theologically embryonic, lacking full development entitling theological attention? Well, people often say, "what the &%#@^ is he talking about?" and it hasn't stopped me, so why stop now!!! Yes, I believe the thing we call a SMILE is rooted in and sourced from the Godhead, in whom there is only Joy, without which it is impossible to SMILE. That's why heaven has got to be a place of SMILES, no wrinkled souls there. Having offered that profound explanation (profound?) let me quickly conclude this post already too wordy, saying SMILE! SMILE! SMILE! – its earthly good and heavenly good,


text:
NEW RELEASE: The Return Of The Soundcraft Notepad!
Soundcraft has released a new range of small multipurpose mixers, some with integral digital FX, bearing the name of the now-legendary Notepad series. The new Notepad 102, 124 and 124 FX models boast Soundcraft audio performance with the acclaimed GB30 mic preamp and EQ technology in a highly-compact and solid chassis.
For news & offers: Join our mailing list Add us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter
Each 124 model has 4 mono mic/line inputs while the Notepad 102 has 2 mono mic/line inputs. All models boast 4 stereo line inputs, and suit a very wide range of applications where simple yet high-quality mixing is required, such as in home recording, small band/cabaret PA systems, AV presentation systems, small broadcast edit suites, educational environments and general contracting.
The Notepad 124FX also has an integral digital effects processor which has a feed from every input and over 100 effects, including a pink noise and test setting. The FX control can also be used to set delay tap tempo, a feature not found in many mixers in this class. On the Notepad 124, the FX send is replaced by a standard AUX send with a dedicated output. Both models provide a recording output of the mix on RCA/Phono connectors as well as a stereo input for CD playback etc.
Other highly-desirable functions include a high-pass filter on the mono inputs, a 60mm fader for the mix output selectable sensitivity of +4dBu or 1-dBv on each stereo input (Notepad 124 models only) and multi-segment led metering on the mix output along with a headphone monitoring output.


text:
Ice Cream Sandwich is the "biggest release" of Android "in terms of code that we wrote", Hugo Barra, product management director at Google told Pocket-lint in our second session with Ice Cream Sandwich on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Barra told us it was the first step in rethinking Android, designed to take it forward for the next 2-3 years.
We've now spent time with Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) in the Googleplex in Mountain View, and the company's London headquarters, so we've seen a lot of what Ice Cream Sandwich has to offer and we thought it was only fair to put pen to paper and bring you our first impressions.
What is Ice Cream Sandwich?
It's an OS that merges Android on phones and on tablets, ending the brief dalliance with an operating system based on the same foundations and fundamentals, but divided in look, feel and devices that we saw in Gingerbread and Honeycomb.
But if Ice Cream Sandwich has a flavour, that flavour is honey. Honey from Android 3.0, because much of what we've seen in Android 4.0 behaves like Honeycomb. Barra told us that development on Ice Cream Sandwich was underway before Honeycomb launched and it's obvious that the two walked the same path.
Moving forward you won't have Android for phones or Android for tablets, it will be the same scalable platform. At least that's the intention, although as Android users will be aware, there are a huge array of devices already out there, some Google certified and some not, so we suspect there will legacy devices with older software circulating for some time, or residing at the bottom end of the market.
General controls and home interface
Ice Cream Sandwich offers you three control buttons: back, home and recent. This is the same as Honeycomb and ICS uses the same design for these controls, although the high pixel density of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus means these are incredibly crisp and sharp, whereas on a 10-inch tablet they can look a little soft, almost like a neon glow.
Ice Cream Sandwich will support devices with hardware buttons as well as the software buttons of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Barra told us. We suspect that some manufacturers will keep buttons to continue their line of differentiation and some will choose to do away with them completely.
Across the top of the display you get your normal notification and connection icons which match those you'll find in later Gingerbread builds, but now in blue. As before, you have a selection of home screens to modify to your liking, so as always with Android, you can add widgets, people, app shortcuts and so on, to make the device your own.
One interesting change is the adoption of a dock across the bottom of the screen. Central to this dock is the apps menu button, flanked by shortcuts you can change as you see fit. It isn't new: native Android previously had a similar arrangement but only offered two slots. It's been a feature of manufacturer skins on Android since they first appeared as well as something that you get on the iPhone and here, like all those devices, you can drag and drop what you want onto the dock for easy instant access no matter where you are in the home screen.
