text:
It's Just a Jump to The Left
The Cubs finished up their organizational meetings in Arizona and as expected, they'll attempt to find some left-handed bats.
''We're going to try to add some different wrinkles, offensively
especially,'' Piniella told the Sun-Times. ''We are going to add
left-handed hitting to this mix. From an offensive standpoint, that is
definitely the No. 1 priority. And if we can get a little more athletic
in the process, we're going to do that, too.''
I think we all knew that was going to be the plan, but the big question will be what can they afford. Crane Kenney has already backed off his earlier statements that the Cubs will raise their payroll next season, citing the worldwide economic slowdown as the main culprit along with a curious case of content over the current Cubs roster.
''I don't want to get into payroll speculation until Jim and
[assistant GM Randy Bush] and their team have done their work,'' said
Cubs chairman Crane Kenney, who nonetheless made it clear he doesn't
expect the kind of jumps that increased the payroll from in the $90
millions in 2006 to $130 million by the end of this season.
''I'm not sure we're going to have any major offseason moves that
would require significant payroll capacity,'' Kenney added. ''We'll
leave that to Jim and Randy and the guys to work through, and we'll see
where we are in a couple of weeks. ... We try not to lose sight of the
fact that we won 97 games for a reason. We have a core that's pretty
damn good.''
Yes, the Cubs outscored everybody in the NL last year and if they returned everyone from last season, I'm rather confident they would still be one of the best teams in the NL, possibly even better with a few more starts going to Rich Harden. Yet, they'd still be vulnerable to a right-heavy pitching staff again in the playoffs and it's never a good idea to stay content, no matter the previous successes.
The short list of left-handed bats worth looking at for next season:
Free Agents
Mark Teixeira -1B
Adam Dunn - LF
Jason Giambi - 1B
Bobby Abreu - RF/LF
Milton Bradley - CF/RF
Orlando Hudson - 2B
Rafael Furcal - SS
Ken Griffey Jr. - RF/CF (team option)
Jim Edmonds - CF
Raul Ibanez - LF
Garret Anderson - LF
Brian Giles - RF (team option)
There also might be some trade targets like Brian Roberts or Aubrey Huff of the Orioles, but a little too early to speculate on who might be available and at what cost. And much like last season where the Cubs went after Kosuke Fukudome in free agency before exploring trade talks for players like Nick Swisher or Raul Ibanez, I imagine the Cubs will do it again this season.
If I were a betting man, either Rafael Furcal or Orlando Hudson will be a Cub next season with the Cubs likely putting another full-court press on Furcal like they did three years ago...this time without McFail there to cockblock Hendry. This will make it easy for Lou to move Soriano down in the order and give Lou that flexibility (in other words more speed) in the lineup. If that was the only move to the lineup, you could see something like this versus righties.
Furcal, Lee, Soriano, Ramirez, Soto, Fukudome, DeRosa, Pie
And with Mike Fontenot in the mix, we could see plenty of Fontenot in there instead of Fukudome with DeRosa moving to right field. Fontenot is also the reason I think the Cubs will make Furcal their number one priority over Hudson, as he already give the Cubs the flexibility to move DeRosa around. If Furcal alludes them again and they can sign Hudson, it could look a little like this versus righties.
Theriot, Hudson, Soriano, Ramirez, Lee, Soto, Fukudome/Pie, DeRosa
That still leaves the middle of the order lacking a left-handed presence so I don't expect the Cubs to stop there. I don't think they'll make a big move, but I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs go after Raul Ibanez or Brian Giles if his option is declined by the Padres which seems likely considering they've entered cost-cutting mode. I think there's a small chance they go after Milton Bradley, but injury and attitude concerns will always be there with him.
That would pretty much make Fukudome battle for a spot in the lineup, likely with Felix Pie in center field. While the changes aren't drastic, I'm not sure the Cubs need to make drastic moves for a team that already scored the most runs in the league, just a few subtle improvements to help balance out the lineup. And with already $109M committed in payroll next year and a few spots to fill on the pitching side, just adding Furcal and Ibanez would add plenty to their payroll, although with Hendry's mastery of the back-loaded deal, it might not be that big of an issue for 2009.
Now Hendry might surprise us all and find some takes for Derrek Lee and Jason Marquis and then get in on the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes and trust me I'm all for it. I just don't see there being much of a market for either Lee or Marquis. Lee has a no-trade clause, declining skills and $26 M left on his deal. No-trade clauses get waived all the time, but it usually takes some incentive to do so and then you're likely getting into paying part of Lee's contract which would sort of defeat the whole purpose. Marquis can be traded against his will but at almost $10M there's just no way the Cubs will unload that without paying a healthy portion of it. If it's $1-2M out of the Cubs pockets, it might be worth it still, but if they're going to start having to pay half or more, how much of a benefit will that really be?
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
why does Hendry have an elbow growing out of his head?
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
it's called color correction, son. you should know about it!
