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President Obama's staff arranged for him to be personally briefed last summer on a loan program to help clean-energy companies, two months before the program was thrust into headlines by the collapse of its flagship, the solar company Solyndra, records show.
About the same time, then-White House Chief of Staff William Daley resolved a dispute among administration officials over another project in the program, clearing the way for a $1.4 billion loan, according to documents and sources familiar with the situation.
The documents, a series of e-mails among Energy Department staff members involved in managing the program, provide new details about the level of White House involvement in the controversial initiative. White House officials have said in the past that final decisions about which companies would receive the loan guarantees were made by career staff members at the Energy Department, not political appointees.
Administration officials said Wednesday that the e-mails show that the White House involvement was appropriate and that there was no pressure on agency officials.
That loan program, a signature piece of the Obama administration's effort to stimulate the economy, has become a major issue in this year's presidential campaign. Republicans have charged that the program wasted critical stimulus money meant to create jobs, spending it instead on ill-advised projects that benefited Democratic fundraisers.
The documents, provided to The Washington Post by Republican investigators for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, show that White House aides asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu to deliver a June 27, 2011, presentation to the president on the status of the loan program. The interest in a presidential briefing came as other senior administration figures were challenging parts of the program and debating whether the Energy Department was cutting deals that gave "unjust enrichment" to private companies.
An Energy staffer explained that the president "wants to know its status" so he could be prepared when the loan program came up "at official events and political events where he interacts with [the] business community and Congressional members." The e-mail from the department's chief of staff, Brandon Hurlbut, went on to say that many people attending such gatherings "have some affiliation or interest in the numerous applications received that involve substantial funds."
The documents do not indicate whether the presidential briefing took place as scheduled and, if so, whether Obama offered guidance on the program's future.
On Wednesday, Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.) and other Republican members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to Obama requesting a "full and complete" explanation of his involvement in the issue and seeking additional internal documents, including a list of all private individuals with whom the president met to discuss loan projects.
"The American people have a right to know the level of involvement you and other senior White House officials had in the loan guarantee program," the committee members wrote. "Your interactions with business leaders at political events affected decisions to give billions of taxpayer dollars in loan guarantees to green energy companies."
Energy Department spokesman Damien LaVera said that the collection of internal documents provided thus far to congressional investigators "validates what we have said from day one: All decisions on loan applications were made on the merits after careful review by career officials and technical experts in the loan program."
Rather than revealing any White House pressure to give money to certain companies, the new e-mails show that "Department of Energy officials appealed to the White House to resolve legitimate disagreements between agencies" so the applications could move forward, LaVera said.
White House spokesman Clark Stevens added that "internal debates about complex programs like this should be expected, and the White House playing a role in assisting interagency discussion surrounding that process is entirely appropriate."
Solyndra, a Silicon Valley start-up that manufactured solar panels, received a half-billion dollar federal loan from the program before suddenly closing last August. A short time later, the FBI raided its offices as part of a criminal investigation into whether the company misled the government about its finances.
The government is expected to recover just $24 million of the $527 million that taxpayers lent the company. Republicans have accused the administration of favoring Solyndra because its largest investors were funds linked to Oklahoma billionaire George Kaiser, an Obama donor.
Other e-mail exchanges in the documents appear to show deep divisions between Chu and some senior Obama economic advisers over the program.
In June 2011, Chu asked Daley to settle a dispute among agency leaders over whether a $1.4 billion loan to a solar generation facility was consistent with the stimulus act. Chu was a major proponent of the Project Amp facility, which was proposing to use Solyndra as a sole supplier of solar panels at a time when Solyndra was in financial trouble.
Obama's senior economic leaders, including then-Office of Management and Budget director Jack Lew, expressed concerns that the project was spread over several years and did not have any immediate impact on the local economy. Lew, now Obama's chief of staff, told a DOE staffer after the Daley meeting that he was not opposed to the general idea of the project but was just "protecting the president."
After the meeting, Jonathan Silver, the director of the Energy Department's loan office, celebrated "total victory" over his administration opponents. He described in an e-mail to a colleague how Chu came as "close to an annihilation of the economic team's position as you could possibly hope for." Silver speculated that Daley had given the economic team "a fig leaf" and that the Energy Department's victory was cause to "do some serious gloating."
A draft of Energy Department talking points prepared for the presidential briefing highlights that the program had committed more than $34 billion and asserted that it had created or saved 68,000 jobs. Those talking points forecast little risk from the program, although Solyndra was already showing signs of distress: The department months earlier had negotiated a loan restructuring amid threats that the firm would have to liquidate for lack of operating cash.
"DOE expects that all loans will be repaid," one presentation slide said. "When loans are repaid, the benefits — including the creation of tens of thousands of jobs — will have been obtained at little cost to taxpayers."
Chu appeared eager to make sure that Obama heard about the disagreements over the program within the administration.
"We need to tell the President the truth, as we see it. We need to also present the other side's point of view as fairly as possible," the secretary wrote in an e-mail to Hurlbut.
Officials at the Treasury Department and the White House Office of Management and Budget often argued that government subsidies to clean-energy companies gave them too great of a return on investment, or an "unjust enrichment," Chu wrote.
"Many times, they felt that a 'better deal'' could have been brokered by DOE and asked us to renegotiate," he said.


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The annual Okinawan Festival will be held at Kapiolani Park on Saturday, August 31st and Sunday, September 1st. Here is a link to the Okinawan Festival website:
Here is a link to a map of the site:
Here is a link to the entertainment program for both days:
This year, I (the Hawaii Karate Museum) will be giving two exhibits: (1) the S. S. China steamship (the ship that brought the first Okinawans to Hawaii in 1900), and (2) Okinawan Sumo. I will be exhibiting photographs and artifacts in the Cultural Tent. There is no admission for the Cultural Tent.
Here is a link to my handout: seinenkai.com/handout.pdf
I hope that you will be able to attend the festival. It is a great cultural experience and lots of fun. Karate is from Okinawa, so our art is part of Okinawan culture. To better understand Karate, we should study Okinawan culture. Please make sure to stop by and say hello at my exhibits.
Charles C. Goodin
Okinawan Festival at Kapiolani Park
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Thursday, August 29, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


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HAVELOCK �Havelock Commissioner Will Lewis has filed to run for mayor in the Nov. 5 city election.
HAVELOCK �Havelock Commissioner Will Lewis has filed to run for mayor in the Nov. 5 city election.
Lewis will be challenging incumbent Jimmy Sanders, who filed his paperwork to seek election last week. Lewis filed on Tuesday afternoon.
Sanders faced a challenger in 2009 for city mayor and held back Chuck Bernard by 13 votes.
Sanders, a former city commissioner who also had served as mayor when elected in 1995, has been Havelock�s mayor since 2005 when he left his commissioner seat to run against Matthew Jones.
Lewis, who became the city�s youngest commissioner when elected in 2005 at the age of 28, had earlier said he was undecided about running for a third term as commissioner when the filing period opened on July 8.
Along with the position of mayor, two commissioner seats are also up for grabs in the upcoming election, the one currently held by Lewis and the other held by Jim Stuart. Stuart said he believed in term limits and would not be seeking a third term as a commissioner.
Two residents have filed to run for city commissioner, George Corbin and Brenda Wilson.
The deadline to file to run for election is noon on Friday.
Election filing takes place at the Board of Elections Office in the Craven County Administrative Building at 406 Craven St. in New Bern.
Prospective candidates must pay a $5 cash filing fee. Candidates are required to complete a notice of candidacy and organize their committees. They have to be registered to vote and have to live in the district in which they file for office.
The city election is Nov. 5, with voter registration deadline set for Oct. 11.
For more information on election filing, call the Craven County Board of Elections at 636-6610.


