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To cry and be sad.
I hold her down again tonight,
arms pushing against tiny legs
as she thrashes and squirms and begs.
"Please, Mum.
I feel for a place on her belly to put the needle in
and her limbs curl protectively over it,
in one sharp move
as if my arms are feather weight.
She's strong when she's frightened.
"Not there, it's sore.
Not there either".
Then where?
I can feel the sweat forming on my upper lip
and the telltale pinch of anxiety in my shoulders.
Her face crumples into a mass of tears
and stress
and worry.
"I don't know.
My whole tummy is just sore all over".
I don't want to do this anymore.
Her father gets to stroke her hair.
He whispers softly to her,
tries to talk her around to letting me pierce her skin
and not for the first time since all of this started
I feel resentful that he gets to be the kind one
while I am mean.
Not of him
but of the situation.
I resent the situation.
I may have thought it many times but this is the first time I have verbalised it
and it's like twisting a knife into my lungs.
I feel as though I can't breathe.
Her eyes search mine to see if I will relent -
if I will give up first (and I want to, goodness knows I do)
but I can't.
The needle is unsheathed and ready to go
and I am committed.
These injections and infusions mean healthier days and extended periods out of the hospital.
They are necessary.
A procedure that should have taken barely a minute has already extended to ten
and I can feel the tears prickling at the corners of my eyes
from watching her distress and uncertainty.
Her hands move without destination every time I try to find a place needle worthy
until I ask Dave to hold them
and they both look at me as though I am the cruelest person on this earth.
Maybe I am.
I feel cruel tonight.
My temper is thin and I feel judged
and hurt
and un-brave.
I want to throw the syringe as far as I can and
I don't know how it got to this;
this place of not coping.
This place of extreme bargaining and fear
but I wish that someone would take it all away for her.
I wish that I could.
Instead I count to three and push the thick fluid into the tissue of her tummy
followed by another quickly afterwards.
"I'm sorry", she says as she hugs me tightly and I, her.
"I'm sorry I cried and was upset but I couldn't stop it".
I tell her that it's all okay -
it's alright to cry and be sad.
I kiss the hurting places,
dry her tears
and tuck the girl and her brother in for the night
and only then
do I lock myself in the toilet to cry.
The toilet -
the only safe place a mother can release the pent up emotions of the day
without seeing the affects they have on her children.
26 Responses to "To cry and be sad."
Sometimes we all need to cry xxx
I'm sad for you too ((hugs))
oh i feel for you all, you are doing what is needed to help Ivy stay well, stay strong Tiff a good cry sometimes helps
Oh Tiff……….it is heartbreaking when we know we have to do something for the betterment of our loved ones………..but it doesn't always make it any easier to do………Huge {{hugs}} hun…we all need that special place to cry & let it all out when we need to.
Crying for you and Ivy too.
I am so sorry. Alex fought me so hard on his at this age. It does get better. Do y'all have Emla Cream over there? It numbs the area and helps. We also gave him atarax to help with his anxiety for a bit. Another thing that helped was giving him some control over the situation. He picks the night we infuse, he puts his emla on, he has even stuck himself. (He won't do it now.) Let her count before you stick. These poor kids have no control over any of this, maybe giving her some back will help with her anxiety. Hugs. It does get better.
Hugs Tiff. Lots of hugs for you. xx
Sending love. If I were there I'd do it for you…
No words……just love xoxox
A mother doing all she can to bring more days at home as a family, is the toughest job ever!
All my love tiff xx
oh tiff, thanks for sharing this. It is so hard for all of you. xx
Hugs xx
You are in my thoughts and prayers. This is love and parenting at its hardest. Xx
Of course you need to cry your heart out away from everyone and if the toilet is the place to allow you some release from the pain, then so be it. Whatever you do, don't feel any shame in this. This is tough love in it's worst form and again, it is the most difficult thing a parent ever has to face. As hard as it is though, you need to persevere if there is the promise for better outcomes other than constant disruptive hospital admissions, for both Ivy and the family as a whole.
You need some respite from this constant stress and maybe that could help Ivy, too if she doesn't feel the anticipation of your reaction to hers. Could you educate the older girls and Dave and have them take turns with you? That way you won't be the only one administering the necessary meds and can in turn be Ivy's comforter, too. Otherwise, you could make enquiries through council or the appropriate body, for a home nurse service just for those times when it all becomes too difficult for family members or even on a permanent basis. It might make a difference for Ivy, when not done by family members, to accept the necessity more readily and feel more relaxed about the procedure. Something to consider, maybe?
I can, however, understand your heartfelt anguish for Ivy & your uncertainty about your ability to be able to continue. Continue you must, however you can, for Ivy's continued well being. You have to try to find a solution somehow to make this all easier for you, for Ivy and for all concerned, even if it seems the only way is to closet yourself and submit to the cleansing of the soul through tears. Crying is absolutely a much needed release from all inner turmoil and a definate coping mechanism.
I hope you know you are doing your absolute utmost as a capable home nurse and most importantly, the most loving, caring and accomplished mum Ivy could ever have wished for. xoxo
Hugs to you Tiff and to your sweet little girl. Your entire family is often on my mind- please know that you do have lots of love and support and people cheering you on from nearby and even on the other side of the world. Thanks for sharing your story and putting yourself out there. You are a fantastic mother who has to deal with unthinkable, unimaginable stress on a daily basis. You have nothing but respect from me. <3
Sometimes I find these blogs so hard to read and then I think about how much harder they must be for you to write and how living it must be even harder too.
Hugs to you all xx
So sorry for all the pain this causes you two, physically, mentally and emotionally. I know it does not help to say try not to personalize Ivy's pleas and emotional upheaval, but the shots and infusions have to happen. Try your mum's idea of trying to have David or the big girls take turns.That way she knows its not just you. However I am not sure they could cope with Ivy's reaction. See if the pain Dr./ clinic can see you sooner – if they have a cancellation that gives you enough time to make that appointment. Or reconsider anxiety medication temporarily. Get her doctors, especially the woman MD to help with the smallest dose that is effective, and ask how long to give it to her before shots. Is there any cold med or antihistamine that makes her drowsy? Could this be a choice before anxiety meds. Its a rotten alternative but it is traumatizing you both. You are so brave and stoic. Sorry this is tearing you up inside. Would you consider a short term med for you to take before you do procedures on her. Just to get both of you over this hump. Sorry , don't mean to offend. It is such a tough situation. Try chocolate for you and a treat she can have after injections, preferably during a snuggle. Bless you both. XX Barbara
Oh Tiff – you can cry in front of me any time you want to darling – it is hard and horrible and unfair – and as much as you know the validity and reasons and all of the good points, you are allowed to feel shortchanged by the whole situation.
I'm so so sorry. You are amazing.
Beautifully written post Tiff. Wish there was something I could write that would help make it better. xx
Tiff I can't begin to imagine what you go through nobody deserves this in their life especially you and Ivy why can't we say enough is enough and all is fixed xoxoxo
Such incredible angst, I'm sorry. I must say I am glad you finally had your husband be the hand holder and can absolutely understand the anger and resentfulness of the good cop/bad cop scenario. How would he like to give these injections on a regular basis? Of course he wouldn't, and besides, if it wouldn't be worse for her, you two would've come to that already. You seem good partners by far; this too will pass but in the meantime, there's no easy answer. Have you thought of inviting Ivy to participate? Whatever she can do… 'Ivy, would you be willing to put the Emla cream on? Pick 2 spots and we'll see which works best'; (if she says no, ask 'what would you be willing to do?')… Can she uncap syringes or hold the saline or gauze or anything of import to make her feel part of the process. Pick which stuffy she'll hold or which video she'll watch or which sticker she'll put on the chart… whatever. Just throwing ideas out. Sending good vibes your way from Vermont… Oh, and the shower is good for tears too.
Oh Tiff I so feel for you. I found reading this entry of yours very difficult and want to reach out and hug you. I can't even imagine…well I can imagine a little of what it is like as my son has been hospitalized twice with major infections and he always reacts like that for even oral medications let alone needles. The feelings you are having, I understand…even if on a lesser scale. That's what makes it so difficult for me to read your words, it's bad enough when I'm dealing with my boy's orals….nothing works and I end up a sweaty crazy impatient emotional begging mess trying so hard to appear calm and in control. Us mums have no choice. It goes without saying that my heart is with Ivy, but it goes out to you just as much.