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
Give the guy a break. He's still all broken up about the NLDS.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
If they go after Ibanez...who, living in Seattle, I have a great appreciation for...what do you envision the outfield to look like? I ask this assuming you see Soriano in right? Old Man Giles can play right, but I'm pretty sure Raul cannot.
I've mentioned it in the past, but even when they lose, Ibanez still gets big cheers from the crowd. He's a huge fan favorite, and it seems, quite a lead by example sort of guy.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
And in the FWIW column:
Talking to a good friend who went to Penn and was in the football fraternity house there. I asked him if Mark DeRosa was in the same house. Nonchalantly he was like, "yeah" he was a year behind me.
And I'm thinking "You never thought to mention this before?"
Not that it's a big deal but you think he would have said something.
Re: Brewers guy gets Seattle GM job
I wouldn't be overly surprised if Ichiro was traded. I would love to have him. Oh man, my pants just got tight.
Re: Brewers guy gets Seattle GM job
Ichiro is Viagra in Japanese?
If we get Ichiro
then him and Soriano then they can have a competive contest of who can walk the least. Ichiro's whole game is based on speed and for a 32 yo guy making major coin for alot of years, I dont think that would a wise investment.
Re: If we get Ichiro
Um, no, his game isn't based entirely speed. He is fast, yes, but he's also a fantastic defender (glove, arm and speed) and has great contact. They're not all infield singles that he hits, believe it or not. But, despite being 32, he is still very fast. Ichiro doesn't walk much, but that's because he gets so many hits...over 200 every year of his MLB career.
And seriously, you're warning against getting Ichiro by comparing him to Soriano? Is it because they're polar opposite baseball players? And...you do realize that Soriano is good, right?
Besides, he's said that toward the end of his career he wants to become a pitcher, so we'd have that going for us.
Re: If we get Ichiro
When he starts to lose some speed, his defense will go down because he wont be able to get to as much balls as he does now. Infact a lost of speed might affect his arm as he wont be able to get himself into the best possible throwing postion if it takes him a little longer to get to the ball. For a guy who relies on infield hits for a fifth to a quarter of his hits, if he looses half of his infield hits, he is going to be a .285/335/350/685 guy who is not worth the money he will be making. I think he is a good player, but at 35 you have to wonder how many prime years this guy has left. I think its 2 at most.
Re: If we get Ichiro
For a guy who relies on infield hits for a fifth to a quarter of his hits, if he looses half of his infield hits
Huh? According to Fangraphs, 12.2% of his hits have been infield hits.
Re: If we get Ichiro
I was just dividing 200 by 50, but I still stand by my point that when his skills go it will be a sharp decline.
Re: If we get Ichiro
Except your point is wrong based on the stats.
Cutting 12% of hits in half is much different than cutting 20-25% of his hits.
Re: If we get Ichiro
Oh yeah, sorry...I didn't even bother to fact check the dude's age reference. Anyway...
Re: If we get Ichiro
What's more, Ichiro might be able to give Fuku some transitional pointers.
Re: I shouldn't bring this up
Aw fuck. I'll be back in a week or so...
Re: I shouldn't bring this up
More importantly, take off that ugly fucking RHPS picture!
Re: I shouldn't bring this up
No...it just scares me. Much like the thought of Palin in the White House. Zinger!
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
wonder where this left handed bat goes...
possible open slots pending trade...SS, CF...
im not giving up RF yet cuz fukudome is getting some serious loot and he came to play...i don't see him as a bench player.
im not giving up 2nd cuz derosa is too good to play off the bench...and he's shown it the past 2 years becoming one of the best deals in baseball for a middle IF'r. you guys see the contract mark ellis got from Mr. Moneyball a few days ago...2yr/11m?
you definitely want hoffpower on the bench (i'm not getting into trade scenerios right now...esp. ones that involve dlee)...you pretty much have to carry pie...johnson is also in the bench mix.
i don't see much happening without trades, myself...
i get the feeling they want a lefty bat to stick between dlee/aram/soto somewhere since fuku isnt much of a #5 hitter. eventually soriano needs to join that middle-lineup group even if not in 09.
just kicking the situation around as it stands...anyone see anything else?
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
i did...im just looking for "as it stands" to take a base of where the team is.
basically not even going to "step 1"...just taking stock and not assuming trade partners/targets yet.
only assumption im laying out is derosa/fukudome staying a starter somewhere on the field...
i believe a trade is gonna happen...there's too much good stuff on the bench. there's just so much to kick around in possibilities.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
Fukudome to CF, add a LHH to RF---Abreu, Bradley, or Hemedia(trade from Fla), add switch hitting type middle inf, trade DLee---need 4 LHH in line-up---1B, CF, RF, and in the middle----cannot continue to into the play-offs with a RHH line-up vs the good play-off teams who have RHP--Hendrey will get this done
burb broonley
bob brenley has his interview with MIL tommorow (manager).
given how close to the cubs he has been and the past WS win...well...there's more than a passing chance len will have a new partner next year.
