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With AAA game profitability making publishers nervous, are Sony and Microsoft really going to release next-generation consoles in 2013 that are 4X as powerful and 10X more expensive to develop for as happens every successive generation? While I'd love to see what such hardware looks like, the numbers just don't add up.
I remember the good old days of the mid-to-late '90s when a sub $2 million budget was considered mighty healthy. With those numbers, you could sell 250k copies of a PlayStation title and live to fight another day. Today, the AAA market is so broken that if you sell 2 million copies, the game is considered a failure and your studio will likely be shut down. With games costing as much as $50 million to develop and over $100 million to market (on the extreme end), the stakes are high.
The thing is, as a gadget nerd I shed a tear to think we're stuck with what we've got. I want cool new technology. Yeah the XBOX 360 is great, but it's 5 years old now. I want the new hotness. But there's no real magic bullet to solving production costs. Middleware, slave labor camps, and pretending everyone has a job and laying them off every time a game ships have all been tried to no avail.
Perhaps the newer consoles need to iterate on the business model to make developing for new hardware more attractive by discovering new revenue sources. As we've already discussed, console manufacturers' doomed gatekeeping efforts keep innovation at bay. Publishers are not allowed to find new sources of revenue unless explicitly told to do so by the platform mother ship. You are ordered to spend 10s of millions of dollars to put a game in a box and watch it die.
A lot of what keeps new business models from breaking out on consoles is the reliance on retail. Digital distribution is great–we've seen it revolutionize the game industry on Facebook and mobile phones. But it hasn't really taken hold on consoles yet for AAA releases. I believe part of the reason is because retailers will not support a machine where they don't make any money off of game sales. Why sell a PS4 when your customers are never going to return to your store to buy physical discs? It's going to get ugly–Just look at some of the tantrums thrown over the PSP Go.
Maybe the next generation of consoles should be sold like cell phones. You buy a XBOX 720 at a subsidized discount. This puts in you into a 2 year service contract for a premium XBOX Live subscription where you can digitally rent AAA titles with an option to buy and play f2p microtransaction games as well. To keep the retailer happy, every store that sells a console gets a cut of the customer's subscription fee.
Huge swaths of the US have spotty bandwidth, so a streaming digital media console isn't going to work for everyone. Whatever machines Sony and Microsoft are cooking up will probably still have to have traditional disc based media as another option. Especially Sony–considering minor patches to PS3 games take hours to download for no apparent reason.
Perhaps next generation technology will focus more on streaming content than cutting edge techniques in 3D graphics. You can already see examples of what I mean in Blizzard's streaming World of Warcraft client. You can start playing before it's finished downloading. And yeah–I've played both OnLive and Gaikai, but I'm not a fan. They are both too laggy and have too many streaming video artifacts.
Ultimately, this post is useless. There's probably developers right now already working on this next-generation hardware in some way–so they already know what the upcoming solution looks like. Still, I needed to keep the blog updated in a futile attempt to unseat that stock car racing guy from my egosurfing search results.


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The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Fieldwork (Oxford Handbooks in Linguistics)
List Price: 175.00*
* Individual store prices may vary.
Other Editions of This Title:
Paperback (11/11/2014)
This book offers a state-of-the-art guide to linguistic fieldwork, reflecting its collaborative nature across the subfields of linguistics and disciplines such as astronomy, anthropology, biology, musicology, and ethnography. Experienced scholars and fieldworkers explain the methods and approaches needed to understand a language in its full cultural context and to document it accessibly and enduringly. They consider the application of new technological approaches to recording and documentation, but never lose sight of the crucial relationship between subject and researcher. The book is timely: an increased awareness of dying languages and vanishing dialects has stimulated the impetus for recording them as well as the funds required to do so. The Handbook is an indispensable source, guide, and reference for everyone involved in linguistic and cultural fieldwork.
Oxford University Press, USA, 9780199571888, 545pp.
Publication Date: February 20, 2012
About the Author
Nicholas Thieberger is a linguist who has worked with speakers of Warnman, from Western Australia and South Efate, a language from central Vanuatu. His grammar of South Efate broke new ground to include citable data linked to an archival version of the primary recordings. He is interested in developments in e-humanities methods and their potential to improve research practice, and is currently developing methods for creating reusable data sets from fieldwork on previously unrecorded languages. He is the project officer with the multi-institutional Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures (PARADISEC.org.au), a databank that holds 3,000 hours of digitised audio files. He was an Assistant Professor in linguistics at the University of Hawai'i and is currently an Australian Research Council QEII Fellow at the University of Melbourne.
Not Currently Available for Direct Purchase