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World-renowned chef and world-wide traveler Andrew Zimmern has been to what seems like the end of the earth and back. While the Bizarre Foods host may have, well, bizarre yet impeccable food choices, his travel and hotel preferences are top notch. Zimmern told Oyster which kid-friendly hotels he loves most and why.
First up, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
"Stunning new rooms, great room service and the tower suites are great for families. As a business traveler the amenities and service here are top notch, too." - Andrew Zimmern
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Check it out on Oyster >>

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A grinning gargoyle dragon takes a time out to share her proudest moment with her fairytale friend - with a look of wonder, he carefully cradles her tiny newborn offspring! A storybook scene of captivating charm, lovingly rendered in faux stone for the look of a hand-carved sculpture. Polystone.
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A collection of news and information related to Marquette Golden Eagles published by this site and its partners.
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Today's Video of the Day is a reminder to appreciate the treasures around you.
Phil Friedman, Patch fishing columnist and host of the Phil Friedman Outdoors radio show, was kind enough to share this video he shot of the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean from Seal Beach Wednesday. Enjoy!
Take a photo or video of something interesting in Seal Beach, Leisure World, Los Alamitos and Rossmoor and upload it to Patch's photo gallery. I'll post it to the site as our photo of the day. Include your name and some information about the photo.


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Not everyone is able to commit to full-time study during the regular work day. In light of this, Tyndale University College offers a variety of avenues for you to study in the way that best fits your life now.
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The HinduPrint Edition
New Delhi (PTI) Amid an apparent tussle between Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit over ban on plastic bags, the city government on Saturday decided to intensify its drive against their use in shopping malls and markets.
The decision comes three days after Mr. Ramesh disfavoured a blanket ban on use of plastic bags arguing that use of paper bags as an alternative to plastic would lead to cutting of more trees.
In the meeting, the Chief Minister directed the concerned departments as well as MCD and NDMC to implement "seriously" the the ban on plastic bags, which was enforced almost six months ago, official sources said.
Ms. Dikshit, who strongly opposed Mr. Ramesh's observation disfavouring the ban, also directed the officials to examine whether the plastic bag manufacturing units in the city were adhering to norms.
Attended by top officials of state environment department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) besides other concerned departments, the meeting also decided to involve educational institutions in creating awareness against plastic bags.
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By SCOTT WILSON
Glasgow Daily Times
The Barren County High School Trojans got back in the District 15 baseball picture Tuesday afternoon with a 6-1 victory on the road at Monroe County.
"Well, we played a lot better today than we have been playing," said Barren County coach Johnny Vance. "Josh Owen pitched really well, and the big thing was we put the bat on the ball. We had nine hits."
With Glasgow losing to Allen County-Scottsville on Tuesday, GHS is now 3-2 in district play, while Monroe County is 2-2. Allen County is 2-1 and Barren County is 1-3.
Read more of this story in the print or digital Glasgow Daily Times.


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By Susanna Flood, Amnesty International's Director of Media
On the surface, everything is quiet in Bangui, the tiny capital city of the Central African Republic. Strangely quiet. But behind this silence, stories of devastation are emerging. The city is calm, but people are afraid.
There are virtually no cars on the road and an eerie silence is hanging over the city. And then you hear a short burst of gunfire coming from one of the various quartiers which have been beset by fighting since early yesterday or French fighter jets do a sudden and unexpected fly-pass, making their presence in the city known.