In the case of the Galaxy Nexus, you get space for two flanking apps either side of the central apps menu. The app menu itself has changed too, now divided into two sections, one for your apps, the other for your widgets. There is now a persistent link to the Android Market at the top of the apps menu, which is really handy for instant access when hunting for that app you thought you installed.
Heading into the widgets tab lets you add them to the home screens. Previously this was done with a long press, which is now reserved for wallpaper changing. Widgets now behave very much like they do in Honeycomb - they are interactive, scrollable and can be resized too.
Lock screen and notifications
The lock screen of a smartphone at times seems like the front line of the OS wars. Android devices have been adding features to the lockscreen for some time and recently we saw Apple add to theirs; ICS has added unlock to camera, features a music widget and will also give you access to your notifications which you can drag down from the top.
This means you'll be able to head straight to particular notifications easily, although this existed previously in various different Android skins. It isn't a loophole to bypass device protection either, as engaging any of the security options will disable this.
When it comes to security, Google have introduced a fun new feature in Face Unlock. This isn't designed to be Pentagon-style retina scanning, but as Hugo Barra said "soft security". It's fun and lightweight, but Barra did admit that you could possibly unlock it with a photo, if you had one of sufficient size, resolution and quality. At least that avoids the need to tear off someone's head to unlock their phone.
You still get the option for pattern or PIN security and these options still exist as a backup if the Face Unlock doesn't work - for example if you are in a dark place, like bed, or walking down the street late at night.
We've seen a large number of manufacturers add shortcuts to the drop down notifications bar to toggle things like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. ICS doesn't give you any of these offerings, but does offer you access to the settings.
If you've been paying attention, you'll have noticed that there is an absence of a menu button in the controls, so you can't press menu>settings from the home screen to get to these things. Now you'll have to drag down the notifications and hit the icon.
One new feature in ICS that we haven't seen in Android before is the ability to swipe things away. It's a feature we liked in WebOS and we like the way it has been implemented in Android. From your notifications you'll be able to delete alerts by swiping them to the right. This removes them from the notifications list, so you don't have to look at them any more.
Multitasking, folders
The same swiping action that you get in notifications can also be used in your Recent list. Recent apps is a neat take on task switching. Previously you'd have to press and hold the home button to pop up a grid of recent apps. Now you'll be able to tap the Recent button and you get a live thumbnail of that app appear in a list. You can hit what you want to move to, or again, swipe to the right to get rid of that app.
It makes Android 4 feel more like an operating system that's been designed to multitask, rather than one that merely supports it. At this point we're not entirely sure if swiping a task off your Recent list actually closes it, suspends it, or just removes it from view, something we'll have to investigate in more detail when we get the chance to do a full and thorough review of Ice Cream Sandwich.
Folders have been available in Android for some time, but now you can drag one icon on to another to create a new folder. Yes, it's something that seems to have come from iOS and it works in exactly the same way. The nice thing about folders is that you can create them out of anything, so you can make a folder of your friends and dump it on your dock, so all your important numbers are just a couple of presses away.
Now, rather than having an icon with a label telling you the contents, the first app is the icon, with the other icons stacked behind. It is much more visually engaging than previously.
Those core Google apps
The Android experience is very much built around the core apps that it contains - Gmail, Maps, People, Calendar. It's these things that underpin a lot of what you do in Android, contacting people, arranging your life, staying connected. With Ice Cream Sandwich comes a run of changes. Of course, things like Gmail and Maps act as independent entities so have been refreshed regularly, but ICS adds a little more to the mix.
We have had a good look at Gmail and the biggest change is how you control the app. This is something that runs through ICS to reflect the loss of that menu button. Now you have a set of controls across the bottom of the screen - compose, search, labels, refresh and then those three dots that indicate you have more options to choose from.