subset: commoncrawl


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House District 42 special Republican primary is today
Republican voters in Chilton and Autauga County go to the polls Tuesday to vote for who they want to represent them in the Alabama House of Representatives.
The Alabama House of Representatives District 42 seat represents Autauga and Chilton Counties.
The seat was made vacant after State Rep. Jimmy Martin, R-Clanton, passed away after a battle with lung cancer.
Four Republicans are on today's primary ballot.
The Republican candidates include Chilton County Commissioner Allen Caton, Chilton County Commissioner Jimmie Hardee, Van Smith and Shannon Welch.
Commissioner Hardee previously ran for the office in the 2018 Republican primary but was defeated by Martin.
The Business Council of Alabama, ALFA, and the Alabama Forestry Association has endorsed Smith.
The winner of the Republican primary will face Democrat Kennith Allison Sr. in the special general election.
The special Republican primary runoff election will be held on Nov. 5. If no runoff is necessary, then the special general election will be held on Nov. 5 instead. If a runoff is necessary, then the special general election will be Jan. 21.
Today is also the deadline for independents or minor party candidates to qualify for ballot access. All paper work, including the required ballot access petitions must be turned in to the Alabama Secretary of State's office before 5 p.m. today. Doug Ward has been working to get ballot access in the special election as a Libertarian.
Martin represented HD42 from 1998 to 2010 and again from 2014 to his death in May.
As of the 2010 census, 48,338 people lived in HD42. The population is 82.1 percent white and 11.5 percent black.
Voters who want to participate in today's election must bring a valid photo ID with them to the polls.
Voters must vote at the polling place to which they are assigned. Alabama has no electronic voting or same day registration so you must already be a HD42 registered voter.
(Original reporting by Ballotpedia contributed to this report.)
Kirk Hatcher's (potential) problem with the Hatch Act
Hatcher is set to face former Rep. John Knight in a special election runoff on Dec. 15.
Is Kirk Hatcher eligible to run for public office? That might seem like an easy question to answer, given that Hatcher has represented Alabama's 78th House District since 2018 and is currently the overwhelming favorite to win a special election for the District 26 state Senate seat.
But on Monday, a question about Hatcher's eligibility — specifically, whether the Hatch Act would prohibit him from holding public office because of his employment as director of Head Start in Montgomery — sent Hatcher's staff scrambling.
While assuring APR that Hatcher is "absolutely eligible" to run, his spokesperson, Ashley Roseboro, forwarded a redacted opinion that Roseboro said the campaign requested and received from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
Roseboro said the opinion stated that "Rep. Hatcher is in full compliance with the Hatch Act."
However, that opinion, after the redactions were removed by APR, turned out to be from 2014 and for a nonprofit named Opportunities for Otsego, located in upstate New York. It did not address Hatcher's specific situation, and it obviously did not find him in "full compliance."
The Hatch Act is a federal law in place to prevent federally funded programs from engaging in political activities and to restrict the political activities of federal employees and employees whose salaries are funded by federal grants. In Hatch Act guidance issued by various agencies online, Head Start programs and their employees are specifically mentioned as examples of workers who cannot participate in political activities during working hours or run for or hold partisan public office.
As the director of Montgomery's Head Start program within the Montgomery Community Action Partnership, Hatcher would seem to fall under that limitation. However, there are a few exceptions to that general rule, mostly based on how federal funds are distributed and controlled at the state and local level.
According to the Otsego opinion, which outlines the general funding setup for Otsego County's Head Start programs, it seems likely that the Head Start program in Montgomery also operates on federal grant dollars and has local control of how that money is spent.
In that case, according to the Office of Special Counsel in the Otsego opinion, Hatcher, as the Head Start director, would be ineligible to hold partisan public office if his salary was fully funded by federal money.
APR asked Roseboro if Hatcher's salary was partially funded by sources other than federal funds. He declined to answer, saying only that "Rep. Hatcher is eligible to hold public office."
Late Monday night, Roseboro sent a final email acknowledging that the initial opinion he sent APR was not prepared for the Hatcher campaign, as he previously stated. Instead, he said the campaign was directed to that opinion by the Office of Special Counsel when it called seeking guidance regarding Hatcher and the Hatch Act. Roseboro said the campaign also spoke with attorneys at the Special Counsel's office, but specifics about those conversations or when they took place were not provided.
The email also contained a statement from Hatcher: "My candidacy for State Senate is not in violation of the Hatch Act and I am in compliance with all state and federal election laws. I am excited about finishing this race as people have shown that they are ready to move forward with new leadership and continue to maximize Montgomery's opportunities and potential."
The email did not offer an explanation of how Hatcher is in compliance with the Hatch Act or what specific exception he is relying on.
Hatcher is set to face former Rep. John Knight in a special election runoff on Dec. 15. The winner of that runoff is almost certain to become the District 26 state senator.
Insiders say former Rep. April Weaver is "frontrunner" for Senate District 14
Multiple GOP insiders say former Alabama State Rep. April Weaver is a frontrunner to replace State Sen. Cam Ward.
The surprise announcement on Tuesday that State Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, had been tapped by Gov. Kay Ivey to serve as director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles sent the political chattering class into overdrive with speculation of who would replace him in the state Senate.
"April Weaver is a clear frontrunner if she jumps in the race," said a prominent Republican.
Multiple insiders echoed the same sentiment while asking not to be identified in this report to avoid the appearance of trying to influence party politics.
"I think she's the top contender should she decide to run," said another.
Replacing Ward, a third-term Alabama senator representing Senate District 14, requires that Ivey announce a special election to fill the vacant seat.
Weaver was a member of the Alabama House representing the 49th district from 2010 to 2020 when she resigned in May to take a position as regional director for Region IV of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Trump administration.
If elected to the upper chamber, she would be the only Republican woman currently serving in the Senate. There are four women serving in the Senate's Democratic caucus, all of them Black, while the Republican caucus is dominated by white men.
A career nurse, Weaver, in 2015, became the first woman in state history appointed chair of the House Health Committee. In addition to serving as chair of that committee for five legislative sessions, she also chaired the Shelby County House Delegation and as a member of the Rules, Internal Affairs, and State Government committees.
As a federal employee, Weaver cannot engage in political affairs and had no comment on the rumors.
Upon her appointment by President Donald Trump, she said: "Serving in the Alabama House of Representatives has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to represent the people of House District 49 for the past ten years."
She continued, "I am forever grateful for the trust and confidence they have placed in me as their Representative, and I am deeply honored to have been chosen to join the Trump Administration. I am excited to be able to use my skills and experience at a national level during this unprecedented time, and I look forward to supporting President Trump's initiatives and serving the people of our nation."
Weaver lives in Senate District 14.
Voters once again heading back to the polls in Montgomery
For the sixth time in three years, Democratic voters will go to the polls on Tuesday to select a Democratic nominee.
Don't complain about election fatigue to the voters in Alabama's 26th senate district. For the sixth time in three years, Democratic voters will go to the polls on Tuesday to select a Democratic nominee.
They will vote at least once more to ultimately fill the seat, and will likely be forced to do so twice more if none of the six candidates receives at least 50 percent of the vote. Should a primary runoff be needed, it will be held on Dec. 15. The general election to fill the seat will be held on March 2.
The never-ending string of elections for the seat began in late 2017, when former state Sen. Quinton Ross resigned to accept the job as Alabama State University's president. That began a string of elections won by now former Sen. David Burkette.
Burkette won three elections in 2017 (a primary, a primary runoff and general election) and two more in 2018 to earn the seat.
Things did not go well.
Before he served a day, Burkette suffered a debilitating stroke that left him in a wheelchair. Then, earlier this year, he was indicted on charges of misusing campaign funds. He ultimately reached a plea deal with the Alabama Attorney General's Office that saw him resign his seat and be charged only with a misdemeanor.
And now, the cycle starts all over.
The six Democrats vying for the position are: Linda Burkette, the wife of David Burkette; current Montgomery Rep. Kirk Hatcher, who recently sponsored the count property tax increase; former longtime Rep. John Knight, who was Burkette's top foe in the five previous elections; Janet May, the former chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Conference; current state Rep. Tashina Morris; and Deborah Anthony, a retired research analyst who's never held public office.
Former Montgomery City Councilman William Green is the only Republican running and will face the ultimate winner in March.
Barring a shift in the universe, the winner of the Democratic primary will ultimately win the seat. Burkette received about 80 percent of the vote in his general election wins.
Opinion | A question for Alabama Republican voters
You won last Tuesday. But let me ask you this: What did you win?
Let's chat, Republican voters. Now that the election is over and emotions have returned to just short of a five-alarm fire, I'd like to lay a few things out for you. Things just to consider. Things that maybe you'll carry with you in the future. And then, I have a question for you.
Let's begin here: You won last Tuesday. Convincingly.
No two ways about it, the Republican candidates in this state mostly crushed their Democratic competition, a few statehouse races in Dem strongholds notwithstanding. In the all-important statewide race at the top of this state's ticket — Sen. Doug Jones vs. Republican Tommy Tuberville — there was a convincing Tuberville win.
So, congratulations.
But let me ask you this: What did you win?
Not, "what did the party win," but what did you win personally? These elections aren't about the team winning. They're about public representation that best reflects your interests and values.
That's what a representative government is about, right? Electing people who will go to D.C. or Montgomery or your local courthouse and get the things done that are important to you.
So, did you get that?
Well, let's take a look.
According to a 2018 Public Affairs Research Council study completed in Alabama, these were the top five issues for state voters: 1. Public education, 2. Healthcare, 3. Government corruption and ethics, 4. Mental health and substance abuse, and 5. Poverty.
Obviously, a few things have happened since then, so I think it's safe to say we can include the economy and global health crises in the top seven.
And I also know from the campaign ads and constant comments on social media sites that replacing justices on the Supreme Court (mostly in an effort to overturn the legalization of abortion) is high on the list. In fact, it was most often the single topic listed by voters and the single reason many said they were voting against Jones.
So, there's your list of important issues. Did your elected officials have a plan to address any of those things?
In short, no. I checked. And you can too.
Go to the websites for Tuberville, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Mike Rogers, Barry Moore and Jerry Carl — those are the U.S. senator and representatives elected in Alabama last week — and see if you can locate their specific plans for any of those things.
Hell, half of them don't even list education — your No. 1 priority — on their websites.
On your No. 2 issue, healthcare, the responses are so laughably stupid, it's frankly hard to believe that adults wrote them. Every single one of them wants to "repeal and replace Obamacare." None of them specify exactly what they plan to replace it with.
Let me put that another way: They want to take healthcare away from hundreds of thousands of Alabamians, in the middle of a pandemic, and just hope that insurance companies and hospitals behave appropriately and don't mistreat anyone.
Let's be real here. These guys got elected because they're on the R team, and because you've been led to believe that the most important vote that can be cast is one for the people who will choose our next Supreme Court justice.
And you believe that because you have the misguided notion that the Supreme Court will one day overturn Roe v. Wade and ban abortions, which will magically eliminate all abortions. You also believe the high court will do other things, like repeal Obamacare or overturn precedent allowing gay marriage.
Bad news: None of those things are going to happen. Just this week, the court, despite a 6-3 conservative majority, sent strong signals that the latest attempt to kill Obamacare will be unsuccessful.
In June, the court upheld an opinion that blocked a Louisiana law requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals before they can perform an abortion. The law was designed to limit abortion clinics in the state.
In October, the court declined to even hear the case of a former Kentucky clerk who was jailed for failing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Now, we could get into the technical legal reasons behind those decisions, but they all essentially boil down to this: The rulings in the major cases on abortion, Obamacare and gay marriage weren't made flippantly. And once they were made, they became precedent for the court and incredibly hard to overturn.
But don't take my word for it. Go read the opinions in the cases I mentioned. Read the analysis from legal scholars. Read the words of the justices.
And when you finish, ask yourself this: If these conservative judges are going to behave like responsible judges then what exactly am I getting out of all these Republican votes?
Our schools are in bad shape. Our health care system is failing. We're going to have to open a new prison just for convicted Republican lawmakers and elected officials at the rate we're going. We're at the top of the charts on poverty. And we have one of the highest death rates in the world for COVID.
What else do we need to fail at before you'll consider voting for someone who has some idea what they plan to do? No, really, I'm asking.


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The Finish Line Youth Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the leading sports products dealer, Finish Line. The foundation was formed to give back to the youth in areas where the company's employees and customers are found. The foundation aims to make a difference by giving grants to youth in community centers and disadvantaged neighborhoods.
FLYF is also involved in a fundraising effort to gather money that is used for grants to deserving non-profit organizations all over the country. The funds are raised through a holiday fundraising effort that is carried out during the holiday season in all Finish Line outlets as well as through its online store. The fundraising drives have raised an astonishing $7 million plus since inception.
Finish Line Youth Foundation Mission
In order to understand what drives the members of FLYF, it is important to have a preview of the foundation's simple but powerful mission statement. It reads "The Finish Line Youth Foundation strives to make a difference in the lives of youth in the communities where employees and customers live, work and play."
Brief Background of the Finish Line Youth Foundation
Due to its active involvement in the community, one may be forgiven to think that the FLYF has been around for ages. The truth is that the foundation was started in 1998 when the top leaders of Finish Line felt a need to give back to the community as appreciation for the support extended to the company.
The high level of support from the community has ensured that Finish Line remains as one best sports products distributors in the country and beyond. The board of the foundation has always been made up of key managers from Finish Line organization. However, this position has recently changed with the introduction of two directors from outside the company.
What is the Finish Line Youth Foundation interested in funding
Being a sports company, it is not surprising that the company is keen to offering its support to sports based activities. The foundation has a passion for ensuring that youth in community centers and those from underprivileged backgrounds benefit a lot from its initiatives. The foundation normally provides funding for youth athletics programs and established sports camps.
You may qualify for funding from the foundation if:
- You run a sports camp that improves fitness levels in kids with special needs or those from disadvantaged backgrounds
- You are involved in a project that is nurturing athletics talent anywhere in the country
- If you run a project that offers opportunities for youth under 18 through sports, you are the types of person the foundation is looking for
- In case you run a project located near a Finish Line store that adds value to the immediate community through sports, you are likely to catch the attention of the foundation
A few grants that the Finish Line Youth Foundation has offered recently
If you have been wondering what the FLYF has been up to, you will be pleased to know that it has been doing a lot of good in society. A case in point is the grants the foundation gave out in quarter 4 of 2013 that totaled almost $100,000. These grants were extended to non-profit organizations that were found to be involved in offering athletics services to the disabled and the disadvantaged.
Some of the beneficiaries included:
- The Foundation for Dreams in Florida needed some money to fund a playground for kids with special needs. It received 25,000 from FLYF in order to create an environment that would allow the kids to interact as they played.
- The Camp Joy Foundation in Ohio was chosen for a grant to support its camp scholarships for underprivileged children.
- The Helping Hands Center For Special needs based in Ohio was offered a grand of $5,000 to support its summer camp for children with Autism.
- The Nevada Diabetes Association was the recipient of a rant of $5,000 in support of a summer camp that the association was planning for children with diabetes.
- The Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania was awarded a grant of $5,000 for its efforts in organizing an overnight recreation camp for children with kidney disease alongside their friends and family.
- The Jameson Inc in Indianapolis was selected for a grant of $5,000 for choosing to hold a summer camp for kids affected by HIV/AIDS.
The above examples represent a few of the many organizations that were awarded grants of various amounts for their role in performing an important role of offering hope to children in difficult situations. It is instructive to note that the examples presented above are just a fraction of the grants given out within one quarter. The FLYF is busy all through the year; therefore it processes a huge number of grants.
Finish Line Youth Foundation makes donations of over $1 million
During the last quarter of 2014, FLYF made a number of donations that were worth more than $1 million. The funds were raised from the foundation's highly successful holiday fundraising campaign.
The bulk of the funds totaling 947,000 were raised for the Special Olympics Team and the funds were raised from the Finish Line stores as well as the Finish Line online sales platform, finishline.com.
The rest of the funds were given out as grants to 17 non-profit organizations as well as 10 states. The huge amounts underlined the confidence of the public in the initiatives of the foundation and the level of trust and support it enjoys among the general public. It is clear that the public understand great initiatives when they see them hence their outstanding support during the holiday season fundraising efforts.
Other types of grants from the foundation
The foundation has also set aside funds in the region of $5,000 to $25,000 to be used to assist organizations that suffer emergencies that hamper their efforts to serve their communities. Some of the emergencies listed include natural or fire disasters. This emergency grant is known as the Founder's Grant.
The foundation also has the Legacy Grant that offers donations ranging from $10,000 to $75,000. This grant will be used to fund deserving organizations that need assistance in projects such a constructing buildings or renovation of their sports grounds. The grant can also be used to purchase or improve a new property when need be.
Based on the information above it is clear that the Finish Line Youth Foundation is making a positive difference in the community. Judging from the amount of funds raised so far, it appears that the foundation can expect to receive more money in the coming years to continue with its highly effective donations.


