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Sound Off, March 5, 2013
In my humble opinion these dogs should never have been returned to Fred Acker. The Judge is all wrong in his decision and if there is even one instance of further abuse the Judge should be charged also. He is not infallible. It appears he made a decision on sympathy for Acker, instead of for the dogs. This is very disheartening. He is wrong.
I don't understand the theory that a larger dog doesn't feel the cold as much as a smaller one.....dumbest statement I've ever heard! Maybe they should look at the breed and not the size. Yes, a Husky, St. Bernard or a Newfoundland will enjoy the cooler temperatures but not a Greyhound or a Great Dane. And come summer those with the full coats suffer. Good homes could have been found for these poor dogs.
Exactly. I believe the judge made a statement about Acker's obvious commitment to the dogs based on Acker's emotional testimony and his antics in the courtroom. It is past time for Acker, in my opinion, to be permanently put out of business. Acker has stated over and over about rescuing dogs from the south. in 2005 when he was charged with animal cruelty under Animal Adoption Network, even a southern shelter refused to provide him with any more dogs. i don't know if they reversed this down the road or not but doesn't that say something.?
Ever wonder why companies spend billions on commercials to get us to change our habits and buy their products? Do they spend these billions because marketing does not work? Of course not. They are not dummies. And we know how the government feels about this spending. Cigarette ads are no longer allowed on TV - because they were too successful. Same to for the use of cartoon characters - designed to entice kids to modify their habits and start smoking. Basically a path of slow self destruction. Hollywood has also bought into this as smoking on TV and in movies is far less common than it used to be. Yet the government and Hollywood thinks video games are not linked to violent behavior. Cigarettes? Bad. Video games with WMDs and objectives based on kill rates - that's ok. So let the games continue, but we need to ban guns and keep them out of everyone's hands. It makes no sense.
What concerns me is the lack of public Bigfoot awareness. Now the DEP has repeatedly denied the existence of Mountain Lions in the state of Connecticut contrary to the volumes of pictures and videos taken by state residents and the increasing number of Mountain Lion carcasses littering our state's highways.
How are we expected to believe the Department of Environmental Protection's denials of Bigfoot when their credibility is already in question in light of the Mountain Lion fiasco? Why have they not publicly even acknowledged the possibility that Bigfoot exists when the facts indicate otherwise? With more and more incursions into wooded areas by our growing communities, hikers, and hunters alike, contacts between people and Bigfoot have been increasing quite a bit. There are some questions we all need answered regarding Bigfoot in our respective areas. What do you do if you cross paths with one? What areas have the highest Bigfoot population density therefore making it more likely for people and Bigfoot to interact? I hope the answers are made public sooner rather than later.
I wonder how the sequester will end up hurting illegal aliens. The President has demonstrated his willingness to break deals especially when he gets something now for a promise down the road. The sequester is all about his deal of raising the debt ceiling in return for spending cuts down the road. Well, we went two trillion more in debt, but now he does not want to cut spending but raise taxes instead.


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1100 x 1280 x 12mm Glass Panel W/ Holes
Trade Prices Available
Width: 1100mm Height: 1280mm
Premium ROBCO engineered glass panel for Face-Fixing. This panel has been developed to cater for the strong demand architects have placed on creating simple clean lines within contemporary Australian homes.
Technical Details
- Engineered Balustrade Glass Panel
- 12mm toughened clear float glass
- Independently certified to exceed Australian Standards
- 2mm radius cnc processed corners
- All edges mirror polished

subset: commoncrawl


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Lenovo officials are saying the workers strike at an IBM factory in China to protest Big Blue's planned sale of its x86 server business to Lenovo is an internal matter for IBM.
However, they said in a statement released March 10 that Lenovo is not planning any cuts to pay or benefits for the 7,500 or so IBM employees who make the transition to Lenovo once the $2.3 billion acquisition closes later this year. The deal is still making its way through the regulatory approval process.
Hundreds of workers at an IBM plant in Shenzhen in southern China went on strike March 3 over fears that Lenovo will slash wages and benefits to help cut costs. They reportedly also are concerned that, for those who don't move over to Lenovo, the severance package being offered by IBM is too small.
While saying that the "strike at the IBM server factory in Shenzhen is an internal matter for IBM," Lenovo officials are trying to assuage fears that a transfer to Lenovo will mean pay cuts.
Further reading
"The talent we are acquiring is a great asset, and key to our long-term success," they said in their statement. "Lenovo will rely on these employees to build the business after closing and looks forward to welcoming them to Lenovo in several months' time. To ensure a smooth transition Lenovo is committed to provide opportunity for all employees from IBM's x86 server department who transfer to Lenovo, without any reduction of their wages and benefits."
The two companies announced the deal in January. The acquisition of IBM's low-end server business will vault Lenovo into the number-three spot in the global server space, behind Hewlett-Packard and Dell. Lenovo officials hope to mirror the success the company saw from its $1.25 billion acquisition of IBM's PC business in 2005. Lenovo is now the world's largest PC vendor.
The 7,500 IBM workers who will come to Lenovo are in more than 60 countries and are in such areas as product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, Lenovo officials said.
"Part of the reason Lenovo is acquiring IBM's x86 server business is to gain the tremendous talent and experience of its workforce, strong from top to bottom," they said in the statement. "Lenovo is buying IBM's x86 [server] business intact and Lenovo is similarly committed to following the IBM x86 server product roadmap."
According to a report in the Shanghai Daily newspaper, as the strike entered its eighth day, IBM had fired 20 protestors for "disobeying company orders, absence without leave and gathering together during work times." The newspaper reported that IBM has refused to negotiate with the strikers.


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John Winchester: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
When I told my husband I was writing a post about John Winchester, he asked, "Can't you just write that in your sleep?" Yes, I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and may be more forgiving on John Winchester because of it. But as I wrote on, I found little to love about John.
Now we know John was a normal guy who loved his wife Mary above all, and whose life was turned upside down by forces he didn't understand when she died. We get most of our clues from the boys' relationship with him-Dean's immediate obedience and Sam's rebellion.
We presume he drank to dull the pain. Sam talks about it on more than one occasion. At first, in the pilot when he tells Jessica that his dad is hanging out with Jack, Jim and Jose, I thought he might be covering up, but he's mentioned it again. (Of course, I can't think of any off hand, and no time to go through the DVDs, drat it.)
We know he searched everywhere for answers of why his wife died PINNED TO THE CEILING. We know he took his sons and left Lawrence in search of those answers. I'm not sure why he kept the boys with him. At first, I argued that he did it to keep them safe, but then he left them defenseless in motel rooms time and again. Why didn't he leave them with family? So I started to wonder how long he knew about Sam. He told the Yellow-Eyed Demon in In My Time of Dying that he knew about it for awhile. How long is awhile? Did he keep Sam with him to protect him or to keep an eye on him?
Another question…did he keep the boys with him because Mary's family and friends were being killed? Again, if this was the case, why did he leave the boys alone again and again?
He did teach the boys how to fight when they were old enough. I wonder how he felt about that. He believed it was necessary, but he had to know what he was doing would scar them forever. He had to know that asking Sam to shoot him when he was possessed by the YED would tear up his son. In trying to protect his sons, he lost the chance to love them the way he wanted.
What did John think would happen once the YED was dead? Surely he didn't think his sons would return to a normal life, knowing what they knew. He might have hoped it, but he couldn't have believed it.
Even his last act, giving up his revenge on the demon, had heartbreaking consequences. Dean, who already had the self-esteem of a beaten dog, blamed himself for his father's sacrifice (which made his bartering his soul for Sam's life less believable for me.)
Wow, as I wrote this, I came up with more questions than answers. What are your feelings about John?


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Love One Another (simplified Bray)
As I have loved you,
Love one another.
This new commandment—
Love one another—
By this shall men know
ye are my disciples,
If ye have love
one to another.
Text: Luacine Fox
Music: Luacine Fox
Arranged By: Jo Marie Bray
Artist: Fox/arr. Bray
Album: Music Published in the Church Magazines: Friend
Composition Date: 1977-09-01
More Info: Friend


