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Remember Hideki's arrival as Darvish slips awayBy
All of the recent brouhaha over Yu Darvish, I got to thinking about Hideki Matsui. Unlike many high-profile Japanese players who made the jump to the states, Matsui hit the Majors as an unrestricted free agent. There was no blind bidding process and subsequent negotiation. Hideki was free to pick whatever team he wanted. It almost made sense.
For Darvish, the decision to push his team to post him was a calculated risk. As ESPN.com's Patrick Newman and Eno Sarris showed (in an Insider-only piece) on Tuesday, Darvish probably could have made more had he waited a few more years. If his deal with the Rangers ends up being at an annual level of around $12 million, there's a good chance he would earn more in the long term by returning to Japan this year and entering the States via bidding process. Teams wouldn't have to pony over sunk dollars on a posting fee, and Darvish would stand to make all of the money from his contract.
Yet, the allure of guaranteed dollars is a tough one to resist. It's why pitchers are willing to sign seemingly below-market deals earlier in their careers. The threat of injury lurks, and easy access to millions is too tempting to turn down. Darvish will sign a deal that locks him up for five or six years, but if he's as good as advertised, he'll cash in again in his early 30s. That said, he would be wise to sign a high-dollar, low-year deal with the Rangers and hit free agency at 29. Texas, though, would rather lock him up for longer.
Anyway, I digress. The erstwhile World Series MVP was my original focus. I realized a few days ago, as the Yanks continued through a silent off-season, that I missed Matsui. Now, I don't believe the Yanks should bring him back, but I miss his presence in left field and his bat in the lineup. Bring back the glory days of Matsui, the player who hit .292/.370/.482 on the Yanks, and I'll be happy.
So how anyway did the Yanks land Hideki? It was the more traditional path. By the end of 2001, Matsui's name was bandied about as a future Major Leaguer. He was the highest paid Japanese player at the time, and the next stop for him would be the States. The first time the Yanks were tied to him arrived in August of 2002 when Jack Curry reported that Jean Afterman was scouting Matsui. Over the next few months, rumors of the Yanks' interest hit the news. Would the Bombers land both Jose Contreras and Hideki Matsui prior to 2003?
Hideki was a new — and seemingly rare — breed of Japanese players. He used a quick bat to pull the ball and was a power hitter more in the American baseball mode. As the offseason wore on, both the Yankees and the Mets emerged as potential suitors for Matsui's services. As the Yankees tried to determine if they wanted Bartolo Colon or Roger Clemens for 2003, they stepped up their pursuit of Matsui as well, and by mid-December, they seemed poised to land him for three years and $20-21 million. It was an easy negotiation and an easy deal. Godzilla came to New York.
Since Matsui's arrival, no Japanese player has made quite the same impact on Major League Baseball. Daisuke Matsuzaka and, to a greater extent, Kei Igawa failed to deliver as advertised, and no power hitters or All Star position players in the Ichiro or Matsui mold have arrived on U.S. soil. Now, it's Darvish's turn, and in Texas, where the defending AL Champs are in bad need of pitching, he'll get a chance to star. The whole world will be watching.
36 Comments»
Matsui was always won of my favorite Yankees he just produced and went about his business as a true professional. I'm glad he went out as a star on the biggest stage. Also i would of liked to keep himself instead nick Johnson in 2010. I know most dedicated stats guys dont believe in clutch but Matsui was clutch.
I think it depends on how someone wants to define clutch. I don't believe that a player can become a better player, but I do believe some players remain more focused and maintain their level of ability under pressure, and will be more likely to take advantage of a situation than other players. Matsui was one of those players. I always felt good when he was at the plate in a critical situation.
It comes down to this who would you rather have at bat in the post season with the game on the line Godzilla or Arod? I would pick Godzilla, not even considering he costs in his prime half as much.
Arod .277/.386/.498/.884
Godzilla .312/.391/.541/.933
Matsui's cumulative total up until the 2009 World Series:
I mean, that WS counts, and it is a big part of his legacy, but let's not pretend that he consistently raked at that level for the entire 7 years he was here. He was in 11 postseason series with the Yankees. He had an OPS under .765 in 6 of those series, under .700 in 4 of them.
His postseason record is no different than any other Yankee with a lot of postseason AB's, some good series, some terrible series, etc.
I like Matsui a lot, but I don't recall him having this clutch reputation until he abused Pedro in 2009.
I don't think anyone's pretending anything. What was being said was clear.
Sure its different, its better than most.
Do arbitration rules apply to Japanese pitchers like Darvish?
As in if, hypothetically, he only signed a one year deal with the Rangers would he still be arbitration eligible like another player earning service time, or is he an unrestricted free agent? Does the club still have the three or four years of control?
I believe all of the normal Arb and pre-arb rules would theoretically apply, but the likelihood is that if Darvish signed a contract for less than the 6 years to take him to free agency, it would contain a provision preventing the Rangers from tendering him a contract or arbitration offer. I believe Matsui's contract had a similar provision where the Yankees agreed not to offer him arbitration at the end of his original deal, so that he may become a free agent if he wasn't able to work out an extension with the Yankees.
This post is missing a mention of the crucial detail of his epic porn collection.
He also gave the most awesome introduction of someone (his wife) since Mufasa presented Simba on Pride Rock.
For all my memories of Matsui's play, my lasting memory of the Matsui era is this:
he was the best!
im still annoyed that cashman put all his eggs in the damon basket and let matsui go to the angels
That's not what happened. You should be annoyed that Matsui's agent jumped the market and signed immediately with the Angels, otherwise Matsui would have returned to the Yankees.
Is that what happened? I don't remember him signing that early. And I'm surprised his agent could only find him one year if that is the case.
he jumped real real early… struck while the iron was hot. but yeah, if he would have waited a week or three for Boras to be Boras, the Yankees would have prob walked away from Damon and Nick Johnson and brought Matsui back.
Got to remember that Matsui had little value besides his stick though, he was a few years removed from being an everyday OF… maybe his agent decided that the first offer might be the only.
I think Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem, made a calcuated decision, and it probably was the right one. The Yankees were only going to bring back one of Damon or Matsui to serve as the mostly DH, with the preference appearing to be Damon since he could play the field when necessary, was a better baserunner, and fit better at the top of the line-up. The Yankees were also looking at giving Gardner the fulltime shot in LF in 2010, and if that failed, they'd still have Damon to play the field, something Matsui couldn't do.
Knowing how Boras likes to go late into the game with his clients, and that Matsui appeared to be the Yankees second choice, they jumped at the Angels offer. If they had waited and the Yankees signed Damon, then it was Matsui who would have been left hanging without a job.
So it certainly wasn't as the guy said above that Cashman put all of his eggs in the Damon basket. Tellem and Matsui made a quick choice based on where they thought the market was going. In retrospect it appears if they held out they would have returned to the Yankees, but the odds didn't seem good at the time.
wow, revisionist hisroy FTW!!!!
Matsui was a consummate professional. I remember all the hoopla of him coming to the Yankees and would turn into a 40-HR guy and its sad that some were initially disappointed that he wasn't that type of hitter but he was a solid contributor. Four (almost five) 100 RBI seasons, four 20+ HR seasons, and a .290+ average.
Oh and of course the WS heroics. Matsui is a made Yankee in my book…
I don't care so much about bidding low on Yu, but I am afraid this is a prelude to much more frugal days. Not being heavily involved in Kuroda and Oswalt for one year deals puzzles me.
George would never let this go down.
Is there something in the new CBA that is discouraging the Yankees from spending anymore money *this* offseason? The trust fund babies have proven that they will spend to win but I don't blame them for wanting to reduce payroll to 189 in 2014.
This hits right at the core of what is going on.
Ticket prices are enormous. They have huge other revenue sources. If they are making extremely large profits, you bet I blame them for not putting the best product on the field to escape a luxury tax.
I love the idea here that not spending 200 million dollars is "frugal". Is anyone here a politician, cuz nobody seems to have any problem spending other people's money.
I think its about time the yankees exercised some financial responsibility. We've spent more money than everyone in baseball for more than 10 years and have 1 world championship to show for it. St. Louis doesn't even spend 100 mill and they got 2 in the same period of time. Obviously the "spend crazy and get everybody" philosophy doesn't work.
If other teams are spending a greater portion of their revenues on payroll, how is that consistent with the Yankees' philosophy of winning a WS every year?
You might say that payroll level doesn't necessarily equate to talent, but keep in mind a lot of Yankees are overpaid, so our $200m payroll isn't truly indicative of our team's talent.
This season's 97 wins was quite lucky: Garcia, Colon, and even Nova performing well above expectations. Hughes' 2010 second half should've been a red flag, AJ's 2010 and age should've been a red flag.
That said, we should always give Cashman the benefit of the doubt in December, and wait until Feb before criticising him.
Not being heavily involved in Kuroda and Oswalt for one year deals puzzles me.
Where have you read/heard that they're not?
Reports indicated Kuroda was close to signing with a team that's "not the Yankees". Obviously this could change but just going on real time information.
As for the new CBA discouraging spending…the old CBA taxed at 40% if you exceeded the threshold twice. The new one is 50%. Hurts a little more but not enough by itself to justify a total change in philosophy.
Have a problem with me telling others how to spend their money? Pretty sure it's us, the fans, who have helped make the Yankees the most lucrative team in baseball. As a broke graduate student I was ok with spending $7 on a hotdog and $10 on a beer so long as that money was being reinvested into the team. Knowing its going to two guys milking what their dad created? Eh not so much.
Exactly. What is the difference between the Yankees and the Royals? When it boils down to it, it is the brand of baseball which all boils down to money. The players and the stadium, that is it. All teams play nine innings, 27 outs.
When you watch the Yankees, you expect a certain level of product.
He was a pleasure to watch and root for as a Yankee!
I think you have to remember, when looking at the number of players who become "stars" in the US when the come from NPB, the NBP league is still generally considered a AAAA level league compared to MLB. And there are only 12 teams in all of NBP. When you compare that to the number of AAA teams and players we have in the US, there is a much smaller chance of bonafide stars coming out of NPB (even smaller if you include Mexican League with the traditional AAA leagues, IL and PCL). In a league full of AAAA players, even the best AAAA players have a tough go of it in the US. Daisuke probably doesn't last as long as he does in a major league rotation if he wasn't so high profile.
butbutbut…. the GyroBall!
I'd take him back, bad knees and all, right now. What we'd do with him, I have no idea, but Hideki Matsui in any other uniform is just wrong.
I'd take back Bobby Abreu. Another clutch hitter. Bet If it had been him up in those key spots int he playoffs instead of Swisher or Arod, Yanks would have advanced
It must be nice living in La La Land. If I ever feel the need for a vacation from reality, maybe I'll come visit you.
There's this sport called "baseball," John. You might give understanding it a shot sometime.
I loved Hideki Matsui and always will. He was a consistent, class act (porn aside…) who was one of my favorite players during his time here.
I miss Hideki too. In a clutch situation there's no one on the current team who I'd rather have up to bat. Too bad there's really not a spot for him as we need to break Jesus in.
Hideki is my all-time favorite Yankee! I'd love to see the Yanks bring him back where he belongs.