Re: Rays vs. Phillies Wives
for some reason, you're URL's are not clickable links again
Re: Rays vs. Phillies Wives
I guess Rob's link lets us see what Cole Hamels sees in Heidi Hamels. Good Lord Almighty!
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
The Unathletic thing is what makes me wonder.
Here's our 'standard' lineup:
The 'unathletic' guys there are three of our four best hitters, and besides Soto, they all have NTC's.
So which unathletic guy are they talking about? Rob thinks it's Theriot, but he just got finished telling m Theriot is fast. Fast + Shortstop would equal athletic to me. Lee? He's the position playing team leader, and has lost some foot speed, but with the exception of Soriano he's probably the only one on the team who could have played D1 basketball. He's also still a helluva first basemen.
I wonder if The Fontenaught will have some more trade value now. Will a Fontenaught, Marshall (assuming Hill is good to go), Ceda package start to look intriguing to the Orioles now that Roberts is a year closer to Free Agency?
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
it stinks of "we're gonna make a run at furcal" to me.
i wonder how much he's worth in this market. even coming off an injury season "average" middle infielders who are starters seem to be worth 5m a year as it is (im not calling furcal average, btw).
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
I'll call Furcal average.
His career OPS+ is 96. He was a good hitter in a small sample last year, but the year before he hit .270 .333 .355 (Rob G can probably let us know if he was hurt) with 25 SB's, essentially he's Ryan Singles, only costs 10 x as much and can switch hit, assuming he stays healthy.
Jeff Blauser2.0
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
isnt an OPS+96 good for a SS? I wasnt too high on getting him last time because of the DUI stuff (he was bascially 1 DUI from a 6 month jail term, which likely would have gotten him into Visa issues as well) and his habit of wanting to play catch with guys in dugout and stands in the middle of the game. As we saw in the NLCS that is still an issue for him. Assuming he got his DUI exponged for good behavior and a clause is thrown in his contract voiding it if goes on the DL for 2+ months because of his back, (or gets thrown in jail during the season if he drives again after getting his drink on if he is a DUI from a 6 month jail sentance), I would be fine with a 4/34 deal for him, through i'd rather have the O-dog personally.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
this is why looking at one stat only is no way to compare a player
theriot and his 93 ops+ .307 .387 .359 1 hr 38 rbis (on the highest obp team in baseball) 85 runs
furcal (04) 95 ops+ .279 .344 .414 14 hrs 59 rbis 103 runs
not to mention much better at defense
i'll take 2004 furcal any day with his 95 ops+
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
But the thing is the 2004 Rafael Furcal isn't available.
The one who is avaiable hasn't been able to combine a good hitting season with a good defensive season in three years (from the start of 2009).
I agree that a healthy Furcal in theory solves a lot of our problems. In practice though, I don't think there's any such thing as a healthy Furcal.
$5 million with PA incentives, alright. $8 to $10 million guaranteed over thee to four years? No thanks.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
Even if you break it down by times on base, you get the reverse of the RBI opportunities thing - it's better to have Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz batting behind you then Ryan Theriot and Rich Harden.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
I wonder is slugging percentage has anything to do with that?
Point is, that he can't perform even in the best scenario you can imagine.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
If you threw out first basemen, catchers and fat pitchers, Theriot would be below average. On the Cubs roster other than those positions, I'd probably put him ahead of Aram, about the same as Edmonds, DeRosa and Cedeno.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
Yes, that's exactly what I am saying.
It's not that hard to find out - we can time him fom home to first or 1st to 3rd or whatever. I think that you're assuming that because he had some good SB%'s he's much faster than he is. Jason Bay and Kevin McReynolds threw up some good SB numbers - neither of them were ever accused of being fast, or 'having speed' if you prefer that term.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
I can agree with you that he maybe was fast six years ago. I don't see it now. I'll get stopwatch and see what I come up with. You'd think you could find some scouting report on the interweb about him, but I sure can't.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
with the exception of Soriano he's [Lee] probably the only one on the team who could have played D1 basketball
Lee was recruited by, and committed to, North Carolina, which agreed to let him play basketball and baseball. But he turned pro when the Padres drafted him 14th.
1993 was an interesting draft:
1. ARod
2. Darren Dreifort
7. Trot Nixon
12. Billy Wagner
14. Derek Lee
15. Chris Carpenter
19. Jay Powell
20. Torii Hunter
21. Jason Varitek
The Cubs had 3 first round picks that year:
10. Brooks Kieschnick
24. Jon Ratliff
29. Kevin Orie
Re: Between the
both seem scarey, humorous, and for people with too much free time on their hands.
Re: oh yeah
Top of 3rd
Runs: 0
Hits: 1
Errors: 0
- Phillies third.
- Werth singled to right.