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Every decade has its magician. The early 20th century belonged to Harry Houdini, until the top-hatted Leon Mandrake came along. The Great Blackstone was followed by Canada's Magic Tom Auburn and, in the 1970s, Doug Henning. David Copperfield owned the 1980s. Siegfried & Roy hit the Vegas big-time in the 1990s, a decade that also saw Penn & Teller make a splash, and the '00s belonged to David Blaine and Criss Angel.
While it remains to be seen what illusionist's name will be famous when we look back at the current decade, there is at least a possibility that a Calgarian will make the list. Kade Mazury—a.k.a. The Great Kadeini of Hidden Valley—has the makings of a memorable magician.
The great magicians of the world were attracted to their craft for a variety of reasons (Copperfield did it to "fit in." Angel loved the power of knowing how to do something most adults didn't understand), but what they all share is an obsessive gene. Like Mazury's hero, Houdini, who was performing for audiences at the age of nine, Mazury, age 10, has been practising his mad, magical skills since he was a pre-schooler. Unlike Houdini, however, Mazury has had the benefit of YouTube.
For the past couple of years, while his friends are at soccer and hockey practices, Mazury has studiously watched and learned sleight-of-hand tricks from online videos, including his signature disappearing marshmallows act. "I just love the fact that not a lot of people can do what I do, and I love making their jaws drop," says the Grade 5 student. (He also twists balloons; last Valentine's Day he made pink and red balloon puppies for every kid in his class.)
As for his aspirations, Mazury—who's still buzzing from his first professional gig last weekend at a four-year-old's birthday party—just wants what every 10-year-old wants: own a hotel in Vegas and headline his own shows.
If he pulls that one off, the trick that makes his name will become forever known as The Escape from Hidden Valley.


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When I was a kid, probably no more than six or seven, we had a makeshift baseball diamond in the neighbor's yard. There was a knot on a railroad tie that represented home plate, and a crack on the retaining wall opposite that served as second base. Our summers used to be filled with games in that yard, from shortly after chores were finished to the fading glimmers of sunset – well after what would have been our school-year bedtimes. Scraped knees were a regular occurrence on slide attempts into the sidewalk that marked third base, and a buddy of mine had a flat spot on his forehead for quite a while after a diving attempt into the cement home run fence, but there wasn't a lot of property damage to worry about.
Until Scottie came to play with us one day. Scottie was one of the older kids in the neighborhood, about six years older than me, and his early adolescent strength turned my weak ground balls into towering home runs. That fateful summer day, one of those long fly balls turned into a shattered window on another neighbor's house. We were all stunned, partly because we had never thought of that happening, but mostly because none of us could hit the ball that hard. I have always admired a lot of things about Scottie, and one of those things is his integrity. I don't know if he was the man of integrity he is today at twelve years old or if there were just too many witnesses to keep it a secret, but it didn't take long for parents to be involved with covering the window and checking the price for repairs. Scottie took responsibility for the mishap, but as a twelve year old, I can't imagine he had a huge stack of cash to cover the fix. He spent part of the rest of the summer working it off with an extra-long chore list, but he made sure to make things right, beyond just an apology and a fresh start.
There is a phrase that Rabbis often use that translates to "Repairers of the World", taken from Isaiah 58. It signifies the partnership between God and humans as working together to show glimpses of what it looks like when the intended life of the devout bumps up against the fallen systems and broken relationships of the world. For example, when the ideas of Jubilee and gleaning laws – the intended economy – contrast with the scarcity mentality and hoarding that often accompanies today's economy, the devout are called to be Repairers of the World and offer the world glimpses of a "better way" as they practiced what God had called them to. God casts the vision and outlines the plan, and then empowers his people to act it out in a way that brings dignity to the marginalized and helps repair the world.
I had the chance to hear Dr. Brenda Salter-McNeil preach last week at a conference, which I assumed was going to be largely about her recent book The Roadmap to Reconciliation. I had read the book already and my pastor had already preached on it for a couple of months, so I was pretty familiar with the topic. While I really appreciated the book and it's themes, my critique at the time was that it didn't feel like reconciliation was "done" at the end of the roadmap. It seemed a little bit too accommodating, and I wish it had concluded with some harder truths. In many ways, it felt like how a lot of white folks talk about racial tensions. If every white person is just nice to every black or brown person, racism will be over. If we can just forget about the past, we can start fresh from right now and put everything else behind us.
That might work for a couple of kids who got in a fight, or in a relationship between folks of equal status. But that doesn't describe racial reconciliation in the least bit. A simple apology and a "forgive and forget" mentality doesn't really begin to make things right.
The US has endured 400 years of slavery, 90 years of Jim Crow segregation, and 70 years of racially restrictive housing discrimination. Not to mention a candidate for president that has normalized and mainstreamed a white supremacy fueled backlash against the first person of color to ever preside over the Oval Office. But in contrast to the #NeverForget theme of 9/11, people of color are just told to get over it.
Starting over fresh often doesn't make things right. Where is the church as we follow our calling to repair the world?
You know, the idea of reparations comes from the same word. As Dr. Brenda said in her speech, what "reparations" really means is to repair what is broken. You know something that is broken? The way that the United States has mistreated its black population from the moment that first slave ship landed in the colonies. So yes, of course I'm in favor of reparations. But writing a check isn't going to solve all the problems. I'm talking about the hard and painful work of actually repairing what is broken.
In the City of Chicago, the median wage gap is $10. That basically means that the average black employee makes $10 less than the average white employee per hour. Over the course of a 40 hour work week, that is $400, over the course of a year more than $20,000. No wonder many minority families are working twice as long and just as hard as their average white counterpart. The national median family wealth gap is absurd: for white families over $125,000, while black families have less than $12,000. I know this dispels some of the Welfare Queen myths that Reaganites like to trumpet, but what can you say to someone who works two jobs at minimum wage and still qualifies for nutrition assistance. Where is the church as we follow our calling to repair the world?
We don't always know what to do, but we can't do nothing. If the church is to have any credibility in the world, we have to get over our Christendom-era entitlement and stop siding on the side of the oppressors. Jesus talks about how hard it is for the rich to get into heaven, but the largest churches in the country are filled with them. They refuse to talk about the things that Jesus talked about the most in favor of a cheapened and pathetically dichotomized gospel that talks a lot about souls going to heaven but very little about how radical our lives are supposed to look here on earth. We have surrendered our birthright for a bowl of soup, our prophetic uniqueness for the riches of this world. Jacob knows who comes out ahead in that trade, but why don't we?


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Celebrate Michael Jackson's Birthday, By Listening To A Previously Unreleased Jackson 5 Tune
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Today, Michael Jackson would be celebrating his 54th birthday. His body of work is quite amazing especially during the Jackson 5 era. Yesterday, a two-disc compilation called Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls was released and it features previously unreleased tracks from the Jackson 5. The compilation features various covers and this tune called "If The Shoe Don't Fit," which you can hear over at NPR.
88Nine Radio Milwaukee


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TRIBUTES have been paid to a retired GP who has died in car crash in the New Forest.
Annie Baughan, 61, of The Close, Sway, died at the scene of the collision, which occurred on the A337 between Brockenhurst and Lyndhurst last Thursday.
She was driving a Skoda Fabia which was in collision with a lorry near the entrance to New Park, Brockenhurst - home of the annual New Forest Show.
In a statement her family said: "It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of Annie Baughan; beloved wife, mum, sister, auntie and a dear friend to so many.
"Annie was a huge part of community life in Sway and beyond. She practised as a GP in New Milton under her maiden name, Dr Rutherford, until her retirement last year. She is so loved and much missed."
A police spokesman said investigations into the accident were ongoing.
Anyone who has information about the collision, or has dash cam footage taken at the time, can call police on 101, quoting incident number 44190195019.