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Dave (1993)
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To avoid a potentially explosive scandal when the U.S. President goes into a coma, an affable temp agency owner with an uncanny resemblance, is put in his place.
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6 Russet or Wisconsin potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 Can Cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, diced small
¾ cup of whole milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 8-10 oz. can French's Fried Onions
2 tbsp. butter or margarine
Salt & Pepper to taste
In a large glass or metal pan (9x12 or 10x14) mix soup with milk. Mix in onions and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Fold in sliced potatoes. Season with salt & pepper. Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese and the French's onions. Dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 1 hour (or until potatoes are done).
240 calories per serving, 8 grams of fat.
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Croz, the first new album from rock legend David Crosby in more than two decades, will be released on January 28th. Ahead of the long-anticipated 11-song set, this exclusive video captures the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (inducted for his work with the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash) discussing his influences and his unorthodox writing approach while offering an inside look at the creative process between him, his son James Raymond and guitarist Marcus Eaton.
'Croz' and 60 More Reasons to Love 2014
"Since what we do is serve the song, the writing pretty much defines the record for us," Crosby tells Rolling Stone. "James has matured as a writer – his stuff is very strong. I am writing with him and by myself, and several times Marcus joined us . . . I am very happy with the level of the songs on this record – stoked, in fact."
The album features a number of iconic guest players, including guitarist Mark Knopfler on the track "What's Broken" and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis on "Holding On to Nothing. " It will be released through Blue Castle Records, the label Crosby founded with Graham Nash in 2012.
Crosby, keyboardist Raymond, Eaton, guitarist Shane Fontayne, bassist Kevin McCormick and drummer Steve DiStanislao will hit the road this month for dates in support of Croz. After a sold-out show this Thursday (January 16th) at Santa Barbara's Lobero Theatre, Crosby has a run of multi-night engagements lined up at New York's City Winery, the Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia, Chicago's City Winery, San Francisco's Great American Music Hall and L.A.'s Troubadour through February 28th. Tour dates and additional information are available here.
Rolling Stone will be premiering the full album stream of Croz starting Tuesday, January 21st.
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I have a pair of RT400's that I wish to part with for space reasons... i will be moving cross country in the near future and don't want to have to deal with the hassle of moving them. Otherwise, great speakers. Purchased in 1999 - there is a small (diameter of a coke can) burn on the top of one of them as the result of a too hot candle (i know... not smart) but otherwise, they are structurally and aesthetically sound. I live in San Diego and would prefer a local pickup. Would love to trade for some RT25's or RT25i's and cash. Will also sell cheap.
e-mail me at firstname.lastname@example.com if interested.
- r


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Palm Springs restaurants
I'm going to be in Palm Springs for a week around Xmas/New Years. Any recommendations on restaurants there? One person in our party is a vegetarian, so any veggie-friendly restaurants (particularly Indian) would be particularly appreciated. Thanks.
there's a location of Native Foods - a vegan restaurant that has several locations in So Cal. i've only been to the Westwood branch, and it's pretty casual, but the food is really very good.
I adore Palm Springs, but always struggle to find decent eats there. My favorite spot--for the ambiance as much as the food--is Norma's at the Parker. They only do breakfast and lunch but the two meals I ate there last summer were excellent. Best iced coffee I've ever had while lounging in the shade on the patio. Heaven.
I live in Seattle but visit Palm Springs often. I have not tried any of the Indian restaurants there but will try Delhi Place next time I go. There are a number of really medicore restaurants there but a few great ones. I really like Johanne's downtown. We had dinner there last Saturday night. I had a great wild mushroom soup that was a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms pureed in vegetable broth (vegetarian and not cream-based). Then I had a Mediterranean white fish (forget the exact name) with peas. My partner had a stunning brussel sprout salad and scallops. We ordered 2 glasses of an Oregon pinot gris (McMinville Selena) which was much better than you can usually get by the glass in a restaurant. Topped it off with heavenly warm chocolate cake and outstanding coffee. The restaurant is quiet and the service was great as well. See their website:
We always go down to Cathedral City to El Gallito for Mexican. It is right off the main highway 111. Very authentic Mexican. It might not live up to LA or Texas standards for Mexican but is much better than what we can easily get in Seattle. It's inexpensive, kind of a shack, and there is usually a wait.
A few of my other favorite places there are Melvyn's in The Ingleside Inn and Le Valleuris but they are pretty meat-centric so maybe not what you are looking for.
I second the Johannes rec. Just went for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it. Not perfect for vegetarians, but your friend could order a few starters. Also, great wine and martini menu there.
For something casual, try Matchbox Pizza. Cool outdoor patio and great pizzas and salads.
And a great, relatively new, spot for breakfast and lunch is Cheeky's. You can't go wrong with pretty much everything on that menu.