- Utley grounded out, second baseman Iwamura to first baseman C.Pena, Werth to third.
?How deep was Iwamura playing?
Re: oh yeah
Worth hit a double, not a single,
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
Ryan Theriot is not a great ballplayer.
He is not a power hitter, or a flashy fielder.
Chad, I am sorry that Ryan Theriot stole your girlfriend, or killed your dog, or whatever he did to set you off.
Would I ilke to see Jimmy Rollins, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, Miguel Tejada, Michael Young, or that type at SS? I would, to name a few.
Theriot had a solid season. He hit for a decent average, got on base at a good clip, and was, despite the bleating of a few, and pointing out a bad error or 2, a decent fielder despite having a below average arm.
He got thrown out stealing way too much. This from a player who was 41 of 46 in steals his first season and a half. Should he be reined in next season? Sure.
He is not the reason the Cubs got swept again.
If the 2004 Furcal isn't available, can we trade for the 1991 Cal Ripken?
A lack of a true leadoff hitter, a lack of good left handed hitting, and a huge suck job by most of the team in general?
Yep...that'll about describe it.
Re: It's Just a Jump to The Left
I want a short stop that can field. Theriot is not a 'decent fielder' and he has a horrible arm.
Recent comments
That's a hell of a first impression by Montgomery. Brian Cashman having a good laugh on that debut.
...and it's a 3 run homer.
hey, vogelbomb had a HR on his 1st game with SEA AAA, too!
montgomery comes on with men on 1st/2nd, 2 out, in the 8th.
from rotoworld...
"Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports reports Chris Sale was sent home from U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday after cutting up throwback jerseys that he did not want to wear.
I thought the same. It'd be great luck to face these non-contenders after the trade deadline.
...why isn't j.lucroy playing for TEX yet?
2r HR on a 12-pitch AB.
nathan to join the cubs tomorrow.
Wow in deed.
FOX Sports @MLBONFOX
Chris Sale was scratched from tonight's scheduled start due to a clubhouse incident before the game
he was sent home by the team, too. the wsox released a press statement and everything. they stated it was non-physical in nature.
He was scratched from his start today. No reason given.
At the start of the season the book was that he was trying to pitch to more contact so he could stay in the game longer and it seems to be working so far. Contact against is 77.5% this year and it was 70.2% the year before. He averaged 6.7 IP/game last year and so far it's 7 IP/game. His actual pitches per game are only down to 106.1/game from 107.2/game last year but if he's able to go a bit farther into games without throwing more pitches and without giving up more runs that is a good thing.
sale's skills and insane value makes it almost too hard to have a market for the guy...he's got 3/38m owed to him over 3 seasons (2 team options). he could easily pull in 30m/yr if he was on the market as a FA.
he's throwing a bit differently this season, especially with more sliders and less changeups like earlier in his career, but all his stuff still looks great even if the HRs are a little elevated and the Ks are down.
Torres, Happ, McKinney, Jimenez, and Candelario for Sale. Deal or no deal?
"The White Sox are reportedly asking for "five top prospects" for Chris Sale, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports."
Unless he develops 30+ HR power and keeps his walk rate close to his K rate at the MLB level, he's not going to turn into Prince Fielder. And even if he does turn into Prince Fielder, he's gonna have a short prime. His very limited athleticism is likely to also detract some value from his ability to reach base--I don't buy making an out as being preferable to base clogging, but you'd certainly prefer just about any base runner other than Vogelbach, David Ortiz, etc.
seeing as arod has played a total of 27.1 innings of D at 1st/3rd and somehow managed a -0.5 dWAR with his 1 error at 1st and an overall positive total zone rating...he might end up even more in the shitter via the characteristics/flaws/whatever of how some sites determine various WAR values. dWAR doesn't directly lead to a WAR value, but the 2 main entities pushing the most popular variations of WAR sometimes lead to some interesting discrepancies in value.
I have a lot of faith in Baez that he's going to turn into a more consistent, solid player. It looks like it took him about a half season or so of futility at the plate to figure out he was not talented enough to get away with the crazy approach he had. I think his running game will eventually have a more measured aggression.


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In this paper, a new design technique called the direct frequency conversion method is proposed, for wideband pass filters, which can be applied to the UWB (ultra wide band) system. Using the proposed method, a wide band-pass filter is designed as an equivalent circuit, composed of parallel and serial L-C resonators. In the equivalent circuit, a microstrip line and a suspended stripline (SS) are adopted to implement short-and open-stubs of the parallel L-C resonator. Distributed models for the inductor and the capacitor are used to implement the series L-C resonator. The proposed filter is designed so that the attenuation characteristic is better than -30 dB in the range of DC~1.4 GHz and 6.6-20 GHz, and lower than -60 dB in the range of 7.2-20 GHz. The low-pass filter is connected to the wide band-pass filter, in order to obtain a flat band stop characteristic that is lower than -60 dB at 20 GHz and above. The very low insertion loss and excellent attenuation rejection characteristics are remarkable aspects of the proposed design. The measured data agree well with predictions.