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Posted in Blog, Tips and How Tos
Small Business Tips: Take Time to Enjoy the Little Things
When you find the business that inspires you to become an entrepreneur and try to make it in the small business world, it can be both exhilarating and terrifying. However, it's that fear of failure that can motivate you to thrive on that exhilaration and push through the tough times. For most entrepreneurs in the …Read More


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Tips & Tools for NGO Financial Management
It's no secret: managing a non-profit's finances is tough. Non-profit organizations are pushed to think creatively about how to do more with less. Sources of income are inconsistence and donations come with strings attached.
On October 20, 2010, GlobalGiving hosted two webinars on Financial Management presented by Denise Phelps, the Treasurer of Maryland School for the Deaf and Civitan Club. During this one-hour training, Denise shared tips and tools for managing an organization's finances including:
- what to include in a policies and procedures manual;
- how to record cash flow;
- suggestions for responsible budgeting;
- how to monitor fixed assets;
- what to include in annual reports;
- and much more!
You can see Denise's slides here.
Denise encouraged all webinar participants to use the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation's NGO Financial Management Pocket Guide which includes additional information on financial management and useful worksheets for bank reconciliation, budgeting, etc.


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The Greens Aren't Very Nice, Are They?
Posted by greg2213 on May 27, 2010
Update 8/6/11:
Recently, radical environmentalists have waged a campaign to stifle free enterprise and economic freedom. Here are some of their recent skirmishes, ranging from crop destruction in Australia to attacks on toy companies like Lego and Disney…
Original Post:
C3 Headlines notes some of the things the alarmists have said about the skeptics. Brings back fond memories of the Spanish Inquisition… I guess they feel their gravy train is being threatened.
From: Hate Unleashed: What's Driving The Hate Speech & Violence Threats of Global Warmistas?
- James Hansen of NASA wanted trials for climate skeptics, accusing them of high crimes against humanity
- Robert Kennedy Jr. called climate skeptics traitors
- Yvo de Boer of the UN called climate skepticism criminally irresponsible
- David Suzuki called for politicians who ignore climate science to be jailed
- DeSmogBlog's James Hoggan wants skeptics treated as war criminals (video)
- Grist called for Nuremberg trials for skeptics
- Joe Romm encourages the idea that skeptics will be strangled in their beds
- A blogger at TPM pondered when it would be acceptable to execute climate deniers
- Heidi Cullen of The Weather Channel called for skeptical forecasters to be decertified
- Bernie Sanders compared climate skeptics to Nazi appeasers.
- [Not to mention Greenpeace declaring that "they know where you live"] Here's the current page, where Greeenpeace posts its case for "that quote was taken WAY out of context," and here's an article regarding the original post. Hopefully GP took the writer into a dark back room and made it very clear to the fellow that their goal is to win hearts and minds, not spit on them. Personally, I think they took him into the party room and gave him a round of "high-fives."
ClimateQuotes collects, you guessed it, quotes from other wild and wacky alarmist types. For example, here's their Al Gore page.
And then, there are various other quotes by various extreme types…
Let's not forget the 10:10 video. These are such lovely people.


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See how fertile you are! Get your personal and free fertility report!
What is implantation and when does it happen?
Fertilization takes place before implantation and occurs when the sperm joins with the egg. Implantation occurs when the fertilized egg (the blastocyst/embryo) attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. On average, implantation takes place 9 days after ovulation/fertilization. It normally takes between 6-12 days for the developing embryo to reach the uterus and attach to the uterine lining. Implantation is usually considered the beginning of pregnancy. At this early stage of prenatal development, the embryo is often called a blastocyst.
Learn about implantation with Obie
What happens with the pregnancy hormone hCG during implantation?
As soon as the blastocyst implants, it emits the pregnancy hormone hCG (or human chorionic gonadotropin) into the mother's bloodstream.
The hCG can first be detected in the blood about 3-4 days after implantation, and this is when a positive blood test can confirm a pregnancy. The urine pregnancy test becomes positive 1-2 days later. That is often several days before you expect your next period or around the time of a missed menstrual period.
This implantation calculator will give you the days you may likely experience implantation. It will also let you know when you can expect a pregnancy test to be positive.
Read More:
Implantation Signs and Symptoms
Early Signs You May Be Pregnant
Online Pregnancy Test


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7 Travel Nightmares
How to Save Your Trip from Disaster
Vacation is supposed to be a time for rest and relaxation. At least once a year, we scrounge up a few extra dollars and plan an escape from all the stresses of our daily lives. Before heading out the door, we double check to make sure we've packed enough socks, a toothbrush and a phone charger. But what most people don't prepare for are the calamities that can ensue. Sure, we hear travel horror stories on the evening news, but no one ever imagines that something bad will happen to them. Unfortunately, it's that mentality that leaves many travelers woefully unprepared for the worst. Before your next vacation, check out our list of some of the nastiest travel dilemmas and how to handle them.
[See a photo recap of 7 Travel Nightmares]
Over the past several months, flight cancellations put quite a wrench in vacations up and down the East Coast, with some travelers stranded for at least several hours (and, in some cases, days). Anyone who's experienced a flight cancellation can tell you what a costly trial of patience this can be, especially since the Department of Transportation does not require that airlines compensate passengers for the disruption. Although there's not much you can do to get a plane off the ground, you should note that there are several ways in which you can prepare for a cancellation and expedite a solution. It's a good idea to read your airline's "contract of carriage," which details stranded passengers' rights.
The quickest way to resolve being stranded is to tweet. Many airlines -- including JetBlue and Delta -- now use Twitter to post cancellations and to provide help to stranded customers. According to Michelle Higgins of the New York Times, the microblogging site's viral nature ensures that "customers who reach out to the airline via Twitter may get a quicker response than they would by phone or another communications channel as airlines attempt to quell any negative publicity." In many cases, consistently posting updates to your Twitter feed about your situation and directing them to the airline's account has proven more effective (and less time consuming) than calling the airline directly.
One of the most nail-biting parts of a trip is the waiting game at the baggage carousel. And there's nothing worse than arriving at your destination sans clean clothing. But keep in mind that checked luggage must navigate a labyrinth of conveyer belts and baggage carts before it reaches your plane. And no matter how frustrated you may be, the baggage-claim attendants are not to blame -- this is a situation where remaining calm and following protocol is necessary to ensure a positive outcome.
To pre-empt this fiasco, you should first label your bags inside and out, and it's always a good idea to pack a few essentials in your carry-on. Also, keep in mind that there's a lesser chance of lost luggage if you check in for your flight early, which leaves ample time for your bag to reach the cargo hold. If you do find yourself standing at the carousel empty-handed, don't panic. Airlines have developed a very advanced tracking system and are usually able to locate your belongings within a few hours after you've reported them missing. The Department of Transportation also advises that you insist on obtaining a written statement from the baggage claim attendant confirming your report, "even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight. Get an appropriate phone number for following up (not the Reservations number)." If your bag is declared permanently lost, you only have about 30 days (depending on the airline) to file a valid liability claim, so make sure you act quickly.
It's easy to get caught up in the surroundings of a new city. Oftentimes, pickpockets take advantage of bright-eyed tourists, robbing them blind in broad daylight. And while having your wallet stolen is bad, having your passport nicked in a foreign country can be much, much worse. Without a passport, you won't be able to return to the U.S.
This is where the Boy Scout motto, "always be prepared," holds true: There are ways to ward off theft before even leaving home. While you're out goody-shopping for your trip, consider picking up a money belt or a hidden wallet -- sure, they're not exactly fashionable, but you can rest at ease knowing that your valuables are protected. Then, keep digital copies of your passport ID page and any relevant visas saved on a secure online storage site (like Google Docs) so that you can access them from any computer. These copies will help you provide proof of identity and U.S. citizenship. Also, consider stopping by your bank and obtaining a back-up debit card that you can activate on-the-go in case of an emergency; this way, you won't be stranded without cash while away. If your wallet and/or passport are nabbed while you're on vacation, cancel all your cards immediately and file a police report. Bring that same police report to the U.S. Embassy to get an emergency passport that will allow you to fly back home.
There's nothing worse than feeling under the weather while on vacation, especially if you are out of the country. For minor bugs, bring along some basic pain relievers and cold medication, which will speed up your recovery. But what about when it's more than just a slight sniffle? While facing a medical emergency in a strange place can be scary, rest assured that you don't have to go it alone.
Before you take off (especially to a different country), it's important to do a thorough once-over of your health insurance; some plans don't cover foreign medical care. If necessary, consider purchasing a temporary plan that will have your back when you leave the country. Make sure to pack any prescriptions in their original bottles so that they can be easily identified, and don't forget your insurance ID card and a claim form, just in case. If you do get sick or injured, call the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Officers there can direct you to the best local care, inform your family and your doctor of your situation and help you transfer funds to cover medical expenses. The International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers is another excellent resource, providing health-care tips and listings of English-speaking doctors in other countries.
If you are incarcerated abroad, we're sorry to say that you will be subject to that country's legal process (not America's) and will be held under its jurisdiction. Believe it or not, this situation occurs more frequently than you might expect. What might be considered legal or a simple minor infraction in the United States can lead to jail time elsewhere. For example, the Department of State claims that over one-third of U.S. citizens arrested abroad are held on drug charges: "Some countries do not distinguish between possession and trafficking, and many have mandatory sentences. … A number of Americans have been arrested for possessing prescription drugs, particularly tranquilizers and amphetamines, that they purchased legally elsewhere." Other common reasons for incarceration include photographing security-related institutions, displaying affection in public places and even purchasing antiques (which are sometimes believed by customs authorities to be national treasures).
Before you travel you should brush up on local customs and laws to avoid cultural misunderstandings. However, if you are apprehended while out of the country, rest assured that the U.S. State Department works around the clock to monitor conditions of foreign prisons and to ensure that American detainees are treated as well as possible. If you do violate the law while traveling (even without meaning to), contact the U.S. embassy or consulate immediately. According to the State Department, "We stand ready to assist incarcerated citizens and their families within the limits of our authority in accordance with international law. … Within this framework, U.S. consular officers provide a wide variety of services to U.S. citizens arrested abroad and their families."
Unfortunately, there's one thing that no one can prepare for when traveling, and that's the weather. Sure, sun-seekers pack sunscreen and cold-weather fans grab a hat, but when it comes to large-scale natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, last year's earthquake in Haiti or the recent tsunami in Japan, you're going to need more than tanning lotion and an umbrella.
Start with a plan. Read up on the types of issues to which your destination is prone (DisasterAssistance.gov is a good starting point). Having a basic understanding of the causes and effects of different natural disasters will help you become better equipped to handle them. Then, be sure to leave a travel itinerary and a list of contact and personal information (Social Security numbers, passport ID numbers) with a trusted friend or family member. Once you've gotten to your destination, you should designate an easily accessible meeting spot with your travel companions. This way, if you get separated, you won't have to rely on telephones (which may not be working) to find people. If you are out of the country, do everything you can to inform the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate of your location and situation. If this isn't an option, choose the nearest English-speaking consulate; given the circumstances, officers there will do everything they can to help you. In the meantime, remain calm and (if you can), stay on top of updates posted on the State Department website.
Political unrest can occur at any time and take its toll on a vacation. And like natural disasters, it's difficult to predict a state of emergency, even in regions -- like the Middle East, Africa and Asia -- where the political climate is often erratic. However, this is a situation where a little prior research and preparation can make all the difference.
Before your vacation, take some time to peruse the State Department website, which provides meticulous up-to-date travel advisories. Also, consider signing up for the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which can provide you with the most recent news and warnings while abroad. Keep your STEP profile updated -- it makes it easier for the U.S. embassy to contact you in case of an emergency. The State Department also says that your choice of hotel can help protect you in case of violence: "As much as possible, plan to stay in larger hotels that have more elaborate security. Safety experts recommend booking a room from the second to seventh floors above ground level -- high enough to deter easy entry from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach." Check in regularly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate to let them know exactly where you are and how to contact you. If you're caught up in a situation as dire as the one Egypt experienced, avoid public transportation, taxis and popular tourist destinations, as those are often popular targets of attack.
You might also want to consider leaving major cities in favor of smaller, quieter towns. If that is the case, check with the State Department (as well as on the U.N. Department of Safety & Security website) for any new updates and inform the embassy or consulate of your departure.
World's Best Places To VisitSee Full List »
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Over the years, many measurement-based rating systems have been developed, each trying to make improvements so that fairer handicapping was achieved. Measurement ratings expanded with the advent of Velocity Prediction Programs (VPP). AMERICAP was created in the mid-1990s for use in the USA and was specifically geared towards cruiser-racer sailing programs, as opposed to those used for grand prix style racing. An important component of AMERICAP was the use of a non-public VPP. This means that algorithms inside the VPP are not available to the public which helps slow the attempts to optimize to the rule – creating a much more level playing field for cruiser-racers using diverse designs across different regions. Several years ago, US Sailing adopted a policy of being "rule-neutral," and subsequently, the Offshore Racing Association was established.
In 2004, three major yacht clubs – The Chicago Yacht Club, the Cruising Club of America and the Transpacific Yacht Club – joined forces in an alliance called the Offshore Racing Association (ORA). The ORA was formed to promote and support the use of VPP-based handicapping and develop a new measurement-based rating rule that provides the fairest handicapping possible. The ORA and ORR maintained one of the key aspects of AMERICAP, the use of a non-public VPP. This new rule, the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR), was first used in the 2006 racing season.
The Offshore Racing Association consists of a Board of Directors and Technical Advisors all of whom are dedicated to the sport of sailing. Racers from around the globe, naval architects, sailmakers and race organizers all help guide the ongoing and future development of ORA and the ORR.
The Offshore Racing Rule Owners Association was established in 2010 as a grass-roots effort to promote and encourage offshore racing for cruisers-racers under the Offshore Racing Rule, and in doing so, ensure participation by a much broader base of boat owners. It acts as an intermediary to convey Certificate-holders' concerns, ideas and suggestions to the Offshore Racing Association (ORA) for ongoing improvements to the rule, as well as assist in the startup of local ORR Owner Association chapters to encourage the use of the Offshore Racing Rule.
US SAILING continues to provide certified measurers and certificate processing through the Offshore Office.


