text:
Not only were the judges in awe of Corbin Bleu and Karina Smirnoff's Michael Jackson-centric freestyle routine on Monday night's Dancing with the Stars – but it sounds like the King of Pop himself would have enjoyed the number if he were still alive.
"He came to the High School Musical concert in Vegas," Bleu told reporters backstage after learning he'd successfully made it through Monday night. "When I went and did my bit in the concert, Kenny [Oretga, the choreographer] leaned over and said, 'Michael leaned over to [me] and said, who is that? And I said, 'That's Corbin Bleu.' And Michael said, 'He's good.' I still get goose bumps thinking about it. It was one of the coolest things for me."
Calling his encounter with the icon "the highlight of my life," Bleu describes Jackson as having "such a presence," explaining, "He's extremely tall [and] he's got big ol' hands when you shake them."
Now that the tough MJ number is out of the way, Bleu tells PEOPLE that going into Tuesday's season finale "I feel the major storm has passed. We still have something to go do before tomorrow, but that freestyle has been the bane of our existence this week."
And with Thanksgiving just a few days away, Bleu says regardless of the finale's outcome, he looks forward to going "out with my family and we'll all have a celebratory [glass of] Champagne and that will be that … Either way, at the end of the day, I'm one of the top three. I'm celebrating."
Corbin Bleu: I Get 'Goose Bumps' Recalling When Michael Jackson Liked My Dancing
Tina Gill/PR Photos; Christina Barany/Getty


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a woman who has sex with comedians - genereally, one who waits outside or backstage after comedy shows to perform sexual favors on the comedians.
After the Saturday second show, Pauly took this chucklefucker backstage and she gave him a blowjob.
by Kooyah May 10, 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
Top Definition
A comedy club groupie that hangs out with the hope of fucking a comedian.
I saw these two chuckle fuckers taking turns blowing Joe Rogan in the bathroom at the Comedy Store.
by nerumycroft November 29, 2011
A person who seeks emotional and sexual intimacy with a comedian.
Person One: David's mom slept with that comedian Gabriel Iglesias.
Person Two: What a chuckle-fucker!!
Person Two: What a chuckle-fucker!!
by Krispy-Kris November 29, 2011
Someone who stands around at work telling jokes, talking, taking excessive smoke breaks and/or taking part in any other number of lazy ass things to keep from real work so that people who actually work can get pissed at them.
James: I hate Rod, he's a no-good chuckle fucker.
Liz: I know, he's spends about half the day talking to Jake in the back.
James: If I don't get help with the inventory one more time I'll kill him.
Liz: I know, he's spends about half the day talking to Jake in the back.
James: If I don't get help with the inventory one more time I'll kill him.
by silvertongue July 29, 2009
This is a female who has sex with guys who are funny. Like comedians, comedic actors, and/or improvers.
We went to that comedy club and my sister slept with the comedian . . . again.
What a chuckle fucker!
What a chuckle fucker!
by VirgCo June 10, 2011

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Albatros Guesthouse
Welcome to the Albatros Guesthouse
Just 5 minutes by car from skopelos port (10 min walk) , with a nice view to skopelos village and port and also at the green mountains and blue sea.
In the beautiful and covered by pine trees island of Skopelos with the blue and green sea waters, we have create for our guests rooms - studios of A' category.
All the rooms in albatros are with:
air conditioners, satelite TV, refrigerator, bathroom, free wifi, communal kitchen for the rooms, living room with NOVA channels, breakfast room and parking space.
Your stay in our rooms will be comfortable and you will be able to have wonderful and unforgettable holidays.
Please note:
We have a 72 hours cancellation policy
Check In Time: 07.00 - 23.00
Check Out Time: 12.00 - 00.00
We accept: American Express, Visa, Master Card and Cash
Availability & RatesTo view availability and prices please select dates and click 'Update Dates'
B&B Facilities & Policies
- Cable TV
- Free WiFi
- Parking
Cancellation PolicyThis property has a 3 day cancellation policy. Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay.
Must-Read Guesthouse InfoThis property has specific Terms & Conditions.
Please note:
We have a 72 hours cancellation policy
Check In Time: 07.00 - 23.00
Check Out Time: 12.00 - 00.00
We accept: American Express, Visa, Master Card and Cash
DirectionsShow MapHide Map
Free shuttle bus from the port in rooms
Located Near
Distance from Skopelos port is 1.2 km (following the peripheral road and shorter through the small alleys of skopelos main village)\r\nNearest beaches Agios Konstantinos and Glisteri beach while all the other beaches are just 5-20 min away, for example Stafilos is about 5 km.Easy access to all facilities\r\nBus Station port Gas Stations 1.0 km\r\nHealth center 0.5 km (Helicopter Port 3,0 km)


text:
If you're having symptoms that are like those of stomach cancer, your doctor will want to know why. Your doctor is likely to ask you questions about these things:
Medical history
Family history of cancer
Lifestyle habits, such as what you eat and whether or not you smoke
Any previous stomach surgeries or stomach ulcers
Any symptoms or discomfort
In addition to asking you these questions, the doctor will also do a physical exam, blood tests, and one or more of the following tests. The results of these tests may be enough to rule out cancer. Or you may need more tests to confirm a diagnosis.
This test checks for hidden blood in your stool. The doctor may place a small amount of your stool on a plastic slide or a special type of paper, or you may do this test at home. Stomach cancer can sometimes cause small amounts of bleeding that is hard to see. But so can certain noncancerous conditions. Even if the test shows blood in your stool, you will likely need other tests to confirm whether or not it is due to cancer.
This test is also called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). This procedure helps find most stomach cancers. During this test, a doctor looks inside your stomach with a thin, lighted tube called an endoscope. The doctor guides it through your throat and down into your stomach. You are sedated during this test. An upper endoscopy also checks your esophagus and part of your duodenum, which is the first section of your small intestine. If the doctor sees tissue that is abnormal, he or she takes a small sample to be checked for cancer cells. This sample is called a biopsy. A pathologist looks at the sample under a microscope. In addition to checking for stomach cancer, this biopsy can also tell whether H. pylori bacteria infection, noncancerous disease, or another type of cancer called a lymphoma is present. Your doctor may do an upper endoscopy along with an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) exam. The EUS uses sound waves to make a better picture of your stomach, nearby tissues, and lymph nodes.
This is also called a barium swallow. During this test, even small abnormalities in the stomach can be seen. This test is less common than it once was. For this exam, you'll drink a thick, chalky fluid with barium in it. This fluid lines the stomach, making it easier to see on an X-ray. To see very early cancers, the doctor may use a double contrast technique. For this, a small tube is placed in the stomach after drinking the barium. Air is then pumped into your stomach to make the barium coating thinner.
During this procedure, the surgeon makes a small incision in the skin and inserts an instrument to examine the inside of the abdomen. If any suspicious lesion is found, it can be removed and looked at under the microscope. This is called a laparoscopic biopsy.
To confirm a diagnosis, your doctor will need to remove tissue from your stomach and have it examined under a microscope. This is called a biopsy.


