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Canucks' Alex Edler slapped with two-game suspension by NHL for hit on Coyotes goalie Mike Smith
Goaltender Mike Smith of the Phoenix Coyotes is hit from behind from Alex Edler of the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of Thursday's National Hockey League game at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Edler received a five-minute penalty on the play.
Photograph by: Christian Petersen , Getty Images
LOS ANGELES — Already missing some key forwards, the Vancouver Canucks will now be without defenceman Alex Edler for the next two games.
Edler was handed a two-game suspension early Friday night by former defenceman Rob Blake, who now works in the NHL's operations department, for his hit on Phoenix goalie Mike Smith on Thursday night.
Edler collided with Smith behind the Phoenix net late in the second period while Smith was attempting to play the puck. Edler received a five-minute major for charging.
"While we agree Edler had no malicious intent on this play we believe he does not make any effort to minimize or avoid contact," Blake said in the video released by the NHL to explain its ruling (see video below).
Canucks management declined interview requests, but general manager Mike Gillis issued the following statement: "As an organization we respect the NHL and its process for supplemental discipline. While we may not agree with this ruling, we will move forward and prepare for our important game tomorrow in Los Angeles. We do not intend to comment further on this matter."
Edler will miss Saturday afternoon's game in Los Angeles against the Kings (1 p.m., Sportsnet Pacific, Team 1040) and Sunday night's game in Denver vs. the Colorado Avalanche. He will forfeit $35,135 in salary.
"Rather than attempt to minimize or avoid contact, Edler takes a direct route through Smith making contact with his head," Blake said in the video. "This is charging against a goaltender. As it is defined by Rule 42, a goalkeeper is not fair game just because he is outside the goal crease area."
Blake noted that incidental contact at the discretion of the referee is permitted when the goalkeeper is in the act of playing the puck outside his goal crease "providing the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact."
The NHL clearly felt Edler did not make an attempt to avoid Smith. In handing down the two-game suspension, Blake said the league took into account that Edler has no previous disciplinary history. The league also considered the fact that Smith was injured on the play.
Smith finished the second period, but did not return to play the third period.
Phoenix coach Dave Tippett said Smith saw a doctor on Friday and then received treatment.
"We'll see if he feels good enough to practise on Sunday," Tippett told reporters in Phoenix.
Edler's teammates came to his defence on Friday, a few hours before the decision was announced.
"Knowing Alex, you know that if he did hit his head it definitely was not intentional," said Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo.
Smith is one of the NHL's best goalies when it comes to handling the puck and the Canucks wanted to pressure him when he had a chance to play it.
"He is one of the best puck-handlers in the league and he's not afraid to get out there," Luongo said.
Forward Chris Higgins, who missed Thursday night's game with a bad back, watched the play from the Vancouver dressing room.
"It seemed like he was just trying to take the wall away and he had a lot of speed and sometimes when you get stuck on the wall it is hard to move side to side," Higgins said.
"Smith was taking away the only place he could have moved. I don't know how he could have avoided a collision … He kind of hugged the wall and I think it looked bad because it jerked his head back when he got hit and that's what people are looking at nowadays."
Fellow defenceman Chris Tanev said he felt Edler was trying to get past Smith.
"He definitely was trying to squeeze through him, but they are both such big guys and behind the net there's not much space for both of them to move around." Tanev said. "He (Smith) looks guys off a lot and he is so good moving the puck as a goaltender that Alex was just trying to get his stick and happened to run into him. I'm pretty sure he was just trying to squeeze by him and happened to hit him."
Edler is the second Canuck player to be suspended this season. Winger Jannik Hansen received a one-game suspension for his elbow to the back of the head of Chicago winger Marian Hossa in a Feb. 19 game at the United Center.

subset: commoncrawl


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Some people elect not to receive blood transfusions or blood products during surgery. This approach is known as "bloodless medicine," and there are a number of medical and ethical reasons why a patient might make this decision.
Bloodless medicine is an exciting field made possible by a growing number of cutting-edge techniques. Many of these techniques are only available in select medical centers that have the right equipment and clinical staff trained in bloodless methods. If you want to know more, this guide explains how surgeries can be safely performed without blood transfusions or major blood products.
- I. Is Bloodless Medicine For Me?
- Step 1: Introduction to the bloodless approach
- Step 2: The components of blood
- Step 3: Why people choose bloodless medicine
- Step 4: Benefits and risks
- II. Undergoing Bloodless Surgery
- Step 5: Surgeries that can use bloodless methods
- Step 6: Preparing for bloodless surgery
- Step 7: Strategies and techniques during surgery
- Step 8: Post-surgery
Learn More
Review Date:
Reviewed By: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Palm Beach Cancer Institute, West Palm Beach, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
Need an appointment? Request one online 24 hours/day, 7 days/week or call 800-789-PENN (7366) to speak to a referral counselor.


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Battle With 'Overzealous' Tax Hunters Continues
Confusion in Michigan tax code still reigns
Two bills designed to start reining in what some say has been unfair and overzealous tax assessing were unanimously passed by the Michigan House this week. The target of the legislation is the State Department of Treasury.
"Under Jennifer Granholm the Department of Treasury became very, very aggressive in its efforts to squeeze additional revenue from businesses," said Tricia Kinley, director of tax policy for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. "We strongly support both of these pieces of legislation."
House Bill 5543 limits how far back Treasury's auditors could go into previous tax years to search for additional dollars taxpayers allegedly failed to report under the use tax. The bill does this by clarifying when a tax filing is considered to have been completed. House Bill 5543 was passed by the House on Thursday on a 109-0 vote.
"I think we need a tax system that's simple, fair and efficient," said, Rep Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, the sponsor of the bill. "What we're seeing, however, is that we still have a ways to go."
Jorge Hensal, a Macomb County resident who owned a business that made steel stairs and railings, testified on House Bill 5543 when it was in committee. After losing a contract to an Ohio company that under bid him, Hensal closed down the business in early January.
"As we were doing this, an auditor called," Hensal told Capitol Confidential. "He seemed friendly. We met and talked and he asked a few general questions. But when he called back he said he had good news and bad news. He said we'd overpaid about $30,000 in sales tax but owed about $180,000 in use tax."
According to Hensal, it seemed to him that the auditor had come up with the $180,000 figure by simply computing 6 percent of his company's gross sales.
"I ended up reading the tax code and saw there were actually seven different ways I'd been selling my products," Hensal said. "For instance, when I sold to a nonprofit, it was different than when selling to someone else. I showed it to the auditor, he took it and later came back and said I was right. I felt like asking him why an architect, like myself, with no training in taxes could come up with that, when nobody else had?" Hensal said.
According to Hensal, the Treasury still claims he owes $180,000, but now $40,000 of that amount is for penalties.
"My CPA made a mistake," Hensal said. "For 10 years he had not filled out my tax form correctly. He classified everything under 'industrial process.' But I really can't bad mouth him too much because you can't find out what he was supposed to do in the code — it's all an interpretation."
The other thing Hensal and his CPA found out was that they opened the door to the audit of the company's previous 10 years of returns by leaving blank spaces on the forms where no payment was due instead of actually putting in zeroes.
"I guess that's sort of an unwritten law," Hensal said.
House Bill 5543 would clarify what constitutes a filing. Under law, this would limit how long the filing could still be a target for further audits. The bill makes the clarification by adding the following technical wording to current statute:
The filing of a return includes the filing of a combined, consolidated, or composite return whether any tax was paid and whether the taxpayer included any amount in the tax line including zero.
The other bill pertaining to Treasury's ability to assess additional taxes is House Bill 5577. It was also passed by the House on a 109-0 vote. This legislation would limit the time frame regarding certain unclaimed property.
Treasury spokesman Terry Stanton said that his department is just doing its job.
"Obviously, we administer the laws on the books," Stanton said. "Our job is administering state law. That's what we do. In addition, we support both of these House bills."
But according to Kinley, she doesn't believe either bill would be necessary if Treasury wasn't being overly aggressive.
"Granholm started this train rolling," Kinley said. "And what we're seeing here is really just the tip of the iceberg."
Capitol Confidential asked Kinley why the current Treasury Department has continued the practices that were used under Gov. Granholm.
"All I can say is that I think just asking that question pretty much hits the nail on the head," Kinley responded.
House Bill 5524, the so-called anti-bounty hunter bill, has yet to come out of committee. That legislation would prohibit Treasury from paying auditors on a contingency fee basis. Some observers believe House Bill 5524 would end most of the alleged "overzealous" tax assessing.
See also:


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Getting To Say "I Told You So"
When I say that I'm not one to gloat or that I don't enjoy saying "I told you so"; it makes me sound very mature, grounded and responsible. Those that know me know what a shallow and superficial person I really am. They also know that I take great delight in saying "I told you so".
Many times over the last couple of years, few things have enraged a handful of readers than when I pick up the cause of two drivers that I consider some of the most underrated drivers in open-wheel racing today – Bruno Junqueira and Oriol Servia. Some of the nicer comments over the last couple of years claimed that I knew nothing about racing or that the sport has surely passed me by. Then there were the more pointed comments that suggested I submit to a mental evaluation.
Bruno Junqueira had an early out in FAZZT Racing's second car in last year's Indianapolis 500 and didn't get to show much of his stuff. But those that were paying attention witnessed him putting that car in the field with literally no practice time. I still say he's a good driver, and the pairing of Bruno and fellow Brazilian Vitor Meira will be one to watch in May.
But my gloating is actually centered on Oriol Servia. After three races, Servia currently sits in fourth in the points battle. Had he not gotten tied up in Helio's overly ambitious move at Long Beach, he may even be higher. His pirouette in Turn One to rejoin the field with hardly batting an eye, was either masterful car control or just plain dumb luck.
Whatever the case, I think a large portion of the credit for the turnaround at Newman/Haas has to go to Oriol Servia.
Since the beginning of the season, the resurgence at Newman/Hass Racing has been well-documented and deservedly so. There have been many theories as to why they have rebounded after a couple of dismal years. Some point to the fact that Mike Lanigan is no longer in the picture. He has now teamed up with Bobby Rahal and David Letterman to form Rahal-Letterman Lanigan Racing. Others site the infusion of cash from Telemundo and Sprott.
Those are plausible theories but I tend to place most of the credit with the presence of driver Oriol Servia. So many times, we look at teams and envision a scenario where a veteran driver is paired with a rookie. When Tony Kanaan lost his ride in October, many thought a combination of Tony Kanaan and JR Hildebrand would be a great duo at Panther. The savvy veteran could get immediate results, while giving the rookie time to process everything and take advantage of the presence of an experienced driver.
Economics rarely allow ideal situations like this to occur. Teams are forced to take big checks from drivers they wouldn't ordinarily put into their cockpits. In the case of Newman/Haas, however, the right circumstances came together.
James Hinchcliffe has been stunning, for the most part, in his two races for Newman/Haas. Although he made a rookie mistake on the first lap at Barber and was eventually taken out by the EJ Viso incident – he showed quite a bit of skill in his time behind the wheel in Birmingham. At Long Beach, he was nothing short of brilliant. Although he missed the first race, he has to be considered the early favorite for Rookie of the Year.
But don't underestimate the value of the presence of Oriol Servia. Although he garners little fanfare, he has delivered excellent results for every CART/Champ Car/IZOD IndyCar Series team he has driven for over the past eleven seasons. When he first came on the scene with PPI Motorsports in 2000, he was teamed with Christiano da Matta. He scored ten top-ten finishes, including a third place finish at Belle Isle in Detroit.
In those early days, he also drove for Pat Patrick, where he finished seventh in points in 2003, and the perennially under-funded Dale Coyne Racing where he scored a podium finish at Laguna Seca. His break came when he substituted for the aforementioned Bruno Junqueira at Newman/Haas, after Bruno's season ending injury at Indianapolis. In a substitute role, Servia scored seven podium finishes in eleven starts, including a win. In those eleven races, he also had two fourths and a fifth place finish. Normally, ten top fives, seven podiums and a race win in eleven starts would draw a ton of attention. Servia was shackled with being the teammate to Sebastien Bourdais, who was in the midst of winning four straight championships.
For the next few seasons, Servia bounced between PKV, Forsythe and the newly re-named KV Racing of a now-unified series, then back to Newman/Haas. In that time he delivered many podium finishes and strong consistent results. Servia also delivered one of the more memorable drives of the 2009 Indianapolis 500. While driving for Rahal-Letterman, he drove a car reminiscent of a Dan Gurney livery of the late sixties. He carved his way up through the field, in a year that didn't see a whole lot of passing at Indy, only to be sidelined by a fuel-pump issue. He finished out the 2009 season with Newman/Haas after Robert Doornbos left the team. After sitting out the 2010 season, Servia finds himself back at Newman/Haas for this season. So far, the results have been impressive.
With so many strong performances and results; oddly enough, Oriol Servia is never recognized for being more than a journeyman driver. I've never understood that. Is it because he doesn't run his mouth or knock drivers out of his way on the track? Anytime I've expressed my views on Servia, there are always a few that will vehemently disagree, but never with facts – only raw emotion, along with a few expletives.
If I were ever lucky enough to win the lottery and start my own race team, there are only a handful of drivers that I would go after to build a new team around. Oriol Servia is one of those drivers. I like his low-key style. He doesn't boast or brag, he just quietly delivers good results.
I think he is perfectly suited for his current role at Newman/Haas. At thirty-six, the bulk of his driving career is behind him. Clearly, the driver of the future at Newman/Haas is James Hinchcliffe. The way he drove at Long Beach, he may possibly be the driver of the present, as well. But the realities of being a rookie will catch up to Hinchcliffe at some point this season. When it does, he can draw on the wealth of experience that Servia brings to the team. In the meantime, Servia will quietly go about his business of bringing home solid finishes for the team – and possibly a race win or two.
Through three races, this season hasn't developed into the Penske/Ganassi runaway that many predicted. I fully expect one of those two teams to win the championship this season, but the chokehold has already been broken with Mike Conway's Andretti win at Long Beach. I think another team or two can sneak in and take some wins this season. The way Newman/Haas has performed so far this season; I look for them to be in position to win a couple of races in 2011. If Servia does win this season, just don't expect him to do a lot of boasting about it. But you can count on me saying "I told you so".
George Phillips
11 Responses to "Getting To Say "I Told You So""
I'll be the first to admit that I have never really paid much attention to Servia until this year. I didn't know much about him. He has been quite impressive this year, and I do like his easy-going, low key attitude. It's nice to see Newman-Haas seemingly moving forward this season as a contender again.
So, if Servia was in the #3 Penske car he would be staring at the Borg-Warner Trophy and combing his hair while getting ready for his bas-relief sculpture. Maybe so. Hinchcliff has definitely caught my eye with his driving and attitude, so he might want to clear a spot on his mantle for the "Rookie of the Year Award."
I was thinking about Servia a while back and realized in a ten year career, I don't think he has ever had two full consecutive seasons with a single team. That may be part of the problem with his lack of recognition. He is one of those guys that gets results far beyond what is expected of the car. Newman/Haas this year should be an example to every team that is sick of loosing to the big two. You can spend years toiling in the back wasting your ride-buyer's money, or you bite the bullet and hire the best drivers you can get, put the right team together, and race. If they can afford to keep it together, in a year or two, there will be sponsors all over these two cars, and they will be championship contenders. They were nearly out of business last year. I know it's easier said than done, but KV are you watching? (I know you made a huge step in the right direction with Kanaan)
Uh, oh, I'm ranting. Sorry. Foyt, Panther, KV, D&R, you guys should all be this good. Some of you have longer-term, loyal sponsors. They have to be looking at Servia and Hinchtown right now and questioning that investment. Newman/Haas is embarasing you right now, at least on the roads and streets. Maybe Penske/Ganassi dominance has given you an excuse to be mediocre. Maybe you should rethink some or your goals and expectations. You're all shooting at being the best of the rest, and NH is not. I think some of that comes from standards set during their heyday. Time to look deep inside and step up mid-packers. I don't think your excuse is as good as it once seemed.
I remember that whenever a Champ Car team needed a driver RIGHT NOW, they'd hire Servia and he'd put in a good performance with less than a week to prepare. Like TK at St. Pete.
Servia's career has been one of solid, steady performances. Remember his 1999 Indy Lights championship was won despite no race victories.
He's never been a spectacular driver, but he's become one of the best at putting a car in good spot on the grid, keeping it in one piece, and finishing much higher than he started. Quiet, consistent, and very good… he's like the Wes Unseld of current IndyCar drivers.
No one should be selling Newman/Haas short, either. While they aren't quite the team they were in CART, they still have one of the best staffs in the series. There's a reason they were the first former ChampCar team to win after reunification and are, thus far, the only former ChampCar team to have won a pole.
Pairing a team like that with a driver like Wilson, Rahal, or Servia is almost a guaranteed best-of-the-rest trophy, and sometimes a best-of-everybody trophy.
Damn! Here, I was going to be a smart guy and get all "remember the 1999 Lights championship!" only to find Mr. Skink beat me to it by a solid hour and change.
I think that Servia is like the ultimate #2 driver in IndyCar's history. He isn't going to win a whole lot of races, but he is going to bring the car home every week at exactly the pace that the car is capable of, while never ever overstepping the car's boundaries or making stupid mistakes. More often than not, that's good for a top-10, and a good chunk of the time, that's good enough for a top-5 or even a podium. If IndyCar had an F1-style teams championship, Oriol'd be the first guy I'd want to lock down, because he's going to haul home the points every week while the team's rabbit goes out and tries to knock down all the walls in an attempt to win.
People will complain, I'm sure, that racing is about winning, and winning alone, and that's why we shouldn't like guys like Servia. I'd reply that most of the time, racing is about finishing, and then you worry about winning. Servia is a "finisher". And a damn good one at that.
I agree with your opinion of Oriol Servia as a driver George. However, his skilled move at rejoining the field immediately following the Power/HCN dustup at Long Beach came at the expense of Vitor who had to brake hard and downshift to avoid hitting Oriol. It is good to see the resurgence of Newman/Haas.
Bruno Junqueira's amazing qualification was one of the highlight's of last year's Indy500.
All racers, during green-flag racing, must downshift and brake to negotiate turn 1.
Vitor could see Oriol's bright blue car passing right to left before him.
Thank you, George, for giving a shout out to two of my favorite under-appreciated open-wheel drivers. Ten years ago Servia caught my eye by peforming consistently well in less-than perfect equipment. My partner in race-watching and I also spent the first half of the '09 500 cheering on his fantastic drive.
Bruno had the misfortune of being one of the Guys Who Replaced Montoya and Vasser, then of being Bourdais' teammate, and finally getting hurt at Indy. He was pulled out of the car he qualified in '09 in favor of Tagliani, but was rewarded with a ride as Tags' teammate last year. As you mentioned, I think he turned the 7th-fastest qualifying lap with 7 laps or fewer on track.
I'm cheering hard for these guys and am glad I'm not alone,
As usual, I'm coming late to the party: 12:50 a.m. Thursday.
I said previously that I was never a Junqueira fan; I had my favorites, and he always looked distressed and sounded whiny while playing second fiddle in TCGR then N-HR. Nonetheless I could never deny his talent and skill.
And in his comeback year, reentering the car that Servia had pedaled to second in the championship, Junquiera had the WORST luck. He didn't have a Cinderella comeback year but was SO snakebit that I felt sorry for him.
Regarding Servia: I can't add anything to what y'all have said. I've thought that sponsors of KVRT, N-H, or De Ferran/Dragon, ought to want wily veterans such as Wilson, Kanaan, Servia, or Hunter-Reay plus young guns such as Vernay, Hildebrand, or Hinchcliffe.