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As a software developer who worked with NASA, Timothy Childs built vision-tracking systems for the space shuttle. Now the former techie has a new venture that he says is out of this world: chocolate.
As demand for premium chocolate soars, a new crop of high-tech confectioners are changing the industry with Silicon Valley-style innovation, antique German equipment and an obsession with the simple cocoa bean.
"The bean totally seduced me," said Childs, co-founder and "chief chocolate officer" of TCHO, a San Francisco-based startup seeking to improve the quality of chocolate through scientific experimentation with flavors. "On a molecular level, making chocolate is enrapturing."
TCHO, pronounced "choh," isn't your ordinary chocolate factory. Based on San Francisco's idyllic waterfront, the company currently sells its chocolate only online in brown packets labeled "beta," solicits feedback and reaches out to customers through social media outlets like YouTube. Eventually, it plans to sell its chocolate to food companies and through high-end retail outlets.
TCHO shuns the usual practice of classifying bars by cacao content or origin, relying instead on a "flavor wheel" that emphasizes taste above all: "Chocolatey," "Fruity," and "Nutty" are out now, with "Earthy," "Floral," and "Citrus" on the way.
"Saying a bar is '70 percent cacao' doesn't equate," said Childs, referring the industry standard for premium chocolate. "People should pick chocolate the same way they buy wine and food, by flavor."
A similar philosophy drives Amano Chocolate, a recently launched company based in Utah's Wasatch Mountain range whose goal is to offer in the U.S. the premium, artisan chocolate once found mainly in Europe.
Founder Art Pollard, another software developer who studied physics, fell in love with chocolate making during a honeymoon trip to Hawaii and whipped up his first batch using science lab equipment intended to grind chemicals.
"Eventually I started fashioning my own equipment and began churning out some fine-quality chocolate," said Pollard, who studied confectionery in Europe and buys his beans in far-flung villages in Venezuela and Ecuador.
"It is extremely hard work and takes a lot of time, but, boy, is it beautiful when you get right," said Pollard, who now uses turn-of-the-century era equipment imported from Germany to roast, grind, melt and mold his chocolate into bars.
Neither TCHO nor Amano would provide sales figures, but both say they have aggressive growth plans in the future.
Though a soft economy has forced Americans to cut back on some luxuries, U.S. sales of dark chocolate keep booming, lifted even higher recently by studies touting the confection's purported health benefits and growing consumer interest in organic and fair-trade products.
Total U.S. chocolate sales are expected to soar to $18 billion annually by 2011, up from $16 billion in 2006, with organic and dark chocolate representing the fastest-growing segment.
"Chocolate is an affordable indulgence. No matter how difficult economic times get, we'll always want to treat ourselves," said Joan Steuer, president of Chocolate Marketing LLC, which studies trends and new products in the industry.
But while sales are growing, so is the competition, crowding shelves of grocery stores with brands like Ghirardelli, Godiva, Dagoba and Scharffen Berger.
While there's only around a dozen U.S. "bean-to-bar" manufacturers that make their own chocolate from scratch, smaller players who buy their chocolate wholesale and melt it into bars are entering the market at a rate of about one a month, Steuer said.
"It's exploding," she said. "The market isn't saturated yet, but it's close."
That doesn't mean people are getting rich cranking out bars and bonbons, however.
Bulging input costs and paper-thin profit margins have squeezed traditional chocolate manufacturers and make it extremely difficult for new players to break in.
A commodities boom has pushed the price of cocoa, the chief ingredient in chocolate, above $3,000 per metric ton — the highest in 22 years and double the price from a year ago.
Battered by the increases, No. 1 U.S. candy maker The Hershey Co. and smaller rival Mars, maker of Snickers bars and M&Ms, announced earlier this month they were raising prices for their products by more than 10 percent.
Still, most new chocolatiers say passion — not profits — is what motivates them.
Many have learned the craft over the Internet, launched one-person chocolate factories from their kitchens and put up Web sites to sell their products online from anywhere.
"The Internet has really opened things up," said Pam Williams, who runs Ecole Chocolat, an online school that trains people to make their own chocolate and open a business. "Now you can go to Kansas City and find a good chocolate maker who rivals the quality and craftsmanship of that you would find in Europe."
Last year, one of her former students, Donna Smith, began selling homemade truffles, peanut butter balls and other candies online through her company Smithorganicchocolates.com, which she hopes will allow her and her husband to earn an income from home.
"The sky is the limit right now," said Smith, who works out of her kitchen in Akron, Penn., about 30 miles from the Hershey plant and who has seen sales steadily increase. "People love chocolate, especially in hard times when they want to be comforted."
Some niche chocolate makers have dreams of being bought out by a major candy manufacturer for a sweet payday. That's what happened to Dagoba, an organic chocolate maker acquired by Hershey's two years ago for an undisclosed sum believed to be between $10 million and $15 million.
But Childs, co-founder of TCHO, said his priority is building up the company — not cashing out. The company shuns venture capital and raised all its start-up funds through family and friends, who received equity in the company.
"For right now, I'm very happy just making chocolate that fills my factory, " he said.