text:
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
When Kyle Thaxton set out to start his own business, he had no inclination that it would soon be surrounded by controversy.
His intention was simply to find an affordable piece of commercial property and open a gunsmith shop.
His realtor found him a suitable property in the Coleman Boulevard Overlay District, stressing that commercial property along Coleman Boulevard did not come available often.
The property at 122 May Lane was situated on a double lot and suited his needs perfectly.
After creating an LLC, the Longbrow Group, named after a plantation on the Combahee River where he and his brother grew up hunting, he went to work on his business model for the Old Village Armory.
"It's a model that will fit perfectly in this market," he explained. "Not only can you purchase a firearm, but there is nowhere else in the vicinity that provides extensive gunsmithing or offers NRA education and permitting, and safety courses by certified instructors," Thaxton said.
NRA training is available as well as Eddie the Eagle courses for children.
Eighty percent of the Old Village Armory's business will be conducted online with only twenty percent of their customers being walk-ins. Appraisal services will also be provided.
Very little traffic will be added to the area, he said, noting that the businesses adjacent to his property already have delivery trucks accessing the street.
In addition, the property will be fenced and gated with a security system that will rival anyone's.
"We'll have a high-end security system, backed by a national security service, with multiple cameras and panic buttons, in addition to a walk-in-sized firearm safe.
A group of vocal opponents living in the Old Village and near May Lane have voiced concerns about the business, even creating a petition to have Mount Pleasant Town Council reconsider the approval. However, the location has been zoned and is approved for Area-Wide Business, which an armory falls under.
In September of 2013, Kent Prause, Division Chief of Zoning Administration for the Town of Mount Pleasant notified Thaxton that the zoning expressly allowed gunsmithing.
The only access to the store is via May Lane, however Thaxton and partner Donnie Buhrmaster are both open to working with adjacent property owners to open up an access via Coleman Boulevard.
"We were really surprised that any controversy would surround the opening of the store," said Burhmaster, an Old Village resident himself.
Thaxton was also surprised about the rumors that quickly began circulating around town, specifically that there would be an indoor shooting range.
"This is just a small, simple gun shop and there will not be a shooting range at this location," he said.
"Our plan is to be good neighbors, but this local activist group is making that difficult at this time," Buhrmaster explained.
"In addition, we are not changing the footprint of the building, but we are open to suggestions for the architectural design and landscape of the exterior," Thaxton said.
"We want to update what's there and help beautify May Lane."
The owners
Thaxton is a Daniel Island resident, who grew up in Columbia. His family is from Edgefield and Eastover. "I've lived here since 1996 other than a summer working on Capitol Hill," he said.
He is also a single father of two, a soccer coach, baseball coach and attends St. Micheals Church. His family lived in the Lowcountry while his grandfather, J. Edwin Jordan, and his brothers of Cherokee, Inc, built Hwy. 17. I'On was one of their holding yards at the time. They maintained the I'On property where they additionally ran a dove club until the land was sold in the 1990s.
Buhrmaster's family has owned homes in the Old Village since before the 1900s and he is the fifth-generation family member to live there.
He is raising three children in the Old Village where his family are active members of St. Andrew's Church. He is on the Men's ministry at St. Phillips Church downtown.
He is also a local charter boat captain.
Thaxton grew up in the manufacturing and distribution side of firearms, alongside his stepfather.
By trade he is a mechanical engineer, having mastered the art of being a machinist and fabricator. "This was my dream job to work with machines and build guns," Thaxton said.
He has his federal firearms license, which is a Type I Dealer certification with a Class III SOT (Special Occupational Tax).
Old Village Armory
The store is set to open at the end of next month. Thaxton or Buhrmaster can be contacted by visiting www.oldvillagearmory.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/longbrowgroup.
For more updates and stories from the desk of the Moultrie News editor, Sully Witte, please follow Sully's Scoop on Twitter @SullysScoop and like Sully's Scoop Facebook page.
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text:
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text:
Mathematics 434
Catalog Entry
Math 434:435. Numerical Analysis I and II
Prerequisite: MATH 252 and MATH 260
Introduction to scientific programming, numerical solution of linear system of equations, interpolation, solution of non-linear equations, numerical integration, numerical methods for differential equations.
Detailed Description of Content of Course
The first part of this course typically covers:
-Programming using MATLAB, FORTRAN, C, MAPLE or other programming environments.
-Floating point arithmetic.
-Linear systems of equations, matrix factorizations.
The second part typically covers:
-Solution of non-linear equations, Newton's method, secant method, and other iterative schemes.
-Numerical integration, Newton-Cotes formulas, Romberg integration, adaptive quadrature.
-Numerical methods for differential equations, including Euler's method, Runge Kutta methods.
-Selected additional topics, such as eigenvalue computation, least squares approximation, fast Fourier transform, numerical optimization, boundary value problems, methods for partial differential equations.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
This course will contain an introduction to scientific computing; the particular software used will vary among instructors. Most instructors will use the lecture method, with a substantial amount of classes being taught in the computer lab.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Acquire a working knowledge of algorithms and modern computer software for approximating solutions of scientific computing problems.
Assessment Measures
The assessment measures will vary among instructors and may include in-class examinations, homework assignments, computer projects, and performance in class and in laboratory activities.
Other Course Information
Students who plan to work in an applied science need exposure to and hands-on experience with methods and computer software that is applicable to many of the general problems they will encounter. Math 434:435 is intended to be the sequence that provides this exposure and experience.
Review and Approval
Sept. 2001 Review Stephen Corwin, Chair
March 2009 Review Jill Stewart, Chair


