text:
With Aardman Animation's Arthur Christmas hitting theaters on November 23, I headed to London last week and got to see the first thirty minutes and speak with director Sarah Smith. As a huge fan of Aardman and their previous works (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run) I figured the footage was going to wow me, and it did. In fact, the opening thirty minutes were fantastic because it was loaded with jokes for adults that had everyone laughing out loud. As the presentation ended, I wished we could have stayed and watched the entire movie.
For those that aren't familiar with Arthur Christmas, it centers on Santa's son Arthur and his quest to deliver the last Christmas present for a forgotten child on Christmas Eve. In addition, the film is going to answer the big question: "Just how does Santa manage to deliver all of his presents in just one night?" However, unlike Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run which used stop-motion animation to tell their stories, Arthur Christmas is using CGI. In addition, the films loaded with an all-star voice cast made up of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. Hit the jump for more.
Before we go any further, if you haven't seen the new trailer yet which reveals a lot more about the story, I'd watch that first:
While I know a lot of you would love to have a full recap of the opening thirty minutes, you'll have to look elsewhere. I would hate to spoil any of the magic and the reason I laughed so hard in the theater is that I didn't know what was coming. The most important thing to know is that if you have kids or younger members of your family, everyone is going to get something out of this film. Young kids will learn how Santa and his family manage to deliver all of the presents in one night and adults will be laughing at the interaction between the characters and their hilarious dialogue. Trust me, if you're a fan of Aardman, this is going to be a welcome addition to their awesome resume.
Shortly after watching the thirty minutes of footage, I got to participate in a very small roundtable interview with director Sarah Smith. Since I know a lot of you like the highlights, here's "7 Things to Know" About Aardman's Arthur's Christmas and the full interview is further down the page.
- The filmmakers consciously decided to avoid including a typical super villain "who is evil for the sake of being evil, opting instead to have a baddie whose evil comes from "just not getting it."
- The film was envisioned as 3D from the beginning. The 3D choices came out of the world they had designed instead of changing things specifically for 3D. The spectacle of 3D in the film comes from how detailed and tactile the world is, not from things jumping out at the audience.
- Pre-production in Bristol took a year and a half, then the actual production/animation phase in L.A. lasted for another year and a half.
- They included Easter eggs from previous Aardman Animations projects in Arthur Christmas, including nods to Shaun the Sheep and Chop Socky.
- There were heated discussions over what differing time zones meant to their "before the sun comes up" deadline imposed in the plot of the film. The idea of kids being awake in Australia while it's night in the United States was troubling. They ultimately decided that, for kids, Christmas is nighttime all over the world.
- The Blu-ray/DVD of the film won't be released until Christmas 2012. They hope that the added time means they can include more features like short films.
- Smith decided to stray from the Wallace & Gromit/Flushed Away look of stop-frame animation look. The approach to character-design was to make them feel British and quirky, not air-brushed or appealing.
Here's the full interview. You can listen to the audio by clicking here.
Question: There's something interesting in the footage we saw that sort of jumps outside the normal story format. There's not a straightforward villain and there's not really a romantic interest.
Sarah Smith: Oh no! We forgot! (Laughs) Peter ran me up in the first year and said, "I think we need a villain! What if we have this evil elf?" He was going to be called General Antler and he wanted to make burgers out of the reindeer. He sent me something and it was like "The Killing Fields." I said, "Pete? Is this really what you mean? I don't think so." But mostly I felt that you need to write something that feels true to you and the thing in the movie to me is that it isn't really evil that's wrong with the world today. It's the evil of slightly kind of not getting it. Steve is sort of the baddie because he just doesn't get it. He's running Christmas, but it's for all the wrong reasons. Later on, he storms in and finally says, "Alright! So I'm not good with children. Does that make me bad Santa?" There's this sort of little silence. That's the bigger problem in the world today. It's not so much about evil things happening, it's just the sort of crapness of things not happening for good reasons.That's sort of the worst thing that happens all around us and that's what Steve embodies.
This is being released in 3D. Can you talk about prepping it for the format and any challenges you had to overcome going that route?
Smith: We knew right from the beginning that it was going to be in 3D. There were some really, really hard choices. I'm not a 3D expert and had to learn a huge amount about what works and what doesn't. Often what you would shoot for 3D is the opposite of the choice you would make for 2D. For the home elf invasion sequence, I always wanted to do a sort of Paul Greengrass handheld camera thing, which is really hard to do in animation anyway with very fast cuts and moving cameras and so on. That doesn't lend itself to 3D, so there's an immediate challenge with two different aesthetics. But it doesn't kind of work for what kids think is cool in action. Having said that, there's a huge amount in the movie that I think is spectacular in 3D. It all came out of the world we had designed rather than change things for 3D. We don't have anyone poke you in the eye for example. One of the things that's great for 3D, though, is how detailed and tactile the world is. If you see the sleigh barn sequence in 3D, it's fantastic because you feel you're walking in this gorgeous, detailed 3D world. Arthur's office is the same. It's full of little details that have some physicality in 3D, which is brilliant. The other choice we made early on is when they go out on the sleigh. I wanted it to be like a road movie. Rather than have big, sweeping camera movements, we actually attached them to the sleigh on mounts in the computer. That actually makes those scenes fantastic for 3D because, visually, you're anchored to the sleigh and it feels like being in the car of a roller coaster. You're on the ride because you're inside the sleigh. The other thing that's fabulous in 3D is Mission Control because it's the biggest set you've ever seen and it has fantastic lines of perspective from the camera right into the distance. The background is a big 2D screen, which makes the perfect 3D design. There were some things where we had to make the decision about the 2D or the 3D and which was going to take the lead, but a lot of it has the 3D process opening it all up in a really brilliant way.
Once the script was locked down, how long has the actual production taken?
Smith: The pre-production, based on the approved script before storyboards, had about a year and a half in Bristol. We managed to do the whole kind of creative setup of it here, which was brilliant. We had a lot of time and space and secrecy to kind of work it out. We did design and storyboarding in Bristol for about a year and a half. Then we moved to Imageworks in LA and did about a year and a half in animation shot production. The animation is just ridiculous. There were times I wanted to run into the animators and go, "Do you know you can get actors and they can walk on their own!" (Laughs)
You had a co-director on this. Is there a certain technical aspect that one of you takes on over the other.
Smith: I basically directed it. I had a co-director for a period of time because I was pregnant and had a baby, but, in fact, the last two years I've done on my own. I mean, it's fantastic to have support, especially early on in the process, but it had sort of been mine and Pete's project at the very beginning and, in some ways, it's a nightmare trying to do it on your own. It's just such a giant amount of work and there's so many people to interact with. But in other ways, it's kind of easier. You carry the idea of it and you can make it coherent. You don't have that difficulty. My relationship with Pete is really the strongest one in that we've known each other for 20 years. We argue about absolutely everything, but it's from the standpoint of basically agreeing about everything. You're arguing about the best way of doing it or the best detail. You can't turn that relationship on. That comes from knowing someone for years and years and years. Pete's been a good touchstone for me all the way through. I couldn't really create that with a different director, because it's such a hard thing reaching those different points of view. So once we went to America, I ran with the thing myself.
Aardman has a lot of familiar characters. Are there any Easter eggs that fans should be on the lookout for in "Arthur Christmas"?
Smith: Yes, in Gwen's bedroom, she has a "Shaun the Sheep" backpack and a "Chop Socky" poster as well, I think. There's also a "Shaun the Sheep" squeaky toy that gets trodden on and there's one in the bit you saw that's a tiny homage to "The Wrong Trousers" where an elf is laying the some track for a railway track toy.
This seems like a film that embraces the international side of Christmas. Was there anything you came across as part of a country's Christmas tradition that seemed a bit bizarre to the way American or British audiences know the holiday?
Smith: Yeah, that was really hard, actually. We did research Christmas traditions and you're suddenly in front of an exhibitor from some country who goes, "But we celebrate Christmas on the fifth of December and we don't get presents on that night!" So, to some extent, we had to put a slightly colonial view, which makes it universally the 25th of December. Santa comes the night before and that's how it goes. It was the same argument we had earlier on — and I think it was the most heated row that Pete and I had — was a few days into the story development, where we discussed the idea of featuring time zones. If they're chasing night, Santa could suddenly have not just ten hours to deliver presents, or whatever it is. It seemed so fantastic, but then we realized that gets so complicated. Also, for a Christmas movie with a countdown — where they've got to get this present there before dawn — it's very important. Of course, in our world, no child wakes up for Christmas before dawn. Their deadline is that they've got to get this present in the last two hours before the sun comes up. If you were flying between timezones and suddenly landing in Africa with the sun up, it would completely ruin your jeopardy. We decided, okay, for kids, Christmas night is night. They don't start thinking about the fact that, in Australia, some kid is already awake. We wanted to preserve the magic of that idea.
Were there discussions about balancing the parents giving their children presents, too?
Smith: We didn't particularly feature that, no. We had a bit, at the beginning, where there are already presents under the tree and there's a bit of parents being awake. But in the movie, they go to so many different places. They end up in Africa and are singing silent night to the lions. After that opening of houses, there is one more house that gets visited, but they're really already in this sort of big world trip. One of the things we wanted was to make sure we weren't saying that the old ways or the new ways were bad. We didn't want to say that the old sleigh, with the original reindeer was the answer, because, while you do love it and it's gorgeous, you realize that it's impractical. How could that deliver all those presents. The point is about why you do it and not how you do it.
Do already plan for the DVD or Blu-ray release as you're in production?
Smith: We are, but it's going to be for next Christmas. It'll be released and then we'll add some extras to it.
Does that give you more time to add features like short films?
Smith: Yeah, I hope we will. There's just no way we could have gotten it together before this Christmas as well. It's been such a tricky deadline because delivering two weeks late on the movie means a next Christmas release.
Were there any scenes in particular that got pulled out that you liked?
Smith: Well, in animation, it's so expensive that you don't really have deleted scenes. That's the whole point of the storyboarding. You see that early on and you end up having to commit. There were versions of scenes and little extra bits here and there that we trimmed, but not a huge amount. But there are deleted scenes and extra scenes in storyboards. Those might be included in the DVD version.
In terms of the character design, did you make a conscious effort to move away from the style of "Wallace & Grommit" and "Flushed Away"?
Smith: My aspiration for the character design was, yes, not going the "Flushed Away" route of trying to copy the stop-frame look. That was my choice. I think that Nick [Park] is one of the best character designers in the world. People don't think of him like that, but I think he is. I think one of the things that makes his movies spectacular is his characters are fantastic. But, to me, they totally belong to Nick and they belong to stop-frame. So, in the end, I wanted them to still look like they could have only come from Aardman and that they belonged to the family. I think they do. I don't think they look like CG human characters from other studios. We didn't try to make any of them cute, particularly. They weren't trying to look appealing. They are themselves. They have a slightly rough and ready look to them. For instance, for Grandsanta we looked at very early thing Pete Lord had done with an old man. It had that fantastic, slightly-crumpled old man look from plasticine. That was one of the inspirations for Grandsanta. Our characters are quite asymmetrical. They're just really themselves. We started drawing how we felt about them as characters and then just developed them into a kind of shape language. In the end, when I look at them, I do feel they look like Aardman characters. Grandsanta, especially, has a sense of imperfection as well. They feel sort of British and quirky. They're not airbrushed. For Arthur, I wanted him to appealing, but really not cute. I don't think he is. When you look at him, facially, he's quite odd looking. But I had the idea of giving him very soft hair that would make you want to pat it. Also, the slippers. We wanted to give a terrible Christmas sweater and Christmas slippers. We made the slippers really soft and furry and there's something about him that makes you say, "Bless." He's obviously a mess and wears sort of terrible sweatpants with baggy knees and stuff like that.
There's something about Christmas movies that's great, sort of going with what you mention about the DVD, where they become timeless and something that gets watched every year. Was there anything that you added or removed to the story to make sure that it could fit in that timeless sense?
Smith: That's really hard. The technology thing is really hard. Because it moves on so fast. We have the Ho-Ho 3000 and also the Ho-Pad that came about after the iPad was released. You're very aware that that stuff changes and that it can potentially date you. But there's nothing you can do. You place your graphics and your things in a slightly timeless place and hope that you don't look dated in ten year's time. But it's really, really tough. Also, it's kind of hard doing technology in animation. The last time I saw that was in Wall-E. They chose a very simplified look in their graphics and so on. We chose to go a little bit further and make them somewhere between that and Minority Report. We actually had even cooler graphics at one point, but I realized that you needed the kid element in it to make it funny. It's the cool offset by the ridiculous. They're taking so seriously slightly regular things. But who knows? Technology in five years time may have not even have computer terminals. We may just have glass screens. But I hope not because, as you say, the aspiration for a Christmas film is that it becomes something that lasts. That people will love beyond one year.


