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Perennial Geranium in Zone 5/6?
Hi all!
Could anyone suggest a geranium that is perennial in zone 5/6? I will be growing from seed. Any suggestions?
Thanks susan
ps also asking about begonias on that forum if you want to add your two cents about that!
Lots of hardy or perennial geraniums will grow well for you in zones 5 or 6. Starting from seed may not be the best choice as it will limit your selections to primarily the species geraniums -- some hybrids are sterile and named forms are only reliably grown by assexual propagation (cuttings or divisions, not seed).
Here are several that can be done by seed:
G. endressii
G. macrorrhizum (great plant for dry shade)
G. pratense, many forms including the dark-leaved 'Dark Reiter' and the very large 'Mrs. Kendall Clark'
G. psilostemon
G. sanguineum, including var. striatum, sometimes sold under the variety names 'Vision Violet' and 'Vision Pink'
G. wallichianum 'Buxton's Variety'
As gardengal mentioned, most of the "fancy" hybrids cannot be grown from seed.
Most perennial geraniums self-seed, apart from a few sterile hybrid cultivars. However, the trick is obtaining or purchasing the seed for these plants. The seed is just not readily available. A very pretty plant is our native Geranium maculatum, which can be seed grown after cold-moist stratification. Unless you are experienced growing perennials, especially native ones, I would recommend purchasing your first geraniums (in flower if necessary) so that you can see all their individual characteristics. Geraniums are tough enough to transplant when in flower. Not all plants are this tolerant.


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Dying Fish, Please help
I have a well established 55 gallon tank that has been up and running for years. There was a mismash of fish, including 1 green cory cat, 1 columbian tetra, 1 penguin tetra, 2 long finned red tetras, and 5 red eye tetras. I purchased 3 fancy male guppies, 6 female guppies, 3 long finned red tetras and 4 cory cats 4 days ago. I acclimated by floating the bags of fish and then adding my tank water to the store water, then netting the fish and adding to tank. I have had almost all the new fish die except the cory cats who seem to be doing well (My penguin tetra died which is a total bummer, had him for years). The new fish look to have swim bladder issues and float vertically, then die. I feed only enough that they eat with none left floating.
Water testing yesterday yielded: Nitrite 0, pH 7.6 and ammonia .25. I did a 25% water change yesterday and changed the carbon in the filter and ammonia is now 0.
I know the ammonia was high, but would that cause the swim bladder like issues? I am at a loss. I have one of the red fin tetras in a quarantine with some methylene blue because I just don't know what else to do...he is floating around on his side and back.
I have included a picture of the tank, there is no undergravel filter and I do weekly water changes.
Can anyone offer suggestions?

subset: commoncrawl


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POSTED ON // Thursday, 26 March 2015
Revisit the musical break-ups that broke your heart.
POSTED ON // Thursday, 26 March 2015
Written by // Cec Busby
Fans have captured the moment One Direction's Harry Styles broke down in tears on stage as he performed for the first time since the announcement that Zayn Malik had quit the band.
POSTED ON // Thursday, 26 March 2015
Written by // Sabine Brix
After only two seasons HBO has cancelled its gay dramedy Looking.
Popular boy group One Direction will become a foursome after the news broke that singer Zayn Malik has quit the band to pursue living a normal life.
POSTED ON // Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Written by // Sabine Brix
It's only a small snippet via Instagram but Adam Lambert's new track Ghost Town sounds set to be a banger.
POSTED ON // Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Written by // Garrett Bithell
Elektra's life is a mess. She's stuck living with her mother, which is bad enough – it was her mother who murdered her father. Her stepfather is not much older than her and has all too happily taken her father's position as king. And her sister doesn't even care! She's sided with their mother and taken up gardening like nothing ever happened.
Boys will be boys, a Sydney Theatre Company commission at Wharf 2 from 16 April to 9 May, is a bold, risqué new work by Melissa Bubnic, winner of STC's 2010 Patrick White Playwright's Award for her play, Beached.
POSTED ON // Monday, 23 March 2015
Written by // Sabine Brix
Piano, violins, and Spanish vocals. Yep, Ricky Martin's new video clip for Disparo al Corazon (Shot to the Heart) which celebrates marriage equality will pull at the heartstrings.


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Camp Chef Louis & Clark
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- Hey all,
I read everyday, but don't have much input. So I thought I would share this find with you.
Yesterday we were in Dick's Sporting Goods and saw a Camp Chef Pre-seasoned Lewis & Clark Edition DO for $20. I looked high and low on the box to see if it was the 9 1/3 qt or the 6 qt, but could not see which one it was. Either way it is a good deal cause Dick's Sporting Goods website is selling the un-seasoned 9 1/3 qt do for $39.99 and the un-seasoned 6 qt do for $34.99.
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Friday in photos
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South Korean singer PSY poses for the photographers after being awarded with the Song of the Year Award of 2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in Hong Kong Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. The Mnet Asian Music Awards is one of the major K-pop music award ceremonies. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Photo by Kin Cheung
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Amanda Knox and her family celebrate acquittal
Italy's highest court overturned the murder conviction against Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend Friday over the 2007 slaying of Knox's roommate, bringing to a definitive end to the high-profile case.
Week in Photos
Photos from around the world this week.
Hundreds gather to commemorate one-year mark of Oso mudslide
A solemn crowd gathered to honor 43 people who lost their lives a year ago in the deadliest landslide in U.S. history.
Photos: Oso one year after deadly mudslide
Sunday is the one-year anniversary of the slide, and although most of the mangled cars and homes have been cleaned up, reminders of loss are everywhere.
Week in photos
Take a look at the best photos of the week from around the world.
Tuesday in photos
St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2015.
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Monday, March 16, 2015.
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The second of three Friday the 13ths in 2015; Friday, March 13, 2015.
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Thursday, March 12, 2015.


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Tech Helproom
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Unable to open emails in Hotmail
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Posted February 15, 2013 at 3:58PM
I am unable to open emails in my inbox or saved emails in the folders. I have not altered the settings and have used CC Cleaner and AVG. Any help much appreciated.
Likes # 0
Posted February 15, 2013 at 4:55PM
Which browser are you using? When you say that you have used CC Cleaner what did you use it for?
Try emptying your cache and browser history as a start.
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Posted February 16, 2013 at 11:15AM
Having logged on this morning the problem seems to have fixed itself. Thank you for the reply.
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Funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and long-term plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are just the start of the commercial real estate industry's concerns about President Barack Obama's proposed budget. Clarity on proposed regulations is also a focus.
View Full Article in:GlobeSt.com
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- 2 years ago
Why are OH, NH, and FH bonds so polar?
- 2 years ago
Why are OH, NH, and FH bonds so polar?
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Best ResponseYou've already chosen the best response.1
- 2 years ago
The reason these bonds are so polar is due to the electronegativity difference between the two atoms. Electronegativity defines an atom's affinity to attract electrons. When an atom with a high electronegativity (O,N,or F) is bonded with an atom with a small electronegativity, the electron cloud will be pulled towards the more electronegative species creating a dipole (the H carries a partial positive charge from it's lack of electrons and the O carries a partial negative charge). This link shows a periodic table with the electronegativity of each atom where you can see that O,N, and F are some of the most electronegative atoms that exist. http://www.tutor-homework.com/Chemistry_Help/electronegativity_table/electronegativity.html
Best ResponseYou've already chosen the best response.0
- 2 years ago
partial positive charge develop on H atom due to the strong pull on the electron cloud by the highly electronegative atoms,{in order;F,O and N},around,which in turn gain partial negative charges,to make the entire molecule polar,strong enough even to change the physical state. refresh-water- polarity;liquid Ammonia&Freons
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- 2 years ago
because they can form hydrogen bond with polar solvents.