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Courteney Cox and David Arquette are finalizing their divorce after first separating in 2010, People reported.
The "Friends" actress—who told People that she and Arquette have stayed "best friends" despite splitting up—filed divorce papers on the same day as Arquette's June 8 filing in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Cox, 47, cites irreconcilable differences and asks for joint legal and physical custody of their 8-year-old daughter, Coco.
U.S. & World
The actress, who stars in the sitcom "Cougar Town" and recently appeared in "Scream 4," also requests to drop "Arquette" from her last name.
Both Cox and Arquette are representing themselves in court without lawyers.
Selected Reading: People, The Associated Press


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Posts Tagged 'spawn process'
Win32 API: Passing Socket with IPC method
October 13, 2010 3 comments
Hi. In this post I talk to you how to correctly pass a socket created in a parent process to a child process in Microsoft 9x systems.
If you have ever written a multi-process concurrent server in a Unix environment, you may have noticed that the passage of the socket between parent and son processes takes place directly. That is, the child inherits the variables of his parent, also including the file descriptor associated with the socket.
Categories: C/C++, Windows Duplicate socket, Programming C, spawn process, using pipe, Win32 API


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Whoot!! Way to go, switzgal!! Glad you got your post, well... posted.switzgal wrote:check this out MTV used my post in their article. I'm FreakyVirgo on the MTV site!!!
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/11/23/tw ... d-e-mails/
BTW, switzgal, I loved your post from November 23rd. Regarding the employment status of M. Rosenberg?
Loved It!! I think everyone already knows how I feel about Hardwicke and Rosenberg.


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Mozilla Looks to Entice Developers With Firefox OS Phones
Aiming to build interest among mobile programmers, Mozilla announced Tuesday that it will make available preview hardware running its Firefox OS.
The two "developer preview" devices are being created in partnership with Geeksphone and Spanish carrier Telefonica. Telefonica has already said it will support the Web-based operating system on commercial devices expected later this year.
"Developer preview phones will help make the mobile web more accessible to more people," Mozilla said in a blog posting on Tuesday. "Developers are critical to the web and to Mozilla's mission to make the web accessible to everyone."
The preview devices are unlocked. The low-end model, dubbed Keon, features a Qualcomm S1 processor and 3.5-inch touchscreen, among other features. A higher-end model, Peak, features a dual-core Qualcomm chip and a 4.3-inch screen.
Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs will talk more about the Firefox OS project when he takes the stage at our D: Dive Into Mobile conference in April.


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I was going to attempt a 2008 round-up but my memory is so poor it seemed like too great a challenge. When I tried it, well, this happened. My whole life story was pieced together in several seconds. Only one memory really belonged to 2008.
It's kind of sad when you can condense your entire life into one small blog image. But I guess, now that I've done it, it might serve as an introduction to anyone who happens to pass by my blog over the next few days.


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Collecting Glass
Collecting and admiring glass is a passion that can last a lifetime. Exploring one area of the craft only leads to another and yet another: from blown glass to cast to fused to slumped to worked. Which in turns leads to the dizzying array of options for decorating and colouring the medium: painted to engraved to polished to etched to sand-blasted. And then, once you have satisfied yourself that you have seen all of the colours, textures and shapes possibly on offer an artist will appear who does something new and wonderful that starts the process all over again. Glass is a medium that always grows with you no matter your age, budget or taste.
Commissioning Glass
Owning a piece of glass is a pleasurable, and rewarding experience. You may have previously purchased an item from an artist, gallery or shop or have been unsuccessful in finding that right piece. If so, have you thought about commissioning a piece of work direct from an artist? Commissioning a glass artist or designer to produce a work of art can be highly enjoyable for both parties. You will find both the work and the experience both personal and unique, it will be specifically produced for you and your requirements. Each commission will vary according to the commissioner, artist, situation and circumstance but it will be something you will find rewarding.
It might be that youhave an idea for a piece for your home, a gift for someone, aseries of awards for a business or corporate venture or you are a collector of glass.
Below are some simple steps involved in commissioning a piece of glass:
- Put some thought into what first prompted the commission.
- Develop your brief and your idea.
- Do research into what you are looking for and potential artists that could help.
- Make contact with some artists.
- Discuss ideas and budgets with the artists.
- Make an agreement or contract.
- Other points to consider: Fee, Fabrication, Delivery, Installation, Timescale, Maintenance and Ownership.
- Reviewing progress- Your involvement through the process.
- Completion& Delivery
When discussing your idea with the artist, the artist should discuss what it is you are looking for, introduce their own past portfolio and then proceed in a way that suits the commission or project. This might include their own ideas or thoughts, a potential budget, something similar that they may have done before or drawing or sample of work. Remember that Communication is all important. It is important to keep in touch during the duration of the project. On your part, you need to be checking progress, answering questions and approving or correcting details. On their part, they should be updating you regularly on progress and letting you know if anything crops up that might delay the work being carried out.
If you need help finding an artist, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com