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Women facing breast cancer surgery and reconstruction now have a new option. It doesn't involve implants, or even another operation. Instead, surgeons are using the woman's own fat to gradually rebuild her breasts.The FOX Medical Team's Beth Galvin has the story!
35 Skyline DriveLake Mary, FL 32746
Phone: (407) 644-3535News Tips: (866) 55-FOX35


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Promotional combination pens are incomparable giveaways, as they're very adaptable, not requiring a specific profile to be useful. This quality alone should encourage you to reach out to a wider market. And with the most unique designs at your disposal, branching out will prove to be effective.
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Packt is pleased to announce Puppet 3 Cookbook, which will teach readers how to extend Puppet with custom functions, types, and providers. It is packed with tips and inspiring ideas for using Puppet to automate server builds, deployments, and workflows. Available in print, and various electronic formats, the book retails at $44.99 for the print copy and $22.94 for the electronic version.
About the author:
John Arundel is a DevOps consultant, which means he solves difficult problems for a living. He has worked in the tech industry for 20 years. He likes writing books, especially about Puppet. He also provides training and coaching on Puppet.
Puppet 3 Cookbook takes readers beyond the basics to explore the full power of Puppet, showing them in detail how to tackle a variety of real-world problems and applications. At every step it shows exactly what commands are needed to be typed, and includes full code samples for every recipe.
The book takes the reader from a basic knowledge of Puppet to a complete and expert understanding of Puppet's latest and most advanced features, community best practices, writing great manifests, scaling and performance, and extending Puppet by adding the reader's own providers and resources. It starts with guidance on how to set up and expand the Puppet infrastructure, then progresses through detailed information on the language and features, external tools, reporting, monitoring, and troubleshooting, and concludes with many specific recipes for managing popular applications.
The book includes real examples from production systems and techniques that are in use in some of the world's largest Puppet installations, including a distributed Puppet architecture based on the Git version control system. Readers will be introduced to powerful tools that work with Puppet, such as Hiera. The book also explains managing Ruby applications and MySQL databases, building web servers, load balancers, high-availability systems with Heartbeat, and many other state-of-the-art techniques.
The chapters covered in this book are as follows:
Chapter 1: Puppet Infrastructure
Chapter 2: Puppet Language and Style
Chapter 3: Writing Better Manifests
Chapter 4: Working with Files and Packages
Chapter 5: Users and Virtual Resources
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Chapter 9: Monitoring, Reporting, and Troubleshooting
Anyone with some experience of Linux systems administration who builds and administers servers, especially in a web operations context will find this book useful. For more information, please visit the book page at: http://www.packtpub.com/puppet-3-cookbook/book.
|Puppet3 Cookbook
|Packed with tips and inspiring ideas for using Puppet to automate server builds, deployments, and workflows.
For more information, please visit: http://www.packtpub.com/puppet-3-cookbook/book


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My Party
Brenda/Petite Parties R created
A SPOOKtacular 5th Birthday Party
Birthday - Festive kids Halloween party
- 50 guests
- 16 October 2010
- Gymnasium / Athens / GA
PhotosView all 33 photos →
Party Recap...
I planned this party for my bestfriend's son who was turning 5 yrs old. She wanted a Halloween party but since he son is not into anything scary we made it a festive halloween party.
Party Highlights
cake and dessert table
Activities / Games
bobbing for apples, spooky bingo, egg relay
Party Favors
dessert table
Best Moment
Seeing the smile on the birthday boys face with all his guest dressed up for his party.
What People Ate
pizza, wings, fruit tray, and pasta salad
What People Drank
juice and soda
Funniest Moment
When all the lil girls wanted to "take Barbie out of the box" to PLAY! LOL!!


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News and notes on health, medicine and fitness
Pandemics move in new and predictable ways
Pandemics once moved from one town to the next. The wanderings of 3 billion global air travelers a year have changed all that.
However, Northwestern University researcher Dirk Brockmann has developed a new computational model that he says can pinpoint the origin of an outbreak and predict its arrival in different global locations with a high degree of accuracy.
Brockmann, an associate professor of engineering sciences and applied mathematics, developed his model using official transportation data and an area of computer science called network theory. His work takes into account the fact that geographical closeness is no longer an accurate predictor by itself of a panemic's spread. Because of the heavy air traffic between New York and London, for example, a pandemic that starts in New York may arrive in London before it arrives in Milwaukee.
"Cities with a very high level of connectedness, such as London, are important epicenters for tracking the spread of diseases," Brockmann said. "When a disease reaches these cities, it is likely to spread far and quickly."
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Is your home self sufficient in the case of a power outage or natural disaster? The next-generation connected home may have the ability to not only reduce emissions on an ongoing basis, but also generate and manage consumption of energy on its own—without any help from the homeowner.
Thanks to M2M (machine-to-machine) technology, the world around us is getting smarter and more connected. This includes industries such as energy, manufacturing, and healthcare, but it also includes aspects of our day-to-day lives. In many cases, M2M is becoming an integrated part of our cities in order to make them more efficient and more sustainable.


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Brown up for tussle with Ospreys' powerful pack (From South Wales Argus)
Get involved: Send your photos, video, news & views by texting ARGUS NEWS to 80360 or email us
Brown up for tussle with Ospreys' powerful pack
7:30am Friday 28th December 2012 in Sport By Chris Kirwan
BACK ROW forward Tom Brown insists the Newport Gwent Dragons pack are relishing the prospect of taking on the best set of forwards in the country on New Year's Eve.
The Ospreys head to Rodney Parade on Monday looking to maintain their charge towards the RaboDirect Pro12 playoff places.
With Wales tighthead Adam Jones in inspirational form, the reigning champions smashed the Scarlets 32-3 on Boxing Day.
Scrum-half Kahn Fotuali'i was named man of the match but it was a pack containing the likes of Richard Hibbard, Ian Gough, Ryan Jones, Joe Bearman and Justin Tipuric that won the game at the Liberty Stadium.
Even if coach Steve Tandy wants to rotate his squad then he is able to call on the likes of Duncan Jones, Campbell Johnstone, James King, Morgan Allen, Jonathan Thomas and George Stowers.
While the Ospreys are in fine fettle, the Dragons are licking their wounds after suffering a derby defeat at Cardiff Blues on Boxing Day.
It was a reverse that leaves them one from bottom of the Pro12 table and all but ends their hope of avoiding the ignominy of being the fourth-ranked Welsh region again.
Darren Edwards' side produced one of their best displays of the season – particularly up front – yet failed to make their dominance count in horrendous conditions.
Number eight Brown knows that they will need to better that performance if they are to get the upper hand against Monday's visitors.
"The Ospreys' pack will be a great test for us and we are excited by it," said the 29-year-old.
"As a pack we showed against the Blues that we are more than up for a physical challenge.
"We showed real determination in Cardiff and had the upper hand. The front eight and those of us that came off the bench dominated them and smashed into the rucks and were in charge at the set piece.
"To not take our chances and get a win that we felt we deserved is so, so frustrating but there is no problem with us getting back on the horse swiftly – we are always hungry to play and won't shy away from the challenge.
"The quick turnaround won't bother us and as a pack we need to at least reproduce that performance against the Blues or ideally improve on it."
The Dragons should learn more about the extent of Dan Evans' injury to his left ankle when they return to training this morning.
The fly-half/full-back suffered the blow in the build-up to Andy Tuilagi's try at the Arms Park on Boxing Day.
Full-back/wing Tom Prydie missed the clash at the capital because of a knee injury and it remains in the balance whether he will be fit to face the Ospreys, who he left last summer to head to Rodney Parade.
Comments (6)
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9:27am Sat 29 Dec 12
casto says...
how about putting points on the board.
talk is easy...
9:40am Sat 29 Dec 12
Robert Shillabeer says...
3:15pm Sat 29 Dec 12
broadsworddan says...
casto wrote:What's wrong with him wanting to do well. What would possibly be the point of a sportsman going into a contest filled with negativity?
here we go again.talk.talk.talk
how about putting points on the board.
talk is easy...
He's been very respectful. The article acknowledges the superiority of the ospreys at the moment. What's the problem?
7:00pm Sat 29 Dec 12
Robert Shillabeer says...
broadsworddan wrote:Seems that casto is another very anti. dragons poster so just let him have his say, it means absolutely nothing to the genuine Dragons fan.
casto wrote:What's wrong with him wanting to do well. What would possibly be the point of a sportsman going into a contest filled with negativity?
here we go again.talk.talk.talk
how about putting points on the board.
talk is easy...
He's been very respectful. The article acknowledges the superiority of the ospreys at the moment. What's the problem?
1:39pm Sun 30 Dec 12
sparkymk1 says...
5:45pm Sun 30 Dec 12
Robert Shillabeer says...
sparkymk1 wrote:TV mate, rules the roost these days, New Year's Day there will be far too many hangovers around.
How come we get a new years eve game. As far as I know it is no holiday, therefore lots of people are going to be stuck in work or giving it a miss due to going out for new year. Seems like a really STUPID idea.
Comments are closed on this article.


