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Groups see ATV trails as anchor to economy | News | herald … – Huntington Herald Dispatch

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

More initiatives to build upon the tourist draw fostered by the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trails in the southern part of West Virginia are taking shape.

One involves the West Virginia Community Development Hub, a nonprofit group based in Clarksburg, working with several communities in the southern coalfields to develop strategies for gaining economically from the trail system. Also stepping up is Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College, which has launched two new programs aimed at boosting the economy in that region and providing training that could yield related job opportunities.

The Hatfield-McCoy Trails system is made up of over 700 miles of trails in southern West Virginia. As one of the largest off-highway vehicle trail systems in the world, Hatfield-McCoy Trails is open 365 days a year and offers something for every skill level. It already has a sizable economic impact on that region and the state as a whole, and the recent and new efforts are aimed at expanding that.

Over the past year, the West Virginia Community Development Hub has been working to foster entrepreneurship in communities throughout West Virginia, and one place where it's throwing its efforts is the southern part of the state.

Among the targeted areas are the communities of Alderson and Madison and the counties of McDowell, Lincoln and Wyoming.

"Here at The Hub, we've seen energy around new business in the recreation and tourism sectors skyrocket," said Dan Taylor, entrepreneurial communities program coordinator for the group, which has been around more than 10 years.

"We have been working all over the state to help communities that may not have the capacity or resources to do community type projects," he said.

Taylor works in the coalfield communities in southern West Virginia to help diversify their economies by working with community folks.

One of The Hub's projects involves the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trails.

"As people come to ride the trail, they are also looking for other recreational activities," Taylor said. "So we are working with communities in southern West Virginia with natural assets like trails and waterways to create these recreational opportunities for visitors."

Taylor says The Hub's Innovation Acceleration Strategy (IAS) program is a year-long, community-based economic diversification planning process.

"The West Virginia Community Development Hub will be working with five communities in Southern West Virginia who are ready, willing and able to start identifying what they want to see in their community and planning on how to grow and build these sectors," he explained.

The Hatfield-McCoy Trails range from the scenic mountain views of Pinnacle Creek, to the tight and twisting trails of Bearwallow. Many trails connect to West Virginia's "ATV friendly towns" where visitors can grab a bite to eat and add to the local economy, Taylor said.

Taylor says his group also has seen land-based trail projects around hiking and biking from The Hub's previous innovation acceleration program in communities from Boone County to Wyoming County.

"With an uptick in resources available to communities as well as through things like the Appalachian Regional Commission's POWER program, which has put $92 million within the past year into the region for economic development, it is important for residents here to know about what is available and be able to connect with these opportunities to grow not only their local economy but their own prosperity," Taylor added.

Just last month at a convening of POWER grantees in Huntington, Jeff Lusk, director of the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority, which operates the Hatfield-McCoy Trails system, said the ARC's $1.3 million POWER grant to that organization will be used to help expand tourism-related business opportunities along the Hatfield-McCoy Trail.

"We look forward to seeing what additional helpful resources are on the horizon for our region when it comes to growing our recreation and tourism economy," Taylor said.

In the summer of 2014, Marshall University's Center for Business and Economic Research completed an updated economic impact study for the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority.

Hatfield-McCoy Trails for day-to-day operations generated an additional $1.6 million in economic activity within the state, for a total operational impact of $3.3 million, according to the report.

Even more notably, the Hatfield-McCoy Trails bring non-local visitors to the area whose spending is estimated to generate an additional $19 million in economic activity in West Virginia.

Together, the total estimated economic impact of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails is more than $22 million.

The economic activity generated by the Hatfield-McCoy Trails' operations and visitors also yields tax revenues. The trails impact the state and local tax base by nearly $120,000 annually, the report stated.

When considering the estimated total employment sustained by the presence of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, an annual state and local tax benefit of more than $455,500 is estimated.

An additional fiscal benefit to the state of more than $1.5 million is estimated as a result of non-local visitor spending while visiting the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.

In addition to providing data for estimating the visitor spending impact of the Hatfield-McCoy Trails, the rider survey included in the report indicated largely positive experiences among riders.

"The vast majority of respondents reported a good or excellent experience with the Hatfield-McCoy Trails overall, and more than 97 percent of riders surveyed would recommend the trails to others," the report stated.

Also with an eye toward partnering with the Hatfield-McCoy ATV Trails system is Kristina Oliver, who this month accepted the position of program administrator for Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College's new Entrepreneurship and Business Coaching Center.

"I am reaching out to businesses, West Virginia small-business champions, economic developers, resource partners and service providers regarding a new initiative that I am excited to lead," she said.

Oliver said the Hatfield-McCoy Regional Recreation Authority in partnership with Southern West Virginia Community & Technical College, the Natural Capital Investment Fund and West Virginia State University have created an entrepreneurial training and business coaching program in the coalfields of southern West Virginia.

"The project, which was funded by a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission through the Power Plus initiative, will increase tourism and entrepreneurship in southern West Virginia to create a sustainable tourism-based economy," Oliver explained.

She said this initiative focuses on a nine-county region of the state, including Boone, Logan, Mingo, Wyoming, Lincoln, Wayne, Kanawha, McDowell and Mercer counties.

"I have much respect and admiration for the great work being done by many organizations and entities throughout West Virginia to help increase small-business success," she said. "With this new center, we will offer business coaching, targeted consulting and impactful training to help existing businesses and to help encourage new business growth."

Last year, the college launched a Powersports Technology Program to teach students to service, repair and maintain a variety of power sports equipment such as motorcycles, ATVs UTVs and personal watercraft.

"The program graduates are prepared to be entry-level technicians and most often work as service technicians, but may also find employment as service writers, parts department personnel and sales staff," Oliver said.

The full Powersports Technology Program is available on the Boone/Lincoln Campus. The Logan, Williamson and Wyoming/McDowell campuses offer the general education/program support courses only.

Groups see ATV trails as anchor to economy | News | herald ... - Huntington Herald Dispatch

Automation: This Byte’s For You – National Review

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Writing for City Journal, Mark Mills warns that the robots (to use the shorthand) will be gnawing their way far higher up the food chain than we have seen before.

Heres the dirty little secret about automation: its easier to build a robot to replace a junior attorney than to replace a journeyman electrician. And that fact helps explain why economists and politicians are feeling misgivings about creative destruction, which, up to now, they have usually embraced as a net good for society.

In the age of the algorithm, though, theyre not so sure any more, and no wonder: instead of creative destruction coming to factories and farms, its sweeping through city centers and taking white-collar jobs. The chattering classes have talked and written for years about the end of work. Doubtless many fear that the end of their work is in the offing, this time around.

Creative destruction doesnt sound so benign when its coming your way.