text:
Alternate Images
One of our most popular gifts, these attractive chopsticks are fun, stylish, and useful and won't be soon forgotten! Makes a great housewarming, wedding, or anniversary gift, or simply anyone who deserves a memorable gift with a special message.
Included in this Gift
- Two pairs of sterling silver-handled chopsticks with rests.
- Complimentary engraving on silver-plated handles.
Gift arrives presentation-ready in a hand-wrapped gift box. A free card with your personal message is included with your gift.
GiftTree Personalization
Free Chopstick Engraving! One line on each chopstick of up to 18 characters. Enter information to be engraved using the personalization option during checkout.
Gift Dimensions
Measures 12" x 10" x 2".Gift #6738
Tasting Notes
What's Inside?
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Average Rating:(48 reviews) write a review
Read More Reviews
GratefulGreat GiftApril 14, 2020
Sent these to my sons girlfriend for Easter and she loved them! The delivery was quick and easy...so glad I got an email from Gifttree so I was able to send these. Thank you for your prompt service and for having a variety of gifts to choose from.
KasWell Received.October 7, 2019
I purchased these as a housewarming gift for my son and daughter-in-law. They loved them.
SushifanPerfect and PersonalJune 12, 2019
My friend really like these as he is a sushi lover and the personal engravings on each made them extra special.
NiceVery niceDecember 22, 2016
lynxElegant Engraved Chopsticks for TwoNovember 29, 2016
Elegant engraved chopsticks for two
Engraving looked very nice
The engraved chopsticks were wrapped nicely for gifting. Very Happy with promptness of order and delivery.
SpikyBeautiful Presentation box.September 16, 2016
I am over the moon with the chopsticks. The quality was superb! My daughter who the gift was for, was very pleased. Ordering was easy and delivery was spot on. I was kept up to date with delivery,which arrived at time stated. Will definitely use again.
Wedding ShopperGreat QualityMay 10, 2016
I was a little nervous because of the price but when I received them the quality was great. Everyone I showed them to loved them and said they wanted to buy some for a gift. I would highly recommend them.
JimRight on TimeMay 9, 2016
I was most impressed with the speed with which the gift arrived. It was a day early. Also when I opened the gift it looked as good as the presentation pictures in the advertisement. I would have no trouble using GiftTree in the future.
TwinsMomPerfect gift.December 31, 2015
Ordered these for family for Christmas. They loved them and liked that they were engraved.
AbogeGreat product!April 6, 2015
I ordered these for a wedding shower gift. They turned out great! The only reason I didn't give a 5 star is the font is a little small. This is no fault of the product its just the size that they are. They seem very high quality and they shipped super quick!
Asian PersuasionThese Chopsticks Are Awesome!!!!!!January 7, 2015
Style, quality, class! Exquisitely packaged and ready to present! Spouse is Japanese and loved them as her Birthday Gift! She loves these sturdy and well crafted chopsticks so much that she is only going to display them - perfectly fine for me as I'm not adept at using them myself however they are ready to use as everyday chopsticks but I think they are way too nice to use daily. The polished silver is elegant and engraving added that extra special touch! I give these chopsticks and myself 5-Stars - the sticks for being an absolutely beautiful gift to gift anyway for any occasion; and myself for choosing this very nice and appropriate gift for my wife!
pure classVery satisfiedJanuary 5, 2015
The gift was warmly received by my friends. The presentation (wrapping, card) was classy and everything I had hoped it would be.
mickeyPerfect housewarming giftJuly 15, 2014
This is the third item I have purchased from GiftTree after I received a gift for my birthday. I have not been disappointed yet. I can't wait to give them as a housewarming gift.
Sweet FeetSo Nice!!!June 20, 2014
I saw these in June and purchased them as a Christmas gift. Had them engraved with the recipient's name. They arrived in just a few days, nicely wrapped, but of course I had to open to inspect them. I'm very pleased! The gift box is nice and sturdy and I expect it will be a good place to store them to avoid scratching the silver. And the silver is pristine -- no scratches, buff marks, pitting. I'm very impressed and I'm sure my granddaughter will be pleased with her gift. This is my first purchase from GiftTree, but I'm sure it won't be my last.
We ordered these chopsticks for our son and his fiance as an engagement gift and they said that they are so nice they will only use them on special occasions!
DancerReally well done.April 1, 2014
My Daughter loved it!!
From AustraliaPersonal serviceJanuary 20, 2014
This gift was purchased for a friend overseas and arrived earlier than the scheduled date, which was handy seeing as I left it to the last minute. Great service as they were able to make a change to my message over email. Tracked the entire purchase process so I was confident with delivery. My friend loved it.
AkiExquisite PresentationJanuary 9, 2014
I bought this gift for my boyfriends birthday, he's Chinese and we use our fair share of chopsticks, he described these as so beautiful he thinks that they should be on a wall and never used. The balance of the wood and silver is exquisite, the chopsticks are a bit weighty but this makes them look and appear very expensive. The engraving was done well. It isn't too light.
Unique gift giverGreat Creative GiftDecember 15, 2013
SushiloverBeautifulSeptember 30, 2013
Just loved these for a gift for some dear friends of ours. My only problem was I had their names engraved on them. which was very nice, but I actually thought the words that were engraved on the picture would also be on them, but they weren't. My mistake. All in all the gift was very beautiful.
wmpngreat presentationSeptember 16, 2013
The chop sticks were very nice. It is a special gift that is nice to receive. For those that entertain or enjoy Asian food.
Happy DazeVery unique and thoughtful giftSeptember 13, 2013
I bought this for my boyfriend's birthday. We have been dating only a couple of months but have very interesting dates and memories. One of which was eating Chinese with chopstick while staying up watching scary movies. The next day we had left overs but no chopsticks. So how appropriate was this gift! Not only that, but each can be engraved so I engraved each one with a special memory of a past date. Alligator Hunting, Snook Catching, Beach Dining, and of course, Fantasy Football. Also, there is a card that is included so I put a sweet message about how many memories we have already had together and looking forward to many more. He absolutely LOVED it and said it was the most thoughtful gift he had ever received! I highly recommend this to anyone who is having difficulty coming up with a gift idea.
Delighted CustomerBEAUTIFUL AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICEAugust 24, 2013
I ordered two sets of engraved chopsticks as a gift for my daughter and son in law. They called upon receipt to say how beautiful and thoughtful the gift was BUT one chopstick was broken! I called customer service and was told that a new pair would be shipped as soon as the engraving was done. It arrived two days later.
Asian enthusiastGood QualityAugust 12, 2013
I bought this gift for a friend and thought the quality and uniqueness was great.
AndyVery beautiful chop sticksJuly 4, 2013
The only reason why I gave it 4 stars is because on I the handles was loose and came off.
LauraWonderful additionJune 17, 2013
For daily use and special occasions. Very special sentiment. Loved by all. BUT...it did arrive 2 days later than anticipated?
Hopeless RomanticTradition and ModernJune 10, 2013
Great gift idea, the recipient absolutely loved it. The chopsticks represented a bit of traditional and modern for their fifth year anniversary.
Came beautifully packaged and were very pleased....
AndrAIAA Classy GiftMay 26, 2013
I bought these for my husband for an anniversary gift. They arrived very promptly, which I was very pleased :D The 2 pairs of chopsticks and their rests (I was so focused on the chopsticks I didn't know they came with rests at all) were a delight to see once the box was opened. The metal ends are a significant weight, but aren't difficult to work with, the rests are also of the same metal. Beautifully engraved and polished, my hubby said that they're too nice to eat from! Haha The wood ends right where it meets with the metal, which is not a plating over the chopsticks; but their own solid piece, which explains the weight, while the wood is just as solid and smooth. I very happy with the service of GiftTree, and of course, my purchase!
SammyEngraved chopstix for twoMay 3, 2013
Arrived on time, wrapped nicely and well received.
CustomerVery nice chopsticksApril 12, 2013
They arrived on the day I requested, very nicely wrapped. Because it was a gift, I could not remove the wrapping paper, therefore I could not check if they looked good and if there was no mistakes in the engravement. I was nervous until my boyfriend opened them up and said how nice they are. Nice chopsticks and nice presentation. The metal ends are much heavier than the wooden parts, so it took a while to get used to holding them properly, but by the end of the meal I mastered them :-)
happy Mombetter than expected!March 28, 2013
Very attractive, elegant looking, including the presentation box. Perfect gift idea for daughter's fifth anniversary, when wood is the symbolic gift. The personalization makes it extra special.
MaoloverThe Perfect Gift for the Person Who Has EverythingMarch 14, 2013
These were great! They arrived 2 days after I ordered them (crazy!) and were just as advertised. Really great quality and beautifully wrapped. The personalized card was a great touch as well. I will definitely be ordering from this site again in the future :)
SushiGirlBeautiful!March 1, 2013
I received these quickly (a last-minute Valentine's Day gift and they arrived on time, 4 days I think). They are beautiful. Nice and heavy, so they feel classy, not cheap. The personalized engraving made them even more special.
rochelleflUnusual and lovely gift for couplesFebruary 28, 2013
Great gift for wedding, anniversary for couples who like asian food and/or decor!
SumyungguyAwesome jobFebruary 21, 2013
Chopsticks turned out very nice and were right on time excellent job I will definately order again from this company
H2ANice GiftFebruary 15, 2013
I thought the chopsticks where really nice. Nicely packaged and shipped very fast. The only hangup I had was the writing on the chopsticks was very light. You could barely read it.
Manzil KohliMajestic GiftFebruary 13, 2013
These customized chopsticks are great for decoration and occasional use. (I say occasional to preserve the beauty of these great sticks and prevent lot of washing or water contact). Look good both on the dining table or over the fireplace or anywhere where one can flaunt them with the names / message engraved and etched on the chopsticks.
I love these majestic and royal looking chopsticks and recommend them to anyone as a great gift.
Nickki28Unique and ClassyFebruary 10, 2013
These are beautiful and make a great gift. 4 stars as they would be even better if all four sides of each one could be engraved.
Food AddictWell DoneJanuary 18, 2013
Chopsticks came out looking great. Fast customization and delivery.
EmanAwesomeDecember 14, 2012
The chop sticks were awesome. They came in well wrapped with a bow and in a little box that serves almost as a case. It was a xmas gift that went over very very well.
giftgiverno complaintsMay 11, 2012
I am happy to say that the chance taken (buying online without seeing the actual product in person) paid off. Just as other reviews said, these arrived quickly, and nicely packaged. The quality is very good, also I'd like to add: first - I did find the engraving to be quite visible, (some reviews had led me to think it would be hard to see) and it is an extremely precise & clean/clear etching as well! Second - It should be noted that the color of the metal is more of a 'gun metal' than silver, which in my opinion adds richness. The finish is very polished/glossy. Nice!!!
ProudParentsVery Special 5th AnniversaryMarch 19, 2012
Our kids loved the chopsticks. The only comment I have is that the engraving might have been a little more pronounced. Other than that, what a special way to tell them we love them.
chopchopbeautiful, but not perfect.March 5, 2012
They are beautifully wrapped and all,
but one of four chopstick is bent a little.
(I want to see if they will fix this for me)
And engraving is easy to read, but top of capitalized letters was little cut off.
Recipient thought it was very pretty, though.
I just want to get the bent one fixed since it will be hard to use a bent chopstick.
giftgiverWonderful GiftFebruary 13, 2012
I purchased this as a present for my boyfriend and he absolutely loved them. They arrived earlier than scheduled and were wrapped beautifully.
China FlowerGorgeous GiftJanuary 18, 2012
Very nicely wrapped, classy, and recipient was very impressed. Chopsticks was nicely engraved and good quality. Nice surprise ;)
leesomething different, but lovelyDecember 23, 2011
Sukiyaki LoverGreat Gift!October 25, 2011
The engraved Chopsticks that I bought for our 5th anniversary were packaged and wrapped beautifully. The chopsticks and silver have a really nice weight to them too. Not at all flimsy. The only small disappointment was the engraving was not very deep and a little hard to read. Still happy to have them.
sushi loverCame wrapped with a bow and nice boxOctober 21, 2011
I really liked the look of these, they are a gift so have not used them myself.
Engraved Chopsticks for Two
One of our most popular gifts, these attractive chopsticks are fun, stylish, and useful and won't be soon forgotten! Makes a great housewarming, wedding, or anniversary gift, or simply anyone who deserves a memorable gift with a special message.
Included in this Gift
- Two pairs of sterling silver-handled chopsticks with rests.
- Complimentary engraving on silver-plated handles.
Gift arrives presentation-ready in a hand-wrapped gift box. A free card with your personal message is included with your gift.
GiftTree Personalization
Free Chopstick Engraving! One line on each chopstick of up to 18 characters. Enter information to be engraved using the personalization option during checkout.
Gift Dimensions
Measures 12" x 10" x 2".Gift #6738
Tasting Notes
What's Inside?
For holiday delivery, Gift Tree can hold your gift and have it shipped to arrive anytime. To use this option, select 'Hold and Ship Later' on the next page.
Engraved Chopsticks for Two is a hand delivered gift. These gifts are delivered by one of our local design centers located throughout the United States and Canada.
Same day delivery is available for most gifts when ordered before the cutoff time. Saturday delivery is possible if ordered before 12 PM Friday. The cutoff time for Engraved Chopsticks for Two is in the recipient's time zone.
The earliest delivery date for Engraved Chopsticks for Two is .