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8:45 am
Mon June 18, 2012
Making Extra Money for Salisbury Police Personnel
By Don Rush
At tonight's work session the Salisbury City Council will consider authorizing the police chief to enter into contractual agreements with businesses that request law enforcement services.
The Salisbury Daily Times reports that officers with the Police Department have been working extra duty assignments at The Centre at Salisbury for some time.
The resolution says that the police department has developed a policy and standard contract that lays out the rules for all extra duty and secondary employment for its personnel.
It would allow uniformed and non-uniformed personnel to provide security at local businesses with the approval of the police chief.
There are no costs to the police department or the city.


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Designing Personal Practices
in Cammeray, NSW organised by Yoga Institute
in Cammeray, NSW organised by Yoga Institute
02 99... Click to show02 9929 2774
Yoga has been taught on a one-to-one basis for most of it's history. Group yoga classes have only been popular for about three decades. Great yogis, like Krishnamacharya, knew that the greatest benefits ar experienced when a student does a regular yoga practice which is tailored to best meet their unique needs and goals. This 9 hour course is part of our respected Diploma of Yoga Teacher Training. It focuses on the skills required to effectively assess and evaluation students and then design them a personal home yoga practice. This course is ideally suited to yoga teachers interested in advancing their ability to work one-on-one with clients.
Cost: $245.00 (inc gst)
Dates: Fridays 20th July, 27th July & 3rd August
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Bookings are essential and prepayment is required. Contact us to reserve your place. Limited numbers available.
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Game 2: Padres at Mariners
Roenis Elias vs. Andrew Cashner, 12:05pm, Root TV/710am
One game in, and the M's suffered their first serious injury, as 1B Ji-Man Choi broke his fibula trying to snare an errant throw from SS Tyler Smith. Choi's been beset by serious injuries for years, but I don't think even Chris Snelling would've broken a fibula by jumping.* It's a reminder that 1) health is a tool, and 2) baseball is relentless in the way that it exposes every bodily weakness and exploits them. Franklin Gutierrez knows the feeling. Get well soon, Ji-Man.
Today's game features something quite like the opening day line-up and the other candidate for the 5th starter job, Roenis Elias. Taijuan Walker had a solid start against the Padres, and Ryan Divish had a good story about his mechanics (simplified, and using the stretch even without men on) and his improving split-change. The M's face big righty Andrew Cashner, still one of the hardest-throwing starters in the league, though not quite the 99mph monster he was when he first moved from the Cubs to the Padres. At that time, he relied on his huge four-seamer, and paired it with a slider and change-up. Since then, he's switched to a still-plenty-fast sinker as his primary fastball. Despite the radar gun readings, Cashner struggled both with his control and, more recently (and surprisingly), with contact. Batters now make more contact against him than average, and thus his K rate's been below average in the rotation. That said, he's become an effective pitcher thanks to solid ground ball rates and some new-found control.
Against righties, he's a essentially a pitch-to-contact sinkerball machine, with very low walk rates and sky-high ground ball rates. If you limit fly balls, and then have a home park that minimizes the damage that the occasional fly ball can do, you can be a pretty effective pitcher. In addition, his mid-upper 90s velocity means the contact he gives up is generally poorer than that yielded by a more traditional, late-period-Derek-Lowe style sinkerball hurler. It's worth noting, though, that he's very different against lefties. Against lefties, he'll throw more change-ups and chase strikeouts, at the expense of some extra walks. Unlike righties, lefties tend to hit the ball in the air. Part of this is due to the way Cashner pitches them – a steady diet of sinkers away. That can produce opposite-field fly balls, and for whatever reason, lefties are able to elevate the few pitches that Cashner throws inside or up. The M's will throw six lefty hitters at Cashner, so we'll see if they're able to drive the ball.
Roenis Elias was one of the best stories of camp last year, making the team out of nowhere thanks to a funky delivery and good velocity from the left side. Last year, the M's seemed concerned about the lack of consistency in Elias' release point. Against lefties, he'd drop way down at times, and stay upright against righties. So, we got a story or two about picking a release point and sticking with it near the end of March 2014, but there wasn't a whole lot of evidence that Elias listened. Even late in the year, you'd see two or three distinct groupings for his pitches, and why not? He'd been far more effective than any of us thought possible, and his ability to neutralize lefties was a big part of the reason why. In this respect, he's a lot like the Padres' own Cuban 5th starter, righty Odrisamer Despaigne, who used several release angles and odd pitches to destroy righties in 2014.
Today's line-up:
1: Jackson, CF
2: Smith, RF
3: Cano, 2B
4: Cruz, DH
5: Seager, 3B
6: Morrison, 1B
7: Ackley, LF
8: Zunino, C
9: Miller, SS
SP: Elias
The Padres line-up includes Abe Almonte, the opening day CF for the M's last year while Seth Smith was in the opening day line-up for the Friars in 2014.
* Snelling would've torn ligaments instead.
So it Begins: M's vs. Padres
Tai Walker vs. Jason Lane, 12:00pm, Root TV
As Jeff mentioned here, and then in more depth at Fangraphs today, the M's are projected to be one of the AL's elite teams in 2015. While they're not prohibitive favorites, the projection systems generally have them as the best team in the AL West on paper. This makes some sense – as we've talked about before, the story of the offseason was Oakland's makeover which may set them up well in future years, but clearly comes at a cost of 2015 wins. The Rangers went from perennial contender to an awkward semi-rebuild, and their playoff chances have dropped more than any other team's over the past year. The Angels were a balanced team in 2014, but injuries, aging, and, uh, Josh Hamilton have taken their toll. Meanwhile, the M's have made several low-key moves aimed at covering some of their glaring weaknesses from last year. Because of the *way* they did so – largely by learning to love the platoon – there's really not a whole lot to compete for as the Cactus League season begins. The M's – and M's fans – aren't looking for surprises or breakouts. We're rooting against news.
How lucky, then, that we kick things off with a game that doesn't even count towards the actual Cactus League standings. It's semi-ludicrous that ANYTHING can "count" in that context, but we'll get to that tomorrow. Today, the M's send out a split squad line-up and Taijuan Walker to take on the intra-building rivals, the San Diego Padres. The Pads are clearly taking this pretty seriously, as they're starting former big league OF Jason Lane. Lane's a familiar face to those of us who follow the PCL, as he's been in the league for many years, essentially always as a position player, but who inevitably got called on to pitch in blowouts. Since focusing more on pitching, his FB's up to around 88, and he's got a surprisingly decent change-up.
Walker's the one guy who one can argue is playing for a job this spring. I think the M's want him in the rotation, even if that means sending one of last year's big suprises, Roenis Elias, to Tacoma as depth. The story of Walker's spring has been a change in his repertoire. While many scouts (and Fangraphs) ID'd his cutter as his #1 breaking ball, it's always been hit and miss. I think I've always seen more of the latter than the former, and his overall stats show that he struggled to command the pitch. Thus, it's not a huge shock that he's scrapping it in favor of a true slider – taking a few MPH off, but getting more break and depth. To be clear: this isn't about needing to improve against same-handed batters. He's been great against them thus far. That said, a slider's a good weapon against righties, and he's still got his big curve and a developing split-change to use against lefties.