Mills:

Consider a bellwether of more white-collar disruption yet to come: of the nearly 200 so-called Unicornsprivate, venture-backed companies such as Uber that are valued over $1 billion90 percent are in nonmanufacturing businesses. Theres a good reason for such a skewed focus. Supercomputer-class software in the cloud can perform, at minimal cost, once-daunting information-centric tasks, from reading X-rays to managing a passive investment fund. But the engineering challenges are far greater and many times more complex in cyber-physical systems, where software meets steel in real time

[W]ere in the midst of an upheaval in what we might call the means of management. The overall effect, I believe, will be the same as in the pasta boost to the economy and more jobsbut the makeover this time will affect the professional and managerial classes. We should expect them to be at least as vocal about it as many factory workers were a generation ago.

While I doubt that this revolution will create more jobs (at least any time soon and then theres its depressing effect on the wages of those who still have work to consider) Id agree with Mr. Mills that those being displaced will be at least as vocal about it. In fact, my guess is that they will be very much more vocal about it.

I touched on this topic last year on a piece on automation for NRODT.

Heres an excerpt:

When Americans do finally grasp what automation is doing to their prospects, rage against the machines (or, more specifically, their consequences) will blend with existing discontent to form a highly inflammable mix. This broader economic unease is already spreading beyond left-behinds and Millennials, but when we reach the point where even those who are still doing well see robots sending proletarianization their way, theres a decent chance that something akin to middle-class panic (a phenomenon identified by sociologist Theodor Geiger in, ominously, 1930s Germany) will ensue. Many of the best and brightest will face a stark loss of economic and social status, a blow that will sting far more than the humdrum hopelessness that many at the bottom of the pile have, sadly, long learned to accept. They will resist while they still have the clout to do so, and the media, filled with intelligent people who have already found themselves on the wrong side of technology, will have their back

Every revolution, whether at the polling station or on the street, needs foot soldiers drawn from the poor and the left behind. Still, its the leadership that counts. Add the impact of automation to the effects of existing elite overproduction and the result will be that the upheaval to come will be steered by a very large officer class angry, effective, efficient, a counter-elitelooking to transform the social order of which, under happier circumstances, it would have been a mainstay.

The consequences are unlikely to be pretty.

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Automation: This Byte's For You - National Review

Softening vehicle sales, rising automation halt growth in Ohio’s auto jobs – The Columbus Dispatch

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Dan Gearino The Columbus Dispatch @DanGearinoMark Williams The Columbus Dispatch @BizMarkWilliams

It was nice while it lasted.

A surge in auto-manufacturing jobs since the start of the decade provided a desperately needed lift for Ohioas it climbed out of the worst recession since the Great Depression.

But that growth has stalled, based on recent figures,and analysts expect the job totals to remain flat or even shrink.

Much of the blame goes to a peak in auto sales after years of growth; automation is also a factor because it allows companies to produce more with fewer workers.

The question for Ohio is how will this shift reverberate through the economy. In short, the state will need to look more to other sectors to attract jobs, or find ways to counter the trend in auto manufacturing.

"It's not a catastrophe, but some of the bloom is off the post-recession growth," said Mike Hicks, a Ball State University economist. "For Ohio, that may be more painful, and for the Midwest in general. It is another factor that keeps growth less robust than we might have wished or expected it to be."

Ohio's auto-sector employment both vehicle manufacturing and the making of parts rose by 1,500 jobs, or 1.6 percent, lastyear; that was the slowest growth rate since the recession, according to federal employment data.Those two sectors employ about 97,000 in Ohio.

Looking ahead, modest increases probably will shift toward modest declines, according to a forecast by Moody's Analytics. The research firm expects that Ohio's transportation-sector employment will grow less than 1 percent this year, followed by decreases of less than 1 percent in each of the following six years.

"We'll be expecting this to be a slowdown, but we don't think it's going to be anything that will be severe enough to send Midwestern states into recession," said Brent Campbell, a Moody's Analytics' economist who covers Ohio.

Bound to happen

The stalled growth is a normal part of the economic cycle after the boom of the last few years. Auto-related employment in Ohio has increased about 35 percent since 2010, when automakers began adding jobs after the recession. Auto plants have been running at close to full capacity as sales of new cars and trucks doubledfrom 2009 to 2016.

There is no doubt that the tide has turned, however. Here is some of the evidence:

Ohio'semployment in manufacturing had flat-lined as of June compared with a year ago, with a drop of 200 jobs among manufacturers of "durable goods," which areitems meant to last at least three years, according to preliminary government data issued Friday.

Auto inventories were at 4.2 million vehicles as of July 1, the highest in 13 years, according to Automotive News.

New-vehicle sales are down 2.1 percent from 2016's record pace.

Production in the first five months of 2017 at auto assembly plants in the district covered by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland all of Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and northern West Virginia was down about 9 percent from the same period of 2016, according to the bank.

At the same time, the industry is contending with an unsettled political climate.

President Donald Trump has threatenedto enact stiff tariffs or quotas on steel imports. Although such a move would benefit U.S. steel producers, it probably would lead to higher prices for trucks and cars and potentially further depress sales because automakers would have to use more-expensive domestic steel.

At the same time, banks and other lenders have tightened some lending for auto buyers,particularly for those with low credit scores.

If these factors weren't enough, manufacturers continue to figure out how to produce more with fewer workers.

"They are developing remarkable technologies. It is much more sophisticated, but needs fewer people to operate," said Eric Burkland, executive director of the Ohio Manufacturers' Association. Workers "are higher-skilled, more highly compensated."

Openings available

Despite the slowdown in hiring, manufacturers have openings, and Burkland said they routinely talk about how tough it is to find applicants.

That trouble finding workers is another reason that job growth is being held in check, said Ned Hill, an Ohio State University economist.

"If the cost of semi-skilled labor gets too high, including the cost of health-care benefits, work will be automated," he said. "This is looming in the logistics side of the business."

But Hill does see a silver lining: Predictions of a decrease in manufacturing jobs do not account for normal attrition, such as retirements. So, even if the state's total is falling, there will be openings.

Also, other sectors will be growing. Moody's Analytics and others expect service and health-care jobs to become a larger share of Ohio's economy. Economic-development leaders can use this information to help attract more jobs in the fields most primed for growth.

Unexpected events could change the landscape, however. Hill said the only way he sees more-significant auto-related employment in the future is the addition of an assembly plant, something he doubts will happen.

In addition, the state will need to hold on to the assembly plants it has: two Jeep plants in Toledo, a General Motors plant in Lordstown, and Honda plants in Marysville and East Liberty.

In addition, many plants make engines, transmissions, vehicle bodies and other auto parts.

The president of the United Auto Workers union raised concern last week that GM's lagging sales could lead to job losses. Reuters reported that GM is considering a phaseout of U.S. production of several passenger-car models. Absent from the list, which Reuters said came from unidentified sources familiar with the plans, is the Chevrolet Cruze, the model assembled in Lordstown.

