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Estimated time to complete this activity: 2.00 hours
As a result of completing this activity, the participant will be better able to:
Learning Format: Case-based, interactive online course, including mandatory assessment questions (number of questions varies by course or module). Please also read the Technical Requirements.
The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson
Office of Continuing Medical Education
The following University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson CME Reviewers, Activity Directors, or Planning Committee Members have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests that could constitute a conflict of interest with the proposed activity:
Robert Amend, M.Ed. Randa Kutob, MD
Cynthia Roat, MPH
Cynthia Roat is a consultant and trainer on issues related to language access in health care. She is the principle author of Bridging the Gap, currently the most widely offered training program for medical interpreters in the United States. She is a founding member of the Society of Medical Interpreters (SOMI) in Seattle, is Chair of the Advisory Committee of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC), and is a national advocate for the field of health care interpreting and for language access in general. Ms. Roat has been an interpreter trainer for over twenty years, and is certified by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services for both medical and social service interpreting. She holds a Masters degree in International Public Health from the University of Washington.
Disclosure: Ms. Roat states that she does not have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest.
Elizabeth Jacobs, MD, MAPP, FACP
Dr. Jacobs is Associate Vice Chair for Health Services Research in the Department of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health Sciences, at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She attended medical school at University of California at San Francisco, trained as a general internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Fellowship at the University of Chicago. After struggling to care for limited English-speaking patients during medical school and residency, she decided to pursue a research career investigating minority disparities in health care. She has conducted research documenting that provision of adequate interpreter services positively impacts the delivery of health care provided to patients with limited English proficiency, and that the provision of these services is cost-beneficial. Her research interests also include access to, and cultural specificity of, medical care delivered to minority patients, health literacy, and the role that trust in health care plays in African American and Latino patients health care decisions. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment, The Russell Sage Foundation, and the Office of Minority Health. She is recognized as an expert on the provision of linguistically accessible and culturally competent care, and she has served on Office of Minority Health, JCAHO and AHRQ expert panels. She has published numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and has authored 3 book chapters. In addition, she works with other investigators to design culturally specific research and teaches residents and medical students about practicing culturally sensitive medicine.
Disclosure: Dr. Jacobs states that she does not have any financial arrangements that could constitute a conflict of interest.
The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals. In addition to those listed below, we extend many thanks to Pacific Medical Clinics in Seattle, WA and to Brenda Lloyd (Beacon Hill Clinic Supervisor) for allowing us to videotape at Beacon Hill Clinic.
Huan Nguyen . . . as Mr. Nguyen
Van Pham . . . as Mr. Nguyen's daughter
Kris Keppeler . . . as Dr. Jenkins
Huyen Nga Cao . . . as Grace, the medical assistant
Thu-Van Nguyen . . . as the professional interpreter
Video Crew:
Bruce Hutson: Videography
Matt Monroe: Sound
Leif O'Leary: Set Design and Video Editing (courtesy of Talaria Inc., Seattle, WA)
Amy Vore: Production Assistant (courtesy of Talaria Inc., Seattle, WA)
Video Script and Direction:
Cynthia E. Roat, MPH
Vietnamese Script Translation and Subtitles:
Rosemary Nguyen
Review of Vietnamese Script:
Thu-Van Nguyen
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For additional information, read the Technical Assistance FAQ.
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All contents copyright © 1998 - 2020 Arizona Board of Regents unless otherwise noted


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Products – Our offer
Electrolytic zinc, Zinc alloys, Wegal MOD, Zamak, Lead concentrate, Sulphuric acid, Casting zinc anodes, Rolled zinc anodes, Lead and zinc concentrate (bulk)
Ladies and Gentlemen !
I am pleased to present you our company – ZGH "Bolesław" S.A. – a producer of Special High Grade Zinc and its products.
Currently, ZGH "Bolesław" S.A. is the parent company in the capital group ZGH "Bolesław". We extract and process zinc and lead ores coming from our own mine, produce electrolytic zinc, zinc alloys, sulphuric acid and zinc and lead concentrates. We produce zinc using electrolysis process and imperial smelting process as well as we recycle zinc waste materials in the Waelz process. The technologies we use protect the environment.
Since 2010, after the consolidation with HC "MiasteczkoŚląskie" S.A., our capacity has reached 150 thousand mt per annum. Special High Grade zinc produced in ZGH "Bolesław" S.A. was registered at the London Metal Exchange in 2005.
Our strategy aims at systematic development and continuous modernization of the production processes,ensuring excellent production parameters and maintenance of a high position amongworld zinc producers.For the consistent implementation of the strategy, our Company was awarded a title of"Pearl of the Polish Economy" .We are also very proud to have been granted the following:-ISO 9001 certificate that guarantees the highest and stable quality of the offered products,-reliability certificate that proves our creditability, as well as-certificate ofinnovation for introduction of a new product – Wegal alloy.
Bogusław Ochab
President of the Management Board of ZGH "Bolesław" S.A.
Bogusław Ochab
President of the Management Board of ZGH "Bolesław" S.A.

subset: commoncrawl


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Perdomo 2 Milenario 'Mistakes'
If you haven't tried the Perdomo2 line, I suggest you do so. Nick is a damn good cigar maker, and is responsible for some of today's most flavorful blends. Perdomo2 is one of his veteran brands; a staple in boutique cigar shops from coast to coast that only seems to be getting better with age. Box-pressed and available in either natural (Cameroon) or maduro, the 'Squared' is robust and complex, thanks to a man-sized portion of Piloto Cubano Nicaraguan tobaccos that have been aged in cedar casks for a minimum of 5 years. So what are these Mistakes I speak of? A long time ago, in a kingdom not so far from here, the Perdomo factory accidentally shipped unbanded, unbox-pressed Milenarios, a size within the Squared line, to the US. Nick couldn't watch these quality smokes go to waste, so he sold them to us at a ridiculously low price as a one-time deal. Well, that one-time deal did so well it turned into an ongoing project, called Perdomo2 Milenario 'Mistakes': same blend, same aging process, same Perdomo2 goodness, but well under half the price. A fortunate mistake on Nick Perdomo's part and a gem of a golf cigar for me. Now I can enjoy the rich, robust spiciness of Perdomo2 without babying the cigar for fear of it falling off my cart or crawling underneath my shoe. The cigar part is gravy. Now if I could just fix my horrific slice I'd be all set.


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OUR EXPERTISE Absolute Return
The rise of alternatives
Alternative investments have recently become essential components of institutional and private investors' portfolios, due to the following factors:
These factors have made it simply impossible for many investors to ignore alternatives.
Alternative Investment A LEADING PROVIDER OF ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT SOLUTIONS
Candriam Investors Group has been running alternative investment strategies since 1996, steadily innovation and building a wide range of solutions to meet investor's various needs.
Candriam Investors Group has attained a leading position in the management of regulated alternatives in Europe, with an in-depth understanding of the specificities of its local markets.
Our goal is simple: to identify and exploit inefficiencies across asset classes to provide consistent long-term returns.
All of our alternative investment solutions are grounded in our philosophy: conviction – seizing the best opportunities available on behalf of our clients – and responsibility – acknowledging our full accountability for the performance of their assets.
Our alternative investment strategies receive regular recognition from major financial publications including Eurohedge, Hedge Fund Manager and Hedge Fund Review.
A distinguished track record
Over the years our alternatives strategies have built up strong risk-adjusted performance track records, with above-average Sharpe ratios.
And thanks to our conviction and responsibility philosophy, they have proved their resilience in difficult market conditions: 55% of our strategies rose in value in 2008, and 64% in 2011.
Managing alternative investments is a complex business, and requires more than just a single investment team.
At the heart of our capabilities is a pool of senior fund managers who have been working together for an average of 14 years.
The expert input of a large number of investment specialists and support teams across our company have also been instrumental in our success in this area.
We believe there are some excellent reasons to choose Candriam for alternatives:
60 seconds
with the fund manager
Oct, 2015 "Are funds of futures a "trendy" investment?"Download