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We Would See Jesus: 2014 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College
More than one pulpit has had the phrase, "Sir, we would see Jesus" posted where the preacher can see it as he proclaims the Word of God. It is a good reminder. One thing we learn from church history is …Read More
Surprised by God: 2012 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College
Too many of us have domesticated God. We have lost the ability to be amazed at His glory and to recognize who we are as humble creatures before our transcendent and holy Creator. We need to recapture a true sense …Read More
The Autobiography of God: 2011 Fall Conference at Reformation Bible College
The Bible speaks of how God deals with man. Because we are sinners, we are tempted to conclude that therefore it is about us. The truth is we exist for the sake of His story. The Bible is God's autobiography—His …Read More
L. Michael Morales
Dr. Michael Morales is professor of biblical studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and a teaching elder in the PCA. He is author of Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?


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Lahore, Friday, January 14, 2011: Islamabad is seriously considering to taking up the issue of Samjhota Express blasts with New Delhi during the crucial meeting of the Indian and Pakistani Foreign Secretaries in Bhutan next month.
The Samjhota Express bomb blasts issue would be taken up during the meeting as Foreign Secretaries of both the nuclear-armed neighbours will be meeting on the sidelines of the meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers, well-placed sources revealed here on Monday.
Diplomatic sources in Delhi believed that India was also well aware about the possible demand by Pakistan regarding the extradition of the top Hindu terrorists who are behind Saffron Terror and played key role in the massacre of Muslims and Pakistanis in India.
According to Indian media, while Swami Assemanand confessed to have talked about particular targets and providing finance for the same, he even talked about another Malegaon blast accused Lt Col Srikant Purohit, who was posted with the Indian Military Intelligence at the time of arrest.
Col Purohit had also told me once that Indreshji was an ISI agent and he has all the documents with him. But Col Purohit never showed me those documents, Swami said in a statement recorded on December 18, 2010.
According to credible reports, National Investigation Agency (NIA) is convinced that Swami Aseemanand, a Hindu right-wing leader, was directly involved in the Samjhota Express blasts.
More important, the weekly Tehelka, in its current issue, has conducted a shocking expose of the nexus between Hindu terror and Indian MI officers involved in bomb attacks on Samjhota Express and mosques in Hyderabad, Ajmer Sharif and Malegaon.
This reveal that RSS members, political bigwigs and retired and serving army officers, all seemed part of the conspiracy and had set up Abhinav Bharat to infiltrate and subvert every institution in that country, defence observers said.
According to the tapes recovered from RSS accused, of the eight army officers named in the tapes at least four have intelligence background.
Apart from Purohit and Upadhyay, two are serving Brigadiers, three Colonels and two Majors. Of these, only one Colonel is under investigation and NIA is yet to initiate investigations against the rest.
In the tapes, LT Col Purohit says, We are all on the same plane, Hindu Rashtra (Nation). He even claims that Gen J J Singh is with us (Singh was Army Chief till Sept. 2007). Significantly, Purohit mentions that one of our own captain had visited Israel for training and meeting, and demanded four things from Israel, that included continuous and uninterrupted supply of arms and training, an office with a Saffron Flag in Tel Aviv, political asylum and support for our cause of a Hindu Nation in the UN. The Israelis, he adds, gave a very positive response and promised arms and asylum.
Tehelka raises disturbing questions about the terror network, especially its influence in the army, and asks whether Purohit was only a small link in a bigger, more dangerous, chain within the army.
Karkares successor Raghuvanshi is widely considered to have gone slow on the investigation and may have covered up many angles to avoid Karkares fate.
However, Pakistani security experts straightforwardly rejected the claim Col Purohit or Indreshji were ISI agents and said that New Delhi was trying to cover up the issue by blaming Pakistans ISI.
If an army officer posted in the Indian Military Intelligence (MI) is an ISI agent then what about their leadership? a security experts commented, adding, it was baseless claim to divert world attention from the Saffron Terror that had spread its tentacles across Indian States.
Here in Pakistan, family members of the victims of Samjhota Express blasts while talking to The Nation demanded exemplary punishment to culprits for setting dozens of innocent Pakistanis on fire by exploding bombs.


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January 7, 2006-Rush Back from Malaysia
On The Wind
The Spinnaker is up. We're on a close reach.
We are trying to hold a steady course against the overpowering force of 20 knots of wind on the sail plan without stalling the rudder that is barely keeping a tenuous hold in the Johore Straits
The puff comes and I give the helm a pull; but not too much. I am edging along the fine line between too much helm that will break flow over the rudder and too little which will result in a round up. I know I am walking on a tight rope.
Then I feel the helm suddenly go soft.
I expect a vicious spin out…and it doesn't happen.
I look down and see Judy's hand on the tiller next to mine. She knows we are on the edge and she is helping me steer. It isn't rudder stall; but when you are steering by feel, you don't need a helping hand.
"Uh, don't do that honey, I've got it." I tell her softly.
I said it to her softly.
I could whisper to her if I wanted because no one else was speaking a thing and other than the sound of the water rushing by there was absolute silence on the boat.
Judy was right by my side. We are a team. However nervous she might have been; she was quietly helping instead of pressing her case for a takedown. She knew the competition was right behind and if there was just one blink we'd be passed.
She wanted to win as bad as I did.
I couldn't blame Judy for putting her hand in it; we're all tense and how can you sit there and just watch when the boat is teetering over the precipice? Maybe we should drop the kite?
But we held the kite and our course and we raced on, Marco trimming, Pierre grinding, the others on the high side, and me and Judy steering; 20 knots of wind well ahead of the beam, the ¾ sheeted hard, and the water rushing by like the hellfire rapids of a mountain stream.
There were gusts over 20 and the wind was shifty too. When it came aft a bit we felt better. The boat accelerated. The main settled down. But it didn't last. Each time we got a favourable shift, after few seconds, the wind would go forward again.
Some might say that was a great sail, but personally I was glad when we crossed the line in one piece and I could call for the spinnaker to come down.
The better part of the day's sail for me was the beat from the P21 mark to the Malaysian channel. That was midway through the race. We had sailed out the Johore Straits, past Alert Shoal, and made a left turn through the main ship anchorage towards Malaysia.
Photo: Kledkofoed
Great sailing on a hot day
On that beat I could let Wings go to work; I could play the shifts, work the boat speed higher, cover the competition; it was total joy.
There is something about the flat green water of a broad river delta on a hot, windy tropical day when you can work the boat upwind for an hour and then the mark appears out of the haze right where it should and you call the lay-line perfectly, and set the kite for the trip home. Now that is what I like.
Most people I've talked to about sailing in Singapore have expressed amazement that we have any wind there, but since we first arrived in these waters last June we've had good sailing every day we've gone out. Mostly we've been on the #3 instead of the #1, and if you know what that means, you know we've had a breeze.
If you don't, well, it means hot days with enough wind so that you can charge around the race course with a bone in your teeth and occasionally knock a bit of salt spray up on deck to keep things cooled off.
And it means that the beer in the ice box tastes really good after the race is done.
Fred & Judy, S/V WINGS, Singapore
Click HERE for more photos.
Labels: sailing