text:
Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
So trading Jose Ceda because the Cubs were going to get two draft picks for Wood doesn't seem like such a good idea anymore.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
2 sandwich picks are probably worth $4 million dollars, so the Cubs trade get rid of Ceda and Wood for Gregg and roughly $2 million in savings. It's not shaping up as a good off-season for Hendry. He's going to have to pull one or two of his pattened out-of-his-ass moves to make up for it now.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
lumping wood's situation with gregg/ceda isn't very fair, though. wood was destined to go anyway...though i'm surprised they didnt offer arbitration.
wood's going cuz the team doesnt seem to want to put 10m+ into a reliever. i didn't think they'd want to make this damn sure he wasn't going to be on the books, though.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
yeah, but the money seems to be driving the whole thing.
i'm a bit blown away by this 09 team construction being this heavily effected by k.wood's possible 10m worth scaring the team from arbitration.
it also makes me think kerry wood could have actually been serious about a desire to stay in chicago for a season.
with hendry's known wishes and this screwed up economy i can't tell if hendry has his eyes set on a high-end bat addition, has his scope pretty tightly on peavy, or there's increasingly more pressure on the team's budget. hell, i would bring "new owners" speculation, but that's even more wildly speculative than the unknown crap i listed before it.
weird situation...fan favorite...we're probably gonna be hearing about this one in the papers soon and for a while.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
You hit the nail right on the head there. It seems Jimbo doesnt have a plan. If you couldnt take the chance that Wood accepts arbitration, then why even trade for Gregg or even go after Peavy when we already have as good of a rotation as anyone? He is likely to get 4 mil in arbitration and he is just an average pen arm. The likelyhood is that one of the young guys like Ascanio, Berg, or Guzman given the chance could be just as realible as Gregg for minium wage, freeing up more of our apperently limited dollars on southpawing up our lineup. Given its very likely the Brewers are going to have no Sabathia or Sheets, we are going to start the season likely 10-12 games better on paper than the rest of division given we would have almost the same roster, effectively only bascially trading Wood for a RF upgrade. It would be the perfect sitution to go with a young bullpen and see what sticks and if need be make upgrades in July and August.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Any chance this is just Jimbo trying to help Woody earn some extra money? Its not out of the realm of possibility that Hendry could do something like that.
A)Aramis' one way player option
B)Henry Blanco's 4 million dollar option
C) NTC's in every player of Note's contract
D) The Utter fear that Hendry has shown to go to arbitration
I hope it isn't the case. But I think Jim Hendry showed he has the Nuts of a "Ken Doll" with this move.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Say you get your paycheck and it's $600, which is cool because that's enough for the week to pay all your bills. Then you're walking home and you see a $20 blowing across the street. Do you say 'good thing I got paid today, or I would pick up that $20."? No, you pick up the $20 and put it in your pocket.
It's all the same organization, it's all the same ledger. Protecting yourself from having to pay a superior player $10 million, by trading a valuable commodity (maybe a $5 million value, like Ceda) for an inferior player who you have to pay $4 million for - a player who's probably not worth more than his 2008 salary, makes a shit load less sense, if you throw away $4 million worth of prospects.
It makes even less sense if you don't make Gregg the closer, because that's going to decrease his market value for 2009, when ideally you want to get type A compensation for him as well.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
well if you wanna go straight by the money you need to re-do your original cash savings to 10m rather than 2m.
it's about money and the 09 vision of the team...at least it seems that way.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
No, it's about assets and liabilities. Giving up assets like draft picks and prospects, and replacing them with no value players won't make any potential owner happy.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Fuck you Hendry.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Fuck you Hendry.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Wrong board for "+1" stuff...
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Hendry's 2009 budget must be a lot tighter than we originally thought.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
July 27, 2009
CHICAGO - Desperate to shore up a middle-relief core that's continuously failed to get the ball to closer Carlos Marmol, the Cubs today acquired right-handed relief pitcher Fernando Rodney from the Detroit Tigers for pitcher Sean Marshall, outfielder Felix Pie and infielder Micah Hoffpauir.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Scared me a little because I didnt look at the date, just got excited when i saw Rodney..then got sad when i saw what we "gave" up for him...then excited again when i saw the date. very tricky mr. beasley
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
This is just dumb. Really fucking dumb.
Lou even comments about how he'd like another bullpen arm, so why would you ever turn down the opportunity for first round draft picks when the "downside" is having to bring back your (now ex)closer for one year?
just fucking dumb
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Lou not only wants a reliever, but experience matters. Wood only has 10 years of that.
This makes no sense at all. Losing Wood and gaining nothing while also still needing an effective relief pitcher.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
He's cutting salary in the wrong places. Marquis is the guy we can replace, not Wood.
Plus--trading Ceda for Gregg costs an extra $4 million or so. Combine that with Marquis's salary and acquiring Gregg and keeping Marquis costs about $13 million, whereas signing Wood and keeping Ceda would cost a little over $10 million, probably.
Hendry is handcuffed by Lee, Ramirez, and Soriano's salaries, but Marquis is probably tradeable (if he doesn't ask for anything but salary relief in return) and Marquis is also replaceable (Marshall, Gaudin, Samardzija, etc.). It's a really poor use of the team's resources.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Sure, he's tradeable but not in late November. Marquis will be of much greater interest once the FA pitchers start signing and teams find out where they are. To trade him now, you'd have to eat half his salary and then what's the point of doing it? Wood's situation as a FA and Marquis' as a signed pitcher are completely different.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
They're different but they're also interdepent - or rather they were.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Right. Unfortunately Wood's situation was always going to have to be resolved before Marquis' otherwise the story might have played out completely differently.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Since Crunch is apparently asleep at the wheel, I'll step in.
Marquis is an excellent #5 starter. People that believe we need to jettison him are valuing him incorrectly.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I'm sorry, but I disagree with the Hendry bashing on this one. He simply could NOT risk the chance that (a) Wood accepts arbitration, and (b) gets $9-$10MM in the hearing. That would destroy Hendry's budget, and it sure seems like he wants to go after a Bobby Abreu or maybe Jake Peavy.
I love Woody, but closers just aren't worth the money they are paid for pitching 60 innings a year. That kind of money is much better spent on an everyday position player or a starting pitcher. I agree they now need a setup man, but those cost a fraction of what Wood will get.
BTW, Yanks did not offer arbitration to Abreu, so you see it cuts both ways. That would seem to be an even bigger no-brainer than Wood.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Indeed - John Smoltz was not offered arbitration, either. Yep - he was injured that last half of 2008, but the Braves will certainly offer him less money on a 1-yr deal.
I wonder if this is completely out of the question with Woody, in light of the current economic conditions now?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Is the 'no play until May' deal still in effect? That would probably have less impact on Smoltz than Wood.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
If the Cubs are running out of room in their 2008 budget, who's fault is that?
In 2007 they spent, what, $7 millon on Wood, and another $6 on Howry and Eyre? Howry and Eyre are gone, so where is that money going to? Well it's going to Dempster, Gregg and Marquis and a to be determined LH hitter. It's not Wood's fault that Hendry struck out on Fukudome, or that he gave Marquis that backloaded contract, or that he traded for yet another $4 million setup man.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Fred Mitchell apparently talked to Baker who said he'd like to have Wood on the Reds.
"There has been speculation that Cubs manager Lou Piniella became exasperated with Wood last season when he missed about a month with a blister on his right hand."
Haven't heard that one before.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Also--why risk Wood and his injury history getting $10MM in arbitration when you can simply sign Trevor Hoffman on a 1-yr deal for half the price?
Or here's an interesting name: Juan Cruz, the Sequel? If he costs no more than Eyre/Howry type money, he'd look good in that 7th inning role.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Or what about Todd Jones? He would probably be our closer for about $1 million!
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Cruz is a type A free agent.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I had a source in the Cubs front office (who's now left the team). Let me put it this way about Juan Cruz: he has relationship and chemistry issues that would almost certainly be a concern to team management making his re-acquisition highly unlikely.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I know he was close friends with Z and I don't think anyone else is left from when he was here before, coaches included with the exception of Larry Rothschild. Who could he have relationship issues with?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
My source indicated that Juan Cruz is the relationship issue. He is the catalyst for new 'chemistry' problems.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
"new 'chemistry' problems"
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
The person who was with the Cubs organization when Juan Cruz played here said Cruz does not play and work well with others. He is the source of 'chemistry' problems with the team. He is the instigator. He's a putz. Does that clear it up?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Sorry, never heard Juan Cruz has ever been a problem with anyone besides Dusty Baker and the way he was jerked around. He got tired of being called up, then sit and do nothing for weeks and then get sent back down. Or he might get 1 inning of work and Dusty would be shocked he wasn't effective. Meanwhile Shawn Estes sucked for the whole year and not a complaint was ever thrown his way.
For Juan Cruz's reward he was traded to the Braves for Andy "I couldn't find the fucking strike zone if you payed me 10 billion dollars" Pratt and a light hitting 2nd baseman named Richard Lewis.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Wait a minute. George, is your source Dusty Baker?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Rob G. does bring up a good, supporting point -- 5 organizations in 8 years is usually a pretty good indicator there's some sort of problem (can't match talent with results, uncoachable, attitude, etc.). I can say my source was not in direct baseball operations, but was a front office employee who spent a great deal of time in the clubhouse the years Cruz was with the Cubs.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Add to that Cruz's dishonesty about his age -- he claimed he was younger than he was with a false birth certificate -- 2 years younger, IIRC. This came out while he was with the Cubs. Just another item falling on the wrong side of the ledger.
Re: damn...
after this...wood...abreu...and a few other odds/ends (though i could see an arguement about not including abreu in this list...though i do have to say "NYY payroll") i wonder how much of an economic factor is playing into all this.
we're talking about 1-year risk being passed up in favor of more GM control over the 09 team construction...we've not seen much of that stuff in a while from larger market teams. it's not like the downside of taking these guys on would be multi-year burden.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Let's get Burrell. Then I'll be happy. Ok maybe not. Fuck I'm still pissed about Wood. He showed loyalty, how about a little back at him Hendry? Fuck.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I don't think it's about loyalty at all Joe. Like crunch said, it's all about dollars. Woody deservedly will get $9-10m next year, maybe more, and probably on a multi-year deal. For various reasons, the Cubs couldn't really afford the possibility of any of those things happening and keeping with their offseason plan, which I think they do have. Sure they could bring him back at that price for one year but they'd be basically the same team as last season. You might think that's fine, but Hendry's been pretty clear about getting a LH hitter and possibly improving the rotation. I don't think Hendry would even allow Woody to come back for one year at a much cheaper price, say, $3-4m cuz this is his chance to make some money.
Now, why didn't Hendry and Woody, apparently on good terms, set up a gentlemen's agreement so that the Cubs could get a few picks? Good question. Maybe Hendry and Woody aren't on such good terms as we thought. Maybe the Cubs know something about his health. Maybe Woody just really, REALLY, fuckall wants to be on the Cubs next year. Because of the above reasons, that's not something Hendry can afford right now. It's one thing to be loyal to an organization as a player, but it's entirely different and much, MUCH harder to be "loyal" to a player as an organization.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Um, that's my point. It's not about loyalty. I want Hendry to show loyalty.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Okay. I want Hendry to win. I think that's why we're all fans in the first place.
Loyalty is nice but it doesn't really have a role in building a winning team. As I said, it's much harder to demonstrate as an organization than as a player because ultimately it's the organization's responsibility, not that of the individual player, to win. A player can re-sign with an organization that he feels he owes something to, as Woody did. It's much harder for an organization to do the same because its primary goal is not to be loyal.
The argument can be made that the Cubs have been VERY loyal to Woody over the years and that this decision, ulterior reasons notwithstanding, is in Woody's best interest (financially, that is) and thus "loyal". Hendry as GM determined that it's better to improve the rotation or add another bat than to bring back a one-inning good but not great reliever on a double-digit contract. Letting Woody go is about dollars and Ws not about disloyalty.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Congratulations. You have an opinion. You needn't want to Hendry to show loyalty. That's fine. I do. Then again, I'm not a utilitarian.
I said I wanted Hendry to show loyalty. You countered that it wasn't about loyalty. I said that I wished it was. Why do you feel the need to correct desire?
"...its primary goal is not to be loyal." What the fuck does that mean?
And no, I'm not a fan because I want Hendry to win. I want the Cubs to win. Wood is a Cub. We're not talking about dropping a has-been who no longer has value. He's still an excellent pitcher and could be a valid piece to this team.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I said I wanted Hendry to show loyalty. You countered that it wasn't about loyalty. I said that I wished it was. Why do you feel the need to correct desire?
I'm not trying to "correct your desire" as I said in a post farther down. I think I understand your sentiment and why you have it. I was merely trying to point out that I don't think the primary issue for Hendry or the Cubs is about loyalty to Wood. We agree on that, I think.
"...its primary goal is not to be loyal." What the fuck does that mean?
My point is that an organization can't, by its own nature, be "loyal" in the same way that a player can be "loyal." The goal of the organization is to win -- not, as I said, to be loyal. If, in order to win it means the organization has to say goodbye to some of its greats, it should. (I'm not saying I necessarily agree with the decision to get rid of Wood, but merely that if Hendry thinks it's the best thing for the Cubs, he has to do it, loyalty be damned.)The situation is a little different for a player, especially in situations where a player may seemingly owe something to a team. The reason for this is that the relationship between player to team is never an equal one -- the team always takes precedence. Sure, the player contributes something valuable to the team and sometimes even contributes something valuable to the organization as a whole (Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, Kerry Wood perhaps) but the team/organization is always the primary player. The good of the players always comes second to the good of the team and never the other way around. Thus, in my estimation, wishing Hendry to show loyalty is a fundamental misunderstanding of his job as GM.
Obviously, when I said I want Hendry to win, I meant to make the Cubs win. And you know it. You've always been a fairly level-headed guy but I can see this has you riled. I'm not trying to provoke you and I don't really enjoy you treating me like a fucktard.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Yeah, sorry, I'm kind of in a shitty mood. My bad, didn't mean to fucktardify you.
I thought you were challenging what I wasn't arguing.
I think that a team can show loyalty. I recognize that they don't, but I wish they would. The Cubs have a history, in my eyes, of not showing loyalty. Maddux comes to mind. But also, under the Hendry regime, of ruining the reputations of the guys prior to getting rid of them. What they did to Sammy, for instance (and I never even liked him). I don't like the way that they treat their players and it really pisses me off that Hendry is trying to pass this off as what's in Wood's best interests. He's not his agent, that's not his job. Kerry wants to stay in Chicago, and is a millionaire, so it's ridiculous for anyone other than him to decide what is in his own interests.
"Obviously, when I said I want Hendry to win, I meant to make the Cubs win."
I didn't mean my response to be facetious. What I meant was that, for me, the Cubs are the players, not the management. It's not just the logo. For me, Wood exemplifies what it means to be a Cub. If there is any way of keeping him with the team (meaning, if he is still productive) I think you do it. I respect your position that the team must do whatever is in its best interests to succeed, but I am doubtful that a few million dollars saved is going to really make that difference. Dumping a player who has taken a hometown discount and was willing to sign for less years again (along with Ceda) for Gregg and a few million dollars doesn't seem worth it to me.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I have to make a correction here.
Being loyal to a player can be in the best interest of the organization, in that it engenders loyalty from that player (which may save you money down the line) as well as with other players, which again may save you money.
How many times have you heard a player refer to a 'class organization'? Those things are the type of soft factors that play a part in a players decision to leave or join an organization, and they do have value.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I'm with The Joe on this one. A player sticking with his organization because of loyalty costs just as much in money as an organization sticking with a player. It's not just about being loyal to Wood, either; it's also about loyalty to the fans as well. Fans identify their team with certain players; otherwise, as they say, cheering for a team is like cheering for laundry. How many people (myself included) are still in denial that Michael was ever a Washington Wizard? The day Chelios was traded to the Red Wings (the Red Wings!) was the day I gave up on the Blackhawks. And cutting ties with Wood feels like a betrayal.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Yeah, I understand that. But rooting for players and not laundry is fantasy sports. Look, Woody's one of my favorite Cubs ever. Probably 2nd after Ryno. And yeah, it's going to be REALLY hard to see him in another uniform next year (though I suppose there's a small chance he returns after everything shakes out). But, in the current situation of this team, it just wasn't in the Cubs' best interest to bring him back for the salary he'd command. I'll continue to root for him to do well but I know why they had to do it.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
"But rooting for players and not laundry is fantasy sports."
Actually, merely rooting for those with the best statistics, or trying to pick out the guys with the best statistics, is fantasy sports.
If I just wanted to root for a winner I'd decide who I'm going to root for in late August when I could pick out the team with the best record that has a roster that should perform well in the playoffs. Instead, I root for the Cubs--some combination of personnel, venue, and laundry. Wood counts for a lot more on the personnel side than Hendry does.
"But, in the current situation of this team, it just wasn't in the Cubs' best interest to bring him back for the salary he'd command."
I agree with this one to a degree, but I would like to say that I think Wood will probably be more worth his salary than however else the organization ends up spending that money. And that's not taking into account his history with the team.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Hendry is supposed to be tight with Kerry Wood so you'd figure that there would be a gentleman's agreement that the Cubs offer arb to Kerry and then he turns it down so the Cubs can pick up two draft picks. However, I think what's going on here is Hendry doesn't want the public perception/opinion out there to be that Wood technically turned down arb and he's the one who left the Cubs for more money. So whereas the Hendry/Wood friendship helped us keep Kerry the last time, it hurts us in this instance.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Remind me, please, the last year Kerry Wood played an entire season without time on DL or finger owwie. I love Kerry Wood. I will never forget his rookie season or when he and Prior were our two lions, chewing up Atlanta Braves for October snacks. But $10MM is a lot to risk on such a fragile frame.
I remember this list cursing Wood during his long string of rehab assignments. I remember how the tone changed when ESPN did a video piece on Wood's rehab so we all got to see how hard he was working to come back. Now, this list curses Hendry for letting him go to free agency. I actually take Hendry at his word when he says Wood ought to go get a multiyear contract somewhere. I also wouldn't be terribly surprised if Wood signed for a year taking a salary haircut to have a shot at a Cubs world series.