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This ring has Dara style knotwork that flows around the entire ring to a spider in the center. The Dara knot likened to that of the root system of the oak tree reminds us that beneath our surface we have vastly divine inner resources that lend us wisdom and stability.
Cast in solid gold or .950 platinum, these rings are made of 100% recycled metal and your choice of gold color (either white, yellow or rose, see our color comparison photo), please specify the color when you order. We can make these in either a polished or brushed finish, please let us know which you prefer when ordering.
All our Celtic rings are made to order, and made in your size, WE --NEED-- YOUR SIZE BEFORE WE CAN MAKE YOUR RING. Our rings are available in 1/4 sizes from size 4 to 13, any other sizes are by special request only, please contact us if you need a size outside this range. Also, since we aren't able to have an option for it PLEASE SPECIFY YOUR CHOICE OF METAL COLOR (white, yellow or rose gold)!
Each one of these rings is individually made in your size so the width of the ring varies depending on how wide your finger is, so all rings match proportionally (see the chart below to see how big the ring is in your size). We can vary the width, please message us if you'd like a custom width.
Our rings can be made in any material from Silver to 18K gold, platinum and palladium and everything in between. We give a 10% discount for wedding sets, please ask us if you intend to purchase a set of rings. We have many other designs not yet listed on Etsy, if you have a request for a specific knot or design, don't hesitate to contact us!
Each one of these Celtic designs is our own creation, from design to finish. Our small team of 3 creates each piece from scratch, and hand finish and polish each one. All jewelry is made in the USA from recycled materials and set with lab or conflict free stones. We have a wide array of 100's of designs of rings, pendants and earrings not listed in our store, as well doing custom jewelry design and creation. Please visit our site
www.CelticEternity.com to view the hundreds of custom pieces we've made in the past and information on our unique jewelry!
We do offer discounts for multiple purchases, and have payment plans available for our more expensive ($400 and over) pieces. We can make these in different metals (sterling silver, 10K, 14K and 18K golds, platinum or palladium) please request if you'd like to order this or any of our pieces in a different metal. All of our pieces can be customized, if you'd like a different stone, stone shape or stone size, please message us so we can create a lovely custom piece for you!
All rings are made proportionally to what you see, find your ring size below to find out the width of your ring (half and quarter sizes are also available even though they're not shown):
Size 4 - 6.8mm
Size 5 - 7.3mm
Size 6 - 7.6mm
Size 7 - 7.8mm
Size 8 - 8.1mm
Size 9 - 8.4mm
Size 10 - 8.7mm
Size 11 - 9mm
Size 12 - 9.3mm
Size 13 - 9.6mm
Stones: None
3-4 weeks
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
Request a cancellation within: 3 days of purchase
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
We love getting custom orders! For full custom items, the price is on a per item basis so contact with your idea for a quote. We can create rings from rough sketches or inspired by other designs.
We can also personalize any of the rings in our store by changing the width, the type of stones, the type of metal, the way the knots weave or any number of other customizations, the majority of which there is no extra charge for. For most of our rings that are solid backed we offer engraving, please message us if you'd like to have your ring engraved.
Yes! All of our listings that show 2 rings is for a set. For some reason, Etsy won't let me put in a second ring size option, so I just tell people to select the size of the first ring and put the size for the second in the notes.
Yes! All of our rings can be made with any different stone you'd like, we have a wide selection of stones at our disposal and would be happy to create a ring with the stone you want. Pricing may vary so please ask for a quote before ordering.
Yes and yes! We make all of the rings you see in our selection in sterling silver, gold, palladium or platinum. If you do not see the ring you want in the metal you are looking for let us know and we'll happily put up a listing for you.
Sadly no. We do not have the equipment to cast in any of these metals, and finishing them can be quite challenging because we don't have tools that are designed to work with metals this hard.
Patina is the dark oxidation that appears in the crevices of any metal that oxidizes. We most often patina sterling silver rings, but can also patina gold rings upon request. While we can't patina palladium or platinum (these metals don't react with oxygen easily), we can add antiquing that has a similar effect.
Generally we will either size the ring to the correct size at no charge, or exchange the ring for a ring of the correct size, also at no charge. We know that it can be difficult to get the order entirely correct when ordering on-line, so we provide this extra flexibility to our customers. If you need your ring re-sized more than 3 months after purchase we may charge a re-sizing or re-making fee, depending on our design. Some of our designs (particularly the rings with continuous knotwork around the entire ring) cannot easily be resized and may need to be re-made to the correct size.
Yes! For payments, we can break it up however you'd like, all we ask is that we know the finish date and that the rings are paid off before shipping, other than that we're quite flexible. Often we've done 4 payments at monthly increments, but whatever you're comfortable with is fine.


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Let It All Bleed Out
(CNN) -- A woman in Turkey is awaiting trial after beheading a man who she says raped her repeatedly for months and is the father of her unborn child. Her lawyer says the woman killed the man to protect her honor.
Nevin Yildirim, a 26-year-old mother of two, lives in a small village in southwestern Turkey. She said the man, Nurettin Gider, began the attacks a few days after her husband left in January for a seasonal job in another town, according to a source close to the case.
Yildirim said Gider threatened her with a gun and said he would kill her children, ages 2 and 6, if she made any noise, according to the source. That was the first of repeated rapes over the next eight months, the source said.
At one point, Yildirim said, Gider sneaked into her house while she was asleep and took pictures of her, the source said. One of the pictures shows her pregnant body. Gider threatened to publish the pictures if she didn't obey him, the source said.
In small villages like hers, honor is held above all else, and women carry the burden of honor for their families. Pictures like those would have been devastating for Yildirim and her family and could have posed a danger.
On August 28, at least five months pregnant by a man who she said continued to rape her, Yildirim said she decided she had had enough. Gider was climbing up the back wall of her house. "I knew he was going to rape me again," she said at her preliminary hearing August 30.
She said she grabbed her father-in-law's rifle that was hanging on the wall and she shot him. He tried to draw his gun and she fired again.
"I chased him," she said. "He fell on the ground. He started cussing. I shot his sexual organ this time. He became quiet. I knew he was dead. I then cut his head off."
Witnesses described Yildirim walking into the village square, carrying the man's head by his hair, blood dripping on the ground.
"Don't talk behind my back, don't play with my honor," Yildirim said to the men sitting in the coffee house on the square. "Here is the head of the man who played with my honor."
She threw Gider's head to the ground, the witnesses said. Video from Turkish broadcaster DHA, which arrived on the scene before the authorities, showed Gider's head on the ground.
Witnesses called authorities and Yildirim was arrested.
Gider was 35 and the father of two children, 15 and 9. He was married to an aunt of Yildirim's husband.
Yildirim told her legal representative she regrets what happened, the source said.
"I thought of reporting him to military police and to the district attorney, but this was going to mark me as a scorned woman," Yildirim said, according to the source. "Since I was going to get a bad reputation I decided to clean my honor and acted on killing him. I thought of suicide a lot but couldn't do it."
Yildirim said she was worried people would judge her children because of what happened, the source said.
"Now no one can call my children bastards," she said, according to the source. "I cleaned my honor. Everyone will call them the children of the woman who cleaned her honor."
British court convicts parents in 'honor' murder
The source said Yildirim went to a health clinic a while ago seeking an abortion, but health workers told her she was 14 weeks pregnant and abortion was not an option.
In Turkey, abortion is allowed during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, after which it is permitted only to save the life or health of the mother or in cases of fetal impairment, Human Rights Watch said.
At her hearing, Yildirim said she doesn't want to keep the baby and that she is ready to die, the source said. The public prosecutor's office has ordered a medical examination to decide whether Yildirim may have an abortion and to assess her mental stability, the source said.
Yildirim's father, Zekeriya Yildiz, told DHA his daughter did not report the alleged abuse to anyone in the family.
"If she would have told us, we would have taken other precautions," he said.
Yildirim is in the local jail while she awaits trial.
In a report last year, Human Rights Watch decried gaps in Turkish law that it said leave women and girls unprotected from domestic abuse. Some 42% of women older than 15 in Turkey and 47% of rural women have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a husband or partner at some point in their lives, the group said.
"She has lived through a terrible trauma. She must be charged with self-defense," said Gursel Oztunali Kayir, a sociologist at Akdeniz University and a member of Antalya Women Support Organization.