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Less Stuff
New Yorkers know how to make every bit of living space count because they have to. We recently sold our 800+ sf condo in NY and one of the couples who put an offer on it was planning on turning the bedroom closet into the baby's room. Seriously? I should say baby's nook because that, at most, was what it could be. I'm sure, however, if I saw the finished product I would be quite surprised at everything they managed to squeeze into the space. New Yorkers are used to living in small spaces because the cost of real estate in the city is still ridiculously high. So, they learn to make do with less and learn to collect less stuff.
Less Stuff + Living History
This brings me to my title – yes, you see where I'm going with this. Owning an antique is getting to own and live in a piece of history. These are some of the best built houses around and indeed, with some of them being 200+ years old, it speaks volumes as to their sturdiness and everlasting charm. The antiques that sell the easiest are those that have been updated and have all of the modern conveniences. However, most of the time the closet and storage space remain an issue.
Antique homeowners have gotten creative and created closet space out of extra bedrooms and converted attics, but I say why don't more of us consider getting rid of our STUFF? If you're considering moving into a lovely antique, why not pare down? Older homes are often blessed with classic moldings and built-in bookcases, nooks and china cabinets. You can take advantage of these special spaces to showcase an art or china collection and actually look at some of the stuff you own.
Packed Junk
When we used to move all over the place I'd be forced to have to get rid of things or otherwise pack it up and move it to our next house. Have you ever packed a box of junk just because you didn't have time to go through it before the move? If so, then do you remember what it was like to be unpacking boxes and come to your box of packed junk? Yes, and did it end up in a closet or attic somewhere, taking up space? Welcome to my house.
So back to New Yorkers and antiques…they know how to be creative and make the most of space. Many out-of-towners moving to Connecticut love the rich, New England history that comes with it. So why not have both? Some of the most beautiful homes in Fairfield County are antiques and I still hope to own one myself one day.
Come see my new antique listing located in the heart of downtown Fairfield on the Old Post Rd. It was built before the Revolution and is one of the most beautiful, sophisticated homes on the market. It was completely updated by the New York couple who owns it, who just happened to put a walk-in closet in the attic. Ahhh.
For more information on this home, go to this link:


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Stunning Diamond and Sapphire Engagement Ring
April 5, 2012
Late last month, we wrote about this beautiful "something blue" engagement ring, and our lovely reader, Lara Goldman of Romantic Travel Belize, left a comment about her own similar ring.
Naturally, we sent her an email asking (okay, begging) for her to share some photos. And she did! Isn't her ring stunning?
Lara had this to say about her ring:
"My husband and I designed the ring and picked the stones. Finding a matching pair of very high quality sapphires was very difficult. The diamond was easy; the sapphires were hard. I lived in Philadelphia at the time, which has the oldest jewelers' row in the country, and it was still tough! BUT — totally totally worth it. I still love my ring as much now, 10 years later, as the day he picked it up, got on one knee and proposed. And, of course, isn't that the point?"
Yep, we agree, that's exactly the point! Thanks so much for sharing, Lara.


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The Patchwork Girl of Oz, Page 1936
Reilly & Lee Company - Fantasy - 326 pages
A boy, a patchwork girl, and a glass cat go on a mission to find the ingredients for a charm which will transform some people turned to marble.
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This was better, with a more cohesive plot. - Goodreads
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The ending was well done. - Goodreads
There is GASP an actual plot and conflicts. - Goodreads
It was enjoyable yet it had a very "pat" ending. - Goodreads
Review: The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Oz #7)User Review - Meg McGregor - Goodreads
This is one of my favorite Oz stories. I just reread it for maybe the seventh or eighth time. This story centers around Ojo rescuing his uncle after the elderly man has been turned to marble. It is ... Read full review
Review: The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Oz #7)User Review - Dana Miller - Goodreads
The Patchwork girl herself is annoying, but Ojo saved this book for me. The Woozy doesn't do much for the story either but for some reason I liked him too. Read full review


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The third annual Walla Walla Marathon saw a Wa-Hi graduate win the women's race and set a new course record Sunday.
Helen (Reich) Cantero, a 2007 Wa-Hi grad and current Seattle resident, set the record with a time of 3:26:27.
On the men's side, another Seattle resident, Robert Nelson, set a new course record by two seconds to win in 3:07:01.
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Meadville Tribune
Albert S. Fleischer Sr., 88, of Bonzo Street, New Castle, passed away the morning of Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, at Jameson Hospital.
Born in New Castle on Nov. 16, 1924, Albert is a son of the late George and Martha Kreusel Fleischer. Preceding him in death in 1999 is his wife, the former Kathryn Reiter.
Albert was a U.S. Army veteran, serving during World War II. He retired from Mesta Machine Corporation, where he worked as a crane operator, and from Sylvan Heights Golf Course, where he worked as a caretaker.
Albert enjoyed fishing, music and was an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan. He cherished the times he spent with his family, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He is survived by three sons, Jon Fleischer and his wife, Sherry, of Meadville, Albert Fleischer Jr. and his wife, Marlene, of West Pittsburg, and Bruce Fleischer of New Castle; two brothers, Paul Fleischer and Francis Fleischer, both of Florida; his sister, Dorothy Patterson of New Castle; six grandchildren, Shannon Horvath (Mark), Natasha Mitcheltree (Don), Leigh Fleischer, Christopher Fleischer, Jeff Ferguson (Kari), and Jon Fleischer Jr. (Kathryn); and eight great-grandchildren.
In addition to his parents and wife, Albert is preceded in death by two brothers, George Fleischer and Karl Fleischer; a sister, Sophie Fleischer; three infant siblings; and three great-grandsons, Tanner J. Mitcheltree, Hunter Horvath and Travis Horvath.
Visitation is Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Ed and Don DeCarbo Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S. Mill St., New Castle.
Services will be held on Monday at noon at the funeral home, officiated by the Rev. Dennis Bupp. The New Castle Area Honor Guard will perform military rites at the funeral home.
Interment will take place at Oak Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be mailed to Odyssey Hospice, 3126 Wilmington Road, New Castle, Pa. 16105. Online condolences may be offered to the family at decarbofuneralhome.com.


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By Krystal Fowler
Lifestyle Editor
---- — By Krystal Fowler
Lifestyle Editor
The 60 and over Homecoming banquet was held Oct. 5 at the Continental Hotel on the Square, bringing together Centerville High School graduates from the classes of 1937 to 1954, although there weren't any classmates from 1938 or 1939 present.
Eleven states were represented, with people attending from Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, California and Washington. This was the fifth time the reunion has been held and 109 reservations were taken.
Several people spoke from their seats representing the classes of 1937, 1941, 1942 and 1943. Others spoke at the microphone for their classes including, Paul Waggoner 1941, Mary Jane Douglas 1945, Wayne Waggoner 1948, Carl Condra 1949, Dean Green 1950, Clifford Rushton 1951, Lavern Fry 1953 and Kathy Erickson 1954.
Erickson was also introduced as the new chairman for the 2014 banquet, taking over from Elahvonne Wright and the class of 1946, who have organized the previous five banquets. The attendees also acknowledged the food and service provided by the Continental Hotel each year for the banquet.
Anyone interested in ordering class photos may do so at www.dailyiowegian.smugmug.com.


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- Northern New York Newspapers
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Aldi, a discount grocery store, will host a hiring event for its Watertown and West Carthage stores from 7 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 6 p.m. Monday at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown.
The company is seeking to hire full-time manager trainees, a position including an hourly wage of $23, full health insurance, dental/vision coverage and 401K plan.
Applicants must be 18 years or older, have a high school diploma or GED, and be available to work between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Two or more years of recent management is preferred. The new positions will be based at 1165 Arsenal St., Watertown, and 14 N. Broad St., West Carthage.
Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.
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LeAnn Rimes was confronted by a fellow diner about being too thin.
While dining out this past Saturday night with her husband, Eddie Cibrian, and his children, LeAnn Rimes was confronted by a fellow diner and "fan" insisting that she eat more. This incident coming after Rimes has made tabloids about being scary skinny and possibly overdieting. She tweeted during the incident saying, "How dare someone come to me at a table with the boys and tell me I need to eat something. What is wrong with people? As I'm stuffing my face....have another drink and maybe take a class in manners! Cheers!" And her followers did not necessarily take her side, as many tweeted back that she has been looking a little too thin lately. One even made a comment about her resembling a pre-teen girl as of late. Of course, Rimes had to tweet something in response to this as well, in which she said, "Once again, I'm done talking to rude people who have no right to have an opinion on my body. Out of line... If it happened to someone who wasn't a 'celebrity' it would be rude, but to a public figure it's socially [acceptable]?"
Over the years, many celebrities have had body issues - and people are now beginning to focus on Paula Abdul as she is surprisingly thinner than LeAnn Rimes. However, there is such thing as overdieting, and it is very clear that Rimes' fans (or perhaps non-fans) believe she is getting way too skinny. Angry tweets or not, perhaps realizing that people may be concerned is going to be a big step in fixing this "tabloid" problem.


