text:
YOUR photos
Four weeks ago I invited my readers to send me photographs of their baseball collections. Here they are (in the order in which they were received)…
SENT BY: Aaron King
AKA: "districtboy" (in the comments section on this blog)
LOCATION: Washington, D.C.
BLOG: http://districtboy.mlblogs.com/
IN HIS OWN WORDS: 289 baseballs shown (entire lifetime of
snagging)…Readin' since June of 06! I credit 98.6% of the baseballs
I've ever snagged to you (I had only gotten four balls before I started
SENT BY: Alex McMurray
AKA: "alexmcmurray"
LOCATION: Castro Valley, CA
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here's my favorite baseball photo from my VERY amateur ballhawking
days. What's easier than getting to the dugout and having a player
autograph a ball that he gives to you? And then he keeps your Sharpie
and signs for another 10 minutes while you convince the usher that the
player has your Sharpie? That was me on my birthday in July.
SENT BY: Jim Walls
AKA: "sixto"
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here's a photo of my son Colin after getting his
SECOND ball ever at the Phillies' division-clinching, final regular
season game of 2007…The ball is the final out from the 7th inning,
pitched by reliever J.C. Romero and caught by Michael Bourn in left
field before he tossed it to us. Using the tips on your blog, we ran
down to the Phillies' dugout just in time to get the catch. We were
lucky enough to attend spring training this year, where Colin got this
very ball signed by both Jamie Moyer and Cole Hamels. We also got a
ball at that same spring training game (a foul), as well as a ball at a
Wilmington Blue Rocks' minor league game, bringing his grand total to
4. (since he's only three, he counts minor league balls).
SENT BY: Robert Harmon
AKA: "robertdean1000"
LOCATION: Arvada, CO
ARTICLE ABOUT ROBERT: Barry Bonds' final home run ball — the FULL story
IN HIS OWN WORDS: from left to right top row bp ball i caught at
at&t in apr.08 #2) garrett atkins homerun w/ clean catch pin from
21 jun.08 mets at coorsfield. middle top, the infamous barry bonds
#762 evil twin – homerun ball with ticket by where it all went down 5
sep 07, #4) clint barmes homerun w/ clean catch pin from 3 sep 08
giants at coorsfield. far right, bp homerun ball i caught at
progressive field at cleveland from the kansas city line up. aug
08…now the next one, bottom left side, is very special (to me
anyway), i caught it in yankee stadium off the bat of the #34, thats
right, the big pappy. i've dream't of catching a ball at yankee stadium
for going on 50 years. and it doesn't hurt that ortiz was the one to
hit it. last but not least, just before the futures game at yankee
stadium jul 08, dexter fowler (of the rockies organization) well, the
ball landed and stayed on the warning track in front of me. when he
thru it up to me i thought i had a couple of octopuses behind me, for
all of the arms that came over and around from behind me, i didn't
think i had a chance for it. but there it was in my glove. and then
when he was called up in sept. he remembered me and signed it for me.
i've had better seasons for getting balls, but never have i gotten
better memories, in large part do to zack. thanks buddy!!
SENT BY: Joe Faraguna
AKA: "yankees5221"
LOCATION: Sag Harbor, NY
IN HIS OWN WORDS: The baseballs are from lifetime 1 year, a few from
past when not collecting. There are 22 baseballs [3 in hat, 1 in hand,
18 on top shelf] 28 lifetime.- gave 6 away. All from mlb regular season.
SENT BY: Mike Miller
AKA: "snagfan"
LOCATION: Byron, MI
IN HIS OWN WORDS: I have included my 'bounty' for the 2008 Snag Year. Stats:
5 Gamers
60 Games Att
47 Games w/ BP
39,536 Att AVG PG
12 Given Away
7 Glove Trick
26 Caught BP
169 Thrown
7 Easter Egg
68 Autographs
Could not of done all this without your awesome blogs Zack…Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with us…..
SENT BY: Brandon
AKA: "helmet guy"
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here is a shot of my stash from the past 2 years + 1
old one. The ball that is encased is the first one I ever got (YS, May
1999). Total of about 80 balls. Of course I had to show one of my
vintage helmets!