The bottom line is the Cubs have had a better shot year-in year-out at the playoffs with Hendry on board than at any time prior to Hendry during my lifetime. He's taken big risks, engineered some very promising trades, brought on two highly regarded managers, and had his share of bad luck. We'll miss him when he's gone.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Just because Hendry has been a more comptent GM than the bumblers who ran things before him (and part of that is that Hendry has also had higher payroll than other GMs before him) doesn't exempt him from criticism when he does exceedingly stupid things like trading for Juan Pierre and and turning two high draft picks and Ceda into Gregg.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Maybe the Cubs know something about Wood's health that they're not disclosing (whaa?!?!), and Hendry is trying to do Wood a solid by not mentioning it.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
"Let's get Burrell. Then I'll be happy. Ok maybe not. Fuck I'm still pissed about Wood. He showed loyalty,.."
I agree w/HIPOLITO above in that last year was the first full year the Cubs got out of Woody since 2003. And how many innings did he throw?
I distinctly remember the Ghost Christmas Past for Kerry when the Cubs and McFail, eager not to repeat the Maddux mistake, signed him to the Big contract, and then he proceeded to blow out his arm. And, for 2006 and 2007, pitching 72 innings, he earned $21.5 Million Dollars. Almost $300,000 for every inning - of ineffective baseball.
I'd say the Cubs were pretty "loyal" too.
Hendry is not above criticism, but perhaps WISCGRAD should re-post his total achievements once more so we all do not have knee-jerk reactions to every controversial move.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Loyalty isn't a yearly thing that wears off. Either you're loyal or you're not. If Wood wanted to be a Cub for life and was willing to take a one year deal just to stick around, that is loyalty. Sticking with Wood through his injuries, then, when he finally comes out healthy and productive, refusing to sign him in order to save a few million dollars (salary less Gregg's), is not loyalty...in my opinion. Take it for what it's worth, my main problem is that I wanted Kerry to be a Cub for life.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
It's pretty hard to argue against what someone wants to happen so I won't. But is wanting Wood to be a Cub for life really what's best for him or the Cubs at this point? If the answer is no on either account, then he should go. I think I made some points above on why it's not in the Cubs' best interest given their current situation. As a result, at least from a financial point of view, it's not really in Wood's best interest either.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I think it's likely that Kerry Wood desperately wanted to remain a Cub for life (if possible), and would have been more than willing to take advantage of an offer of 12/1 salary arbitration to get a return ticket punched for 2009.
And since Jim Hendry knew that Woody really wanted to return in 2009, he wasn't willing to take a chance that KW would accept salary arbitration and possibly bust up the Cubs Grand Payroll Plan for 2009.
Perhaps if the Cubs could have found a taker for Jason Marquis by 12/1 they could have redirected Marquis' 2009 $9.875M salary to Wood, but I suspect the market for Marquis won't really develop until after the top FA pitchers have signed with new clubs, and that probably won't be until sometime after the first of the year.
Besides the payroll issue, I think the other reason the Cubs decided to cut Wood loose at this time (and they basically released him) is that the Cubs felt that if Wood came back in 2009 he would expect to be the closer, and they didn't want to block Carlos Marmol in case Marmol is ready to assume the closer job. Besides being about $5M cheaper than Wood, Kevin Gregg is the type of reliever (like a David Weathers) who can close until whenever Marmol is ready (if not on Opening Day, then maybe by the middle of the season), and then quietly and obediantly and without any controversy serve as an 8th inning set-up guy once Marmol is ready, while also being available to close when Marmol needs a day off.
I suspect the Cubs braintrust decided at the Organizational Meetings in Mesa in October that Kerry Wood was not going to be asked to return, but they wanted to keep the divorce as pleasant and amicable as possible. But no matter how much Hendry wanted to spin it to make it appear both sides wanted it this way, the Cubs unwillingness to offer salary arbitration to Kerry Wood is pretty clear circumstantial evidence that the Cubs were worried that Wood might actually accept the offer, while they would prefer that he just go away quietly.
If only KW would have said that he wanted a multi-year deal "for his family"... but he didn't say it, so Jim "Scott Boras" Hendry had to say it for him.
It kind of reminds me of the way Mark Grace departed a few years ago. He didn't want to leave Wrigleyville, either, so the Cubs had to push him out the door and call him a cab. In the immortal words of Police Squad's Lt Frank Drebin, Gracey was run out of town like a common pygmy, and now it looks like Woody is getting the same treatment.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Wood never won fifteen games in a season, which Ted Lilly has done three times in the last three.
Nothing against Wood--he's likeable and loyal--but old Cubs tend to hang around too long. I'll never criticize Hendry for being unsentimental.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
The problem is not not resigning Wood.
The problem is not not offering him arbitration.
The problem is trading our second best prospect for Gregg, and then not offering arbitration to Wood.
Yes you've got a budget which may include a breakdown of where you want to spend your money (bullpen, bench, rotation etc). But wasting a player that's worth maybe $5 million so that you get a player who's not worth anything (and when I say worth I am talking about marginal wins compared to marginal salary) for $4 million to save yourself from signing a player who's not worth anything for $9 million is a lateral move - with the caveat that we lose two wins from 2008 to 2009 based on the difference between Wood and Gregg. Yes you spend an extra $5 million in 2009 (assuming you don't jettison Marquis), but you make that money back in 2010 through 2013 when Ceda makes little money compared to his contributions.
There was no reason to trade for Gregg before the arbitration deadline, particuarly in the scenario, which we now see played out where the Cubs are hoping to get some draft picks for Wood when a team some other team signs him.
In short, Gregg + two draft picks = Wood + Ceda. Gregg < Wood + Ceda
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Where did I see the post--was it from AZ Phil? That basically said Fleita and others in the Cubs minor league braintrust felt that Ceda had been passed up by someone else, I forget who now. I know I'm not imagining that post, someone help me out.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
He did post that, but the guy who passed him, as I recall was in high A - and last I checked the Cubs bullpen wasn't chock full of All-Stars.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
So who was the player?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
The blister thing was annoying and might have been a deal killer for Lou. But the more I look at things objectively, was Kerry Wood REALLY all that good of a closer anyway? His save percentage was worse than Dempster's, and as he has done his entire career, BBs got Wood into serious trouble on multiple occasions in 2008. He had a lot of very nice outings too of course, and several that were downright filthy. But I don't think Wood is worth the money he would have got in arbitration, no way, no how.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
We discussed this a couple of weeks ago. Wood gave up very few homers and no pitcher in baseball had a higher K/9 with a lower BB/9 ratio than Wood. His high ERA was mostly a function of bad luck. He also had a lot of HBP early in the season but got that under control as the season wore on. Part of it explains his high ERA, but not all of it. Mostly his groundballs didn't go to infielders as much as you would expect.
If you don't look at ERA he was one of the top five releivers in baseball last year.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Yeah, I see your point. I agree with not being sentimental. On the other hand he was a real solid reliever in '08.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
The Joe:
Let's get Burrell. Then I'll be happy. Ok maybe not. Fuck I'm still pissed about Wood. He showed loyalty, how about a little back at him Hendry? Fuck.
Talk of Burrell AND David DeJesus in the same off-season?! Whoops, I just jizzed in my pants a little!
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 11:58am.
Where did I see the post--was it from AZ Phil? That basically said Fleita and others in the Cubs minor league braintrust felt that Ceda had been passed up by someone else, I forget who now. I know I'm not imagining that post, someone help me out.
JIM H: I didn't post that, but Daily Herald Cubs beat writer Bruce Miles did (and I think Rob G linked it), because that's the reason the Cubs (presumably either Jim Hendry or Oneri Fleita) gave Bruce for trading Jose Ceda and putting Marcos Mateo on the 40-man roster.
There is no way I would say that Marcos Mateo is a better prospect than Jose Ceda, because that is just plain ridiculous. And I doubt that Bruce was saying that, either, he was just reporting the Cubs spin on it. Just like when the Cubs claim Donald Veal was left off the 40-man roster because he hasn't progressed as expected, and yet Justin Berg is at least as much of a mess as Veal, and Berg was placed on the Cubs 40-man roster, yet opposing scouts will tell you that Veal has a lot more potential than Berg.
The bottom line is, Hendry & Fleita use the 40-man roster the way a high school or college coach would use the varsity & JV rosters. There are no tactics or strategy involved. It's all about making a promotion to the Cubs 40-man roster a carrot & stick thing, a reward for getting on-board with the Cubs program, an example to the other players in the organization that the Cubs are willing to sacrifice even the most talented players if they fail to adjust to the Cubs system.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
So Phil, you're speculating that Ceda wasn't regarded as a "teachable, team player" by the Cubs and was let go for that reason? Wouldn't be the first time that has happened....Cubs seem to be real sticklers on "our way or the highway" at the minor league level.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 12:29pm.
So who was the player?
JIM H: Marcos Mateo
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Submitted by Jim Hickmans Bat on Tue, 12/02/2008 - 1:23pm.
So Phil, you're speculating that Ceda wasn't regarded as a "teachable, team player" by the Cubs and was let go for that reason? Wouldn't be the first time that has happened...
Cubs seem to be real sticklers on "our way or the highway" at the minor league level.
JIM H: The Cubs are not exactly the "Juilliard School" of Player Development Programs. They seem to have difficulty developing and coaching pitchers where the pitcher had a lot of success doing things his own way prior to joining the Cubs. Some organizations have a de facto "honors program" where they just let already successful pitchers continue doing what it was that got them there, and allow them to develop at their own pace with minimum tinkering, even if the pitcher's release point, arm slot, mechanics, repetoire, et al are unusual or unconventional. But the Cubs aren't like that. There's the Cubs Way and then there's the highway. Some pitchers respond to that approach, while others (especally the prodigy-savants) don't. That's why there is sometimes a disconnect between the scout who signed the pitcher and the coach who is trying to work with him.
SCOUT: What have you done to my boy!?
COACH: What did you ever see in this kid???
As for Jose Ceda, he has had some conditioning issues related to his weight (he's 6'4 260-300), and the Cubs may have felt that his occasional shoulder problems and the conditioning issues might have been related. But sometimes you just have to accept people the way they are. Lee Smith wasn't exactly in great shape, either, but he could sure pitch. Ceda throws a 98-100 MPH fastball with a power slider. Arms like that are rare. Sometimes you just have to overlook the other stuff.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Someone is lying. I tend to trust Wood more than Hendry.
Re: Someone is lying. I tend to trust Wood more than Hendry.
If you believe Wood then give it a rest. "Wood lauded Hendry for his honesty."
Link>>>Wood credits Cubs GM Hendry's honesty, but says leaving team is 'bittersweet'
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Here is the thing with Wood, he gets more excuses made for him by the fans.
I loved his 20 k game, his lightning stuff when he was kid, but it came with a price, arm surgeries.
So we make an excuse of bad luck for him this year because of him hbp were high at the beginning because he was closing for the first time.
Okay, we wait he learns what usually happens next ...he's back on the DL.
I like the kid and wish him well but his arm is not up to it.
I've seen this movie too many times before.
I'm willing to bet he will be on DL for most of next year wherever he pitches.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
It's not an 'excuse' it's a fact. When evaluating players it's important to be able to distinguish the difference between a player who was lucky and a player who was not.
It looks like he's turned the corner with his control issues. Have you ever heard of Randy Johnson? What happened with him when he began to throw strikes consistently. I am sure there were plenty of Seattle fans who grew frustrated with him over the years.
The injury problems, obviously there's a chance that he's going to get hurt again. He's pitched for a year and a half now with no arm issues, though. Imagine, however a team signs him to a 3 year, contract with team options, and after 2009 he moves back into a rotation. How smart would that GM look?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I believe I read he was told by the doctor working on him that he should never be a starter again, if that puts more strain on arm then relieving I don't know.
He did have a blister as pointed out that had him miss a month.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
His most recent arm injury was tendonitis, which miracuously disapeared. Dr Hecht could probably give us a more informed opinion, but as a layman who has had tendinitis issues I wouldn't necessarily say that pitching once every five days would definetly be better or worse than pitching three days in a row.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Kerry Wood has a torn rotator cuff, which was diagnosed in 2006 (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2514007). He elected not to treat it surgically.
See also: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/03/sports/playmagaz.... This is a great article.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Probably 90% of major league pitchers over the age of 30 have torn rotator cuffs.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I'm no doctor, but I would think that it would be more accurate to say that he "had and could still have a torn rotator cuff, which was diagnosed in 2006."
Muscle tears have been known to heal, no? I'm not being entirely sarcastic about this: do rotator cuff tears never heal?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I don't have a big problem with not offering Wood arbitration, but when you look at it together with the Ceda trade, then it becomes a bit of a head scratcher. But if the Cubs passed on Wood because on budget problems, Hendry has only himself to blame as he made this mess with so many backloaded contracts and the Fukudome disaster. If you look at the guaranteed contracts, it is only going to get worse next year. It is looking more to me that Hendry rolled the dice to win it all in 2008 (100 year anniversary, his last contract year at the time, new ownership coming, etc.), too bad it failed as I think we would all of had lived wit it.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
"but when you look at it together with the Ceda trade, then it becomes a bit of a head scratcher."
it's not really a head scratcher...it's being motivated by money and a vision for the 09 team construction.
it's not about bad attitudes, power plays, and it probably isn't about injury.
it's about not wanting to pay a reliever 10m dollars because hendry don't wanna do that, evidently.
the 6m or so "saved" in 09 by the addition of gregg rather than wood must be pretty damn important to hendry...so much so the organization feels like they can't risk wood coming back via arb. in order to do what they plan to do next.
it sucks to lose ceda, but the chance of him being an 09 impact or role player seems thin at best.
the future was mortgaged with ceda and kerry wood's cubs future was ended so hendry can do his "09 thing" with his budget...whatever that is.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
If Wood really wanted to come back, he could have just told Hendry he would take a 1 year, $3 million deal (and he still could). Hendry surely would have taken that, but as has been pointed out by many on this board, he would have likely commanded about $9 million if he went to arbitration.
Loyalty is a two way street, but it only goes so far. Hendry wasn't going to handicap the payroll by committing $9 million to an above average reliever, and Wood wasn't going to sacrifice one of his last remaining chances to get a big contract by taking a huge hometown discount.
We'll see how this all plays out, but as I mentioned a few weeks ago, Wood leaving Chicago now is probably the best thing that could happen to his legacy in Wrigleyville. He'll be a Cub for life in our eyes, and we won't have to witness the fans turn on him when he eventually blows out his shoulder or just turns in a shitty season. From now on, whenever he pitches in Wrigley he'll get a standing ovation and steaks at Gibson's will show up on his plate without a bill.
It's rare that players don't overstay their welcome, and we get to see Wood leave on a relatively high note.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
You gotten anything about season tickets yet? Last year they sent it out at the end of November. You trying for the New Year's Day hockey tickets? How about tickets for the new Yankee Stadium? Living in CT now, I really want to win the lottery for those NYY tickets. How funny would it be to have a Cubs season ticekt holder able to get those tickets and some New Yorkers not...:)
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
No scalper living in Connecticut should be allowed to hold Cubs season tickets. It's just wrong.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Good thing I am not a scalper than...:)
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
None of 'em got news yet, Manny. On Levine's Saturday show, he was of the opinion that when the Cubs "add a name player", they will let the new numbers and invoices fly. Please see the "Hendry Chronicles", which has a couple other things in it from Saturday.
Re: Horrible
That is so terrible.
Those poor ball players who love their homes but have to deal with that is just horrendous.
Re: Horrible
Re: Horrible
Venezuela is a wonderful place to live.
Re: Braves & WSox talking
no reyes, but done according to rooooooooooosenthall.
Re: Braves & WSox talking
...and espn is reporting reyes is involved.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
From Rotoworld:
"Now that signing Wood doesn't involve losing a draft pick, expect the lists of teams interested in him to expand."
From me:
If the list of teams interested in Kerry Wood expands, isn't the liklihood of him getting a longer/better deal increased?
Is Jim Hendry so fond of Kerry Wood that he would potentially hurt his current employer to help get Wood a better deal? And if this is found to be true, who fires Hendry?
Also in re: Doug Dascenzo...
"If Wood really wanted to come back, he could have just told Hendry he would take a 1 year, $3 million deal (and he still could)."
If this were the case, would the Players Association step in saying there was some weird form of collusion going on that would somehow drive down the potential salaries of pitchers with similar stats/outlooks as Wood's?
Yeah, I wonder about obscure stuff sometimes.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
The player's union couldn't step in and do anything, other than to bitch at Kerry.
I think it's pretty obvious Hendry didn't offer arbitration to Wood because he feared he would accept it.
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
Is Jim Hendry so fond of Kerry Wood that he would potentially hurt his current employer to help get Wood a better deal? And if this is found to be true, who fires Hendry?
Re: Cubs Don't Offer Kerry Wood Arbitration
I wish I could...:)
Recent comments
J-Hey not finishing with an offensive onslaught.
If Geoff Blum could be a Playoff hero, there is hope still...
Giants scare me. I think you're wrong about Bumgarner, he would pitch on short rest for Game 2 and then full rest for Game 5. Cueto would go Game 1, then short rest in game 4. Add in some really tough outs in that lineup and I want nothing to do with them. With that rotation they can easily steal a series.
Cards are a tough matchup. The rivalry evens out their comparable lack of talent. And like someone said, they love HRs, which is how to beat the Cubs. The upside is that I would feel really good about Lester twice against STL.
j.buchanan with a nice start...5ip 2h 1bb 3k, 0r/er
zobrist with 2HR and a double through 8
heyward 0-4 :(
Mark Gonzales @MDGonzales
Soler likely to return Sunday, Maddon says
Right now, I'd like to see the Mets first, Giants 2nd.
I believe that since most of the team from last years' NLCS is on the squad this year, they will really amp their game up even more to kick their ass in payback for 2015.
The Giants just do not have the depth in years past, and I think all things equal - and at Wrigley - they could handle them.
I do not want to see the Cards, period. Or their fans, media, or Joe Buck.
I don't want to play Braves in the first round. Any friggin team in the league can win 3 of 5..I hate the first round. Furthermore, I wanted to play the Marlins in 2003 and the Mets over Dodgers last year.
With that said in reverse order:
3. Cardinals: It will be devastating to lose in the first round, but even worse to their main rival. It is increased incentive for the Cardinals, especially after last year. Cards would have nothing to lose, Cubs have everything to lose.
2. Giants: Rotation in the playoffs scare me a bit, but what a lousy team.
1. Mets--because of the losses in the rotation
2. Giants--because they're not the team they were BUT they maybe have bullshit even-year magic?
3. Cardinals--because rivalry and not making the playoffs hurts them more than losing in the NLDS plus getting eliminated by them in the playoffs would make for horrible sports commentary next throughout next season.
Who's asking?
CLE/DET rained out last night already, possible rain-outs in New York (vs. Baltimore), Boston(vs. Toronto) and Philly(vs. Mets) this weekend too.
Not only games involving playoff spots that would need to be played, but any that involve home field advantage.
I got the first one! Second one I'm not even sure what even/odd betting is.
any opponent preference for NLDS?
Mets are down to 1 great pitcher instead of 4. Syndegaard may pitch Sunday which means if Mets win the WC game, he'd be set up for Game 1. There's a chance they clinch a spot by Sunday so he'd pitch the WC and then we'd probably get Colon for Game 1. They've certainly had the hottest bats over the last week and month out of the WC options.
A couple of Cub related puzzles.
Can't teach height and thinness
Hopefully Pirates don't call up A. Lincoln.
j.buchanan going friday...should be...baseball...or something like it.
Wow. I didn't know they could do that.
Nice for Willson, not so much for Addy.