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WOW.. 2017 is almost over. Crazy.
While we have not been keeping up with our editorial calendar and podcasts have scaled back across the board, we're still going strong with HorsePLAY! LIVE. Our friends over at GamingDeath and The B-Team are still rocking it too. It's been a relatively quiet year for video games, in spite of the Nintendo Switch and XBox One X launches (and the ridiculous closings of studies like Runic and Visceral). The common thread is that everyone is busy adulting: dealing with major life events, engaging in the never-ending rat race, digging out of debt, and trying to maintain sanity throughout it all.
With all the brilliant people we've lost, warnings about the end of days, social just warriors going out of control (the unfortunate incident with August Ames goes to show that human beings can be cruel, self-righteous pieces of shit), and overall tension/despair in the air, it makes you just want to go back to better days. If, like me, you were born into Generation X or you're a Baby Boomer, chances are you have great memories in a decade that I think will always be special: the 1980s. Say what you about Reganomics and inflation, the 80s were the brightest period in my lifetime hands-down.
To be clear, I love my life today. My kids may be a pain in the ass, work has pretty much killed any semblance of social life I could possibly desire, and sleep feels like a distant memory.. But I ain't complaining. You take the good with the bad, right? The older you get, the more opportunities open up but there are certain things you just have to leave behind. The change that comes with time is inevitable so might as well welcome it with open arms.
Still, this holiday season has had me going back to simpler times. There was just something special about the 80s. It's a special magic that you can't quite quantify. BuzzFeed and articles like RedBookMag's "21 Best Things from the 80s" check off all the boxes but they don't quite capture that je ne sais quoi.
For me, there are a countless things that make the 80s so special. First and foremost, there was a certain type of energy in the air. It was the complete opposite from the 70s, where everything had a certain drabness to it and things felt muted, if not suppressed. Everything in the 80s was bold: big hair, neon colors, rocking music, wild sets/backdrops, memorable movies.. The list goes on but there was no mistaking that period in modern times. There was no half steppin in the eighties!


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When I was growing up, my mother always would carve a pumpkin on Halloween. But for her, it was more for the seeds — she loved making roasted pumpkin seeds.
As a result, when I had children, I, too, would carve a pumpkin, but it usually was my husband who ended up doing the carving, as he was better at it.
First, we would have the kids use markers to make a face for the pumpkin, then the carving would begin.
You have to cut the top off the pumkin and clean out all the insides — not a fun job. Then you could cut out the face.
It's a lot of work to get to those pumpkin seeds, as anyone who has carved a pumpkin knows. And it's a lot of work to get those seeds ready for roasting.
First you have to separate the seeds from the pumpkin insides, a messy task. Then you have to wash them and dry them well. Again, not easy, as the seeds stick to the paper towels you are drying them on.
So I was very happy when I came across a story by Sara Moulton, who was executive chef at Gourmet magazine and now writes a food column for the Associated Press, about her experiences roasting pumpkin seeds. I was very surprised that her experiences were close to mine.
My mother always roasted the pumpkin seeds in the oven, which dried them and made them crispy. Then she added a little salt, and she was done — I don't think she even used oil.
Moulton says that finding the best way to toast the seeds took several trials. She found sauteing them in a skillet on top of the stove produced the best result — who knew? The sticking-to-the-towel thing? She dried the wet seeds in the oven for 10 minutes before toasting them in the skillet.
And by the way, pumpkin seeds — as with most seeds — are very good for you. Moulton says they are a great source of magnesium and zinc, as well as omega-3 fatty acids. Best of all, the seeds are free, a by-product of the pumpkin carving. It's not unlike being able to make a chicken stock out of the bones of a roast chicken.
Moulton came up with a recipe that pairs the pumpkin seeds with chickpeas, which also are good for you. Chickpeas lately have been popping up as a crispy snack. My daughter always roasts chickpeas to nibble on. Just dry them, toss them with a little oil (and spices, if you'd like), then bake them in a 400 degree oven for 25 to 35 minutes.
Then Moulton rounds out the snack mix with dried cranberries and nuts — perfect for the season. Of course, any dried fruit will do — choose your favorite. As for the nuts, Moulton uses pistachios, but go with what you like best.
As for the seasoning, extra-virgin olive oil and salt are always a dependable duo. But depending on how you feel, you could jazz it up, adding curry powder, smoked paprika or dried rosemary, if you like.
Here is Sarah Moulton's recipe:
Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes (20 minutes active)
Makes about 3 cups
15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons spice blend, such as curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, divided (optional)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1-3/4 cups raw pumpkin seeds, cleaned and drained, but not patted dry
3/4 cup dried cranberries, dried cherries, raisins, or a mix
3/4 cup unsalted raw or roasted pistachios, peanuts, almonds or cashews
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Dry the chickpeas thoroughly by spreading them on a large plate and patting them dry with kitchen towels. Transfer to a bowl, then toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1 teaspoon of the spice blend, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the chickpeas are evenly coated, transfer them to a baking sheet and spread them in a single layer. Bake on oven's middle rack until golden and crispy, 25 to 35 minutes, shaking the tray to toss after the first 15 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the chickpeas to a serving bowl. Reduce the oven to 300 degrees.
3. Arrange the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on the sheet pan. Bake on the oven's middle rack for 10 minutes.
4. After the pumpkin seeds have baked, in a large skillet over medium, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the pumpkins seeds and cook, stirring, for 7 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining teaspoon of spice blend, if using, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook, stirring, until the pumpkin seeds are golden and crispy, another 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Transfer the seeds to the serving bowl. Add the cranberries and pistachios and toss well.


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Jason is travelling this week, so I'll take the helm for the next software release post.
UPDATE: the motor remapping thing was confusing everyone, so we took that out and returned to the regular motor mapping. That means that APM 2 users with Hexas and Octos should wait for the next version. APM 1 users should be fine with any frame.
NOTE: Hexa and Octo users: there have been motor mapping changes that may affect you. Please don't upgrade until we can update the documentation to reflect the changes. This should happen by the end of the day today (Feb 1).
ArduCopter 2.3 is now available in the Mission Planner. This is the next revision of the ArduCopter 2.2B6 code, which is perhaps the most tested code we've ever released (1288 comments in the thread!) and certainly in my experience the best code, too.
The default PIDs are optimized for a 3DR/Jdrones quad with 850 motors and 10" props. If you're using more powerful motors/props, start by turning down Rate Roll P (default is 0.14, so start by turning it down to 0.1. In general tune PIDs in 25% steps).
Now that we've got solid code out there, we can turn to collecting suggested gains for standard frames, and a better guide to how to tune PIDs for your unique setups.
Here are Jason's note on the latest changes (mostly from 2.2B6)
A dampening term called STAB_D has been refined. A D term for all of the Rate based control loops has been added based on Igor's work. Landing for Baro and Sonar has been refined based on JLN's work. A slightly new approach to Loiter and Navigation is being used to try and linearize the pitch and roll for rate control. It tends to use lower gains, yet has a more assertive response in the air.
STAB_D : This is the gyro accretion dampener. This can remove small wobbles during sharp changes in angle commands. Making this too high can have a negative effect in performance and add a memory effect that can cause temporary loss in control. The in flight tuning is ranged so you are just below that effect.
If you haven't noticed before the control loops are in two stages. The first is a PI stage that converts some sort of position or angle error into a desired rate. These generally do not need to be tuned. They are more of a user preference on how fast you want the copter to perform a motion.
The second stage is the actual PID loop that needs to be tuned for the copter. This converts the desired rate into a motor command of some sort. I added a D term based on Igor's recommendation to the PI's for each rate controller. These should show up soon in the mission planner for the release. I cannot give you a concrete answer for how to tune the D terms, because they each depend on their function such as alt hold or loiter, etc.
Still, the absolute most important term is always the Rate_P term for each loop. Start tuning here.
The default PIDs are in the what flies great for a stock jDrones/3DR Quad with the purple motors in X mode.
Note the Mission Planner does not yet highlight these D terms on the main tuning page (it will soon), but you can find them and modify them on in the Parameters list.
Autolanding should now work well (see video above) and the Tri servo issue is now resolved.
The code should now compile with Arduino 1.0 (thank, Randy!), but remember that you need to use the "relaxpatch" version of Arduino in our downloads section.
[Update: we've reverted the below. See update at the top of the post]
Important for Octo users:
We've changed some of the motor orders for some more exotic airframes. We'll be updating the docs on the Wiki in a day or two to reflect this. Pat Hickey explains:
As before, the hexa plus APM2 motor setup has changed from the ordering [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] to [ 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4 ].
The Octa V layout for APM2 is:6 42 58 13 7Motors 1 through 4 spin clockwise, and 5 through 8 spin counterclockwise.
Views: 62575
Thanks to the whole community for the wonderful job
Great stuff, Well done all involved!
I trust this removes that anyoing inital 5sec wobble when take off ? Well I'll doon find out.
Thanks guys!
But not in downloads yet?
all 100%, quad flying like a, a, um, a flying solid thing, can't think of a solid enough word ;)
Now for the octo...
Thanks to all those testing, and thanks for the update Chris (especially the nod towards the camera control on APM2 ;)
Now it's time to break the record of 1288 comments... but now all positive i hope! :-)
Enjoy with 2.3!
Thanks guys!
Now to fix crashed quad and try auto landing :)
Yes, at the moment is not in the downloads section, then leave available here.
EDIT: remove, because there's possible error inside the motors mappings for hexa and octo frame with APM1.
just loaded 2.3 on my octo, as I always do, via MP, setup, calibrate etc etc.
Gently tested it and it flipped backwards, ive re-loaded, re-checked everything and all working fine, apart from the fact that is just tilting back no matter what i do with radio, ive had someone hold the octo and the more throttle i give, the more it just wants to flip backwards... ????
Any ideas guys ?
Thanks Marco :-)
Are you on APM2? Motor ordering changed between 2.2b6 and 2.3, as mentioned in Chris's post. I had to redo mine for the hexa X too.
Hmmm ... not good, I hope that is not a problem with the new motor mapping, because I honestly do not quite understand what was done with frame type: http://code.google.com/p/ardupilot-mega/source/list
Duran, check the motors with the test inside the CLI, move the stick and check if the motors position is corrected.