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The value of retirement accounts dropped over the last few years, there were many that lost jobs and many took jobs paying much less, the cost of things like gas, heating fuel, actually there is an endless list of reasons.
Margaret and Manny came to me for a reverse mortgage, they were 69 and 73 respectively. They were referred by their daughter, as I had done a couple of different mortgages over the last 10 years. They owned a modest home that was presently valued at $110,000, so a reverse mortgage would have gotten them about $68,000. The problem, they owed $90,000.
At one point during the conversation, Manny turned to his wife and apologized for not earning enough money for them to retire. Maggie turned to her husband and said, "our lives are very good, I could not ever want for more." He just said, "Thank you, I love you." OMG, they were very special people.
This article has suggestions that you can do now to make sure retirement is comfortable:
How the Recession Has Changed Retirement Planning
By: Roger Rousseaux


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Ruling in dispute over Brown will (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Ruling in dispute over Brown will
7:58pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in Showbiz © Press Association 2014
A US court has overturned a settlement involving the estate of James Brown, saying a former attorney general did not follow the late soul singer's wishes in putting together the deal.
Henry McMaster brokered a settlement that split Brown's estate, giving nearly half to a charitable trust, a quarter to his widow, Tomi Rae Hynie, and the rest to be split among his adult children.
But South Carolina Supreme Court justices said that Brown's wishes were for most of his money to go to charity.
The court ruled the Godfather of Soul was of sound mind when he made his will and when he died in 2006 at the age of 73.
The justices ordered the estate be returned to a lower court to be reconsidered.
The fight over Brown's estate even included what to do with his body. Family members fought over the remains for more than two months, leaving Brown's body, still inside a gold coffin, sitting in cold storage in a funeral home.
Brown was eventually buried in South Carolina, at the home of one of his daughters.
The family wanted to turn the home into a shrine for Brown similar to Elvis Presley's Graceland, but that idea has not got off the ground.


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Clapper unscathed after 'erroneous' remarks
By KIMBERLY DOZIER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and key lawmakers are standing by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper despite his admission that he gave misleading statements to Congress on the how much the U.S. spies on its own.
Clapper's apology to lawmakers was made public last week. In March he said that U.S. spies do not gather data on Americans — something National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden revealed as false by releasing documents showing the NSA collects millions of U.S. phone records.
One lawmaker has called for Clapper's resignation, but few others are joining in, at a time the intelligence community is besieged by Snowden's leaks.
The head of the Brookings Intelligence Project, Bruce Riedel, says Clapper's job seems safe for now but that could change if he makes another misstatement.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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The following recipe (which has been slightly modified) originally appeared in the January 1950 edition of Woman's Day magazine as part of an eight-recipe feature called "Men Like Puddings," by Glenna McGinnis and Charlotte Scripture. Each dessert's estimated cost was listed alongside the recipe, and the cost of making snowball pudding (for seven or eight people) at that time was calculated to be 83 cents. In addition to sour cherry sauce, other sauces recommended to be served with snowball pudding were cranberry-orange sauce and bittersweet chocolate sauce.
Note: You will need a set of 6-ounce custard cups or other individual molds.
Ingredients for the pudding:
6 Tbsp. vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
3 egg whites
Fruit sauce or other sauce (see below)
Cream the shortening and add 2/3 cup sugar; add the extract. Add the sifted dry ingredients alternately with milk. Beat the egg whites until stiff, beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and fold into the batter. Fill the greased 6-ounce custard cups or other individual molds 2/3 full of batter. Cover the top of each cup loosely with waxed paper and tie on firmly.* Place on a rack in a steamer or large kettle containing one inch of boiling water. Cover and steam for 30 minutes. Serve warm with fruit sauce or other sauce. Makes 7 or 8 servings.
*You could also try covering the cups with cling wrap.
Ingredients for the sour cherry sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 No. 2 can pitted red sour cherries, drained (fresh cherries can also be used, if available)
1 1/2 cups cherry juice or cherry juice and water
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. almond extract
Mix the sugar, salt and cornstarch together. Add the cherries and cherry juice and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and add butter and almond extract.