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Natural Disaster
PIA Agency Preparedness and Recovery Plan
This PIA Agency Preparedness and Recovery Plan is designed as a planning guide and notebook for use by PIA agencies in creating and documenting their own agency preparedness plan. The document is a member resource and is restricted to members only. You can access the PIA Agency Preparedness and Recovery Plan here. You must have your login information.
Tropical Cyclone Sandy Resource Center
PIA supports a coordinated natural disaster catastrophe program that covers commercial and residential property and does not compete with the private sector's capacity to provide insurance.
Comprehensive legislation to improve the Federal Government's ability to assist in the recovery from natural catastrophes should include the following principles:
- Insurers should be allowed to price policies according to risk.
- Any catastrophe program should be designed as a public-private collaborative effort, involving participation by states and local governments and emphasize mitigation.
- Comprehensive natural disaster legislation cannot be fully addressed by combining new proposals with existing programs designed for other forms of catastrophic events, such as flood or terrorism insurance.
- Increase the availability and affordability of property insurance in catastrophe prone areas.
To learn more about PIA's position on Natural Disaster Legislation, read PIA's Natural Disaster Issue Paper (PDF file).


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This post 'Show Auricula 'Fred Booley' was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius Lindhe in the blog Tyras Trädgård/ Tyras Garden
So he decided to pay me a visit this year as well. He sure looks ravishing...eye-catching as always. I'm so delighted to see that he is in such a good health. I mean, the winter was extremely hard-hitting for all the little auriculas.
You can get both the garden auriculas as well as the show auriculas delivered from Drointon's (UK). In Sweden you have Ray's Perennials that you can buy them from. I would love to go and visit Ray (also an Englishman) but I don't know if I dare to, it is going to be sooo costly. Although, I could take my Mini, then at least I have a very limited space to fill with plants.
Fred after a shower
If you're not good at my native tongue, you can always push the transalte button.


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CBS's 60 Minutes Does Propaganda Piece For NSA
One-sided report by 'journalist' who used to work for NSA, FBI and NYPD excludes agency critics
Will 60 Minutes Cover the critics views? (Contact info below if you want to write them.)
The National Security Agency has been the source of major controversy, thanks to the journalists writing critical stories based on files shared by whistleblower Edward Snowden. But the agency got a very different media reception from CBS correspondent John Miller, whose lengthy December 15 60 Minutes report looked more like PR than journalism.
Miller explained at the top of the segment: "Full disclosure, I once worked in the office of the Director of National Intelligence, where I saw firsthand how secretly the NSA operates." (As with most "full disclosures," this is hardly full; Miller has spent much of his career inside government, with roles ranging from serving as a spokesperson for the NYPD to directing public relations for the FBI.) [Miller is rumored to be leaving CBS to return to the NY Police Department]
The first part of the segment was based heavily on interviews with NSA director Keith Alexander–beginning with Alexander saying that the NSA is "not collecting everybody's email, we're not collecting everybody's phone things." This is at best questionable; the New York Times (8/8/13) reported that the NSA copies and sifts through most emails sent into or out of the country.
Miller followed up by noting that "there is a perception out there that the NSA is widely collecting the content of the phone calls of Americans." But that is not what anyone has been reporting about the NSA; what critics are actually criticizing is the collection of metadata on phone calls, information on who people called and when (Guardian, 6/5/13). As posed, Miller's question only gave Alexander a chance to look like he's debunking an important myth about the agency.
Miller reported that Alexander "agreed to talk to us because he believes the NSA has not told its story well." That feeling seemed to be shared by CBS as well–that the NSA's real problem is ineffective public relations. In a Web-only video interviewwith Miller and the show's producers, he says: "We've heard plenty from the critics. We've heard a lot from Edward Snowden." Miller explained there was a "distinctive shortage" in getting the NSA's side. So the need to hear the NSA director and to profile young NSA geniuses was more pressing than interviewing any of the agency's many critics on camera.
It's odd to suggest that the NSA hasn't been given opportunities to rebut its critics. In fact, current and former NSA officials have been interviewed widely in the press and have testified before Congress. In Alexander's case, he used to claim that NSA bulk phone records collection thwarted 50 terrorist plots; then he shifted that answer, and admitted that perhaps it was "one or possibly two" (FAIR Blog, 10/4/13). That record of misleading the public means that Alexander should face tough questions. But on 60 Minutes, Alexander was given time to allege that other people have gotten things wrong.
Some of the earliest reports (Guardian, 6/6/13;Washington Post, 6/6/13) based on the Snowden documents concerned PRISM, a program to tap into data centers of major private companies like Google andFacebook. On CBS, those reports were presented as false:
MILLER: One of the Snowden leaks involved the concept that NSA had tunneled into the foreign data centers of major US Internet providers. Did the leak describe it the right way?ALEXANDER: No, that's not correct. We do target terrorist communications. And terrorists use communications from Google, fromYahoo, and from other service providers. So our objective is to collect those communications no matter where they are. But we're not going into a facility or targeting Google as an entity, or Yahoo as an entity. But we will collect those communications of terrorists that flow on that network.
What Alexander offered here was a classic non-denial denial, suggesting the stories are incorrect but, as reporter Barton Gellman noted on Twitter (12/15/13), essentially confirming them. (To say that the NSA is not "targeting Google as an entity" does not mean that the agency is not collecting information on Google users.)
It was clear throughout that the 60 Minutes segment was intended to bolster the image of the agency. Miller told viewers that one agency meeting "is called the stand-up because no one sits down, which is almost a metaphor for the pace of daily life in the NSA operations center."
Miller went on to explain that "while Edward Snowden's leaks have been a disaster for the agency, the rest of the NSA's mission has not slowed down." The agency was eager to share success stories–like a sketchy story about a supposedly devastating computer virus plot (likely from China) that the NSA claims to have thwarted before it wreaked havoc on the American economy.
But computer security expert Robert Graham (Errata Security, 12/15/13) derided the CBS report as "gibberish." If the CBS segment seemed like PR, maybe it's because that's how it started out.
In that Web-only video, CBS explained that NSA chief Alexander "made the call to invite us in. He's fighting for his programs right now." And the video went on to note that a team of minders followed the CBS team throughout, and that Alexander asked to take "time outs" if he wasn't sure how to answer a given question. In the video, Miller said that he wanted to give the agency "a chance to make their case."
MIller has a habit of doing this; just weeks ago, he got exclusive access to outgoing CIA deputy director Mike Morell, and his report was more boosterism than journalism (FAIR Blog, 10/29/13). Perhaps unsurprisingly, Miller is reportedly planning on going back through the revolving door and resuming government work, being eyed for a top intelligence or counterterrorism job with the NYPD (Huffington Post, 12/12/13).
Of the NSA report, Miller said he didn't "want this to be a puff piece." But by conducting softball interviews with agency officials and excluding the responses of their critics, that is exactly what CBS gave its viewers. ACTION: Please let 60 Minutes know that their December 15 report, based on exclusive access to National Security Agency officials and excluding critics of the agency, was more PR than journalism.
CBS 60 Minutes Email: email@example.com
Twitter: @60Minutes


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Crocheted potholders always evoke a strong feeling of simple living for me. Walking into the kitchen of my grandmother's farmhouse, I could smell the freshly brewed coffee and home-made bread baking in her oven. She would be hovering over pans and a skillet and always -- a crocheted potholder tucked into the strings of her apron.
These are the fondest of memories for me. I cherish them & try to recreate them.
Using this same book -- Kitchen Basics in Cotton, I crocheted this Irish Rose Potholder.
With Peaches n Cream crochet cotton and a size H hook, I used colors that bring to mind those images of a simple, country life.
An irish rose is such a gorgeous, intricate flower. And when given a pattern that somewhat replicates that beauty, well -- I honestly may never use this potholder (ha! can't imagine gooey cheese from an oven-baked pizza all over this thing......)
But hanging from an apron string, now that might just be the thing.