text:
A high level of withhold votes for corporate board nominees is a material indicator of investor concern with a specific company, according to a study released Thursday by the Investor Responsibility Research Center Institute.
Although only 5% of corporate directors who receive majority withhold votes are removed from boards, about 50% are unseated at companies with majority voting standards, the study found.
The study sample also indicated that half of withhold votes are ascribable to corporate-specific issues, and more than three-quarters of withhold votes can be ascribed to six main factors.
Four of these issues—poison pill adoption without shareholder approval, failed attendance, related party transactions and serving on too many boards—are considered violations of governance best practices.
The other two issues are concerns about company-specific compensation and discontent over board oversight of a company's affairs. The remaining quarter of withhold votes are situational, with widely varying specifics.
"Although directors who fail to receive majority votes still overwhelmingly serve on corporate boards, the seeds of change are taking root," Jon Lukomnik, IRRCi's executive director, said in a statement.
"This study suggests that withhold votes signal a larger pattern of shareholder dissatisfaction with a company," Lukomnik said. "Withhold votes are not just the product of 'check the box' voting by investors upset with a technical violation of standard governance practices."
Indeed, it would be a mistake to dismiss majority withhold votes because they are rare, Kimberly Gladman, the study's lead author, said in the statement. "These votes often are a means for shareholders to express key concerns about board oversight, and public companies should take them seriously."
Other key findings:
- Eighteen percent of majority withhold votes occurred at companies where there was evidence of shareholder dissatisfaction not only with the director in question but with the board or company as a whole.
- More than 80% of majority withhold votes took place at Russell 2000 smaller-cap companies, which made up two-thirds of the study sample.
- Ninety-one percent of majority withhold votes occurred at companies without majority election standards—in part reflecting that smaller U.S. companies are less likely than their larger-cap peers to have adopted either majority or plurality plus resignation election standards.
- Eighty-seven percent of companies that received majority withhold votes did not disclose their boards' processes for responding to them, whereas all companies with majority or plurality plus resignation election standards made some disclosure about their response to the votes.


text:
Ariz. officials: Squirrel, snake in bizarre brawl
GOLD CANYON, Ariz. (AP) -- Authorities rushed to an Arizona woman's home after she called to report a brutal brawl on her back patio -- between a ground squirrel and a gopher snake. KPHO-TV reports that Apache Junction firefighters recently stumbled upon the bizarre backyard beat down at the Gold Canyon home and believe the two were going at it at least 30 minutes before their arrival.
Firefighter Ryan Philips immediately grabbed his smart phone to record the wildlife fight, which continued until firefighters stepped in and broke it up.
Officials say the snake had a few wounds when it was released back into the desert while the squirrel had only a couple of injuries.
Philips says he believed the squirrel had a nest nearby.


text:
Rays Farewell Gift for Mariano Rivera
The #Rays farewell gift to Mariano Rivera..."Enter 'Sand' Man": pic.twitter.com/Ja86AzCbGI— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) August 23, 2013
Just when I thought the Minnesota Twins were running away with the Mariano Rivera Retirement Gift championship, enter the Tampa Bay Rays.
I should have known this organization would be a sleeper, but they snuck up on me. The Rays did not disappoint with this amazing sand sculpture.
If that's not an ultimate sign of love and respect, I don't know what is.