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To assess the natural history of Reiter's disease, we evaluated 131 consecutive patients at a university clinic or at a community center. One hundred twenty-two patients (93%) were available for follow-up at a mean of 5.6 years. The results showed that there were no major differences between patients at the two centers; at follow-up, 101 (83%) had some disease activity, 27 (22%) had annoying symptoms, 42 (34%) had sustained disease activity, 19 (16%) had had to change jobs, and 13 (11%) were unemployable; there were no major differences between the 19 (15%) females and 112 (85%) males or between the HLA-B27-positive (83%) and -negative (17%) patients, except for increased prevalence of sacroiliitis and chronic uveitis in HLA-B27 -positive patients; and, at entry, only increased heel disease differentiated those destined to have a poor prognosis. Most patients with Reiter's syndrome have persisting symptoms that can lead to chronic disability.
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SBIR Phase I: A Nanostructured Superconductor for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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Research Institution:
AbstractThis Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop thin-film high-temperature superconductors (HTS) with superior properties that do not degrade in high magnetic fields for applications as high-performance sensor coils in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The superconductor structure will be engineered at nanoscale with the controlled distribution of impurities that act as flux pinning sites that reduce the MRI radio frequencies (rf) loss at high fields. A series of HTS thin films with different layer parameters will be grown. The films will be characterized by rf measurements on resonator structures patterned on the films. The planned product is a high-performance HTS MRI sensor coil that operates in high magnetic fields with signal-to-noise ratio (S ) of 5 to 10 times higher than that of present HTS coils, and 15 to 30 times higher than that of copper coils. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to address the MRI market needs of shorter scan time and increased resolution as MRI systems migrate towards higher magnetic fields. This will lead to improved patient comforts, clinical diagnoses and drug discoveries. The current addressable market size for MRI sensor coils is about $88 million per year in the Unites States and $183 million per year worldwide.
* information listed above is at the time of submission.
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text:
Video Industry News Video Company News Technology Industry News Technology Company News Novelty Industry News Novelty Company News Gay Industry News Gay Company News Legal Industry News All Company News
Released: Sep 05th, 2008
Running Time: 131 min
Director: Uncredited
Company: Digital Sin
DVD Extras: Trailer(s)
Cast: Kaiya Lynn, Maya Hills, Gianna, Tia Tanaka, Presley Maddox, Whitney Stevens, Carmel Moore, Evelyn Lin, Jenna Haze, Tobi Pacific, Vanessa Lane, Britney Stevens, Melissa Lauren, Annette Schwarz, Anna Lee, Nautica Thorn, Ellie Idol, Bree Olson, Alexis Texas
Genre: Compilation
Swallow it, bitch! Because that's how we do it all night long! Get ready for 27 scenes full of hot fucking followed by even hotter loads of cum being inhaled by these thirsty sluts. Jenna Haze, Bree Olson, Maya Hills, Tia Tanaka, Gianna, Nautica Thorn, Alexis Texas, and more are ready for us to spew our good into their dirty little mouths. So remember, friends, don't cum in her hands.. Blow your load in her mouth!


text:
Schoenbrunn Palace
St, Stephens, Vienna
Just across the street...Hotel Sacher
Old Vienna (15th c., Griechen Beisl)
Palace entrance
Hack driver, Vienna Lic. #34266754
Imperial palace
we invited 28 for informal dinner(Pizza Hut)
Spanish Riding School, behind Imperial Palace
The boys: guards at the Palace Jewelry Exhibit.
One of 10,000 coffee/pastry cafes
Just another parade
The nasch (nosh) market..a "must" visit"
The only "working" synagogue in early 1980's..several more have opned since. This one survived Kristalnacht.
armed guard at entrance..as in everywhere in Europe.
Orthodox family on JudeGasse.
The Hundertwasser complex. The work of terminally eccentric Friederich Hundertwasser, built in 1985
the Hundertwasser "Kunst Haus" art gallery, just around the corner.
Andy Warhol show today
Lodgings, Pension Pertschy..excellent location...walk everywhere
Pianist Judy admires piano (Mozart's home in Salzburg)
With American friend (1980's) Salzburg


text:
ODT Online
ODT /directory
Noel Karora and Paul Tipene (both 36) are also sought in
relation to a string of burglaries in Otago, Dunedin and
Southland areas in recent weeks.
About $4000 was allegedly stolen from New Orleans Hotel on
Friday, August 22.
Police say the pair have been targeting unsuspecting elderly
victims in the past few weeks.
The pair are believed to be using three vehicles - a green
1994 Nissan Skyline (registration number ASR626), a silver
1994 Subaru Legacy saloon (UW3039) and a blue 2001 Subaru
Legacy saloon (FLD676).
''They've been staying in motels and hotels in the Southern
area,'' Detective Sergeant Stuart Harvey said.
''Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Karora or
Tipene should make contact with their nearest police station,
or call 111 if they see them.''
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text:
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - Sidney Glazier, the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker who produced the 1968 cult comedy film "The Producers" with Mel Brooks, has died. He was 86.
Glazier died of natural causes Dec. 14.
Glazier was also executive producer of Brooks' 1970 comedy, "The Twelve Chairs," and Woody Allen's 1969 comedy, "Take the Money and Run."
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text:
Lighting up Cisco's Packet Optical Network ConferenceSP360: Service Provider
By Leonard Luna, Senior Marketing Manager, Cisco Service Provider Solutions Timing isRead More
IWAN Wed: How Glue Networks Improves the IWAN Experience with PfREnterprise Networks
Network optimization is a touchy subject for many in the IT world, and a particularly thorny issue for theRead More
Big News from the Cisco Small Business TeamSmall Business
Happy Thursday all. Yesterday, my brethren Product Manager, Ivor Diedricks announced his new 10 Gigabit Small Business Switch.Read More
Configuring Cisco Small Business Wireless Access Points using Single Point SetupSmall Business
As we head towards Thanksgiving, it amazes me how fast time flies. 4th of July was a few weeksRead More
Securing Critical Internet Infrastructure: an RPKI case study in EcuadorPerspectives
Securing the Critical Internet Infrastructure is an ongoing challenge for operators that require collaboration across administrative boundaries. Last SeptemberRead More
The Rush Hour That Wasn't So RushedDigital Transformation
Every morning, many of us have the same routine: the alarm goes off, we (reluctantly) get up and maybeRead More


text:
This week I spent much of my time getting situated in the office. At first we were not sure which office I would be best suited to be working in, but by Thursday I was settled into the Redmond office that was really nice because it is 5 min. from my house.
Much of the work I did was basic database entry stuff. Essentially I entered in O&M jobs, which are basically small maintenance jobs on existing power/gas services, into a large database. This database was then submitted to my supervisor who then sent it out to the fleet center to have the crews start to work on the jobs. After a few days of doing the data entry I received my first drawing assignment in which I was instructed to draw a map of an intersection that had a BO pole on it. A BO pole is a Bad Order pole that basically needs to be removed. This drawing was not done on a computer, as I did not have access to one with AutoCADD on it. So I drafted this drawing by hand. Once I finished it I submitted it for approval and then mailed it out for a city permit.
By Friday my orientation was wrapping up and I was informed that they
hoped to have my computer station, with AutoCADD.
Weekly report #2
June 24th - June 28th
Coming into work today I found that a new computer was on my desk and it had AutoCADD installed on it. This was great because now I could really get into drawing the larger projects. In fact I received my first really large job. It was a 4-pole replacement job, which included a replacement of the existing overhead electrical services. The job was up in Kenmore, right in front of the Jr. High School. I visited the site to get a sense of what the construction would be like.
After visiting the site I went to work on the drawing. Basically what this requires is pulling all the existing maps in the area of the job site and then finding what services are going to be interrupted by the work you are planning to do. So for this job all of the existing services are overhead services, hence the poles, so I did not have to worry about any gas services. To get the drawing started I had to get a background drawn. A background is basically the property lines and the road right of way.
After drawing the background I gave it to the engineer who then red lined it, meaning he made changes and added notes etc., and then I fixed those things and we sent it out for permitting. Basically the drawing is done from here.
I also entered a few more data entry type things and at the end of the
week received a few more drawings that I was not able to start on because
I had to attend a few more orientation classes that basically got me familiar
with the company, Potelco. The classes just informed me about how long
Potelco has been around and what Potelcos mission was.
Weekly report #3
July 1st - July 5th
This turned out to be my first real week. I had a job last week that I worked on, but this week has been much different. This week I have had several different drawings that seemed to just appear on my desktop. I basically took the top one and started to draft it. During the rest of the week I tried to work on each one a little bit each day. Some of the jobs I had received became a "Hot", which means they were important to get done, as we were ready to go out into the field and start the construction. The jobs that get "hot", get moved to the front of the line and I have a shorter time table in which to get them done.
The jobs I worked on this week are as follows:
Chaffey home was a simple job in which I scanned an existing map and drew some new services lines over the top of it. It basically took me an hour and a half to construct and send out for permit.
Lake Washington Technical College is a job I did to basically set up some temporary service for the school while we did some other work to expand out services in the same area. Again, this turned out to be a rather simple job that did not take me very long to construct.
The Burger King vault job is kind of a funny job. The problem here was a vault lid that was on the edge of the entryway to a Burger King. The Burger King is right by a large construction site for a new building in Bellevue and what was happening was the construction crews were going to lunch or just getting some food and would drive these huge trucks into the parking lot. Upon doing so they would clip the edge of the curb and slowly over time jostled the vault lid around and basically destroyed it. So we had to go in and replace it with a new more solid vault lid and re-position it in the ground so that larger vehicles would not damage it.
