My brother-in-law snagged this great video clip of my nephew, Derek Eitel, earning his fourth save playing as a relief pitcher for Yacquis de Obregon in the Mexican Pacific Baseball League. Derek is playing in this league during the off season. He's with the Arizona Diamondbacks' AA team in Mobile, Alabama where he's been pitching for the past two seasons. UPDATE: I've added a second video which begins when Derek entered the game in the 8th inning with bases loaded and no outs before closing out the game with a save in the 9th inning.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Derek Eitel Earns His Fourth Save Pitching In Mexican Baseball League
Posted on 16:03 by blogger
My brother-in-law snagged this great video clip of my nephew, Derek Eitel, earning his fourth save playing as a relief pitcher for Yacquis de Obregon in the Mexican Pacific Baseball League. Derek is playing in this league during the off season. He's with the Arizona Diamondbacks' AA team in Mobile, Alabama where he's been pitching for the past two seasons. UPDATE: I've added a second video which begins when Derek entered the game in the 8th inning with bases loaded and no outs before closing out the game with a save in the 9th inning.
Gridex II Drill Coming This Week
Posted on 10:56 by blogger
Two years ago, an obscure, private organization, North American Electric Reliability Corporation ("NERC"), conducted a drill with a number of Midwest electrical utility companies practicing a scenario involving a cyber attack that resulted in malware making its way onto the computer system that maintains the electrical grid system, causing some power disruptions. Midwest ISO, which is based in Carmel, participated in the exercise. The drill was carried out without much fanfare. You can read the after action report here.
A second national drill is scheduled this week for November 13-14, which has been dubbed Gridex II. Several factors seem to be driving a lot more attention to this drill. This past summer, former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, while speaking at a conference, sounded an alarm that a cyber 911-like attack on the nation's electrical grid system was imminent. National Grid in Waltham Massachusetts, which is Midwest ISO's counterpart in the northeast part of the United States, and which also participated in the drill two years ago, has confirmed that it is participating in Gridex II this week. DHS and FEMA are also participating in the drill. A spokesperson for National Grid said the participants did not yet know what scenario would play out during the drill; however, NERC officials have assured the media there would be no power outages during the drill.
NASA has contributed to the concerns some have that something big might happen. Every 22 years our solar system's sun goes through a solar maximum period during which solar flaring is typically at a peak. Solar flares can impact the Earth's atmosphere with electromagnetic shocks that can damage satellites orbiting the Earth, as well as electrical grids that supply electricity to us and electrical-powered appliances and equipment. NASA scientists have warned that some areas could be without power for a number of months, which obviously would produce catastrophic outcomes in affected areas. So far, the solar maximum has turned out to be a big dud, the weakest in nearly a century, that some fear might portend the coming of another ice age. Yeah, I hate to disappoint the global warming alarmists, but CO2 emissions have virtually no impact on the Earth's weather; rather, it's driven by forces from within and outside our solar system that impacts the Earth daily. Solar flaring from the Sun is a major factor in weather events on Earth, as well as earthquakes and volcano activity.
In addition, NASA had also dubbed the approaching Comet Ison as the comet of the century. Ison has turned out to be a less exciting event in our solar system than NASA scientists originally projected, although it has brightened considerably in recent days according to astronomers, and it's expected to make its closest pass by Earth later this month. Comets which impact the Sun directly can cause major coronal mass ejections that can impact Earth. Ison is considered a sun grazer because its path takes it very close to the Sun.
Gridex II probably won't amount to much, but since people learned that our government was conducting a computer-simulated drill testing our air defense system at the very moment that the 9/11 attacks occurred, which caused great confusion to air traffic controllers, people have grown weary of these so-called drills. Similarly, British officials were conducting an identical mass casualty drill involving the explosion of bombs in London's subway system when actual terrorist attacks in the subway system took place using bombs at the very locations where the drill was being conducted. Officials at LAX Airport confirmed that they had staged the exact same scenario only three weeks earlier when nine days ago we were told that a lone gunman walked into a terminal with an automatic weapon and opened fire on TSA agents, killing one and injuring several others. Public weariness of these drills is to be expected in light of past events and continuous warnings of imminent catastrophic events coming from officials of our own government.
A second national drill is scheduled this week for November 13-14, which has been dubbed Gridex II. Several factors seem to be driving a lot more attention to this drill. This past summer, former DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, while speaking at a conference, sounded an alarm that a cyber 911-like attack on the nation's electrical grid system was imminent. National Grid in Waltham Massachusetts, which is Midwest ISO's counterpart in the northeast part of the United States, and which also participated in the drill two years ago, has confirmed that it is participating in Gridex II this week. DHS and FEMA are also participating in the drill. A spokesperson for National Grid said the participants did not yet know what scenario would play out during the drill; however, NERC officials have assured the media there would be no power outages during the drill.