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All Items : Americana and Country Primitives : Pre 1960 item #477260 (stock #M-5442)
Everyday Things
Vintage tray or basket with woven rim and wooden bottom. It is 16 1/2" in length, 10" in width and the woven portion extends to 1 1/2" in height. The weave is without damage except for 2 cracks. The painting does not appear to have actual damage, but there are a couple of rough areas where the wood is bumpy, but would not be considered damage. The weave needs to be cleaned. I will be glad to provide additional photos. I need your zip code to calculate the postage.


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Origin braced for 16-year black eye
QUEENSLAND is playing for pride in Origin III tonight at Suncorp Stadium.
NSW has already won the series but the job isn't over yet for Brad Fittler's "Baby Blues".
They can become just the eighth team in Origin's 36-year history to claim a 3-0 whitewash - and the first NSW team to do so since 2000 - with a win over Queensland in Brisbane tonight.
But the Maroons have the added incentive to avoid a clean-sweep. Billy Slater will be captaining his state for the first time in his last ever Origin appearance before the Melbourne fullback retires from representative football, and newly installed halfback Daly Cherry-Evans will be desperate for a strong performance to prove he deserves a mortgage on the No. 7 jersey.
Origin braces for 16-year black eye
Maybe James Maloney was right after all?
Queensland's State of Origin pride is on the line just hours out from Game 3 with reports the Suncorp Stadium crowd will be the lowest the game has seen in 16 years.
Origin officials have reportedly conceded ticket sales indicate the game will not be a sell-out.
A crowd of less than 50,000 is expected for the dead-rubber series finale - meaning Billy Slater will potentially be looking up at 2000 empty seats when he makes his final Origin appearance.
The crowd is expected to be the lowest Origin has seen since Suncorp Stadium's capacity was increased at the end of the 2002 series.
Just 47,989 attended Origin II in Brisbane 16 years ago which was the most recent time an Origin game failed to attract a crowd of 50,000 or more.
The crowd estimates come as Maloney earlier this week publicly questioned Queensland's Origin passion
"ANZ Stadium (Sydney) has been pretty chockers for a long time," Maloney said.
"Maybe that's the case. Maybe they're not as passionate as they think. Maybe the Blues have got them."
Meanwhile, ARLC chairman Peter Beattie has defended the price of State of Origin tickets.
He said more than 47,000 tickets had been sold for Origin III, nearing Suncorp Stadium's 52,500 capacity.
Beattie said the tickets were like airline tickets, when asked about the rising price of entry to Wednesday's game three in Brisbane.
"It's like buying airline tickets, if you get in early they're cheaper," he told Macquarie Sports Radio on Wednesday.
"There were $50 tickets for all three games ... and $145 for family tickets. "At the end of the day these are not bad figures when you consider it's for an international quality match." Hours later the NRL announced a limited number of $35 standing tickets would be available for the dead rubber, where NSW are looking to take their first series clean-sweep since 2000 against the Maroons.
Wednesday's game comes less than two weeks after a sellout crowd of 82,223 crammed ANZ Stadium for game two in Sydney, while almost 90,000 attended the opener at the MCG.
Remaining adult seating tickets for game three began at $300 on Wednesday afternoon.
- with AAP
Meninga weighs in on feud
Australian coach Mal Meninga has weighed in on the feud between the "Big Three" that has seen relationships sour between Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk.
A Fairfax report claimed a falling-out between Slater's wife Nicole and Melbourne teammate Smith's wife Barbara was responsible for the breakdown in the pair's friendship, while professional differences sparked by Cronk joining the Roosters are reportedly at the centre of Smith's frosty relationship with the playmaker.
Slater denied he had any issues with Smith - or Cronk - this week, but former Maroons mentor Meninga has urged the players to sort any differences out.
We all have tiffs," Meninga told Fox Sports program Queenslanders Only. "I haven't talked to my brother for a couple of weeks because we had a tiff.
"From a team's point of view, if it's nagging away at the people around them, well address it really quickly.
"Whoever has got the issues, just talk about it. That's what we do in relationships, don't we? "Just talk about it."
Read: Slater addresses footy feud
Fittler's jab at Smith
NSW coach Brad Fittler has taken a sly dig at Cameron Smith, saying the veteran hooker retired because he didn't think Queensland was capable of beating the Blues this year.
Smith took the rugby league world by surprise when he called time on his representative career just a couple of weeks before Origin I, leading Fittler to suggest the rake was concerned a Blues outfit full of fresh faces was going to be too tough to overcome.
"For whatever reason, he might have thought we were picking 11 players that were harder than what he wanted to take on this year," Fittler said on Origin eve.
Smith's exit made Queensland's task even tougher, given it was already facing life without star playmakers Johnathan Thurston and Cooper Cronk, who retired from rep footy last year.
But the absence of names who have haunted NSW for over a decade doesn't diminish the achievement of this year's Blues side, with Fittler saying Queensland has slipped off in other areas while NSW has gone from strength to strength.
"Cameron retires and (Queensland) players are injured, I don't know why, but we can't control that at all," Fittler said.
"NSW has done a really good job at winning just about everything. They've won all the age groups the last couple of years, they've won the women's (Origin) now.
"Obviously Queensland have fallen behind somewhere.''
Tallis calls for new guard to take charge
As Queensland prepares to farewell another leader, ex-Maroons skipper Gorden Tallis has demanded a new one emerge in Wednesday's State of Origin III in Brisbane.
Stand-in skipper Billy Slater will play his 31st and final Origin in the Suncorp Stadium dead rubber before joining the Big Three - retired Maroons greats Cameron Smith, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston.
Queensland have struggled to deal with life without their big names to date - NSW have sealed their second series win in 13 years.
Tallis said it was time someone stood up and ensured Queensland denied NSW their first series whitewash since 2000, providing veteran fullback Slater a fitting farewell.
Slater captains Queensland for the first time in his last Origin, replacing Greg Inglis (broken thumb).
"They have to stand up and want to take that mantle. They have always sat behind (the Big Three)," Tallis told Sky Sports Radio.
"I know what it is like. I would walk into the dressing room and see Mal Meninga and was like 'oh my God'.
"They have had Cameron, Johnathan and Cooper in front of them so now someone has to stand up and actually be the leader.
"I thought Greg Inglis was outstanding in game one and two. Now there is a new chance for someone else to step up and say 'I am going to lead Queensland into the future'." Tallis could empathise with Queensland's current plight after taking over the captaincy in the wake of NSW's last whitewash series in 2000, capped by a record 56-16 game three loss in Sydney.
He led the Maroons to a 2-1 series win the next year, sealed by a 40-14 game three romp.
Asked what advice he would give Queensland to avoid a sweep, Tallis said: "I was in the Queensland team which had the biggest loss ever - I have to live with that.
"I would tell them how embarrassed I was (about 56-16).
"Don't be that guy. Make sure every kid in Queensland wants to be you the next day.
"And Billy will want to see his legacy live on." Tallis said it was time Queensland finally moved on from the Big Three and began a new chapter.
"You can't say Cameron Smith left us in the lurch. If he feels he can't go on, that's his decision - we have to win without him," Tallis said of Smith, who retired from rep footy just three weeks before the series opener. "Wally Lewis, Darren Lockyer, Arthur Beetson, Mal Meninga - they don't play any more and now we have to go on without Cameron Smith."
- Laine Clark, AAP
NSW out to spoil the party
It's a farewell for Billy Slater and a welcoming for Daly Cherry-Evans, but NSW players will be out to spoil both when they attempt a State of Origin series clean sweep in game three.
Slater will become just the second player to captain an Origin series at 35 years of age when he runs out in the final match of his Origin career on Wednesday.
And while Blues coach Brad Fittler declared Slater as the best fullback the game has seen, he urged his team to make it a memorable occasion. "He's set the standard for a long time, changed the way fullbacks played," Fittler said.
"It's our job to make sure that he remembers the game. We want him to remember it, not as a winning game, but as one of the hardest games he ever played. That is definitely our job." The match also marks the return of Cherry-Evans to the Origin arena, three years after his final game in Maroons colours back in 2015.
It looms as an important opportunity for the Manly captain to stake his claim as a part of the Maroons' future, however Blues captain Boyd Cordner is intent on ruining his chances.
"He's got his spot now and out to prove a point. We've got to try and nullify his options the best way we can, take some time and space off him," he said. "If I get an opportunity to, if that's my job, the back-rower and halfback, we'll find each other." Blues winger and Sea Eagles teammate Tom Trbojevic admitted the Maroons will be noticeably different in attack with Cherry-Evans orchestrating the attack compared to the axed Ben Hunt.
Trbojevic said Cherry-Evans had proven his ability to play first-receiver at Manly following the season-ending injury to halves partner Lachlan Croker earlier this year.
"Chez is a very quality player, and so is Ben Hunt. They're a bit different, but Chez is a ball-runner so we're going to have to focus on that," Trbojevic said. "It doesn't change too much, the way we want to defend and the way we want to play.
"He'll be on the ball a bit more. He's been doing that for us the last few weeks (at Manly), and is very good at it. We'll have to be on our toes to defend him."
- Matt Encarnacion, AAP