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(i really like this one, so i'm only gonna leave it up for a couple days before i take it down to try to get it published. 😉 )
and the simple truth is this
i am always on fire
i don't know how to put myself out
and whenever i come close
whenever i open a window
to let the breeze in
or step out into the rain
i can never let that last ounce
of fire die
it is that which i hold onto
as dearly as god
it is that which will follows me
to death's house
and we'll stay up all night
talking about the world
and what we remember it was
but first
i will find myself
in the windows of buildings
seventeen actual stories
above the ground
i will find myself in the blaze
of a lamp post on the red curtains
of the stage
i will find myself
in the torches that the righteous
and the rest of bare
i will find myself
in the ashes of a farmhouse
in the absolute middle
of america
i will find myself
gnawing at a desk
with the heat of my hands
and i know
that this is where i'll die
and i know
that this
is as real
as the bonfire
stretching its arms
across the back of my
beautiful lover
how could i ever not die for you?
i don't have the strength
to crawl away
from your love
you feed me
this is where i'll die
just a fire
desperately trying to burn
as long as it can

subset: commoncrawl


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A running discussion on the Cincinnati Reds and everything else in the baseball universe.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
2011 Top Prospect List: #10 Dave Sappelt, of
Height 5-9, Weight 195, B/T: R/R, DOB: 1/2/1987
2010 Redlegs Baseball Prospect Ranking: NA
Dave Sappelt stands 5-9 inches tall. That fact has worked against him in his baseball career, as scouts were either confused as to how to grade him or held his smaller frame against him. Initial impressions are difficult to shake in professional baseball. As a result, Sappelt is the type of guy who has constantly had to prove his detractors wrong. Fortunately, he packs a lot of talent into his smaller frame, because he has continued to climb the ladder towards the major leagues and looks poised to arrive on the scene at some point in 2011.
Amateur Career and Draft Position
Sappelt attended Coastal Carolina University where he hit .315/.344/.461/.805 in 178 ABs as a freshman. He posted a 29/8 K/BB ratio, cranked 5 homeruns, and swiped 5 bases in 7 attempts. As a sophomore, he took it up a notch, posting a .359/.410/.580/.990 in 276 ABs. He hit 10 homeruns, swiped 7 bases in 13 attempts, and put up a 40/26 K/BB ratio. As a draft eligible junior, he found yet another gear, kicking it up to .349/.415/.636/1.051 in 275 ABs with 18 homers, a 27/33 K/BB ratio, and 7 steals in 10 attempts. Sappelt's diminutive stature inspired his teammates to nickname him "Gary Coleman."
Even in the collegiate ranks he was already establishing his offensive profile as a player who swings early-and-often, struggles to effectively harness his speed on the bases, and yet features a bit of electricity to his game. In his three seasons at Coastal Carolina, Sappelt's game continued to progress and develop until he emerged on the radar of MLB baseball scouts.
The Reds ultimately reeled him in with the 269th overall pick in the 9th round of the 2008 draft and signed him to a contract with a $75,000 signing bonus.
2010 Season
Sappelt made three stops in 2010, rocketing up the minor league system and prospect rankings in equal measure.
His first stop was high-A Lynchburg, which holds the unusual distinction as being both the lowest level of competition faced by Sappelt and also his worst level of performance. For the Hillcats, Sappelt hit .282/.338/.352/.690 in 19 games and 71 ABs. He hit line drives at the rate of 19% and had a BABIP of .357. While his overall performance is somewhat uninspiring, his component stats are strong. On the bases, he only swiped 6 bases in 10 attempts. Nevertheless, he was a short-timer in high-A, as he was quickly bumped up the ladder to double-A Carolina.
For the Mudcats, Sappelt quickly caught fire. In 89 games and 330 ABs, he posted a robust .361/.416/.548/.964 slash line. He added a more than respectable 46/31 K/BB ratio, but continued to struggle on the bases where he was caught stealing (13) almost as many times as he was successful (15). So, his struggles to turn his good speed into offensive production obviously continue. Once again, Sappelt hit line drives at a very good clip (22%), which helps justify his extreme .400 BABIP. His performance was stellar and earned him a finally promotion to triple-A Louisville.
Sappelt finished up the season at triple-A Louisville where he hit to the tune of .324/.365/.481/.847 in 25 games and 108 ABs. He swiped 4 bases in 5 attempts and posted a 13/6 K/BB ratio. His power numbers dipped, but his line drive rate improved to 24%. In light of such a high line drive rate, Sappelt's BABIP was a reasonable .351.
Swing Mechanics
When I first saw Sappelt at the plate, I was admittedly less than impressed. His swing was unconventional and flawed to an extent unlikely to play at the MLB level. He spun off the ball by stepping in the bucket and opening up his shoulders too soon, which resulted in a very flat swing plane and a very low finishing position for his hands. That swing limited his ability to cover the outer half and his ability to generate loft and playable power.
Fortunately, Sappelt has made a few changes to improve the effectiveness of his swing. The changes have made him a better hitter and a more intriguing prospect. Even now, he still seems to be evolving at the plate, as his spring training swing seems different from his end-of-2010 swing which seems different from his 2009-swing. So, I'll dive into his swing mechanics, but they probably still aren't set in stone.
At the plate, Sappelt stands tall, roughly shoulder-width stance. He holds his hands up high by his right ear, which results in a bat position that is almost parallel to the ground. He also uses a bat waggle in his pre-pitch routine. Sappelt uses a slight hitch to drop his hands down into proper hitting position.
In the video below, courtesy of RedsMinorLeagues on YouTube, Sappelt's stride entails two parts. He begins with a toe-tap that includes a slight move forward, which is followed by a stride that basically lands in the bucket. As a result, he still opens up a bit too early, but it's less extreme than when I first saw him and so far it's been effective for him. Obviously, by using an open stride, he should have little trouble handling pitches on the inner half, as his hips and shoulders are already opening to the thirdbase side. But, despite the fact that he hits a double off the rightfield wall in this clip, Sappelt may struggle to drive the ball with power to the opposite field against more advanced pitching. By opening up early, he leaves himself susceptible to offspeed pitches on the outer half. If pitchers can get out on the front foot, then he will be in a poor position to cover the outside corner, as his swing path cuts across the inner half of the plate.
The early opening of his body and stride into the bucket results in a flatter swing path, as evidenced by the lower finishing position of the hands. At times, his hands almost seem to finish just above belt high, which means that his swing is rotational and flat.
As you can see in the above video, Sappelt runs well. He's small in stature, but has good quickness and speed and seems like a fast-twitch player. He takes a full cut and his follow-through makes him a bit slow out of the box, but it doesn't take him long to get up to full speed.
In this next video, also courtesy of RedsMinorLeagues on YouTube, which was taken about a month after the first video, Sappelt has gone with a completely different stride. The toe tap is gone in favor of a single move stride. As the pitch is delivered, he draws his stride foot back towards his back foot to help him load up for the pitch. He then strides forward to transfer his weight to meet the pitch. As you can see, his stride is much higher than the previous incarnation. Additionally, his stride is directed more towards the pitcher rather than opening up towards the third baseman. This stride leads to better balance and more power.
This different stride also brings about a different swing path. Instead of swinging around his body as he did previously, this new stride better enables him to stay down and through the ball, which allows him to drive it with authority. Also, his swing plane is no longer flat, but rather has more uppercut action to it. As a result, he finishes with his hands up above his right shoulder, rather than in the lower position from the above video. This second swing should enable him to generate more loft and better cover the outer half of the plate, as his swing path is no longer flat and won't cut across the inner half of the plate. He also seems to be in better control of his body and the bat head, as his momentum is heading towards the pitcher rather than off to the third base side.
The downside could be that the higher leg kick serves as a timing mechanism in the swing, which is fine until a pitcher is able to upset that timing. When that happens, he'll be out on the front foot too soon, which would leave him with nothing but an arm swing to protect the plate.
This second swing is much preferable and, in my mind at least, better supports the spike in power that Sappelt generated in 2010. In 2010, Sappelt managed to slug over .500 for the first time in his professional career and the second version of his swing makes me more of a believer in that number's legitimacy. However, early in spring training Sappelt seems to have altered his swing once again.
In Spring Training, Sappelt has been ripping the cover off the ball and has been doing it with a slightly different swing than the previous two. In Spring Training, he seems to have abandoned the two-step stride and the higher leg kick stride in favor of a simply lifting of the foot and putting it back down. There is little forward motion, but he opens up the toe of his stride foot early, which again enables him to clear and fire the hips. This swing again opens Sappelt up a bit early, but it has been hard to argue with the results.