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Post a reply to the thread: gomi vs florian now officially in the works for fight night 21
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Love this matchup. There is no way I'll miss this fight night.
gomi vs florian now officially in the works for fight night 21
UFN 21 - Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi in the works for free TV event
Today at 9:14pm
A lightweight clash between former number one contender, Kenny Florian and Japanese superstar, Takanori Gomi is reportedly in the works to go down at UFC Fight Night 21 on March 31st in North Carolina.
The fight was originally confirmed by ESPNs MMA Live on earlier today, before numerous news sources corroborated it.
Florian rebounded well following his summer loss to B.J. Penn by stopping Clay Guida in the second round via submission. Ken Flo also holds notable wins over the likes of Roger Huerta and Joe Stevenson.
Gomi, who was the PRIDE champion when Zuffa purchased the promotion will return to the octagon after a number of years away. He is currently 2-2 in his last four fights, and holds wins over Duane Ludwig and Marcus Aurelio
i think this is a smart move by the ufc a big time fighter in florian giving another big time fighrer who needs national exposure in the US via a free fight on the fight night 21 card
gomi vs florian now officially in the works for fight night 21
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View the article online at http://citywire.co.uk/wealth-manager/article/a570450
Would industry standard on restrictive clauses work?
by Danielle Levy on Feb 29, 2012 at 00:01
Wealth managers who leave firms and take clients with them are a double-edged sword for the industry.
While recruitment can represent a source of growth through the acquisition of new clients, at the same time, the loss of successful rainmakers represents a perennial business risk.
Individual wealth managers and their employers are likely to have been closely watching the Towry versus Raymond James court case last week. The verdict was a resounding victory for the seven former Edward Jones advisers who moved to Raymond James. The judge, the Honourable Mrs Justice Cox DBE, ruled they had not solicited clients.
At the centre of the £6 million two-year case was the question of whether there is a difference between non-dealing and non-solicitation covenants in contracts.
The non-solicitation clause meant the advisers could not approach or contact clients for 12 months after leaving the company. But Towry contracts – which the advisers had not signed – have a stronger non-dealing clause which states that even if clients approach their old adviser, they cannot do business with them.
Towry's head of risk and compliance Nicholas Anderson believed the two were all but the same in practice, but the judge refuted this.
An industry standard?
In the wake of the case, Raymond James chief executive Peter Moores is calling for the creation of an industry-agreed standard on restrictive covenants in contracts to avoid a repeat of the case. He hopes to win the backing of industry bodies and the FSA for a UK version of 'Broker Protocol', which outlines rules for advisers to follow when they leave companies and has become established in the US in recent years. He believes it is particularly notable that the initiative has received backing from 600 firms and the first signatories were Citigroup, UBS and Merrill Lynch.
'It would have to be an industry standard. People would say that Raymond James will be a net beneficiary of these types of things and obviously we are interested in doing it, but I would be interested to see if the FSA and other industry bodies would look at it and say, "why can't the client have a choice?"'
He added: 'I understand the need to protect interests through non-solicitation covenants, but why can't the customer choose? Towry's perspective is non-solicitation is very hard to prove, but if it happened it isn't hard to prove and we would have lost the case.'
Raymond James' head of business development David Hazelton has started to put the wheels in motion by enlisting the support of the Tax Incentivised Saving Association (Tisa) and offering to chair a working party to achieve consensus on restrictive covenants.
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6 comments so far. Why not have your say?
Feb 29, 2012 at 11:18
Phrases such as "unreasonable restraint on trade" spring to mind here.
In other professions/industries, these restrictive clauses have proved difficult to enforce - and ultimately, if a client expresses a desire to leave firm A and go with their former adviser at firm B, what right does firm A have to (try to) stop them? If I - as a client - decide I no longer want to deal with your firm but wish to follow a trusted adviser who has moved elsewhere, you may as well accept that you will lose my account no matter what. In any case, what right do you have to tell me who I can or cannot deal with?
Solicitation is a different issue and blatant solicitation of a firm's client list should be robustly challenged - but it has to be absolutely clear from the outset the basis on which the relationship is establised. Is the adviser dealing with the firm's clients? Who 'owns' (for want of a better word) a client who is introduced to the firm by an adviser? What if the client is a member of the adviser's family - will you attempt to enforce your restrictive covenant then?
Solicitation is often not blatant and as a former sales branch manager, I have had to deal with the effects of departing advisers who had clearly enticed clients to move away but had done so in such a way that it was nearly impossible to prove without the help of the client - and for many reasons we chose not to involve them. It was indeed the case that all clients 'belonged' to the firm and there was a 'no solicitation' section in the contract but in a business that relied on close personal relationships between adviser and client, it was difficult to enforce such clauses.
It is up to the firm to manage the client relationship in such a way that a departing adviser not only does not have the opportunity to solicit a client but also that there is little reason why a client would want to leave however that utopia is not achievable 100% of the time, so in the absence of outright evidence of blatant solicitation, I'd bow to the client's wishes.
Mass client defections are yet another area but again, if a firm is ticking all the client's boxes, the defection of an adviser can be overcome. Sadly large chunks of the financial services profession are often appallingly bad at customer service beyond adviser level - and even some advisers are guilty of being no better than fair weather friends.
I have no problem with anyone coming up with an industry standard restrictive covenant on non-solicitation but I think the issue will be with enforcement and through the courts, the only winners will be the lawyers. Ultimately, the financial services industry/profession needs to look closely at its relationships with its clients before attempting to create (what I believe will be) largely unenforceable restrictive covenants.report this
Feb 29, 2012 at 14:41
The presumption of both the article and Frank Dolan's response is that the Towry approach is is the only way. But is it? Why not take a different approach? Why not accept that the prime loyalty of clients is to the individual with whom they have a relationship, especially when that individual provides value? From asking that question, it's not a big step to the realisation that a partnering approach is a sensible one. The Raymond James business model reflects this, as does that of Redmayne Bentley and other stockbrokers.
The listed private client managers avoid the issue by paying well, making any trade-off between remuneration and freedom of action favour them over the individual. When done well, there is not a huge discrepancy between the share of the revenue. But the gulf between the owners of the business and the business generator can be very wide indeed, giving scope for all sorts of undesirable activities, ranging from commission-driven investment decisions to inappropriate handling of client assets a la Pritchard Stockbrokers.
The matter is further compounded by the prevailing regulatory view that more paper solves all ills and prevents frauds. It's of no consolation to the poor client that filings were up to date and a T&C scheme was in place if a director has trousered some of their money. There is scant comfort for the poor CF30 who accepted that all was well at Head Office when his clients have their accounts frozen and he loses his job.
Having a robust business model and having that model understood (and at times challenged) by employees, clients, shareholders and regulators is the surest way to reduce complaints, litigation and the mistreatment of clients. With Martin Wheatley in the hot seat at the FCA (instead of Margaret Cole) there may be some grounds for cautious optimism.report this
Feb 29, 2012 at 15:21
I was trying to suggest that restrictive clauses weren't the answer, even though they need to be in contracts - sorry if that didn't come across well!report this
Feb 29, 2012 at 18:02
You're right, but I was trying to be even more revolutionary. However, everyone else has lost interest and gone in the meantime.
Are you out there, Evan?report this
Mar 03, 2012 at 09:45
Firms that treat Advisers Fairly (TAF) and clients TCF should not fear advisers leaving. We offer to novate any departing advisers clients to them if they want to leave. Non have left?report this
Mar 05, 2012 at 08:39
The Midas touch seems to have had an adverse effect on your English, old boy. Would you please translate?report this
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A Healing Heart
Angela Breidenbach, Angela Breidenbach$13.99Mara Keegan is an uber-successful mother and a widow of three years. She's been chasing success and all the "good things in life" for her family to make up for the cruel whim God played on them by taking her husband. In an effort to be the perfect mom, she decides to make a ... Learn More
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We're throwing the Week 12 rankings up a day early to help you accommodate those early Thursday games. Remember to have those lineups set Wednesday night! Plenty of injury situations bear monitoring, including LeSean McCoy, Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Dwayne Bowe, Alex Smith and more. I'll do my best to keep these rankings updated based on the ebb and flow of injury news, but always be sure to check out the pre-game inactive lists and to have a backup plan ready, just in case. Have a happy and safe holiday!
Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros
Andy Dalton. The Red Rocket has a 6:0 TD:INT ratio in his last two games and a matchup with the soft Raiders pass D.
Jalen Parmele. Parmele did an adequate job of not being Rashad Jennings last week. RBs eat up the Titans habitually.
Danario Alexander. If he's available, pick him up. If he's on your bench, put him in your lineup. The injury clock ticks.
Jermichael Finley. It was just a TD, or was it? Finley caught more than two balls for first time since Week 5 last week.
Connor Barth. Bucs have scored at least 27 points in each of their last six games. Opportunities will come for Barth.
Cleveland Browns. Seven sacks last week, and now the Browns get Charlie Batch. Charlie Batch? You're welcome.
Eli Manning. He's looked bad in recent weeks. Then again, I tabbed Matt Schaub for this spot last week, so, you know.
Felix Jones. Fragile Felix is like that '98 Accord you used to own — damn if you can remember when it ran smoothly.
Brandon Lloyd. Surpassed by Julian Edelman in Week 11, a gimpy Lloyd isn't even worth a flex look against the Jets.
Martellus Bennett. The Packers play TEs well, and Bennett has three TDs on the year but no scores since Week 3.
Mason Crosby. A former top fantasy kicker, Crosby deserved to be cut loose in all leagues after a terrible 11-of-18 year.
New York Giants. I wouldn't play this top-ten defense against a good Packers offense, even one with no running game.
R.J. White is the head editor at the Cafe and contributes to CBSSports.com's MLB Rumors blog. He has previously written for FanHouse, Razzball and FanDuel. Catch up with him in the forums under the name daullaz. Follow him on Twitter; don't follow him in real life.
Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section!


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Anderson Silva will dumb down tonight's performance. He has to.
It will be his 5th dumbed down performance. Genuine efforts of his include fights against Leben, Franklin, Henderson, Lutter, Marquardt, Irvin, and Griffin. Dumbed down performances include fights with Cote, Leites, Maia, and Sonnen.
Anderson is capable of winning his fights any way he chooses, so he does. Sometimes he chooses to take his protests with the UFC into the octagon.
When asked what a furious Dana White said to him about his Maia performance, Silva replied, "Anderson, I love you." (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yK3WKcFkBo&feature=related at 3:00)
He has a purpose when he dumbs down his performances and tonight's purpose is two-fold: to show loyalty to his Brazilian friend and, two, to set up a GSP fight.
Silva is loyal to his Brazilian fighting heritage and dislikes being forced to fight fellow Brazilians. However, as Dana White recently said, the UFC is a major league which uses contracts to make fighters fight one another who would normally refuse – such a Belfort and Silva, both of whom took turns calling off two previously unwanted engagements . Thus, White fears a staring contest tonight. But that won't happen. Silva learned from Sonnen. If you make the fight appear exciting and you win, you are a hero. If you purposely make a fight boring but win, and you are not GSP, then you are vilified.
The last time Silva tried to get a GSP fight, he purposely weighed in at 182, and mocking GSP, greased himself in the cage before the Leites fight and proceeded to look unimpressive for 5 rounds.
GSP didn't buy it. And Dana White quickly admonished Silva as being undeserving of a GSP event and payday.
After this debacle, Silva had to make it up to the UFC with a spectacular finish over Griffin, unfortunately following that performance, the GSP fight was called off due to Silva being too big according to White.
After moving up two times to 205 and cleaning out the 185 division, Silva was still yet to be recognized by the UFC in the same way that GSP was with awards and promotional support, all the while not moving from 170.
Things changed after the Sonnen Show. Silva won Fight of the Year honors and was praised by White, who promised him another effort at getting a GSP super fight.
Tonight's fight is not about Belfort and Silva animosity, it's about the two Brazilians helping each other out to further their careers in some acceptable fashion, given that the UFC is a major league bent on making fights happen against friends and other enemies.
The "Show" Anderson promised in the weigh-in will be exciting, although no one will get knocked out or injured, and Silva will win a back and forth fight, most likely by submission, but ideally by spilt decision.
Bring on GSP- If you can find him when the time comes.