The line-up:
1: Jones, CF
2: Taylor, SS
3: Peterson, DH
4: Montero, 1B
5: Romero, LF
6: Rivero, 3B
7: Morban, RF
8: Hicks, C
9: Marte, 2B
SP: Walker
The Mariners Will Probably Win Between 65 And 100 Games
I played in a death metal band. People either loved us or they hated us, or they thought we were okay.
So much talk right now about expectations. It's mostly because, hey, expectations. I mean, there are always expectations surrounding the Mariners in spring training, but this is the first time in a while said expectations have been strongly optimistic. I've seen multiple articles to the effect of, "despite expectations, McClendon believes team still needs to perform." I very literally can't think of a stupider premise, but at least that does tell you one thing — people expect the Mariners to be good. Like, possibly division-winning good.
It feels unfamiliar, and that isn't just recency bias. This really is something new. And mostly coincidentally, I've spent the last couple days sifting through team projections from the past decade. It took some work to get all the numbers together, and there are a few issues with relying on various projections going back further and further into history, but the projections have never been nonsense. Even in 2005, they conveyed an idea of how teams were supposed to perform, and you know what they say about history? Well they say a lot of things about history. One is that we can learn from it.
Let's learn from it. As of right now, Baseball Prospectus has the Mariners projected to win 87 games, based on PECOTA. FanGraphs has the Mariners projected to win 89 games, based on Steamer, and while we're still waiting on ZiPS stuff to be uploaded, ZiPS is pretty much in agreement. Clay Davenport has the Mariners projected to win 86 games. The last I saw from Vegas, the Mariners' over/under line has been set at 86.5 wins. The numbers have rolled in, and there are no remaining surprises. The Mariners project really well. People are excited! This is a potential champion that's just gotten things started in Peoria.
Time to dive into history. On my spreadsheet, I can find 60 teams that have been projected for between 86 – 90 wins, since 2005. The average of their projections: 88 wins. Their actual, average performance: 88 wins. Look at that! It's a dead match. That's why people are excited — teams that look good tend to be good. More often than not, you can see the good teams coming, at least to a certain extent.
Yet all I've shown you are averages. Let's look at those 60 teams again. By record, the best team wound up being the 2008 Angels, who won 100 games. And, by record, the worst team wound up being the 2009 Indians, who won 65 games. Those Indians were projected for 86 wins. Those Angels were projected for 88. In terms of the difference between actual wins and projected wins, one standard deviation for this pool of 60 teams is 8.2. Which is to say, the team projection is meaningful, and if the team actually wins a very different number of games, yeah, that happens sometimes. We think we know a lot. We do know a lot. We know a lot of what is knowable. By definition we can never know the unknowable, and it turns out performance = knowable + unknowable, in more or less equal parts.
To go back to an earlier point, it's definitely a change to see the Mariners projected so well. Here are their projected win totals, since 2005:
- 2005: 82
- 2006: 81
- 2007: 76
- 2008: 77
- 2009: 78
- 2010: 81
- 2011: 74
- 2012: 75
- 2013: 73
- 2014: 82
- (2015: 86 – 90?)
This is the first time in a while the Mariners have been projected for more than 82 wins, which feels about right. The team has so much confidence it can almost be mistaken for having swagger. Maybe it does have swagger, I don't know. I'm not an expert on swagger identification. But in 2005, the Mariners fell short of their projected win total by 13. In 2008, they fell short of their projected win total by 16. In 2010, they fell short of their projected win total by 20. 2005 was the year they newly had Adrian Beltre and Richie Sexson. 2008 was the year they newly had Erik Bedard. 2010 was the year they newly had Cliff Lee and Chone Figgins. The level of expectations is new, but we've had our hopes up before. The Mariners didn't just shatter them; they shattered them and fed them to us, shattered bit by shattered bit. "Eat this. Eat this shattered bit of optimism."
What we know is the team looks pretty good. It's not just in our heads — it's backed up by the numbers. What that means is the team will definitely be good, bad, or okay. It's always easy to see the upside. It's always easy to imagine good health and a breakthrough or two. It's never so easy to recognize the downside. You don't envision Chone Figgins losing 140 points of OPS. You don't envision ankylosing spondylitis. Successful teams are all alike. Every lousy team is lousy in its own way.
I don't mean to try to make you unhappy. I don't mean to try to reduce your level of enthusiasm. The thing about spring is there's enthusiasm everywhere, because you need to clear only a very low threshold in order to dream. If your team is projected to win 90 games, you're thinking World Series. If your team is projected to win 80 games, you're thinking World Series, if a thing or two go right. If your team is projected to win 70 games, you're thinking playoffs, if a thing or two go right, and then what are the playoffs but four weeks of randomness? Everybody gets to dream in February. Just as there's downside, there's upside, and the Mariners could be even better than we think.
But, did you know they play baseball games, after all the projections are filed? I know. I'm scared, too. The bigger they are, the harder they fall, and we've all fallen enough that we're covered in painful, unsightly bruises. I don't want to fall again. I don't want to fall, again. I feel like last year we just took a good step. The next step's sure precarious.
Podcast: Everybody Suffers
All the AL West teams suffered, or continue to suffer, from bad stuff this past week. And Oakland and Houston are still located in Oakland and Houston. Come to think about it, Arlington and Anaheim kinda (or mostly) suck too. Man, Seattle is great.
Podcast with Jeff (@based_ball) and Matthew (@msea1): Direct link! || iTunes link! || RSS/XML link!
Thanks again to those that helped support the show and/or StatCorner in general last week, and in the past, and hopefully in the future. It's truly appreciated. And thank you to our sponsor for this episode, TodayIFoundOut!
Jesus Montero Isn't Just A Best-Shape Story
I'm not entirely sure where we stand on these at the moment. In the familiar history, players would show up at spring training and declare that they were fitter than ever. This happened often enough that people who cover players started to make fun of them for it, sometimes gently and sometimes not so much, with the message always being that, great, glad you look a little sexier, but nobody cares. What's the current state, though? Especially with so many players reading material online. Are they sufficiently self-aware to avoid saying they're in the best shape of their lives? Do they look for different ways to say it? Do we look for different ways to respond to it? These things are always evolving. Anything to squeeze something fresh from a hopelessly trite bowl of oranges.
Someone, somewhere, is still going to compile a list this spring training of players who say they're in particularly great shape. The point will be to laugh about it. Jesus Montero is going to be on the list. Jesus Montero is in the best shape of his life. I don't think that applies to any player more than it applies to Montero. So in a sense Montero is the new face of an annual cliche, but I don't think we should be so cynical. There's safety in cynicism — there's comfort in remaining closed-minded — but I don't think Jesus Montero's is just another empty and purposeless spin of the best-shape carnival wheel.
And, this is really easy. David Freese might be in the best shape of his life. If that's perhaps an exaggeration, Freese is at least supposed to be in better-than-usual shape. It's an easy thing to shrug off, though. Why? Freese has never been in bad shape. Freese has always been a classically-built ballplayer, with strength for days, and no one's ever looked at him and thought, "you could stand to do something with your body." When Freese's body has held him back, it's been because of injuries. Some fractures, some consequences of hit-by-pitches, a busted ankle tendon. Being more fit won't stop those things. You won't look at Freese this year and think he's a different player.
And maybe Jesus Montero won't be a different player, but he'll at least profile differently. His transformation is something sensational, because in the past, he hasn't looked like a classically-built ballplayer. And he still doesn't look like Yasiel Puig, but glance at a picture of Montero from this week and you'll swear you see a damned athlete. The reason this matters is because Montero's fitness was a legitimate problem. It was holding him back in virtually every way — it was bad for his running, it was bad for his fielding, it was bad for his swing, and it was bad for his confidence. We used to joke about Jose Lopez being out of shape. Jesus Montero was, totally honestly, badly out of shape. That was broadly evident a year ago, but it was a factor, too, the year before that. Montero says he's back to 2011 weight, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's moved beyond 2011 athleticism. The work he's put in, he's never put in before.