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Fourteen years after coming under federal protection, the northern spotted owl continues on the decline in the Pacific Northwest, a study shows.
WASHINGTON Fourteen years after coming under federal protection, the northern spotted owl continues on the decline in the Pacific Northwest, a study shows.
The report said the owl, an icon of the Northwest timber wars, no longer faces the threat it once did from logging. It faces new ones, however, principally the wildfires that rage through overgrown forests and the barred owl, a relative of the spotted owl, which rapidly is taking over spotted owl habitat in the West.
The study, conducted by a private firm for the Fish and Wildlife Service, appears to strike a blow at timber industry efforts to loosen restrictions on federal forest logging in Washington, Oregon and northern California.
Overall, northern spotted owls declined annually by about 3.7 percent from 1985 to 2003, the report suggests.
The decline was especially steep in Washington state, where the number of birds went down by about 7.3 percent per year. Barred owls seem to have an especially strong effect on spotted owls in that state, the report said.
Owls declined by 2.8 percent per year in Oregon and 2.2 percent in northern California.
Environmentalists said the report showed that Bush administration efforts to increase logging of old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest contradicted scientific findings on the owl's habitat needs. The bird has been the focus of bitter debate in the region since federal officials sharply reduced logging in the early 1990s to protect the spotted owl and other threatened species.
"What this report says to me is the spotted owl is in crisis, especially so in Washington state," said Susan Ash, conservation director for the Audubon Society of Portland.
But a timber industry representative said the report shows that trying to protect owls by limiting logging does not eliminate risks to the species.
"What's encouraging is that all of the original reasons for listing the spotted owl (as threatened) have been found to be either invalid or not a problem anymore," said Ross Mickey, Western Oregon manager for the American Forest Resource Council, an industry group that sued the Fish and Wildlife Service to reconsider owl protections.
The report was submitted Friday to the wildlife agency, which will decide by Nov. 15 whether the owl should continue to be protected by the Endangered Species Act.
Source:Associated Press


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About two years ago, Dr. Philippe Gros, a McGill University professor in the Department of Biochemistry and a Principal Investigator in thd McGill Life Sciences Complex, described a mouse mutant that was immunodeficient and hypersensitive to the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine and to tuberculosis (TB). In this model, Gros's team had found that the immunodeficiency was caused by a mutation in a regulatory protein of the immune system named IRF8.
A year later, a physician in Newcastle who had heard about Gros's work, contacted him about a three-month-old patient who was gravely ill and dying. The infant was suffering from an infection following a perinatal BCG vaccination. She had been treated aggressively with antibiotics but relapsed with additional infections. In addition, she showed a complete absence of circulating monocytes and dendritic cells in her blood – two critically important types of immune cells. She was admitted into an ICU and it seemed nothing could be done to save her.
The clinical aspects of the infant's immuno-deficiency were so strikingly similar to those of Gros's earlier mouse model findings, that his research team investigated the human IRF8 gene for the presence of mutations in this infant. Dr. Gros group also examined IRF8 in a number of additional clinical cases of disseminated BCG infection following vaccination.
What they found were two distinct disease-causing mutations – one that causes the severe reaction seen in the infant (autosomal recessive) and requires stem cell transplantation, and the other that causes a milder form of disease (autosomal dominant).
These findings, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, point to a critical role for IRF8 in the development and function of monocytes and dendritic cells and in protecting against mycobacterial infections like TB in humans.
According to Gros, the best part of this story is that the infant received the much needed stem cell transplant that ultimately cured her. Based on the team's research, her doctors were going to transplant her with one of the parents' cells as they were found to be a perfect match. However, when the team learned that the father was carrying one copy of the dysfunctional gene, and knowing that such a situation is deleterious in mice, the physicians opted instead to graft her with an unrelated donor.
"I think this is a great example of the 'discovery pipeline' we have tried to set up at the Complex Traits Group lab," said Gros. "This began as basic research. It evolved from genetic discoveries in mouse models through to validation in humans and knowledge translation to a positive clinical outcome."
"This is archetypal translational research," said Dr. Richard I. Levin, Vice-Principal of Health Affairs and Dean of Medicine at McGill. "When results from lab work conducted in the Life Sciences Complex can be shared across the ocean in context and in time to save a child's life, we know our objectives are being fulfilled."
Other McGill researchers involved in this study are Sandra Salem (PhD candidate) and Drs. Albert Berghuis and Anny Fortin. The study involved a large collaboration between scientists and clinicians from The Rockefeller University in New York, L'Hopital Necker in Paris, Newcastle University and King's College in London.


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A short forecasting piece by Armstrong, the key is found in the last three paragraphs. According to him and his confidence model, key resistance is at 11,000 on the DOW Industrials. If we fail to break above that level then a retest of the lows is likely or even to make new lows into the first half of next year. THEN, he is predicting a rally to (choke) 30,000 plus.
Ooookaaay. A lot of people have ruined their reputations on such calls, but with the money pumping reaching new extremes, I can see that in a Zimbabwe/loss of confidence kind of way, but I would not bet the farm on that occurring.
I disagree with the fact that Martin does not temper his discussions on the concentration of capital being the heart beat of innovation. Yes, you need capital to form and to concentrate to pull off large scale innovations, but that is different than boom/bust and it's not just a matter of degree, especially when the boom is propagated with Ponzi finance and FRAUD.
At any rate, always a thought provoking read, I'm sure you will enjoy it…
Thursday: Unemployment Claims, ISM Services
9 hours ago


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Chelsea, Vermont
|This article is a stub. Help us to expand it by contributing your knowledge. For county and town page guidelines, visit U.S. County Page Content Suggestions.
Chelsea is a town in Orange county, Vermont. It was formed in 1781 in Vt. It has used the following other name(s): Turnersburgh. The probate district for Chelsea is Randolph, while the court district is Orange. For more information, contact the town at 295 VT Rt 110, P.O. Box 266, Chelsea 05038. On the attached map, Chelsea is shown as 9 in Orange county.
For information about the state of Vermont see Vermont Family History Research.