This was a fairly productive week and I did get a lot of drawing experience.
I have yet to try out Microstation, the other drafting program Potelco
uses but from what I have seen and heard around the office it is not the
preferred product.
Weekly report #4
July 8th - July 12th
This week I received another new job from the major project team. This job was for Boeing and it basically was supplying power to an expansion they were doing on their property. They were going to create a new street and build two new buildings for more development. This job had 5 different sites where we were installing several different things. For the most part we were putting in transformers and Junction vaults to help supply power to the new buildings. We also needed to tap into the gas main that runs a block away from the new street. The main was about 400 feet to the west of our job site which means that we are going to have to dig a long new trench to bring gas service down to our site. In the long run gas service saves a ton of money; so while it will be expensive to dig this new trench, it will pay for itself many times over during the next few years.
I spent a bulk of my time working on this job. A major project job is top priority because those jobs are where we really make a lot of money. One other drafter and myself worked on this job and we burned it out by Thursday. It was sent out to permit and to Boeing for approval. Later in the week, Thursday afternoon, I went to downtown Bellevue to pick up a check for work to be done on a job I began to draw. The check was for $150,000.00, definitely the most money I have ever had in my possession at one time.
Drafting in AutoCADD requires time more than skill. The new version is really user friendly and after now 4 weeks I have found that I finish jobs fairly quickly. The long part of my work is basically trying to understand what each different individual wants on their drawings. Different people like the drawings to look a certain way. I have also tried to use Microstation but have found that I do not like it. AutoCADD is much more efficient for my purposes.
Finally this past week I also began to engineer a job. Now I was not able to put much time into it as the major project took up most of my time, but next week we will see if I am able to engineer a job by myself.
Weekly report #5
Date: July 22nd - July 26th
This week I get to really get into the job where I have the opportunity to do some of my own engineering. This job, West Hill Place, is a new service plat. Its about 30 lots that are being built, and I needed to lay in new electrical underground service and new gas service. What I needed to do is decide what type of service I was going to provide for these new houses. Different transformers provide different amounts of power. I had to figure out how many transformers I was going to need as well as how many hand holes, a service T basically, I was going to use. I found that a 37.5 KVA transformer could serve up to 8 lots. I use a table provided by Potelco to help justify the amount of lots I would serve from each transformer.
I had to lay out where these transformers would go as well. The placement is key because the farther away from the lots you are serving, the longer trenches you're going to have to dig and that costs more money. After careful consideration I decided to use three transformers and 7 hand holes. I will be including pictures of my drawings and this particular drawing I am pretty proud of. It took a lot of time and my individual input was large. I sent it out for approval and many people were surprised I was able to engineer a job like this after only a few weeks of job experience.
Other than this job I have started on a few other small ones that only take a few hours to complete at most. Basically they are transformer upgrades. A lot of new houses are going in along Lake Sammamish and none of these houses, as you can imagine, are of the smaller size. These are all pretty much mansions and require a large electrical load to keep powered. So every time a new one goes in we pretty much have to run out there and install a new, larger transformer to give them the power they require.
I also this week went out into the field, over in Kirkland, and hung
about 25 outage signs. Usually you just go and hang a notice on the doors
of the affected houses, but this time I was stopped several times because
the owner was home and people are not usually to happy to have their power
cut. I had to explain what was being done and exactly how long their power
would be cut. Most people understand but occasionally you get an irate
customer who I then refer to my supervisor.


text:
Immediately after the Enron bankruptcy, regulators, legislators, and prosecutors enacted a host of measures to punish corporate wrongdoers, stabilize financial markets, and improve corporate governance systems. But their efforts were better suited for ameliorating public outrage than for preventing fraud by the relatively few corporations that commit it.
|Other Independent Review articles by Roy C. Smith
|Spring 2016
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|Summer 2013
|The Agony of the Euro
|Summer 2011
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|Other Independent Review articles by Ingo Walter
|Spring 2016
|Understanding a Cuban Transition


text:
Spanish Note Yields Decline to Record Lows on Debt Sale
Spain's government bonds advanced, pushing two- and five-year yields down to records, as the nation sold debt due in 2019 at an all-time low rate.
Spanish and Portuguese bonds outperformed higher-rated peers as signs the region's economy is recovering fueled optimism the worst of the debt crisis is over. German two-year notes rose after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi strengthened his pledge to keep interest rates low. Portugal is selling 3.25 billion euros ($4.4 billion) of five-year notes via banks. French bonds fell after a debt auction.
"The theme so far this year has been one of relative stability of core rates and a fall in peripheral rates," said Padhraic Garvey, head of developed-market debt at ING Bank NV in Amsterdam, referring to a decline in yields on bonds from Ireland to Portugal. "We are seeing peripheral issuers coming to the market with syndicated deals or auctions and there's very good demand. The prognosis going forward is still favorable."