Obviously, Sappelt is still refining his mechanics as a hitter and getting comfortable at the plate. However, despite the fluctuations in swing mechanics, he has maintained good success. The key to his success as a hitter is very good hand-eye coordination, which enables him to make consistent, hard contact even on pitches outside the zone. His ability to square up the pitch on the barrel of the bat dovetails nicely with his aggressive, early-count hitting philosophy. It's tough to succeed with a swing-early, swing-often approach if you can't make consistently hard contact.
So far, Sappelt has been crushing the ball in Spring Training, which can only help his cause. However, given that Dusty Baker has already committed to rolling Jonny Gomes out as his full-time leftfielder, Sappelt is likely to head back to the minors and await an opportunity. At the very least, he has seized the opportunity to open a few eyes and improve his standing in the organization.
Defense and Positional Value
While Sappelt has taken his offensive game to the point where it may now be a tick or two above replacement level in the majors, it's still his defensive ability that will ultimately drive his MLB career. If he can play an elite centerfield, then he could lay claim to a starting centerfield gig at the MLB level.
Scouting reports on Sappelt's defense rate him as a tick above average, but his Total Zone Fielding Runs Above Average for his 304 minor league games in centerfield is a plus 50. Obviously, the statistics indicate a true plus defensive player, but scouting reports aren't quite as complimentary. The difference between the statistics and the traditional scouting viewpoint on Sappelt may represent the difference between a starting job and 4th outfielder duty. To establish himself as an everyday player, Sappelt will need to be a legitimate impact player with the leather.
Given that Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce are well entrenched in centerfield and rightfield, respectively, a starting gig with the Reds will only happen in leftfield. Obviously, leftfield is traditionally an offense-first position, which works against Sappelt, but his arm will play in any of the three positions, which increases his versatility and makes him a more intriguing 4th outfielder. Jonny Gomes was not impressive in 2010, which when coupled with the lack of a true leadoff hitter may open the door a crack for Sappelt to lay claim to the job in 2011.
Final Thoughts
It's hard not to be impressed with how effectively the Reds have rebuilt their farm system. Their success in the draft over the past decade undoubtedly rivals its performance at any other time in the draft era. The Reds are not only having success with their top picks, but they are also finding good value with their later round selections, of which Dave Sappelt and Chris Heisey are prime examples. Heisey slipped because he went to a small college, while Sappelt slipped because he himself is small. Ultimately, both players may end up as 4th or 5th outfielders, but if things break right, then they might crack the starting lineup.
In Sappelt's case, his power is likely to be below average, but his batting average should be solid. He is a high contact guy and can drive the ball. His swing should ensure that he'll have solid pull power, but he's unlikely to ever post impressive home run totals, even with Great American Ballpark working in his favor. Regardless, if he can play impact defense and post respectable batting averages at the MLB level, then he might work his way into a starting job. If not, then he is likely to be a valuable and versatile 4th outfielder. That combination of ceiling and floor is enough to land him at #10 on the list.
9 comments:
excellent job lark as always.ReplyDelete
Im not sure why people seem to think his size is a disadvantage, I think it will help him make consistent contact and be able to draw walks easier.
Juan Durans main struggle is that he is so big its hard or him to control his huge strike zone, sappelt has the opposite effect. His hand eye coordination and quick bat along with his small strike zone allow him to make consistent contact even with his swing mechanics altering. It also why he hits line drives at such a high rate.
His biggest flaw is his base running ability, and his unusual weight gain/loss throughout the season. If he can keep his weight up for a full season there is no reason he wouldn't be able to hit 15-20 homers. However, he loses roughly 20 lbs every season and works hard to gain it back in the offseason. If he can keep that weight up he should be an excellent player
I agree, bigger players are at a disadvantage in hitting for average. They have a much bigger strike zone and longer levers to their swings. So, contact is more of an issue with the taller guys. On the flip side, shorter players should somewhat benefit in that area.
It'll be interesting to see how Sappelt handles MLB pitching. I'm not wild about his swing, but he makes it work. Still, I'm concerned about the soft stuff away.
Great American Ballpark is a huge boost for righthanded hitters, so Sappelt's power should be adequate. Still, he's going to be an early count, batting average driven hitter. I'm not sure I see 20 homers in his future, but I certainly hope so.
I agree that his baserunning/basestealing needs work. He lacks polish to his game, which hopefully he can develop.
Anyway, thanks for the comment!
I also dont see 20 homers from him, If he hit 20 I would be pleasantly surprised :] I just ment that it could be possibleReplyDelete
i am agree with you smitty your saying rite regardsReplyDelete
Urdu poetry
Too funny.ReplyDelete
July of last year you hated Sappelt and called him an "empty hitter" who does not have enough on base skills, speed, or power to supplement his batting average. In a round about way, you basically said he does not hold any value or have any future with the Reds.
Now Sappelt is in your top 10 prospect list because he SUPPOSEDLY changed his swing approach during the offseason or final two months of last year, with basically the same results as he had previously been putting up before this supposed swing change.
Makes sense.
I must say, though. Its good to see you coming aboard the Sappelt ship before it completely sailed on you.
Nice to know that I managed to entertain you.
First, I don't hate anybody, much less Sappelt, but interesting for you to read that into my message board post, which was actually pretty innocuous.
Second, I called him a hitter with an empty batting average, because he wasn't providing plus power, speed, or on-base skill. Was I wrong? Maybe, maybe not. His power production has certainly improved, but his on-base skill and base stealing/running are still underwhelming.
Has he done enough to land a starting gig at the MLB level? Time will tell. At the very least, he has emerged as a solid 4th/5th outfielder candidate. He wasn't a top notch prospect when he arrived in the professional ranks, but has made himself into a decent prospect. Kudos to him.
Thanks for the comment.
I'm a little late to the party here guys but great job again Lark. Your thoughts have mirrored my own on Sappelt, except you do it so much more clear and elequently.ReplyDelete
Anyhow prior to this season I was of the opinion that Sappelt was a guy who although had some talent was so raw in the skill department. Very undisciplined approach in every aspect of the game and historically speaking that never changes a whole lot in players. I like to use the analogy of playing a baseball video game, ya know as a student of the game that it pays to remain patient and get a good pitch you can drive, but ya just can't stop yourself from tapping that X button/swinging at almost everything anyway. Lots of players are that way and rarely change it a whole lot and it's a hinderance at the major league level because believe it or not some pitches just weren't meant to be driven and if your not driving the pitch the odds the defense gobbles it up again and again are really, really good. Think Willy Taveras or Corey Patterson, 2 guys who don't do an awful job of making contact but usually it's weak contact which keeps their BA low. And they don't supplement their BA/OBP% with a goodly amount of walks either because they are swinging at everything.
Sappelt IMO was headed down that road until he decided to make some changes as you have outlined here Lark. He studied alot of film (I believe some of it was Barry Bonds later years, but don't hold me to it). Now he has a nice swing, he is a bit more patient (not yet where he needs to be but he is adequate) and due to his improved swing mechanics he is getting about as much pop as he can out of his frame. His HR pop will go up getting out of Louisville's full park green monster OF fence.
He's turned himself into a legit solid leadoff option and a starting major league player IMO and he seems willing and able to do what it takes to keep improving. Let's just hope he doesn't try to do to much when he has struggles.
Oh and one other thing. The one thing I am not yet convinced of is his arm but in LF it shouldn't be too big a hinderance.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the comment! Always good to hear from ya.
I LOVE the video game analogy! I'm the same way. I know the value of patience and discipline, but in the video game realm the lure of the X button is a strong one! And, I think it's just that way for some hitters in professional baseball.
As for Sappelt, he's definitely put in the work and is seeing it pay off. It'll be interesting to see if he can emerge as something more than a 4th outfielder. He has the blend of tools to do so, but whether he can handle the tougher competition remains to be seen.
If he reaches his max projection, then he'd be a nice tablesetter and leftfielder, which are both areas of weakness for the Reds.
Anyway, thanks for the comment!!