Honda appears to be a stable presence in central Ohio, where it makes the Accord in Marysville and the CR-V in East Liberty, among other models.The automaker also has a research-and-development office and has attracted a network of other companies that manufacture parts, making the region a hub for auto production.

Asked about Honda's plans, spokesmanChrisAbbruzzese said:

"We're confident that our products and our flexible manufacturing operations will continue to provide Honda and our suppliers with the ability to maintain a significant presence in central Ohio."

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

dgearino@dispatch.com

@DanGearino

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Softening vehicle sales, rising automation halt growth in Ohio's auto jobs - The Columbus Dispatch

Don Lindich’s Sound Advice: Home automation without breaking the budget – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Don Lindich's Sound Advice: Home automation without breaking the budget
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
We recently received an Amazon Dot as a gift, and a few people have suggested we use it to integrate home automation into the room, but we find this a bit intimidating. The electrician will be wiring things soon and we need to make a decision. Any ...

‘I’m concerned about automation replacing jobs’ – The Hindu

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

The Hindu

'I'm concerned about automation replacing jobs'
The Hindu
It highlights the challenges that are coming ahead and one of those big challenges is that if you look at many economic assessments, they are all saying the radical displacement of jobs due to automation. A big component of that automation is robotics, ...

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'I'm concerned about automation replacing jobs' - The Hindu

Automation Nation: Amazon’s Brampton facility putting robotics to the ultimate test – Toronto Sun

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Toronto Sun

Automation Nation: Amazon's Brampton facility putting robotics to the ultimate test
Toronto Sun
The scene resembles something out of Wall-E, with these nine-foot automated Amazon Robotics Drive Units scanning QR codes to detect their path and moving in different directions within a grid. Using built-in sensor technology, the robots don't crash ...
Robots Are Moving in on E-commerce PackingFortune

all 4 news articles »

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Automation Nation: Amazon's Brampton facility putting robotics to the ultimate test - Toronto Sun

HBO Show ‘Insecure’ Pushes Race-Based Tax Fraud as ‘Reparations’ – NewsBusters (press release) (blog)

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

NewsBusters (press release) (blog)

HBO Show 'Insecure' Pushes Race-Based Tax Fraud as 'Reparations'
NewsBusters (press release) (blog)
In the season two premiere of HBO's Insecure, we have two big liberal themes: the wage gap myth and slavery reparations. The season opener on Sunday night, "Hella Great," has the characters getting together for a party so that the main character Issa ...

and more »

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HBO Show 'Insecure' Pushes Race-Based Tax Fraud as 'Reparations' - NewsBusters (press release) (blog)

Nothing is more empowering than when others see the goodness in us – Bangor Daily News

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

It feels good to see goodness in another person. And it feels good when the goodness in us is seen. Acknowledging this gives strength to the goodness.

Dale Carnegie, the interpersonal skills author, once stated, nothing else so inspires and heartens people as words of appreciation. You and I may soon forget the words of encouragement and appreciation that we utter now, but the person to whom we have spoken them may treasure them and repeat them to themselves over a lifetime. Carnegie encourages us to focus on personal strengths and to back up our statements with evidence. Evidence gives our statements credibility and believability, so people know your observations about them are sincere.

I chose the field of social work for this very reason. At the heart of social work is the strengths perspective and its philosophy that looking for peoples strengths means you will find them. When applied beyond the field of social work, it is also referred to as the strength-based approach. Dennis Saleebey, one of the academics credited with codifying this practice, stated that individuals have vast, often untapped and frequently unappreciated reservoirs of physical, emotional, cognitive, interpersonal, social, and spiritual energies, resources and competencies. In other words, each of us is much more than our problems. We have all kinds of strengths and abilities, which help us to survive the challenges we meet. Another important principle of the strengths perspective is that people have the capacity to learn, grow and change.

As a clinical social worker, I provide mental health treatment for patients and their families. Recently, I was working with a young patient who was suicidal and struggling to get her father to listen to her feelings. The father was, by his own admission, bottled up and initially barely able to speak to me about his daughter. One day, he telephoned and proceeded to yell at me for a long time. I used the strength perspective to listen to him yelling at me. I remembered that for him this was a good sign. He was calling me. Instead of focusing on the fact that he was yelling, I was focusing on the fact that he had called. He was finally engaging in his daughters treatment even though he was telling me all of the reasons why he was not able to listen to her. When he was done, he felt better, and I praised him for the fact that he clearly wanted to help his daughter but that listening to her feelings was uncomfortable for him. I praised him for calling me.

Hundreds of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of praise in promoting positive behaviors, both in academic performance and work performance. Praise also has been demonstrated to reinforce positive behaviors in nonpraised adjacent individuals (in other words, hearing someone else get praised also feels good) through vicarious reinforcement. In order for praise to effect positive change, it must specify the particulars and must be delivered sincerely and credibly. In this way, praise tends to promote health of body and mind. Science demonstrates it is quite possible that by empowering people throughout their lives we actually immunize them against mental-health disorders such as depression.

There is a Turkish proverb that says, No matter how far you have gone on the wrong road, turn back. A road that is always before us leads to empowerment through choosing the positive in ourselves and in others. The father who yelled on the telephone at me ultimately came in for a family meeting, listened to his daughter, and praised her for being brave enough to tell him how she felt. It seems to be a law of nature that our thoughts and feelings are encouraged and strengthened when we say them out loud. When we articulate the goodness in ourselves and others, we feel connected, hopeful and happy.

Robin Barstow is a child and adolescent clinical social worker at Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook.

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Nothing is more empowering than when others see the goodness in us - Bangor Daily News

RITA ACIRO: Passion for empowering women – Independent

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Rita Aciro Lakor is ranked among the top players of womens rights activism in Uganda.

Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA |She has been involved at different levels and stations for the last 18 years and today she is the executive director of Uganda Womens Network (UWONET), one of the biggest NGOs working on gender transformation and empowerment of women.

While it serves as a job that puts food on the table, Aciro says she does it as more out of passion. She refers to her childhood whenever she tries to explain where it all started.

She says, even as a child, she had the innate talent of being a good speaker and an ability to influence others. She recalls that on many occasions at Mary Reparatrix Boarding School Bugonga in Entebbe and at Kololo Secondary School, Aciros teacher told her that she would turn out to be a person of influence. The words came to pass, she says.

Also, as in most African societies, Aciro observed several injustices against women and girls in families and society. She says that while she was never a victim of what she fights for, she is pushed to fight for other women to ensure that they too enjoy equal rights especially in an era where the fight has been underrated.

When you look at the domestic sphere, nobody wants to talk about it and yet there is so much injustice and discrimination at the family and community level that penetrating such an area will take us many more years, says Aciro.