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Did You Know?
According to research done by the University of Utah, using a handheld or hands free mobile device slows a driver's reactions as much as someone with a blood alcohol content of .08, the legal limit in all U.S. states. Using mobile devices to call, text or email is a leading cause of distracted driving.
Text messaging is a useful way to communicate quickly, but safety should never be traded for convenience.
Every day there are new incidences of serious injuries and fatalities due to a person texting while driving. Because of the increasing danger of distracted driving, many states now outlaw the use of cellular phones in any capacity while driving, and your state may be one of them.
To avoid a ticket and a potentially dangerous accident, DO NOT USE YOUR CELLPHONE while driving. If you must absolutely make a phone call or text, pull off the road in a safe area and then do so.
Safety First
Would you think it was okay for a doctor to be texting, emailing or carrying on an unrelated phone conversation while performing an operation? This may sound silly, but a driver and a doctor both have the safety of others in their hands. Protect both your and other people's well-being while driving and put down your phone to keep both you and them safe on the roadways.
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George D. McClain was born in Berne, Indiana of a Mennonite mother and a Methodist fasther. A graduate of Yale University and Union Theological Seminary, he also received a DMin from New York Theological Seminary and The College of New Jersey. He is author of Claiming All Things for God: Prayer, Discernment, and Ritual for Social Action (1998) and is one of the coauthors, with his wife, Tilda Norberg, of The Call: Living Sacramentally—Walking Justly (2013).
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Varieties of Unbelief - Sightings (Martin Marty)
Unbelief isn't new. It's quite ancient in fact. Early Christians were charged with atheism because they refused to honor the traditional gods. Time passes and new forms emerge, but unbelief/atheism never seems to triumph. Nevertheless we should take note of and engage with those forms of unbelief that come our way. Martin Marty has some experience charting such things, having done so even before I was born.In this Sightings essay, he takes note of a book by philosopher John Gray who describes seven forms of atheism. You might find all of this interesting, whether you are a believer or an unbeliever. Take a read!


text: Season's greetings to everyone, from me, my family, and my extended family working with me at Secure Group! We hope that your holidays, whatever you may celebrate, are joyous and bright, and that like me, you are excited about what the New Year may bring. We expect big things from 2015, and we know you do too.


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A comprehensive analysis of athletes and their majors
Do all athletes really major in Economics? Conventional wisdom at many Division I schools might lead us to believe that yes, they do. Economics at most colleges and universities is perhaps the most popular major among athletes, with many Division I athletes following traditional business paths. A 2015 study in the Bleacher Report of the "Big Five," the five power Division 1 Conferences for football (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, SEC, and the Pac-12), found that an overwhelming number of football players participated in business and related majors. Other popular majors included sports administration, communications, and kinesiology and exercise sciences. However, some famous Division I athletes have followed much more non-conventional paths. For example, Dikembe Mutombo, the former NBA star, majored in Linguistics and Diplomacy in his time at Georgetown. Michael Jordan majored in Geography during his time at the University of North Carolina. This is all to say that particularly in the Division I sphere, majors are more often centered around pre-professional tracks: those that create a direct path into a job in finance, sports administration, consulting, or for athletes like Michael Jordan, a side-career in mapmaking!
What is different about the Division III scene, particularly Swarthmore College? Are there discernible differences between a student-athlete at Swarthmore College and their educational experience versus a football player at the University of Michigan? The Phoenix Digital Ops team put together a comprehensive analysis of male and female athletes in the 2015-16 sports season, and their declared majors. We aimed to hypothesize what a top-tier liberal arts education pushes for our student-athletes. Do our athletes follow similar tracks to the ones Division I athletes are on, or does Swarthmore push a different type of academic creativity that transcends the traditional pre-professional tracks?
For the ten varsity male sports in the 2015-16 season, there were 103 declared majors among the juniors and senior classes of each team, which includes double majors. For example, if a Men's Varsity Tennis athlete double majored in Engineering and Psychology, this would be counted twice in our tally. 26% of male athletes majored in Economics. Men's Lacrosse had the highest percentage of Economics majors on a single sports team, with 52% of the players having declared Economics majors. The second highest declared major for male athletes was Engineering, at 14.5%. This was followed by political science, computer science, psychology, and math. Majors that were not represented among men's athletes during the 2015-16 year included Environmental Studies, Greek, German Studies, and Gender and Sexuality Studies (many being regularized special majors).
Ian Cairns '20 responded to the data compiled by the Phoenix Digital Ops Team, and added his own experiences as an athlete choosing his prospective major.
"I'm from Detroit, Michigan and I'm a member of the Men's Varsity Soccer team. Currently, I'm an intended Economics major, with an undecided minor. I'm not surprised by the amount of Economics majors on some of the male sports teams. That being said, at a place like Swarthmore, there are a lot of abstract and non-traditional majors that are offered too."
Cairns went on to comment on the difference between a Swarthmore education and once at a bigger university.
"I would definitely say at Swarthmore, there is encouragement for athletes to go outside the traditional majors. I know at larger institutions, it is common to apply to a certain school within the university for your major. I had a lot of friends who went to the engineering school at the University of Michigan, where the distribution requirements make it much different from a liberal arts school like Swarthmore. That being said, both have their benefits; I don't really have a bias to either."
This sentiment reflected by Cairns is largely backed up in the data. Some varsity athletes end up going outside the traditional majors, while many do major in traditional majors like Economics, Biology, Engineering, etc.
For the ten women's varsity sports in the 2015-16 season, there were 85 declared majors among the junior and senior varsity athletes. Interestingly enough, the data compiled was vastly different in comparison to the male athletes results. The most popular major among female athletes was biology, which accounted for 14% of the declared majors. This was followed by psychology at 11%, political science at 10%, education at 8%, and economics and history at 7%. Majors that were not represented among women's varsity athletes included cognitive science, and Chinese.
The data shows us that Swarthmore varsity athletes are really not that much different than the average Swarthmore student. The most popular majors across gender were Economics, Engineering, Biology, Psychology, Political Science, Computer Science, and Math. This almost directly mirrors the most popular majors among the Swarthmore student body as a whole. The largest majors discrepancy for athletes versus the student body was Economics, as 18% of athletes majored in Economics, as opposed to 13% for the student body, which isn't particularly significant. Is there something about a Swarthmore education that differs from a larger institution? For one, our data shows us that while Swarthmore varsity athletes follow many of the traditional majors that athletes and students across the country declare, there also exists a diversification in the data that we might not necessarily see at a non-liberal arts school. Out of every major in the school, every single one is represented by at least one varsity athlete. From gender studies to economics, a critical analysis of the data reveals that the varsity athletes at this school are just as academically diverse as the rest of the school. While many traditional majors are represented, athletes are declared majors in every single major on campus. It is clear that the stereotype that all athletes are some type of Economics or business major is transcended at Swarthmore. Our academic mission promotes intellectual curiosity and the liberal arts as a tool to discover your passion. Swarthmore varsity athletes and the student body at large embody just that.


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Coffee Mug for LEGO Fans (Bricks Baseplate /Building Blocks Gift Cup)
Coffee Mug for LEGO Fans (Bricks Baseplate /Building Blocks Gift Cup)
- Features:
- A Special Mug! Love at first sight!
- 100% Tight Fit with All Major Brick Sets.
- Enjoy your favorite drink in style.
- The Creative Mug is the perfect addition to your collection.
- This Unique Mug makes a great Christmas or Birthday Gift for friends & colleagues.
- Great item for LEGO Fans! Not made by LEGO.
- Material: BPA-free plastic.
- Color: Multi-Color.
Approx. Size:
- 5.1" x 3.9" x 5.5" (13cm x 10cm x 14cm).
- 11.84 fl.oz. (350ml).
- Contains: Bricks Baseplate Mug x1.
- This unique Lego style mug is a great conversation starter!
- This mug is not officially licensed by LEGO, PixelBlocks, Mega Bloks, KRE-O, or K'NEX Bricks. It's compatible with LEGO, PixelBlocks, Mega Bloks, KRE-O, or K'NEX Bricks.
- Warning: Not suitable for children under 3 years. For use under adult supervision.
- Style: LEGO Style.
- Type: Creative Mugs, Novelty Mugs, Unique Mugs & Unusual Mug Designs.
- Category: Kitchen & Dining, Mugs, Commuter & Travel Mugs, Cups, Mugs & Saucers, Novelty Coffee Mugs, Camping Cups & Mugs, Sports Fan Coffee Mugs, Sports Fan Travel Mugs, Gift Ideas, Gifts /Presents.
- Occasion: Birthday Gift, Christmas X'mas Gift, Friendship Gift.


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Denso XR-G Compact Gantry
Space-saving integrated gantry
The XR-Series four-axis, compact gantry robots feature a ceiling mounted, flexible SCARA robot combined with a long-stroke Cartesian robot. As a result of their highly efficient, integrated design, the XR-Series robots use up to 40% less valuable factory floor space than a conventional SCARA robot. In addition, they can operate in many applications without the need of a conveyor, saving up to 20% in capital-equipment costs. ANSI and CE compliance allows global deployment.
- Outstanding speed and repeatability
- Compact, space-saving design
- Ceiling mount allows maximum working area
- Long x-axis stroke allows conveyorless operation, reducing equipment investment
XR Series Data Sheet 2-page data sheet with features, specifications and dimensions.