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Selection and enrolment at Nova Institute of Technology (NIT) is carried out in an ethical and responsible manner and we encourage people to apply for enrolment without discrimination through a variety of means.
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The growth in demand for enrolments at Nova Institute of Technology has resulted in expansion of our campus as well as extensive development of our facilities.
Leading Courses @ Nova Institute of Technology
The Certificate III in Printing and Graphic Arts (Graphic Pre-Press) is suitable for trainees wishing to gain a broad and thorough knowledge of the Printing and Graphic Arts industry.
This qualification reflects the role of individuals who use well-developed skills and a broad knowledge base in a wide variety of contexts. They may provide leadership and guidance to others with some limited responsibility for the output of others.
This qualification provides competencies to select, install, set up, test, fault find, repair and maintain electronic equipment and devices at component/sub-assembly level with options in electronics communications systems.
The English courses are designed to develop your English communication skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. The emphasis of the courses is to learn while having fun and using English in a practical way.


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The story of Justin Bieber's concert injury is just getting stranger.
After suffering a mild concussion by somehow crashing into a glass wall or window backstage in Paris on Thursday, Bieber says the injury has affected the right side of his face.
"I can't move my eyebrow," Bieber, 18, says in a Viddy.com video posted Friday. "It's the weirdest thing, some weird stuff going on."
The "Boyfriend" singer was able to continue performing after the mishap, though as he was walking to his dressing room he passed out for about 15 seconds.
In the video, he sums up the experience this way: "I got into a fight with a glass window."
Justin Bieber: Concussion Paralyzed My Eyebrow
Courtesy Justin Bieber