Spain's two-year yield dropped three basis points, or 0.03 percentage points, to 1.01 percent at 5 p.m. London time after falling to 0.953 percent, the lowest since Bloomberg began collecting the data in 1993. The 3.75 percent note maturing in October 2015 rose 0.04, or 40 euro cents per 1,000-euro face amount, to 104.835.
The nation's five-year yield declined as much as 11 basis points to 2.213 percent. The 10-year yield increased two basis points to 3.80 percent after sliding to 3.67 percent, the lowest since September 2006.
Spanish Auction
Spain allotted 3.53 billion euros of notes maturing in April 2019 at an average yield of 2.382 percent, the least on record for a five-year note. The sale attracted bids for 1.8 times the amount of securities sold, compared with 2.72 times at a previous auction on Dec. 19.
The Madrid-based Treasury also sold 1.76 billion euros of bonds due in October 2028 at an average yield of 4.192 percent.
The extra yield investors demand to hold Spain's five-year debt over German peers narrowed three basis points to 139 basis points, the narrowest since October 2010 based on closing prices.
Germany's two-year note yield dropped two basis points to 0.21 percent as the ECB's Draghi said he had deliberately strengthened the wording around forward guidance in his opening comments at a press conference in Frankfurt.
'Extended Period'
"We firmly reiterate our forward guidance that we continue to expect the key ECB interest rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period of time," Draghi said.
The ECB kept its main refinancing rate at a record-low 0.25 percent today, as forecast by all 51 economists in a Bloomberg News survey before the decision.
"By beefing up the forward guidance it has lent support to core curves and as a consequence you can see yields lower," said Richard McGuire, head of European interest-rate strategy at Rabobank International in London. "A more accommodative stance on the part of the ECB is positive not only for core but also for peripherals."
Portugal is selling coupon-bearing bonds for the first time since May. The additional 4.75 percent notes due in June 2019 are being sold at a yield of 4.657 percent, the nation's debt agency said in a statement.
The sale attracted about 11 billion euros of orders, Finance Minister Maria Luis Albuquerque told reporters in Lisbon. The amount raised today represents about half of the nation's estimated funding needs for 2014.
Portugal, Italy
Portugal's 10-year bond yield dropped two basis points to 5.39 percent after falling to 5.24 percent yesterday, the least since May 23. Similar-maturity Italian bonds erased an earlier gain, with yields rising four basis points to 3.93 percent after declining as much as five basis points.
French bonds fell as a 5 billion-euro auction of securities due in May 2024 drew the weakest demand since March 2003. The sale had a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.54, compared with 1.98 at a previous sale on Nov. 7.
France's 10-year bond yield climbed six basis points to 2.57 percent. The rate on similar-maturity Austrian debt increased four basis points to 2.26 percent. Benchmark German bunds were little changed, leaving the 10-year yield at 1.92 percent.
Spanish and Portuguese securities returned 12 percent in the 12 months through yesterday, according to Bloomberg World Bond Indexes. German bonds lost 0.9 percent, the worst performer of 15 euro-area sovereign-debt markets tracked by the indexes.


text:
A Conversation With The Coach From Undefeated, The Oscar-Winning Football Documentary
Undefeated, Daniel Lindsay and T.J. Martin's documentary about the 2009 Manassas (Memphis) Tigers season, won the Oscar for best documentary feature on Sunday. It's like that Friday Night Lights series you treasured so much recently, but it's real, and grittier. Perhaps it's even better: the Tigers' coach,


text:
Music Today on Line Out.
posted by July 16 at 15:33 PMon
Piss Champion: Lee "Scratch" Perry's Mystical Tangents.
Great Moments in TV, pt. 1: Yellow Magic Orchestra on The Best of Soul Train.
Hits from the Bong: Rory Sheridan's Super Perfect Hair.
Pitchfork Festival: Jamie Lidell's Tinsel Draped Genius.
Best Worst Band Name?: TacocaT's Anagrammatic Awesomeness
T Baggin': Christopher Frizzelle is Just Nuts About Emerald City Soul Club.
Great Moments in TV, pt. 2: King 5 gets Dummy Retarded.
White People Been Holding Out: Larry Mizell Finally gets Grand Funked
Super A+: Kelly O gets Plastic Littled
Fucking Awesome: Jeff Kirby on Botch's Recently Remastered American Nervoso
Let's Go Sublime: The Fields Forever.


text:
Book Description
Teaching Shakespeare is a major contribution to the knowledge and expertise of all teachers of Shakespeare in schools, colleges and institutions of higher education. It makes explicit the principles of active learning which underpin Cambridge School Shakespeare, and helps teachers to develop their existing good practice. Practical examples are given from the plays most frequently used in schools, but Rex Gibson shows that the principles apply equally to the less frequently studied plays, thereby extending the canon of school Shakespeare.