text:
Ask the booth…
With today's game on dodgers.com/mlb.com exclusively, we decided to utilize the email address firstname.lastname@example.com, which is usually utilized by Ken Levine and Josh Suchon during DodgerTalk on KABC.
Rick and Charley mentioned the address in the first inning and immediately had 30 questions. The next time I dropped by the booth, it was over 100. So it's good to know you're out there listening…and asking questions. I'm not quite sure how or if we'll utilize this during the season, as it's much easier to veer off the subject of the game during Spring Training, but it's been an interesting experiment to say the least.
No Comments
Well, our pitching is letting us down yet again. We have a long hard season ahead of us. Hope we start the season with a bang.
Congratulations to Heartruss for being the featured blog!!!!
I asked the booth but my question wasn't answered yet. JoePierre's was. He wanted to know about Sheff's ouster from Detroit.
Hi Boblee, Tru here. How have you been?
Charlie Steiner told me that both him and Rick Monday were both surprised that the Tiger's released Gary Sheffield but not as surprised as Gary was.
In their respons to my e-mail.
He answered my e-mail because he was surprised it came in as Juan Pierre came to the plate and he said so.
I heard that JoePierre………it was fitting that your question came up when Juan was batting! lol
Thank you digthedodgers. I was probably as surprised as Gary Sheffield was!!
Look at that, JoePierre, we are twins………almost said the exact same thing.
That is so awesome Joe Pierre!!!
That is the second time you are feature right? Congratulations! Mark has not put me there yet but maybe one of these days
Did I tell you all that I am going to the home opener in San Diego?! I am excited about that! .
did you all know that I did not see a single win at Camelback Ranch? I saw 7 games at Camelback Ranch in my four trips there. The only win I saw was at the Milwaukee facility
Emma, I am jealous of your attending Opening Day!
Just kidding…have a wonderful time. Hopefully you'll witness a Dodgers win in San Diego when it counts!
Hey there malibubluepaperbag.
I'm great, how about you. I'm ready to get on to the real games and see what this team can do. We are showing signs of being a truly great team. Let's hope they show what they can do.
She's doing a great job with the blog.
I was a little late with my comment it was about Heartruss.
She's great at blogging.
Thank you Joe Pierre for all your encouragement.
Joe, I agree Heartruss' blog is great. I also think Emma's is great too. Great photos on both blogs.
I thought that was already known.
Dig, One of my friend that I have been going to Camelback Ranch iwill be on Spring Breakjso on our way back to Cali, we decided that it would be fun to go to the San Diego home opener. My boss signed my vacation slip today but I'll have the work pc in case someone needs something from me. I work in the IT department so sometimes we get calls at odd hours that we have to signon to the system.
I've been to a couple of Opening Days, one at home and one in SF. They are great fun!
Living down there you've probably been to many Opening Days, but I'm sure you still are excited to get to go.
Thanks Dig!!
I have never been to a home opener other than at Dodger Stadium so this will be a new experience for me.
My first Home opener was in 1981 when Jerry Reuss could not start and Fernando was put in his place. What an incredible day and year that was.
Wow!!! What a historic day you attended. Way cool.
I will be back in Virginia this next week so I wouldn't be able to go to the SD game. Have fun everyone who is going. I'll be listening to the game on my computer. Lately it seems I am living out of my suitcase or my backpack. I was in Camelback twice in March and now I'm going back east. I am planning on going back east again for 2 weeks in June and possibly a few days in May. Yikes. Should I even unpack my suitcase?
Well everyone have a nice evening. Need to check why the evening jobs are running slow on the server.
I noticed that our guys won the game – does anyone know how? It was tied going into the 9th – and then my computer decided to take a nap. Thanx!!!
Sorry, but I was paying more attention to Charlie and Rick telling stories. I do know Paul went in as a PR and scored the 10th run…
Thanks Dig. The X-man finds a way to contribute again!
Checking out for now – be back later!
Good Evening ITD readers and writers!!!!!
It was great to come home and see that the Dodgers pulled that one out. It sounds like a few of our boys had great days………just awesome.
Hello All,
Great game today…Dodgers and D'back's….I thought McDonald looked pretty good….Ohman not so good but he's been out of action….I'm sure he will come around…I Hope….Either what can i say 🙂 He was awesome….Same goes for DeWitt,Kemp,Loney,C. Blake hit a towering shot today…….Sunny day today
Good Evening dodgerzona!!!!! I am glad you got to see that game. Our young guns,along with Casey Blake did a fabulous job today.
Anyone worried about this Conficker worm? Marlins Release Dallas McPherson…AAA Depth?
Anyway i hope everyone will make it thru this crap….ITD
I literally just heard about the worm so I am not sure what to think at the moment.
Interesting about McPherson – hmmmm!
dodgerzona ~ does the worm come through an e-mail?
Tomorrow — April 1 — is D-Day for Conficker, as whatever nasty payload it's packing is currently set to activate. What happens come midnight is a mystery: Will it turn the millions of infected computers into spam-sending zombie robots? Or will it start capturing everything you type — passwords, credit card numbers, etc. — and send that information back to its masters?
No one knows, but we'll probably find out soon.
Wow! Kind of frightening, isn't it, Dodgerzona?
Just make sure you have window's updated ok…And your anti-virus
frightening? Could be Malibu…Just make sure you have everything updated before Midnight your time
Wow!!! That is kind of scary, isn't it? We were having network issues at school today so I am wondering if they were working on something to safeguard our systems.
You could be infected….Not sure…I work at the UofA so i know alot of Comp expert's that will fix my puter if i get infected…Hopefully i don't lol
Thanks, Dodgerzona, I will.
Well, this should be interesting tomorrow then.
I hope not, Nellyjune!
Hey i'm not saying you are ok lol….I'm just giving you what could come that's all….I hope everything is ok….I really need to come out to LA and see a game but i would like to meet some of you to go to a game
Our news is saying it's April 1st in Japan and all is well. Does that make a difference?
Hey everybody. Nelly from what I've been reading noone knows what or if something is going to happen just that there is potential.
God i hope Nelly….Cause i was really worried about this…Good night….I hope to see you all tomorrow….
Go Dodgers'
Good Night dodgerzona!!! I am glad you got to see a good game today. Take Care 🙂
Good night dodgerzona 🙂
Good night Dodgerfaithful
Graet game today!!!
BRING THE RING TO L.A.In 2009!!!!
God Bless Us All And God Bless the U.S.A. 🙂
Great game today!!!
Intresting read from Yahoo!:
They took a poll to find out what fans are most concerned with. #1 was the price to go to a ballgame.
And some of the player quotes are somewhat out of touch with the reality of the Average American. Especially this gem from Mike (not Mark) Sweeney:
"In light of the economic status of our country, there are many blue-collar Americans that probably won't be able to afford taking their son out to a ballgame, and that's understandable," Sweeney said.
This game was built on fathers taking their sons (or if you want to be PC, parents taking their children) to a ballgame, which was usually among the "Best Buy in Town®" in a given area. Then, when they went home, they could have a game of catch, or pick up a bat and play Pepper, or some other way that they could make the game their own.
That is how the game of Baseball became an intergral part of America's psyche. It's silly to me that capital-b Baseball would let prices balloon in light of Football quckly usurping the sport as the "National Pastime", not to mention the myriad of other options kids have these days. Most kids with TV's have at least 100 channels of entertainment before they leave their room.
If Baseball allows ticket prices to break that link between parent and child, there will be a dark future for this sport. Perhaps not apocolyptic, but enough to make people think twice about glorifying a multi-millionaire who gets paid to knock some twine and cowhide around.
The game is better than this, but unfortunately, we have a Commisioner who is too out of touch within his own sport to even have a prayer of comprehending how close he is to losing the Average Joe as a reliable die-hard fan in these tough times.
Not that I don't want players to get paid, or a return to the indentured servitude that passed for players salaries pre-Marvin Miller (oops, I owe Walter O'Malley a dollar). Perhaps it's time for that pendulum to swing towards the middle of those two extremes.
Very nice post North!
Now that ST is basically over and the starting quintet shapes up to be Kuroda, Wolf, Billz, Kersh and Mac, here's how I see the PB shaking down:
Weaver, Mota (a pleasant surprise so far), Kuo, Wade, Brox, Belisario/Lindblom, and Sturtze/Mazone. Mazone's earned a spot, but if they want to keep him around as insurance in the minors, then Sturtze would be quite expendable to be DFA'd in 8 days when Ohman's ready to join the club. If they want to expose Mazone to a waiver claim, then he could actually be useful for 2-3 games. Sturtze I wouldn't even let in a game unless we were already losing by 10 and it could save a couple innings from somebody else.
Right now though I think you have to use Mota/Wade as set-up for Brox. Kuo just hasn't found it yet.
I don't however believe the pitching will be as bad as we've seen in AZ. I think you can take 1.00 off of every ERA just moving from the dry desert to DS.
Should be an interesting season. This team has the potential to run away and hide, but it also has the potential to be in the midst of the pack.
Good morning, Enchanted. I'm really excited to get the season started. I, like you, don't believe the pitching will be as bad as in ST. Charlie and Rick were talking about it during yesteday's game. saying that the pitchers may be asked to only work on a certain pitch, not a variety of pitches in order to put the batter away.
Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!
Fabulous post northstateblues!!!!!
Enchanted – ESPN last night was doing a rundown of the NL West, and they are predicting the Dodgers first with a 9 game lead……..and the gnats are predicted to be 2nd…..hmmm! I know it's all speculation because the one factor that can never be determined is injuries, and one injury to a pitcher on any of our teams in this division will have a huge impact to that ball club.
Q: What do you do when a blonde throws a grenade at you? A: Pull out the pin and throw it back.
Q: What do you do when a blonde throws a pin at you? A: Run away, she's got a grenade.
Q. Why do golfers carry two pairs of trousers with them? A. Just in case they get a hole in one.
Q: What do you call 40 men watching the Super Bowl on TV? A: The Detroit Lions.
from a kid….
What did the right eye say to the left eye?
"Between you and me, something smells!"
Good Morning all
Manager: Our new midfielder cost ten million. I call him our wonder player.
Fans: Why is that?
Manager: Everytime he plays, I wonder why, I bothered to buy him
Good Morning Dodger4life – that's funny 🙂
Cops found a man dead face down in a kiddie pool full of milk, with a banana up his a**. The cops think he may be a cereal killer from Battle Creek, Michigan.
Q) Why did'nt the dog want to play football? A) It was a Boxer.
They've been giving the men at the nursing home Viagra. It keeps them from rolling out of bed.
Q) What did they do before Viagra??? A) Gatorade and Fix a Flat.
What do you call 32 Southerers in the same room? A full set of teeth.
The toothbrush was invented in the Southern United States. If it were invented in the Northern United States, it would have been called a teethbrush.
Cross out six letters and you'll find a word that we should know. The word must be spelled out in order. SBAIXNLETATNERSAS
Bananas. The letters you needed to cross out were: (S-I-X-L-E-T-T-E-R-S)
Why were Helen Keller's socks yellow? Her dog was blind, too.
What did the blonde say when she found out she was pregnant? I hope it's mine.
Article break in the joke fest …………
Very good article, Nellyjune.
You're probably a redneck if you've been fired from your job at the junkyard because of your appearance.
Dodgers ~ Giants today
Kuroda on the hill 🙂
Not much chatter here today – guess we're all kinda tired of spring training. I see they cut Ardoin. No surprises there. That spot's probably Monkeywhiskers now.
Minty Fresh/Monkey Whiskers hit a 2 run shot!!! I think he can stay 🙂
So, enchanted……..you didn't fire dodgereric did you?
dodgereric's on double secret probation.
One thing you can say about Estes and Milton is that they're consistant.
Estes and Milton are PPVL's. That is, proven pathetic veteran losers . . . . they need to be gone!
If you had to keep one for 8 days because you know you're going to DFA them when Ohman is ready, who would you keep – Estes, Milton or Sturtze?
Please Enchanted do not do this to me…none are suitable for MLB…If I really had to Sturtze and only in a mop up role…
I vote for Sturtze also, and for the same reasoning.
I wasn't for bringing back Saito because of his age and suspect arm, but if you were going to bring in the likes of Estes, Milton, Vargas and Sturtze, why wouldn't you bring back Saito? At least when Sammy was right you knew he could pitch. These guys coudn't pitch to begin with, let alone 5-6 years past their glory day (and yes I meant to say day.)
I know they signed Estes and Milton to minor league contracts, but would you even want them in the minors taking up innings from even marginal prospects? I couldn't imagine starting either one above High A in San Bernardino.
Sturtze has been awful…..Milton too. At least Estes got through an inning without giving up 4 or 5 runs. I figure he could pitch to 1 or 2 batters.
Yuck for all three, but I guess I am going to go with Sturtze…….like Ramslover……for mop up only.
……double secret probation or did Wally and Beav tie him up somewhere never to be heard from again?
Yuck for all three, but I guess I am going to go with Sturtze…….like Ramslover……for mop up only.
……double secret probation or did Wally and Beav tie him up somewhere never to be heard from again?
You know Andruw hit another homerun today………good for him…..still glad he is not a Dodger.
Well, I guess the words double secret probation meant it needed to be posted twice too……..sorry 🙂
I'd vote for Troncoso for that last bullpen spot, if only so we dont have to lose a 40 man roster guy for one of those scrubs.
Nice outing for Milton – 8 ER in 2.1 innings. Uncle Milty tried to use reverse psychology pitching this spring. He started out fairly OK early on, then progressively (and exponentially) got worse. Estes has been consistent – he stunk from day 1. Sturtze's the gambler's choice. You never know if he's going to roll a 1 or a 6.
Decisions decisions…
I did finally figure out Joe strategy this spring…
We play so many games against divisional opponents Joe didn't want them to see our "real" pitchers, so he used the crap of the crop. Boy will they be surprised when they actually play us during the season!!!
It was brilliant!!!
I love the way your mind works Enchanted.
My guess for the BP:
Sturtze (until Ohman is ready)
It boggles don't it diggie??
I just hope our starters can go deep into the game.
I think they will want another lefty in there till ohman gets back… threets maybe?
Hi Spanner, glad to meet you.
Goodbye Uncle Milty and Estes…Our starting pitching is thin, we do not have much room for error….Elbert needs to develop quickly in AAA…Lindblom, it is asking alot but he has been impressive..Put a package together to get Doc Halladay…Yes we will have to give up some young guys, but folks Doc is a real ace who has dominated in the AL East…in the NL he may win 25 games…
I'd go for that, ramslover.
I'd go for that, ramslover.
Ramslover ~ Tru, here. Id go for the Halladay deal too.
Sorry about the double post. My computer was acting weird.
Wow, it is April Fools Day. I've got a new name again! This one I like!
Kershaw, Ethier, and Ethan Martin might be enough to get Halladay.
Manny wants to play more this weekend…
I know you have to give up something of value to get someone with a record like Halladay, but there is no way that I'd give up both Kersh and Andre for anybody. Not enough known about Ethan Martin at this stage, but Kersh and Andre are both good enough to equal a Halladay each in their own right with another couple of years experience.
Bear, I agree. But the bidding for Halladay, if he is put on the market, will be very high. Halladay would be an exception to the rule most baseball people are expecting this summer. They are saying the vast majority of players available will create a buyers market…but not Halladay, if he becomes available.
i wouldn't give up Andre and Kersh for anybody either, Bear. I don't trust pitcher's arms, they get injured way too often.
I would give up Mcdonald, DeJesus, Elbert for Halladay…not Kershaw…If I am right Halladay is a free agent in 2010.
Halladay will be a FA in 2011.
Dejesus would be a wild card based on his medical reports, hopefully they will let Conte read the X rays…Hell if he can get Schmidt 52 mil, why cant he pawn off DeJesus…DeJesus is not really needed with Furcal at SS for the next 3 years and Dewitt ready for 2B.
That is better digthedodgers, control him for 3 years…..
ramslover ~ if a team were to pick up Wells with his huge contract, then it would cost less in players. But there will be several teams bidding for him. My guess would be the Texas Rangers would be the leading team to get him.
trublu ~ I agree. To make a deal with Halladay worth what you would have to give up you'd want to extend his contract. I'd rather not go down that road with an arm with that many innings in it.
I'd throw in Yougnomewho for free!
Also if the Bluejays want HU, DY, whatever it takes to get Doc…He is the real deal…
ramslover ~ I like Devaris Gordon better at SS than DeJesus. Then again I'm biased since my wife and I saw him play a lot last year here in Ogden.
I have also heard real good reports on him from my buddy who coaches in the minors for the Dodgers…He says the kid can play and is fasssssssssst!!!
I think he is the real deal…but who am I to know…
Dig, you saw a high powered offense in Ogden, I like this Delmonico kid, his bat will translate and they will find a position for him…I think most of those kids will be with the Great Lake Loons..they need a high powered offense, because they could not hit a lick last year except Lambo,…Man I am getting geeked up…Opening day cannot get here quick enough….
Delmonico can really hit! His defense needs to improve. Travis Vetters (OF) can play too.
Vetters is interesting, good looking athlete but he did not do well in Great Lakes but absolutely crushed it in Ogden. There he got the chance to play….How did Nick Buss look?
I heard Delmonico is trying catching…
Vetters is older too, if I remember right. I don't recall Buss, sorry. Kyle Russell has incredible power. He hit a couple of bombs when we were there. But he seemed to stike out a lot. Tim Wallach's and Robin Yount's kids played here too. Wallach, a catcher. looked pretty good.
Just looked up their stats here in Ogden. Buss played quite a bit, but I don't remember him. I'll take better bnotes on this year's players…
Here's the 2010 class of FA starters… I believe Cliff Lee, Josh Becket and Brandon Webb have club options for 2010, and Tim Hudson has a mutual option, so chances are they won't be available. Duchscherer I believe just went on the DL:
Starting Pitchers
Brandon Backe
Miguel Batista
Josh Beckett
Erik Bedard
Jose Contreras
Doug Davis
Justin Duchscherer
Adam Eaton
Kelvim Escobar
Mike Hampton
Rich Harden
Tim Hudson
John Lackey
Cliff Lee
Jason Marquis
Kevin Millwood
Brett Myers
Vicente Padilla
Brad Penny
Joel Pineiro
Jason Schmidt
Jarrod Washburn
Brandon Webb
Todd Wellemeyer
Pretty slim pickens at the trade deadline.
Here are Ned's mid-summer options:
1. Jason Schmidt
2. Josh Lindblom
3. Scott Elbert
4. Paul Byrd (only wants to play half a year and you know he'll only sign with a contender)
5. Pedro Martinez (if available, which I doubt)
6. Claudio "Huggy Bear" Vargas (Ned will keep him around no matter how bad he performs)
7. Shawn Estes (Ditto Vargas)
8. Kevin Milwood (but Frank won't want to pay him so we'll give up way more than he's worth.)
Good Evening ITD readers and writers!!!
digthedodgers – you are lucky I like you. The words Ethier and trade are not supposed to end up in the same sentence 🙂 LOL!! (jk)
enchanted ~ So, who would you pull off our list? Will Lindbolm be forced to be ready early you think?
Scary list to choose from…2,3,5 I like, 8 maybe but do not give up a talent like Santana to get Millwood…he will have a 5.00 era in Arlington…a couple of fringe prospects…
Brett Myers is capable of being a top pitcher, he was very good down the stretch last year..Bedard is an unknown if he is healthy..a big if…
Nelly ~ I am so sorry. For the record, all of us wouldn't do that deal.
enchanted ~ you forgot Milton!
I would not touch Cliff Lee, he won me my fantasy league last year but he is so up and down…I would not be surprised to see him have a 5.00 era …would love beckett but I cannot see boston letting him leave…he is still young…
I'd like Lindlom because he is one of our own. I think our youth on the team is refreshing.
Nelly ~ In all seriousness, don't you worry Andre really wants to play for the D-backs when he reaches free agency?
Tru I am with you…Bob Welch was 20 or 21 when he came up and he did just fine..Fernando was 20, so it is possible …Lindblom, I was in Midland last year when he got drafted and got the chance to see him, he is a big strong kid and seemed to have a good head on his shoulders…I know Busty (Great LAKES manager) was impressed with him.
Ramslover ~ If we had Lindlom, then except for Kuroda, we would really be the "Young Guns" and I think they'd be fantastic.
Dig – I didn't forget Milton 🙂 He's just so horrible surely even Ned won't… he wouldn't… he couldn't…
enchanted ~ you are forgetting, he is Ned!
LOL!!! digthedodgers – yes, in all honesty, I do believe that he wants to play for the dbacks eventually, and with the way the Dodgers, as an organization has treated him, I am not going to blame him when he does. I will hate it, but I will certainly understand it. Even in the midst of the chaos last season with JP and Andruw, I would have rather seen Andre traded then to see him sit the bench in order to appease a pro-veteran manager at the time, who seemed dead set on sticking with JP and Andruw. Injuries happened and changed Andre's fate, but if it weren't for the injuries, he would have sat the bench the majority of last season or would have been traded IMO.