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This article is based up on an article I wrote for the Norwegian National Library for their web presentation "Det Løfterike Landet". The original article was shorter, and was translated to English by Harry T. Cleven. As the article has been added to, and became quite extensive, I have decided to divide it into several web pages, arranged as chapters. (December 2006, Børge Solem)
The article focuses mainly on the transatlantic journey. It is the story of how many emigrants going to America between 1825 and 1925 would travel. It also gives some insight to the amazing development in how ships were constructed and the transportation arranged to meet the demands of the increasing number of people on the move. Even though this is mainly about the experience of Norwegian emigrants, the experiences and conditions of travel will be much the same regardless of the nationality.
The Transatlantic Crossing:- Chapter 1: Early Norwegian Emigrants
- Chapter 2: Steerage Passengers - Emigrants Between Decks
- Chapter 3: By sail across the ocean - daily life aboard
- Chapter 4: Children of the ocean - life and death on the Atlantic
- Chapter 5: Sailing ship provisions - Food and drink
- Chapter 6: Sanitary conditions on board - health and sickness on emigrant ships
- Chapter 7: From sail to steam
- Chapter 8: The largest, the fastest and most comfortable ships - by steamship across the ocean
- Chapter 9: The giant express steamers - The transatlantic crossing following 1900


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The thermometer is mainly used in the chemical industry but also finds its use in other branches. The device with head transmitter is a complete unit ready for use with enhanced measurement accuracy and reliability compared to directly wired sensors. A variety of process connections and dimensions offer flexible application possibilities.
Various types of thermocouples: Type J (Fe-CuNi), type K (NiCr-Ni), type N (NiCrSi-NiSi) or type T (Cu-CuNi)
Sheath material ANSI 316SS or 310SS, INCONEL600
Customized immersion length
Electrical connection by means of a ceramic terminal block or head mounted transmitter with universal inputs, galvanically isolated and various output signals: Analog output 4…20 mA, HART®, PROFIBUS® PA, FOUNDATION Fieldbus™
Область применения
Thermocouple sensor for industrial applications. It consists of a 6 mm diameter stem with either a transmitter mounting plate or a ceramic terminal block for electrical connection. The hot junction can be either "grounded" or "ungrounded" from the sheath. The terminal head can be selected from a wide choice of standard items.
It also provides an extension neck, a hex nipple or a NUN neck with different lengths. To be installed into a thermowell by means of a fixed thread on the extension neck.


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On Top: Jon Gosselin knockin' back a beer with two ladies at Front Street bar and grill in Newburgh, New York on Memorial Day.
On Bottom: Kate plus most of the eight getting off a ferry on Bald Head Island, North Carolina yesterday morning.
Dude was biggest flirt at his high school. We'll see how long he remains on top.
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Dominguez is one of nearly 600 people still working at the two-reactor plant, down from a work force of more than 1,500 when the plant was still running -- "all solid, middle-class jobs," he said.
"A lot of them have already moved on," Dominguez said. They've gone to work for other U.S. nuclear plants, for conventionally fueled plants or other arms of the electrical power industry, he said. And a few have gone to work overseas, where other countries are building new nuclear plants.
"Three or four of our guys, maybe five, went to work in Abu Dhabi," said Dominguez, who's also the business manager for Local 246 of the Utility Workers Union of America. "Another one went to South Korea."
Not long ago, nuclear energy seemed poised to start a much-touted renaissance in the United States. Buoyed by forecasts of increased demand, utilities were gearing up to start building the first new reactors since the 1970s. Concerns about the emissions from carbon-rich fossil fuels blamed for global warming started to offset public fears about safety that had lingered since the Three Mile Island accident in 1979.
But since then, the industry has seen a dramatic reversal of fortune. And while some environmentalists, like those featured in the CNN Films' documentary "Pandora's Promise," now argue that nuclear power is needed to head off climate change, the market has become a hostile place.
"The industry got hit between the eyes by a number of things happening at once," said Peter Bradford, a former Nuclear Regulatory Commission member.
Five new reactors are currently being built, in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. But in the past year, utilities have permanently shut down four others and plan to take a fifth out of service next year. At least two other planned projects have been shelved.
The projected increases in electric demand didn't materialize, tamped down by the steep recession of 2007-2009 and increasing efficiencies and conservation measures, Bradford said. Then, a revolution in drilling techniques produced a boom in cheap natural gas.
And during the recession, long-debated efforts to limit carbon emissions through a "cap-and-trade" system failed to make it through Congress. The Environmental Protection Agency forecast that cap-and-trade would have led utilities to produce more nuclear plants, which produce large amounts of power without releasing carbon dioxide.
"Looking back as sort of an armchair quarterback, it really turns out the nuclear industry needed some kind of cap-and-trade or strong carbon regulation to get back off the ground," said David Solan, director of the Energy Policy Institute at Idaho's Boise State University.
Then in 2011, the historic Japanese earthquake and tsunami triggered the worst nuclear accident since the Soviet Union's Chernobyl disaster in 1986, bringing safety issues back into the spotlight.
Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan melted down after the tsunami swamped the plant and knocked out its emergency power systems. Though no fatalities have been blamed on the accident, the resulting contamination displaced more than 100,000 people, and the cleanup and damages have left Japan's largest utility on life support. Solan called it a "body blow" to the American nuclear establishment, following the gas revolution and the failure of government attempts to impose a price on carbon emissions.
"Fracking," the use of hydraulic fracturing to break open underground rock formations that hold natural gas, has driven the cost of that fuel sharply downward. Gas-fired power plants are far faster and cheaper to build than nuclear plants, which can take a decade and cost billions of dollars to get up and running. And while gas isn't carbon-free, it puts out about half the carbon emissions of coal. The shift toward selling electricity on regional grids, particularly in the Northeast and Midwest, has pitted nuclear-generated power directly against gas -- and nuclear is losing, Solan said.
"From a generation standpoint, it's really hard for them to make money in those markets," he said.
David Crane, the head of the utility conglomerate NRG, predicted in April that natural gas would wipe out both coal and nuclear power. NRG had sought to build two new reactors in south Texas but abandoned the project in 2011, citing high costs and the "extraordinary challenges" facing the industry after Fukushima Daiichi.
"I don't necessarily think at least the second of those is a good thing," Crane said. "But I think it's inevitable outside of government intervention, which I don't think is going to happen."
In Vermont, the single-reactor Vermont Yankee plant will close in 2014 after its owner, Entergy, decided in August that it was no longer "financially viable." Dominion Power shut down its Kewaunee plant in Wisconsin in May, a decision it said was "based purely on economics." Duke Energy announced in February that it would write off its Crystal River plant in Florida, which had been idled since 2009 for repairs to its concrete containment building.
And San Onofre had been offline for more than a year when its owner, Southern California Edison, announced in June that it wouldn't reopen. The plant shut down in 2012 after a gas leak revealed problems in its massive new steam generators, which had just been replaced at a cost of nearly $700 million. SCE said the "continuing uncertainty" over the plant's future "was not good for our customers, our investors, or the need to plan for our region's long-term electricity needs."
Bradford, the former NRC member, said utilities have been unable to draw investors for new plants, forcing them to rely on loan guarantees from the federal government -- and on customers in states like Georgia and Florida, which have allowed regulated public utilities to charge them for plants still under construction.
"The fundamental problem was the renaissance was always economically unsound," Bradford said. "There was never a point in time at which private investors were prepared to back new nuclear. There were just too many things that could go wrong."
And while the zero-carbon promise of nuclear power may be appealing, the billions it would take to build a nuclear plant could better be spent to develop renewable energy sources like wind and solar, boost conservation efforts and improve fuel efficiency for motor vehicles, he said.
"The problem with using nuclear as an answer to climate change is it's so much more expensive than other potential answers," Bradford said. "It's like building palaces to solve a housing shortage, or using caviar to solve world hunger."
Dominguez said his co-workers aren't likely to have trouble finding jobs -- "There's a lot of skills that are transferable," he told CNN. But he also calls himself "a climate change guy," and said most of the 2,200 megawatts of electricity that San Onofre used to produce will now be replaced by carbon-emitting fossil fuel plants rather than renewable.
"The only greenhouse gases that San Onofre created was the smokers up on the top of the deck, when they would get together and smoke," he said.