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How to Apply for Funding
Application Procedures:
- All faculty and fellows from Penn, CHOP, WI, and USP are eligible to submit applications.
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- Initial letter of intent should include a maximum of a 2-page description of the project. The letter of intent should also specify whether or not the applicant is requesting financial support for analysis or only administrative guidance, technical advice, and access to currently
- After pre-screening of these letters of intent, the applicant will be notified whether or not a full application can be submitted. If selected, full applications should include a cover letter submitting the application, co-signed by the chair of the department, an Abstract, and a maximum of a 5-page description of the project, using single space, 12-point Arial font and a minimum of 1 inch margins. Proposals for research projects should be formatted as follows: Specific Aims, Background, Study Design, Source Population, Analysis, Sample Size, Limitations, and Implications.
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
- The grant period will be one year, with a second year possible upon approval and completion of first-year milestones.
- Applications should specify which of the following available resources are requested: access to the automated databases; analyst help; biostatistical help; publication costs; travel costs to present the research; other research costs. Funding will not be used to pay for faculty time or administrative support.
- Submit all applications to Brian Strom or James Lewis
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What Went Right: The Improved DefenseBy
Over the next week or so, we'll again break down what went wrong and what went right for the 2009 Yankees. The series this year will be much more enjoyable than the last.
Pitching and defense wins championships, or so the saying goes. The 2008 Yankees were one of the game's worst defensive clubs, ranking next to last in the AL, and third worst overall, with a -44.5 team UZR. They were particularly bad in rightfield, where Bobby Abreu shied away from walls (-25.3 UZR/150), and at first base, where Jason Giambi had the range of a life-sized cardboard cutout of Jason Giambi. If that wasn't bad enough, both Derek Jeter (-0.7 UZR/150) and Robinson Cano (-7.0) were subpar in the middle infield.
Unfortunately, bad defense has been a staple of recent Yankee teams, and it's not a coincidence that those teams bowed out in the first round of the playoffs. The 2009 Mariners and 2008 Rays were able to overhaul their defense in one offseason, but the Yanks weren't in a position to turn such a trick last winter because they're locked in at so many positions. Instead, the team had to make small improvements where they could, and hope that new first base coach Mick Kelleher could help the guys that were already here.
The first step in the defensive transformation came when the braintrust decided to let Abreu and Giambi walk. Both were extremely productive offensive players, but … um … "limited" in the field, which dragged down their value and overall contribution to the team. Nick Swisher replaced Abreu and instantly upgraded the defense through his average range and willingness to go after a ball hit to the wall. Mark Teixeira took over for Giambi, and the difference was like night and day. Not only would Tex dare to venture after balls hit more than three feet away from him, but he also saved many an error for the other infielders with his scoops around the bag.
Replacing Abreu and Giambi was only part of the process. After a subpar defensive season in 2008, Cano rebounded to provide solid defense at the keystone spot, and even just part-time duty from Brett Gardner helped turn more balls hit to center into outs. Perhaps the most surprising defensive improvement came from Derek Jeter, who despite being traditionally awful in the field, actually enjoyed what was arguably the best defensive season of his career. Kelleher has a reputation as a defensive guy, so maybe we need to start giving me more credit than we have (basically none).
Here's a position by position comparison of the 2008 and the 2009 Yankee defenses (click for a larger view):
As you can see, the team improved defensively at five of the seven non-pitcher & catcher spots this year. Johnny Damon's unexpected nosedive off the defensive cliff is the glaring exception, although Alex Rodriguez also went backwards a bit last year, likely due to his hip surgery. In the end, the team enjoyed tremendous defensive improvements at first and short, as well as in right and center. As a reward for their efforts, they set a Major League record by not committing an error in 18 consecutive games.
Overall, the Yankees went from one of the worst defensive clubs in the game in 2008 to about middle of the pack in 2009. Their -18.5 team UZR this year is by no means outstanding, but when combined with their strikeout pitching staff and juggernaut lineup, it was more than enough to get the job done.
Photo Credit: Jeff Gross, Getty Images
83 Comments»
Not only did Giambi have no range, I think I have a better arm than he has. I seem to remember him eating a lot of balls that could have cut a lead runner down if he could make the throw.
Let's be grateful Giambi didn't try to make the throw.
I don't like how UZR doesn't always reflect what you see yourself. Seems to make no sense how Tex and Cano had negative seasons? I watched nearly every game and thought that they were far above average based on what I saw with my own eyes. Maybe it's just me but I don't think UZR is a very good system.
UZR doesn't tell the whole story for first basemen, so that's why it seems odd for Tex. For Cano, I think it fits right. Watching him all season, I saw some weeks during which he was unmatched in the field but then other weeks during which he looked like he was wearing cement goulashes trying to get to the ball.
"… wearing cement
goulashesgaloshes trying to get to the ball."
That's a pretty funny mistake right there.
As a first generation American (family is from Hungary), THAT IS NOT FUNNY AT ALL!!!!
Destroyer of culture!
The point of UZR is that it's supposed to make up for the bias of your eyes. I'm not defending it as a foolproof, perfect system, but "your eyes" telling you something different is part of the point.
UZR seems to change wildly over the course of the season.
Probably about a year ago I posted in the comments here tracking Cano's UZR through the 2008 season. He was well in the positives, one of the best 2B in the game actually, for most of the season. Then he got hit in the hand and fell far into the negatives for about a month, then made up a lot – but not all – of that negative score over the final month of the season.
After following that, I'm kinda skeptical of UZR. Seems to change drastically very easily.
After following that, I'm kinda skeptical of UZR. Seems to change drastically very easily.
It's interesting that player UZRs can fluctuate considerably from season to season, and people take that as evidence of the stat's worthlessness, but batting average/OBP/SLG/wOBA, shit, any number of offensive stats can also fluctuate wildly from one season to the next, and those stats aren't questioned in that manner.
Maybe UZR needs a BABIP qualifier stat of some sort to help elucidate it's randomness. Maybe players just have lucky/unlucky or random years in the field, just like they can have at the plate.
Just a thought.
Or, maybe this: Maybe people are overstating how much the fluctuation truly matters. Maybe it's a significance issue, like the WAR discussion we had the other day.
Maybe any UZR between, say, +5.0 and -5.0 should be largely ignored (because all those players are roughly average) but UZR's that are significantly negative or positive should be noted as the players who are markedly better or markedly worse than their peers.
Maybe the numbers should be +10 and -10. Maybe they should be +20 and -20.
Maybe UZR isn't really significant when debating the defensive skills of a guy who posts a +4.2 and another guy who posts a -1.3, but UZR is useful to say that they're both way better than Bobby Abreu and both way worse than Carl Crawford.
Just more thoughts. Slice and dice them away, please.
Thinking about loud here based on what you just said…
The Yankees allowed 753 runs this season. If you're comparing a guy with a +4.2 and a guy with a -1.3, the difference is still less than 1% of the runs allowed by the team.
753 total runs / 9 positions ~= 84 runs per position, assuming an even distribution (which is probably horrendously wrong)
A swing of 5 runs is only about 6% of the runs assigned to that position, which doesn't seem that significant. A -25 (Abreu territory) is about 30%, which seems like a lot.
I have no idea how to make this train of thought into something significant, but that's where your thoughts led me.
I agree that it's a perception issue, that's an interesting point. For some reason, perhaps due to the traditional lack of measurable defensive metrics, people seem to think players' performance on defense stays completely, or close to completely, level over the course of multi-season intervals. For some reason they have no problem with offensive production fluctuating, sometimes wildly, but can't wrap their minds around fluctuations in defensive performance.
Just a random, tangentially related thought… But it also seems interesting to me that a decent portion of the people who seem to hold the view described above are also the types to criticize metrics as being somehow disconnected from, or even in opposition to, their perception of the game and the more human nuances of the game… Those ideas just seem contradictory to me, I don't know. It seems funny to criticize a metric for seemingly measuring performance fluctuations – a seemingly most human of phenomenon.
I also wonder if it's a denotation/connotation issue.
The resistance to UZR stats may be simply that they express things in a positive/negative scale, and people see + and equate that with "good" and – and equate it with "bad". It's not that simple. It's not good and bad, it's above average and below average.
If UZR was like batting average, where the average player had a UZRba of .300, and a guy like Tex would instead have a UZRba of .284 (solid but subpar) while a great centerfielder like Brett Gardner would have a UZRba of .345, maybe that would make things more easy for the anti-UZR crowd to digest.
This is why the guys who created stats like wOBA and the like tried to normalize them to a batting-average-like expression of numbers. For the same reason that early Christians co-opted pagan rituals like having a celebration day on December 25th with a tree and shit. To make it easy for the uneducated and unfamiliar to digest.
Very good point. Stats like UZR, or WAR, etc., present multiple problems to the unfamiliar and resistant – the big picture problem of trying to explain things to people they've never had broken down into numbers before, and the more detailed problem of getting people to think about and digest a slightly different numerical comparison system than they're used to.
It just takes time… As much as we might complain about the lack of modern statistical analysis in the MSM and among the common fan, the tide is certainly turning, however slowly. It takes time for some people to wrap their minds around these concepts.
It's interesting that player UZRs can fluctuate considerably from season to season
Apologies if this post doesn't come through ok, the link is breaking the preview but I don't see any reason why it should.
It's not season to season that I have issue with. I can see lots of reasons for that to happen – age, injuries, different people doing the official scoring, etc. It's month to month where I have issues.
Summarizing the data I found back in April here.
Cano's UZR in 2008:
All Star Break: 6.6 (2nd best at 2B)
September 2: -7.88
End of season: -3.72
Swings that large say to me that either the stat is near worthless, or the sample sizes involved are so small that you can't make a conclusion any more detailed than "awful / ok / great".
Yes, but how is that any different than, say, Nick Swisher having an insane April and then regressing to the norm, or Mark Teixeira doing the exact same thing in reverse?
Why is UZR worthless because it's prone to sample-size variations, but offensive stats, stats that see that EXACT SAME sample size variation are not questioned? That's not logically consistent.
UZR proponents would not claim that a month of UZR data would remotely be enough to make a definitive and finite claim about anything. This seems like a petty gripe.
Swings that large say to me that either the stat is near worthless…
It's not that
…or the sample sizes involved are so small that you can't make a conclusion any more detailed than "awful / ok / great".
Yes, but how is that any different than, say, Nick Swisher having an insane April and then regressing to the norm, or Mark Teixeira doing the exact same thing in reverse?
It's different because they started the season off with one abnormal month then regressed to their norms over the next 5 months. Their Aprils were only as noticable as they were because they had no stats accumulated.
Cano had a huge swing in the second half of the season, after he already had half a season of stats built up.
Why is UZR worthless because it's prone to sample-size variations, but offensive stats, stats that see that EXACT SAME sample size variation are not questioned? That's not logically consistent.
But it's not prone to the same sample-size issues. One bad month late in a season isn't enough to take someone's offensive line from one of the best to one of the worst. It can with UZR.
UZR proponents would not claim that a month of UZR data would remotely be enough to make a definitive and finite claim about anything. This seems like a petty gripe.
I wouldn't judge anyone on one month. My problem is believing that one month could possibly outweigh the ~3.5 months before it by that drastic a margin.
Look at it this way. Cano's August + late July was worth about -14 runs. Being generous to Cano, he cost a run every 3 games. More than that really, as I'm overestimating the number of games in that span. Considering one missed play is worth a fraction of a run, that's a ton of missed balls.
My problem here is not the fact that the numbers change, but that the amount they changed isn't believable for what they're supposed to represent.
You think you're going to convince them with some coefficient of determination numbers? Heh, they'll throw that shit under the bus as even more arcane and irrelevant statistical gobbledygook.
Nice try, though, Jamal (and David Appleman). Fight the good fight and all that.
I was hoping they would be scared into submission by the big, bad mathematics.
The human brain's capacity for learning is matched only by the human brain's capacity for building a total and complete psychological aversion to learning.
I like this; are these your own words?
Agree with Jamal; that was beautiful.
Maybe it's just me but I don't think UZR is a very good system.
It's just you.
(Well, it's not just you, it's also lots of other people just like you who are also fearful of acknowledging the inherent fallibility of eyewitness evidence.)
I am not sold on UZR either, personally. Now admittedly I don't understand it fully, but from what I've seen of it as a metric, does not seem reliable. I am willing to be convinced but deferring to it as an end-all stat is conclusory too.
To begin with, all stats are supposed to guard against fallibility of eyewitness evidence, so it's not that part of it that I question. For example, I can just as easily say that offensive player X sucks because I saw him bat a bunch of times and he did not hit the ball well, and you can debunk me and shut me up by citing a .300+ BA, which I'd have no qualms about.
No conventional stat has ever been really used, to my knowledge (at least not for everyday fans but maybe at an esoteric level for scouts etc), as one end-all for defense (like the way BA measures hitting I mean). I think it comes off as too ambitious and coupled with the fact that prior perceptions seem to contradict it, it becomes that much easier to question.
In an effort to try to better understand UZR, I just googled it, and led me to an explanation that would seem to undermine it more(!) This an explanation from Fangraphs, to the effect that it is an "inferential" stat only is unlike offensive statistics which are "descriptive" ones and that only several years of data as a sample size lead to confidence in its accuracy!
I understand that it measures zones. Still incomplete as a stat because, in the case of using it to compare the defense of 2 outfielders, for example, does UZR measure which one has a better arm? (Would it tell you that Nick Markakis has 7 outfield assists in 2009, for example?) It might but I just don't know. I really need to know fully how a stat is compiled before I can fully trust it. I trust it now as an incomplete suggestive indicator, at best. That's my personal comfort level, anyone else is free to rely on it however they wish.
…Alex Rodriguez also went backwards a bit last year, likely due to his hip surgery…
ARod's individual 3B UZR did decline sharply, yes (-2.6 in 2008, -8.6 in 2009), but don't overlook the negative contributions from two of our favorite RAB whipping boys, Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa.
In 2008, ARod played 1126.1 of the team total 1441.2 innings at third (78.1%). In 2009, he played only 974.1 of the team total 1450.0 innings at third (67.1%). His hip injury not only detracted from his defense, it meant increased PT for his backups, and frankly, only one of them was good. The rest? Meh.
Non-ARod Yankee 3B, 2009, sorted by Inn:
Cody Ransom: 164.0 inn, -4.8
Ramiro Pena: 135.1 inn, +1.3
Jerry Hairston: 76.0 inn, +0.6
Angel Berroa: 63.0 inn, -2.5
Eric Hinske: 35.1 inn, +0.3
Jose Molina: 2.0 inn, 0.0
The moral of the story: Cody Ransom sucks at life.
(Postscript: ARod's three primary backups in 2008? Morgan Ensberg: 133 inn, -2.4; Wilson Betemit: 100 inn, -4.2; The Attorney General: 54.2 inn, -2.2. Not a pretty picture either. I'm quickly warming to the idea of Ramiro Peña just getting every single ARod or Jeter off day; at least we'll get super-premium defense from the hole we create.)
I agree. The backup infielders should at least be a well above average defender, and anything you get out of offense is a bonus, obviously up to a certain point.
Hinske played that many innings at third? Wow.
Yeah, but 35 innings is what, 4 games? That's not much.
Oh I know, but I didn't remember him getting even that "many" innings.
Meh, they were all September/October games when we had already salted away the division (for all intents and purposes) and were just playing out the string and resting guys.
He had two full games where he went all 9 innings at third. The dates of September 28th and October 3rd should tell you all you need to know.
Mike Cameron!
I have absolutely no idea why I replied here. Anyway, I once saw Adam Dunn on Web Gems making diving catch, thus he's a better fielder than that scrub we have who misplayed a ball in the WS, and he should be our CF.
/That guy below me
Adam Dunn should be our WHOLE outfield because of that play. That way we can load up the infield with 2 extra guys, you'll never ever see a ball get thru the infield (except of course pasta diving Jeter).
Word, bitch, PHANTOMS LIKE A MUHFUCKA!!!
Applesauce, bitch.
No more hairy bushed nuns…Silent Bob, we're going to Hollywood…
Damon: You frosted your hair?
Affleck: Yeah, I frosted my hair. It looks good.
Matt Damon: Just take it from "It's a good course."
Ben Affleck: Oh, now you're the director.
Matt Damon: Hey shove it, Bounce-boy. Let's remember who talked who into doing this shit in the first place. Talking me into Dogma was one thing, but this…
Ben Affleck: Hey look, I'm sorry I dragged you away from whatever-gay-serial-killers-who-ride-horses-and-like-to-play-golf-touchy-feely-picture you're supposed to be doing this week.
Matt Damon: I take it you haven't seen Forces of Nature?
Ben Affleck: You're like a child. What've I been telling you? You gotta do the safe picture. Then you can do the art picture. But then sometimes you gotta do the payback picture because your friend says you owe him.
[They both take a beat and look at the camera]
Ben Affleck: And sometimes, you have to go back to the well.
Matt Damon: And sometimes, you do Reindeer Games.
Ben Affleck: See, that's just mean.
Loved the D this year. Not great, but we only need to be middle of the pack with the offense we have.
Any stat that says Gardner is a good fielder is BS. Remember that ball he misplayed in the WS? That's enough evidence for me (even if he wasn't going to catch it anyway).
Seriously, though, worst bounce ever? I'd say it's one of them.
Gardner also made some spectacular plays and doesn't let walls get in the way. He more often than not gets dissed on this site but he has a history of improving his offensive game at every level of ball (college and pro). I don't think the Yanks would be disappointed in the results or the bang for the buck they would get if they gave him 500 at bats next year (based on his production before the thumb injury).
I'm curious to see what Gary Sheffield's UZR was in 2006…when he was basket-catching throws to 1B…
The 2006 playoff team was so stacked with offense…but our 2 main options at 1B was still Jason Giambi…or Gary Sheffield (or Andy Phillips)…yuck
I thought it would be much worse…
only 9 games though
True. Does this include the postseason or just regular?
i assume just regular season.
UZR came up in a chat with Callis this week. Obviously, there's nothing to say his opinion is the correct one; but I have seen more and more people questioning this particular metric.
phnphilly (Lancaster, PA)
Jim, When you look at Chase Utley's defesive UZR numbers combined over the last 4 seasons it shows that he is not only the best defensive 2nd basement in baseball….but he actually has the highest UZR over that time of any defensive player at any position. At some point in time don't you think he deserves a gold glove?
Jim Callis (2:10 PM)
I do. But I don't think the people who vote on Gold Gloves spend a lot of time poring over defensive metrics. As an aside, I enjoy looking at the defensive metrics, but I still don't put full faith in them. They don't always agree with each other and there seems to be more fluctuation year to year for individual players than makes sense. At least to me.
They don't always agree with each other and there seems to be more fluctuation year to year for individual players than makes sense. At least to me.
Again, this probably means that our long-held views about the consistency of defense are WRONG, not that the stat is wrong.
The old baseball saw that "defense doesn't slump" is most assuredly false.
Yeah, it's not a stretch to assume that if a guy is struggling at the plate, it can affect his defense. I know that's going out on a limb…but come on. Why would defense be 100% consistent day after day, month after month, year after year. We SEE it with Cano, some days he looks like a Gold Glover and some days he looks like Bill Buckner. He's far from the only one who is inconsistent but of course he gets pointed out (ummm, because he's lazy…). I would love to see the correlation to slumps at the plate and slumps in the field. Maybe some guys slump on both offense and defense at the same time. Maybe some guys rake on offense and slip on D, and maybe some guys are slumping on offense and make extra effort on D.
"The old baseball saw that 'defense doesn't slump' is most assuredly false."
I was going to mention this point above when we talked about how it's strange that the same people who extoll the human elements of the game as a way to somehow push-back against statistical analysis seem to think that defensive performance doesn't fluctuate… It's also weird that they think defensive performance doesn't fluctuate since they tend to be the same people who fall-back on the 'well if you've ever played the game then you'd understand better than by looking at stats' thing. I mean, I played the game (as did just about everyone who reads/comments here, I assume), and that's one of the reasons (in addition to observational, statistical and common sense evidence) why I know that defensive performance certainly does fluctuate. It's just such a bizarre concept to me, that people seem to think defensive performance doesn't fluctuate, it just seems so counterintuitive in every way.
+10.3 (future Yankee CF Mike Cameron's UZR/150)
But the first part suggesting that they don't always agree with each other is still an issue. I don't have the stats at hand, but (for example) if UZR rates a player as above average, but the +/- system rates him as below average, how do we know what to trust. Obviously they can't both be right, and we're left to make guesses about which one we believe to be more accurate because there isn't a lot of detail on how the stats are actually calculated.
THAT point is a better one. I personally am not familiar enough yet with Dewan's +/- system to speak intelligently on it, but there probably should be a thorough comparison of the two to determine which metric more closely matches the truth.
The old baseball saw that "defense doesn't slump" is most assuredly false.
Definitely agree there.
Again, this probably means that our long-held views about the consistency of defense are WRONG, not that the stat is wrong.
It's also possible that both are wrong.
Just because we've moved on from fielding percentage doesn't mean we have defensive stats figured out yet. It took a while to move from AVG to things like wOBA, VORP, etc. There were some better but flawed steps along the way, like OPS. It took over a hundred years to come up with stats like wOBA and VORP. We're still in the infancy of good defensive stats, so expect the stats we're using today to be considered flawed as we understand it better.
Jeter's "range" issues are not helped by those 3rd basemen he's been playing with. More kudos to the captain.
How about AJ's wild pitches next year? Do they go down with Cervelli? Do they go up with Posada? Do they stay the same with Molina (God-forbid)