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The Los Angeles Conservancy and its Modern Committee celebrate greater Los Angeles' rich legacy of 60s architecture, which starts turning 50 years old in 2010.
Created by adamrubin on Jul 20, 2009
Last updated: 03/12/10 at 01:42 AM
Tags: Los Angeles Conservancy
Designed to be "residential in atmosphere" but not in scale, Norton Simon Museum's curved exterior walls are lined with 115,000 handmade deep umber tiles – an abstract reminder of Pasadena's Craftsman-style heritage – which reveal delicate, reflected tones and highlights as the sun rises and sets.
Photo courtesy of RebelSciences on Flickr.
Speech made to drum up support for US Vietnam policies.
The last two surviving 19th Century buildings from Bunker Hill are destroyed by an arsonist's fire after being moved to Heritage Square in Highland Park.
The first film to be written, directed, and starring comedian Woody Allen is released.
An estimated crowd of 450,000 attends music and arts festival in upstate New York.
The Manson family murders actress Sharon Tate and several friends at the Tate-Polanski house on Cielo Drive off Benedict Canyon. The family's killing spree also claims the lives of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca and Gary Hinman.
The 5th Dimension singer Florence LaRue and production supervisor Marc Gordon marry in a hot air balloon tethered to a station wagon about 50 feet above the Century Plaza's parking lot.
The single is rushed into production to capitalize on the popularity of the Apollo 11 landing.
National grants are made to support local projects.
The Weathermen gain control of Students for a Democratic Society national office.
Lennon and Ono hold court with the press from a Montreal hotel bedroom.
The film becomes the first and only X-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Bernstein's last concert as musical director of the New York Philharmonic.
The students are shot in an alleged internal dispute over who would head UCLA's new African American Studies Center.
$15 million Venice Canals restoration and redevelopment project begins with the demolition of about 40 "substandard" structures as part of a right-of-way acquisition program for canal widening. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library.
NATO, MPAA and IFIDA announce a new voluntary film rating system of the motion picture industry. The initial design called for four rating categories: G for General Audiences, all ages admitted; M for mature audiences - parental guidance suggested, but all ages admitted; R for Restricted, children under 16 would not be admitted without an accompanying parent or adult guardian; X for no one under 17 admitted. The rating system trademarked all the category symbols, except the X.
The Los Angeles Kings play the Philadelphia Flyers for first place in the Western Division of the NHL. Constructed by Jack Kent Cooke, owner of the Lakers and founding owner of the Kings, the circular, $16 million structure was designed by renowned Los Angeles architect Charles Luckman and was intended to evoke the Roman Forum. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Public Library.
The film is regarded as one of the first films of the New Hollywood era.
The former amusement park remains in dilapidated ruins until its demolition in 1974-75.
The festival officially kicks off the "Summer of Love", with performances by the Mamas and the Papas, Janis Joplin, Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding, the Who, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix burns his guitar.
The $23 million redesign of 1955's original Tomorrowland features completely rebuilt scenery and new attractions, including the Rocket Jets, the Carousel of Progress, and the People Mover tram.
Proposition A introduces a $57.8 million library bond measure calling for the demolition of Central Library and construction of a bigger Library plus branch improvements. The measure is voted down.
The rally is in reaction to a police raid on the bar on New Years Eve, 1967. The protest would predate the Stonewall Inn riots in New York City (popularly considered to be the birthplace of the American gay rights movement) by over 2 years.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10, with quarterback Bart Starr and receiver Max McGee leading the way. The game didn't come close to selling out--only 61,946 people attended--while television networks CBS and NBC simultaneously broadcast the game.


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Quality Education in the Benedictine Tradition
December 9, 2011
Kreighton G. Long, senior history major of Latrobe has been named to the 2011 edition of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges and was recognized as an outstanding campus leader during the annual Saint Vincent College Founders' Day Vespers and Honors Convocation Thursday, November 17 in the Archabbey Basilica. Mr. Long is a member of the Saint Vincent men's swim team and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. He is a member of the PAC Honor Roll and Dean's List. Mr. Long works as a resident assistant. He is a 2008 graduate of Greater Latrobe High School and a member of Saint Vincent Parish. The Who's Who students are selected by campus nominating committees and editors of the annual directory on the basis of their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success. They join an elite group of students selected from more than 2,300 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and several foreign nations. Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1934.
Photo: Br. Norman W. Hipps, O.S.B., left, president of Saint Vincent College, presents Who's Who Award to Kreighton Long.