Hey Gang!!! Happy Belated birthday Dad/Chevelle/Ward/Eric!!!!!!!!! Hope you had a great one my friend. Thanks to everyone for your Happy Birthdays to me.
Let's hope for the best…I am the optimistic ITD'er after all.
Andre continues his very good overall play and the Dodgers offer him a guaranteed longterm extension in mid-season which Andre can't turn down because of the security it represents. That's how I'm going to assume it will play out.
Got to hit the hay…Go Dodgers!!!
WALLY!!!! How are you my friend and partner in crime?
Next in line for starter should someone get injured is Weaver. If its really early in the season and he's still available, I think Pedro would get more than a sniff. What I believe though is that Ned thinks Schmidt will come to the rescue about June-July.
Nite Dig!!
Jhall's…………in………………the ………………….house!!!!!!!!!!!
How are you doing Wally?
Good night digthedodgers!!!!!!!!
Good evening Jhall ~ What's new?
Enchanted ~ Please don't let it be Weaver. I personally think Schmidt is done. I don't think he will ever be a front line pitcher again.
Did we scare jhall away? LMAO!!!!! ….still haven't found Ward Dear yet -hmmmmm, and now Wally. Beav….what are you doing to them?
I think Enchanted/GM fired Ward! lol
Maybe Wally's date deflated again…
LMTO Beav!! I got a phone call just about the time I posted.
Latex factory calling again huh??
Pay dre……….pay dre,pay
pay dre……..pay dre
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Bring the Ring to LA in 2009!!!!!
It is a beautiful day and we got your back Andre.
I need the run flat model like the tires. I could go 55 for 20 miles once it goes flat. LMAO!!!!
Guess then you could say it was a GoodYear.
(OK – I can hear you all groaning out there.)
Hi-ya D4!!!
What I can't understand is how you put together a first rate starting 8, then come up with Mota, Weaver, Wolf, Vargas, Milton, Estes, Sturtze, and the other no names, and be happy with the work you've done on the pitching staff.
Thanks for the free agent pitcher list Beav!!! Pretty Sad!!!! Just points out the fact that teams need to draft and develope pitching and make it a priority. I don't see us doing anything until July and the trade deadline. I'm OK with that. Better deals to be had then.
FIRESTONE Beav!!!! LOL!!!!
I shoulda known Wally… LMAO!!
Good evening everyone 🙂
How are'ya my friend/brother Beav!!!!
Hey Mom!! I found Wally – he was burnin' rubber!
Weekend headlines we'd all like to see:
"Pierre tears up contract, heads home."
"Schmidt's fastball tops 100 mph, will start opener."
"It's settled: Ethier to bat second."
"Dodgers blockbuster: Club swaps Delwyn Young for Roy Halladay."
"Dodgers slash parking and concessions by 50%."
……….and finally….
"Loyal ITD bloggers rewarded with Dugout Club season tickets."
Hey Trumom and D4!!!! I'm not ecstatic about the pitching staff but I'm also not terribly unhappy with it at this point. I'm willing to give it a couple of months and see what shakes out. Then we can make informed decisions and transactions to deal with it. I don't want Ned out there shooting from the hip anymore. He misses badly!!!!!
Kahli ~ What a wonderful dream.
Doing well my friend, thank you.
Good evening Kahli!!! Boy I'd give a week of Nells' pay to make that first one come true.
LMFTO Beav!!!!
I know you are right, Jhall. It's just one more rant of mine before the real season begins. Well, I may have one or two more before Opening Day.
LMAO!!!!!!!! I am glad you found Wally. Now what did you do with your father?
Thank you Dodger4life!!!!
Hey Kahli!!!! I'd love to see those headlines!!! Even one of them!!!
Dad's on the roof and we can't get him down.
I fully understand Trumom!!! Happens to me all the time.
Kahli – that would be great!!!
enchanted ~ I would give a week of my pay too. Hell, I will give two weeks 🙂
I think, selfishly, I'll take the last headline!!!
I like #1 the best. LOL!!!
Thank Gawd I'm not opinionated or I might go on a rant or two myself.
I'd like #1 also.
Aren't you opinionated and bombastic Beav!!!!
LMAO!!!!! just a rant or two?
I'd be Dodger Thoughts worst nightmare.
You know me too well, NellyJune! lol
Keep it up my brother, you echo my sentiments most eloquently!!!!
enchanted – yes you would 🙂 LMAO!!!!!!!
Enchanted ~ you tell a story. I rant and rave.
If Enchanted started his own blog, he'd be #1 in a week!
Those Dodger Thoughts morons can't keep up with you Beav!!!! They're much too self absorbed to really look in the mirror and face the true facts. LOL!!!!
You want Beav's opinion?
You can't handle Beav's opinion!!!!!
LEAVE IT TO BEAV BLOG!!!!! Gee, that would sure be swell!!!!
Yeah, when the want to come back to the real world they can come talk to me – I got plenty of them.
That would be great, Jhall………….THE LEAVE IT TO BEAV BLOG!
Dear Rick Honeycutt,
Anybody can win with a bunch of Cy Young pitchers. What's the fun in that? That's why I feel so excited for you, given the golden opportunity Ned had afforded you in 2009. Just think, now you can exhibit your true teaching mettle, as well as showcase your vast pitching knowledge. Why, just look at the slugs, err, I mean talent Ned has assembled for you. What better forum to prove once and for all just how much positive influence you can exert on a ballclub, especially a contending one. That's why it is with the utmost confidence that I say to you, "Rick, there's no one I rather have molding the 2009 Dodger pitching staff than you. No one." This is your lucky year, your moment to shine. I feel better already…………………………………….
His blog would go off the charts!!!!!!
May as well enjoy the peace and quite now. I have a feeling that once the season starts and the games begin, the moons and planets will realign into some very tumultuous arrays.
I thin it should have a parental warning……..colorful language shall be used abundantly!
red pen…think!
LOL Kahli!!!
very good Kahli!!!!!!
Wally -can't wait for the planetary and lunar games to begin as well.
I personally would be afraid and offended that it would be too much like a cult. I would have to come on and read the comments even though I did not like the conversation and then make a derogatory comment about it every 2 weeks or so. And then I would go off thinking that anyone gave a s**t about what I had to say.
For a second there Tru I thought you were turmimg into Speedy Gonzalez.
Honeycutt's done a tremendous job already with Uncle Milty. Why if it weren't for Honeycutt's tutelage we might never have discovered that Milton's actually righthanded.
Great job Kahli!
The Tin Man: What have you learned, Ned?
Ned: Well, I – I think that it – it wasn't enough to just want to sign Juan Pierre and Andruw Jones – and it's that – if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own minor leagues. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!
The ITD Solar System Games!!!!
Pay no attention to that Free Agent behind the curtain…
LOL Kahli!!
Evening everyone! Hey for those that are in the ITD fantasy league, is this team going to make it? Two dropped off. We are only 5 now.
Enchanted ~ I've been doing that a lot lately. However, I usualy catch it before hitting the submit button! lol
Outstanding® Kahli!!!! LOL!!!!
Hey ZBlue!!!!
Dreams can come true, it can happen to you . . . guess who's NOT going to be on the Opening Day roster? Estes, Milton and Sturtze! See the main page for more info . . . .
LMAO!!!!!! boy, Kahli – you are workin' it tonight!!!!
The great and powerful Beavoz has spoken!!! Send in the little flying Piles of Phew to disrupt everything!!!
Hey Diggie!!
Good Evening Diggie!!!!!
Nice visual there Wally…
Da-da-da-da-da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da
Milton is toast! However the other two could be also.
The bloggers when Ned lands in Dodgerland. Are you a good GM or a bad GM?
Ned: Why, I'm not a GM at all!!!!
Hi hi!!
Thanks for the article Diggie!!!
Bad news is, Torre likes Uncle Milty.
Estes says he may retire if he doesn't land another major league job:
S Estes 0 0 8.49 6 0 0 0 0 1 11.2 21 13 11 2 2 2 5
Now I ask you, what screams major league job?
LMAO!!!!! ………as the Lollipop Guild led by none other than Juan Pierre comes out and welcomes Ned to Dodgerland.
Ladies and Gentlemen…entering the blog….Carnac, the Magnificent!!!!
A: Clean air, a virgin and a dominant starting pitcher.
Q: Name three things you won't find in Los Angeles.
Then they can all follow the yellowbrick road to Malibu.
Ned, Frank, and JoJo, the Lollipop Guild. LOL!!!
LOL Khali, you are on again my friend. Keep it up!!!
LOL Kahli!!!
Alan, Billy Barty, and my ex-wife.
Name a Funt, a runt, and a
So how's the weather back there Jhall???
Think that's #5 now.
LMTO, Enchanted!!!!!!!!!!!
Spring has sprung here Beav!!! Very pleasant weather. 60's during the day and 40's at night. No more 10-20 weather. Thanks for asking.
LMAO!!!!!!! Theodore……………that is too funny 🙂
LMTO Beav!!!
Outta here…my son's 11th birthday in 2 hours!!!!!! Sleep well, humans….
That's good to hear about your weather Wally.
Frank, Ned, and JoJo, The Three Misplaced Egos!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Night Kahli!!! Great stuff tonight!!!!!!
This is for Nellyjune……….Carne Asada Sunday with new host Andre Ethier will be held on may 3rd, following the game with the Padres. It is also Dre's batting practice jersey day. (Jersey's for kids only, damn)
G'Nite Kahli, Happy B-Day to your son.
Night Kahli – great stuff tonight. Happy birthday wishes to your son!!
Outspoken. Controversial. Shocking.
The New Leave It To Beaver.
I know……..isn't that exciting!!! I don't think I will be able to do that one though. We are already going to So-Cal for Spring Break and the weekend after that. Dodger Game on the 16th of April though ………against the evil Giants, which should prove to be interesting seeing how I can't even sit in the same room with Michael when I watch them play at home. He may need his own ticket on the other side of Dodger Stadium (jk)…….just on the other end of the aisle should be far enough – LOL!!!
Gee Ned, do you really think we should sign a pitcher with a bad shoulder to a 3 year/45M deal?
Why, yes Frank, I know what I'm doing. Stan Conte said he was alright.
By the way, I just signed Juan Pierre for 5 years at 45M because Princess dumped us. I'm the new sheriff and I know what I'm doing!!!!
Hey Dad/Eric, I still say, "Fire Ned"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wally – that sheriff is an idiot 🙂
LOL Nelly!!!! Well said.
….if only he could Wally
Still no takers for the Pile, I guess. Wow, why am I not surprised!!!!!!
………Ned and JP himself, have made him absolutely untradeable in a sport that thrives on that one concept at times. We are going to sit here for three years with a player who is virtually untradeable in the eyes of 29 major league baseball teams. The only positive………look how much song writing material will be available to us if they don't outright cut him loose.
Pile got 3 hits today. Maybe there's some hope. Remember the only time he was any good last year was when he was part time. Its when he was a regular that his OBP and average plummeted.
LOL Nelly!!! Maybe some team gets really desperate between now and the trade deadline. One can hope!!!!
Beav's obviously into the Kool'Aid again. I'll have what he is drinking!!!!
I'm expanding my horizons. This is my kinder, gentler side. Really though, in JP's defense, he sucks. Might be why he's untradeable.
….. with the exception of Manny for a couple of at-bats, JP was the only player not being sent down to the minors that played in that game, and he played the entire game. What does that say about him?
They wanted him to miss the plane back??
LOL!!!! ……I am guessing grape this time 🙂
perhaps 🙂 LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
G'Nite Gang. Its been fun. Catch you all tomorrow night for the Angels and Dodgers!!! Hope Dad/Eric can join us.
Excelsior, True Blue Believers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There goes Wally and all his symbols again. The Kool-Aid has gotten to him too. Ward Dear must still be on the roof-top trying to figure out a way to get rid of Frank, Ned and possibly Joe all at once.
Good Night jhall/Wally!!! It was great seeing you as always. Take care my friend 🙂
Night Wally!!!
Night Nells!!! Guess I'd better hit it too.
Good night to you too enchanted!!!! Great stuff by you as well 🙂
Enchanted, Jhall, Kahli……You guys were on tonight.
Get a good nights sleep. We have arrived it is Ravine Time!!!
It definitely is time for some real Dodger Baseball at the Ravine. Can't wait for the games to begin.
Did anyone see the ch. 5 news? The woman sport announce said we traded Manny for Matthew/Guerrero and said April fools then I knew she was joking.
I'm ready Nelly. I have last season fresh in my mind. I came along around play off time. as far as ITD and all the access.
I spent the entire off season hanging around trying to find new stuff to get excited about. I was up when we signed Raffy, What a day i remember ned saying he didnt drink coffee. That had to be tireing. I drank a bunch. I was lobbying for Andre from the moment he posted on his blog, that we did'nt get the job done. I sat through all the Manny drama, Rooting persuading to the point that I was just worn out. Now here we are back at the Ravine. A solid team intact. I'm ready, I know alot of us are ready, it has been a wild off season.
That is true but the team is just about settled. And the games are in the big league park's. I want to start winning and gelling as a team tommorrow. The Angels a good team and the cross town club. I want to win!!! The giants the longest rivalry in baseball and I want to win!!! The Brewers this is our house. The west coast belongs to us I want to win!!! It is time to gear our attitude towards many happy flights and the ultimate goal. The Rings!!!
You got that right Dodger4life!!!! Start the winning now……..and keep it going, going, going.
I have FAITH Nelly!!! I believe in the organization, I believe in the players, I believe in the fans!!!! I believe in the magic that will happen.
After what happened last year and just winning the NL West the way we did and then sweeping the Cubs, anything is possible with this Beloved Dodger team.
Anything is possible, I think Kuroda looks good, so does Billz, Wolf and Kershaw. McDonald will have a break out season so much potential there. The bullpen will be a key but they will step it up. Lindblom was impressive to me.
The young guns could'nt ask for a better situation than this!! It is a graet team in the making.
Well, in a little over four days and over the next six months after that, we are about to find out what this Dodger team is made of.
great ~ Red pen 😦
The boys no what it is made of….It is the team they have been searching for thier whole life. They just need to put the pieces together.
The lineup, if it stays intact, has the perfect mix of "real" PVLs and young guns. The lineup has power up and down, with speed at the top with Furcal and Hudson and some in the middle with Kemp and Martin, not to mention the defense looks solid, beginning with our SP and ending with our outfielders (Matt and Andre) who are going to keep making it look easy to throw down a runner at home if need be. Dodger4life – if any season is primed for a great one, it's got to be this one. Get the BP going and this team is definitely heading into October and bringing home a ring.
I played this song when Raffy was resigned, Raffy I feel like this is the year. How about you???
I do feel like this is going to be the year.
We have alot of potential Nelly. I believe that it will be reached. I'm sure the boys believe this also.
This was the theme I played while waiting for Manny!!!
I still believe in all that is good.
Don't worry about a thing……..everything is going to be alright 🙂
We all were behind the pay Andre chant. When it was all said and done I played this song. It has a good beat and I felt like it was party time.
Sammy Hagar 🙂
I want the opposing team to feel like they were thunderstruck!!!!!
I want the opposing team to feel like they were thunderstruck!!!!!
I want to see some rythym like these guys have.
Wow!!! You are on a musical roll tonight.
It's out there everyone, I can feel it can you. It is the magic and it is in the air tonight.
I would love to find a song for the end of the journey!!!!
GOOD NIGHT and GOD BLESS US ALL
GOD BLESS the U.S.A!!!!!!!!
I'm Pumped Nelly and I'm not even on the field.
Good Night Nelly. Have a great day tommorrow.
Good Night Dodger4life!!!!! Take Care and God Bless 🙂
Good Night ITD readers and writers!!!
My apologies if the musical taste was'nt yours. I just did'nt think this was going to get it done.
Good morning ITDland ~ 4 days 9 hours until Opening Day. Yippee!!!! GO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Morning ITD readers and writers!!!
Tonight at the Ravine – exciting!!!!!
From today's L.A. Times:
Pierre talked about his situation without sounding resentful, which wasn't the case a spring ago when he was made a bench player for the first time in his career. He explained that that's because he believes that the people who are calling the shots aren't really making any decisions.
"It's all in God's hands," Pierre said. "He has me here for a reason. That's how I've come to grips with not being in there every day."
That doesn't mean Pierre, who is in the third year of a five-year, $44-million contract, has abandoned hope of being granted the trade he requested last year.
"I just have to be patient," he said. "I feel something will happen. I have faith that something will happen. Hopefully, sooner than later, but I'm prepared either way. I know the situation, pretty much, if I stay here. I just have to make the most of it."
Sorry, but I think I missed the part about his #1 priority being to bring a championship to the Dodgers in 2009. CUT HIM and eat the contract.
Kahli ~ very interesting. I honestly hope his wish is granted and somebody takes him off our hands. He is NOT a team player. It's all about ME, ME, ME. Don't you have the feeling that he doesn't think we can win the championship without him?
I remember last season when Andre was on the bench. Did he sit there and pout? NO He was right up front rooting for his team. Dre was the first mone to congratulate the player when they scored.
Sounds like Pierre's playing the martyr.
….can we trade or cut him loose already, and put us fans out of our misery so we don't have to see him sulk around the dugout for THREE…..MORE……..VERY……LONG…….. YEARS!! PLEASE…. PLEASE….PLEEEEEEASE!!!!!
Since Andruw has apparently made the Rangers team, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, Nellyjune!
You realize that by Andruw making the Rangers, the Dodgers get back the major league minimum, or in otherwords it would pay for Paul or Repko as JPs replacement if they cut him loose.
Wow, I didn't realize that, Enchanted.
What are we waiting for then? I know………….to see pigs fly.
I think I just saw a pig fly!
:: sigh ::
You dissapoint me, Juan D'Vaughan Pierre. You really disappoint me.
Do you even know you're a Dodger? Or a member of ANY team?
I know you already have your ring (and it's the biggest and most expensive ring in Sports history. 13 rubies, 200-some-odd diamonds. 14 karat white gold with 18 karat gold inlay for the Marlins logo. An ultra-rare teal diamond for the eye of the Marlin). Congratulations. But that time has passed.
Ned Colletti signed you because he thought you wanted to be a Dodger. Put his neck on the line for a 5-year $45 million contract that would have many, if not all, in the baseball world shaking their heads in disbelief. But Frank and Ned believed in you.
Now, who knows if you ever wanted to be a Dodger. All you EVER talk about is how Juan Pierre is on the outside looking in. How Juan Pierre wants to be traded to a team where Juan Pierre can play everyday. And the new one, how Juan Pierre will get through this horrible life of getting paid millions of dollars to be a backup OFer with God's help.
Where are the Dodgers in your consciousness, Juan Pierre?
Where is "for the good of the team"?
Where is "I'm putting the team ahead of myself"?
What message does this send to young Dodger fans, Juan Pierre? That "I" comes before the team?
I used to like your game, and what you represented. But now, I see that Juan Pierre doesn't represent the Dodgers. Juan Pierre represents Juan Pierre the One-Time Champion Center Fielder.
But Juan Pierre didn't get that ring for being Juan Pierre. Juan Pierre got that ring for being a Florida Marlin. Unless Juan Pierre could've beat the Giants, Cubs and Yankees in October on his own. But I'm guessing no.
pigs are flying…where?
I am so happy that the boys are back in town!" woohoo! I've been humming that song.
Nsblues ~ Excellent!!!!!
Crzblue ~ LOL!!!!!
enchanted – do you know of this restaurant? A blogger on Dre's blog posted it as being the best one of the oldest restaurants in the U.S. (was a pony express station).
If you travel to Southern New Mexico, try "La Posta" in Mesilla
Wow!!!! Northstatesblues – fabulous!!!
Great post NSblues!
Ok, I just want to say Honduras beat Mexico in the CONCACAF game last night! Woohoo! Sorry Fernando, sorry Pepe, Not! Ok, …back to baseball!
Awesome post North!!! THAT ought to be sent directly to JP, Ned AND Frank.
LaPosta de Mesilla Nells – just off the plaza in old town Mesilla arcoss the street from what was the old courthouse where they once condemned Billy The Kid to hang. Nice restaurant, nice atmosphere – each dining area is decorated a little differently. Great empanadas. Good food, though I personally prefer Si Senor and Chilitos, maybe even El Comodore both on taste and price. If however you have out of town guests and had to choose one place, its the place you'd choose.
Thanks enchanted!!
I think northstateblues' post needs to not only be sent directly to JP, Ned and Frank, but it should be sent to the LA Times as well.
I think he should send it too.
Good afternoon ITD and Go DODGERS! Finally..the first game at Dodger Stadium. I know it's only an exhibition game but it should be fun to see the guys back home. I will be sitting in the Dugout section behind the enemy's batting circle third row so look for me in my lucky shamrock Dodgers cap. I am so ecstatic.
How is everyone. I have been at work..very busy..so I have not been able to keep in touch. I feel exhausted today but a good exhausted. I have 3 games to look forward to. I am humming "I love LA" all day and hope we will be singing that after the game today.
Who all is going to the 3 games???? Facebook me so I'll know.
Everyone have a good evening and I will be keeping in toiuch trublue, Dodger4life, Nellyjune with my various communication devices.
Yaaaaay, I live for baseball!!!!! C ya later.
Why oh why, do we still have Pierre on this team? Please answer me, somebody.
Why oh why, do we still have Pierre on this team? Please answer me, somebody.
Why oh why, do we still have Pierre on this team? Please answer me, somebody.