Issues on violence in homes, incest, marital rape, widow inheritance, disinheriting widows and orphans in communities are some of the issues that nobody wants to talk about, she says.

And as society tolerates such injustices as it is socialised to believe that it is the norm, women are most affected.

Her entry into the womens NGO world started in 1997, when enrolled as an intern at UWONET. Soon she was standing out among her colleagues as not only doing the job well but also working with passion. Even when she did not keep in there for so long, she still worked within the same areas and indeed after 10 years, she was sought for to take up leadership at the NGO.

I was taken up by what I love to do best but the testimony of the ability, commitment and passion for leadership was proven, she says.

Aciro says that womens advocacy is not just about talking but also addressing issues from a factual point of view. This requires a lot of research. She says, in contrast to popular view, NGO work is hard work that involves selling resourceful issues that affect society to stakeholders.

Aciro says her work today is in line with her desire to prove that a woman can do whatever a man can do and even better. It started at an early age and associating mainly with boys.

I am very competitive and I found this character in boys because I always wanted to prove that I can do whatever they did or even better, she says.

Aciro is married and her husband of 18 years has been supportive of the causes she pursues. She says she aspires to remain independent both mentally and financially even at home and is not the kind of wife who believes that its men who are supposed to provide for the home.

Regarding her work and passion, Aciro says many challenges affecting the womens movement remain.

We need to connect dots on how policy and governance agenda has an implication on the things that happen to women at a personal level; for instance issues of forceful land acquisition and the impact on food security.

Ritah Aciros Liteside

Any three things we dont know about you?

I am a very determined and positive person. At times people look at me as a hard person but I have a very soft heart and I am a very forgiving person; where I sense trouble, I withdraw. I am also a struggler and theres nothing negative that comes my way to pull me down.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Having consent to make certain decisions in life.

What is your greatest fear?

I fear for what may happen to my two sons when I am gone so I always pray for life to see my sons through adulthood.

Which living person do you most admire?

I admire Miria Matembe for her fight for rights beyond hers.

What is the greatest thing you have ever done?

I have been able to turn around the organisation that I work for and that to me, it is the greatest I have done. I can underestimate the fact that I have taken the organisation to the women at the grassroots level and made them feel as part of it unlike what it was before.

What is your current state of mind?

At peace.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

The superiority of men; the thinking that men are better than women in all social, economic and political aspects and yet we have not given them equal opportunities and platform is just not fair. Right from after birth, the treatment, the language used to both and what starts at home has a reflection in the public sphere.

What does being powerful mean to you?

As a student of leadership and governance, I understand power as the ability to influence positively.

On what occasion do you lie?

We all tell lies either indirectly to protect somebody or for anything.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

There is nothing more that I can ask God for.

Which living person do you most despise?

Those who oppress and violate rights of humanity.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Being respectful and confident are very crucial.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Confidence and doing what she believes is right.

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RITA ACIRO: Passion for empowering women - Independent

How technology is putting the earliest comics back into the hands of fans – The Verge

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Walking around at San Diego Comic-Con, the booth for a small publisher known as Sunday Press stands out in the quieter half of the convention. Standing amidst retailers hawking bagged rarities and boxes of superhero comics, the books on display are distinctive: theyre massive almost two feet to a side and they bear names like Dick Tracy: Colorful Cases of the 1930s, White Boy in Skull Valley, Society Is Nix, Gleeful Anarchy at the Dawn of the American Comic Strip, and others. The outfit is run by Peter Maresca, a comic collector-turned publisher who describes himself as a discount archivist, and who has earned recognition from the broader comic community for his efforts producing amazingly beautiful restorations of the comics that kicked off the entire industry.

As con-goers pass by the booth, Maresca talks to the one or two who stop by, providing a detailed history lesson behind some of the books on display. He explains that he has been collecting classic comics since he was in his 20s, acquiring complete runs of some of the stories, including a strip called Little Nemo in Slumberland, illustrated by Winsor McCay. That strip debuted in 1905 in the New York Herald, and its been held up as an influential story by numerous creators, including Maurice Sendak, Alan Moore, and Neil Gaiman.

A century after they were published, the original comics were deteriorating

But a century after they were first published, those original comics were deteriorating badly. Maresca realized that he had an opportunity to honor the comic and its creator for its centennial. He had a full run of the series, and could assemble a collected edition that would restore and reintroduce the comic to fans and newcomers alike. Importantly, he wanted to recreate the look and feel of the original comic, which included its massive size. Publishers thought it was a neat idea, but ultimately passed on the project.

So Maresca decided to publish the book himself.

The goal, he explains, was to recreate the experience of reading the original comics when they were first released.

Maresca mused that many have predicted that computers would eventually replace old-fashioned reading, but explained that it was computers and software that allowed him to restore the century-old cartoon for a modern audience.

While the comics had received retrospective treatments and reprints, he explains that these were often small reproductions, which made the fine details difficult to see. But he wanted to do more than just showcase the art.

What I originally wanted to do, he says, was to give people the opportunity to experience the comic strips they had been a hundred years ago, which is impossible to do with the smaller books.

In the century since they were published, the original comics have aged with time, yellowing and tearing. This presented Maresca with a challenge: he wanted to replicate the original experience, so he turned to Photoshop. Each page was scanned in two parts, which he then stitched together. From there he set about adjusting the colors and removing the wear and tear that theyd accumulated over the years. Some imperfections remained, like the ink smears that the comics originally came with.

Marescas goal was to recreate the original reading experience, not just the art

Once he cleaned up the panels, Maresca created a new background that resembled the texture of newspapers from the early 1900s, so that each page would be consistent, and then dropped the panels in.

I tried to keep the warm colors of the strip, without having to have a totally faded out background, he says. Its a bit of a hybrid between a brand new newsprint and a comic strip that looks kind of faded.

Once he completed his post-production work, Maresca shipped the digital files to a printer in Malaysia, which could print the files directly from the PDF in 11 colors something that wasnt possible before. From there, the large nature of the book meant that it had to be hand-stitched.

The final product is a book that approximates what the comic would have looked like when it was first published, in size and in color. People say that the books are too big for a bookshelf, Maresca jokes, so I suggest sliding it under the sofa, and on Sunday morning, pull it out and read a page or two on the floor. He goes on to say that hes gotten a number of comments from people who say that the books bring back memories for people, making them feel as though theyre six years old, leaning over a colorful page of cartoons on after the paper arrived.

Maresca set up Sunday Press as his own publishing company, and produced his first run of the books, which promptly sold out after a positive review in The New York Times, and set about producing his next project, a similar treatment of another McCay cartoon, Little Sammy Sneeze. In the years since, hes gone on to produce twelve books in all, earning 14 Eisner nominations and two wins.