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Monday, September 26, 2011
The Federal Reserve is spying on you and me...
US Army was monitoring protests against Federal Reserve in 2008
Paul Joseph Watson
The blogosphere has exploded with interest over the Federal Reserve's move to follow in the footsteps of the Obama campaign's "Attack Watch" by monitoring and identifying its critics, but many seem to have missed the obvious intention of the announcement – it's an intimidation tactic designed to chill dissent.
As Zero Hedge explains, the Federal Reserve, "Is requesting the creation of a "Social Listening Platform" whose function is to "gather data from various social media outlets and news sources." It will "monitor billions of conversations and generate text analytics based on predefined criteria." The Fed's desired product should be able to "determine the sentiment [ED:LOL] of a speaker or writer with respect to some topic or document"… "The solution must be able to gather data from the primary social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Forums and YouTube. It should also be able to aggregate data from various media outlets such as: CNN, WSJ, Factiva etc." Most importantly, the "Listening Platform" should be able to "Handle crisis situations, Continuously monitor conversations, and Identify and reach out to key bloggers and influencers."
If the Federal Reserve was really that concerned about what people on the Internet were saying about it, then this program would have been launched several years ago, and not after a heap of vitriol has already been spewed.
The announcement that the Fed is monitoring dissent and attempting to identify individual bloggers is little more than an intimidation tactic designed to chill anti-Fed rhetoric and make people think twice before they criticize the private, run for profit entity that poses as a part of the government yet is no more federal than Federal Express.
Intimidation has been the name of the game when it comes to the Fed for years before this announcement was made.
When the first "End the Fed" protests were started back in 2008, no less than the US Army itself was put on alert.
An advisory released in November 2008 by the US Army Reserve warned its personnel of the demonstrations in advance. "The United States Army Reserve Command is publishing this Force Protection Advisory to advise all Army Reserve personnel of the planned protests at all Federal Reserve Banks and office locations within the United States on 22 November 2008," read the document. "This message provides situational awareness and recommended mitigation measures."
On November 22, 2008, Alex Jones led a rally at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas Texas. The Dallas protest is specifically mentioned in the official Army document. Ron Paul's brother was also in attendance.
The Army had already "established relationships" with local law enforcement and the FBI regarding the protests, who had then promised to keep the Army updated on developments.
This proves that the US government and the Federal Reserve were already well aware of the growing anti-Fed movement, and indeed using the Army as a bulwark against it, three years prior to the announcement of their intention to create a "Social Listening Platform" in order to monitor dissent.
Posted by Wallyworld
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I'm sure you've often wondered what would happen if you combined the powers of a unicorn with those of Batman - or maybe a zombie? These t-shirts from Unicorns Rock turn your horned, horsey pal into everything that's cool.
Tees from Unicorns Rock are $19, with free shipping. Now that's just rainbow barf magical. (I first spotted these tees on the awesome Hide Your Arms blog.)
G/O Media may get a commission


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What's the zestiest holiday event you'll attend?
Jim Jansen: "We just moved to the area, so we don't have an exciting social calendar just yet."
Megan Snyder: "I have a four-month-old baby, so I'm going back to my hometown to introduce her to everyone."
Alisa Baer: "I really can't think of anything."


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Bob Marley & the Wailers
June 16th 1976 Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London
A very nice recording from the soundboard. Maybe a tad slow, I don't mess with pitch control with transferring tapes. I try to leave history as exact as it was documented. Bob and the Wailers did a run of shows at the Odeon from June 15th thru the 18th. His mark as the king of reggae was solidified this year with these shows and the ones at the Lyceum show he now had the band in top for and was ready to conquer the world with his messages and positive energy.
You can right clip and save as each song above, or just left clip to listen. Also
the entire show is in the youtube clip below
Here is a great article from NME,, thanks to Michael for sending it to me
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Charles Shaar Murray, NME, 26 June 1976
RIOTS LAST NIGHT they said, marauding hordes of smart, mean kids swarming around getting illegal all over the place with property and the concession stands in the foyer. Not so much heaving the moneylenders out of the temple as ripping off their money, but as an analogy it will suffice.
Like Patti Smith's Roundhouse set, the Wailers' show gets things on which don't happen in the ordinary crappy-old-theatre-with-humorous-acoustics type of environment such as is provided by town councils throughout the land.
The audience, by sheer sleight of spirit, made the rows of seating devices perform the Big Vanish just as they shut the house lights down, transforming Hammersmith Odeon into an environment fit for whoopin', hollerin', jumpin' up and down, dancin' tight, singin' along and all kinds of other things that folks do when someone's blowing clouds of inexorably exhilarating and ineluctably – you should excuse the expression – positive vibrations all over them.
'Trenchtown Rock' filled the hall, occupying space and time like a solid object. Down front it was like dancing in the middle of a choir while simultaneously getting a full massage – plus you could watch the band with the I Threes dignifiedly swaying in the breeze and Marley moving fluid behind the centre mike, radiating the strange kind of intensity of presence that a small man can use to dominate a stage.
The band generated what seemed like infinite quantities of energy with virtually no apparent effort; a judoka's mastery of stress and balance and pressure. Family Man Barrett's bass was a huge granite Odin humming in the bath and the guitars did almost as much dancing as the audience.
Marley himself was, they tell me, in a state of near exhaustion that night, but even in that state he moved more earth than any of your friendly neighbourhood gentlemen of leisure can do after fifteen hours sleep and half a gram of coke up the nasal cavities. What was so totally overwhelming about the show was not so much "The Music" itself (inasmuch as music can never be considered as something existing separately from the people who produce it and those who listen to it) as the audience, and what got the audience the way they were.
See, these days a lot of dull, brutish music is played dully and brutally and received dully and brutally by audiences grown accustomed to no better. The Wailers' audience last Wednesday night reacted passionately and joyously to the music, singing and dancing along with it quite spontaneously and unpromptedly, without seeming at all dominated by or subordinate to the performer.
What was happening was quite simple. The audience regarded Marley as their champion and their voice, but not as their master or leader or prophet. They regarded him with admiration and affection, not with the kind of fawning idolatry that greets Bowie or Jagger. Similarly, Marley manifests respect and friendship to the people he plays to, a welcome change from the usual rampant condescension.
Maybe it was once like that in rock and roll: an audience hearing people instead of instruments and a man instead of lyrics, and not wanting or needing to cluster round the back to watch him get into his car after the gig.
© Charles Shaar Murray, 1976


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Adam Lambert Reveals Details of New Album, 'Trespassing'
Glambert fans, rejoice! Adam Lambert has just announced details of his upcoming second studio album, 'Trespassing,' due out in spring 2012.
Some details about the album were previously available courtesy of the 'American Idol' alum, including a couple of song titles — the first, 'Outlaws of Love,' is a track that Lambert has been performing during live shows, and the title track, 'Trespassing,' was co-penned with Pharrell. A few weeks ago, Lambert teased fans with some new lyrics via Twitter: "I'm swingin off of my hinges, I'm cocked and I'm ready to go… All along, I tried to pretend it didn't matter if I was alone...."
Later, he tweeted: "Lost inside communication breakdown, better just read my lips. Comin' in clearer when we get down. iceberg. Just the tip." Rihanna better watch her back — with these salacious double entendre-courting lyrics, Glambert is coming hard for her wig.
Lambert also revealed the title of his long-delayed comeback single via Twitter on Saturday, which quickly became a trending topic. 'Better Than I Know Myself' will soon make light after unforeseen complications delayed the single's release from its original premiere date in early November. Anticipation is running high for Lambert's release, which he described as "existential pop" and follows his 2009 LP, 'For Your Entertainment.'