text:
Online Backgammon Glossary
complete Backgammon Dictionary
Just start playing backgammon and have no idea what people you are playing are saying half the time? Been playing backgammon for awhile but still get stuck by some experienced player's mastery of backgammon jargon? If you are looking for a particular backgammon term just click on the letter below and scroll down until you find it.
Dance (Dancing on the Bar): To fail to re-enter off the bar. A game can be difficult to win if your opponent strengthens their position while you dance on the bar.
Dead Checker: A checker deep in your own inner board that can no longer help build a point. It is difficult to close your inner board if you have too many dead checkers.
Dead Cube (Frozen Cube): This is a term used in backgammon match play when the doubling cube is not further used because the value of the cube is enough for the player to win the match. It is sometimes easier to double an opponent when you know the cube will be dead if it is accepted because you know it cannot be given back to you to double the stakes yet again.
Decline a Double: See Drop.
Deep : Refers to the one or two point in your inner board. It is usually unwise to make deep points early in the game unless you are attempting a blitz.
Deprive yourself of numbers: See Killing Numbers.
Deuce Point: The 2 point.
Dice : Cubes with dots numbered from 1 to 6. Each player takes turns rolling a pair of dice to determine the amount of spaces per move. The dots on the dice are also referred to as pips. A single roll of the dice has the potential to win or lose a game.
Dice Cup: A cylinder or open-ended box, in which a player shakes the dice and casts them. Dice cups were probably employed in backgammon to reduce the chances of manipulating the dice using sleight of hand.
Die : The singular form of Dice.
Dilly Builder: A spare checker that can only help to build a deep point in your inner board. The only purpose of a dilly builder is to make the 1 or 2 point which are more useful at the end of a game.
Direct Shot: When a checker can be hit by a number on a single die (1-6). A direct shot will be hit more frequently than an indirect one.
Disengage : To break contact with the opponents checkers turning the game into a pure race. When well ahead in the race it is wise to disengage.
Diversification (Diversify): Arranging checkers so that you will have different useful numbers on the following turn. It is better to arrange checkers in a way that whatever number you roll on your next turn, you will have a constructive play to make.
DMP: See Double Match Point. A match that goes to DMP is played
just as if it were a one point game.
Double (give a little present to, cube, turn the crank, up the ante, twist): The process of turning the cube in backgammon. Each double multiplies the preceding stakes by two. While the cube itself has
markings only up to 64, theoretically doubling and redoubling can continue beyond this number. In practical play the cube is seldom above 8. A player generally doubles when they feel they have a distinct advantage in the game almost daring their opponent to play on for double the stakes.
Double Ducks (Ducks, Quacks): The roll of double 2's. Ducks on an early roll are usually played by making the 4 pt. and the 11 pt.
Double Dummy: Speculating or discussing what would have been the correct move in light of what has been rolled and not what the odds dictated at the time. It is double dummy to try and justify a poor decision by looking at the very next roll, it is the majority of rolls that should be used to make decisions.
Double Game: See Gammon. Or alternatively: A money or chouette game where an automatic double has to be taken after the first roll was tied. Some players don't play with the automatic double rule that would cause a double game when the roll is tied.
Double Hit (Two on the Roof): To hit two opposing blots at the same time. A double hit is a very powerful tempo move as the opponent's entire roll must be used to attempt to re-enter the checkers rather than strengthen their position.
Double Jeopardy: When an awkward number could appear on either of the next two rolls. A stripped position while bearing off against a good backgame could lead to double jeopardy.
Double Match Point (DMP): When both players are either one away or two away from the end of the backgammon match. At double match point when two away, the Bots tend to double on the very first roll whereas human players tend to wait for some small advantage hoping
for their opponent to drop.
Doubles (Doublets): Two dice with the same number, which allows you to move twice the amount of the double. Doubles are especially useful during the bear off when you may get to take off 4 checkers instead of only two.
Doubling Cube (Doubling Block): See Cube.
Doubling on the Come: Doubling in expectation of a good roll. Some players like to double when they have a single shot at a checker when if hit, would lead to winning the game even though the odds are against them.
Double Whopper (also Double Whopper with Cheese): A very big blunder or mistake. When players are discussing errors in checker play they use the term whopper (referencing the Burger King delicacy) to varying degrees based on the severity of the error.
Doubling Window: The 'window' of opportunity (time) during a backgammon game where offering a double would be advantageous and give you the greatest equity. If you double before the window it is too early and an easy take and if you double after the window it is too late and is a drop. The window is typically when you have 60-75% match winning chances. To offer efficient doubles in backgammon it is a
good idea to get an estimate of the match equity to make sure you are within the doubling window.
Downside : What you lose if you take a risk and don't succeed. The downside to slotting an important point is that the blot may be hit.
Drop : 1. To Drop a double (pass). 2. To drop a man (slot). When there is less than a 25% chance of winning a game it is usually wise to drop a double. Some people like to drop a man from the 6 pt. to the 5 pt. with an opening roll of 2-1.
Dropper : 1. Someone who tends to drop (decline, pass) doubles even when they should be accepted. 2. A term for someone who leaves in the middle of an online match because they are losing. It is good to offer early doubles against a dropper. Several servers have matches finished automatically by Bots after a certain amount of time to negate the efforts of droppers.
Drop Point: The point at which it is no longer equitable to take a double. The drop point changes depending on the match score.
Drop -Take: A situation in a Chouette where one player drops a double while another takes but both share the loss on the dropped cube and the potential wins or losses on the taken cube. A drop-take situation in a Chouette leads to only one cube still in play but two players sharing it and the loss from the dropped cube.
Duplication : Arranging checkers so that your opponent needs the same numbers to do useful things (i.e.. hit a shot) on the next roll. If you have to leave shots during a backgammon game it is advantageous to
practice duplication and leave the shots the same number of pips away from the checkers that can hit them.