While popular in their day, these are comics that have largely been forgotten by all but dedicated fans and industry professionals. The books produced by Sunday Press help restore these comics for a new generation of fans and students. With the advances in printing and photo manipulation in recent years, the earliest comic books will be easily accessible for the next generation of cartoonists.

So much talent and creativity went into these stories, Maresca says. That shouldnt be forgotten.

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How technology is putting the earliest comics back into the hands of fans - The Verge

Business secretary to announce investment in battery technology … – The Guardian

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Greg Clark, the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy. Photograph: Richard Gardner/Rex/Shutterstock

A 246m investment in developing battery technology in Britain is to be launched by the government as part of its drive towards what it says is a modern industrial strategy.

The business and energy secretary, Greg Clark, will announce the funding, including a 45m competition to make batteries more accessible and affordable, in a speech on Monday that should spell out further the governments plans to increase productivity and growth.

The 246m, to be spent over four years on research and innovation in battery technology, is likely to have particular benefits in the automotive sector and renewable energy.

The search for an industrial strategy was launched in January by Theresa May, designed to help Britains economy after Brexit, garnering more than 1,900 responses from businesses and other organisations in a three-month consultation. A white paper is due later in the year, but Clark is expected to say of the strategy: For all our citizens to be able to look forward with confidence to a prosperous future, we need to plan to improve our ability to earn that prosperity. To enjoy a high and rising standard of living we must plan to be more productive than in the past.

He will also say: Economists have pointed to what they have called a productivity puzzle in Britain. That we appear to generate less value for our efforts than, say, people in Germany or France. In other words, we have to work longer to get the same rewards.

Its not that we want or need people to work longer hours. Its that we need to ensure that we find and seize opportunities to work more productively as a country, as cities and regions, as businesses and as individuals. If we can do so, we can increase the earning power of our country and our people.

Investing in science and research was the first of 10 pillars of the outlined industrial strategy. Clark will add that the strategy could bring together concerted effort on areas of opportunity that have previously been in different sectors, or which require joining forces between entrepreneurs, scientists and researchers, industries, and local and national government.

Professor Philip Nelson, chief executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, said: Batteries will form a cornerstone of a low carbon economy, whether in cars, aircraft, consumer electronics, district or grid storage. To deliver the UKs low-carbon economy we must consolidate and grow our capabilities in novel battery technology.

Richard Parry-Jones, formerly of the UK Automotive Council, will chair a board overseeing the investment.

Clark will also confirm another 25m to be allocated to research and development of connected autonomous vehicles, this time on schemes for off-road, driverless vehicles destined for construction, farming and mining.

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Business secretary to announce investment in battery technology ... - The Guardian

WNBA sees ‘tremendous growth’ with technology platforms like Twitter and FanDuel – GeekWire

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

The WNBA has a long ways to go to reach the popularity of other U.S. professional sports leagues. But new technology platforms like Twitter and FanDuel are becoming important growth tools for the 21-year-old organization as it looks to expand its marketing efforts around the world.

WNBA Commissioner Lisa Borders was in Seattle this weekend for the WNBA All-Star Game, held in the Emerald City for the first time since the league launched back in 1997. She spoke to reporters before the game on Saturday at Key Arena and shed light on the leagues growth in recent years.

Borders, who took over in 2016 after leadership stints with public, private, and non-profits ranging from Coca-Cola to the Atlanta City Council, noted traditional metrics like attendance numbers, points per game, or three-point shots to show how the WNBA is progressing.

But she also took time to talk about new metrics, and specifically viewership data from the WNBAs new streaming deal with Twitter. The site has streamed 10 WNBA games this season, with an average of 800,000 viewers, and a third of which have surpassed 1 million. For comparison, Twitters Thursday Night Football NFL streams averaged 3.5 million viewers last season.

Borders pointed out how 60 percent of those watching on Twitter live outside the U.S.

What does this tell you about attendance in arena and our traditional metrics? Borders said. New metrics like Twitter tell us that there is a hunger for our game and womens basketball in particular. This is a global game played in more than 200 countries.

Beyond streaming, Borders said Twitter is also valuable because it lets the 144 WNBA players communicate with fans directly, even when the WNBA season wraps up in the U.S.

Many of our players are global citizens and play during the secondsix months of the year in the international markets, she said. So those markets are now able to follow our players on a consistent basis throughout the year on a platform like Twitter and can even broaden the reach of the WNBA today.

Added Borders, on Twitter: We think its going to increase the number ofeyeballs watching the WNBA, making them moreaware of the league, of our players, and what anextraordinary sport that we play.

Borders also called out FanDuel, the daily fantasy sports giant that just had its merger with DraftKings canceled, and said there are more than 1 million fans playing WNBA-related games on the platform. The league inked a deal with FanDuel this year and launched the first official womens sports fantasy game.

Were talking about exposure here, she explained. In the fantasy space, as well as the social and digital space, were seeingtremendous growth in terms of numbers.The first thing with any product in any business ismaking sure that people know you exist and they areaware of where you are and what youre doing. So FanDuel in the fantasy space its completely new to our league, which means a new pool of people and a deeper and broader set of interests.

The WNBA is embracing new tech platforms as it comes off a season that saw the highest attendance numbers in five years and records for digital viewership, social media traction, and retail sales. The league also saw double-digit growth in TV viewership. Those are promising numbers for a league long-critiqued for its lack of relevance; technology certainly seems like a way for the WNBA to shed that reputation.

Technology could also help grow interest in the league as it relates to the players themselves. Longtime WNBA veteran Sue Bird, who made her record-tying 10th All-Star appearance this weekend in Seattle, spoke at the GeekWire Sports Tech Summit last month and explained how she wants to see the big innovations in data that are driving more conversations and interest in the NBA and mens basketball make their way to the womens game.

It starts conversations and thats what our league needs, it needs to be talked about, and thats how you get it out there and get people to be involved and become fans, Bird said.

Bird is also a big believer in using technology to improve performance on the court. But she said a lot of the tech you see in other leagues like how NBA players use tablets on the bench during games is lacking in the WNBA, mostly for financial reasons.

We dont have necessarily the means to have some of that technology in our everyday [routine], Bird said. I dont think youre going to see any of us with an iPad on the bench any time soon.

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WNBA sees 'tremendous growth' with technology platforms like Twitter and FanDuel - GeekWire

GETTING THERE: Technology can be friend or foe – Fredericksburg.com

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

We mustnt be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology. This has happened again and again in historytechnology has advanced and this changes social conditions and suddenly people have found themselves in a situation which they didnt foresee and doing all sorts of things they didnt really want to do.

Visionary thinker and author Aldous Huxley made that statement in a 1958 interview. The context was broad-ranging and had nothing to do with transportation. But couldnt this prophetic quote just as easily apply to our current situation with the advancing technology that inevitably will determine our transportation infrastructure and how we get from point A to point B?