This is one area that scaling of ICS is going to affect. On smaller devices you might not have the space for all those icons, so more will be in the "three dot" menu, with less on the bottom of the bar. On a tablet you will get more. It was clear to us that Google would like apps to operate in this way, presenting the immediate options where they can be seen, rather than requiring an additional button press to access them. That's not always the case, however, with ICS. One thing we can say about iOS is that it is very consistent in operation, and in some cases Android isn't, so you do still find menu options in different places in Google's core apps.
One area that has been revamped is People. Formerly Contacts, People now contains more integrated information aggregated from social networks. This isn't a new idea, as we've seen HTC Sense, Motoblur and others, incorporating details into contacts, but you now get a neat swipe action to navigate around the People app, moving from groups, to your list of contacts to favourites.
Big graphical icons are used, so there is a hint of Windows Phone 7 in the new People app, and entering a person's card will let you swipe across to see their social network updates. Interestingly, ICS moves on from using simple lists of names for people in address fields (in Gmail for example), instead using what Google is calling "People Chips".
Rather than having a list of addressees, you'll have their Chips, with a picture, which you can delete easily, or tap to change the address you're going to use. We didn't really get a chance to see this working in anger, something we'll have to put to task when we get another chance to play with Ice Cream Sandwich.
Calendar now behaves more like Honeycomb, so you can swipe from day-to-day, as well as being able to pinch to zoom in and out to get more or less detail on your calendar. These aren't especially new features as they were in Honeycomb and they seem to behave the same way as iOS calendars do on the iPhone.
Finally we had a good play with the browser. The thing we like about the browser is that it basically fills the whole screen and on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, that's a lot of screen. The browser is now better equipped for handling the Internet and acknowledges that people want a full internet experience.
One of the features we're most excited about is desktop mode. This has been a feature of third-party browsers for a while (Dolphin Browser HD, for example), but it will let you tell a website to offer you the full version of the site rather than the mobile version. It is easily toggled via the options, changing from mobile view to desktop view. Having this feature will be a real benefit now that screen sizes of phones are starting to expand.
Another new feature is the option to read later. Essentially this saves the page, images and all, so that you can open it up and read through it wherever you are. There is also the perennial favourite of Incognito for those sneaky-beaky browsing moments and bookmark syncing with Google Chrome on your PC.
You'll now be able to support up to 16 tabs in the browser and, like notifications and the Recent list, you'll be able to close browser tabs by swiping them away.
Of course, all these apps are pulled together by the keyboard, which has had updates to the prediction and correction algorithms. The haptics are very fine and felt comfortable on the Galaxy Nexus and the keyboard was swift and fast to respond to our exploratory pokes.
Speech to text is also really impressive, and still accessed as an option through the keyboard. Previously it would write in phrases, so you'd speak a bit and some text would appear. Now it is real time transcribing, which it really clever, so you can see the message appearing before your eyes. Of course, this all takes place on Google's servers, so you need a data connection for it to work.
Camera, Gallery
If the lock screen is the front line of smartphone war, then the camera seems to be the left flank. Google is looking to make their smartphone cameras even better with a range of features and options. This is in stark contrast to the iPhone which essentially gives you no options: Android ICS comes with a bucket load of choices. You can tweak all sorts of settings, but it's the effects that we find most attractive as you'll be able to do a lot without needing a separate app.
You'll find a range of options from Lomo effects to a vintage vignette. You'll also be able to edit photos from the Gallery app, cropping, rotating and so on to change the image quite drastically. This isn't destructive, you'll get a new image to save alongside the original pictures.
You'll get tap to focus as well as face detection, so if you don't tell it otherwise, it will pick out the faces to focus on. We found it to be fast to take shots and like before, sharing is at the fore, with one click sharing options from the image preview to any installed app that lets you share (thanks to Android's sharing API). There is also a sweep panorama option, which seemed easy enough to use, but we don't know what resolution the final image is.
You'll be able to capture full resolution images whilst shooting video too, as well as apply a range of settings to change the look of your video. Time lapse is now on offer and the results we've seen from time lapse look really impressive.
Both video and pictures can be accessed through the Gallery app as before, which now has a much more engaging interface - the empty space and dubious blurred background is now gone, with a new look that now is much more like Windows Phone 7 tiles.
Finally, you'll be able to take screenshots from the device.