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The Mercedes-Benz C-Class brings the three-pointed star to the rest of us, with sedans starting at less than $30,000. The C-Class brings more than the three-pointed star to the table, however.
The C320 sedan, for example, is a delight to drive with its sporty engine, responsive transmission, and perfect balance of ride quality and handling. Inside, it looks and feels like a Mercedes with high-quality materials and firm, supportive seats. Meanwhile, the price-leading C230 sport coupe continues to attract first-time Mercedes buyers with its combination of style, space, and features.
For 2003, the C-Class has been expanded to nine models, which includes sedans, wagons, and sport coupes. Two new sports sedans join the 2003 line, along with a new high-powered sport coupe, and a value-priced wagon. 2003 C240 and C320 sedans and wagons are available with 4MATIC all-wheel drive. Also, the supercharged four-cylinder engine that powers the C230 sport coupe has been redesigned for better efficiency and lower emissions.
C-Class has good bones, with exterior styling inspired by the big, luxurious S-Class sedan, technology shared with the latest E-Class, and an interior design all its own. Redesigned for model year 2002, the C-Class has been enjoying strong sales, particularly in the United States.
C240 sedan ($29,900) is powered by a 168-horsepower 2.6-liter V6 with three valves per cylinder. C240 is well-equipped, with leather seat inserts, eight-way power seats with power adjustable head rests, manual tilt and telescope steering column, power windows, cruise control, a seven-speaker audio system with weatherband, Tele-aid communications, hand-polished laurel-wood trim and 16-inch aluminum wheels.
C320 sedan ($35,200) is powered by a 215-horsepower 3.2-liter version of the same V6. C320 comes standard with the five-speed automatic and a higher level of luxury amenities, including automatic climate control, Bose 10-speaker stereo, reading lamps, 10-way power seats, and a power-adjustable steering column. But most important, with more power on tap, the C320 is more satisfying to drive.
C-Class wagons are available in C320 ($36,700) and the new C240 ($31,400) trim. These are the smallest station wagons Mercedes has ever imported to the United States, yet they successfully combine sporty styling and good cargo room, perfect for that big dog (though we recommend a dog fence for safety). A six-speed manual transmission is standard on the wagons.
For 2003, C-Class sedans and wagons are available with 4MATIC all-wheel drive ($1800), a big benefit in slippery conditions.
C230 sport coupe is a hatchback, the first such design in Mercedes history. C230 sport coupe ($24,950) shares the 106.9-inch wheelbase of the C-Class sedans and wagons, but is substantially shorter overall. The sport coupe features a radical roofline, aggressive front end and sassy styling all its own. A glass panel between the tail lights contributes to rearward visibility and gives it a distinctive appearance. Inside, the sport coupe features aluminum trim instead of traditional wood. C230 is available with an optional Panoramic roof, nearly all glass from windshield to rear spoiler. Press a button, and the forward part of the roof retracts back over the rearward part, for open-air motoring. Powering this little rocket is a 1.8-liter twin-overhead-cam 16-valve inline-4 pumped up to 189 horsepower by a supercharger and intercooler.
Two new sports sedans are available for 2003, distinguished by more aggressive suspension tuning, body cladding, aluminum interior trim, seven-spoke 17-inch wheels with high performance tires, the six-speed manual transmission, and thickly bolstered front sport seats. The C320 sports sedan ($35,200) uses the same 3.2-liter V6 engine as the C320 sedan. The C230 Kompressor sedan ($27,990) is powered by the same supercharged 1.8-liter inline-4 as the C230 coupe.
For 2003, there's a new C320 sport coupe ($27,300) packing the 3.2-liter V6 engine and similar sports equipment to the new sports sedans.
C32 AMG is the hot rod of the C-Class family. Offered only as a sedan, the C32 AMG adds a Lysholm positive-displacement supercharger to the 3.2-liter V6, boosting output to 349 horsepower and 332 pounds-feet of torque. C32 AMG boasts its own SpeedShift version of the five-speed automatic gearbox, plus unique exterior decor and interior trim, special suspension and brakes, and larger tires and wheels. In fact, the C32 AMG is one of the quickest and fastest four-door cars in the world. It is also priced substantially out of the entry-luxury segment ($50,400).
The Mercedes C-Class cars offer a perfect balance between ride and handling, nice steering and excellent brakes.
We found the C320 sedan smooth and quiet in normal driving. Step on it and the engine growls to life. The 3.2-liter V6 works great in this car, with 221 foot-pounds of torque available from 3000 to 4600 rpm. Torque is that force that propels you away from intersections and the C320 has a healthy supply.
C320's suspension is a perfect balance of ride and handling. Damping is excellent. There's no bouncing after hitting a dip in the road. The C240 sedan is priced attractively, but it's the weakest engine in the line and feels short on power. The C320 is a much more satisfying ride.
The C320 wagon weighs little more than the sedan with the same engine, and is a high-style, high-function piece.
The specifications for the C230 sport coupe (189 horsepower and 192 pounds-feet of torque) don't sound exciting by today's standards, but the performance of the supercharged engine is impressive. Mercedes-Benz claims the C230 coupe can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds with the six-speed manual transmission, and 7.5 seconds with the adaptive five-speed automatic. That's reasonably quick. The supercharged, intercooled four-cylinder engine makes pleasant mechanical and exhaust sounds (as opposed to noises), and it looks like mechanical sculpture under the hood. The supercharger is nearly transparent in its operation.
The Touch Shift automatic that comes on the C-Class cars shifts crisply, adding to the sporty driving experience. There's no need to use the manual feature at all because the automatic works so well, responsive and very smooth. It's adaptive, which means, if you drive it gently, it will upshift more quickly and reward you with excellent gas mileage (up from 22/29 mpg city/highway last year to 23/32 for 2003). If you're constantly on the throttle, it will learn that you like to drive quickly and will hold itself in each gear for more sprightly acceleration.
Moving the transmission lever into the manual mode allows the driver to shift down or up one gear with each movement of the lever. Hold the lever to left for more than a second and it shifts all the way down to the lowest appropriate gear for the speed you're traveling. Hold it to the right and it shifts back up to Drive. Stop and it automatically shifts down to first. Accelerate away and it shifts back up to the highest gear selected, a good strategy for using third gear when driving around town.
The substantial weight of the C230 sport coupe shows up in its handling, where it feels heavy compared to a BMW. The rack-and-pinion power steering, the sports seats, and the beefy steering wheel make you feel like you're in command, and if you start to lose your command of the situation, the standard ESP stability control system will put things right in a trice. The standard tilt and telescope steering column provides an extra measure of adjustability that some cars in this class don't even offer.
The P205/55R16 tires that come standard on most C-Class models are relatively grippy and very quiet at highway speeds. (Optional 17-inch wheels with low-profile 225/45R17 tires are available.) All in all, the sport coupe is good fun to drive.
Mercedes-Benz puts as much effort into its braking systems as some makers put into their whole cars, and it shows immediately in the driving. All C-Class models use large 11.8-inch discs up front and 11.4-inch discs in the rear (except the C32 AMG, whose brakes are even larger), with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA) that senses when you are having a panic attack, provides extra braking, and then switches automatically into ABS mode if conditions warrant. The brakes are progressive in pedal feel, and enormously powerful in bad situations.
Once a driver learns how to use the steering-wheel-mounted controls for the driver information, audio and telephone systems, there'
The C-Class cars offer Mercedes quality and engineering at Acura prices. The sedans feel as upmarket and classy as mid-scale Mercedes sedans felt just a few years back. Smooth and sophisticated, the C-Class sedans deliver strong performance and comfortable accommodations. We dig the C320 sedan.
The Mercedes-Benz C230 sport coupe offers a nearly unbeatable combination of price, visual impact, and utility (38.1 cubic feet of storage space with the rear seats folded down). Wagons drive just like the sedans and offer 63 cubic feet of cargo space.