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The game was played at 11 a.m. as part of math promotion for area students sponsored by the Evansville women's basketball team. Both teams showed signs of the effects of the early wake-up call, especially in the first half at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, Ind.
Evansville held a 29-16 halftime lead.
In the second half Evansville led by as many as 29 points.
Freshman guard Anna Bowers scored in double figures for the first time in her college career, leading the Lady Bisons with 14 points. Bowers was a perfect four-of-four from 3-point range, also a season-and-career high.
Forward Cree Nix hauled in a game-high and career-high 11 rebounds. She tied forward Jilian Parting for the most rebounds in a game this season. Nix has led the Lady Bisons in rebounds five times this season and tied for the lead once.
Miriam McAlister made her first start of the season in the post position. She played 16 minutes and grabbed three rebounds, but did not score a point.
Evansville placed three players in double figures. Forward Robyn Jennings scored a game-high 15 points. Guards Ashley Austin and Ashlee Barrett chipped in with 11 points each.
On the boards Evansville held a 49-44 advantage with a balanced rebounding attack.
The Lady Bisons shot 27.9 percent from the field, hitting 17-of-61 attempts. The 61 attempts from the field was a new season-high for the Lady Bisons.
Evansville hit 25-of-66 shots for a 37.9 success rate from the field.
The Lady Bisons will practice the next couple of days and then taper off as final exams begin Friday. They will take a break for Christmas and regroup on Dec. 26 to prepare for the Dayton Flyers Tournament Dec. 28 and 29 in Dayton, Ohio.
The Lady Bisons are 2-7 overall, with both wins coming at Allen Arena.


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SCOTTDALE (AP) — A former mansion caretaker denied that he drank four dozen bottles of well-aged whiskey worth $100,000, claiming it would have been unsafe to drink and saying the booze had "evaporated" instead.
SCOTTDALE (AP) — A former mansion caretaker denied that he drank four dozen bottles of well-aged whiskey worth $100,000, claiming it would have been unsafe to drink and saying the booze had "evaporated" instead.
"Yuck! That stuff had floaters in it and all kind of stuff inside the bottles," John Saunders, 63, of Irwin, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review outside a district judge's courtroom on Wednesday. "I don't think it would even be safe to drink."
Saunders' comments came after his preliminary hearing on theft and receiving stolen property charges was postponed until May 15 so he could apply for a public defender.
Patricia Hill found the Old Farm Pure Rye Whiskey hidden in the walls and stairwells of her century-old Georgian mansion, which was built by coal and coke industrialist J.P. Brennan. She converted the mansion into a bed and breakfast and hired Saunders as a live-in caretaker, only to discover the bottles had been emptied and replaced back into slots in their original wooden cases.
Scottdale police charged Saunders with stealing the whiskey — by drinking it — after his DNA was found on the lips of some empty bottles, Chief Barry Pritts said.
Saunders downplayed that evidence and denied drinking the booze which, police said, Saunders claimed must have "evaporated" over time.
"I moved those cases three times for Hill. ... I can't believe she would accuse me of doing that. I have nothing to hide," Saunders said, noting he's been friends with Hill and her family for 40 years.
Hill told police she stored the 52 bottles of whiskey in the original cases, which contained 12 bottles each. After Saunders moved out, Hill said she discovered last March that the bottles in four cases were empty.
Police had Bonhams, a New York City auction house, appraise four remaining bottles and concluded the value of all 52 bottles — had 48 of them not been emptied — would have been $102,400. Bonhams' whiskey specialist said the liquor would have remained valuable as long as the corks remained sealed and the whiskey untouched.
Saunders disputed that appraisal saying he believed Hill was "looking for money. I'd say that whiskey's real value is about $10 a bottle and she hired someone to inflate the price."
Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com


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Thank you for your interest in Performance Foodservice Victoria. Please fill out the form below to inquire about our location, and a representative will follow up with your requests or comments shortly.
If you would like to become a customer, please click here and fill out the form to be forwarded directly to a sales representative.


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Many people set aside money for their children in their wills. Some conscientious types provide for their pets. And then there are folks like Ronna Scoratow of Pittsburgh, a 63-year-old woman who is setting aside a $5,000 bequest so that a friend can care for her enormous philodendron after her death. It's not an entirely eccentric decision for a green thumb, as James R. Hagerty explains this week in The Wall Street Journal. After all, there are various plant species that routinely live 70 years or longer—and folks who inherit them quickly learn that plant food doesn't exactly grow on trees. Read Hagerty's article here.
Also on Encore:
Protect your heirs from an IRA tax trap
How your 401(k) could disinherit your kids
Anderson Cooper: No Gloria Vanderbilt money for me
Matthew Heimer covers retirement for MarketWatch and edits the Encore blog. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewHeimer.