text:
Oh, where to begin. I suppose with Lord save me from all conspiracy theorists of the inflated-head variety.
In a "journalistic" to my chicken-related blog, I was accused of master-minding a vast chicken-wing conspiracy. This accusation was based on comments on my husband's Facebook page (creepy) and my own desire to have Geneva allow backyard chickens. All I really have to say is this: There is no chicken-wing conspiracy.
Unfortunately, the accusation of the conspiracy completely overtook the comments section of the article in question. No worries, chicken fans and foes. I have facts, and unlike opinions (among other things), only people who read and research have those.
Firstly, chickens are not loud. Hens produce sounds at about 63 decibels. (Ahem, fact!) That's about the noise of two people talking. (Facts are fun!) Oh, and here's the wiki on that. Other sources list hens between 60 and 70 decibels. For the sake of comparison, since we don't all think in decibels, here is a helpful list (of facts!)
Here is a list of common noises and their decibel levels:
- Aircraft at take-off (180)
- Fireworks (140)
- Snowmobile (120)
- Chain saw (110)
- Amplified music (110)
- Lawn mower (90)
- Noisy office (90)
- Vacuum cleaner (80)
- City traffic (80)
- Normal conversation (60)
- Refrigerator humming (40)
- Whisper (20)
- Leaves rustling (10)
- Calm breathing (10)
Source (Oh em gee, a source!! A source of facts!)
But dear God, the filth! Oh those filthy, filthy chickens. Chickens are so filthy that it takes six of them to produce the same amount of excrement as a dog. Or a really bad attempt at journalism with a side of cyber-creeping, topped with utterly lunatic conclusions. Ok, it might take more than 6 chickens to come up with that.
"So while the rest of us are screaming at the city to keep costs down, now code enforcers are supposed to deal with rogue chicken coops? Yes! The city could always implement some sort of chicken husbandry charge, but considering that Batavia's had all of seven applications, it would have to be one heck of a fee to make it worth their while."
I really love this one. So is it that seven is too many to enforce, or that seven is not enough to make an annual fee cover the cost? And what cost, exactly, are we talking about here? Unless the city is considering inspecting every dog-owner's yard for poop, I don't see why they would need to inspect each and every chicken coop for same.
"When we stepped out of that primordial forest to band together in settlements, we chose to give up certain facets of our solitary life in exchange for the benefits of a shared existence. And if I recall correctly, one of those things was chickens."
You, dear "journalist," recall incorrectly. People in settlements had, and still have, chickens. I am not even going to provide a helpful link to back up that fact (there is that pesky word again) or quote any sort of statistic. Because duh, that's why.
So bottom line, you can attack me, attack bloggers, and accuse me of crazy unbelievable conspiracies to promote my chicken-loving agenda, but it doesn't change the facts (!) of the case.
Chickens are not a problem in an urban setting.