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17-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Monday, April 1, 1912:
Bidding adieu to Winter
Welcoming the approaching Spring
So comes the months of spring time.
How merrily the birds doth sing.
I was fooled once and only once today. While in a hurry this evening I landed on the ground. I don't think I hurt myself any, but I did bump my knees.
Her middle-aged granddaughter's comments 100 years later:
I knew my elderly Grandmother. Her diary provides a window into what she was like as a teen. It's fun to see how remnants of the fun, quirky teen in this diary were part of Grandma's personality throughout her life.
Last year several relatives wrote guest posts about their memories of Grandma. My cousin Anne Marie wrote about an April's Fools day when Grandma was in her late 60's or early 70's.
One April Fools Day Grandma took an old newspaper from her basement and carefully glued all of the pages together and quietly placed it in our newspaper box. I can still hear Mom laughing when she tried to read the paper that day and it didn't take her long to figure out who the prankster was.
(See more guest posts with relative's memories of Grandma by clicking on the Family Memories category.)


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Justice: Trade hindsight far from 20/20
Swaps might look bad years later but the reasons behind them must be considered
The Tigers didn't get fleeced when they traded John Smoltz for Doyle Alexander 26 years ago. People point to that trade when lopsided deals are evaluated. But to criticize the Tigers is to miss a larger point.
The Tigers knew Smoltz had a terrific arm and great makeup and all that stuff. They knew he might very well have a long, productive Major League career. At the time, though, he was 20 years old and had pitched in only 21 games above Class A.
The Tigers weren't thinking about what Smoltz might be in five or 10 years when they traded him to the Braves for a 36-year-old right-hander in the twilight of his career. At the time, the Tigers were only thinking of the 1987 season.
They'd won the World Series three years earlier and were in position to go for it again. When the deal was made, they were a mere 1 1/2 games behind the Blue Jays in the American League East.
What gets lost in looking at the deal now are two factors. One is that Alexander did almost everything the Tigers hoped he'd do. He was 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA over the final six weeks of the 1987 season as the Tigers went 34-18 and caught and passed Toronto.
In making the deal, the Tigers sent a message to their fans and -- perhaps more important -- to their players that they were fully invested in 1987, that nothing else mattered. Here you go, boys. Here's the help you've been looking for.
General managers and owners sometimes have to make these calls. They can be timid, hold onto their best prospects and hope something works out. Or they can act decisively and give their players a shot of confidence.
In this case, the right move didn't exactly have the right results. The Tigers did get back to the playoffs, but didn't reach the World Series. They lost the AL Championship Series to the Twins, and Alexander made two poor postseason starts.
You know the rest of the story. Smoltz became one of the cornerstone players of Atlanta's incredible run of 14 straight postseason appearances. He won 210 games and saved 154. He was an eight-time All-Star and a Cy Young Award winner. He pitched in the postseason 13 times and is a slam dunk for the Hall of Fame.
All these years later, it's clear that the Braves got far more out of Smoltz than the Tigers got out of Alexander. But in that time and place -- that is, the summer of 1987 -- the trade made sense for the Tigers.
Not every in-season trade is like that. The Cubs were 26 games out of first place when they sent Lou Brock to the Cardinals as part of a six-player deal in 1964. In that case, they simply whiffed on a guy who played 16 seasons with St. Louis, helped win two World Series and went to the Hall of Fame.
But the Mariners, on the other hand, were going for it when they dealt right-hander Derek Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek to the Red Sox for reliever Heathcliff Slocumb in 1997. Seattle made the postseason, though Slocumb pitched poorly.
Lowe pitched the clinching game of the 2004 World Series for the Red Sox, and Varitek went on to become one of the most respected Boston players of all-time. Still, the trade made more sense for the Mariners at the time it was made.
And that's why analyzing in-season trades is tricky. They must be looked at largely in the context of why and when they were made. If they look different five years later, so be it.
Go ask any player about what those deals do for a clubhouse. They have the ability to inspire and energize. They're a message from management that they believe in the players they've got on hand and are going to do everything possible to help them win. The future is now.
And so, as another non-waiver Trade Deadline approaches, you might hear analysts joke about that Alexander-for-Smoltz deal when they discuss the risks of short-term deals.
They do not often discuss the alternatives. That is, playing scared, not taking chances, is no way to run a franchise. At some point in the life of every baseball team, there's a time to go all in for that season, to stop worrying about collecting prospects and to try to win now. Sure, trades come with risks, but that's life.
And when you hear about Larry Andersen-for-Jeff Bagwell, remember it didn't seem as dumb then as it does now. The Red Sox led the AL East by 6 1/2 games on Aug. 30, 1990, and wanted Andersen, 37, to shore up their bullpen.
Andersen did just that, pitching in 15 games and compiling a 1.23 ERA. But like the 1987 Tigers, the 1990 Red Sox couldn't finish. They held on to win the AL East but were swept by the A's in the ALCS.
They paid for it as Bagwell went to the Astros, hit 449 home runs and helped them make six playoff appearances in a nine-year stretch. Bagwell had hit just six home runs in 710 Minor League at-bats at the time of the trade, so the Red Sox had no idea he would become one of the great power hitters of his generation.
But he was just 22 at the time, and there's always a risk when trading prospects. Most times, no one hears from them again. Other times, they play their way to the threshold of Cooperstown.
The Astros made one of those deals at the 1998 Deadline in sending right-hander Freddy Garcia, shortstop Carlos Guillen and left-hander John Halama to Seattle for Randy Johnson.
The Astros were going for a championship, and as Bagwell said later, "When Randy walked in that door, we thought we were going to win a championship. Management sent the message they believed in us."
Johnson went 10-1 down the stretch, but like the 1987 Tigers and 1990 Red Sox, Houston didn't get out of the first round of the playoffs. Johnson left the Astros to sign with the Diamondbacks the following offseason. Meanwhile, those three young players helped the Mariners make the playoffs in 2000 and 2001.
Winning now was what the Braves had in mind when they acquired Mark Teixeira from the Rangers at the Deadline in 2007. They sent Texas a bundle of prospects, including shortstop Elvis Andrus, right-hander Neftali Feliz and left-hander Matt Harrison, three players who have helped the Rangers win two pennants.
But the Braves knew what they were doing. They knew the risks. If they'd finished the deal and won the World Series, they would have considered it a huge win.
Regardless, it was still the right thing to do.