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From campus rape to a Laura Bush candidacy for president
One of the cardinal tenets of the feminist movement to ban student professor relationships is that differential power precludes consent. So in this framework a charge that a relationship that is power differentiated is a serious one since a relationship based on coercion must represent some form of sexual assault.
Such is why the dankprofessor views the campus changes that have occurred in this area over the last 20 years as transitioning from romance on campus framework to a rape on campus framework. Such is indicative of the Andrea Dworkin position that heterosexual intercourse is never consensual. However, few feminists completely buy into the Dworkian take while at the same time maintaining that heterosexuality and heterosexual marriage is based on a patriarchal power dynamic. Age differentiated relationships are seen as a subset of power differentiated relationships and therefore fall into their rape/sexual assault/non-consensual framework.
The attempt to apply this framework beyond campus scenarios has not been all that successful, e.g., the idea that Clinton forced Monica to engage in "sex" was not bought by almost all Americans. Whatever Clinton may have been guilty of, he was not generally seen as being guilty of rape. Of course, age differentiated relationships are still stigmatized by many. Often the young wife of the older powerful man is discarded as a trophy wife or in more traditional terms as a golddigger. It has been noted by some journalists that an inordinate number of Republican candidates for president have much younger wives, and it is an open question as to how this will affect their campaigns. For example, is such a pairing acceptable to the the traditional values wing of the Republican party? Will campus feminists express their ire against such pairings? Will many Republican women divorce themselves from a Fred Thompson or a Rudy Guliani because they find their wives not to be socially correct and embrace a dual Clinton presidency.
Karen Heller has an interesting column on candidates and their wives in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Excerpts from this column follow-
"There are two ways of looking at the field of presidential contenders. On the one hand, there's the novelty of a woman, an African American and a Latino pursuing the White House.
On the other, presumably the left with a sizable rock involved, there are so many trophy wives.
Many candidates traded in their original models for younger, leaner and leggier partners, often producing a second family of adorable tykes so ideal for photo ops.
I know, a shocking turn of events in Washington.
This does mark progress of some sort.
In the old days, pols rarely married their daughter-aged girlfriends.
That was because they were still wed to their wives, divorce being a greater political liability than adultery.
Fred Thompson's wife, Jeri, is 40, almost a quarter century his junior. Given to plunging necklines and soaring hems, she will never be mistaken for Laura Bush. The couple have two toddlers, making him one of several AARP diaper dads seeking the White House.
Sen. Chris Dodd, 63, who engaged in a 1985 "waitress sandwich" with Ted Kennedy while their dates were in the ladies room, is another. His second wife, Jackie, is a mere 18 years younger.
As is Cindy McCain, the Arizona Republican's second wife of 27 years. Not being one to endure a marital vacancy, McCain began courting his second wife while married to his first.
Dennis Kucinich's third wife, Elizabeth, has late-night pundits, You Tubists and, well, most males salivating. The former "boy mayor" of Cleveland, now 61, has a babe wife less than half his age.
She is car-crackup gorgeous and – for a change from the requisite blondage – a redhead, resembling Julianne Moore, only better and taller.
Should the Ohio Congressman be elected president, Elizabeth Kucinich would become the first first lady with a pierced tongue.
Does a spouse matter in politics? Ask George Bush, whose wife's approval ratings dwarf his. She's taken a pivotal role in criticizing Burma's repressive regime and is now traveling in the Middle East.
Ask Bill Clinton. Or Hillary Clinton, for that matter. Not everyone sees this as a strength when his charisma continues to overshadow. "I think no woman is electable in America, and particularly not Hillary," novelist Mary Gordon observed, "because she is married to this guy whom everyone is libidinally attached to. I think there is unconscious sexual jealousy of her among women.
Hold on here for a moment. Given that Laura Bush is way more popular than her husband, and given that George is in the same position as Bill Clinton in being ineligible to run for president, might Laura consider doing the same thing as Hillary and throw her hat into the presidential candicacy ring? Then voters will have a clear choice- a Bush presidency versus a Clinton presidency.
If you wish, you can write to me directly at firstname.lastname@example.com
Guest commentaries should also be submitted for consideration to the same email address.
Barry M. Dank aka the dankprofessor.
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text:
Some game ideas for kids this Halloween.
Ring the Pumpkin Supplies: Pumpkins, rings. Line up two large pumpkins with good, sturdy stems, to form a ring toss. Use plastic hoops or make hoops with rope and duct tape. Take turns trying to ring a pumpkin stem from behind a determined line. Handy hint: Smaller children can try to ring an entire large pumpkin with a hula hoop. Bobbing for Doughnuts Supplies: Doughnuts (one per child), string, broomstick or bar. Hang doughnuts from a long broomstick with string. With a mom at each end, hold the stick high above the heads of the children with the doughnuts dangling at their level. Now see who can eat his doughnut first without using his hands. Handy hint: For added fun (and mess), use powdered sugar doughnuts. Mummify the Teacher Supplies: Rolls of toilet paper, a teacher who's a good sport. Give each child his own roll of toilet paper. Have the teacher sit in a chair and have the kids wrap the teacher in the paper. The kids love it at the end when the teacher breaks out of the paper. Handy hint: Use soft toilet paper. The cheap stuff tears apart and makes it hard to wrap around the teacher, which frustrates preschoolers. Roll the Pumpkin Relay Supplies: Six cones, two large, round pumpkins (not overripe). Divide the children into two teams. Set up a straight course using the cones. Each child rolls the pumpkin around the cones and back, passing the pumpkin to the next person in line. The first team finished wins. Handy hint: Play this in a wide, open space, as preschoolers tend to look down and run into walls while maneuvering the pumpkin. (We found this out the hard way.) Candy Corn Relay Supplies: Four big bowls, two large plastic serving spoons, several bags of candy corn. Fill two bowls with candy corn and set them side by side on the floor. Set the two empty bowls about 15 feet away. Divide the children into two teams and line them up. On "go," the first two children scoop up candy from their bowl using the spoon and take it across the room to their empty bowl. Then they run back and give the spoons to the next two in line. The first team to transfer its candy corn to the other bowl wins. Handy hint: You must monitor the kids at all times because the candy will fall all over the floor, and they will eat it. Allergy alert: Most candy corn is made in plants where peanuts are used. If your child is in a nut-free school, use M&M's. 'Monster Mash' Musical Chairs Supplies: A chair for each child, a tape or CD of "The Monster Mash." This game is fun because nobody loses. It is played like regular musical chairs, but as a chair is taken and the music stops, the children are told to sit on someone's lap if they are left without a chair. The kids roll with laughter at the end when they have seven kids on one chair. Have your cameras ready! Who's the Ghost? Supplies: Large white sheet. Divide the group into boys and girls. Take one group into the hall and place the sheet over one of the kids. Help the ghost back into the room with the rest of his or her group. The other group must guess who the ghost is. Fear Factor Supplies: Blindfold, bowls (or hollowed-out pumpkins) and things to make you go "eww." Fill bowls with items such as peeled grapes (eyeballs), spaghetti (worms), Jell-O (vomit), or cooked rice (maggots). Blindfold the kids and let them feel what's in the bowl and guess what it is. Make sure you tell them what it is supposed to be before they take off the blindfold to really gross them out. Helpful hint: Have paper towels or baby wipes handy. For more ideas, check out these Web sites: www.partygames.com/halloweengames www.partygamecentral.com/halloween/halloweenpartygames www.pumpkinnook.com/hween/games Canton Repository