That's the other part of this. One thing holding Montero back was his level of fitness. That reflected a pretty unprofessional lack of discipline. So not only could he not do certain things like he wanted to; he didn't demonstrate much drive to get better. What's the expression? Talent gets you to the majors, and heart keeps you there, or something like that? Talent got Jesus Montero to the majors. He didn't put in the effort to stick.
Extended major-league careers are selective for those players who try hard enough. There's some minimum determination threshold, and while it isn't the same for every player, since some players are just naturally superior to others, literally everybody has to bust his ass to get to arbitration salaries or free agency. Montero never showed enough initiative. Now he's coming off an offseason of working out I think literally every day, even on holidays, even on the big ones. Montero didn't go home. He worked out. He didn't stop working out. He conveyed that something clicked, or that something was at least in the process of clicking. I don't want to go too far, but based on indications, I think now Jesus Montero might get it.
Again, it's easy to snark. Montero's the same guy who once said he spent the whole offseason eating, and lest you forget, that was only a year ago, and people grow only so much in a year. You can analyze the hell out of this, though. Montero's around those ages when people start to learn something about real-world responsibilities. Montero's coming off some of the most embarrassing seasons in recent Mariners history, and his own bosses ripped him in the media. And Montero recently had a child. His very own human child! There have been a lot of significant changes in Jesus Montero's life. So it makes sense they could've driven him to make another. Do you know what it feels like to bottom out of 24? Actually, maybe you do, but I bet people never believed in you as much as they believed in Jesus Montero. I bet you've never let that many people down. Let that many people down, and a man has decisions to make.
Montero, the last few months, has made good decisions. To some extent the initial decision might've been made for him, by the organization, but Montero has elected to stick with the plan and show some real, actual discipline. Now he looks like a baseball player. Maybe he still won't look much like a baseball player during organized, competitive baseball games, but if talent comes naturally, then Montero has cleared the path for the talent to show itself again. Unless things turn, his body won't hold him back nearly as much. Unless things turn, his effort won't hold him back nearly as much. All we've wanted to know is whether Jesus Montero is good enough to play for a while in the major leagues. Montero has taken steps toward letting us finally find out. As long as this keeps up, then if Jesus Montero fails, he'll fail on account of his skills. Of the many ways to fail, that's gotta be the best.
Podcast: We Ran Out of Topics at the End, Sorry!
Rickie Weeks, the rotation, some MLB win total over/unders and a whole lot of rambling got into this episode. Prepare, even moreso than usual, for off topic-ness.
Podcast with Jeff (@based_ball) and Matthew (@msea1): Direct link! || iTunes link! || RSS/XML link!
Thanks again to those that helped support the show and/or StatCorner in general last week, and in the past, and hopefully in the future. It's truly appreciated. And thank you to our sponsor for this episode, TodayIFoundOut!
Let's Now Give A Shit About Rickie Weeks
You'll never believe this, but the Mariners just signed a former Brewer. The specific former Brewer in this case is Rickie Weeks, and his contract is worth money that doesn't matter over the minimum number of years. In the worst-case scenario, Weeks is bad, and his salary gets in the way of the Mariners' midseason flexibility. In the best-case scenario, Weeks performs and hits all his incentives, but then Weeks might only hit all his incentives if he plays a bunch, and if he plays a bunch it's because something happened to Robinson Cano, so in at least this one way the Rickie Weeks best-case scenario is also among the Mariners' worst-case scenarios. This is off to a good start.
Despite Weeks' career Milwaukee-ness, this is a surprising move. You would've thought Weeks would go to one of those places that has a hole at second base. Instead he joined the team with literally the best second baseman, but then, to be honest, Weeks at this point isn't really a second baseman anymore anyway. Now, just one year ago, Weeks refused to move off second to play another position, so that bodes poorly, but that's also in the past, and I can't imagine Weeks just signed with the Mariners voluntarily in the belief that he'll stick to his spot. Maybe he really is that stupid, or maybe his agent really does have that little knowledge of the greater baseball landscape, but the probability points to Weeks now being a little more open-minded. People tend to be less stubborn when they're increasingly desperate to put off irrelevance.
Because it's a surprising move, it's an interesting move. This one wasn't telegraphed, this one wasn't predictable, and this one wasn't some minor-league contract with an invite to Peoria. In theory, Weeks can fit on this team. In theory, it's simple. Many of us assumed the Mariners were finished changing things up, but — and you might want to sit down — they couldn't pass up a chance to acquire a right-handed proven slugger with a history of bad defense and strikeouts.
Weeks was the second overall pick in 2003, and because of that he's thought by many to be a career under-achiever. Just for the record, these were the picks around him:
- 1st: Delmon Young
- 3rd: Kyle Sleeth
- 4th: Tim Stauffer
- 5th: Chris Lubanski
- 6th: Ryan Harvey
Everything's relative, and Weeks has had his moments and seasons in the sun. He started to hit in 2006, and through 2011, he was a fine all-around regular second baseman. He was a hell of a hitter through his peak; between 2009 – 2011, Weeks posted the same wRC+ as Victor Martinez and Andrew McCutchen. But then, in 2011, the Phillies were the best team in baseball. Things have changed. Weeks got worse, as players do. He started to get booed from time to time. Though his hitting numbers picked up last year, he was also heavily platooned, swinging the odds in his favor, and he lost his regular job to a fellow named Scooter. In addition to this, defensive metrics hate Weeks at second like they hate few other players.
Weeks is no longer an everyday player. Last year's performance shows a change in his batted-ball profile, away from putting the ball in the air, but the safe assumption here is that Weeks should only really bat against lefties. Against righties, he can be exploited, and it's not like he's going to gain some runs back with his glove. Weeks goes to the bench as experienced insurance. So: what does that mean?
Weeks has literally only played second in the majors. He's played second, occasional DH, and occasional pinch-hitter. In the minors, he played only second base. The Mariners, though, didn't sign Weeks to just back up Robinson Cano. The bench, as I see it:
- Jesus Sucre, or maybe John Baker
- Willie Bloomquist
- Justin Ruggiano
- Rickie Weeks
The catchers are just catchers, and I don't know if they even own their own bats. Bloomquist can play anywhere, or at least he could play anywhere, but now he's coming off surgery, and I've heard some talk that he might not be ready for the start of the year. Ruggiano is the platoon partner for Seth Smith. That leaves Weeks as the last guy. That means no space for Jesus Montero. It means no space for James Jones, or the loser of the shortstop competition. Space would require a five-man bench, and that would require a six-man bullpen. You won't see a six-man bullpen with a manager who's fond of an eight-man bullpen.
The Weeks news isn't yet confirmed, so we don't have any quotes from the team. As such, we have to guess at his usage. I see a little bit of lots of things. A few games of giving Cano a breather. Maybe even a couple games at third. I think he picks up some games against lefties as a first baseman, and he might sneak in at DH once or twice. Weeks could also get reps in an outfield corner — Dustin Ackley is both left-handed and Dustin Ackley, so he's not a lock to do anything, and as things stand Ackley is also the roster depth behind Austin Jackson. Jackson is also supported by James Jones, Endy Chavez, Franklin Gutierrez, and maybe Brad Miller, but those guys won't start the year with Seattle. I guess Miller might, but that would be as a shortstop.