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"You may have seen people cruising around on Cardiff Skates at Mission Beach or Liberty Station. Here is your chance to try out for free a new way to skate that is fast to learn and fun," said inventor Brian Green, who lives in Point Loma with his wife, Shanen, and dogs Ari and Charlie.
Green's skates are a convenient cross between in-line skates and the classic strap-on roller skates.
"Cardiff Skates strap onto your favorite shoes," he said. "They automatically size adjust and feature a stable wheel configuration and braking system, which makes them perfect for all ability levels."
This is an exciting time for Green, who saie he grew up pond skating in Connecticut and skiing in Vermont.
"When rollerblades first came to market in the mid-'80s, I skated a lot, but I wanted a more comfortable and convenient skate. My hobby was inventing products. I have several other patents on pet products, a gardening product and suspension skates."
Green, 52, said he has been at work on one invention or another since he was 24.
"I was on HSN (Home Shopping Network) with one of my products, and one of my products went to TV through an infomercial. The skate project has been my life's work and I am so psyched to see it come to market."
Green said his goal eight years ago was to create a more comfortable, stable and convenient skating experience for people of all ability levels to enjoy. With the investment of friends and family, he prototyped and tested many different wheel configurations to come up with the most stable wheel configuration.
He took his patented tri-skate wheel configuration to a group of experienced skate engineers in Munich, Germany, who helped him fine-tune the function of the automatic size adjustment, wheel configuration and braking system to be stable enough for all ability levels.
He then hired a local Oceanside design firm, C4 Design Group, to help create a binding system and restyle the functional German design into a more stylish working prototype.
Green partnered with an experienced skate and rollerblade manufacturer in Asia (which once made over 9 million pairs of rollerblades a year.) Green and others then field-tested the production prototypes for several years.
A lifelong friend of Green introduced him to San Diego resident and fellow entrepreneur Bob Pollack, who had over 30 years of executive retail experience with Target and other stores. Pollack saw the potential in Green's new skate evolution and invested in the technology.
This year,Green and Pollack formed the Cardiff Skate Co, located in Cardiff by the Sea, with Pollack as CEO and Green as VP of products. They hired a team of experienced professionals to refine the design and branding into a market-ready product.
Inline skating, once the fastest-growing sport in the world, hit its peak in the 1990s with over 30 million participants. The skate industry hasn't seen a revolution like Cardiff Skates since.
"Bob and I believe these skates will reinvigorate the industry by offering a new way for everyone to skate, making them perfect for transportation, recreation or just to cruise around," Green said.
Cardiff Skates are available online at cardiffskate.com or in select Brookstone stores in California, including Fashion Valley Mall and in all 53 Sports Chalet Stores, as well as in the Sharper Image fall catalogue and at the UCSD bookstore.
"Cardiff Skates are so convenient to use that our company's tagline is: 'Step on, strap in, skate away," said Green.
The Greens met the public at the free skating event in Liberty Station on
Dec. 7.
For more information, visit www.cardiffskate.com.


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Description: From the minds that brought you jokes, comes a show that brings you jokes. TJ Hurley (The World Exists podcast) and Alejandro Morales (Facebook) are teaming up to bring the best of Philly's homegrown stand-up comedy scene to the lovely Balcony at the Trocadero Theater for ONE NIGHT ONLY on Wednesday, January 30th.Featuring Doogie Horner, Carolyn Busa, Sidney Gantt, the Necrosexual, Joe Bell, and Dan King, with a surprise appearance by Lou Misiano.
Style: Stand-up
Date: Wednesday. January 30th.
Time: Doors at 8pm, show at 8:30
Admission: $5 – Available Online
Location: The Balcony at the Trocadero Theater, 1003 Arch St.
Contact: Facebook Event


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Here's another card included in the tutorial I have been promoting!
You can find the tutorial with 15 projects HERE!
I combined On to Adventure stamp set (shopping lady) with this project. Otherwise, everything else is from the Best Dressed suite!
I combined On to Adventure stamp set (shopping lady) with this project. Otherwise, everything else is from the Best Dressed suite!
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You don't want to miss this Stamp a Stack class, featuring the stamp set "Seriously the Best"! SERIOUSLY, this is one of the best stamp sets in the Spring Catalog, my opinion! I love the larger font, it speaks for itself! Here are…
Dressed up projects with purses, perfume, and shoes!!
Here are some fun Christmas or winter cards to make!
Here are the 12 projects we made at the 2019 Cozy Craft Retreat!
Here's a super cute Keurig Coffee Machine that doubles as a gift card holder
Here's a Spooky Halloween Tutorial for you! 5 projects with full instructions and photos.
When you unwind the string, and open the box, BOO! Drac will POP out at you! Just like a real Jack in the Box!!
This banner is perfect for Valentine's Day (or a bridal shower, wedding, anniversary). Tutorial for the BANNER only!
Who wouldn't LOVE an Apple or iTunes gift card for Valentine's Day? You can make a creative package out of cardstock to hold the gift card!
This iPhone Gift Card Holder is perfect for an Apple or iTunes gift card! The box lid flips up and you can put a gift card inside! Any adult or teen would enjoy this!
Here's a fun interactive card - a Polaroid camera. you can push the card back up into the Polaroid camera. Then the arrow prompts you to pull it out.
Picnic basket can be filled with a lot of fun things!
Just in time for back to school... It's a School Desk Gift Card Holder! The desk lifts and holds a gift card. This would make a great teacher gift or a gift for your child!
This Riding Lawn Mower holds a gift card or treat in the back, where the doors open.
Just in time for Father's Day! This is a PUSH Lawn Mower Money Holder!
Here's a fun and creative way to say THANK YOU to your teacher or bus driver! The back of the bus opens up so you can stick a gift card or treat inside.
A beach chair, which holds a gift card underneath the bottom of the chair. You could put an airline gift card or some cash in the envelope. Lots of miniature things for the beach! Lemonade with lime and "sugared" edges, People magazine, beach towel, flip flops, sunglasses and of course, some Coppertone suntan lotion!
Here is a wedding or anniversary getaway convertible that is a fun and creative way to give a gift card! The trunk flips up in back. You can slide a gift card in the trunk (or some CASH!) There are handmade Diet Coke cans that drag behind the car. There is also a bow-tie and wedding veil in the back of the car.
Here's another idea for Father's Day - a workbench that holds a gift card inside! The drawer actually opens and you can include a Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. gift card!
For all the golf-lovers out there! These golf carts hold tees in the back, and you can also add a gift card to the roof!
This unique tape meaure features a measuring tape that retracts out of the base. You just pull on the tab to reveal the sentiment and ruler. When you let go of the tab, the ruler will automatically spring back inside the base! There is a small tab on the back that will hold a gift card.
The content of this blog is the sole responsibility of Lorri Heiling as an independent Stampin' Up! demonstrator and the use of and content of classes, services or products offered is not endorsed by Stampin' Up!
Images © Stampin' Up!


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Announcing a New Documentary Film on the Life of Sheila Varian :: Arabian Horses, Stallions, Farms, Arabians, for sale - Arabian Horse Network, www.arabhorse.com
SANTA YNEZ, CA- Her "V" brand is immediately recognizable to most horse enthusiasts around the world, particularly Arabian horse owners. The acclaimed story of one of the world's greatest Arabian horse visionaries and Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductee will be retold as never before in a new, full-length documentary film entitled "V: The Legacy of Sheila Varian," premiering Saturday, August 2, 2014 at the Clark Center for Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, Cal. In a twist-and-turn adventure, the film walks viewers through the epic story of Sheila Varian, known as one of the world's elite horse breeders and trainers. The film retells memorable stories from her childhood and early years as a school teacher, to the humble beginnings of Varian Arabians. It was during this time that a unique vision began taking shape that was initially scoffed at, but eventually created a legacy so far reaching that it is nearly unquantifiable in Arabian horse breeding around the world.
"V: The Legacy of Sheila Varian" brings viewers into Sheila's personal, private world, and includes never-before-seen footage and photos from the early years of Varian Arabians.
"You'll walk alongside a young Sheila as she learns from famous mentors and carries life-long friendships," says Evie Tubbs Sweeney, the film's producer. "You'll ride with her as she breaks world-records and 'wins the world'-the Open Reined Cow Horse Championships at the Cow Palace in San Francisco-in 1961 to a stunned audience. You'll learn the nuances of what eventually developed her vision as a breeder. You'll feel the exhilaration of watching her first three Arabian mares step off the trailer after their overseas trip from Poland in 1961. You'll get to know the intricate personalities of all the equine characters in her story. You'll share her hurts, struggles and ultimate triumphs from walking a road less traveled. You'll be swept away by the beauty of her stallions that changed the Arabian breed forever, and her unique relationships with them. But most of all, you'll be inspired by what can happen when you dig deep to follow your calling, and end up changing the world."
The film's historic premiere will include not only a presentation of the film, but also guest speakers, including Sheila herself. General admission tickets are $15. The event, held during Varian Arabians' Diamond Jubilee weekend, is expected to sell out to the 600-person auditorium, so purchasing tickets early is recommended. For those unable to attend, the premiere will be live streamed on iEquine.com. Further details to follow. The official event hashtag for the film's premiere is #svfilm.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.EvieInc.net.
Exclusive photography and content available upon request.
"V: The Legacy of Sheila Varian" is a film by Evie Inc., produced by Evie Tubbs Sweeney, directed by Emmy award-winning producer Millington Productions, Inc., written by Bob Sweeney, and co-produced by Sherry Conrads, in association with Platinum Performance. The film was made possible by private donors.