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Safari Books Online is a digital library providing on-demand subscription access to thousands of learning resources.
160 Developing Mental Toughness Each player was given their own personalized profile with suggested recommendations for the enhancement of each of the core elements of mental toughness. These profile reports would be used as the framework for the individualized sessions for the players. These individualized sessions were not compulsory and were, in all cases, initiated by the players. Although the information from the MTQ48 reports was used as a starting point during the individualized sessions, the sessions were not merely restricted to the development of MT. Everyone was encouraged to hold these sessions in an environment where all issues impacting on performance could be freely discussed in an open and confidential manner (strictly adhering to BPS code of conduct guidelines). Although individual sessions cannot be reported in this chapter, it was generally thought (by the players and coaching staff) that they were useful in formulating future action planning in areas such as goal setting and anxiety control. To further illustrate the importance of mental toughness the players undertook a unique biofeedback challenge that incorporated using the `Mindball Trainer'. This piece of kit measures, via detecting alpha and beta brainwaves, the ability of individuals to both concentrate and remain relaxed key features in sport at whatever ability and level. Each player completed the task, which involved wearing a headband with electrodes attached. The electrodes are connected to a biosensor system that measures the electrical activity in the brain (EEG). This was converted into a signal that enabled a small ball to move on a magnetic table. The movement was a function of the extent to which the individual concentrated and remained relaxed. The goal of the task is to be as relaxed and focused as possible to enable the ball to be moved away from the player to the intended target in the shortest time possible. Players can monitor their levels of relaxation and focus by a connected screen (detailing levels of both relaxation and focus) or by viewing the movement of the ball itself. Preliminary analysis of the data showed a positive relationship between overall MTQ48 scores and `Mindball Trainer' times. This relationship was in fact even more strongly shown in the subscale control (incorporating emotional control), which showed a strong statistically significant relationship between the variables of MTQ48 and time. As well as providing interesting results, this practical demonstration also provided an exciting and interesting method of introducing sports psychology into a team environment. Breaking down the barriers between psychologist and athlete (specifically in male- dominated team environments) is a key factor in the successful implementation of any sports psychology intervention programme. This initial practical session laid the foundations for the MT training programme. This took place over the whole of the season. The following describes in detail three team activities designed to enhance and increase the awareness of the various components of MT. 1. The Line of Positivity confidence building The aim of this exercise is twofold: first, to create an awareness of differing levels of confidence in the squad, and secondly, to provide a sound basis for developing a confidence enhancement strategy. This exercise involved the team members forming a line, in order of their perception of their own positivity/confidence this process was most enlightening as debate reached fairly heated levels as a number of scores were considered to be over-inflated. After much discussion consensus was achieved over final positioning for all participants in the exercise.


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Copyright © 2000 by Red Hat, Inc.
This document is a HOWTO for sendmail on Red Hat Linux. It documents background information and many of the common problems associated with running sendmail on Red Hat Linux, and also discusses fixes and associated issues. The document assumes you are running sendmail on Red Hat Linux release 6.1 (Cartman) but should be fully compliant with Red Hat Linux 6.2 (Zoot) as well. The current sendmail version as of this release is sendmail 8.9.3 installed via RPm. One of the key features we are trying to accomplish with this document is to take all of the sting out of configuring sendmail. We will begin with some essential background and configuration information and then move on to more advanced topics.


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Dayton Lee O
Born:11/15/2013 at 1:21 AM
Weight:9 lbs 3 ozs
Length:22.75 in
Weight:9 lbs 3 ozs
Length:22.75 in
Parents:Stephanie and David
Location:Sanford USD Medical Center
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Sanford Rock Rapids George Clinic in in George, Iowa, is closed due to high water levels http://t.co/nWPx00o9e8
10:12 AM Jun 17 Reply Retweet Favorite


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From staff reports
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —
Kylie Cornman of Missouri Southern earned All-America honors in the shot put on Friday at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships at the CrossPlex Complex.
Cornman, a senior from Mountain View, Mo., placed fourth with a throw of 47 feet, 71⁄4 inches. Sam Lockhart of Grand Valley State won the event at 55-33⁄4, almost five feet ahead of the field.
Cornman's throw came on her next-to-last attempt.
"Kylie has a great series of throws," Lions coach Patty Vavra said. "She almost threw the best of her career but it was about an inch below.
"I'm tickled for her, excited for her. She had a bad hamstring pull last year in the outdoor season when se was just about ready to qualify for nationals. It took almost an entire summer for her to recover. It's nice to see her back and doing well and competing with confidence."
In the women's pole vault, Melanie Bower placed 11th at 12-11⁄4, and Sydney Haase took 14th with 11-73⁄4.
"Melanie couldn't quite pull off 12-7," Vavra said. "That would have been her career best and tied the school record. She had some good attempts but wasn't able to clear the bar. There was an extremely competitive group of young ladies in that event. It took almost 13 feet to get on the (medal) stand."
Brittani Reagan finished 15th in the long jump at 18-21⁄4.
"Actually each of her jumps got better," Vavra said. "Once again, it was a pretty good field. If she had jumped the equivalent of her best at conference, she still would have been a little short of being in the top eight. She didn't jump poorly. She just didn't jump good enough to be an All-American in a great field of competitors."
The Lions' Jayce Thomas used a strong high jump to climb into ninth place in the heptathlon with 2,753 points. He trails the leader by 442 points.
"Jayce's day started out very slow," Lions coach Tom Rutledge said. "He didn't have a good 60 meters, not a great long jump, a shot put that was mediocre. He moved from almost last place to ninth place with the high jump (clearing 6-7, good for second place in the event).
"Today he has the hurdles and pole vault, two of his best events. I hope he breaks into the top eight with those two events and holds on in the 1,000 meters."
Sprinter Jeff Fraley failed to make the finals in the 60 or 200 meters. He was 10th in the 60 at 6.82, just 0.01 seconds short of qualifying, and he took 14th in the 200 (21.63).
Clark Tanksley finished 12th in the high jump with 6-83⁄4.
For Pittsburg State, Keenan Soles was 11th in the long jump (23-8), Emily Ballock was 11th in the 800 (2:11.68), and Jordan Riffel was 12th in the 200 (21.59).