NASA has contributed to the concerns some have that something big might happen. Every 22 years our solar system's sun goes through a solar maximum period during which solar flaring is typically at a peak. Solar flares can impact the Earth's atmosphere with electromagnetic shocks that can damage satellites orbiting the Earth, as well as electrical grids that supply electricity to us and electrical-powered appliances and equipment. NASA scientists have warned that some areas could be without power for a number of months, which obviously would produce catastrophic outcomes in affected areas. So far, the solar maximum has turned out to be a big dud, the weakest in nearly a century, that some fear might portend the coming of another ice age. Yeah, I hate to disappoint the global warming alarmists, but CO2 emissions have virtually no impact on the Earth's weather; rather, it's driven by forces from within and outside our solar system that impacts the Earth daily. Solar flaring from the Sun is a major factor in weather events on Earth, as well as earthquakes and volcano activity.
In addition, NASA had also dubbed the approaching Comet Ison as the comet of the century. Ison has turned out to be a less exciting event in our solar system than NASA scientists originally projected, although it has brightened considerably in recent days according to astronomers, and it's expected to make its closest pass by Earth later this month. Comets which impact the Sun directly can cause major coronal mass ejections that can impact Earth. Ison is considered a sun grazer because its path takes it very close to the Sun.
Gridex II probably won't amount to much, but since people learned that our government was conducting a computer-simulated drill testing our air defense system at the very moment that the 9/11 attacks occurred, which caused great confusion to air traffic controllers, people have grown weary of these so-called drills. Similarly, British officials were conducting an identical mass casualty drill involving the explosion of bombs in London's subway system when actual terrorist attacks in the subway system took place using bombs at the very locations where the drill was being conducted. Officials at LAX Airport confirmed that they had staged the exact same scenario only three weeks earlier when nine days ago we were told that a lone gunman walked into a terminal with an automatic weapon and opened fire on TSA agents, killing one and injuring several others. Public weariness of these drills is to be expected in light of past events and continuous warnings of imminent catastrophic events coming from officials of our own government.
Friday, 8 November 2013
Court Dismisses Ritz Open Door Lawsuit Against State Board Of Education
Posted on 15:03 by blogger
Marion Co. Circuit Court Judge Lou Rosenberg issued an order today dismissing the lawsuit Supt. of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz filed against state board of education members after they took an official action via electronic communications among themselves requesting that the Legislative Services Agency perform the school grading functions delegated by law to her Department. While Judge Rosenberg's decision says nothing about the merits of Ritz' argument that the board members' actions violated the state's Open Door Law, the fact that Attorney General Greg Zoeller objected to the lawsuit being filed and did not consent to her filing the lawsuit in her capacity as a state official constrained him to grant Zoeller's request that the lawsuit be dismissed.
I'm not sure why Ritz didn't find a private citizen or public interest group to intervene and substitute her as the plaintiff in the action so the merits of the case could be decided. I suppose nothing prevents someone from doing that now that the dismissal is official. I also see the separation of powers argument being a more powerful argument than whether the state's Open Door Law was violated. The Indiana Constitution clearly prohibits one branch of government from performing the duties delegated by law to another branch of government The Indiana Law Blog has posted a copy of Judge Rosenberg's order, which can be viewed by clicking here.
I'm not sure why Ritz didn't find a private citizen or public interest group to intervene and substitute her as the plaintiff in the action so the merits of the case could be decided. I suppose nothing prevents someone from doing that now that the dismissal is official. I also see the separation of powers argument being a more powerful argument than whether the state's Open Door Law was violated. The Indiana Constitution clearly prohibits one branch of government from performing the duties delegated by law to another branch of government The Indiana Law Blog has posted a copy of Judge Rosenberg's order, which can be viewed by clicking here.
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Town Clerk-Treasuer Gets Slap On The Wrist For Using Town's Credit Card For Personal Purchases
Posted on 18:54 by blogger
Sunman Town Clerk-Treasurer Kris Schneider used the town's credit card to make $3,600 in personal purchases at the local Walmart store over a 2-year period. Judge Jon Webster dropped a felony official misconduct charge filed against Schneider to a Class A misdemeanor because she made full restitution and the town's leaders praised her years of service to the town. It's not even clear that Schneider will be forced to give up the office that she has held for 23 years despite getting caught red handed stealing taxpayer dollars, which was uncovered during a state board audit. The Class A misdemeanor the judge entered against her carries a sentence of only one year of probation. Poor Charlie White got charged and convicted of a felony theft charge for drawing a paycheck as a Fishers Town Council member that he was entitled by law to receive as long as he served in office, even after he repaid the salary he earned for a several month period after he moved out of his district. As Charlie says, he was prosecuted as a class of one.