Weve already been caught by surprise when it comes to smartphones. These little gadgets are impressive technology, indeed, but we are doing all sorts of things we shouldnt do with them, such as staring at the miniature screens instead of watching the road.

It may be too late to get a hold on the smartphone mania, but we still have time with the burgeoning technology of intelligent cars and roadways. Some of that tech already here, but its only the tip of the iceberg. On the horizon is a day when cars will be able to do most, if not all, of the work.

It appears that transportation leaders are working diligently to get ahead of the curve so as to avoid being caught by surprise.

But the express lanes project is just one of several that have already begun.

Heres a rundown of other pilot projects aimed at the future of smart transportation:

One of three projects initiated by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2015 is based in New York City, according to an article in Public Roads, a Federal Highway Administration publication that laid out details for the pilot programs.

This program takes aim at how connected-vehicle technology can improve safety in packed urban areas, according to the Public Roads article, which notes that there are about 4,000 injuries and 250 traffic-related deaths on the streets of New York each year.

In this pilot, 310 intersection signals have been fitted with instruments that will communicate with specially equipped vehicles and pedestrians who have devices to help them safely cross streets.

According to the Public Roads article, drivers who use the reversible express lanes on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Tampa experience significant delays in the morning commuter rush (Sound familiar?).

The expressway is surrounded by connector roads and other streets where trolleys and pedestrians are added to the mix.

For this pilot, some 1,500 cars, 10 buses and 10 trolleys will be fitted with communication devices allowing them to communicate with units that will be installed along the roadside. Also, 500 pedestrians will use smartphone apps as part of the program.

The third pilot project is focused on Interstate 80 in Wyoming, considered a major freight corridor (Sound familiar?), through which more than 32 million tons of products are hauled annually, according to the Public Roads article.

For this program, vehicle-to-vehicle technology will be installed in tractortrailers, state fleet vehicles, snowplows and police patrol cars so they can communicate with roadside equipment along a 400-mile stretch of the interstate.

The vehicles will be able to receive information on such things as roadway alerts, parking notifications and trip guidance.

Buckle up, folks, its a brave new world.

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GETTING THERE: Technology can be friend or foe - Fredericksburg.com

Bridging the digital divide: how to stop technology leaving young people behind – The Guardian

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

MediaCity in Salford Quays, Manchester, where almost a quarter of children live in poverty. Photograph: Ian Dagnall/Alamy

Its barely a few hundred yards, but might as well be 100 miles. MediaCity in Salford Quays, Manchester, is one of the biggest digital tech hubs in the UK, benefiting from almost 2bn of investment in recent years but try telling that to many of the young people living nearby.

The citys economy is booming yet almost a quarter of Salfords children live in poverty. It is one of the most deprived areas in the country: household debt is on the rise, theres been a 72% increase in homelessness since 2013 and almost a third of students are eligible for free school meals. The contrasting experiences of these disadvantaged young people growing up on Salfords crumbling estates and the young professionals working in digital startups a few streets away are acute. The digital divide is measured by more than metres.

Technology is part of our everyday lives; it has become integral to the way we interact and communicate with each other. But it can also intensify even create some of the major social issues we face today.

The 2017 consumer digital index suggests that at least 300,000 young people, or 3%, of those aged 15-24 in the UK lack basic digital skills. These include the ability to use a search engine to find information, complete online application forms, manage money or solve a problem using a digital service.

The implications concern more than finding discounts for online shopping. If a young person in urgent need cannot complete an application form or search for help, they may struggle to even find a bed for the night. They can be excluded from accessing job vacancies or government services, which are increasingly moving online. Legal support, drop-in centre opening hours and counselling services are all just a few clicks away but only if you have the opportunity, confidence and ability to navigate the digital world.

Technology companies have responded to the need for digital up-skilling with a range of initiatives, but this only papers over the cracks. By and large these schemes are tailored to the young people who are already aware of and motivated to improve their own digital skills. What about those left behind? If were to really do something about this, we need to understand the extent to which technology and social exclusion are inextricably linked.

We have found that the young people least likely to have digital skills are those most likely to be facing multiple forms of chronic and acute disadvantage. Whether thats poor literacy skills, living in households affected by drug and alcohol abuse, or experience of the care or criminal justice system, these young people are being disenfranchised, both socially and economically. Without the means to access support, they are trapped in a cycle of disadvantage and vulnerability.

This also makes them among the hardest to reach, which is where the not-for-profit sector comes in. Our new Digital Reach programme, for example, is putting expert youth organisations, who have trusted relationships with disadvantaged young people, at the heart of the response.

By investing in six pilot schemes, running in partnership with organisations such as Action for Children and #techmums, we want to help more than 4,000 disadvantaged young people across the UK acquire basic digital skills as well as the confidence and opportunities that brings.

These charities and grassroots organisations are better placed than big tech companies to understand the needs of their users and tailor support accordingly. Working alongside trusted adults, in safe, familiar spaces, they can foster the kind of close relationships that are key to engaging these young people and giving them the chance to change their lives.

Technology allows us to reimagine how we tackle pressing social issues in unique and innovative ways. It can profoundly help those most in need, but we have a collective duty to ensure it does not leave anyone behind.

Chris Ashworth is programme director at Nominet Trust, the charitable foundation of Nominet

Talk to us on Twitter via @Gdnvoluntary and join our community for your free fortnightly Guardian Voluntary Sector newsletter, with analysis and opinion sent direct to you on the first and third Thursday of the month.

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Bridging the digital divide: how to stop technology leaving young people behind - The Guardian

Where Have All the Technologies Gone? – Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

Where Have All the Technologies Gone?
Inside Higher Ed (blog)
I did not, for example, turn my doctoral dissertation on a worthy topic of Catholic women's higher education into a monograph or the recent manuscript I drafted on information technology in higher education into books. Many a productive morning when I ...

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Where Have All the Technologies Gone? - Inside Higher Ed (blog)

Researchers are making progress on understanding dementia – Minneapolis Star Tribune

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

While researchers havent yet found a way to prevent or cure dementia, including Alzheimers disease, theyre making progress on how to catch it early. The findings from three new studies, two from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and one from Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, are important for better understanding cognitive declines that steal life from the living and strain the health care system.

The university created the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimers Prevention to study men and women with family histories of dementia. One of the new studies found a correlation between hearing loss and mild cognitive decline in 9.2 percent of 783 participants over four years. Hearing loss is easy to measure and could be a readily observable early-warning sign of dementia.

The study documented the hearing loss among participants in late middle age, compared with traditional dementia studies focusing on older people, and that is important because treatment for dementia should begin as early as possible. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine noted that last month in a report lamenting the significant gaps in knowledge about Alzheimers and recommending a doubling down on research into dementia.