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CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 19, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chelsea Therapeutics International, Ltd. (Nasdaq:CHTP) today announced that Dr. Stuart Isaacson, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, will present results from Northera™ (droxidopa) Study 306 at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) 65th Annual Meeting which is taking place March 16-23, 2013 in San Diego. The presentation, titled "Droxidopa Treatment Impact on Orthostatic Symptoms and Standing Systolic Blood Pressure in Patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Symptomatic Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension (NOH)," was accepted for dual presentation as part of the 2013 Emerging Science Program, and will be featured in a data blitz taking place on Wednesday, March 20 th, followed by a poster presentation. The data were also highlighted by AAN in a press release titled " New Drugs May Improve Quality of Life for People with Parkinson's Disease." "There remains a significant unmet need for new treatment options in NOH, an orphan disease which remains challenging to study," said Dr. Isaacson. "The empiric, data driven approach taken in studying droxidopa to date reveals a remarkably consistent, clinically meaningful effect across studies, as well as good tolerability. Study 306, in particular, highlights droxidopa's significant improvements on the symptoms of dizziness/lightheadedness and standing systolic blood pressure at 1 week, as well as important effects on falls and fall related injuries. These data suggest droxidopa is an important new therapy for patients living with Parkinson's disease and symptomatic NOH." The Company previously reported that based on results from Study 306B and Study 306 overall (Study 306A and Study 306B together), as well as recent guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, it intends to resubmit a Northera NDA in late second quarter 2013. Results Presented at AAN Results presented at AAN show that the hypotheses formed in Study 306A (n=51), including exploratory analyses regarding clinical trial parameters such as dizziness/lightheadedness (OHSA Item 1), rate of falls, and number of fall-related injuries, were confirmed in Study 306B (n=174).
Specifically, droxidopa was shown to improve both dizziness/lightheadedness (OHSA Item 1) and standing systolic BP at Week 1 (p=0.018 and p=0.032, respectively) in patients with NOH associated with PD compared with placebo. In addition, there was a lower rate of falls and fall-related injuries (e.g., contusions, lacerations, excoriations, and fractures) in patients who received droxidopa compared with placebo (not statistically significant). Data from the overall study (n=225) was consistent with that seen in Study 306B, including dizziness/lightheadedness (OHSA Item 1) at Week 1 (p=0.008) and Week 8 (p=0.077).Results also demonstrated that, although a large majority of patients were taking dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors, which are thought to potentially block the conversion of droxidopa to norepinephrine, their use did not appear to affect either the symptomatic effects of droxidopa or its effect on standing systolic blood pressure. Droxidopa was found to be safe and well tolerated (including no evidence of worsened PD), and the number and types of adverse events were consistent with previous studies. A copy of the poster presentation is available at www.chelsearx.com. About Northera NORTHERA™ (droxidopa), the lead investigational agent in Chelsea Therapeutics' pipeline, is currently in Phase III development for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (NOH) in patients with primary autonomic failure — an indication that includes a significant number of patients with Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy (MSA) and pure autonomic failure (PAF). Droxidopa is a synthetic catecholamine that is directly converted to norepinephrine (NE) via decarboxylation, resulting in increased levels of NE in the nervous system, both centrally and peripherally. About Chelsea Therapeutics Chelsea Therapeutics (Nasdaq:CHTP) is a biopharmaceutical development company that acquires and develops innovative products for the treatment of a variety of human diseases, including central nervous system disorders. Chelsea is currently pursuing FDA approval in the U.S. for Northera™ (droxidopa), a novel, late-stage, orally-active therapeutic agent for the treatment of symptomatic neurogenic orthostatic hypotension in patients with primary autonomic failure. For more information about the Company, visit www.chelseatherapeutics.com. This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events including our intention to pursue the development of Northera. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual events or results to differ materially. These include reliance on key personnel and our ability to attract and/or retain key personnel, the risk that FDA will not agree that our clinical trial results demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of droxidopa, the risk that the FDA will not accept our proposal regarding any trial or other data to support a new drug application; the risk that we will not be able to resubmit the NDA for Northera and that the FDA will not approve a resubmitted NDA; the risk that our resources will not be sufficient to conduct any study of Northera that will be acceptable to the FDA; the risk that we cannot complete any additional study for Northera without the need for additional capital; the risks and costs of drug development and that such development may take longer or be more expensive than anticipated; our need to raise additional operating capital in the future; our reliance on our lead drug candidate droxidopa; risk that we will not be able to obtain regulatory approvals of droxidopa or our other drug candidates for additional indications; risk of volatility in our stock price, related litigation, and analyst coverage of our stock; reliance on collaborations and licenses; intellectual property risks; our history of losses; competition; market acceptance for our products if any are approved for marketing.
CONTACT: Investors: Fara Berkowitz / Susan Kim Argot Partners 212-600-1902 email@example.com email@example.com Media: David Pitts Argot Partners 212-600-1902 firstname.lastname@example.com


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In case you didn't know you'll find Topshop Unique's runway collection in selected stores and online right now, but some pieces are selling like hot bread so be aware. I've secured some of my favourite pieces myself that will be perfect for layered airy looks come spring, oh wonderful days ahead!
Floral silk dress (£165), check silk shirt (£85), panel jumper (£), check silk trousers (£135) and leather clutch (£300).


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The Quiksilver CYPHER PS+ Heated Wetsuit Vest is an awesome new product designed to warm your core body temperature. This innovative vest is made of lightweight 8oz polypropylene (we call it poly fleece on our site) which makes it thin, and easy to wear under any wetsuit. The PS+ uses FAR infra-red heating technology to deliver hours of battery powered heat to your vital organs. The unit vibrates to confirm different settings, so it is easy to control under your suit. Kit comes with everything you need: vest, rechargeable battery, home charger, car charger, and instructions.
Answers to frequently asked questions:
-Yes, it's safe. FAR infra-red technology is a safe and therapeutic form of heat that is free from wires or electromagnetic fields. This FAR system has been incorporated into strategically placed waterproof carbon pads that distribute heat to your body
-Can be worn under ANY wetsuit or worn alone
-Doesn't need to be used in the water, you can wear this under your snowboarding coat
-2 heat settings. High is 129 degrees and Low is 116 degrees
-Battery lasts about 2 hours on high setting (129 degrees)
-House and car chargers come with adapters for different countries
-Module is impact resistant
-No good for SCUBA due to pressure at depths. Can only use for diving above 30 feet
-Press button once for high temp mode. Module will display a red light and vibrate once
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-Press and hold for 4 seconds to turn off. Module will vibrate 6 times.
Roxy wetsuits come with a 1 year warranty on materials and craftsmanship. You can help keep your wetsuit in great shape for years to come by always rinsing in fresh water and hanging to dry.