Beam me up Android
Finally we come to Android Beam. Android Beam is an NFC function that's designed to make it easier to share things between mobile devices. Where you might have once sent details via email, or even used a QR code on the screen, now you can put devices back-to-back to enable sharing via Beam.
We've not had the chance to play with this extensively in the wild, but the examples we've seen in a controlled environment have been pretty exciting. Sharing things like maps is simply a case of pressing the "touch to Beam" message on the screen when in contact with another device.
Taking this a stage further though, it could be used to launch multiplayer games. The clever thing about the demo we've seen is that when the game wasn't installed on the second device, Android Market launched instead, so the game could be downloaded. It's clever stuff, and thanks to Android's open source approach, could find its way into other devices - something we've already seen demoed by Nokia with various accessories.
With each generation of a mobile OS, new features emerge. In the case of iOS, these features very often adopt something that was previously being done by an app. For Android, some of these features replace some of the tweaks made by manufacturers.
Having now spent a good couple of hours with Ice Cream Sandwich on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus we can't help feeling that manufacturers like HTC, LG and even Samsung themselves, face more of a challenge to bring their own stamp to Android. They will, we're sure, but so much of Android's core offering now looks very compelling as it is.
But with this pressure should come a great deal of innovation, which is what keeps Android exciting. If anything, Ice Cream Sandwich will make it easier for companies like ZTE and Huawei to release devices that feel sophisticated and complete.
For users of Gingerbread devices, Ice Cream Sandwich feels like quite a change. For users of Honeycomb tablets it feels like a logical combination and the look and feel will be very familiar.
Ice Cream Sandwich will be appearing on 1 November on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and from what we've seen so far, it's both an exciting update to Android, and a hugely impressive device. We will, of course, bring you a full Ice Cream Sandwich review when we have he Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the Pocket-lint labs.
Additional reporting by Stuart Miles


text:
seotap necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 70 diseños de 15 diseñadores freelance.
We need a logo for our website, business cards, stationary, and print publications.
SEO Tap L.L.C.
I'm looking for a good, custom graphic of a beer tap with handle or a water tap
I think it would look good if the text SEO is coming out of the tap, or ,SEO as the name of the beer tap handle - I like both of these ideas
We are a search engine optimization company specializing in organic search engine rankings and internet marketing. Our goal is to build a brand comparable to the biggest names in the SEO business (ie:seomoz.org).
We want a high quality, brandable logo for our company. We will be designing our website around the look of this logo, as well as stationary, business cards, and print publications.
What's the name mean?
SEO = Search Engine Optimization: In short, is the art of building backlinks, authority, and content on a website in order to boost its ranking in search engines like Google.
Tap = a spout, stemming from a barrel, well, keg, or stream that allows liquid to pass through when opened.
SEOTap - The concept: A tap, filled with SEO. When opened, the tap releases SEO to our clients.
(the logo doesn't necessarily have to represent this exact concept)
- Image/graphic of a beer tap with handle or water tap
- Colors: #9586f5 (text) #WHITE(text) dark background (like the header on the site)
- http://www.seotap.com
- Simple, yet bold Web 2.0 Style
- L.L.C. can be omitted or included
- Tap graphic - have fun with this idea, think outside of the box.
- tap dancing
- fire hydrant tap
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


text:
12/12/2014 11:14
Are you unsure what to buy the musician in your life? A Dolphin Music gift voucher is the easiest, most convenient gift you can give.
23/11/2010 11:25
Focusrite launch new plug-in based on Legendary Forte Console...
Choose the region you are shopping from to view products in your currency.


text:
Hi all,
im glad to announce an update of javascriptcompressor.com. During the last year we have received an increasing number of visitors so I decided it was time for an upgrade. I have opened a forum for discussion and the main page is now using the latest javascript compression algorithm from Dean Edwards.
Feel free to ask questions about the compressor in this forum or spread your knowledge about your favorite Javascript Framework in the forum.
Best,Anders V.
Hi Anders ,
Javascript compressor really helps a lot in Compressing and Obfuscating the Javascript code.Is there is a way to decompress or revert the compressed js and get the original human readable javascript?Please let me know
Hi Vasanth, im glad you like the compressor. Currently its only possible to decompress the code right after you have compressed it. However, it should be an easy task to copy the javascript code (the compressor build by Dean Edwards) and run the decompress function on your code.