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If you happened to see A-Rod dawdling around Florida in recent weeks, we still want your submissions. But it's a summer Friday, and while we all wait for MLB to decide on A-Rod's punishment, let's see what other kinds of situations we can put him in.
You know the routine. Just leave your Photoshop entry in the comments. We'll post some of the best on Monday. Winner will receive some crap we have lying around the office. To help, we've provided this cutout to get your started.


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WASHINGTON, DC - Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan who has arrived in the U.S. for a meeting with President Donald Trump, said Sunday he could see no military solution to Afghanistan.
He said when he meets with Mr Trump he will pass on that view.
The Pakistani premier was addressing a crowd of 30,000 Pakistani-Americans who had assembled to welcome him to the U.S. at the Capital One Arena.
"I was called Taliban Khan. But Allah is Al-Haq. The whole world says what I used to say years ago; there is no military solution to Afghanistan. I will put forth the same case in front of Donald Trump tomorrow," Khan said.
Imran Khan has previously had an association with the Taliban and was one of its supporters during their rule following the Soviet departure after their disastrous war in the 1980s.
The prime minister is due to meet President Trump on Monday. He will be accompanied by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Pakistan Army chief, and Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the head of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Afghanistan has become bogged down with war since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
Pakistan, on Afghanistan's border has been drawn into the conflict and has long advocated for a diplomatic solution.
"Pakistan will continue to support the Afghan peace process for regional stability," Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Sunday.
"You go anywhere in the world, see China's communist party and you see how they reward merit and let the best of the best come up. The beauty of democracy is merit," he said.
(Photo credit: The Indian Express).