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For more information, see "Using EclipseLink with NoSQL Databases" in the ''[http://www.eclipse.org/eclipselink/documentation/ EclipseLink Solutions Guide]''.
For more information, see "Using EclipseLink with NoSQL Databases" in the ''[http://www.eclipse.org/eclipselink/documentation/ EclipseLink Solutions Guide]''.
The [[EclipseLink/Examples/PolyglotPersistence | Polyglot Persistence]] example illustrates how to mix objects mapped to NoSQL and relational databases in a single
The [[EclipseLink/Examples/PolyglotPersistence | Polyglot Persistence]] example illustrates how to mix objects mapped to NoSQL and relational databases in a single .
Revision as of 09:02, 8 April 2013
NoSQL is a classification of database systems that do not conform to the relational database or SQL standard. They have various roots, from distributed internet databases, to object databases, XML databases and even legacy databases. They have become recently popular because of their use in large scale distributed databases in Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
There are various NoSQL databases including:
- Mongo DB
- Oracle NoSQL
- Cassandra
- Google BigTable
- Couch DB
As of EclipseLink 2.4, EclipseLink has added JPA support for NoSQL databases, initially with support for MongoDB and Oracle NoSQL.
EclipseLink's NoSQL support allows the JPA API and JPA annotations/xml to be used with NoSQL data. EclipseLink also supports several NoSQL specific annotations/xml including @NoSQL that defines a class to map NoSQL data.
EclipseLink's NoSQL support is based on previous EIS support offered since EclipseLink 1.0. EclipseLink's EIS support allowed persisting objects to legacy and non-relational databases. EclipseLink's EIS and NoSQL support uses the Java Connector Architecture (JCA) to access the data-source similar to how EclipseLink's relational support uses JDBC. EclipseLink's NoSQL support is extendable to other NoSQL databases, through the creation of an EclipseLink EISPlatform class and a JCA adapter.
Ordering Example
This example shows how to map and persist an Ordering system object model to a MongoDB NoSQL database.
The source for the example can be found here, or from the EclipseLink SVN repository.
Ordering object model
The ordering system consists of four classes, Order, OrderLine, Address and Customer. The Order has a billing and shipping address, many order lines, and a customer.
public class Order implements Serializable { private String id; private String description; private double totalCost = 0; private Address billingAddress; private Address shippingAddress; private List<OrderLine> orderLines = new ArrayList<OrderLine>(); private Customer customer; ... } public class OrderLine implements Serializable { private int lineNumber; private String description; private double cost = 0; ... } public class Address implements Serializable { private String street; private String city; private String province; private String country; private String postalCode; .... } public class Customer implements Serializable { private String id; private String name; ... }
Step 1 : Decide how to store the data
MongoDB stores data as BSON (binary JSON) documents. The first decision that must be made is how to store the objects. Normally each independent object would compose a single document, so a single document could contain Order, OrderLine and Address. Since customers can be shared amongst multiple orders, Customer would be its own document.
Step 2 : Map the data
The next step is to map the objects. Each root object in the document will be mapped as an @Entity in JPA. The objects that are stored by being embedded within their parent's document are mapped as @Embeddable. This is similar to how JPA maps relational data, but in NoSQL embedded data is much more common because of the hierarchical nature of the data format. In summary, Order and Customer are mapped as @Entity, OrderLine and Address are mapped as @Embeddable.
The @NoSQL annotation is used to map NoSQL data. This tags the classes as mapping to NoSQL data instead of traditional relational data. It is required in each persistence class, both entities and embeddables. The @NoSQL annotation allows the dataType and the dataFormat to be set.
The dataType is the equivalent of the table in relational data, its meaning can differ depending on the NoSQL data-source being used. With MongoDB the dataType refers to the collection used to store the data. The dataType is defaulted to the entity name (as upper case), which is the simple class name.
The dataFormat depends on the type of data being stored. Three formats are supported by EclipseLink, XML, Mapped, and Indexed. XML is the default, but since MongoDB uses BSON, which is similar to a Map in structure, Mapped is used. In summary, each class requires the @NoSql(dataFormat=DataFormatType.MAPPED) annotation.
@Entity @NoSql(dataFormat=DataFormatType.MAPPED) public class Order
@Embeddable @NoSql(dataFormat=DataFormatType.MAPPED) public class OrderLine
Step 3 : Define the Id
JPA requires that each Entity define an Id. The Id can either be a natural id (application assign id) or a generated id (id is assign by EclipseLink). MongoDB also requires an _id field in every document. If no _id field is present, then Mongo will auto generate and assign the _id field using an OID (object identifier) which is similar to a UUID (universally unique identifier).
You are free to use any field or set of fields as your Id in EclipseLink with NoSQL, the same as a relational Entity. To use an application assigned id as the Mongo id, simply name its field as "_id". This can be done through the @Field annotation, which is similar to the @Column annotation (which will also work), but without all of the relational details, it has just a name. So, to define the field Mongo will use for the id include @Field(name="_id") in your mapping.
To use the generated Mongo OID as your JPA Id, simply include @Id, @GeneratedValue, and @Field(name="_id") in your object's id field mapping. The @GeneratedValue tells EclipseLink to use the Mongo OID to generate this id value. @SequenceGenerator and @TableGenerator are not supported in MongoDB, so these cannot be used. Also the generation types of IDENTITY, TABLE and SEQUENCE are not supported. You can use the EclipseLink @UUIDGenerator if you wish to use a UUID instead of the Mongo OID. You can also use your own custom generator. The id value for a Mongo OID or a UUID is not a numeric value, it can only be mapped as String or byte[].
@Id @GeneratedValue @Field(name="_id") private String id;
Step 4 : Define the mappings
Each attribute in your object has too be mapped. If no annotation/xml is defined for the attribute, then it mapping will be defaulted. Defaulting rules for NoSQL data, follow the JPA defaulting rules, so most simple mappings do not require any configuration if defaults are used. The field names used in the Mongo BSON document will mirror the object attribute names (as uppercase). To provide a different BSON field name, the @Field annotation is used.
Any embedded value stored in the document is persisted using the @Embedded JPA annotation. An embedded collection will use the JPA @ElementCollection annotation. The @CollectionTable of the @ElementCollection is not used or supported in NoSQL, as the data is stored within the document, no separate table is required. The @AttributeOverride is also not required nor supported with NoSQL, as the embedded objects are nested in the document, and do not require unique field names. The @Embedded annoation/xml is normally not required, as it is defaulted, the @ElementCollection is required, as defaulting does not currently work for @ElementCollection in EclipseLink.
The relationship annotations/xml @OneToOne, @ManyToOne, @OneToMany, and @ManyToMany are only to be used with external relationships in NoSQL. Relationships within the document use the embedded annotations/xml. External relationships are supported to other documents. To define an external relationship a foreign key is used. The id of the target object is stored in the source object's document. In the case of a collection, a collection of ids is stored. To define the name of the foreign key field in the BSON document the @JoinField annotation/xml is used.
The mappedBy option on relationships is not supported for NoSQL data, for bi-directional relationships, the foreign keys would need to be stored on both sides. It is also possible to define a relationship mapping using a query, but this is not currently supported through annotations/xml, only through a DescriptorCustomizer.
@Basic private String description; @Basic private double totalCost = 0; @Embedded private Address billingAddress; @Embedded private Address shippingAddress; @ElementCollection private List<OrderLine> orderLines = new ArrayList<OrderLine>(); @ManyToOne(fetch=FetchType.LAZY) private Customer customer;
Step 5 : Optimistic locking
Optimistic locking is supported with MongoDB. It is not required, but if locking is desired, the @Version annotation can be used.
Note that MongoDB does not support transactions, so if a lock error occurs during a transaction, any objects that have been previously written will not be rolled back.
@Version private long version;
Step 6 : Querying
MongoDB has is own JSON based query by example language. It does not support SQL (i.e. NoSQL), so querying has limitations.
EclipseLink supports both JPQL and the Criteria API on MongoDB. Not all aspects of JPQL are supported. Most basic operations are supported, but joins are not supported, nor sub-selects, group bys, or certain database functions. Querying to embedded values, and element collections are supported, as well as ordering, like, and selecting attribute values.
Not all NoSQL database support querying, so EclipseLink's NoSQL support only supports querying if the NoSQL platform supports it.
Query query = em.createQuery("Select o from Order o where o.totalCost > 1000"); List<Order> orders = query.getResultList(); Query query = em.createQuery("Select o from Order o where o.description like 'Pinball%'"); List<Order> orders = query.getResultList(); Query query = em.createQuery("Select o from Order o join o.orderLines l where l.description = :desc"); query.setParameter("desc", "shipping"); List<Order> orders = query.getResultList();
Native queries are also supported in EclipseLink NoSQL. For MongoDB the native query is in MongoDB's command language.
Query query = em.createNativeQuery("db.ORDER.findOne({\"_id\":\"" + oid + "\"})", Order.class); Order order = (Order)query.getSingleResult();
Step 7 : Connecting
The connection to a Mongo database is done through the JPA persistence.xml properties. The "eclipselink.target-database" property must define the Mongo platform "org.eclipse.persistence.nosql.adapters.mongo.MongoPlatform". A connection spec must also be defined through "eclipselink.nosql.connection-spec" to be "org.eclipse.persistence.nosql.adapters.mongo.MongoConnectionSpec". Other properties can also be set such as the "eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.db", "eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.host" and "eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.port". The host and port can accept a comma separated list of values to connect to a cluster of Mongo databases.
<persistence-unit name="mongo-example" transaction-type="RESOURCE_LOCAL"> <class>model.Order</class> <class>model.OrderLine</class> <class>model.Address</class> <class>model.Customer</class> <properties> <property name="eclipselink.target-database" value="org.eclipse.persistence.nosql.adapters.mongo.MongoPlatform"/> <property name="eclipselink.nosql.connection-spec" value="org.eclipse.persistence.nosql.adapters.mongo.MongoConnectionSpec"/> <property name="eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.port" value="27017"/> <property name="eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.host" value="localhost"/> <property name="eclipselink.nosql.property.mongo.db" value="mydb"/> <property name="eclipselink.logging.level" value="FINEST"/> </properties> </persistence-unit>
The full source code to this demo is available from SVN.
To run the example you will need a Mongo database, which can be downloaded from, http://www.mongodb.org/downloads.
EclipseLink also support NoSQL access to other data-sources including:
- Oracle NoSQL
- XML files
- Oracle AQ
See Also
For more information, see "Using EclipseLink with NoSQL Databases" in the EclipseLink Solutions Guide.
The Polyglot Persistence example illustrates how to mix objects mapped to NoSQL and relational databases in a single application.