In the future I may add this functionality to javascriptcompressor.com.


text:
The snowstorm that battered the area looks to be the 3rd biggest on record in Chicago.
As of noon 20.2 inches of snow was recorded at O'Hare International Airport, putting the storm ahead of the infamous storm of January 1979 that left 18.8 inches and was widely considered a factor in the mayoral race.
The storm has already set another record: Feb. 1 was the snowiest February day recorded in Chicago.
Asked if the storm was matching predictions, weather service meteorologist Gino Izzi said, "As it turns out, I think it's pretty safe to say we nailed it."
Following are the five top winter storms to hit Chicago:
1. 23.0 inches on Jan. 26-27, 1967
2. 21.6 inches on Jan .1-3, 1999
3. 20.2 inches on Feb. 1-2, 2011
4. 19.2 inches on March 25-26, 1930
5. 18.8 inches on Jan. 13-14, 1979


text:
Welcome to the Trilogy Apartments Online Application
Freeman Webb Company does business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Law. We do not discriminate in the rental of housing based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or handicap. In order to ensure consistency the following criteria shall be used in qualifying each applicant applying to live at a Freeman Webb Company community.
Any additional qualifying criteria for any particular property will be provided upon request.
Criminal Background Screening:
A criminal background search is performed on each person applying to live at a Freeman Webb-managed community. It is our policy not to accept prospective residents who have been convicted of certain felonies or serious misdemeanors which would indicate that they pose a threat to the apartment community. An independent consumer reporting agency processes criminal background searches using a sophisticated multi-state criminal search and decision system that objectively categorizes criminal records based on offense type and disposition. Decisions are returned automatically based on predetermined criteria. Each rejection is then individually screened to be sure the record reflects an actual conviction and warrants a rejection based upon an individualized assessment of the entire record. The factors which will be considered are: a) the seriousness of the crime; b) the recency of the crime; c) the number of convictions on the record; and, d) the person's history since conviction. The application of anyone with a pending charge will be held until there is a final determination. Some examples of crimes which may warrant a rejection include, but are not limited to, sexual offenses, homicide, kidnapping, any crimes of violence against a person, arson, and crimes involving the selling or manufacturing of drugs. An automatic denial will occur should an applicant appear on the list of known terrorists and wanted fugitives as provided by the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) or other federal, state, or local agency. A clean record for five (5) years or more may result in eligibility to lease except in the case of the more serious felonies, depending on the other factors above.
If your application is rejected based on the discovery of public records that indicate an unacceptable criminal background, you will be given the name, address, and telephone number of the consumer reporting agency that provided the criminal background report An applicant who is rejected based on such a criminal background report may obtain a copy of the report and may initiate an investigation to have any erroneous information contained in the report corrected. The consumer reporting agency will advise you of the actions that you may take in order to do so.
I have read and fully understand the terms and conditions set forth in this application. I understand that this application is a part of my lease agreement especially those areas regarding fees. I certify that the information given herein is complete, true and correct. I hereby authorize management to make appropriate inquires as to the authenticity of the information provided above.
I have the right to make a written request within a reasonable period of time for a complete and accurate disclosure of additional information concerning the nature and scope of this investigation. I understand that CoreLogic SafeRent, LLC will compile the report and that I may obtain this information by writing directly to: Consumer Relations P.O. Box 509124 San Diego, CA 92150.
I understand that by submitting this application via e-mail, I have agreed to the aforementioned credit, residential and employment inquiries. Further, I understand that upon receipt of the completed application and applicable fees and deposits, Freeman Webb Company will begin processing the information contained herein and that any false information will constitute grounds for rejection of the application or termination of any future agreement.
Freeman Webb Company will not be responsible for maintaining the security of information transmitted via the Internet. The choice to submit this application to Freeman Webb Company via the web is voluntary. Freeman Webb Company will not be held liable for maintaining the security of the personal information that is contained herein. If you wish not to send this application via e-mail, you may print out this application and mail it to the management office with the application fee check.
Please choose "I agree" to continue.
Print Application