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Acerca de
I'm a professional graphic designer.
I love to try new things & improve my skills. I try clean, smart & efficient works. My main goals are to receive best feedback for what I do & to do it in the best way.
Miembro desde: 8 de junio de 2015
"Worked with me to the end to get it where the team needed it."
Cliente anónimo
"Gave everything I asked of, and more. A real delight to work with, and is at the top of my list if I am ever in need of another logo for another company!"
ryan ZpD
"Eaglyph was a real pleasure to work with!"
"Great guy to work with. Everything went smooth. :)"
Oliver Heartmont
"Was the designer who was able to look at the brief and then come up with something original and aligned. Very responsive in terms of final revisions to get the logo just right. Subtle Disruptors is a podcast, and I needed a logo for this new venture."


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How To Wash Your Jeans: Don't
Jeans are part of rugged iconic Americana and are a staple of any wardrobe.
Invented in 1871 by Jacob Davis and patented by Davis and Levi Strauss in 1873, jeans were originally designed to stand up to the physical demands of cowboys and miners but, by the 1950's, popular culture got ahold of jeans and they took off.
Every man needs a good pair of classic fitting dark wash jeans that he can use to dress up with a button-down for a date or to complement a worn t-shirt.
As with anything you buy, you should invest in quality. A good pair of well-made sturdy jeans will cost anywhere from $90 and beyond. After buying a pair of jeans you're going to want to take care of them – jeans are rugged, but they're not indestructible.
How To Wash Your Jeans: Don't
My current everyday pair of jeans has been with me for 7 months now. How many times have I machine washed them? Twice.
I avoid washing my jeans to make sure they don't fade, look great, and don't ruin the environment. I would have likely never washed this current pair of jeans if I hadn't spilled a full beer on my crotch one night or had a cat not pissed on a pile of my clothing.
Washing clothes uses a lot of water, puts unwanted chemicals into our water, and is hard on fabric – shortening the lifespan of clothing. And then there is drying clothing in a dryer, which uses a ton of energy.
I'm not alone in not washing my jeans. Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh also doesn't wash his jeans, and I'd assume he knows a thing or two about jeans.
Washing jeans causes them to fade, wears them out, and is hard on the environment.
But, you want to make sure you don't look like a bum wearing dirty, stained jeans. Here is how you can keep your jeans looking great:
Spot clean: Spill a little something on your jeans? Just clean the spot! It doesn't make sense to subject the entire pair of jeans to washing when there is just a tiny area that needs be cleaned. For my jeans, I've found that a drop of soap and a wet washcloth is all I need to lift a blemish.
Hand-wash: Have more than a spot that needs cleaning? Try hand-washing your jeans. When I spilled that beer on myself, I probably could have gotten away with hand washing my jeans in the sink the next day, yet laziness led me to toss them in the washing-machine. Laziness is the source of a lot of the bad things I do (diet, exercise, environment, personal development…).
Own more than one pair: Just because the model in GQ magazine is wearing $120 dollar jeans while working on a classic car, doesn't mean you should. Grease does not come out of clothing easily.
You have different tools for different jobs and you should have different clothing for different occasions. You're an adult, so there is little excuse for you to "ruin your nice clothes," as your mother likely said. Have a pair of nice dark wash jeans that never see manual labor and then have another pair that you can destroy when doing yard work, home maintenance, demolition, cattle ranching, and in the pursuit of all other manly endeavors.
Fighting The Funk
Every now and then, I fall plague to something known as "swamp-ass." You know what I'm talking about.
Since I'm not washing my jeans, this could become a problem. I don't want to be the smelly hippy guy.
In order to fight the funk that could potentially build up in my jeans, I toss them in the freezer once a week.
This is supposed to work by freezing to death the funk producing microorganisms that cause body odor. These are the same ones that deodorant fights against (Deodorant- Fresh Today, Cancer Tomorrow?).
I don't know how valid the science is behind it, but it has been working for me and that's all I really care about.
To de-funk your jeans, place them in a large reusable bag and toss them in the freezer for 24 hours. Or, if you don't have much in your freezer, like me, you can just stick the jeans right in. After 24 hours, they'll be refreshed – and putting on cold jeans is rather refreshing as well.


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Globeleq's Azito Power Plant Construction on Schedule
21 Nov, 2013, 08:00 GMT
LONDON, Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Globeleq, the leading independent power company in Africa, indicated that construction for the 139 MW expansion of its existing 288 MW Azito gas-to-power plant near Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire continues to remain on schedule.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20040611/DAF004LOGO)
Commercial operation of the additional capacity is expected in early 2015 as agreed with all parties during financial close in February 2013. On-site major works include the placing of nearly 330 foundation piles in preparation for construction of the major equipment and other buildings for the new area. The new steam turbine and electric generator are presently being manufactured and will be transported to site by the middle of 2014. Foundations are being prepared for the two heat recovery boilers that will provide the steam supply for the new steam turbine.
The combined cycle technology being installed at the plant uses waste heat from the existing gas turbine exhausts to produce steam used to drive the new steam turbine generator. It will not require any additional fuel to increase the capacity. Once operational, the additional electricity will be sold to the State through a 20 year concession, making Azito one of the largest and most efficient thermal generation facilities in the country.
The EPC contractor, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, currently employs more than 200 local workers for various construction activities, with more than 800 direct jobs expected to be created during the entire construction period.
"We are really excited at the progress being made at Azito," acknowledged Jake McConnell, Globeleq's Vice President for Engineering and Construction. "There has been excellent co-operation and support for this project and we are fully aware how important the successful completion of the expansion is to the country. We are committed to ensure the facility will be generating 420 MW of reliable electricity in 2015."
About Globeleq
With assets currently in excess of $1.3 billion (USD), Globeleq is an independent power industry leader in the emerging markets, with a specific focus on Africa and the Americas. Since 2002, the company has participated in nearly 14,000 MW of generation in more than 25 countries, developing economically sustainable projects that support the continued development of the electric power sector in its target regions. For more information go to www.globeleq.com
SOURCE Globeleq


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You've probably taken your Christmas tree down by now, but some people are leaving them up and just redecorating them for the next holiday - Valentine's Day!
Back in October we learned that "Halloween Trees" are becoming a thing... guess it's the same for Valentine's Day.
This one is really cute, but who has time for this?
What do you think? Should we do St. Patrick's Day trees, Easter trees, 4th of July trees, and just leave a festive tree up all year long?


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Luis Martínez Clemente, an entrepreneur, decided to embark on the adventure of the cosmetic world founding ARUAL in 1949. In honour to his wife, Laura, he gave name to the mark, since Laura read backwards is ARUAL. Beside her, in a small laboratory in the Gracia neighbourhood of Barcelona, they began to develop and commercialise the first cosmetics brand.
Our insignia, the cream ARUAL was, like many other successes of the life, created by chance. He formulated a cream for the hands care as a gift to their clients for each order which they made. I.e., it launched it simply as a promotional product. In a few months the promotional product, became what today is still our insignia, and what makes us different from the rest of the competition.
Luis Martínez Clemente, leave at 2003 an indelible legacy in the world of cosmetics, as an emblem and icon of a great enthusiastic entrepreneur and above all a great person.
In its early days, the factory was located on Legalidad street in Barcelona. Today, the laboratory is installed in Sant Esteve Sesrovires; While the building of Legalidad street It's considered nowadays patrimony of Barcelona by artistic and historical interest.


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The Eye of the Sibyl (SCC): SOLD!
The Eye of the Sibyl (1975) – Scolar's Copy*
Names: 22
Format: 20,5 x 28,5 cm (w x h)
Completed: August, 2015
Price: sold!
* Scholar's Copy:
If you are a scholar of the work of Philip K. Dick, you may request a "Scholar's Copy", which is sold at a fixed price that is 10,- EUR below the base price of a "Sponsor's Copy". If you purchase a "Scholar's Copy", you agree to transfer to the artist 50% of any profit you make from a future re-sale of that "Scholar's Copy".


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Remote keyloggers for business
What is the most effective way of gathering any info from business rivals? Make them hire your person and wait for tons of files transferred from their office to yours.
Easier than ever, especially when it comes to huge companies where watchin everyone is hardly possible. Wily business sharks send out spies for getting data no company wants to leak.
Of course, big bosses are interested in detecting these rats and getting rid of them. This is why they had to work on the method of spying on all employees at a time without letting them know what is going on.
The smartest way out was installing one keystroke recorder to watch everyone. This is how Remote Keyloggers gained their incredible popularity. These apps helped hundreds of firms stay safe and destroy spying networks.
Remote Keylogger is a type of app that hides in computer and records every click or tap. All the data are thoroughly collected and sorted according to their size, type and date. After that they are recorded in certain log-files in virtual server.
To get access to these folders one should sign in using login and password they got together with their pack. When it comes to multiple users interface, Keyloggers create separate folders for every 'victim' making browsing through these files easy.
Keylogger software is multitasking. They are not only about recording key strokes, but some other secret and quite impressive abilities:
- Message interception
It does not matter what messenger one might use, Keyloggers save every dialogue ever spoken from the PC it is installed in.
- File interception
Every attempt of sharing files, whether it is successful or not leads to saving its copy to the server. Size or file type do not matter.
Every action performed in the chosen computer or computers are recorded too.
- Screenshots
Keyloggers make screen shots of display and save them in users folder. You can set them to make screen shots every one, two, five or more minutes. Depending on the app and your needs.
- Printer
Anytime users send documents to printer – Keyloggers save its copy and mark exact time.
As you can see, one can hardly make a move without making a new record. These apps stay absolutely invisible for users which makes them ideal big boss's assistants. You might have already thought of using them not only for catching spies, but checking your regular workers too.
We pay people for work, not for surfing the net. If you suspect someone in wasting their time and your internet – installing a Keylogger is a way-out.
They give us unique opportunity to check every employee. Thus we are always sure if we got the right person. Because very often innocent people suffer in such office stories.
Become the most powerful boss for the whole history of your company. With such spy apps you will never doubt about the punishments. This apps helps getting rid of people who drag the whole team to the bottom.