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West Virginia "taxpayers were best served" by the state's decision to use $24 million in federal stimulus funds to purchase more than 1,000 high-end Internet routers for public facilities, a state official overseeing the spending has told federal lawmakers.
Homeland Security Director Jimmy Gianato said West Virginia is building a high-speed Internet network "based on expected future needs," according to a letter Gianato recently sent to two U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairmen who are scrutinizing the router purchase. The routers cost $22,600 each.
"The whole project was designed for the future," Gianato told the Gazette Wednesday. "It wasn't designed for today's needs. These routers will, hopefully, take us 10 to 12 years into the future."
The state has installed the routers in rural schools, libraries and health clinics, even though the equipment was designed for research universities, medical centers and corporations.
House Republicans have asked Gianato to explain why the state didn't purchase large routers for large facilities, and small ones for locations with only a few computer terminals.
The state purchased 1,064 routers - all the same model - in July 2010.
"The consensus was that taxpayers were best served by the use of the unified routers, which given the state's existing administrative resources, would be a more cost-effective approach over the long term in that it facilitates future growth and deployment strategies, configuration management and administration of maintenance and replacement parts," Gianato wrote in a June 28 letter to U.S. Reps. Greg Walden, R-Ore., and John Shimkus, R-Illinois.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office released Gianato's letter to the Gazette this week.
The state used $24 million from a $126.3 million federal economic stimulus grant to purchase the routers, which funnel data, such as email and web pages, from one network to another.
The Cisco series 3945 routers were built to serve a minimum of 500 users and up to tens of thousands of users. But the state has installed the "enterprise-class" routers at public agencies with only a handful of Internet connections. Seventy percent of the routers wound up in schools and libraries.
In his letter, Gianato acknowledged that state officials never tried to find out how many computer terminals were housed at each public facility that ultimately received a router.
Gianato said the facilities - the state calls them "community anchor institutions" - serve as "hub locations" for the surrounding community.
He told Walden and Shimkus the high-end routers could be used for video conferencing, voice-over-Internet calling, "distance learning," "telemedicine," and other computer applications that require high-speed Internet connections.
"The size of the institution is less relevant than the amount of bandwidth and the number of services that may ultimately be required at that location," Gianato wrote.
In his letter, West Virginia's homeland security chief also disclosed that 383 routers remain in storage - two years after they were purchased. He expects to ship all of the devices to public facilities by February 2013 - the deadline for the state to spend the stimulus funds.
As part of the state's broadband expansion project, Frontier Communications also is bringing fiber-optic cable to many of the public facilities. The state has used the stimulus to pay Frontier $1.1 million for its work to date.
The state has spent $56.4 million from the $126.3 million federal grant, said Gianato, who leads the state's three-member stimulus "grant implementation team."
"The whole concept of the project is to position West Virginia for the future," Gianato said Wednesday. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Walden and Shimkus have asked the Department of Commerce's inspector general to investigate West Virginia's stimulus spending.
At a May hearing on Capitol Hill, the House Republican leaders grilled the Obama administration's telecommunications chief about West Virginia's router purchase.
Earlier this year, West Virginia Commerce Secretary Keith Burdette's office tapped ICF International, a Vienna, Va.-based consulting firm, to examine the state's use of the $126.3 million stimulus grant. The consultants have yet to deliver a report.
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Bucs' Stewart ponders plate collision proposal
BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Major League Baseball Players Association was scheduled to meet with the Pirates after Sunday's workout at Pirate City, as the union makes its tour of the 30 spring camps. There's no doubt that a big part of the discussion will be the proposed rule trying to lessen the impact of collisions on plays at home plate.
Right now, there seems to be opposition among players about implementing the rule without further study. And Pirates starting catcher Russell Martin said he's "90 percent sure" the rule won't be adopted for this coming season.
Chris Stewart, who backed up Martin with the Yankees two seasons ago and signed this offseason to do the same with the Pirates, has his own views on the subject.
"In my opinion, that play has been around the game for so long, we just have to get rid of the malicious intent of some baserunners coming in to try and deliberately hit the catcher and try to knock the ball out instead of making a last-second decision that he has to go through the catcher because the catcher is in his way," said Stewart.
MLB agreed to move forward to establish the new rule late last year and has been studying the matter ever since. But the Commissioner's Office is working on the language of the proposal. With exhibition games set to begin this week across Florida and Arizona, players are evidently still studying that proposed language.
The union for the players must approve any rule change for it to be adopted, and although the umpires are being consulted, their approval is not necessary, said Tony Clark, the new executive director of the MLBPA who happened to be in Pirates camp for a meeting with the team on Sunday as he tours all the spring camps.
"The good thing is we've been able to communicate in some form or fashion with every catcher that wears gear," Clark said. "We have a lot of guys who have not caught who are runners also involved in this discussion. And it's been a very challenging rule to try to navigate.
"We started in conversations with Major League Baseball late last year, and where we are now is in different places. I think the fundamental premise is the same, and that is everybody is concerned about player safety. We're just trying to see how that manifests in a rule, how that rule manifests itself in a game and how it affects the integrity of the game overall."
Stewart said he doesn't like the language that he has been apprised of.
"It's written now that the catcher has to give the baserunner a line to get to the plate," he said. "The runner's job is to slide in, not to create contact. The problem is, though, that if the catcher goes into that line at any point and prevents the runner from seeing home plate, basically, [the runner is] automatically going to be awarded the plate safe. Throws, as you know, aren't always on line. And catchers have to go into that line just to make a play, to get the ball.
"That's just not going to work. That's my personal opinion. Everybody seems to have their own opinion on it. Until we can conclusively all come together on a final rule to put in the books, I don't think we can do anything yet.
"Injuries are part of the game. As long as a guy's intent is not to injure the other player, then it's part of baseball."


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BMW Concept 6 (2009)
BMW's Concept 6 is, as the name suggests, a concept bike first shown in November 2009 at the 67th International Motorcycle Exhibition (EICMA) in Milan, Italy. Its modern interpretation of café racer styling was built around a new compact, six-cylinder engine. While it is unlikely this bike will see production, the six-cylinder engine will power future BMW models including the next BMW Luxury Tourer (LT).
BMW Concept 6 appeared in the Spring 2010 BMW Motorcycle Magazine.
Original BMW Press Release (English) [191 KB]


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The week in review
Longest arson sentence: The two teens who torched Ruckersville Baptist Church last summer are sentenced July 11. Sean Douglas Heiderscheidt, 19, will serve seven years, and Stephen Fox, 18, received a six-year active sentence, according to the Daily Progress.
Longest second-degree murder sentence: Demonte Burgess, gets 29 years for fatally shooting Miguel Lugo Salazar January 22, 2010, at the Mountain View Trailer Court, and for six other charges, including maliciously wounding Rafael Valina Ayala and attempted robbery.
Latest online perv indictment: Gordonsvillian James Anthony Dollins, 42, is accused of soliciting minors for sex using a Facebook profile of a 19-year-old female UVA student to approach teenage boys. The mother of a 13-year-old boy contacted authorities after Dollins allegedly requested nude photos of the boy.
Latest indecent liberties with a minor sentence: Former Greene school custodian/bus driver David Snow, 56, pleads guilty after putting his hand on a 16-year-old boy's clothed crotch, according to the Progress. He received a three-year-suspended sentence July 12 and must register as a sex offender.
Best news for those packing heat on UVA Grounds: AG Ken Cuccinelli rules that the university's firearms policy doesn't forbid those with concealed carry permits from bringing firearms into buildings. Open carry, however, is a different matter.
Best advice for jail visitors: Don't go if you're wanted by police. Frequent flyer Indio Martinez, 22, went to see a friend at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail July 10, perhaps unaware that officials routinely check for warrants on those who come to visit. Martinez was released from state prison five months ago for his role in a 2007 shooting of a teenager, for which he was declared incompetent, and had been indicted June 6 on two counts of distributing cocaine. In 2006, Martinez was charged for beating two teens who refused to join the Bloods, and in 2005 with B&E, and found incompetent in both cases.
Best water conservationists: Crozetians use on average 68.3 gallons of water a day, compared to Charlottesvillians 107.1 gallons per capita per day, Charlottesvile Tomorrow reports. Reduced usage and population mean that Crozet's water supply, Beaver Creek Reservoir, will last 25 years longer than previously predicted, according to a new forecast commissioned by the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority.
Best renderings: Charlottesville Tomorrow creates 3-D visualizations of the proposed Western Bypass, using old VDOT maps and Google Earth.
Worst report cards: The Albemarle Circuit Court Clerk's Office improperly held $201,000 in fines and $255K that possibly should go to the state, a 2010 audit found. "The clerk does not perform the required financial duties associated with her office," concluded the auditor about Clerk Debbie Shipp. The auditor pulled 48 transactions, and found errors in 52 percent of them, the same percentage of errors found over in Charlottesville Circuit Court Clerk's office, headed by Paul Garrett. Tasha Kates has the story in the Progress.
Less government: Fluvanna County redistricts itself from six to five Board of Supervisors seats, pending an okay from state and federal officials.
Priciest new listing: The late John Kluge's Palm Beach oceanfront estate, which he left to Columbia University, goes on the market for $59 million, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. The property sits on four-plus acres and holds five buildings, including two vintage houses.
Sharpest contrast in real estate deals: The Charlottesville restaurant formerly known as Fuel owned by Kluge's ex, Patricia, will be sold at foreclosure July 14.
Best John Grisham dish: The prolific author tells Parade magazine that his wife Renee once hurled the 500-page manuscript of The Rainmaker at him, that he writes in a chair equipped with a built-in massager, and that a favorite book is one of those 10,000-moniker baby-naming volumes, which he finds essential for coming up with the names of fictional characters.


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