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Powerex is known for being a highly reliable trade partner, buying and supplying physical wholesale power, natural gas, ancillary services and more recently, environmental products, across North America.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of BC Hydro -- Canada's third largest electric utility -- we're backed by the security, flexibility and reliability of BC Hydro's integrated hydroelectric system as well as the financial strength of BC Hydro.
With access to a wide variety of energy supplies across North America, plus significant transmission and gas transportation positions, when our customers need energy, Powerex delivers.
The knowledge, expertise, creativity and integrity of our people allow us to find creative solutions to the changing demands of the markets and the evolving needs of our customers. We take pride in providing outstanding customer service and our reputation as a reliable and innovative energy trade partner.
That's why our customers rate us so highly, year after year.
The world is changing and Powerex is changing with it. In over 29 years of business we have evolved from being a leading western electricity marketing company, to a North American energy marketing and trading company offering a full range of energy products and service and environmental products to meet our customers' unique and evolving needs.


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When Dan Duquette was hired roughly a year ago as the club's executive vice president, the Orioles pointed to his impressive track record in the past with the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox.
He was in charge of some very good teams – although none went to the World Series. Of course, the Expos in 1994 might have had the season not ended in August due to labor unrest.
And Duquette was one of the primary architects of the Red Sox team that twice won world championships after he left.
So, yeah, Duquette's teams were pretty good. But I guess I didn't realize just how good until baseball statistician Bill Arnold sent me a chart with the lifetime win-loss records of...


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Lots of coverage about Facebook Poke, which many have pointed out is a feature for feature clone of Snapchat. Some have pointed out that Poke was written in 12 days as evidence of the lightweight nature of Snapchat, and others have noted that Poke was at the top of the app charts within 24 hours as evidence of Snapchat's peril. It's not surprising that Poke got so much lift since it was promoted by the Facebook app, which has tremendous daily active usage. Here is what I saw every time I checked FB on my iphone, and I'm sure that you saw the same:
I think that the people focusing on features and concluding that Snapchat is in peril are missing the importance of the culture of the community of Snapchat users.
Flickr and Instagram and Facebook and Pinterest and Fantasti.cc are all photosharing services, and while there are some feature differences, any one of their engineering teams could create feature parity with the others in a couple of dev cycles. But what they can't create is the culture of the other services. Each service's users learned "what we do around here" from earlier users, by observing and eventually replicating the behavior that is rewarded. This can be posting photos of desirable products, beautiful photos taken by the user, candid photos of the user, or pornography.
Culture in a community, like culture in an organization, is best built organically and is spread like sourdough bread. Early users model culture for new users. That is why the "mean time to penis" on Chat Roulette was about 2 minutes. that was the behavior that a new user saw. You don't see that sort of behavior on Airtime by design because it used technology to stamp it out, and so people didn't see it and emulate it.
Snapchat built its usecase of authentic, frequent communication through photos in just this way. Old users "taught" new users what sorts of messages to send by sending them to each other. That is why Snapchat isn't a sexting app. Although it could have been, it wasn't how early users used the service, and newer users learned that from experience.
The question for Poke will be, how do you build culture when you bring in so many new users all at once? Who will model behavior for them? Just like at a startup, if there are no founders or early employees to model behavior and "how we do things around here", you can quickly get different and undesirable behaviors emerging.
How important do you think culture is in a user community?
Read more posts on Lightspeed Venture Partners Blog »


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Send Results to This Email:
Street Address:
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Dana and Ray Brandon
Ray's Take Society tends to equate the possession of riches with a happy, successful life and the pursuit of riches as the best course to achieve success. That's a rather limited definition, however, and reality doesn't bear it out. Studies show that the 100 richest people in this country are only slightly more satisfied with their lives than the average person. As the saying goes, "money doesn't buy happiness."
So if wealth doesn't necessarily translate into success, what does? That's something very individual. For different people, success means different things. For some it may mean amassing a lot of money, for others it means doing what you love, or leaving the world a better place. There are countless ways to define success. It all depends on the individual.
The point is that it is a worthy exercise to examine and try to determine what success is for you, set your goals accordingly, and then decide on strategies to achieve the success you want. It's a lot like the process you go through to develop your financial plan. Both involve some trial and error to figure out what works for you. In fact, your decisions about the success goals you want to achieve will have a major impact on that financial plan. The two go hand-in-hand.
A person who has stripped down life to the bare necessities in order to devote more time to a beloved activity like surfing or painting should be considered just as successful as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and is probably far less stressed to boot. While those are two extremes, finding the right balance between financial gain and the success of personal satisfaction is a process we all should strive to achieve.
After all, there's no point in being rich if you're not fulfilled; and if you're not fulfilled, how can you say you are truly successful?
Dana's Take You can look at success as either a destination or a process. Maintaining a fixed definition of success can lead to stagnation and even depression. If you look at success as a process, it could be defined as continuing to achieve your ultimate potential as an individual. Once you successfully achieve your goal in one area, you can move on to another.
You could measure these successes by achieving temporary, tangible goals like running a marathon or catching an eight-pound bass. Alternately, you could set goals where ultimate success takes your entire lifetime, like a happy marriage, spiritual discovery or perfecting your golf swing.
The quest for success, and the sense of satisfaction it brings, is a motivating factor that helps keep one engaged with life and community. You can look back with pride on what you've achieved, but there is always a new goal to keep you looking forward to the future.
Ray Brandon is a certified financial planner and CEO of Brandon Financial Planning (www.brandonplanning.com).
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by The Daily News Publishing Co. Inc. - All Rights Reserved