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"Their parting is mutual, it's just that someone had to actually do the filing," the friend says. "Also, they both support themselves – Bob is the host of the Daily Show GSN Live – so there is no need for one to give money to the other going forward."
In fact, that she filed for divorce and the documents show she's asking the court deny him spousal support doesn't mean the decision to end their marriage of five years was one-sided. (Neither Guiney nor Budig was immediately available for comment.)
"It's a highly unusual split," the friend adds. "They are a part of each other's every day lives, but they're no longer a couple. It's kind of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. Rebecca is even still close with Bob's family. It's one of those situations where the romance has gone but they can't totally let go because they are best friends."
As for moving on, it seems neither Guiney nor Budig is in any hurry to jump back into the dating scene. "They talk every day. They go out to eat," the pal says. "Their dog lives with Bob at his new place. She lives in the L.A. home they shared during their marriage but is over there to see Bob and their lab all the time."
See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own


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shoppers recently viewed this!
Techno XT Stroller Champagne
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Qty: 1
- 1
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Description: Made for children from birth up to 15 kilograms/55 pounds, the Techno XT stroller offers comfort and ease of use. A full-coverage extendable hood with sun visor keeps children protected whilst the fully reclining seat, extended leg rest, head hugger, and 4-wheel suspension provide a relaxing ride. The sturdy and durable 7-kilogram/15.25-pound stroller comes with a raincover and is lightweight and easy to store.
- Sturdy, aeronautical-quality aluminum frame
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- One-handed, compact umbrella fold
- Round hood with storage pocket and UV protective viewing window
- Includes removable washable covers, raincover, and handy mesh shopping basket
- Carry strap for easy portability
- Wheels with sleek hubcap design
- 55 pounds capacity
- Suitable for newborn and up
- Measures 19"W x 24"D x 43¼" H
Material: Aluminum, Foam
Brand: Maclaren
Origin: Imported


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Director: Trevor Nunn; Designer: John Gunter; Opening Date: 5 July 1982.
It is advantageous in updating not to choose an absolutely current date: the occasional archaisms of the text seem less obtrusive with a slightly earlier date than the present: Victorian or Edwardian settings are often favored. HMR
Photographer: Janet Arnold: Rights: Royal Holloway University of London. This image may be used for educational purposes only, any commercial use of this material requires the permission of the copyright holder. Courtesy of Arts and Humanities Data Service.


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A new species of cyanobacteria discovered in the Mexican Lake of Alchichica has been found to form amorphous intracellular carbonates, significantly modifying the traditional view of extracellular calcium carbonate precipitation and improving our understanding of the fossil record. Read more...
Contact: Karim Benzerara
Alternatives to the current lithium-ion based car batteries are at the forefront of the automotive industry's research agenda - manufacturers want to build cars with longer battery life, and to do that they're going to have to find new solutions. Researchers from Toyota and ALS are studying magnesium (Mg) as a promising battery material as it is more dense than lithium, it is safer, and the magnesium ion carries a two-electron charge, giving it potential as a more efficient energy source. Read more...
A new type of ultra-high diffraction grating recently patented by members of the ALS Experimental Systems Group stands to revolutionize the resolution capabilities of soft x-ray spectroscopy. The key to the new technique is atomic precision, and the result is vastly improved efficiency over today's gratings, with an increase in resolution of up to a factor of 20 for similar conditions. Read more and watch a video about this work.
I am very pleased to be taking over as chair of the UEC this year. We have excellent representation of the ALS user community with our new and continuing members:
Many thanks to Brandy Toner for helping me navigate the first UEC meeting of the year. We covered many topics of concern to the user community. A few issues that users should be aware of:
It's never too early to start thinking about the User Meeting! This year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the ALS. The date is October 7-9 - save the date! - and our chairs are Scott Classen and Peter Nico. Please send them ideas for speakers and workshops.
As always, all users are encouraged to contact their UEC representatives with any concerns relating to their own research at the ALS, or to alert us to issues facing our whole community.
Contact: Corie Ralston
For the user runs from November 15 to December 20, 2012 (the end of the operational year), the beam reliability [(time scheduled - time lost)/time scheduled)] was 96.6%. For this period, the mean time between failures (MTBF) was 51.7 hours, and the mean time to recovery (MTTR) was 119 minutes. More than 10 hours of scheduled beam time were lost on December 1 owing to a combination of faults: an AC power variation, a complex water flow fault, and a large water leak in Sector 4.
More detailed information on reliability is available on the ALS reliability bulletin board, which is located in the hallway between the ALS and the control room in Building 80. Questions about beam reliability should be directed to Dave Richardson (
, x4376).
Long-term and weekly operations schedules are available on the Web athttp://www-als.lbl.gov/index.php/beamlines/schedules.html. Requests for special operations use of the "scrubbing" shift should be sent to Rick Bloemhard (
, x4738) by 1:00 p.m. Friday. A Web page showing the ring status in real time can be found at http://www-als.lbl.gov/index.php/beamlines/beam-status.html.
New Path to More Efficient Organic Solar Cells Uncovered at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source
Synchrotron Infrared Unveils a Mysterious Microbial Community
Nanocrystals Not Small Enough to Avoid Defects
Can We Accurately Model Fluid Flow in Shale?


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Mohave Bone Builders
Bone Builders is a community-based osteoporosis prevention education program for women and older men in Arizona. Osteoporosis is a silent disease that causes porous bones that break easily. One in two women over 50 and one in five older men will suffer from a fracture due to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can be caused by a variety of reasons, including a lack of calcium in diet, sedentary lifestyle and certain medications. Become a Bone Builders volunteer to teach others about preventing osteoporosis. For more information, visit the Bone Builders website
What's Happening
No upcoming events for this section are scheduled. Please see the full Event Calendar for all events.
Sorry, there are no news or announcements for Mohave Bone Builders.


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- Text Size:
- ASmall Text
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- ALarge Text
No one is sure why, but thousands of tiny crabs are washing up on the shores of Oahu in Hawaii.
The Waikiki Aquarium told Honolulu TV station KITV it had been fielding calls and emails about the crustacean invasion since late last week.
Scientists believe they are what's known as 7-11 crabs, which are native to Hawaii.
But the mystery remains -- why are so many turning up now?
"It's probably something ecological because it's happening on such a large scale," Waikiki Aquarium Director Andrew Rossiter told KITV. "You say it's pollution or it may be a pulse of warm water, or a pulse of cold. If it were any of these three it would happen to other species as well, but in this case, it's just the 7-11 crab."
The crabs can grow to be quite large and can be eaten by humans. However, many won't survive because fish or birds will eat them as they wash up on the shore, Rossiter said.


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2013 draft picks: 1st round (23, 25), 2(52), 3(83), 4(102, 120), 5(155), 6(189), 7 (213, 214, 229)
Minnesota traded away one of their big play threats in the disgruntled Percy Harvin. He's now a Seahawks and the Vikings own their first round pick. In free agency Minnesota did land former Packer Greg Jennings. If he can stay healthy and on the field he could be a dangerous wide receiver. Matt Cassell also signed with Minnesota, giving them a solid backup.
Defensively, the Vikings lost inside linebacker Jasper Brinkley and cornerback Antoine Winfield.
Draft Needs
1) Wide Receiver
The signing of Jennings lessens the need to the Vikings to automatically draft a receiver with one of their two first rounds picks. But they need to address this position and could very well do it early. There's no question they could land a top flight receiver at No. 23 or 25. It's likely that Tavon Austin and Cordarrelle Patterson are off the board but players like Justin Hunter, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins and Robert Woods should be available.
Then again, it wouldn't surprise me to see Minnesota address defensive needs early and go receiver later in the draft.
2) Linebacker
Manti Te'o, Kevin Minter and Alec Ogletree are three inside linebackers that all Viking fans are eyeballing to Minnesota. Teams ahead of them like Chicago, New York (Giants) and Cincinnati all need linebacker help so it will be interesting to watch what happens in front of the Vikings. Kiko Alonso and Jon Bostic are middle 'backers that could be taken in the second and third rounds respectively.
3) Defensive Tackle
Sylvester Williams and Jonathan Hankins are two defensive tackles to keep an eye on early in the draft. Minnesota could use a big body on the front.
4) Defensive Back
The Vikings have a good young safety to build around in Harrison Smith. They could use another safety in this draft. More pressing is cornerback. Using one of their first two selections would be ideal and it would be good value. Players like Desmond Trufant, D.J. Hayden, and Jamar Taylor would likely be available in the first round while Blidi Wreh-Wilson, David Amerson and Leon McFadden are potential second round cornerbacks for Minnesota.
5) Offensive Guard
The Vikings signed Seth Olsen but would like to upgrade and add depth at this position. Guards to watch for in the middle of the draft are Ryan Jensen, Alvin Bailey, Jeff Baca and Travis Bond.
Key Acquisitions
Matt Cassel (QB)
Greg Jennings (WR)
Seth Olsen (OG)
No Longer With The Team
Percy Harvin (WR)
Michael Jenkins (WR)
Jasper Brinkley (ILB)
Geoff Schwartz (OG)
Antoine Winfield (CB)


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Top Definition
Can be used to describe the Big Pimp.
"You know how they taught you in school about the little letters and the big letters? Wewll I'm the big letter...I'm the Capital P in this muthafucka."
de Pretty Tony L 1 novembre 2007
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?
an ass so fat that it looks like the letter p when you see it from a profile view.
1. Yo, she gotta donkey looks like a capital p son!
de adedeezy 5000 25 juillet 2006
a man who, when stands side on, his whole body looks like P
omg amys dad is capital p
de clur 12 mai 2005


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May 31, 2010
May 30, 2010
A current round of shows depend on million-dollar multimedia displays like never before, bringing video upstage after years of being relegated mostly to backdrop status.
New musicals like "Sondheim on Sondheim" use sophisticated swirling computer screens that flash thousands of still and moving images and are central to the storytelling action.
"Sondheim" and productions such as "Everyday Rapture" feature YouTube for comical effects.
May 30, 2010
Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt talks to us about Rock Band and getting "pwned" when it comes to video games.
The influential band from Oakland, California, that spent its early years playing in Berkeley is exploring new ground with a Broadway adaption of its American Idiot album, as well a video game that will feature three of its most popular albums. Green Day: Rock Band will have the full tracklist from Dookie, American Idiot, and 21st Century Breakdown, as well select tracks from albums Warning, Nimrod, and Insomniac. The punk rock band is set to go on tour again this summer, and the
May 29, 2010
May 27, 2010
Cast members, in costume, will perform the pop-hit medley. Surprise "guest performers" are likely to include "Glee" stars Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison (both Broadway babies), Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and, possibly, Jon Bon Jovi. Elton John, the producer of the Tony-nominated play "Next Fall," might pop up as well. Tony host Sean Hayes will certainly sing something from "Promises" with his un-nominated co-star, Kristin Chenoweth.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/tonys_take_medley_turn_oXJMUzEb3u0S68IvarXZYO?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=#ixzz0pGSBlw7S