Weeks provides the Mariners with a little flexibility and a little bit of pop. Let's say the roster stays as it is, and let's say…Miller wins the job at short. Against righties, the Mariners could start six left-handed hitters. Against lefties, the Mariners could start five right-handed hitters. You can move your own numbers around if you figure the right-handed Chris Taylor beats Miller out. The point is the team has some built-in protection. And nothing is set in stone. Injury or under-performance means different players show up. If Montero beats the hell out of the ball in Tacoma, he'll rise. You'll see Gutierrez if he doesn't accidentally fall in front of a bus. If Bloomquist is toast, Taylor and Miller could potentially co-exist. Weeks himself has a guaranteed contract, but a guaranteed contract just means you have guaranteed money, not a guaranteed roster spot. Weeks won't last if he pulls a 2013. And as much as 2014 was encouraging, 2013 was the opposite, and just a year earlier.
When it's February, you get more than a thousand words about a bench acquisition that teams with holes at second base didn't want. Weeks has been a really good player before, but then Endy Chavez has been a really good player before, and if it's perspective you want, the Mariners got Weeks for a year and $2 million. That's less than half their guarantee an offseason ago to Willie Bloomquist. This isn't like getting a pitch-framer for cheap, because it's a market inefficiency. Rickie Weeks isn't a market inefficiency. He's just a guy who hits lefties sometimes, and he has a history that takes a little longer to thumb through than most. It's for the best, for him, he's moving on from Milwaukee. That doesn't mean it's also for the best for Seattle, but it's not like the system was overflowing with quality candidates for the one spot remaining. Weeks is good enough to satisfy those who confuse activity for improvement, and he could even be better than that.
The upside, per usual, is that Weeks plays the hero in an exciting and extended playoff run. Maybe he delivers the sort of hit or two that make him an area legend. Every champion includes bit parts no one ever expected much from. The downside is that Weeks sucks, and sucks often enough and conspicuously enough that he gets booed in Safeco, too. We could hate him, and he could hate us. But that's just the way it is with anyone. You have to give a chance to people. Don't decide they suck before you know them; if they suck, that's a tough thing to keep hidden.
The Mariners Watched A Few Cubans
The Mariners had a workout for multiple Cuban players today in the Dominican Republic, including second basemen Andy Ibanez and Hector Olivera. In attendance at that workout were Mariners president Kevin Mather, general manager Jack Zduriencik and international director Tim Kissner.
But baseball sources downplayed the presence of Mather and Zduriencik at the workouts. They were on hand for them because there were organizational meetings going on at the facility that same week. Both Zduriencik and Mather were down there for those meetings not specifically to see those two players.
That says almost enough, right there. Zduriencik and Mather watched the workout because it literally would've been difficult for them not to. So, this isn't any kind of indication that the Mariners are totally serious about making an international play, but the fact of the matter is that there *was* a workout, and the Mariners *did* pay attention, and it *is* the beginning of February and the only alternative to thinking about this story is thinking about the Super Bowl and relative to that isn't this story just the most interesting and compelling story? Let's talk about this story. Let's only talk about this story, for at least the next couple of weeks. Let's talk about this story when we wake up, and let's talk about this story until we fall asleep. Let's talk ourselves asleep, with this story.
Of Olivera and Ibanez, Olivera is the bigger name. He's the guy who's said to be big-league ready, or just about. Ibanez is more of a prospect. Olivera is a prospect, too, but Ibanez is the kind of prospect who would immediately fit into the low- to mid-minors. The curious thing is that Olivera profiles as a second or third baseman, and Ibanez, too, profiles as a second baseman. The Mariners have one of those, and they have a third baseman, too, and while it's more possible than you might realize that something disastrous could happen at literally any moment, changing things forever, there's planning for downside and there's planning for complete and utter catastrophe. You don't plan for catastrophes that leave you hopelessly shattered. You just let those catastrophes ruin you.
Now, about this workout: from the looks of things, Olivera and Ibanez were present, but they were not the only players present. Those other players, presumably, have their own talents, even if they don't quite match up to the higher-profile individuals. It's possible the Mariners could sign one or two Cubans from the workout, and it's possible none of the signed players would be Hector Olivera or Andy Ibanez. The hell should I know? If I knew what the Mariners were going to do, I'd tell that to the Mariners, and they'd, I don't know, do something. Maybe they'd try to do something other than what I predicted, but, I would've predicted that already, and — it's complicated. I don't really want to get into determinism here.
It's only natural to let your imaginations run wild. That's the whole appeal of these rumors and links. And I'm not going to try to stop you from getting ahead of yourself; do what you want, it's a Friday afternoon. It's baseball. It doesn't matter. Here's what we know: the Mariners are aware of a couple talented future Cuban imports, and they've put them through a workout. If Olivera and Ibanez were available to the Mariners for a few dollars, the Mariners would sign both of them, without any question. I guess that's an assumption, not actual knowledge, but it's a safe assumption.
But there's a connection, and then there's the rest. There's interest, and then there's signing a guy. There's signing a guy, and then there's worrying about how he fits. The most important thing is the general accumulation of talent. Worry about fits when the talent is actually in-house. Remember that, earlier this offseason, the Mariners were said to have made a run at Russell Martin, even though they already have Mike Zunino. Room can be made if room needs to be made. If the Mariners actually acquired Olivera, he'd fit somewhere. It's not like anyone on this team is a near-lock aside from Cano and Seager, and someone who can play second base can play a lot of things.
And Ibanez? If the Mariners had Ibanez, he'd just be a prospect. Nothing to worry about. Should the Mariners just ditch the prospects they have who play positions currently occupied by good players? You should just about never worry about a blocked prospect. Miraculously, teams figure out ways to proceed. No baseball team has ever been contracted because it had too much talent at the same one or two places.
The Mariners watched some players work out. They wouldn't have done that if they had 0-percent interest, so, their interest level might be rightly described as non-0 percent. It's pretty easy to go from there to "the Mariners badly want one or both of these Cubans!" That would be really blowing this out of proportion. And remember, there's nothing special about the Mariners' situation — every team in baseball knows these guys. Many of the teams want them. The odds are highly, highly against the Mariners signing Olivera, or Ibanez, or both, or really anyone decently high-profile. When it's the Mariners against the field, you always bet the field.
So, probably, nothing comes of this. Already it doesn't seem like anything will come of this. This story was just a thing that came up that allowed you to think about anything else besides life for a few minutes during a week. That's either the whole point of why we're here, or the very opposite of it. I'm still trying to work that out, but I think I'm getting close to the answer.
Podcast: Trying to Look Forward to Spring Training
The title sums it up. After nothing baseball-related happening in January, and a bunch of emotional other things happening, we attempt to focus on the future. It's hard.
Podcast with Jeff (@based_ball) and Matthew (@msea1): Direct link! || iTunes link! || RSS/XML link!
Thanks again to those that helped support the show and/or StatCorner in general last week, and in the past, and hopefully in the future. It's truly appreciated. And thank you to our sponsor for this episode, TodayIFoundOut!
Jesus Montero, Normal-Sized Person
You guys know the story of Crater Lake, right? I just kind of assume so, because the story is so familiar to me, but then that's probably not fair; other people have other interests, and for most it's just a piece of insignificant trivia. Who cares how a lake came to be? But let me at least run through this real quick: where Crater Lake is, there once stood a majestic snowy peak, the Mount Mazama Cascade volcano. The volcano erupted, as volcanoes are wont to do, and this particular eruption was inconceivably enormous, and much of the peak was destroyed. Some matter flew away; other matter collapsed inward, as the underground magma chamber emptied itself. When the dust settled and the rains and snows came, a lake formed within the giant crater, a lake where the water has nowhere to go.