The second University of Wisconsin study found a correlation between diminished oral fluency and cognitive decline in about 25 percent of 264 participants, who were drawn from the registry and followed for as long as 10 years. Researchers noted hesitations, word repetition and other minor changes in some of those who also were found to have experienced cognitive loss.

As with hearing decline, these are changes that might easily be measured and used as a red flag, perhaps in the general practitioners office, where screening for dementia should become as common as it is for depression and other chronic diseases.

In its study, Rush Alzheimers Disease Center, part of the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, found a correlation between cognitive declines and older people who have a higher number of hospitalizations for emergency care. This is another possible warning sign.

The National Academies said they were unable to provide definitive advice on how to prevent Alzheimers, the sixth-leading cause of death in the U.S., because research studies hadnt provided enough clues. Their report said the best steps now are for people to be active, keep stimulating their brains and ride herd on their blood pressure measures long considered important for general physical and brain health.

The academy also called for more research into dementia, including studies that focus on different social groups, such as young adults, with an eye toward early detection. The University of Wisconsin and Rush Alzheimers Disease Center researchers already were on the case. With more studies like these, the pieces of the Alzheimers puzzle will start to fall into place.

FROM AN EDITORIAL IN THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE

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Researchers are making progress on understanding dementia - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing – Sacramento Bee

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing
Sacramento Bee
Sharron Liggins, executive director of the Continuum of Care Network of Northwest Indiana, said that if the proposed cuts come to fruition, it will "erode the progress" that's been made in reducing homelessness. The Indiana Housing & Community ...
Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - San ...San Francisco Chronicle

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Advocates fear Trump budget will erode progress in housing - Sacramento Bee

Update: Forward Progress Of Brush Fire Near Gilroy Stopped – SFGate

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

As of 8:59 p.m. the fire that started near the intersection of Castro Valley Road and U.S. Highway 101 was 50 percent contained.

Flames from a backfire burn above fire trucks as CalFire crews battle the wildfires near Mariposa, Calif., on Tuesday, July 18, 2017.

Melted lawn chairs rest outside a residence leveled by the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., on Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Flames rise behind a vacant house as firefighters work to halt the Detwiler fire near Mariposa, Calif., Wednesday, July 19, 2017.

Firefighters with Cal Fire continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

A helicopter makes a water drop as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Burned out structures and vehicles along highway 140 west of in Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Cal Fire strike team leader Zack O'Neill works a fire line as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Jeffrey Hernandez with Cal Fire as firefighters continue to battle the Detwiler Fire on the outskirts of Mariposa, Ca., on Wednesday July 19, 2017.

Click through this slideshow to see the most striking photos from the 2017 California wildfire season.

Flames from a wildfire surround a lawn statue near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Click through this slideshow to see the most striking photos from the 2017 California wildfire season.

Flames from a wildfire surround a lawn statue near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire consume a care near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, June 8, 2017.

A fire burns near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

In this long exposure photograph, embers fly off smouldering trees after flames from the 'Wall fire' tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville, California on July 9, 2017.

A firefighter battles a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

Firefighters save a US flag as impending flames from the Wall fire close in on a luxury home in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

An animal stands on a property as impending flames close in on a residential area in Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

This photo provided by Eliot Oppenheimer, taken late in the evening Sunday, July 9, 2017, shows the Whittier fire burning in the mountains west of Santa Barbara, Calif.

A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. T

Flames from a wildfire consume a shed near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

A helicopter works to contain a fire near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a large fire whirl developing from erratic winds near Tepesquet Road in a wildfire east of Santa Maria, Calif., in Santa Barbara County, Calif.

Flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017.

This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows Rancho Alegre Outdoor School, a camp which suffered extensive damage from the Whittier fire near Santa Barbara, Calif., Monday, July 7, 2017.

Flames surround a marijuana plant as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

Sean Greenlaw views his truck covered in fire retardant as a smoke plume billows in the background near Oroville, California on July 08, 2017.

This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows the remains of a structure burned near Camp Whittier near Santa Barbara, Calif., Monday, July 7, 2017.

Firefighter Kern Kunst battles the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

A Skycrane makes a water drop on hot spots near Hot Spring Canyon and Highway 154 in the Whittier fire area near Santa Barbara, Calif., Wednesday, July 12, 2017.

A firefighter sprays water as flames from a wildfire consume a residence near Oroville, Calif., on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods leveling homes in its path.

CalFire firefighter Jake Hainey, left, and engineer Anna Mathiasen watch as a wildfire burns near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire engulf trees near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017.

A plume of smoke rises as impending flames from the 'Wall fire' approach Forbestown Road near Oroville, California on July 8, 2017.

Flames from a wildfire consume an all-terrain vehicle near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Residents were ordered to evacuate from several roads in the rural area as flames climbed tall trees.

Inmate firefighters battle the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

Firefighter Kern Kunst battles the Wall fire near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has scorched 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

Flames from the Wall fire descend a hillside near Oroville, Calif., on Saturday, July 8, 2017. According to CalFire, the blaze has burned 1,000 acres and destroyed 10 homes.

A fire burns near Campolindo High School off of Moraga Road in Moraga, California, on Monday, June 19, 2017.

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Update: Forward Progress Of Brush Fire Near Gilroy Stopped - SFGate

Progress days keep progressing – Kenai Peninsula Online

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

For sixty years, the annual Progress Days parade has marched forward, in step with the city, growing and bringing together the community.

On Saturday, community members lined the streets between Soldotna High School and the George A. Navarre Borough Administration Building and the sun shined bright in celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Progress Days.

For 26 years, Tracy Hillhouse-Price has come back to Soldotna for the parade, whether she lived in Juneau, Anchorage or Sitka. She found herself in Soldotna again on Saturday, watching the parade from the front lawn of the Joyce K. Carver Memorial Soldotna Public Library, and shading herself from the bright, afternoon sunshine.

My first parade that I went to, I was four years old, Hillhouse-Price said.

She walked in that first parade, her mother, Theresa Hillhouse, said.

The pair said a big draw for them to keep coming back is family.

Progress-wise, the city has definitely developed more, Hillhouse-Price said. The families have stayed and the people have come back, they want to come back.

The theme of family ran strong throughout the parade route, with entire clans sitting on their front lawns or along the sidewalks.

Family, its all about family, Ardie Crawford said. Its tradition, weve been dragging my kids down to this parade every year. We do it all, the parade, the rodeo, everything and well continue to do it.

Crawford knows her family will be attending future Progress Days, but it is a question of what Soldotna will look like in the years to come.

I would love to see more of a downtown area, Hillhouse-Price said. You just dont have that here, someplace to stroll and take a look into the shops.