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You pick all the parts with this deck
If you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, you may return it to Warehouse Skateboards within 30 days of your receipt date.
Girl Skateboards One Off Deck - 7.75" x 31.125"
The wizards at Girl are at it again, and this One Off is a great way to experience the magic for yourself. This professional quality Girl Skateboards One Off Deck measures 7.75" x 31.125" and is suitable for every skill level from beginner to pro. A versatile skateboard that's perfect for street, pool, park and vert, it's solidly constructed and is built to last. Holes have been predrilled to make skate truck assembly easy.
NOTE: grip tape not included and must be ordered separately
Decks come in many different widths. If you are a beginner to skateboarding, choose your deck according to the width, not the length or wheelbase. The width you need depends on your size, skating style and personal preference. Here are some general guidelines.
7.5" to 8" - Standard board for adult riders skating streets or doing more technical tricks
8.0" to 8.25" - Skating pools, ramps, and parks
8.25" and larger - Vert, pools, cruising, and just going old school
Check out our massive selection of skateboard decks.
If you still have questions about skateboard decks, please visit our Skateboard Deck Buying Guide.
Looking for your Egift Card Shopping Cart? Click here.


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Clearing the tables and computers to the edges of the room has created a more open, spacious, and teamwork encouraging environment. Without buying any new equipment, the updated layout also provides room for one extra workstation, while the central table becomes a more comfortable place for learners who bring their own laptops.
We're looking forward to working with each of you in this redesigned space, so if you happen to be in our neck of the woods please drop by and tell us what you think!
In addition to the beta site you can test changes or just play around without effecting your course. You can access the site by going to westminster.test.instructure.com
**When using these website, keep in mind they're not as robust as our live environment, you will notice it's a little slower.
The Learning Mastery Gradebook helps instructors assess the outcomes that are being used in Canvas courses. Located as part of the regular Gradebook, the Learning Mastery Gradebook provides an overview of student learning based on standards rather than grades. Instructors can also use the gradebook for feedback about curriculum and teaching methods.
If an instructor grades by points in the Gradebook, students will also view their total grade in points. This option only applies if an instructor changes the grading option within the Gradebook total column from percent to points.
Reminder: Instructors can only grade by points if they are not using weighted assignment groups.
Assignment group columns are part of the CSV download from the Gradebook. This feature allows instructors to examine the overall performance of their course related to each assignment group and student scores. Each assignment group in the CSV file displays current points, final points, current score, and final score. Assignment group columns are read-only columns calculated by rules or percentages set in Canvas, and changes made to these columns within the CSV file will not be recognized if the CSV is uploaded to the Gradebook.
The Select Migration Content process has been redesigned within Course Imports. When admins or instructors copy or import courses and choose to select course content, Canvas will no longer select all content by default.
The import screen is grouped by content type. Content types that include more than one item are placed within a group that indicates the total number of content items. To expand the group, click the drop-down arrow next to the content type.


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CHARLES TOWN - With the frequent change in gas prices comes frustration, aggravation and changes in travel plans.
Charles Town resident Bobby Morrow said his family used to travel at least once a month to Pennsylvania, but now those trips are cut back to only once every two or three months.
"We have had a lot of business drop off lately," Morrow said of the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races where he works. "A lot of people drive up from Virginia or up north, and I'm sure it's affecting driving down here."
Article Photos
Journal photo by Ron Agnir
Drivers fill up at a Sheetz and Rocs on King Street in Martinsburg Friday night. Gas prices have risen sharply in W.V. the past couple days.
Even Sen. John Unger said he tries to plan his meetings and events in clustered areas so that he can avoid driving back and forth between Berkeley and Jefferson counties when he can.
State legislators are not reimbursed for mileage, even when traveling to Charleston.
Local gas stations say they have noticed a change in the people as well.
"We see people's spending habits have changed, and being so close to Maryland and Virginia, what we see happening is that people are getting small amounts of gas at a time. Being in this area is really affecting the amount of gas people are getting," said Kristin Plum, manager of the Bedington Cross-Roads Convenience Store.
While gas taxes are higher in West Virginia than Virginia or Maryland, this is because "the gas tax is the only revenue source of income for the road fund," Unger said. States such as Virginia have higher property tax than West Virginia, and that goes into the state's road fund, he added.
Gas prices are also not determined by a store owner, or even the state. Rather, the prices depend on the market. The state, Unger said, has no ruling on gas prices, nor is it in the state's favor to have higher prices.
The money the state receives from the gas tax is not dependent upon the price but, rather, per gallon sold.
"Even if the gas is $10 a gallon, the state is not going to bring in additional revenues. As the prices go up, people drive less. If people drive less, our total amount of tax revenue goes down," Unger said. "High gas prices are not a good thing as far as money coming in for our road fund."
Plum said she could not say how the change in gas prices has affected the store's bottom line, although she could say she has seen a difference in revenue.
"The way it works is that we really don't have control of gas prices, and by law we only make a minimum amount on each gallon. There's not much you can do," Plum said.
- Staff writer Michelle Horst can be reached at 304-263-8931, ext. 138, or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Smith Brothers 100% Wool Saddle Pad
The Smith Brothers 100% Wool Saddle Pad is the "Cadillac" of western wool pads. Offered at an affordable price. 3/4" thick. Read more...
The Smith Brothers 100% Wool Saddle Pad is made of top-quality materials. This western saddle pad is contoured to the shape of the horse's back, absorbs shock and improves saddle fit. Top grain wear leathers. 32" x 32" x 3/4".
Overall Rating: 4 StarsAverage Based on 3 Reviews Write a Review
I really like the pad overall. The quality, and look is great. My only complaint is I have a very short backed horse so I ordered the 28x30 and my pad measured 31x 28 so idk if I should send it back and re order? But the pad will work well if its measurements were right
Just received it, nice quality all around, but be warned- it is DARK TAN in color, not a light "natural" cream like in the picture!
i just recently bought one of these pads. All my friendsa have been getting the 5 Star pads. Compared to the 5 star pad this is a much nicer pad and is quit a bit of a price difference. I am going to purchase another one for my husband. I would reccomend them over the 5 star every time. thanks so much for providing such a quality pad at this reasonable price.
100% Satisfaction Guaranteed - Your Money Back Any Time, for Any Reason.
Smith Brothers is proud to offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our products. We stand behind the quality of our products, and should you not be satisfied with your purchase, simply return it and we will refund, replace or exchange it for you.


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Source: All Things D
quote: So patenting a shape is considered within our limits? Patenting disappearing graphics is within our limits? I see where you are going with this, although your argument loses strength when its only ok for Apple to do this outside these obvious limits to set the standard. Pretty sure if Samsung had patented a shape or disappearing graphics before Apple, you would be calling bullshit...
quote: I personally hope Apple win but I trust the process whatever the outcome.
quote: The only fair and sensible way to judge whether limits have been overstepped is in a court of law. Which is precisely what is happeng.


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Student Resource Page: Sorting Out the Differences
Download this page as a PDF.
[Copy and cut cards apart.]
Tropical Rainforest
Tropical rainforests can be found in Central and South America and other regions of the world that are warm and wet all year, with little seasonal change. These conditions are ideal for rapid and lush plant growth. Tropical rainforests have the widest variety of plants and animals of any forests in the world.
Tropical Dry Forest
Tropical dry forests are found in areas of Mexico and other regions that are warm year-round, but that have a long dry season each year. Trees must be able to survive these periods of low rain and moisture. Many tree species drop their leaves in the driest months, which reduces moisture loss.
Southern Pine Forest
Pine forests of the southeastern United States thrive where the summers are long, hot, and humid, and where most precipitation comes as summer rain. While an occasional winter storm may come through, snow seldom stays on the ground for more than a day or two.
The California climate where chaparral grows is fairly warm for at least 8 months of the year. Most of the rainfall comes during the moist, mild winters, while summers are hot and dry. Trees and shrubs often have thick bark and leathery evergreen leaves to conserve moisture during the dry season.
Temperate Rainforest
The forests on the west side of the Olympic peninsula in Washington state are drenched each year in over 12 feet of rain coming off the Pacific Ocean. Winters can be snowy, but summers are generally dry. Here, giant cone-bearing trees tower over the landscape while ferns and moss cloak the trees and forest floor.
Hardwood Forest
Much of the northeastern United States is home to oak, elm, sugar maple, aspen, and other hardwood forests. Here, it is cold in the winter and warm in the summer. Snow is common in the winter, and summers can be humid with occasional thunderstorms.
Southwestern Desert
The desert areas of the southwestern United States have low rainfall and hot summer temperatures. Winters can be quite cold and some of the yearly precipitation may come as snow. Plants here -- like sagebrush -- are adapted to living with little moisture and wide variations in temperature.
Taiga Forest
Taiga forests are made up of evergreen, cone-bearing trees and grow where winters are long, snowy, and very cold. Summers in the taiga are short and may see only 50 to 100 days without frost. In North America, the taiga forest stretches from Alaska and across Canada to Newfoundland.
Great Plains
The Great Plains region of North America reaches from Canada down to Mexico. The weather here is wildly unpredictable -- with possible blizzards in winter, flash floods in spring, and tornadoes in summer. While not as dry as a desert, much of the region is too dry for trees. Grasses and shrubs are most common.