The eruption took place around 5,677 BC. That is, the estimated date is 5,677 BC, plus or minus 150 years. There's a 300-year window within which we believe the mountain destroyed itself. This is, scientifically, a very precise estimate. Oftentimes you get calculated windows stretching thousands or hundreds of thousands of years.
Meanwhile, Jesus Montero just missed his reporting weight by one year. Last year, they wanted him to weigh 235 pounds, and he instead weighed 275 pounds. Now? Now, one year later, he weighs 235 pounds on the nose. And they want us to think his weight was some kind of big deal a season ago? He barely missed his target. In the grand scheme of things, there's nary a blink between 2014 spring training and 2015 spring training, so, as far as I'm concerned, kudos to Jesus Montero for doing what he was supposed to do, basically. People are always in such a hurry these days. Slow down and don't worry about expiring deadlines. If you get it done late, you're not really late. We just have a warped perception of the passing of time.
The message from the Mariners is this: there's reason to be encouraged about Jesus Montero. They'll tell you they never gave up on him. And it's true, they didn't, at least based on his remaining on the 40-man roster. Maybe that was faith, and maybe that was stubbornness, but here we are, and Jack Zduriencik is happy to tell anyone he knew Montero could figure things out. The organization didn't give up on Montero, even if one scout in particular did. And maybe, in some small way, that very scout helped motivate Montero to whip himself in shape.
Motivation, you can try to identify in retrospect. Montero clearly wasn't very motivated, that one time he said he spent the whole winter eating. That was one of the dumbest athlete quotes I'd ever heard, exactly on par with that caloric nonsense from Nick Franklin. Since then, the Mariners have blasted Montero in the press. They essentially removed him from his big-league peers, and they tried to make him learn a new position. Montero had that suspension to deal with, and then he finally got sent ice cream in a dugout. What just happened was a very embarrassing year. An extraordinarily embarrassing year. Somewhere, somehow, Montero was able to search within himself and find a little nugget of pride.
What's being suggested, what's being sold, is that Montero might be fixed as an individual, which would be the key to fixing him as a player. That seems too quick, too hasty, too easy. Montero is just 25 years old, and he's experienced several years of hype. You can sort of see how he was able to lose his own way, and you know you are or were a completely different person at 30 than 20. Changes do happen, based on maturity and life experiences, and Montero just experienced a hell of a year. But you still need to have a little healthy skepticism. Sufficient self-motivation is among the Earth's less prevalent resources, and Montero had none of it at 24. It's hard to believe he's just a whole new person. It's almost impossible to create whole new people. But, it's also not possible to lose as much weight as Montero has without being committed. So there's at least evidence of Montero doing something hard, where he didn't just rely on his god-given talent. Talent makes you a professional; drive lets you stick.
Understand what we're talking about here. Jesus Montero now weighs about 40 pounds less than the previous version of Jesus Montero. That would be fantastic, if the Mariners were competing for the Team Weight Loss World Series. Instead, they'll be competing for the regular old baseball World Series. Ultimately, what we want is for Montero to be a better baseball player. His defense wasn't just about his weight. His swing wasn't just about his weight. His discipline wasn't just about his weight. Jesus Montero wasn't bad because he was heavy. A lighter version of Jesus Montero, with the previous Jesus Montero's approach, will just suck a little more per pound.
But this lets you have a little hope about the other stuff. Montero has been committed enough for long enough to get into playing shape. That suggests he might also be committed enough for long enough to get better at the game he plays for a job. His body should also no longer hold him back as much, not that he's suddenly going to not run like a refrigerator rolling down a hill. It seemed like, before, when Montero would receive instruction, it just bounced off of him, like hail on a windshield. Now, perhaps, the instruction will be more likely to stick, like mosquitoes on a windshield. That's the dream, anyway. Again, one generally doesn't become a good student overnight, but Montero didn't do this overnight. He did it over dozens of nights, hundreds of nights, after having been reduced to a punchline.
Think about it this way: if Montero were to come all the way back, and turn himself into a legitimate big-leaguer, this would be the first step, if you were to start a few months ago. This first step could lead down any number of paths, but it's tough to envision Montero headed down the right path without doing this first. Let's say, he just got himself to the proper trailhead. He still has to go practically the whole rest of the way, but at least he's not badly lost.
The Jesus Montero career resurrection. That's what we want to believe in, because at this point anything from Montero would be like free money. This guy here, who lost weight? We already wrote him off. He's a seed that didn't sprout, and we planted a whole other garden. Now there's a shoot emerging from the soil. And, conveniently, if Montero did work out to some extent, this very team has a place for him, as a partner at first with Logan Morrison. The bench kind of needs a righty-hitting pseudo-slugger, and maybe that's Montero's job. Maybe he can be the last piece.
Take it as far as you want to. Stretch it out. It's Friday evening — no one's going to mind. These Mariners, they look like a pretty good baseball team. A team that could win its division. A team that could win the whole thing. Now imagine Montero on the team. Imagine him on the playoff bench. Imagine him in the playoff lineup, against a lefty like, I don't know, Clayton Kershaw or Madison Bumgarner or Aroldis Chapman or who knows who. Imagine Montero as a contributor. Imagine Montero as a postseason hero. Imagine him delivering one hit you'll never forget as long as you live. One swing of the bat can earn a guy a ballpark statue. What if it's October, and in the moment we love Jesus Montero like we love no one else?
It's easy to dream, and dreams are pleasing, as long as you know that they're dreams. Dreams usually don't come true. But, Jesus Montero usually doesn't lose 40 pounds. Why wouldn't he be exactly the player to deliver the Mariners' first-ever championship? I mean, it's kind of obvious. You'd be a fool not to see it.


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Overstock delivered this in a day for free and it arrived 100 times better than I could have imagined. I was going for a romantic master bedroom look with white bedding and this is exactly what I wanted. The iron is prominent in black without being too heavy looking or dominating and the crystals (though the directions were difficult to read) provide an unbelievable shine and luxury. 5 lights is just enough to brighten the room without being too bright! They provide so many extra crystals that if you can't understand the directions, simply create your own design and hang them wherever you see fit. As far as hanging and installing it, my husband did it no problems. Self-explanatory if you've doing lighting before. The chains have the twist latch so you don't have to cut chain in order to set it to the length you want, simply twist, move the chain and you're done. If this is the look you are going for, do not shop around, buy this one and you won't regret it. It changes the whole room!
Nice heavyweight chandelier, crystals are actual glass. Finish is flat black. Beware: the chain is only about a foot long, the wire itself is not much longer (perhaps 2 feet). I bought this for my basement so the cord length won't be an issue for me, but this could be a dealbreaker for someone decorating a higher ceiling...
Gorgeous chandelier. Highly recommend it! It went up super-easy. Takes some time to hook all the crystals on but totally worth the effort. If you're a stickler on finishes, take note that the clips that hold all the crystals on are brass.
I was hesitant that the fixture would not look as nice in person as it does in the picture, but it is extremely attractive and an excellent value. Looks like the highend chandeliers found in specialty lighting stores. Crystals are beautiful and carved like high end fixtures. Overall appearance is stunning.
I love the light. I am a single mom with really no experience in this area. I was able to put it together, wire it and hang it. My daughter loves it and we now have rainbow reflections in the morning from the lovely crystals.