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Photo By: Natalia Neverko, Dmitriy Skorozhenko
Photo By: Jennifer Boomer/Verbatim Photo Agency
Photo By: Life Created
Photo By: Marie Flanigan
Photo By: Hilton & Hyland, a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Photo By: Michael Saunders & Company, a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Photo By: TimberTech
Photo By: Tammy Randall Wood
Photo By: Matt Wier
Photo By: Photography by Scott Hamilton. Kitchen design by Robin Muto Interiors.
Photo By: Jackson Design and Remodeling
Photo By: Long & Foster Real Estate Inc., a member of Luxury Portfolio International
Photo By: Photo Credit: Jenifer Jordan
© Gibbs Smith, Charles Faudree Interiors, Charles Faudree, Jenifer Jordan (photographer)
Photo By: Tropico Photo
Photo By: Patrick Cline
Photo By: Jeff Herr Photography
Beautiful Outdoor Entertaining Area
Bright outdoor furniture accents the lively colors planted on the patio. Stacked stone fire pit, curved wooden bench and great view make this a great entertainment spot.
Visit Original Photo
Modern Stairs in Penthouse
Stairs seem to float in the center of the penthouse, leading in between levels.
Rustic Black and White Kitchen with Glass Globe Light Fixture
A rustic black and white kitchen with glass light fixtures is shown, as seen on HGTV's Fixer Upper.
Neutral Girl's Nursery Complete With White Bookcase
Beneath the window, a bookcase with cubbies gives the owners a spot to store blankets, burping cloths and onesies. As their little one grows older, though, they can use it to organize picture books and toys.
Classic, White Living Space Evokes Elegance
To break up the long living space, two separate seating areas are created. Each space is defined by a traditional area rug, beaded chandelier, marble-topped coffee table and comfortable yet sophisticated furniture. Gleaming metallic exposed beams add a touch of glamour, and the fireplace remains a chic focal point of the space.
Modern Urban Backyard With Fire Pit
The backyard has views of the city as far as the eye can see. The entire outdoor space is skillfully used, patios merging merging gracefully into lawns and open air sitting areas.
Beachfront Patio With Pool
Thanks to a glass railing, this pretty patio with its pool and comfortable seating area seems to melt into the beach.
City Deck With Opaque Glass Railing
This deck by TimberTech has city views with a opaque glass railing for added privacy.
Bathroom Suite with Calacatta Marble Floors
This bathroom suite features a spacious shower with ceiling-mounted shower head, a glass enclosure, and shelves built right into the walls. The Calacatta marble floor is a small touch that goes a long way to create a luxurious feel for such a simple space.
White Shelf and Hot Air Balloon Wallpaper
To help break up the boxy shape of this nursery, a shelving unit goes across the corner. In white, it doesn't compete with the fun, flying machine wallpaper.
White Quartz Countertop and Deep Single Sink
Plain white quartz countertops and quartz backsplash include a single-basin Poise stainless steel sink and brushed nickel faucet by Kohler. Legrand Adorne switches and outlets line the wall with coordinated stainless steel and white face plates.
Country Bedroom Featuring Bay Window Seat, Neutral Linens and Natural Stone Fireplace Surround
A natural stone fireplace surround brings gorgeous texture to this country style master bedroom. Beige curtains compliment the neutral bed linens and stately armchair upholstery. The bay window is the perfect set up for a cozy window seat padded with a mix of neutral and blue pillows with a single burgundy pillow for color accent. A natural wood mantel and hardwood floor are perfect compliments to the farmhouse style.
Spacious Traditional Foyer
Boasting classic period details and exemplary craftsmanship, this historic Maryland manor house welcomes guests into a traditional, neutral foyer. Wander along the hardwood flooring beneath a teardrop chandelier and beside a large piano and discover an elegantly restored hardwood staircase that leads to the second level.
Country Foyer With Autumn Decor
A country style foyer is decorated for the fall with neutral brown tones and a bowl of pine cones. Matching brown lamps and a wood-framed mirror tie this space together.
A Closet Full of Fun
Colors explode from this closet in many of the same shades that make up the home: bright blues, yellows, warm oranges and even a bit of royal purple all make an appearance.
Four Blue Armchairs and Fireplace
Four sky-blue armchairs create a balanced look in this chic dining room, especially as their graceful curve is mimicked by the round coffee table. A thin animal skin rug underfoot is a welcome contrast to the heft of the chairs.
Nautical-Inspired Beach Paradise Condo Dining Area
This beach condo's dining area can easily accommodate six people around its large rustic wood trestle table with comfortable chairs in an eclectic mix of midcentury modern and contemporary styles and materials.
Elegant Neutral Dining Area Next to Kitchen
Dark wood floors and white painted wainscoting add richness and depth to this exquisite open dining space. White chairs and table linens accent the dark drapery and dining table, and a flat arched soffit separates the dining and kitchen spaces.
Contemporary Yellow Dining Room with Chandelier
The dining room was updated with a coat of yellow paint and a modern chandelier.


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Saffa.com is working with ExpatDating.com on the WorldWide Web, which is an International dating site aimed at helping people share the adventure of discovering and getting to know foreign cultures and shores.
If you feel the urge to say jislaaik, lekker, bakgat or hoezit, etc. or, if you find the locals talk too fast and are crazy, you can find someone from South Africa in the same region to hook up with and compare notes with or chat about "home" with.
www.ExpatDating.com is a cool, hassle-free place to find like-minded Saffa people abroad. So, if you're homesick and missing your own culture, braaivleis and sunny skies, then ExpatDating.com is the place to find someone with whom you can share the adventure (and challenge) of foreign shores.
Use our search tool above and you'll see it is really quick, easy, safe and completely anonymous to find other South Africans or someone special amongst our millions of members!


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Tag: Rob Lowe
Casey Anthony: Once in a Lifetime
O.J. Simpson. Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The Menendez brothers. Charles Manson. Defendants in famous murder trials, all. Of course, the list would not be complete without…
Voted the most disliked person in America in 2011, the year of her trial, Casey Anthony stood accused of murder in the first degree in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee.
Everyone thought she was guilty. We were convinced she was guilty. The jury on the other hand, was not. And since our legal system dictates that a person is innocent until proven guilty in court, Casey Anthony was, and is, a free woman.
And now the story has made it to our TV screens. "Prosecuting Casey Anthony" premiered on Saturday, January 19 on the Lifetime Network. The movie is based on prosecutor Jeff Ashton's book "Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony," and gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the prosecution team before and during Ms. Anthony's murder trial.
From the beginning of the film we can see that Mr. Ashton (played by Rob Lowe) is a big deal. The lead attorney for the State of Florida, Linda Drane Burdick, (played by Elizabeth Mitchell) asked him to take the case as his last before retirement. Ms. Burdick may have been the lead chair officially, but it was pretty clear that it was Mr. Ashton who called the shots. As the movie made abundantly clear, this is a guy who "got the first conviction in the entire world based on DNA evidence." If someone might not know that already, Mr. Ashton probably makes it abundantly clear to them. (Just a hunch; it seems the guy has quite the healthy ego).
To Mr. Ashton, the Casey Anthony case was perfect: He would win and serve justice. It was a case he couldn't lose.
Until he did.
Casey Anthony, first degree murder, Jeff Ashton, Lifetime, Rob Lowe
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Eric Chivian, MD, is the founder and Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School. In 1980, he co-founded, with three other Harvard faculty members, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. Aaron Bernstein, MD has been affiliated with the Center for Health and the Global Environment since 2001 and is currently a resident in the Boston Combined Residency in Pediatrics. Together they wrote Sustaining Life: How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity which presents a comprehensive review of how human medicines, biomedical research, the emergence and spread of infectious diseases, and the production of food all depend on biodiversity. In the excerpt below the authors look at how traditional medicine has led to some of our most important modern drugs.
Ethnobotany, that is, the scientific study of the use of plants by native cultures, including their use as medicines, can be said to have begun with Carl Linnaeus, who in the 1730s published Flora Lapponica, his detailed account of plant use by the Lappish, or Sami, people, living north of the Arctic Circle. These observations, like many made since then that draw on knowledge of the natural world gathered over many generations by indigenous peoples, have contributed significantly to the practice of medicine today.
The history of two modern pharmaceuticals—quinine and artemisinin serve to illustrate our enormous debt to traditional medical healers.
The isolation of the antimalarial drug quinine from the bark of cinchona trees (e.g., Cinchona officialinis) was accomplished by the French chemists Pierre- Joseph Pelletier and Joseph-Bienaimé Caventou in 1820. The bark had long been used by indigenous peoples in the Amazon region for the treatment of fevers. Spanish Jesuit missionaries, after the conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, learned of this use from the natives and found that the bark was effective in preventing and treating malaria. They brought this knowledge, along with the bark, back to Europe, where it became widely used and was often referred to as "Peruvian bark." With quinine as the model, chemists subsequently synthesized the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and mefloquine, and they have continued to modify the basic structure of quinine to produce even more effective agents, such as the new antimalarial bulaquine.
The Sweet Wormwood plant (Artemesia annua) was also used as a treatment for fevers in China for more than 2,000 years (it is called qing hao in Chinese), but it was not until 1972 that the active compound artemisinin (qing hao su, which means the active principle of qing hao) was extracted and later identified as a potent antimalarial drug by Chinese scientists. This effort was part of a systematic examination at that time of indigenous plants in China as sources of new medicines. More soluble derivatives, artemether, artether, and artemotil, have been developed in recent years. These medicines, in combination with other antimalarials such as mefloquine, have proved highly effective in treating malaria, particularly the most deadly form caused by Plasmodium falciparum (see chapter 7 for a further discussion of malaria), which has become increasingly resistant to the first-line treatments chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine—in Asia, South and Central America, and Africa. Given that malaria, despite intensive efforts by the world community, continues to kill between one and three million people each year, approximately three-fourths of whom are African children, and to cripple economies around the world, the importance of artemisinin and other effective antimalarials cannot be overstated.
Another possible use of artemisinin is in the treatment of cancer. Its antimalarial activity is thought to be due to its interaction with iron, present in very high concentrations in the malarial parasite. Since some cancer cells, particularly leukemia cells, also have high iron concentrations, they may also be killed by artemisinin, as has been demonstrated in some initial studies with cancer cells in tissue culture. The potential of artemisinin and its derivatives as cancer chemotherapeutic agents is being actively investigated in a variety of anticancer screens.
The combination of a high demand for artemisinin-based antimalarials and limited commercial-scale production of Artemesia annua (in only a few locales in China and Vietnam) has left artemisinin-based therapies in short supply. The World Health Organization has stepped in to develop a plan to bolster production.
One possible solution to the supply problem may come from biotechnology. Scientists in California have recently produced the base structure of the chemical artemisinin in the bacterium Escherichia coli, and in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), by transferring the necessary genes from Artemisia annua into these microbes. For E. coli or yeast to become a viable source for artemisinin, the base structure would need to be modified, and the entire process would have to be scaled up to achieve commercial production levels.
Traditional medicine, as practiced by indigenous people today, relies on its own version of "clinical trials," where natural products continue to be used only if they have been shown to be effective. These trials may take place over very long periods of time, sometimes over hundreds of years by generations of healers, and they lead to a vast and detailed knowledge of the medicinal properties of many natural substances. That is why many believe there is such enormous potential for finding new medicines among those used by traditional healers.
But there are also problems in using these leads for drug discovery. For one, there is the problem of diagnosis. In the absence of diagnostic tools such as blood tests, X-rays, MRIs, and invasive techniques such as surgery, traditional healers must rely largely on a patient's history, on the physical exam, and on the external manifestations of disease, all of which can be unreliable. Superstition may also prevent accurate diagnosis and, along with the placebo effect, cloud objective evaluation of the success of treatment. Furthermore, some diseases, for example, those involving the elderly, such as Alzheimer's and most cancers, may be rare in some indigenous populations where life expectancy is short. Finally, knowledge may or may not have been faithfully transcribed from one generation to the next. Traditional medical practices in several parts of Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, and India, have been recorded in great detail over the centuries in written texts, in contrast to those in some other parts of the world, such as among South American Indians, where the passage of knowledge has been primarily by oral means. While these oral traditions may reflect very careful trials and observations, they are prone to errors as a result of unreliable transmission and anecdotal reports.
Nevertheless, indigenous healers have been critically important in the discovery of many new drugs. One study demonstrated that of 119 drugs (derived from some ninety plant species) currently in use in one or more countries, almost three-quarters were discovered by extracting the active chemicals from plants used in traditional medicines.
Tragically, traditional healers now face a double threat—both from the loss of biodiversity that depletes the natural sources that make up their pharmacopoeia, and from encroachment by the outside world that may wipe out their cultures. In the first three-quarters of the twentieth century, more than ninety tribes have become "extinct" in Brazil alone. Scientists are racing to record the secrets these native healers hold before they and the plants and other species they use are gone.