text:
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Before you get too excited about your business idea, you should first ask yourself these questions: Do I like people? Am I comfortable handling different types of personalities?
If you answered yes to these questions, then you can go ahead with your business planning.
The most challenging part of every business endeavor is people. The people you encounter every day can either lift you up or put you down. It is all up to you to make the most of each and every relationship.
Let me tell you about the different people I had to deal with when I started CoffeeShop Treats*:
1. Family. Surprisingly, the biggest opposition you will encounter may come from your own family. Because they were brought up in a very different environment, my parents were too scared to let me take the risk. They would give me all kinds of negative scenarios, which would have discouraged me had I lacked the passion for my business idea.
2. Suppliers. This group of people is one of your best sources of information. They know common industry practices and practical solutions for your business situation. Listen to them and use their advice to validate your market research findings.
One of the biggest mistakes we made was to ignore advice from one of our suppliers to defer major operational and physical changes for at least six months in order to establish good relationships with the city/county officials, especially the health inspectors. Once you've established those connections, you will be able to easily determine their focus and perspective when it comes to keeping your business up to code.
3. Investors/Partners. Do not assume that just because these people became your partners, they understood and agreed with every detail of your business plan. Make sure that you are all on the same page and that your partners get all updates and reports of major changes or critical situations.
It's much easier if you can find partners who are as passionate as you are about the business.
One of our investors withdrew her share just when the business started losing money. It happened right after we all agreed to proceed with renovations to comply with the building and health code requirements. We were not able to anticipate this move and had to resort to business loans and personal borrowing to make up for the loss.
4. Service Providers. Your accountant, banker, lawyer and consultant are business partners with whom you should maintain regular contact in order to minimize or eliminate avoidable mistakes.
Do not rely on hearsay. Ask questions and professional advice, especially if you're a first-time business owner.
Our accountant was so helpful during our preparation for the business purchase that we were able to come up with the business valuation, purchase negotiation and sales agreement on our own. It would have cost us $3,000 to 5,000 had we used the services of a business broker and/or lawyer.
5. Seller(s). Although it may be a temporary relationship, the former owners (of the business you're buying) will be able to help you with information about their experience. This includes lease arrangements with the landlord, customers' profile and preferences, tenants' attitudes and behavior, store image and reputation, and the general security, peace and order of your location.
6. Employees. They can potentially be the most stressful group you have to deal with because you will be working with them every day. Make sure you choose the right people during the recruitment process. If possible, defer hiring outside help until you have established your policies and procedures, or until you can no longer keep up with the demands of daily sales and operations.
We made a mistake of hiring too many people just before we opened the store — because sales didn't really start picking up until six weeks later. It was too late when we realized that out payroll expenses were already way over budget.
7. Customers. They can keep you in or out of business. Especially when you're just getting started, these customers will try you out first. If you pass their test, they can be your loyal customers. However, they can also ruin your business if you happen to attract the worst of them.
At CoffeeShop Treats, a couple of teenagers put a few strands of hair in their coffee, perhaps as a prank. One customer spilled his drink and complained about the wet floor. Another customer returned and exchanged some doughnuts bought the day before, mumbling about them being too hard or tough.
8. Co-tenants. You want to keep a healthy relationship with co-tenants because they are potentially your regular customers. They can also help by bringing in their customers to your store, especially when they are not your competitors.
They can also give you tips and advice when dealing with the landlord, city officials, bystanders and even potential troublemakers.
9. Competitors. Depending on how you handle them, competitors can pose some trouble for you. We had an incident where, without us knowing she was a competitor, a woman started talking to our customers about how her shop's doughnuts and coffee were better and cheaper than ours. Another competitor tried to copy our signage and promotional strategy.
10. Community/General Public. You have to keep a good reputation within the community. They will watch your back when you get their trust and confidence. One nearby resident informed us about a couple of prowlers he saw the night before on his way home. He advised us to leave some lights on to deter potential break-ins.
Your character, determination and patience will be tested by all kinds of people around you. Always try to keep your composure and be ready for unexpected actions and reactions from people.
With an open mind and ears, you will learn a lot from people who can help build your knowledge, character and experience.
*CoffeeShop Treats LLC, a bakery cafe business, was sold in 2007.


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business earnings tax
individual city earnings tax
Capital Projects
City Auditor's Office
City Clerk's Office
City Council Office
City Manager's Office
City Planning and Development
Convention and Entertainment Facilities
Human Relations
Human Resources
Mayor's Office
Water Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 24, 2007
Human Relations launches contracting and procurement opportunities fair
Event to be held in conjunction with Minority Enterprise Development Week
The City of Kansas City, Mo., Human Relations Division of the City Manager's Office will host the first annual Kansas City Government Contracting and Procurement Opportunities Fair from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 3 at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 3700 Blue Parkway. Admission is free.
The event is designed to complement Minority Enterprise Development Week, which is a national annual celebration that recognizes the contributions made by minority-owned and women-owned businesses to the country's economy.
The procurement fair will provide attendees with details of government needs as well as insight into the best business practices for submitting bids. Attendees desiring in-depth information regarding a specific project can sign up for face-to-face meetings with department representatives. Several Kansas City area government entities with multimillion-dollar projects scheduled for this year will give detailed presentations regarding current and upcoming project needs.
Attendees may also attend an 8 a.m. ribbon-cutting and welcome ceremony with City Councilmembers and other community leaders. City Manager Wayne A. Cauthen will speak of his vision for the City during his "Box Lunch with the City Manager" presentation. The Human Relations Division of the City Manager's Office will present, "Doing Business with the City," an overview of how to obtain a city contract and deal with the expectations that follow. An optional box lunch is available for individuals who submit an early registration form with their order and pre-payment of $10.
For more information about the Kansas City Government Contracting and Procurement Opportunities Fair, contact Ashlea Blue at email@example.com or (816) 513-1813 or by visiting http://www.kcgcpo.org.


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The first two Rebelution albums found the reggae/rock group going to opposite extremes in how they were recorded and produced.
"Our first album, 'Courage To Grow,' we had this mentality that we didn't want to do so much on the album that we couldn't do live," singer/guitarist Eric Rachmany said in a recent phone interview. "We just kind of wanted to have that same sound. Then on (the second record) 'Bright Side Of Light,' we were like 'Screw that, let's make this way more full and with tons of layers."
With its current CD, "Peace Of Mind," Rebelution tried a different approach – finding a middle ground between re-creating its live sound in the studio and using overdubs and instrumental or sonic elements that might enhance the studio version of a song, but at the expense of being impossible to re-create on stage.
And one can assume that the sonic direction of "Peace Of Mind" didn't come together without some careful consideration from the band's five members, who will storm the stage Friday night at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach.
"The one thing that I don't know if people know about Rebelution is that we're really particular about our sound," Rachmany said. "That one rhythm hit on guitar or piano may be argued about for a full day before we actually figure out whether it's going to be in or whether it's going to be out, and sometimes we'll even listen to the same track, two different versions, and we'll really, really talk about it."
The internal debates over the songs and how they are produced seems to be working in Rebelution's favor so far in a career that started in 2004 when Rachmany, keyboardist Ron Carey, drummer Wesley Finley and bassist Marley D. Williams formed the band in Isla Vista, Calif., near Santa Barbara.
Despite self-releasing 2007's "Courage To Grow" and 2009's "Bright Side Of Life," the group has steadily grown its audience (and also saw the second CD debut at No.1 on Billboard magazine's Reggae chart). Rachmany is enthused this about this tour, in part because with the arrival of "Peace Of Mind," the group now has more songs than it can fit into its headlining set, giving it a chance to mix up its set list.
"We've never really had that situation before where we had to choose between three albums worth of songs," he said. "So now it's kind of like this new era for Rebelution to have the option to play these new ones. It's exciting."
The new songs figure to add some variety to Rebelution's live show.
"We definitely tried to mix it up a lot," Rachmany said of "Peace Of Mind." "I think a lot of this new album has a softer sound. Not to say the whole album, but we definitely tried to explore the softer and the harder and a little bit in between."
"Peace Of Mind" does have its share of songs with relaxed tempos – "Closer I Get," "Good Vibes" and "Life On The Line." Such songs are more subdued and contemplative than "Comfort Zone" and "Day By Day," two tracks that have more of a rock edge, or even the CD's poppier tunes ("Meant To Be," "Calling Me Out" and "Sky Is The Limit"), which all boast especially buoyant melodies.
For Rebelution, the new record also represented an opportunity to grow as a band in the studio and in how it recorded music. In addition to the standard "Peace Of Mind" CD, the group also made a disc of acoustic versions of all of the songs and a disc of dub versions (created by producer Michael Goldwasser) of the songs, creating a three-CD edition of set.
In addition, after doing a lot of self-production on the first two CDs, for "Peace Of Mind," the group brought in different producers to work on various tracks of the main album – Goldwasser, Amplive (Zion-I), Keith Armstrong and Errol Brown (Stephen, Ziggy and Bob Marley), Yeti Beats (Kool Keith, George Clinton) and Jim Fox.
"Part of the reason for that is because we really enjoyed working with all of these guys in the past (many on the 2011 "Remix" EP), and kind of felt like they had specialties," Rachmany said. "A lot of the more edgier songs we sent to Keith. The more rootsy songs we sent to Jim Fox. One of the more progressive songs we took to Yeti. Yeti Beats is another guy that did two songs."
With Rebelution poised to expand its audience once again with "Peace Of Mind" and the group's busy touring schedule still in high grear, Rachmany is relishing how the group's career has unfolded.
"I really love the way things are going because we get to record music and people get to hear us in their CD player," he said. "And then when they want to see us live, we get to tour the country and actually see the people that have (gotten) our music every day. So it makes I all worthwhile."