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m4p - protected AAC files from iTunes Music Store
Apple recommends that you protect your investment in m4p files by backing up your library.
AAC files are the naked audio without artwork etc. It makes no sense to drop those on File Juicer.
M4A files are AAC files with cover art and other meta tags.
AAC - Advanced Audio CodingWhile it is now mostly known from the iTunes music store AAC is an ISO standard.
Mac OS X Welcome MusicIf you poke around in the System folder:
/System/Library/CoreServices/Setup\ Assistant.app/Contents/Resources/
Tiger: /System/Library/CoreServices/Setup\ Assistant.app/Contents/Resources/ TransitionSection.bundle/Contents/Resources/
Googling on this I found that the full length versions are:
Jaguar:Sofa Rockers by Sofa Surfers remixed by Kruder & Dorfmeister, The K&D Sessions Amazon, iTunes Music Store USA
Panther:Eple by Röyksopp iTunes Music Store USA or iTunes Music Store EU?
Tiger:Bytecry, by Weevil iTunes Music Store USA or iTunes Music Store EU?
AppleScript and iTunesOne way to dig deeper into audio files with iTunes is to use AppleScript.
AppleScript is a programming language to ask applications to do stuff, and you can do the simple things with "Script Editor" you find under AppleScript in you Applications folder.
Here is a screen shot of how to tell iTunes to get the name of the currently playing Album. You can get much more information about your music this way, and it is with this tool many itunes add ons has been made. To see more about what you can ask iTunes about with Apple Script see the iTunes AppleScript dictionary


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To request a screening or appointment, the parent/guardian should call (716) 323-6560.
We will ask a few questions to determine whether the Center is appropriate for the child.
Next, we send the parent a packet of information to be completed and returned in the pre-addressed, postage paid envelope.
We request a lot of information before the appointment to maximize the time with the physicians during the visit.
Once the information is received, we will schedule an appointment. The appointments take approximately 2 hours – 30 minutes with each specialist.
During the multidisciplinary evaluation, each child has a developmental, neurological and psychological evaluation. After the visit, the team discusses the child and determines the diagnosis and/or need for any additional testing or services.
After the report and testing (if needed) are complete, we schedule a meeting with the caregiver(s) and the Center's Social Worker to discuss results, recommendations and answer questions.
The Center offers monthly parent groups and quarterly newly diagnosed information sessions for parents and adult family members of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.


text:
Mass shortage continues as government dries up supply.
Steve Watson
Prisonplanet.com [1]
May 16, 2013
In the wake of huge shortages of ammunition across the entire nation, police departments are turning to ever more desperate measures to keep their officers armed.
In Proctor, Minnesota, the police chief has become so exasperated with trying to find a supplier that he issued a request to members of the public for help meeting the department's ammo needs.
Chief Walter Woberg made the public announcement after bullet suppliers notified him that he would have to wait "months" for an order of just 1,000 rounds.
"I go, 'Do you have 40–caliber qualification rounds?' And they go, 'Well, no. It's going to take six to eight months [to get them],'" Woberg told reporters with NNCNOW.com [2].
The police chief says that as soon as he issued the call, a Proctor resident immediately offered to loan the police department 1,500 rounds from personal supplies.
"The citizens were like, 'If you need something, we got plenty here,'" Woberg said, adding that many others also offered to provide bullets to the police department.
"I had several other calls from other citizens that said, 'Hey, if you need more ammunition we have plenty,'" said Woberg, "I know that if I need ammunition I have citizens out there that will gladly come forward."
The police department says it will reimburse the resident when it has the supplies to do so.
Chief Woberg also noted that he has written to Mn. Senators to ask for action to counter the ammo shortage.
The nationwide shortage, which comes following massive ammo buys by the Federal government, has seen other police departments having to barter between themselves [3] to meet demand.
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla. said last week [4] that he believes that the Obama administration is attempting to "dry up the market" and deprive gun owners of bullets.
As we recently reported [5], the Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to purchase another 360,000 rounds of hollow point ammunition to add to the roughly 2 billion bullets [6] already bought over the past year.
Inhofe has introduced legislation [7]into the Senate that would limit such stockpiling of bullets by federal agencies.
Steve Watson is the London based writer and editor for Alex Jones' Infowars.com [8], and Prisonplanet.com [1]. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham, and a Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University.


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Today has been one of those days that you
I had the opportunity to be with my oldest son as
he received his patriarchal blessing.
What an amazing opportunity!
I am still on a spiritual high for sure.
I took the opportunity to attend the temple today.
I always thought that the celestial room was beautiful,
but the way the sun poured into the windows casting reflections
from the crystals in the light onto the floor
made it even more breath-taking.
There is a TRUE PEACE in the temple!
I didn't post today because I wanted to focus on
Chris and his blessing. I am truly grateful for the opportunity
it gave me to feel the Spirit and to feel closer to my Savior.
I hope that even if you don't know me personally . . .
You will never doubt that I have a testimony of this gospel.
Thank You
for letting me have a personal moment on the post today!
It has been a day I will NEVER FORGET!
I will be back to REGULAR posting in the morning!!!
(August doesn't count as regular . . . that was a CrAzY Month!)
All I can say is . . . "Whew!", we made it through that one!