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SEATTLE -- It was quite the eventful night for Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza.
During his 90 minute shift in the LA Galaxy's 4-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders, DeLaGarza was involved in one of the turning points of the match in the 15th minute of play when he appeared to be brought down by Leo Gonzalez in the box. However, referee Chris Penso, ultimately waved off the challege. The excitement did not end there for DeLaGarza as the outside back was awarded a yellow card less than ten minutes later for a challenge on Sounders forward Eddie Johnson.
With LA trailing, DeLaGarza became a focal point in the Galaxy attack as the club attempted to battle back from the deficit, ultimately to no avail.
Below are DeLaGarza's thoughts on the match...
(On the controversial call...)
DELAGARZA: "It's a play that could have changed the game, but regardless of that we gave up four goals and in Seattle, you're not going to win a game having to score five or six goals."
(On the defensive play....)
DELAGARZA: "We learned from Higuain that we need to drop on those through-balls and I think that sometimes, we might have dropped too early and then they were able to get the ball and turn on us. We were really forced to turn around so it's a give and take I guess."
(On his play going forward...)
DELAGARZA: "I was just trying to get up the field man. I was a forward at point while we were down 3-0 and 4-0 just trying to get anything we can. I think we didn't do well defensively or attacking wise. I don't think we got a shot on goal for 80 something minutes. With the players that we have, that's unacceptable."
(On moving forward from the result...)
DELAGARZA: "You know, we've had seven or eight games, weekend and weekday. That's not an excuse, but they're tough. Real Madrid's not easy to play, Tottenham's not easy and Dallas in a hundred degrees, I think you saw in the second half when we gave up two or three goals, our legs kind of gave out on us. We were playing lazy balls out of bounce and I think we got to get our legs back and get ready for Chivas, which is a huge game."
(On whether or not, he could be moved back to center back with the result...)
DELAGARZA: "You know, that's Bruce's call man. I would love to be back with Omar, but Bruce makes the shots and who he thinks can help the team the best and right now that's with me on the outside."
SEATTLE - The 4-0 defeat was hardly flattering for the LA Galaxy, but after the match, the key point of contention was referee Chris Penso's decision not to award a penalty kick for the Galaxy in the 15th minute.
Down 1-0 after Eddie Johnson's goal in the 6th minute, Galaxy defender AJ DeLaGarza appeared to be brought down in the box by Seattle outside back Leo Gonzalez. However, Penso judged that Gonzalez's tackle was clean and waved off the shouts for a penalty. While the call was a point of contention for all in the Galaxy locker room after the game, it was midfielder David Beckham, who provided the best response.
"I probably shouldn't say too much but I'll tell you now an AYSO ref is better than that today. It is quite remarkable," Beckham told reporters. "Is it why we lost the game? No. But we definitely would have got back in the game and turned the crowd quiet. Would it have gotten us back into the game? Definitely; but we didn't play well today and Seattle played a lot better. Big calls like that—it's a big call in a game like this. It's disappointing."
Judge the play for yourself below and leave your thoughts:
SEATTLE - We're just a few hours away from game time for tonight's clash between the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders.
I took a stroll through Downtown Seattle this afternoon and came upon the world famous Pike Place Market.
Catch my "Three Points" to the game , a look at the play of Seattle's Eddie Johnson from Landon Donovan and a preview on the Galaxy turning the page from the Real Madrid friendly.
Follow along during the game on LAGalaxy.com's Match Report where I'll be checking in on the livechat.
PREDICTED LINEUP: Saunders; DeLaGarza, Gonzalez, Lopes, Gaul; Franklin, Sarvas, Juninho, Beckham; Donovan, Keane
SEATTLE -- Good morning from Seattle.
Above is a picture snapped just outside my hotel room earlier this morning.
First a news update: Both the LA Galaxy U15s and U17s were victorious in Generation Adidas Cup play on Saturday with the U15s earning a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids while the U17s defeated DC United by the score of 4-0. The tournament takes a day off on Sunday with both teams returning to action on Monday as the U15s face off against the Chicago Fire while the U17s take on FC Dallas.
I'll have more on tonight's game once we get closer to the 6 p.m. kick off , but for now check out my Three Points to the game here.
The LA Galaxy are off for Seattle this afternoon in preperation for this weekend's clash against the Seattle Sounders.
Above is a flight that was snapped at the terminal just prior to departure. The LA Galaxy have one interesting passenger on the plane with them to Seattle as the team is on the same plane with Seattle Sounders minority owner -- and former Galaxy season ticker holder -- Drew Carey. That may add a bit more spice to this flight.
CARSON, Calif. – First appearance, first start for Chad Barrett with Norwegian club Vålerenga.
After departing the LA Galaxy on loan earlier in the week, Barrett was in the starting lineup for the club for their 4-2 defeat to FK Haugesund on Friday. The 27-year-old striker nearly tallied twice for Vålerenga, but was unable to get on the score sheet during his 55 minutes of action.
Barrett's club is now in sixth place with 18 Tippeligaen matches left on the docket, but will face off against Manchester United in a friendly on Sunday.
CARSON, Calif. -- Hungry after a disappointing showing during the USSDA Development Academy Playoffs, the LA Galaxy youth academy is hoping for a strong showing in the upcoming Generation Adidas Cup.
The tournament takes place from August 3rd to August 9th in Seattle, Washington with games taking place at Valley Ridge Park Soccer Fields and Starfire Sports Complex. The U17s enter as reigning GA Cup champions and find themselves in Group B alongside USSDA Champions FC Dallas, D.C. United and Toronto FC. Meanwhile the Galaxy U15s are in Group B with the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids and Philadelphia Union.
The U15s began their schedule on Friday morning against the Union and continue with matches against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at 2pm and the Fire on Monday at 11am. The U17s start their tournament on Friday afternoon at 3pm against Toronto FC. The reigning GA Cup champions then take on D.C. United on Saturday at 8pm before closing the tournament against FC Dallas at 4pm. The match against FCD promises to be a tantizling one as the two teams faced off for the championship last year with the Galaxy defeating Dallas, 2-0.
We'll have more updates as the tournament progresses.
We're just hours away from tonight's friendly between the LA Galaxy and Real Madrid so here are a few links and reminders ahead of tonight's clash.
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to the match due to the massive crowds expected.
Before heading to The HDC, remember to check out my Three Points to the game.
For more coverage on the match check out LAGalaxy.com's Match Report.
PREDICTED LINEUP vs. Real Madrid: GK: Saunders; RB: DeLaGarza, CB: Gonzalez, CB: Lopes; LB: Gaul; RM: Franklin, CM: Juninho, CM: Beckham, LM: Magee; F: Donovan, F: Keane
During a slow start to the season, the LA Galaxy needed someone to step up to lead the club back into the playoff chase and in the month of July, Robbie Keane delivered.
Major League Soccer announced on Thursday that Keane was voted as MLS' Player of the Month for July by the North American Soccer Reporters. After returning from European Championship duty with Ireland, Keane went on a tear during the month of July tallying five goals while notching four assists during the Galaxy's 4-1-1 run. Keane and the Galaxy's other Designated Players were integral during the club's run in the month of July as Landon Donovan, David Beckham and Keane combined for 11 goals and 11 assists in July.
The award is Keane's first MLS Player of the Month and the first for a Galaxy player during the 2012 season.
The LA Galaxy are asking fans to arrive to The Home Depot Center early for Thursday's friendly with Real Madrid as a potential record-breaking crowd is expected.
With the parking lots expected to reach capacity due to the expected crowd of over 30,000, fans are being asked to arrive early or utilize public transportation when traveling to the game. The Galaxy have also teamed up with the Artesia Transit Center and South Bay Pavilion to offer shuttles to The HDC from those locations. Shuttle buses began running at Artesia -- fine location, I've traveled from there several times -- at 10 a.m. and will do so until 3 a.m on Friday morning while shuttles will run from South Bay Pavilion from 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m on Friday.
For those fans that arrive early, The HDC will provide $2 hot dogs and $5 beers from the time that the gates open at 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A couple of other notes and links on Tonight's game below:
* Edson Buddle and Todd Dunivant are continuing to work their way back from injuries, but are not expected to participate against Real Madrid.
* The Galaxy will be wearing their "Punjab" kits against Real Madrid, who are expected to wear their iconic all-whites.
A video preview of the match is below:


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Charlotte RestaurantsCharlotte's restaurant scene has its critics and its fans -- it's been called "grim" and it's been called "a revelation". (See the story here.) The truth is somewhere more towards the revelation side of things --this is an up-and-coming cosmopolitan city with a dining to match. There's plenty to sample here, from down-home favorites like Price's Chicken Coop, a to-go only fried chicken establishment that you smell before you see, to funky creative Zada Jane's best known for brunch where you can get your proteins in soy versions should you so desire, to upscale Halcyon, in the Mint Museum, best known for its cocktails.
For more restaurant ideas, check out the Charlotte Observer's restaurant critic's comprehensive list of dining picks. Also check out the restaurant coverage in Charlotte's alternative newspaper.
Another great way to explore Charlotte's restaurants is to visit during the city's Restaurant Week, called Queen's Feast. (Charlotte's nickname is the Queen City, as it was named in in Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of British King George III.) Although it takes place during the sultry summer -- the last edition was in July -- more than 100 restaurants were offering three course dinners for $30. For more details on the Restaurant Week concept, check out this primer.
North Carolina BarbecueGuns, religion, politics and barbecue -- all potentially touchy subjects in the south, but for barbecue, North Carolina is particularly fraught.
While most southern states have an allegiance to certain style of barbecue, usually relating to the type of meat, the cut of meat, and the composition of the sauce, North Carolina is a house divided by an invisible line that divides the state from west to east. From Charlotte, it's easiest to sample Western style barbecue in the town of Lexington. Learn more about the North Carolina barbecue wars, as well as restaurant picks so you can make up your own mind. One smart choice is a place known as Honey Monk's, although it can be very difficult to find. Details here.


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The Dekko Foundation Pledges $150,000 in Matching Funds to Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum's Capital Campaign
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum is proud to announce that The Dekko Foundation has recently pledged up to $150,000 in matching funds to the museum's capital campaign, The Road Ahead. The Dekko funds will provide a 1:1, dollar for dollar, match to gifts made by individual and corporate donors in northeast Indiana.
"We are grateful that The Dekko Foundation chose to make an investment in the museum's growth and future and in the northeast Indiana community in this way. We are eager to use these funds to spur community gifts from northeast Indiana donors with this incentive that will double their impact for the museum," said Debbie Hickman, development director.
"We are thankful to the many generous donors who have made this campaign so successful, so far—helping us in the quest to conserve museum collections and make the history here much more accessible and engaging for visitors of all ages. The Dekko Foundation's pledge will help us take the campaign to completion. The campaign, only the third in the museum's nearly 40-year history, will help ensure, on many levels, that museum will be here for hundreds of years as a prime example of American automotive history that took place right here in northeast Indiana," said Laura Brinkman, museum executive director.
To learn how you can double the impact of your gift to The Road Ahead campaign, please call Laura Brinkman or Debbie Hickman at 260-925-1444.
The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum – where the world's finest cars of yesterday live today! Over 120 classic, antique, vintage and special interest cars are displayed with other automotive related exhibits on three floors. The museum is located in the original 1930s national headquarters of the legendary Auburn Automobile Company and is a National Historic Landmark. The museum is open from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Last admission one hour before closing. Visit the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum, a place where automotive history comes to life! Shop the Museum Store Online today! automobilemuseum.org


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Public Agenda
Executive Committee - NSB Meeting
Public visitors must arrange for a visitor's badge in advance. Call 703-292-7000 to request
your badge, which will be ready for pick-up at the visitor's desk on the day of the meeting.
National Science Foundation
August 8, 2007
7:45 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
Room 1235
Open Session
Michael P. CrosbyExecutive Secretary