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He still does not get it
by tarheel74, Mon Nov 01, 2010 at 09:04:35 PM EDT
November 1st 2010, the eve of what can be the most historic mid-term drubbing delivered to any sitting president. Why did this happen? Could this been avoided? What went wrong? These questions are being debated and will be discussed ad nauseum after tomorrow.
Let me tell you what I think. This happened because the opposition decided that they would rather embark on a tried and true policy of non-cooperation and passive resistance. They wanted this President to fail and they exploited the alarming naïvete of this President. Could this been avoided? Yes, by a strong President willing to fight for the middle class this could have been avoided. What went wrong? Surrounded by beltway mavens this President stuck his head in the sand, and sadly even now he has his head in the sand.
What really irks me are two exchanges from the recent discussion this President had with liberal bloggers.
Q Mr. President, you've said that you want to work with Republicans after the election, but there's probably a pretty good chance that they're not going to advance with you. Is there sort of a breaking point you have of where you try to work with them and they just refuse to budge, which they've indicated so far? Is there a breaking point for you just like you're going to have to go off on your own and find a way around them?
THE PRESIDENT: Look, the -- I'm a pretty stubborn guy when it comes to, on the one hand, trying to get cooperation. I don't give up just because I didn't get cooperation on this issue; I'll try the next issue. If the Republicans don't agree with me on fiscal policy, maybe they'll agree with me on infrastructure. If they don't agree with me on infrastructure, I'll try to see if they agree with me on education.
So I'm just going to keep on trying to see where they want to move the country forward.
In that sense, there's not a breaking point for me. There are some core principles that I think are important for not just me to stick with but for the country to stick with. So if the Republicans say we need to cut our investments in education, at a time when we know that our success as a nation is largely going to depend on how well trained our workforce is, I'm going to say no. And there are going to be areas where, after working very hard, we just can't find compromise and I'm going to be standing my ground, then essentially we debate it before the American people.
But I don't go into the next two years assuming that there's just going to be gridlock. We're going to keep on working to make sure that we can get as much done as possible because folks are hurting out there. What they're looking for is help on jobs, help on keeping their homes, help on sending their kids to college. And if I can find ways for us to work with Republicans to advance those issues, then that's going to be my priority.
Say what? Did the last two years did not happen? Isn't the drubbing he is about to receive not good enough to drill some sense into him? Did he not hear what Mitch McConell, Mike Pence, or Darrell Issa have been saying?
Just before the August recess of 2009, I posted a diary asking "How's the bipartisan thingy working out for you?". Some idiots here accused me of making personal attacks on Obama because bipartisanship was his platform. Maybe it was, but bipartisanship at the expense of the middle class and for personal glory is dangerous and delusional. To those people I say, hear that flushing sound? That's the Democratic party going down the drain to satisfy the vanity of this president. He now seems to be both dangerously naïve and delusional.
But then again this President thought himself to be above party politics. He does not believe in endorsing loyal Democrats, when he would rather endorse Republican friends; he does not believe in making a stand on civil rights for gays when all he sees is a trajectory; he does not believe in fighting for Main Street, but he does believe in writing a blank check to Wall Street. Why else will he internalize the most pathetic excuse for his inactions?
I'm President and not king. And so I've got to get a majority in the House and I've got to get 60 votes in the Senate to move any legislative initiative forward.
Now, during the course -- the 21 months of my presidency so far, I think we had 60 votes in the Senate for seven months, six? I mean, it was after Franken finally got seated and Arlen had flipped, but before Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. So that's a fairly narrow window.
By all accounts he had a historic mandate, yet he squandered it, only to say later, rather ironically, "Larry Summers did a heckuva job". Oy.
Maureen Dowd finally goes where the professional left has been for these two years:
At first it was exciting that Obama was the sort of brainy, cultivated Democrat who would be at home in a "West Wing" episode.
But now he acts like he really thinks he's on "West Wing," gliding through an imaginary, amber-lit set where his righteous self-regard is bound to be rewarded by the end of the hour.
Hey, dude, you're a politician. Act like one.
But the lofty words (or rhetorical Rorsasch tests) that defined the candidate in 2008, has been tempered today by a man more intent on a re-election campaign based on personality. The words "hope", "change" and "audacity" have lost their lustre. The slogan defining the Presidency has been replaced from "YES WE CAN" to "yes we can BUT". In the end, due to an alarming lack of principled leadership, we all suffered, the middle class suffered, the Democratic party suffered.
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I am writing in regard to an article published in the Nov. 14 Ottumwa Courier.
The article reported that Councilman Mitch Niner filed a petition requesting the state auditor's office to conduct a re-audit of Ottumwa's sewer department last year.
Councilman Niner seems to think that he has the right to spend the citizens' tax dollars anytime he wants to without regard to the validity of his accusations.
He not only caused many hours of the city employees' effort at great expense providing the information that the state auditor's office requested, he also caused taxpayers to pay for the state to investigate his accusations.
He showed a lack of respect for the other council members, as well as the employees of the city of Ottumwa. He noted after the state auditor's office determined that there was no basis for a re-audit, that he expected "it was going to go that way."
It seems to me that Councilman Niner should get down to the business of the city, work with the council and the employees for the betterment of the taxpayers of Ottumwa, and stop wasting the taxpayer money just for the heck of it.
Keith Caviness
former councilman
Letters to the Editor
Request for re-audit a waste of money, effort
I am writing in regard to an article published in the Nov. 14 Ottumwa Courier.
- Letters to the Editor
- Guardian angel rescued me On Dec. 18, I had been to Walmart and as always, I stopped by the Walmart gas station to fill my car up. I got out, pumped gas and I went to get in the car. I locked my keys in! So I had no choice but go see if the cashier could help me. And lo and b
- Why close plant when it could be cleaned up? Doe Run Company, south of St. Louis, is the third-largest lead smelter in the world and the only one in the western hemisphere. They provide for the lead demand in the U.S. and are a major contributor to the world market. On Dec. 31, they close due
- Collect lids and fight breast cancer The Southeast Iowa Affiliate of Susan G. Komen represents a 10-county area in its fight to end breast cancer. Your local affiliate is fighting for the screening and treatment programs that save lives and the research that brings us closer to a cure.
- Who are Tea Party Patriots? First and foremost, if you love God, you may be a Tea Party Patriot. Second, if you love this country we call the United States of America, you may be a Tea Party Patriot. Third, if you value freedom and all the people in our past and present who hav
- Branstad, please use the heart God gave you To Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa: Please use the heart that God gave you. I am a senior citizen who is suffering needlessly because you have outlawed the only substance that can take away my horrible pain and discomfort. Pharmaceutical narcotics are in
- Library doing many great things for the community This past week was National Friends of the Library week. Here in Ottumwa, our public library would not be able to provide all the materials, resources and programming that it does without the support and assistance provided by our local Ottumwa Publ
- It's up to you to make Ottumwa great If a person were truly honest with themselves every time they bought something they would ask, "Am I getting my money's worth?" If the person selling would truly be honest with themselves they might ask, "Have I met or exceeded my customers' expectat
- Life too complex My knowledge of electronics stops with the on and off switch. I was persuaded to try a new-fangled cell phone. One of the more simple ones. It takes pictures, prints them, records day, date, time. Tells me where I am, where I should be, how I got the
- Think before voting We just had a Sara Palin type month. Now I hear that the Tea Party wants to take over the Republican Party. They think we have too much government. People out of work, not their problem. People living on the streets, they don't care. The Tea Party th
- Why micromanage Halloween? I take no pleasure in composing this letter. Once again another year, the Ottumwa police have made their draconian edict of setting the date and hours for beggars night. It's too bad that even a volunteer kids' holiday has fallen under the auspices o
- More Letters to the Editor Headlines


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From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News
FROSTBURG — Two women were arrested Sunday when Maryland State Police made a traffic stop on Interstate 68 and allegedly discovered nearly 140 pounds of suspected marijuana inside their vehicle.
Police said they stopped Tamboura Hall, 36, of Baltimore for allegedly speeding on I-68 near Frostburg shortly before 9 p.m.
The suspected marijuana was packaged in six bundles contained in five luggage bags. Police estimated the value of the seized marijuana at a little more than $200,000.
Hall and the passenger in the vehicle, Chanelle Williams, 36, of Baltimore were both arrested on drug distribution and possession charges before being taken to the Allegany County Detention Center.
Both defendants remained jailed Monday afternoon on $200,000 bond following bail review in district court.


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This is an 80′s Tv show "Matt Houston" season 3 intro.
Matt Houston Television Show Intro
25 Responses to "Matt Houston Television Show Intro"
@cjb476 Ehh, he seems to be playing a decent guy. I don't think they'd mind too much.
Pamela Hensley goodness…
Amazing how those two Plymouth Furys at 0:22 turned into two chevys at 0:24 lol. Man I miss the 80′s )
Is this the season in which Robert Fuller (of "Emergency!" fame) guest stars on one episode?
It seems like every guy on tv who has a 'stache' on his upper lip is 1)makes great tv and 2) getting laid pretty often. I got my flavor saver growing as of now! Great show btw!!!
My Mom had the hots for Lee Horsley.
Oh I remember this, the rip-off of Magnum P.I. LOL hilarious.
Matt Houston.
I'm not usually much into "P.I" shows but I did like this one, I thank it was Pamela because she wasArdala in Buck Rogers but I liked this better than Magnum P.I or other "P.I.s"
@BigVilFromWestPhil Exactly. When TV Land first started out it was showing old shows like that. But now it changed and sold out. Emergency, Starsky & Hutch, Hill Street Blues, Rockford Files, Chips. Now it's like you said. 4 hours of Roseanne, the nanny, and that stupid Raymond show.
@audreyessex Nope. Married for 30+ years and has 2 kids.
@buzzlewie Also Uptown Saturday Night with Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, Calvin Lockhart, Harry Belafonte, and so many more.
You would think TV land would show old like Matt Houston, Fall Guy, TJ Hooker, Manix, Barreta, Vegas, Rockford Files. I guess the world needs to see four hours of Roseanne
Ahh, The Members Only Jackets. Those were the days.
@setpunk12 I remember that.. Wasn't that a two part episode? iI believed it ended on the merry go round…
Do we really need to see him getting his back waxed?
anyone remember the episode with Jack palance playing a psycho killer?
it was fantastic!! Palance was great! so creepy
this was my fav show in the 80s but it had two glaring problems:
-the theme song was not memorable
-lee horsley had a really goofy last name
i had the biggest crush on Lee Horsley in the 1980′s.
Damn I miss the 80′s so much!!
@jvlivs2 me too. But NCIS LA is a good show.
The late Lincoln Kilpatrick played on the sci fi movie The Omega Man with the late Charlton Heston as Zachary one of the mutants. Lincoln's son Lincoln Jr. played an epsiode on Sanford and Son as Jason the runaway kid, and did a episode on Good Times as the leader of the Jr. Warlords who forced Michael to join.
Dag! I'm gettin' old here. Ain't seen this since…the 80s, man! TV ain't like this no more, tho…
Gotta love the intro to this series. It's like Magnum P.I. meets 007!
Matt Houston was such a bamf. Can't help but like the guy though..lol
Magnum PI lite
Lee Horsley was one hell of a good looking man! That's a real man!