With continued growth, though, others hope that residents stay responsible.

I would like to see much, much less trash, said Zoey Welch. I wish that, in the future, we have a happy environment no matter what.

Other residents are more specific with their dreams for Soldotna.

I want to do dancing and gymnastics, 12-year-old Zeraphina Tucker said. So, I want lots more of that around here.

The parade itself had a wide variety of physical feats, including local dance troops and Kanto performers visiting from Akita, the Kenai Peninsula Boroughs city sister in Japan. The performers balanced tall bamboo poles with lanterns attached throughout the parade.

I see bigger buildings in the future, a lot more people and I think there will be more stores, 11-year-old Toli Boutwell said. Like an Olive Garden, I like their breadsticks.

Boutwell participated in the parade for the first time this year, riding most of the route while balancing on his motorized hoverboard and handing out candy in support of Priceless Alaska, an organization aimed at helping victims of human trafficking.

Maybe we could get a Toys R Us so I can buy another hoverboard, Boutwell said.

Other parade participants were hopeful for future progress, thanks to a big win earlier this year.

Progress, for us, is saving the Kenai River Brown Bears for another season, Rick VanHatten, a supporter of the junior hockey team, said. That was tremendous progress right there. It was a huge community effort but we cant stop now.

No attendee at Saturdays parade seemed interesting in Soldotna slowing down any time soon, though.

I think that people want Soldotna to get better and better, Shirly Zobeck said. Even through hard times, were trying to stay up there and you can see it today, especially on this beautiful day. Today is all about the sunshine.

Progress Day festivities continue today with live entertainment, food booths and vendors in Soldotna Creek Park from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Soldotna Rodeo will start 2 p.m. on the Soldotna Rodeo Grounds on Kalifornsky Beach Road.

The city of Soldotna will also serve a free community picnic including hot dogs, chips and drinks at noon in Soldotna Creek Park.

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com

Progress days keep progressing - Kenai Peninsula Online

Progress for McIlroy, and optimism for the next major – FOXSports.com

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Danzig

SOUTHPORT, England (AP) Rory McIlroy has gone 10 majors without winning, the longest stretch since he turned pro. He at least felt he made progress at the British Open, and he has reason to be excited for the next major.

For one thing, his form is improving.

Despite a horrid start at Royal Birkdale 5 over through six holes Thursday he bounced back with rounds of 68-69-67 to tie for fourth, his best finish in a major since he was fourth alone in the 2015 Masters.

And the PGA Championship is at Quail Hollow in North Carolina, where McIlroy has won twice. First up is the Bridgestone Invitational, where he won the last time he played Firestone in 2014.

Im excited for the next two weeks, he said. I havent played at Firestone for a couple of years. The last time I played there I won. And Ive had some good finishes. Quail Hollow, Ive played well there. Shot a couple of course records, a couple of wins. Got beaten in a playoff, as well. Another couple of top 10s thrown in there. So I play well at Quail Hollow. I love the golf course. I know theyve made a few changes, but Ill have some really good vibes going into that week.

McIlroy was coming off three missed cuts in his previous four tournaments, so he called his performance a step in the right direction.

Even so, there were moments of taking two steps forward and one step back. He wasted a great start in the third round with back-to-back bogeys late on the front nine and a double bogey on No. 10. And right when he had an outside chance to make a move, he took a bogey on the par-5 16th when he lost his tee shot.

I thought I had a chance to post a number and at least scare them a little bit, he said about Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar.

At least he wont have to think too much on that start. McIlroy finished seven shots behind.

LOST OPPORTUNITY: Austin Connelly, the 20-year-old in his first major, started six shots behind and in the penultimate group at a major championship. He didnt make a birdie until the 11th hole, closed with a 73 and tied for 14th.

At stake was a spot in the Masters if he had stayed in the top four.

He also could have secured a spot next year in the British Open if he had finished in the top 10.

Connelly wasnt hanging his head, however. He is off to Germany next week for the Porsche European Open and said he would play the European Tour the rest of the year.

It was definitely a rough start on the front nine, he said. But it was nice to battle back the way I did. The main issue I had out there was just hitting way too many bunkers. I think I plugged it in three bunkers, and you just cant do that. Happy with the way I played. Happy with the way I hit it. It was just very difficult out there. Take a lot of positives away from it.

ROSE LOOKS BACK: Justin Rose came to Royal Birkdale looking for a British Open championship, not a celebration of his debut on the course 19 years ago.

He got neither, though he still holds a fond spot for the course where he finished fourth as a 17-year-old amateur in 1998.

It would be a dream to win here, but this course doesnt owe me anything, right? Rose said. That was 19 years ago. You dont expect to play well here because of what happened 19 years ago.

Rose, whose only major title came in the U.S. Open, finished with a final-round 70 and was 4 over for the tournament. He blamed a change he has made in his swing, not the golf course.

I think all the guys respect this golf course. Everybody thinks its one of the best ones we play on the rotation, he said. I think its fair.

ROUGH STARTS: Dustin Johnson thought he might have an outside chance to make a move. That notion ended quickly.

Johnson hit into a bunker on the first hole and had to blast out sideways because of the lie. He rolled a putt from short of the green to about 5 feet, and then missed that to make double bogey. Johnson bogeyed the next hole, made only one birdie and shot a 77.

Right behind him was Hideki Matsuyama, who started even worse. His opening tee shot sailed into a gorse bush, and he had to hit two from the first tee. The Japanese star opened with a triple bogey. He at least managed to salvage a 72.

RETURN TRIP: Matthew Southgate earned himself a trip back to the British Open with his final-round 65. He just missed out on a bonus prize.

When the 29-year-old Englishman walked off the 18th green at Royal Birkdale, he was in fourth place and set for a qualifying spot in next years Masters. He has never played at Augusta National.

However, Southgate was overtaken by Rory McIlroy and Rafa Cabrera Bello after they picked up ground over the closing holes. Southgate tied for sixth.

At least he made up for last year at Royal Troon, when he missed out on a top-10 finish and therefore an automatic spot in the following years Open by one stroke.

Id be lying to say I havent lost any sleep over it, said Southgate.

He has only missed one of the last four British Opens. During the 2015 tournament at St. Andrews, he was laid up on his sofa following surgery for testicular cancer.

DIVOTS: Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy were installed as co-favorites for the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. McIlroy is a two-time winner at Quail Hollow and has four other finishes in the top 10. Spieth played Quail Hollow in 2013 as a sponsors exemption when he was trying to get his PGA Tour card. He tied for 32nd and never returned because of conflicts with the Texas tournaments. Spieth improved to 9-5 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour. Hideki Matsuyama has finished in the top 15 at all three majors this year, including a runner-up finish in the U.S. Open.

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Progress for McIlroy, and optimism for the next major - FOXSports.com

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