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The New York Film Society of Lincoln Center continues its month-long series of reappraisals of gifted—and even honored-in-their-own-time—film icons, with a four-film revival May 25 and May 26 of John Schlesinger's British-made Billy Liar (1963) and Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), and his American-made Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Day of the Locust (1975).
Schlesinger (1926—2003) was never an official, card-carrying member of the British school of socially "committed" cinema run by the likes of Lindsay Anderson, Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson, which formed as a counterweight to the comparatively apolitical Cahiers du Cinéma filmmakers, including, among others, Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol and Eric Rohmer. (Of course, Godard became provocatively political as his career evolved.) Still, Schlesinger did more than his share of envelope-pushing, especially with the bisexual taboos in place at the time of Midnight Cowboy and Sunday Bloody Sunday, the latter the first mainstream movie with a sequence that showed one man kissing another full on the lips.
Billy Liar, with Tom Courtenay, Julie Christie, Mona Washbourne, Finlay Currie and Leonard Rossiter, will be shown on Friday, May 25, at 1:30 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. Day of the Locust, with Donald Sutherland, Karen Black, Burgess Meredith, William Atherton and Geraldine Page, will be shown Friday, May 25, at 3:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 26, at 6 p.m.
Midnight Cowboy, with Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Miles, Brenda Vaccaro and Bob Balaban, will be shown on Friday, May 25, at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 26, at 3:45 p.m. Sunday Bloody Sunday, with Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft and Jon Finch, will be shown on Saturday, May 26, at 1:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. All films will be screened at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center.


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Perhaps Plato's greatest contribution to Western philosophy is the idealism embedded in his Theory of Forms, which in essence breaks down existence itself as not only a physical world of inanimate and animate objects, but a theory of knowledge and understanding which is… Read More ›
Metaphysics in the Quantum Era
Thankfully we do not have to recreate the wheel to in order to try and formulate a more global and holistic intellectual paradigm through which we at least have a chance to address some of these persistent and global problems… Read More ›
Theology Reconsidered: An Introduction
What follows is the Introductory chapter from a newly published, two Volume work entitled Theology Reconsidered. The book can be purchased from Lambert publishing via their website; Volume I here and Volume II here. When looking at the first… Read More ›


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RIBA Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Architecture (Part 3)
The Board at its meeting of 13 May 2016 decided that the RIBA North West Region's RIBA Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Architecture (Part 3) should be prescribed from 30 September 2016 to 30 September 2020 under section 4(1)(a) of the Architects Act 1997 for the purposes of entry onto the United Kingdom Register of Architects.
Prescription of the qualification is subject to the standard conditions set out in Section 2.11 of the Board's procedures, namely:
- The Royal Institute of British Architects' RIBA Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3) should be prescribed for the period between 30 September 2016 and 30 September 2020;
- Prescription of the qualification shall be by reference to the Programme Specification, submitted with the application of 29 November 2015, for the RIBA Advanced Diploma in Professional Practice in Architecture (RIBA Part 3). No change may be made to the title of any course or qualification or substantial change to the content so defined within that programme specification (allowing for normal course development) without first obtaining the written permission of the Board;
- Annually by 31 December each year, commencing on 31 December 2016, the Institution will be required to provide the Board with information of the nature set out in Appendix 2 of its procedures to enable the Board to see that i. all its criteria and the relevant requirements set out in Article 46 (or Article 47) of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive [2005/36/EC] are being attained by students/candidates who have been awarded the qualification prescribed; ii. adequate systems are in place to ensure that all the Board's criteria will be met by students/candidates for the period of prescription; iii. that the institution's resources remain as set out in its application and are adequate; and iv. all of the factors referred to at paragraphs 6.6 and 6.7 of the procedures continue to be demonstrated; and
- The institution will ensure that appropriate procedures will be maintained so that all students/candidates undertaking a prescribed qualification are fully informed of the extent of the application of that qualification to entitlement to registration as an architect in circumstances in which the student/candidate lacks a required antecedent qualification e.g. Part 2 without Part 1.
The Board was confident that:
- all candidates who had been awarded the qualification since the prescription of the qualification was granted had met all the ARB criteria;
- The Institute had adequate systems in place to ensure that candidates awarded the qualification met all the criteria; and
- The Institute should be able to maintain its ability to ensure that all candidates awarded the qualification met all the criteria.


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Johnson City Expungement Attorneys
Expungement Laws in Tennessee
In Tennessee, all dismissed charges and even some convictions can be expunged, or removed from an individual's record so that they no longer appear in background checks. This is a separate process from the dismissal of the charges against you and many people do not realize that the charge remains on their permanent record until it is too late.
Our expungement lawyers in Johnson City are dedicated to proactively investigating your record and filing the appropriate documents with the court to get your record expunged. The Meade Law Group is dedicated to protecting our clients' best interests.
Take advantage of every avenue available to bounce back and contact the Meade Law Group today to investigate whether expungement may be right for you.
Tennessee Expungement Eligibility
Not all convictions are eligible for expungement, and in some rare cases it may not be in your best interest to expunge a charge at a certain time. You should always consult with a knowledgeable expungement attorney in Kingsport, TN to learn if an expungement is right for your conviction.
Eligibility requirements for expungement include, but are not limited to the following:
- You can only have one criminal conviction on your record
- You must have completed your punishment, including probation or jail time
- Five years must have passed from the time you completed your sentence
In addition, if your charges were dismissed, you received a not guilty verdict at trial, prosecution did not pursue your case, or an order was dismissed, among other issues, your record may be eligible to be sealed, especially if it has caused issues with jobs, housing, loans, or professional licenses.
Call (423) 464-7779 to discuss your case during a free initial phone consultation.


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LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN -- The Covenant baseball team snapped an eight-game losing streak with a comeback win in game one before falling in the finale to visiting Sewanee on Tuesday afternoon. The Scots rallied back from a 7-1 deficit to win game one 8-7, but Sewanee would work a split of the twin-bill with a 10-4 victory in the second game.
Covenant goes to 10-21 on the year, while Sewanee is now 9-19 overall.
GAME ONE: Covenant 8, Sewanee 7
A wild game saw Covenant go down 7-1, before tying the game in the fourth, then winning the contest on a walk-off wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh for an 8-7 victory.
Down 7-1 entering the bottom of the third, Covenant quickly sliced into that deficit by scoring four runs. John Mitchell hammered his first career home run, a two-run shot to center field, to get the Scots within 7-3. Joel Johnson followed with a double and he later scored on a Tyler Moore RBI ground out. A Sewanee error kept the inning alive with two outs and the Scots capitalized when Ken Alexander singled into left field to plate Trenton Nobles and make it 7-5.
The Scots then tied the score in the bottom of the fourth. After Joel Johnson singled with two outs, CJ Edmond ripped a triple into the right field corner to score Johnson. As Edmond headed to third, the throw from Sewanee shortstop Trey Akins got away and Edmond was able to get up and race home to tie the game at 7-7.
In the seventh, Sewanee looked poised to grab the lead again. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Jack Galanek hit a comebacker to Covenant reliever Adam Carver, who tossed home for the first out, however the throw to first on the potential double play ball hit Galanek in the back and appeared to get away enough to allow a run to score. The home plate umpire ruled that Galanek was not in the running lane at first when he was hit, resulting in an out and forcing the runners to return to the base, nullifying the run. Carver then got Tyler Dunbar to foul out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the seventh, Covenant put a runner on third with two away before Sewanee intentionally walked the next two hitters to load the bases. With Trevor Grapenthin at the plate, Sewanee reliever Tyler Minkkinen uncorked a wild pitch allowing Caleb Bloye to score the winning run.
Carver (3-2) was solid out of the bullpen for the Scots as he tossed the final five innings and scattered seven hits and three runs to get the win. Tristen Green made the start and went two innings.
Mitchell was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, two runs scored, and a homer. Joel Johnson was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Sewanee employed six pitchers and it was Minkkinen (0-1) that was saddled with the loss. Sam Murray started and went three innings for the visiting Tigers. Drew Mancuso was 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Sewanee, while Riley Brandvold homered on the first pitch of the game.
GAME TWO: Sewanee 10, Covenant 4
In game two, Sewanee would hold a big lead and not allow a Covenant comeback as the Tigers split the doubleheader with a 10-4 win.
Sewanee scored six runs in the second inning to grab a 6-1 lead and then added two runs in the third and two more in the sixth. Brandvold was 2-for-4 with his second homer of the day and two RBIs. Chris McNulty and Jake Woolard also had two hits apiece for Sewanee as it out-hit Covenant 10-8.
Covenant got on the board first when Bloye doubled home Devin Cerrato in the first inning. The Scots got within 8-3 in the fourth with a pair of runs as Daniel Johnson and Cerrato produced RBI singles.
Cerrato was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Covenant, while Tyler Moore also had a multi-hit day going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Conor Austin (0-1) got the loss for Covenant in his start that went 1.2 innings. Jackson Heuer threw 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings out of the bullpen.
Sewanee reliever Danil McDonnell (1-3) got the win as he went 1.1 innings and struck out two. Andrew Naspinski allowed three runs in 3.2 innings in his start.
Covenant will open a three-game series against Brevard on Friday at 4 p.m. on Lookout Mountain.
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information. To receive text alerts with score updates or e-newsletters, click here