The chandelier came in MANY pieces and took a bit of time to assemble. The color was a flat black so I put a bronze glaze on it and love it now. The candles were a brownish/gold so I painted those off white. Now I LOVE it!
Looks really good in the fomral dining room coversion to a cocktail sitting room.. you get some extra crystals.. I suggest waiting to put the crystals on till its hung.. it takes awhile to assemble .. i was a bit worried when i opened the box and seen the metal at the top i was worried it would look cheap.. but it doesnt once its put all together.. worth the little money it costs..
I have purchased many chandeliers from Overstock in the past, all of which had to be assembled. The instructions for this one were extremely poor. The crystals are not crystal, they are plastic with no reflective quality. What should be constructed of metal ( pieces attached to "crystals") is not, it is plastic. I was extremely disappointed, and returned it. Please keep in mind, when purchasing, that you are charged ** for a return, when it is due to substandard quality.
This chandelier is elegant and a fabulous addition to my dining room! I could not be happier with it. It was relatively easy to attach all the crystals as everything was marked well. One of my favorite purchases from Overstock~ just beautiful!
When this arrived I was a little overwhelmed to see so many parts but found a spot to lay it all out and dedicated a few hours to assembly, the instructions were pretty good, I followed their suggestion and it came together well. Don't expect it to come out of the shipping box complete and do plan to take time to put it together. For the price I am very pleased with the final result
Usually leaves our warehouse in 1-2 business days. *
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All the existing shares will either vanish or be converted to shares of the buyer.....and in the process, you make loads of money.
Sentiment: Hold
Monday morning surprise???
I am very nervous about these rumors. They generally turn out to be bunch of nothing. M & A happens without any hints, generally. IMHO


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Berlusconi cleared by statute of limitations
MILAN Silvio Berlusconi's corruption trial ended Saturday with a court ruling that the statute of limitations had run out, handing the former premier another victory in a long string of judicial challenges.
Berlusconi, who stepped down as premier in November as the sovereign debt crisis flared, was accused of paying a British lawyer, David Mills, $600,000 to lie during two 1990s trials to protect the politician and his Fininvest holding company from charges related to offshore companies Mills helped set up.
The billionaire media mogul wasn't in the Milan courtroom when the chief judge, Francesca Vitale, read out the verdict after 2 1/2 hours of deliberations. He told reporters at a football game in Milan later that it was "half justice."
Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini said the defense had hoped for a full acquittal, leaving open the possibility of an appeal. In Italy, both sides can appeal court decisions.
"We would have preferred that the judge had ruled that no crime had been committed," Ghedini told Sky TG 24. "This is the first result, and not an unimportant one."
Prosecutor Fabio De Pasquale told reporters "it's useless to comment."
The five-year-long trial was a race against the statute of limitations, which had spared Berlusconi verdicts in other trials related to his media business since the 1990s.
Prosecutors had changed the timing of the alleged crime from when Mills took the stand to when the money changed hands, adding two years to the clock. And defense lawyer Ghedini, a lawmaker, helped draft a law that gave the sitting premier immunity, drawing fire that he was using Parliament to shield himself. The law was watered down in court as unconstitutional.
The trial also was slowed by legal delays by the defense, and Berlusconi's duties as premier. The defense, for their part, complained that the court severely limited the number of witnesses as the statute of limitations grew imminent.
The verdict did little to change perceptions about Berlusconi among supporters or detractors, and unleashed a furor about Italy's statute of limitations law. In Italy, unlike other European countries, the clock continues ticking even after the trial begins, giving defendants another tool to beat a conviction.
Sky TG 24 reported that 140,000 trials were ended last year because of the statute of limitations, and that they mostly affect corruption cases, which often don't come to light for years after the fact.
"Once again, the statute of limitations has saved Berlusconi from his responsibility," opposition politician Antonio di Pietro said.
Berlusconi allies defended the former premier. "A guilty verdict against an innocent was avoided," Fabrizio Cicchitto, Berlusconi's party whip in the lower house, told Sky TG 24.
On the eve of the verdict, Berlusconi, 75, issued a statement railing against magistrates for the "many trials" against him and saying that he doesn't remember having met Mills.
"Mills was one of many lawyers abroad that occasionally worked for the Fininvest group. I don't recall ever having met him," Berlusconi said in that statement.
He added that Mills had received the $600,000 from an Italian arms dealer for some legal work and had made up the story that the money had been a gift from a Fininvest employee, who had since died, to avoid paying a 50 percent tax on earnings.


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Available for Susan Hely St. John:
Susan Hely was born in Ireland in 1834 (see notes below). She was the daughter of Hilliard and Mary Vowell Hely of Johnstown, Ireland. Hilliard Hely was a professional portrait painter who pursued his early artistic studies in Paris and graduated from Trinity College with a Bachelor of Arts. Historical records indicate that Hilliard Hely emigrated to the U.S. in 1837, settling in Racine County, Wisconsin. Hely encouraged his daughter to paint and tutored her in portraiture. Hilliard Hely passed away in 1858.In 1859, Susan Hely was married to Josephus St. John, a native of Vermont. In the early years of their marriage, the couple resided in Chicago. Josephus St. John studied medicine at Rush Medical College in Chicago. Susan worked in the studio of the local artist, G. P.A. Healy (1813-1894). "It is likely that she applied her considerable and well-recognized talent to some of the portraits hanging in many Chicago manors and museums that carry Healy's name. It was the custom for good technicians to paint backgrounds, draperies, and other necessary detail while the famed artist did the main subject and put on the fine finishing touches." In 1872, Susan H. St. John gave birth to a son, James Allen. She encouraged her son to develop his artistic abilities which were apparent at an early age. Various biographies of James Allen indicate that he often traveled with his mother to Paris as a young child and teenager. James Allen recollected: "Even as a child, I found delight in the society of so-called bohemians my mother gathered around her, and one of my greatest pleasures was to ramble at will through the Louvre?." James St. John studied with several prominent artists and eventually became the renowned illustrator of the adventure series by Edgar Rice Burroughs as well as of works by Mark Twain. Biographical records on James Allen list the early St. John family residences as Chicago (1872-1883), New York City (1883-1887), and Los Angeles (1887-1891). By the later 1890s, Susan St. John had relocated to Boston. She passed away there in her studio in Copley Hall in October 1913.Known examples of St. John's work include floral still life paintings and portraits. Her florals were often pink or yellow roses strikingly juxtaposed against dark backgrounds. Smithsonian records show portraits by the artist in the Chicago Historical Society (John Stephen Wright ca. 1866-1870 and Lt. James H. Nugent). The artist's son reported that his "first recollections are (of) my mother's studio and the eyes of her portraits following me about the place"?. Susan Hely St. John's work was exhibited in the National Academy of Design (NAD) from 1883-1887.Notes: Smithsonian records alternately list the artist's year of birth as 1833. The American Art Directory reports her date of death as October 25, 1913. Sources include: G&W; Art Annual, XI, obit. American Art Directory by American Federation of Arts, R.R. Bowker Co. - 1914 Various J. A. St. John biographical articles such as "James Allen St. John - Information on the Artist's Early Life and Career" by Arthur B. Estes Historical and genealogical records (e.g., Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California - The Lewis Publishing Company, 1892 - p. 496-497) Other online publications Compiled and submitted by Tina A. Kasper
Susan Hely St. John was active in Chicago in the 1860s and 1870s. She exhibited frequently at the Chicago Academy of Design throughout both decades. Her studio was located in the Crosby Opera House, which contained a number of artist studios as well as exhibition space. In 1870 a fire broke out in her studio and ruined all of her works, but did not damage the other studios in the building.Illinois Historical Art Project


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March 20, 2015
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
This blog post is co-authored with Matthew McFeeley and Briana Mordick
The Obama administration's Bureau of Land Management (a division of the Department of the Interior) today released new rules for fracking ("hydraulic fracturing") on public and tribal lands. The rules will apply to more than 750 million acres of public and tribal lands across the United States, as well as private lands where the...