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About Harding
Spiritual Vision
Harding University was founded in 1924 upon spiritual convictions. We are, at our core, a Christian university. The character, example and concerns of Jesus Christ are the standards that shape us and chart the course for our future. Because of this, an all-encompassing love for God and a corresponding love for people are at the heart of who we are.
We are committed to retaining the Christian identity of Harding University. Realizing that there is a powerful, almost overwhelming tendency for Christian institutions to drift toward secularism, we recommit ourselves to the distinctive practices that have always been central to Harding's Christian mission: required Bible classes; daily chapel; and a lofty code of behavior for the board, administration, faculty and students.
For many years it has been our goal that Harding University integrates and celebrates "faith, learning and living." The Christian worldview is to be at the core of every academic discipline and every extracurricular activity on campus. Every professor who stands in front of a class, every coach who stands in front of a team, and every director who stands in front of a cast or a chorus is to speak and lead as a man or woman of God. They are to confess, both in words and actions, that God created the world, that He redeems us through the blood of His Son Jesus, that He fills his children with His Holy Spirit, and that He calls us to be holy as He is holy. Such core themes will be emphasized in chapel services, in faculty meetings and throughout the university.
The Gospel of John states that "the Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (1:14). Grace and truth were perfectly blended in Jesus. He spoke truth, but always in a gracious way. He extended His hand in grace, but never betrayed the truth in doing so. However, Christians constantly struggle to demonstrate that same sacred balance. Gracious people are easily tempted to compromise truth, and truth-seeking people often communicate ungraciousness. Recognizing this challenge, we are determined to be a people who are "full of grace and truth," sacrificing neither in the pursuit of both. Cheap grace and harsh truth are two extremes we will seek to avoid. Our hope is that, when people think of Harding University, they will think of both grace and truth.
Another important aspect of our institutional identity is our belief in the Bible as the fully inspired and authoritative Word of God. We hold it to be "God-breathed" and the basis of our teaching and life (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is central to our goal of spiritual formation in the life of everyone at Harding. Consequently, it is our goal that all graduating seniors leave our university with a greater level of confidence in Scripture than they had when they first arrived on campus.
Harding University has always been a leader in world missions. Nearly one-third of the missionaries who have gone out from churches of Christ have graduated from Harding. We believe that at this critical point in history it is important that we renew our commitment to participate fully in the mission of God, both at home and abroad. While the pluralism of our postmodern culture denies the need to preach the gospel, we continue to believe that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ and that Christians are to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).
Harding has always been deeply connected with churches of Christ, and we reaffirm this connection. Our goal will be to continue to hire only members of churches of Christ as faculty and administrators. Though we live in a time of significant confusion over our brotherhood's identity, we are determined that Harding University will become captive to neither a rigid legalism on the right nor a formless liberalism on the left. "With gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:16) we affirm such distinctive convictions of the mainstream churches of Christ as baptism for the remission of sins, a cappella music in worship, and male spiritual leadership.
While we maintain our close ties with the churches of Christ, we make clear that Harding opens its arms to all. Those who do not share all of our convictions are always welcome, and we will work hard to see that they are always treated with kindness, fairness and respect.
This statement of spiritual vision is presented, and we offer it to God with the words of our Lord, Jesus: "Father ... not [our] will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).