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The first time I saw Tim Lincecum pitch, way back prior to the 2006 MLB draft, I was hooked. That's all it took. Part of it was his electric, Bugs Bunny like stuff, but another part was his pitching mechanics. Lincecum's pitching mechanics embodied much of what I was, on my own, beginning to piece together about pitching. Namely, that the pitching motion involved a specific sequence of movements that, when performed properly, could incrementally build force. That proper pitching was a summation of force. That each properly executed movement stacked velocity on the one that came right before it. That some types of movements were more effective than others. That flaws in any one part of the sequence would create inefficiency and act as a drag on performance. In short, that "throwing with the entire body" was the best way to increase performance and reduce injuries. It was the kinetic chain right before my very eyes.
Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things to do in sports. Pitching a baseball is one of the most unnatural. During a pitch, the shoulder exceeds 7,000 degrees per second of internal rotation for adult pitchers. It is considered the fastest human movement, a movement generated by the windup process. The stress placed on the arm is tremendous and it's only exacerbated by any mechanical flaws in the delivery.
There is a new wave of interest in managing that stress, spurred on by a combination of escalating salaries and the evolution of information technology, which make it more desirable and easier to study and understand pitching mechanics. Many teams, including the Brewers, view player health as a potential market inefficiency to be exploited. If they can keep their pitchers healthier than their opponents, they'll have a competitive advantage on the field and more efficient production per dollar spent off the field.
The kinetic chain involved in pitching encompasses a coordinated human movement in which both energy and momentum are transferred up through body segments to achieve maximum magnitude in the final segment. The concept of a kinetic chain is developed from the idea that the energy expended in the pitching process is created with large muscle segments and is transferred through the legs and trunk, out to the throwing arm, wrist, and ultimately to the ball. For example, the kinetic chain for throwing consists of the legs, hip, trunk, upper arm, forearm, hand, and the baseball. Pitching's kinetic chain includes a sequence of motions: the stride, rotation of the pelvis or trunk, upper torso rotation, elbow extension, internal shoulder rotation, and wrist flexion. The potential velocity at the distal end where the ball is released is greater if the body segments contribute to the total overall force. Less energy is required if the kinetic chain is executed properly; if the pitcher's mechanics are correct. And, the performance of the pitch - whether velocity, movement, or location - will be improved when the chain is unbroken. But if "the gate breaks" (i.e. one part of the body gets ahead of another, goes off center, etc.), then the chain breaks down and the summation of force becomes inefficient, robbing the pitch of (1) velocity, (2) movement, (3) location, or all three.
At the time, people pointed to Lincecum's size and unorthodox mechanics as reasons to drop him down on draft boards, when in actuality the latter was a tremendous positive, to such an extent that it made the former largely irrelevant. Lincecum was the first high-profile kinetic chain pitcher. There may have been others in baseball's long history, but Lincecum brought it to the mainstream, changing minds and entrenched beliefs along the way. One young pitcher who took note of what Lincecum was doing is Diamondback pitcher Trevor Bauer. Bauer, a mechanical engineering student at UCLA, appreciated and embraced Lincecum's torque-driven delivery as a means of reducing injury risk and maximizing performance.
Lincecum was the trailblazer, Bauer is spreading the word. Bauer, who has the analytical type personality commonly found in mechanical engineering, loves to talk pitching and mechanics, which has made information on the kinetic chain easier to find than ever before. Both Lincecum and Bauer have done much to heighten the discussion and debate surrounding proper pitching mechanics. If you look at their pitching mechanics, the similarities are unmistakeable. Both pitchers stand as prime examples of torque-based/kinetic chain pitching mechanics.
Here's a look at a series of photos of both at key stages in the kinetic chain:
Here, they both utilize a high leg kick, which is an essential part of the kinetic chain. Both pitchers coil up during the leg kick, which creates tension and torque. The angle on the photo of Bauer provides a better visual example of coiling, as you can see the knee of his left leg breaking the vertical plane of his right leg. This wrapping of the knee in the leg kick creates tension in the spine, which generates energy. The high leg kick is also very necessary to set up the proper stride, as seen in the photos below.
I have come to view the windup as two phases, divided by the apex of the leg kick. The first phase is all about sequencing movements to generate force to impart on the baseball, while the second phase is all about properly imparting that force to the baseball. Until the apex of the leg kick, the delivery is about building up force, after the apex of the leg kick it's all about transferring that force to the baseball. While kinetic chain pitchers would probably reject the premise that there are two distinct phases, choosing instead to see each distinct movement as nothing more than another link in the chain, but the "two phases" view is one that seems to suit my thinking on the subject. And, makes a degree of intuitive sense. So, I have referenced it in my past write-ups and likely will continue to do so going forward.
Upon reaching the apex of the leg-kick, it's time to begin the drive to the plate:
After reaching the apex, the next move is to unleash all the momentum that has been created. Here, they both began their drive to the plate FROM THE APEX of the leg kick. There is a massive difference in the amount of force generated between (1) starting the drive towards the plate from the apex of the leg kick and (2) completely unpacking the leg before beginning the drive to the plate. The force generated by the height of the leg and the body coil are completely wasted if the leg is lowered back down to the ground before driving to the plate. Heading into the 2012 draft, I had concerns about draft prospect Andrew Heaney (my write-up and a video clip of Heaney's pitching mechanics are worth a look if you want to see this leg kick issue for yourself) because he didn't drive towards the plate until after he had already unpacked the leg kick, which is highly inefficient and wastes a tremendous amount of energy generated by the leg kick. In order to pitch at a high level, that lost force must, to some extent, be made up by the arm. Either the lost force will be generated by the arm, causing additional arm stress and likely increasing the risk of injury, or the lost force will be lost forever, reducing the performance level of the pitcher.
Lincecum and Bauer both drive towards the plate from the apex position. You can see that both utilize a lean towards the plate as the leg kick unpacks. This aggressive move is important because it puts them in position to take a long, powerful stride. More and more, it is becoming clear that a long stride is a significant key to the kinetic chain delivery and power pitching in general. (On a related note, ultra-velocity Aroldis Chapman is another pitcher with a very long stride. I've previously posted pictures comparing his stride to that of Lincecum and the similarities are striking.)
Here are photos of Lincecum and Bauer in mid-stride:
As you can see, both pitchers use a very long stride. A stride so long that they almost have to leap off the rubber towards the plate in order to cover that much ground. For kinetic chain pitchers, the long stride is exceptionally important, as it is what permits full, explosive hip rotation. Pitchers who utilize a short stride frequently cut off the rotation of their hips, which limits their ability to transfer the force generated by the body to the baseball. By utilizing a long stride, the pitcher clears the body and allows sufficient time for full and complete rotation of the hips.
Generally speaking, short stride pitchers are likely to be command and control pitchers (or, power pitchers who generate velocity largely with their arm, which increases the risk of injury), while longer stride pitchers are likely to be power pitchers. But, of course, there are exceptions to every rule, which is what makes baseball, and life, enjoyable.
The photos in this section are the two most important in this entire post. These photos are the biggest key to the kinetic-chain/torque based method of pitching:
As was mentioned previously, a long stride is important for full-and-complete rotation of the hips. If you look at both of these photos, you can see the hips of both Lincecum and Bauer are almost on a line running from first base to third base, while the shoulders are still on a line running from second base to home plate. At this point, the momentum has moved from the legs to the hips. The long stride permits the pitchers to delay rotating the shoulders. This delayed trunk rotation maximizes the torque in the delivery.
An aggressive, long foot plant allows pitchers to maximize hip rotation, while delaying the back shoulder and arm as long as possible. This high-velocity hip rotation, generated by the legs, along with the loose and delayed torso, PULLS the upper body along at high speed, delivering the arm at the same time. Both Lincecum and Bauer have mentioned that they don't have to ice their arms down after pitching. The simple reason is that they throw with their entire body and the arm is merely pulled along by the explosive hip rotation. The body simply pulls the arm along, reducing stress on the arm. The arm is nothing more than the distal end of the chain, like the person at the end of the whip in a game of crack-the-whip, the conduit for all the momentum generated by the chain. The arm doesn't have to generate the force itself, rather it just channels and imparts that force generated by the sequential movements of the delivery to the baseball.
While the kinetic chain reduces the stress on the arm, it also increases the importance of health of the entire body. For example, lingering injuries to the lower body of a kinetic chain pitcher can cause "the gate to break", leading to a decline in performance. This happened to Trevor Bauer in 2012, causing his velocity to drop and his performance to suffer, as he explained:
"It was like the tale of two pitchers or Jekyll and Hyde," Bauer said. "I'm so heavily dependent on my legs to keep myself in line and generate everything, so when something that low in the chain goes, it's hard to accommodate for it."
Ultimately, these types of mechanics may be a key to understanding how to reduce stress on the arm and avoid pitcher injuries. And, increasing pitcher durability is undoubtedly a way to gain a competitive advantage and increase your return on investment. At the very least, discussion of these pitching mechanics advances the conversation regarding what actually are desirable attributes in a pitcher's mechanics. If a team can more accurately evaluate pitching mechanics, then they can more accurately target players in the draft and teach those new mechanics to players already in the system through their player development department. Both Lincecum and Bauer, through words and deeds, are making a strong case for the use of kinetic chain pitching mechanics to maximize both durability and performance.


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take a load off (one's) mind(redirected from takes a load off somebody's mind)
take a load off (one's) mind
To relieve one of a source of stress or worry; to comfort or calm one. I bet it will take a load off your mind to get this test over and done with, huh? Thanks for explaining what you meant by your comments yesterday. That takes a load off my mind.
take a load off (of) someone's mindand take a lot off (of) someone's mind
Fig. to relieve one's mind of a problem or a worry. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) I'm glad to hear that. It sure takes a load off of my mind. This will take a load off her mind.


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The Anzac biscuit is a cookie from Australian and New Zealand that dates back to World War I. Apparently, the original Anzac biscuit was not very delicious; it resembled hard tack and was valued for its long shelf life, which enabled it to be sent overseas to soldiers. In their current, more delicious form, the cookies typically contain oats and coconut (it now occurs to me that anzac cookies are very similar to garam masala cookies). They're also notable in that they do not use eggs due to wartime shortages. So, they're vegan by default (especially since the original recipe would use golden syrup rather than honey).
The cookie (excuse me, 'biscuit') is actually protected by law, which means the name can't be affixed to anything but the original basic recipe and cannot be used in conjunction with the word cookie. That's just in Australia... right?
For indeed, like the garam masala cookies, these ones have yet another spin on them. I have been itching to use the mazaher, or orange blossom water, I picked up a while ago. Wouldn't you know, Heidi Swanson came to the rescue. I thought it was pretty crazy to put mazaher in an anzac cookie, but it was one of the best things I've ever tasted. And, given that the Anzac corps served in Egypt, I'm sure there's some sort of tenuous connection to be made between the Australian cookie and the Middle Eastern flavoring.
But this cookie is going to go up there in my top five, and that's a serious matter. It was interesting and buttery and textured and fragrant (just enough orange water and zest) all at once; crispy on the outside and deviously chewy on the inside. And, for reasons unknown to me (the amount of butter? the orange zest?), the cookies turned the most beautiful yellow-gold color when they baked.
The recipe worked really well. Adding baking-soda-water to hot melted butter and honey produces a science-experiment-like reaction; I'm not sure why this is done, but it's pretty fun. The only thing I think I changed was I didn't quite use the zest of a whole medium orange; I wanted the orange blossom water to be the focal flavor.
I'm sure that if you left out the zest and/or the mazaher you would still have a very delicious cookie.
Orange Blossom Anzac Cookies
(from 101cookbooks)
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c finely shredded non-sweetened coconut
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 c vegan butter
2 TB honey, corn syrup, golden syrup (or agave?)
zest of one medium orange (or less, to taste)
1 TB boiling water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TB orange blossom water
Instructions1. Preheat oven to 325*F degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl; mix well.
2. In a small saucepan over low heat combine the butter, syrup (or honey), and orange zest. Stir until melted and remove from heat. In a small bowl whisk together the boiling water and baking soda. Stir it into the butter. Now pour the butter mixture over the big bowl of oats and stir. Add the orange blossom water and stir again. Mix with hands if needed.
3. Form into balls, flatten slightly, and bake on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for about 12 minutes or until deeply golden. Makes 18-30 cookies, depending on size.
P.S.: The new night watchman says hi.