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40 Glocc Hates "Fags"! Talks About Gay Lyrics From Rick Ross & T-Pain? "These Niccas Is Weirdo's. T-Pain Talkin Bout Ray-J's Balls. I Knew Rick Ross Was A Cop 2 Years Ago"
40 Glocc interview with thisis50
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Gingrich: Moon Could Be 51st State
Candidate Talks About Space Program In Brevard Co.
Newt Gingrich launched a roundtable discussion Wednesday about the space program at Brevard Community College.
Gingrich surprised many with an ambitious plan that he said involves a permanent U.S. base on the moon, activities and tourism in orbit and a rocket engine capable of getting astronauts to Mars, all by 2020.
"The reason you have to have a bold and large vision is you don't arouse the American nation with trivial, bureaucratic, rational objectives," Gingrich said.
Gingrich said he thinks the moon could be the 51st state, and there could be five or more launches a day.
"I grew up a big space fan," Gingrich said. "We need to have rocket engine ready for Mars in eight years."
A Mars mission has been estimated to cost $450 billion, which experts said will consume every penny of NASA's annual budget for the next 25 years, never mind operating the space station and building a base on the moon within the next eight years. Gingrich wants to do all that, and more.
"We need to have manufacturing and tourism in space," Gingrich said.
It's a vision that would redefine the space program, but experts said there is one big obstacle.
"It's definitely possible. I mean, we got to the moon with no program at all in nine years. Can we do it? Clearly we can. The challenge is, can we convince the Congress that this is where scarce resources need to be," space expert Dale Ketchem said.
Gingrich said he can sway Congress because that's what he did as House speaker and during his 20 years in the House.
"I'll convince the people; theyre Congress's boss," Gingrich said.
Supporters said former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney also rallied local support as he continued his quest for the GOP presidential nomination. He was at American Douglas Metals in Orlando. But Romney's focus was more on blasting President Barack Obama for being out of touch with the American people.
"I think it's time to have a president who's not just a lobbyist, who's not just a legislator and not just a blamer and a campaigner, but a president who knows how to get the job done because he's done it time and time again -- and I am, and I will," Romney said.


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Skip to Content
Rush Copley Medical Group
Home > Health Services > Imaging > Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Patients coming to Rush Copley for routine Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans now have the most advanced MRI services designed for maximum patient comfort. Rush Copley is the first and only hospital in the Fox Valley area to offer the most advanced imaging technology available with the new MAGNETOM® Verio 3T MRI scanner from Siemens. The 3T MRI boasts the strongest magnet field strength used clinically today and gives Rush Copley physicians access to many applications, including neurology and functional neurology evaluation, orthopedic and cartilage assessment, and breast, vascular and cardiac imaging. The system's large opening is wide enough to accommodate a diverse array of patients who have traditionally been difficult to scan such as children, the elderly or heavier patients.
MRI is a non-invasive test that uses a magnetic field, radio waves and advanced computer software to produce clear, detailed images of the structure and function of internal organs and tissues. MRI gives doctors a window into the body unavailable with X-rays and other imaging technologies. During an MRI, the patient lies still on a sliding table which is positioned inside the MRI. Imaging professionals are in an adjacent room but in constant contact via an intercom system. People with claustrophobia may need to obtain a sedative to help them relax. Most exams take 15 – 45 minutes, although highly detailed studies may take longer.MRI is a critical diagnostic tool used to:
Since a MRI does not involve radiation, it is also used to examine the reproductive system, pelvis, hips and bladder.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, is a valuable diagnostic tool used to measure the brain's activity. Valuable in cases such as Deep Brain Stimulation, fMRI works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity – when a brain area is more active it consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased demand blood flow increases to the active area. fMRI can be used to produce activation maps showing which parts of the brain are involved in a particular mental process.
The American Medical Association recently suggested that women, who are known to have the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene, have an MRI of the breast over a traditional mammogram. Breast MRI has been proven to be useful in:
Rush Copley's MRI services are accredited by the American College of Radiology. This accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety.
It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR practice guidelines and technical standards after a peer review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field.
© Copyright 2020 Rush Copley Medical Center • 2000 Ogden Avenue; Aurora, IL 60504
Main: 630-978-6200 • Physician Referral & Information: 630-978-6700 or 866-4COPLEY (866-426-7539)


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If you are looking for the source of a mount and the various options used in the mount, then the quickest way to get that is ::
By default, with no parameters, it lists all the mounts in a tree like view and all the options used to mount the path. It also lists the source of the mount.
By default again, it uses some capabilities of the terminal to show the tree which you can disable with the option "-a".
You can check the man page for more information on this command, it has some pretty good examples as well.
And just in case, you are unable to find the package (util-linux) containing the command:
sudo yum install util-linux


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"Yes, I am impatient. Yes, I am frustrated. But yes, I still do remain confident that this team is the team that can still challenge for the division championship and hopefully beyond. We've got a lot of good pieces, we just need to all come together and we'll be just fine.
I also expounded on my feelings about the speculation regarding the coaching staff and trades. I flat out told everyone — because I have a policy that no one has to guess what's on my mind — that the first people who get the benefit from that philosophy is my players and my coaching staff. So I explained to them that I have not had one single conversation in terms of making changes in a managerial position or the coaching positions. I have faith in these guys and still have confidence in knowing that there are some guys who are struggling, but there are also some guys who are performing well. Now, ultimately, if they have gotten the information, the players are the ones who have to step up, and they know that. They know that."
Reifert has Kenny's comments from earlier today at the link.
Sounds like KW gave coaches and players vote of confidence – or means Michael Corleone just kissed you on the lips. Enjoy the fishing boat.