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U.S. insurers will pay $500 million in rebates to employers and individuals this summer because of President Barack Obama's healthcare law, about half the amount they paid last year.
The law, often called Obamacare, requires companies to refund customers when they spend less than 80 percent of premiums they collect on medical care.
The Department of Health and Human Services attributed the decline in rebates to insurers' adhering more closely to this requirement and to lowering premium rates for their products.
The government agency said on Thursday that 8.5 million insurance customers would receive an average rebate of about $100 per family after August 1. For 2011, 4.1 million people received about $152 per family, or a total of $1.1 billion.
The Affordable Care Act goes into full effect on Jan. 1, 2014, when an expansion of the Medicaid health plan for the poor and subsidized state health exchanges take hold. In recent weeks, states have begun publishing premiums for new insurance products for those exchanges.
The Medical Loss Ratio, or MLR, portion of the law was first applied in full in 2011 and limits spending on administrative costs, salaries and bonuses.
Gary Cohen, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that the insurers were paying fewer rebates in 2012 than in 2011 because they were more strictly following the law and charging lower premiums.
The centers also said the MLR rule, a new insurance rate review process that requires rate increases of more than 10 percent to be reviewed, and competition had contributed to a savings of $3.4 billion among 77.8 million people due to lower spending on premiums last year.
Cohen said other market forces could be contributing to the lower premiums. Growth in healthcare spending has slowed during recent years as consumers have cut back on doctors' services and the trend is forecast to continue.
"As they've adjusted their prices to the new rule, as they've become more efficient and more cost effective, two things happen: the number of rebates goes down and the corresponding amount of premium that people have to pay for the value they are getting for insurance comes down as well," Cohen said during a telephone briefing with reporters.
Aetna Inc., the third-largest U.S. insurer, said that MLR rebates represent 0.2 percent of the premiums it collected in 2012.
"We are delivering savings to our customers through competitive pricing, rather than waiting for a rebate check," Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener said in statement.
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BlackBerry recently launched the mid-range BlackBerry Q5 smartphone in India. It is the company's third device which runs on the BlackBerry 10 Operating System. This handset packs a 3.1 inch touchscreen display along with the Blackberry's iconic QWERTY keyboard. This handset allows you to access more than 120,000 apps from the BlackBerry World. The BlackBerry Q5 smartphone is specially designed for those who want to experience the BlackBerry 10 Operating System without burning a hole in the pocket.
Sunil Lalvani, Managing Director, BlackBerry India, said,
"The BlackBerry Q5 smartphone has a stunning youthful design that comes in exciting colors, and offers the full cutting-edge BlackBerry 10 functionality as well as access to the growing catalog of BlackBerry 10 apps. With its physical QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen, it gives customers the best of both worlds."
BlackBerry Q5 features a 3.1 inch LCD display, sporting a resolution of 720 x 720 pixels, Touch On Lens, 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor, BlackBerry 10 OS, 5 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash, HD (720p) video recording and playback, 2 megapixel front facing camera and much more.
Other features include NFC (Near Field Communication), microUSB, microHDMI-Out, 3.5 mm headset jack, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 3G Connectivity, Assisted GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB internal memory, 32 GB expandable memory and a 2100 mAh non-removable battery.
The BlackBerry Q5 comes with a price tag of just Rs.24,990 (approx. $420). This handset will be available in Black, Pure White and Pure Red colors. BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale from July 20 in India.


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US: Ads Test Payola Case Settlement
Hardly more than a year has passed since the nation's biggest record labels started agreeing to a series of measures that were intended to end the industry's long history of employing bribes and other shady practices to influence which songs are heard on the radio.
But it has become increasingly clear that the industry is still grappling with how to change its culture. In the last two weeks, songs from two record labels - both distributed through Vivendi's Universal Music Group - got a lift on the charts after a radio chain was paid to play the tunes as part of commercials late at night in an advertising program that New York state officials say is used to trick radio programmers.
The ad purchases come five months after Universal settled accusations that it bribed radio programmers with gifts in exchange for airplay and engaged in other deceptive practices. The accord, in which Universal agreed to pay $12 million to New York charities, was the biggest so far in a sweeping investigation of the music industry that has been led by Eliot Spitzer, the New York attorney general.
In the settlement - which extends to any label or other entity whose practices are "directed or controlled" by Universal - executives are prohibited from, among other things, buying advertisements for the purpose of misleading the independent services that compile airplay data for Billboard and other publications. If Universal purchases a commercial containing more than 60 seconds of song - potentially enough for a tracking service to count it as regular airplay - the company must provide written notice of the ad.
Last week, Blackground Records, a Universal-distributed label, purchased ads that enabled the song, "Too Little, Too Late" by the teenage singer JoJo to climb to the No. 2 position on the nation's mainstream pop radio chart. Before that, a representative for Nickelback, a rock band on Roadrunner Records, a Universal-distributed label, paid for ads that inflated the performance of the song "Far Away." The tune ranked as the week's No. 1 song.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Spitzer, Juanita Scarlett, said yesterday that the attorney general's office was "aware of the possible violation of the terms of our agreement with Universal and we are looking into the matter."
Universal said in a statement that it had no ownership interest in Blackground and no management control in Roadrunner. "We're investigating these allegations but the decisions for these two acts were made by these two companies, outside of our control," the statement said. "We made them aware of our new promotion policies and have encouraged them to follow the new procedures."
It was not clear what remedies Mr. Spitzer might seek if a record company was found to violate the terms of the settlement. In March, Mr. Spitzer filed a lawsuit against Entercom Communications, which ran the JoJo and Nickelback ads as part of a program called "CD Preview." The lawsuit says that Entercom marketed the program explicitly as a means to manipulate a song's performance on industry charts. Batches of "spins,'' or plays of a song, could be purchased for $1,000 to $3,500, and the program generated more than $2 million a year for the company, the lawsuit said. Entercom declined to comment yesterday.
Rob Sisco, president of Nielsen Music, which includes an airplay-tracking service, said "unless we're notified ahead of time, as these agreements spell out clearly, there's little we can do to discern what was and wasn't an advertisement."
But the disclosure also raises questions about how the settlements will be enforced and whether music executives will try to capitalize on perceived loopholes. In the mid-1980's, for example, a payola, or pay-for-play, practices scandal prompted many of the major labels to swear off the use of independent record promoters, or middlemen who had been used to funnel money to radio stations. But according to the book "Hit Men," an array of artist managers picked up the tab for the promoters' services instead.
How Mr. Spitzer's office responds now will determine how much weight the industry's settlements carry. All four major record corporations have agreed to clamp down on illicit payola. But label executives evidently remain tempted by the lure of a top radio chart position - which translates to bragging rights and, potentially, album sales.
"Radio promotion executives are still under enormous pressure to use tools that maximize radio airplay because airplay still sells recordings," said Rachel Stilwell, a Los Angeles lawyer who has written about payola and who worked several years ago as the national director of promotion for the Verve Music Group, a Universal subsidiary label. "Old habits die hard."
- 185 Corruption
- 188 Consumerism & Commercialism


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The Treats Truck's Caramel Crème Sandwich Cookies Recipe
These brown sugar sandwich cookies with browned butter filling are just bursting with incredible caramel flavors.
Reprinted with permission from The Treats Truck Baking Book by Kim Ima. Copyright © 2011. Published by William Morrow. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.
- Yield:28 sandwich cookies
- Active time: 45 minutes
- Total time:1 hour 45 minutes
- For the cookies:
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed brown sugar
- 2 cups (4 sticks) butter
- 2 egg yolks
- 4 cups flour
- For the frosting:
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 cups confectioners' sugar
- 6 tablespoons milk
To make the cookies, in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg yolks and flour and mix well.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼-inch thick. Cut out the cookies using a round cookie cutter. If the dough seems too soft, refrigerate the rolled out dough for a bit to firm it up before cutting the cookies.
Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until ever-so-slightly golden. Set aside on the baking sheet to cool completely.
To make the frosting, in a medium pan over medium heat, brown the butter, stirring often until small brown flecks appear. Take off the heat.
Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and whisk to combine. Whisk in the milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is creamy and smooth. If the frosting seems too thick, add a little more milk. (You can keep the frosting in a covered container in the fridge if you make it ahead of time or aren't quite ready to use it. When you're ready to fill the cookies, give the frosting time to soften a bit, or stick in the microwave for 10 seconds or a bit more.)
Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, frost the underside of 1 cookie and top with a second cookie to make a sandwich. If you prefer, use a piping bag or a plastic storage bag with the tip cut off to place a dollop of frosting on the upturned cookie and then top with the second cookie. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
This Recipe Appears InA Cookie A Day: The Treats Truck's Caramel Crème Sandwiches
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Into the last weekend of the Fringe, and with some shows ending tonight but others going on until Monday, do remember to check listings for the final curtain calls. Four more interviews from around Edinburgh as I get out of the studio and around town.
Edinburgh Fringe Show #22 – Saturday 29th August
with Ewan Spence.
Stuart Black
Lemsip and Cigarettes
The Free Sisters
Hal Cruttenden
Straight Outta Cruttenden
Pleasance Courtyard
Nick Cody
Beard Game Strong
Assembly George Square
Michael Griffiths
Sweet Dreams: Songs By Annie Lennox
Assembly George Square
Broadway Baby's most read reviews today are Leper and Chip, and Punk Rock by Simon Stephens. Read their reviews of countless Fringe shows at BroadwayBaby.com.
Our reviewer's choices for today are The Pin: Ten Seconds With The Pin, and Edmund The Learned Pig. iFringe is the reviews app which helps you find the best of the Fringe on the move, download from iFringe.com.
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Originaly posted on The Edinburgh Fringe Show.


text:
A military judge says he has the right to order an Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage to be forcibly shaved before his murder trial.
Col. Gregory Gross says other defendants previously have been ordered to shave. He filed a response Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
Last week that court delayed Maj. Nidal Hasan's upcoming court-martial while it considers his objection to being forcibly shaved.
The Army prohibits beards but Hasan has grown one to express his Muslim faith. Gross has banned Hasan from courtroom hearings, but said he will be forcibly shaved before the trial if he doesn't shave himself.
Hasan faces the death penalty if convicted in the attack on the Texas Army post that killed 13.