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Announcing the Indicators in Practice Project
At the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy we are concerned with the state of our planet. We consider ways that national and international governance of our world can be improved to better humanity's lot - and the lot of the species that coexist (somewhat shakily) with us on this tottering orb.
One of the more longstanding ways we seek to improve global governance is by creating and publishing, in collaboration with the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) at Columbia University, our biannual ranking of the environmental performance of the world's nations, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). In this Index we consider the movement of each nation towards fulfilling their own environmental goals (reduce pollution; create more nature reserves). Those at the top of our list have set ambitious goals for improving environmental health and quality and, largely, they have achieved them. Those at the bottom struggle to set or achieve environmental targets, though many, like Azerbaijan, are quickly improving (earning them a high ranking on our "Trend EPI," which considers rates of change in performance across years).
Now that the EPI has been around for nearly a decade, we are often asked what the true impact of this effort has been, or could be.
Is the EPI having an impact on the governance of the world's resources?
Do decision makers, stakeholders, and activist agitators look to the scores of their country on the EPI and change the course of their actions? Are new policies implemented? Old ones abandoned?
This is an ambitious question to answer. As a first step, we have developed the Indicators in Practice Project, a new endeavor to examine the question of the impact of environmental indices, our own EPI and other similar efforts, from a variety of perspectives.
Through our case studies of government efforts to create and use environmental indicators we have already begun this process. But we are now expanding considerations of environmental performance metrics to include other sectors – businesses and civil society groups in particular. We will publish an academic review of the literature on indicator impacts, and we will reach out to scholars, practitioners, and policy makers around to world to find and present success stories where strong measurement of environmental quality (matched against goals of environmental protection) have led to good results.
Another key goal of this effort will be to contextualize the rankings presented in our EPI. Where possible we hope to dig deeper into our best and worst environmental performers - and ask the question, from a policy and management perspective: what's driving these scores?
We will revamp the EPI website to include a new Indicators in Practice section, coming soon. And check back often for case studies and discussions of how environmental performance metrics are being used across the world to drive real, measureable changes in the governance of our planet.
Aaron Reuben is a research assistant at the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, where he studies the policy impacts of environmental health indicators. He holds a Masters of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and is a former Editor-in-Chief of the Yale environmental journal, SAGE Magazine.


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Dec. 2, 2006
Trey Williams lived up to his first name hitting a career-high eight 3-pointers to carry the Lipscomb Bisons to a 68-54 Atlantic Sun victory.
Williams scored a career-high and game-high 27 points Saturday afternoon as the Bisons won their 14th straight game at Allen Arena. He came into the game averaging 17.1 points per game. His 27 points ties Brian Fisk for most points in single game by a Lipscomb player this season. Fisk had 27 against Jacksonville.
It was the third time this season that Williams has scored 23 or more points.
"What can you say about Trey?," Lipscomb coach Scott Sanderson said. "He has been absolutely terrific. He has an Achilles' problem. He wasn't even sure he was going to try to play today.
"Luckily, he stepped up. He is playing with a lot of confidence. The problem is he needs some help. We have to get some other guys to be more consistent in production and playing night-in and night-out. We haven't had that yet."
Eddie Ard finished with 14 points, but eight of those points came from eight free throw attempts. He did not get his first field goal until the 9:45 mark of the second half.
"The best thing is Eddie got some good looks," Sanderson said. "We didn't shoot well, but Eddie got good quality shots. If they are taking good shots and missed them I don't say anything. He took good shots, but just missed them.
"If he will focus on the other end, defending and rebounding, the offensive end will come. He puts so much pressure on himself to do well offensively. He is a rhythm guy and he hasn't had them fall down yet. To the team's credit we have figured out ways to win while he hasn't been very good."
The Bisons trailed 30-28 at intermission. They also trailed by one point at 46-45 midway through the second half. After switching to a zone defense the Bisons shut down North Florida inside and took control of the game.
"We haven't worked on the zone a lot," Sanderson said. "That zone is designed to make the other team shoot jump shots and have us rebound the ball. In both the Jacksonville game and this game we have been able to do keep the other team from getting the ball inside. They were missing the jumpers and we were able to stretch out our lead."
Three North Florida players scored in double figures. Center Rashad Williams scored 13. Chris Timberlake and James Grimball scored 10 points each.
The Bisons are 2-0 in the conference, 6-2 overall. North Florida fell to 1-7, 0-2 in the A-Sun.
The next game for the Bisons is Thursday night at Vanderbilt at 8 p.m.
"I think it is a good opportunity," Sanderson said. "Right now, we have to start thinking about going over there and competing and playing well. It is a bigger game for us. We have three days of preparation and practice. It is a win-win for us regardless of the outcome."


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Brewhouse Theatre And Arts Centre
View an A-Z list of venues in Taunton
Top image: "St. Mary's Church, Taunton, England-LCCN2002708150" by is licensed under Attribution License
Bottom image: "[The castle, Taunton, England] (LOC)" by The Library of Congress is licensed under No known copyright restrictions


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Curt Cress Clan Atlantic ATL-50079 (1975)
So sorry for the lack of updates, I've been unwell and recovery has been slow. There's much I'd like to post in the forthcoming weeks (work & health permitting) so stay tuned.
Anyhow, time to get back into the swing of things with Curt Cress' funky debut LP.
Along with Udo Lindenberg, Mani Neumeier, Harald Grosskopf and Carsten Bohn, Curt Cress belongs to the most famous group of German drummers. He started his recording career at the age of 17 in the progressive rock group Orange Peel. Later he worked mainly with jazz-rock in groups like Passport, Atlantis and Emergency.
After four successful years, he left Doldinger's Passport in 1977 to form Snowball. In between, he had recorded this, his first solo album Curt Cress Clan with Volker Kriegel (guitar), Kristian Schultze (keyboards), Dave King (bass) and Ack van Rooyen (fluegelhorn). Nice line-up and the music doesn't disappoint - much sought after by beat diggers and Kraut Rock fans alike.
1) Cyclone
2) From The Back
3) Fields
4) Shuffle On Out
5) Delphine
6) 451271
7) No Answer
8) Moving Right Along
9) Funk Off


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UFP Bridge Crew
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