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Parking meters to go up near AT&T Park
The chance of snagging a free curbside parking space within a short walk of AT&T Park will be about as likely as Giants pitcher Matt Cain tossing another perfect game this season. Or ever.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will begin planting hundreds of new parking meters in the Mission Bay development adjacent to the ballpark this summer, and by next spring extend the meter operating hours on all streets in proximity to the stadium to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Sunday meters are scheduled to begin Jan. 1 citywide.
The cost to park at the meters during ballgames and other special events will jump to $5 or $7 an hour, depending on how close they are to the ballpark.
The city's elected leaders have for years pushed back when the Municipal Transit Agency has proposed expanding meter hours later into the night.
But now the agency is moving forward with nighttime meters around the ballpark, relying on a vote by the agency's governing board four years ago that allows longer operating hours in specific areas on an experimental basis, agency spokesman Paul Rose said Monday.
"The goal of this policy is to reduce the extreme congestion associated with special events," said Ed Reiskin, San Francisco's director of transportation.
The new policy, known as the Mission Bay Parking Management Strategy, affects areas generally bounded by Bryant, King, Fifth and Second streets, and King, Seventh, Mariposa and Illinois streets.
The changes come under the rubric of the transportation agency's experimental SFpark program, which hopes to manage parking availability and traffic congestion by varying parking meter rates. High demand means higher rates that, if the model works as anticipated, will deter people from driving into the area.
Price precedent
The Port of San Francisco, which operates meters along the Embarcadero, already charges $5 an hour for meters near AT&T Park during Giants games, and also runs them until 11 p.m. Expanding the concept to hundreds more meters around the ballpark - and charging a much as $7 an hour - will be a first for the Municipal Transportation Agency, which operates nearly 29,000 meters in the city.
Agency officials are quick to point out that the cost to park in lots within a block or two of the stadium on game day can run as high as $40. They also argue the higher rates will also bring more convenience, with the time limit extended to four hours or, in some cases, with no time limit as long as the meter is fed.
However, the new parking policy around the ballpark extends beyond game days and will be in effect year round.
The changes have drawn mixed responses from residents in the area. Some asked the transportation agency to provide special price breaks for neighbors when the special event rates are in place. But Reiskin said that would not be feasible.
At times when there aren't ballgames and special events, the hourly meter rates initially will be $1.25 an hour on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and drop to 25 cents after 6 p.m. Weekend rates will start at 25 cents an hour. They can be increased incrementally by no more than 25 cents an hour, or lowered by no more than 50 cents an hour, based on demand. The adjustments are made no more than once a month.
Welcoming neighbor
Corinne Woods, who chairs the Mission Bay Community Advisory Committee and lived along Mission Creek before the new neighborhood sprouted up around her, welcomes the changes.
"The issue with us during the games is that you can't go anywhere in your car. It's essentially gridlock," said Woods, who is one of the few residents in the area with a special permit to park near her home.
She noted that the Mission Bay development, home to a UCSF campus, biotech businesses and new housing developments, is being built as a transit-first community, where private automobile use is discouraged. "We always knew there were going to be meters here," Woods said.
Bad for commuters
For Dean Griffiths and his wife, the new meters will be a costly adjustment.
The couple live in Mission Bay and use their cars to commute, he to the North Bay, after dropping their son off at school, and she to the South Bay. Transit isn't a feasible option for either of them. They are assigned one parking space in their condo building and park their other car on the street. They chose Mission Bay because it was central to both their workplaces and close to the freeways.
He applauds the planned use of special event pricing to ease demand, but thinks that neighbors should get a break. Paying $5 or more an hour for street parking every time the Giants are playing at home is "simply not a viable economic prospect," Griffiths said.
"I will be forced to drive around the various neighboring streets, circling, looking for alternative parking. This is a practice that SFMTA is striving to reduce," he said.
With that in mind, the agency is looking to install more meters in adjacent neighborhoods.
Rachel Gordon is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @rachelgordonsf


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Understated to the End
Despite my slight leftwards tendencies, one of my favorite presidents is the first George Bush. He wasn't a flashy guy. He simply knew what job he had to do and then got it done. Unfortunately for him, parts of his legacy wound up being attributed to Clinton but the smoldering wreck currently being dealt with in Mesopotamia shows just how impressive his foresight was. Bush was an understated guy and it was that understatement that eventually cost him his job.
If I had to pick one guy in baseball who reminded me of George H. W. Bush, that guy would be Sparky Anderson. Sure, he was a great manager and the first one to manage a team to a World Series title in both leagues. Ultimately it was Anderson's understatement that made him a success but that same quality led to his undoing.
For better or for worse, Sparky Anderson always found a way to keep the focus elsewhere. When you're dealing with the kind of egos Sparky had to deal with, though, that type of personal understatement is a necessity. Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Johnny Bench. The name, The Big Red Machine, says it all. He found a way to keep those personalities in check. But when he followed up the big wins with mere second place finishes, it wasn't enough for the Reds and his understatedness made him a perfect scapegoat. It's like 1991 for Bush. Sure, he may have guided the US through the Gulf War but what have you done for us lately?
Although things didn't end quite the same way with the Tigers, Anderson's understatement was still his undoing. When he left the Tigers in 1995, Sparky had to feel more than a little disappointed that no one came calling. And for a guy who did as much for baseball as Anderson, it's a reflection on his humility that he refused to step foot in the Hall of Fame until 2000 when he was inducted.
Understatement seems to be the trait that follows Anderson throughout his career and his life. Even in death he requested that no funeral or memorial be held. I guess for me, though, Sparky is one of those guys who, despite his natural avoidance of the spotlight, still defined baseball as I was growing up. He's a guy who knew what job he had to do and then got it done.


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Giotto's Circle and Medieval Work in Progress: 'Illuminated Manuscripts: Art and Science'
The new research presented by Dr Stella Panayotova (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge) at the Research Forum on 24 April 2013 is a perfect summation of the huge advances being made in the field of manuscript studies thanks to exponentially rapid developments in science and technology. Already relatively well-known works of medieval art were shown in a new light, as Dr Panayotova explained how the use of digital reconstruction can debunk certain myths surrounding medieval manuscript production that have been readily spread through literature. Such myths were based on the conclusions of a small selection of academics in an age before such impressive technologies were readily available and have been accepted largely without question by a majority of medievalists. However, the work of Dr Panayotova and the MINIARE project (Manuscript Illumination: Non-Invasive Analysis, Research and Expertise) highlights just how much more research there is to be done in the area.
In collaboration with the Getty, several manuscripts were subject to a variety of intense analytical processes in order to map out more accurately than ever the exact make-up of the manuscripts' pigmentation. Here, the focus was on the work of Pacino di Bonaguida, a fourteenth century Italian artist whose oeuvre included not only illuminated manuscripts, but also altarpieces. The work for which he is perhaps most well-known, the Chiarito Tabernacle, also went under the microscope.
One of the most useful ways to use this new technology is to distinguish between different artistic hands, not just in manuscripts but in other art objects also. Indeed, it was amazing to see how delicate and subtle some of the stylistic differences between hands were – brushstrokes, for example, can vary greatly in a way that would have otherwise been imperceptible to the naked eye, such as the use of linear, parallel strokes as opposed to cross hatching. It also highlights similarities in the treatment of shadows – particularly noticeable in paintings of flesh and skin – thereby allowing us to draw links that would have perhaps been too anachronistic before. Viewing the manuscripts under UV lights allows for an analysis of the organic make-up of the pigments, what materials have been used and, therefore, which paints were likely to have been mixed in the same workshop or by the same artist and which were done separately. This may initially seem highly technical, but what Dr Panatoyova has shown is that using science in this way can allow us to give a lot more weight to arguments around the provenance of medieval artworks.
It was especially fascinating to hear Dr Panatoyova's theories on the knowledge and use of colour optic theories in the medieval period, and how our ability to see the subtle techniques utilised by artists gives us much greater insight into how they were thinking about shadow and light. But this is only the beginning – the most exciting thing is speculating on how exactly these technologies might advance our research in the future.


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The 200 metre high sand dunes at Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert in Africa? After the raging floodwaters of Noah's Flood (violent enough to create the Grand Canyon so presumably also destructive of any pre-existing dunes made of desert sand) had receded. Correct?
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... usvlei.JPG
I hope I am not talking barchans.


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People who have been having problems with Awn regarding artifacts appearing on the icons, this has been fixed in SVN. Its an wonder what properly clearing the cairo_context_t will make ;).
Also, I have been working on improving the D&D code, and you can now drop URI's to a launcher and it will start the program with that file. It works quite well around the desktop, i.e. dragging a movie file to the Totem launcher starts Totem!
Also, this works for multiple selections aswell, i.e. high-lighting more than one picture in Nautilus, and dragging it to the GThumb launcher will start GThumb with all the selected files displayed!
You can continue to D&D to a launcher even after it has become associated with another window!
Please bear in mind that not all of the desktop works the same ie. dragging the URL from Firefox to the Epiphany launcher does nothing, however it works if you drag a URL from Epiphany to Firefox! Its up to the application as to how well-behaved it is in a D&D situation. However, I am working to support more targets if I can.
Also, please remember that the launched application is still under the control of Awn, therefore if Awn dies, the application goes with it! If anyone can shed some light how I can launch an application in a way that it survives if Awn closes, I would be most grateful!
I have changed the gconf code , so you should not be getting anymore segfaults after the make install. Some people have commented that it is hard to keep track of SVN changes, so whenever there is a new feature implemented, I am going to add it into the README file, so its easier everyone to know whats new. (I also update the Changelog file, but I can be more descriptive in the README).
Tuesday, 6 February 2007
Some updates
Posted by Neil J. Patel at 13:17
Labels: awn gconf svn
4 comments:
- Andres said...
great work! u r really doing a great app here, i really like the drag n drop feature ;)
thx for ur hard work
- 7 February 2007 at 04:42
- ahoge said...
Yea, It makes dock more intuitive.
Great job!
- 7 February 2007 at 14:40
- Neil J. Patel said...
Thanks guys!
- 7 February 2007 at 15:48
In regards to forking processes off awn, I know that the 'screen' command works for me in the case of wanting to launch applications from a terminal and to not kill them when I close the terminal window. It is used simply as 'screen <command>'.
However, I am not sure this is ideal; screen is in reality a full-blown 'pager for the terminal', and this functionality is almost a side-effect; screen is also not usually installed by default. Have you looked into what the gnome panel does?
- 23 February 2007 at 02:35
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