Coats Argues That Protecting Gays From Employment Discrimination Infringes On Employers' Religious Freedom
Posted on 18:05 by blogger
The U.S. Senate today passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ("ENDA") by a vote of 64-32. It would expand federal civil rights laws to protect employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Indianapolis and a number of other Indiana cities have had similar laws on the books for a number of years despite the dire warnings of harm to employers opponents of the law predicted would occur at the time of their passage. All but 10 Republican senators voted against ENDA, including Indiana's Sen. Dan Coats (R), who led the opposition. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D), who has a gay son, voted with all of his Democratic colleagues in supporting it. House Speaker John Boehner (R) announced that he won't allow a vote to be taken on ENDA in the House.
According to Coats, protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation infringes on the right of employers to discriminate against them based on their religious beliefs. It's the kind of logic that leaves you scratching your head and cognizant of why so many younger Americans, who were once attracted to the Republican Party under President Ronald Reagan, are now turning away from it in large numbers. I would like to ask Coats why he thinks it's okay to spend trillions of our tax dollars and sacrifice the lives of thousands of American soldiers to fight useless wars in Muslim countries that outlaw the right of the people of other faiths to exercise their religious beliefs. Our soldiers can't even practice their faith during tours of duty in these countries; their religious freedom must be sacrificed to avoid offending the "host" nations we are told welcome our military assistance. I think Coats cares more about getting campaign contributions from the military/industrial complex than preserving religious freedom. He should care more about how Republicans are going to win future elections without the support of a growing number of Americans who could care less about a person's sexual orientation or their choice of whom to marry.
Fair Finance Trustee Reaches Settlement With SerVaas And Son
Posted on 17:12 by blogger
The bankruptcy trustee for Fair Finance sought to recover $285,000 in cash transfers convicted Ponzi schemer Tim Durham made to his ex-wife, Joan SerVaas, and step-son, Bernard Durham prior to the demise of his business empire following an FBI raid in November, 2009. According to a court filing with a federal bankruptcy court, Joan and Bernard have reached a settlement with the trustee to repay $100,000 and $10,000, respectively. The trustee says that Bernard provided the trustee with a personal financial statement and supporting documentation that supposedly demonstrated his inability to repay the nearly $60,000 the trustee wanted him to repay the bankruptcy estate. Joan claimed that Durham received value in exchange for the transfers, including care for SerVaas' children, only one of whom was Durham's biological son. She also claimed that some of the transfers involved assets she jointly owned with Durham.
Joan is the daughter of multi-millionaire industrialist and former City-County Council President Beurt SerVaas, a former high-ranking OSS officer during World War II and long-time rumored CIA asset with close ties to the some of the intelligence agency's most prominent past leaders. She and her father posted a $1 million bond for Tim Durham while he awaited trial. Joan is the CEO of Curtis Publishing, one of the companies owned by her father, which publishes The Saturday Evening Post and licenses artwork.
Bernard is the biological son of SerVaas' first husband, Bernard Marie, a French immigrant who has been described as an "off-the-books" French intelligence asset. Marie, a former owner and publisher of Indiana Business Magazine, is the CEO of Penta Corporation, a business marketing and sales company that provides services to U.S. export concerns in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Marie has also been associated with a private construction firm with significant interests in Saudi Arabia. His biological son, Bernard Durham, also rumored to be an intelligence asset, was working as an obscure investigator in Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller's office at the time the FBI raided his step-father's offices. He quietly left the office shortly thereafter. Zoeller returned $11,000 in campaign contributions to the bankruptcy trustee for Fair Finance that he received from Tim Durham.
Joan is the daughter of multi-millionaire industrialist and former City-County Council President Beurt SerVaas, a former high-ranking OSS officer during World War II and long-time rumored CIA asset with close ties to the some of the intelligence agency's most prominent past leaders. She and her father posted a $1 million bond for Tim Durham while he awaited trial. Joan is the CEO of Curtis Publishing, one of the companies owned by her father, which publishes The Saturday Evening Post and licenses artwork.
Bernard is the biological son of SerVaas' first husband, Bernard Marie, a French immigrant who has been described as an "off-the-books" French intelligence asset. Marie, a former owner and publisher of Indiana Business Magazine, is the CEO of Penta Corporation, a business marketing and sales company that provides services to U.S. export concerns in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. Marie has also been associated with a private construction firm with significant interests in Saudi Arabia. His biological son, Bernard Durham, also rumored to be an intelligence asset, was working as an obscure investigator in Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller's office at the time the FBI raided his step-father's offices. He quietly left the office shortly thereafter. Zoeller returned $11,000 in campaign contributions to the bankruptcy trustee for Fair Finance that he received from Tim Durham.
Derek Eitel On Playing Professional Baseball In Mexico
Posted on 12:53 by blogger
My nephew, Derek Eitel, is a minor league pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He's spent the past two seasons playing for the Diamondbacks' AA team in Mobile, Alabama. Following the conclusion of this year's season, he headed south to Mexico to play in a winter league for a few months during the off-season. In this YouTube clip, he's interviewed by a local sports reporter in Mexico about his experience playing professional baseball in Mexico.
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