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more like PGR 2.5 but it's still a wild ride brimming
with almost neverending replay value.
by Vaughn
21, 2005 -
Bizarre Creations is hoping to own the Xbox 360 launch
much in the same way they did four years ago during
the original Xbox launch. Their first entry on the
Xbox 360 will be snapped up by fever-pitched racing
fans who have spent the better part of 2 years honing
their skills on PGR2. But is PGR3 deserving of a "buy
it before you try it" game?
purists know what to expect from the series, thanks
to countless hours spent honing their skills both
offline and onlne playing the unsurpassed genius of
PGR2. The wheel hasn't been reinvented with this current
iteration, but rather refined and tweaked a little
bit to provide the next step for hardcore racing fans.
I wouldn't go out of my way to say that PGR3 is miles
ahead of the last game - in terms of difficulty it
might be a step backwards - in fact the entire game
feels like PGR 2.5 to me, which is a slight disappointment;
although more PGR is never a bad thing.
80 real world cars that most of us can only dream
of driving, nevermind owning, PGR3's career mode will
keep you coming back for more as the tightly designed
tracks beg for another powerslide, another combo and
more kudos. The heart and soul of the series remains
almost entirely intact rewarding only those with the
skill and precision necessary to dominate the streets
(on the harder difficulty levels). Like its predecessors,
even going as far back as Metropolis Street Racer
on the Dreamcast, PGR3 can be a cruel mistress, dismissing
you almost instantly if you choke during an important
turn or fishtail out of control and lose too much
ground. It's not that the game will force you to quit
and restart if you blow it early, you're welcome to
give it the old college try, it's just that vets know
when they're past the point of no return.
I hinted at earlier, inexplicably PGR3 actually feels
much easier than PGR2. Most of the races I played
on Medium difficulty and was able to ace them on the
first try (coming in 1st place no less) without prior
knowledge of the course. That's almost unheard of
in terms of the series. Perhaps it's because I've
been prepping with PGR2 in anticipation of this new
release, perhaps it's because I'm just really awesome
or more realistically, perhaps it's because Bizarre
Creations toned down the difficulty level. I find
this kind of perplexing since the game already offers
5 difficulty levels per race there was no real reason
to make the game any more accessible. I'm definitely
not crazy - I was an 'okay' PGR2 racer but this game
makes me feel like I could go online and kick everyone's
ass and I know that's definitely not the case. So
with that mind I'll just say that PGR3's Medium difficulty
feels very much like PGR2's Novice and/or Easy difficulty
while the Hard diffiulty now feels like PGR2's Medium.
The Hardcore difficulty (Platinum) is hit and miss.
Sometimes it's fiendishly insane, especially on those
gosh darn Cone Challenges which I fully admit that
I suck at, and other times it's just only a little
harder than going for the Gold.
Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best


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Boba Fett, one of those "minor characters" who happens to be a darling of fanboys and girls around the world, is still on the table for appearing in the new Star Wars TV series. Several news outlets suggested Fett in their commentary about a new press release announced today:
- Ain't It Cool News: "...something about Boba Fett�'¢â'¬Â¦should be in his 20s in this series�'¢â'¬Â¦angsty�'¢â'¬Â¦disenfranchised�'¢â'¬Â¦and simmering�'¢â'¬Â¦" (via Adventures on Strange Land)
- E! News: "Lucas characteristically refused to divulge details about the storylines or even which minor characters might turn up in either starring or cameos. (We're lookin' at you, Boba Fett.)"
- Warcry.com: "The whole damn show should be about Boba Fett. About how Boba Fett feeds Jar Jar into a mulcher, feet first. An inch at a time. I would tune into that for 19 seasons. If Jar Jar isn't that tall, they could start using Ewoks."


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Volunteers Join the Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run took place on Sun 23rd November.
Our Director, Sami and Desk Officer Bikesegn were keen to take part, and ran the 10km along side our enthusiastic volunteers!
Whether running to raise money and awareness for different charities; taking part competitively or just for fun, this run had over 30,000 people participate in total.
It brought together many communities to celebrate the great Ethiopian running tradition.
This is the 8th year this run has taken place with runners from many different nationalities competing.
Thanks to all the Projects Abroad staff and volunteers who took part!


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Sarah Palin has clearly hit on a successful formula: The former Alaska governor endorses a conservative woman candidate, anoints her a "mama grizzly," and watches the headlines roll in.
Several of these women have gone on to win their primaries. Two have lost. Many more still face primaries. But even if the power of a single endorsement remains debatable, there's no doubt when Ms. Palin is the endorser that it gives the candidate a shot of free publicity and builds Palin's reputation as a kingmaker.
Before Thursday, who outside of Wyoming (or even inside) had heard of State Auditor Rita Meyer, one of several Republicans running for their party's gubernatorial nomination? Now, following Palin's Facebook endorsement late Thursday, we know that Ms. Meyer is a combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, and has served 23 years in the Wyoming Air National Guard, now as a colonel. She has, Palin asserted, "a unique blend of steel magnolia and mama grizzly."
IN PICTURES: Sarah Palin's fashion
Meyer faces several men in the Aug. 17 primary – including state House Speaker Colin Simpson, son of former Sen. Alan Simpson (R) – and fares slightly better than each of them in a recent Rasmussen Poll matching the various Republicans against possible Democratic nominees. No matter the matchup, the Republican beats the Democrat by about a 2-1 margin, according to the poll. In short, the winner of the Republican primary has an excellent shot at winning the governor's race.
Palin's endorsement seemed to have a big impact on South Carolina's Republican gubernatorial primary, in which she endorsed state Rep. Nikki Haley. Representative Haley was already on the rise when Palin came in, having been touted previously by RedState blogger Erick Erickson and columnist Kathleen Parker, and endorsed by expected 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney. But no one has the star power of Palin. And Haley shocked the field by attracting so many votes in the first round of the primary that she almost avoided a runoff.
Without Palin's endorsement, Haley "probably wouldn't have done nearly as well in the first round," says Jim Guth, a political scientist at Furman University in Greenville, S.C. "She might have come out first still, but I think it was quite a boost."
Haley won the runoff easily.
In California, the Senate campaign of Republican Carly Fiorina also credits Palin's endorsement with giving the former HP CEO a critical late boost that solidified her credentials as a conservative and helped her win the GOP nomination.
Fewer than half of Palin's endorsees are women –14 out of 33 – but it's the women who get the attention. And they are helping to create the impression that it's a big year for Republican women. Indeed, the GOP is fielding more women than usual in governor's races – including California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and South Carolina – but there are just as many Democratic women running for governor (10) as Republican.
One race where Palin steered clear of an endorsement is the Colorado Senate GOP primary race, where former Lt. Gov. Jane Norton faces Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck, the "tea party" favorite. Palin was expected to endorse Lieutenant Governor Norton, but then did not, perhaps to avoid clashing with her tea party supporters.
In the end, Palin's "mama grizzlies" form a sisterhood of conservative feminists, who have sparked outrage among some liberal feminists, offended that someone who opposes abortion rights could be considered a true believer in women's rights. If Palin runs for president, she already has the nucleus of her argument – that a new breed of conservative women is aiming high in public office and is as tough as they come, like mama grizzlies protecting their cubs.
IN PICTURES: Sarah Palin's fashion