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and - Patch aren't just about making news; we're about making your life ridiculously easy.
So we're hosting a Patch business forum for Thurs., Feb. 2 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm at Mount Pleasant Village Hall, 8811 Campus Drive.
It is free and open to the public.
Denise Lockwood, editor of the Caledonia Patch, and Heather Asiyanbi, editor of the Mt. Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch, are hosting a forum for local business owners to learn more about the Patch sites, how to use those sites to help grow their businesses, and how to use social media more effectively for the same goal.
We share knowledge, act as a platform for experts and connect people. And with that idea in mind, there are a ton of opportunities for business owners to use Patch along with social media. So we thought I'd offer up a short "how-to" on how you can use our free directory listings and event tools, then use them to create conversations on social media.
If you are interested or even a bit intrigued, shoot us an email at firstname.lastname@example.com or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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MOSCOW — Theyre 1-9. They give up 45.7 points a game. Theyre traveling more than 2,000 miles to play at No. 2 Florida State. Theyre tasked with slowing down the possible Heisman Trophy front-runner.
Yes, the Vandals understand the difficult task ahead of trying to beat the Seminoles and quarterback Jameis Winston.
Its probably the biggest challenge Ive had to face as a football player, junior linebacker Marc Millan said.
Winston, a redshirt freshman, is still expected to start even as a sexual assault investigation against him plays out in Tallahassee. Idaho is intent on trying to do what no one else has bottle up Winston.
The 6-foot-4, 228-pound Winston has completed 70.9 percent of his passes (185-of-261) for 2,938 yards with 28 touchdowns to seven interceptions. His 195.5 passer efficiency rating is second in the nation.
Hes got a big arm, he can make all the throws. He has one of the highest ratings of a quarterback versus pressure, Idaho coach Paul Petrino said.
According to ESPN Stats And Info, Winston is completing nearly 74 percent of his passes when being hit or hurried. The average for FBS quarterbacks is half that. Oh, and Winston is averaging 13.6 yards per attempt in those situations.
That doesnt jibe with what typically is the best way to stop a quarterback pressure him.
His poise is impressive. Thats why hes in the running (for the Heisman), Idaho junior linebacker Juan Martinez said. We have to rush our asses off, basically. You have to be relentless and get to him quickly. Thats what we expect to do against anyone, whether its a guy like him or not.
The Vandals believe Winston is perhaps the best quarterback theyve faced this season, and theyve already played Northern Illinois Jordan Lynch and Fresno States Derek Carr.
It doesnt seem like he gets rattled, Petrino said of Winston. He sees the field well, and he can stretch the field vertically and horizontally. That makes it tough to defend. A combination of his vision, poise and arm strength makes him a very special player.
Florida State is second nationally (behind Baylor) with 52.7 points per game. The Seminoles have not been held under 41 points, while the Vandals have held just one team to less than 37.
Winston, receiver Rashad Greene, and running backs Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr. will be Idahos toughest tests in a tough year. Most are expecting the top stars to be on the sidelines with the game well in hand in the second half, yet the Vandals themselves are still looking forward to the challenge.
I know for me, its the reason I play football, to test myself, Millan said. Im excited.
Dave Southorn: 377-6420; Twitter: @IDS_Southorn


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It's important to make a copy of your foster or adopted child's lifebook for several reasons.
- A much loved lifebook will be toted around by little ones, and may get messy or destroyed.
- A child may feel a lot of anger and resentment about what has happened to them and rip up their lifebook.
- A child may lose their lifebook during a move from foster home to foster home or to a new adoptive home.
By taking the lifebook in to a copy center and getting it copied, or by storing a digital version on a disk you will be a part in preserving the child's life story and lifebook.


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Via PaidContent.org, Accoona Files for IPO from the Associated Press reports that Accoona has filed to go public, with an estimated IPO price of $80.5 million.
Accoona hopes to list their stock as "ACNA" on the NASDAQ. The AP reports Accoona's three business lines as online-lead generation, an online search engine in the U.S., Europe and China and an e-commerce consumer electronics retail business, with nearly all of its revenue coming from lead generation.
In the first quarter of 2007, Accoona realized losses of $14.8 million with revenues of $37.5 million. The full SEC filings can be found over here and more coverage at Techmeme.
Related Topics: Business Issues: General | Channel: Industry | Search Engines: Other Search Engines


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Agents Adding Value
by Tyler Dellow • May 30, 2010 • Uncategorized • 9 Comments
This is a pretty cool story:
Winter, with help from mathematical advisers, has determined exactly how many points a contending team needs from its top-six forward group and top-four defencemen, and the save percentage required from a goalie to become a 100-point team.
For example, if all thresholds are met from the defence and goalies, a team that gets at least 143 goals from its top six forwards will record 100 points. According to Winter, that number has stayed true every year since the lockout. He has calculations like that for every position.
"I will make arguments to teams that they need a little more up front, that they need X, Y or Z and the models prove it out," he said. "It's a model we've developed using a little bit of Moneyball in hockey."
When it came time to narrow down Hossa's possible destinations, there were only four teams that matched the criteria.
Personally, if I ran a hockey team and Ritch Winter told me he'd developed a model that showed I just needed a little bit more of X, Y or Z and that he happened to represent X, Y or Z, I'd be pretty skeptical. At the same time, this is the sort of modelling that teams should be doing because, done properly, it lets them break down their team and understand where they're deficient. This lets them target their spending a bit better, avoiding moves that cost a lot and add little value because of where the team's strengths already lie.
It's an interesting value addition as an agent for a client though. Salaries in the NHL are, increasingly, easy enough to negotiate. It's hard for me to understand what value agents add that a player couldn't get by just hiring a lawyer on an hourly basis. If Winter really does have a model – and I'm a bit doubtful of some of the other stuff in the story – well, it's a good reason to pick him over a different agent.
I'm curious what the teams were – I'd guess Pittsburgh, Washington, San Jose and Chicago, assuming that Detroit was out for financial reasons. I don't know that you really need a model for that but still interesting.


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Boston Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin signed an endorsement deal with Dunkin' Donuts this week. The company plans to use Seguin as the "centerpiece of the company's 'Caught Cold' promotion." There is no word whether the 19-year-old forward actually drinks coffee, and we're not looking into it, but there is something fishy about Segin's deal.
Several months ago, Denver Post writer Terry Frei wrote that GM's could use endorsement deals as a way to circumvent the league's salary cap. Here's what he wrote:
"I was told to look out for how long it took NHL executives to figure out new ways how to not necessarily circumvent or violate the cap, but to at least find imaginative ways to 'massage' it. I've always thought the biggest potential for a loophole was if teams found ways to line up extra income for players. Example: Colorado signs an unrestricted free agent for a 'reasonable' deal, and all of a sudden he signs a huge endorsement deal with the soft drink company whose name is on the Denver arena, on the alleged basis that having him playing in the Pepsi Center enhances the value of the naming rights. Or he signs a Wal Mart* endorsement deal. "
As you can see, Dunkin' Donuts is clearly a sponsor at TD Garden, where the Bruins play. Frei said in the article that we've yet to see this type of deal. Maybe we haven't been looking closely enough into players' endorsements and if they are being used to circumvent to salary cap.
According to CapGeek, the Bruins currently have $0 of cap space.
*Frei is referencing the Avs/Nuggets/Rapids/Pepsi Center/Dick's Sporting Goods Park (and Rams) are controlled by the Kroenke family, and Mrs. Ann Kroenke is one of the Waltons.
Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter
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