March 11, 2015
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
In late February, U.S. Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell said that publication of the Bureau of Land Management's new rules for fracking on the nation's public lands would be "soon."
Such rules are long overdue -- its been decades since they have been updated, and the current rules on the books are completely insufficient to protect drinking water public lands, and...
February 6, 2015
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
An important new poll on science surveyed two groups: (1) members of the public; and (2) scientists connected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The poll covered a range of science, engineering and technology issues, and found a "broad public support for government investment in...
September 30, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
According to a recent article in the Greeley Tribune, the oil and gas industry in Weld County, Colorado is producing more wastewater than it can handle. Weld County is a hotbed of the industry, with 21,595 active oil and gas wells, and 1400 new permits issued so far in 2014. You would think that the industry...
September 17, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
I've blogged before about the risks to wildlife from oil and gas development. For example, declining mule deer herds in Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah.
The latest science now documents the impacts on another species--elk--from natural gas operations. Scientists compared data on elk from the early 1990s, before natural...
September 15, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
I recently blogged about an investigation by the Pennsylvania Auditor General which found that the state's Department of Environmental Protection is "unprepared to effectively administer laws and regulations to protect drinking water and unable to efficiently respond to citizen complaints."
Now a report that raises ...
September 3, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
In July I blogged about a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation that uncovered 209 cases where the oil and gas industry contaminated Pennsylvania private water supplies between 2008 and 2014. That number was based on an "early version" of a spreadsheet compiled by state regulators and...
August 15, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
Exactly three years ago, I blogged about Pam Judy in Murrysville, Pennsylvania. Pam's family experienced severe health symptoms after a compressor station was built on her neighbor's property, including nose bleeds, vertigo, mouth blisters, extreme headaches, fatigues, vomiting, and emergency room visits. Air...
August 5, 2014
Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Washington, D.C.
A new peer-reviewed scientific paper outlines in detail the threats of fracking to plants and wildlife. The authors, from various universities, concluded that there are few studies and therefore significant knowledge gaps. Among their findings:
- Threats from shale development include: "surface and groundwater contamination; diminished...


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Today, I have the honour of congratulating Greenpeace photographer Daniel Beltra on becoming the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year . Daniel made his winning picture for Greenpeace, of oil-soaked brown pelicans...
Delhi born photographer, Ishan Tankha describes how the weather in India has changed during his lifetime, due to the impacts of climate change.
1 - 2 of 2 results.
The Greenpeace Google Search will also return results form http://archive.greenpeace.org - Greenpeace's archive of web content dating back to 1994, along with content from those few Greenpeace websites not shared on this.
Want to learn more about tax-deductible giving, donating stock and estate planning? Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs.


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Wikipedia Mobile
By Wikimedia Foundation
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Official Wikipedia App for iOS. Wikipedia is the free encyclopedia containing more than 32 million articles in 280 languages, and is the most comprehensive and widely used reference work humans have ever compiled. The app has been rewritten from scratch and is better than ever before.
* Speed, the app is faster than ever.
* Editing both logged in or not.
* Recent pages so you never got lost in the depths of Wikipedia.
* Save pages for offline reading.
* Share articles with others.
* Read articles in a different language.
* Wikipedia Zero, supporting zero-rated access with participating carriers.
The code is 100% open source and community built. If you are a developer and good at Objective-C, then check us out:
What's New in Version 4.0.6
Fix for the total lockup crash sometimes seen when displaying certain massive articles on older versions of iOS / older hardware.
Fix for crash when closing recent/saved during edit mode.
New "recent search terms" interface - appears when you clear search term. Individual items may be swiped to delete, or all items cleared by tapping trash can icon.
Search keyboard "Go" button loads first article in the search results.
Search keyboard appears when search box "x" button tapped.
Search shows new results without "blanking" previous results. Much less jarring visually.
Better "W" menu inter-item spacing on 3.5 inch screens.
Update search box styling to look same on iOS 6, 7 and 8. It was looking funky on iOS 6.
Increased search result and recent item row height a bit.
Nearby vertically aligns image better with title/distance.
Page history cells now resize properly on iOS 8.
Better scaling of nearby results on tablets.
Fixed scale of "Searching..." message on tablets.
Faster and more consistent dynamic table cell height determination on search results, page history, recent, saved pages, nearby and "W" menu items.
Updated networking library to latest version.
Updated the "About the Wikipedia app" page to credit The Specialists Guild testers and fix the feedback link.
Translation updates.
Customer Reviews
Great but could be better.
While the apps new layout is very welcomed, there are a few key features that I miss. The most noticing one is the lack of remembering where I left off in a middle of an article, after I have clicked a link and tried to return using the back button. Safari has it and even an older version of this app did. Please bring this back.
Secondly, I wish there was an icon or something to let you know that you have visited and not refreashed a page. Often I am reading and realized I have visited an article and it has not been refreshed because the app cached it. It's kinda annoying. While this could be useful in some cases, I more prefer the old way when it refreashes it's self every time you visit.
Lastly, the app collects info and sends it to the creator without your initial permission. I found it within the app, and while you can turn it off, I feel a little violated that you collect information from my phone without my initial permission. When you update, please consider asking via a one time pop-up.
I want to give this app 5 stars but you took some nice things out that I'd like to see returned. Please return them and I will update my review.
A wealth of information on anything and everything
Wow! It's amazing what has been provided here for us all. It's hard to hear some people complain about the app when it's all based on our help and support. I live now on social security and a small pentane compared to what I once had but am grateful to have it and appreciate what is available to me.
One thing is Wiki, I will donate the three dollars a month a widows mite if you will to pay a small share and encourage you all to do the same, give from your heart and my heart says thank you and thanks for no ads as I get enough else where.
Please add "remember position" setting
The app is nice. I really wish, however, that it would remember my positions on pages the way Safari does. Say, I've read half of a very long article and see a link to a word I don't understand, so I select it, read about that for a few seconds for clarity, then go back, the app automatically sticks me at the very top of the page forcing me to swipe up repeatedly and fish for my prior position in order to continue. Imagine doing this 3, 4 or 5 times on a long article.. If you use Wikipedia a lot (like me) you could easily find yourself completely wasting a minute or two every day searching for previous positions on prior pages.
- Free
- Category: Reference
- Updated: Dec 05, 2014
- Version: 4.0.6
- Size: 5.1 MB
- Languages: English, Arabic, Armenian, Arpitan, Asturian, Avaric, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Breton, Catalan, Central Bikol, Chechen, Czech, Danish, Dimli (individual language), Dutch, Esperanto, Faeroese, Finnish, French, Galician, German, Gujarati, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Hunsrik, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Karachay-Balkar, Korean, Lithuanian, Lower Sorbian, Luxembourgish, Macedonian, Malagasy, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Occitan, Oriya, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Rinconada Bikol, Romanian, Russian, Scots, Serbian, Simplified Chinese, Singhalese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Tajik, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Ukrainian, Upper Sorbian, Vietnamese, Yiddish
- Seller: Wikimedia Foundation
- © Wikimedia Foundation
Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.