SENT BY: Dan
AKA: "07nlchamps"
LOCATION: Denver, CO
IN HIS OWN WORDS: I probably could have filled up a couple full walls
if I never gave a ball away, but that's what I do, give them away. The
two best balls in there are the back-to-back game home run balls I
caught on the fly off of Mike Lansing and Jeff Cirillo. Most of these
balls are autographed, game home runs I have caught, logo balls, or PCL
balls. I have A LOT of Pacific Coast League balls because you can get a
bunch during batting practice at the Sky Sox games, and there are no
kids around to give them to. There are about 500 balls in there right
now, and should be filled by about June next year. When it gets full,
I'll start pulling out the autographed and game home run balls and get
them in cases… I hand painted the MLB
logo underneath all of the balls, and you can see the right side of the 13 foot wide Rockies logo on the left, which I also hand painted. Then on the right are bats that I have traded players for wanting important or meaningful home run balls back that I caught. All of this is in my daughter's bedroom, she loves it. I also painted the 07′ World Series logo and 07′ NL Champs logo on another wall.
SENT BY: Don
AKA: "Rock Pile Ranter"
LOCATION: Broomfield, CO
BLOG: http://baseballsnatcher.mlblogs.com/
IN HIS OWN WORDS: There are 48 baseballs in the picture. 31 are
autographed and all were snagged by me except the 4 Colorado Rockies
logo balls( I purchased) = 27 baseballs.
17 unsigned baseballs also snagged by me (I couldn't get them
autographed, I ran out of season) For a grand total of 44 baseballs in
38 games. Here is a link to my blog that breaks down the autographs.
SENT BY: Nelson Varona
AKA: "nelsonvarona"
LOCATION: Bronx, NY
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Shea Family Day at the picnic area…My daughter's
name is Valentina. The ball was hit and it rolled toward her and she
grabbed it. The ball is in her left hand and you're next to her. Her
first snagged and you signed it! Thanks Zack!
SENT BY: Peter
AKA: "tigerssss"
LOCATION: Ohio
IN HIS OWN WORDS: 2008 spring training game, Astros @ Blue Jays…two balls, and vernon wells' game-used wristband.
SENT BY: Joe (and Kym)
AKA: "milton157"
LOCATION: Long Island, NY
IN HIS OWN WORDS: only 2 balls, our first 2 that we got at yankee stadium during the last week of the 2008 season
SENT BY: Mike G.
AKA: "nm_rockhound"
LOCATION: Albuquerque, NM
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Only 5 balls and they're all Pacific Coast
League balls that I've retrieved from Albuquerque Isotopes games from
the past 2 years.
SENT BY: Bryan
AKA: "pittsburghballhawk"
LOCATION: Pittsburgh, PA
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here's [one of my] favorite pictures of me and my
brother and…a legendary ballhawk from Pittsburgh…the baseball that
my brother Nick got is from Nate Mclouth and our friend got his ball
from Nate Mclouth too. My baseball is from a bullpen coach named Luis
SENT BY: Clif
AKA: "goislanders4"
LOCATION: Tenafly, NJ
IN HIS OWN WORDS: this was so hard to do. first, i had to get 4 bats to
make a square and then make an unstable mini pyramid. it was so
unstable that i had to wedge something into the front bat so it wouldnt
roll away (thats why a triangle of commemorative balls is in the front)
then i had to gently put both of your books on top which only made the
bat want to roll away even more. the pyramid collapsed a couple of
times. next, you have to remember that there is a big square hole in my
wall where my tv is. i had to wedge my camera in between the bottom of
the square in the wall and the bottom of the tv at a certain angle to
get the whole ball collection in the shot (and i couldnt get a glimpse
of the screen either). my camera is really delayed because its old so i
had to gently press the button to snap the shot, while making sure it
didnt fall out of its position. then i had to quickly sit down and make
an original clif messing around face. so it was tough but fun. and i
finally got it done!
SENT BY: Gail
AKA: "gailquack"
LOCATION: Tenafly, NJ
IN HER OWN WORDS: I couldn't get any good ones of me, so here are my
balls with my newest foster baby, Callie. She's much more photogenic
than I am! She wouldn't leave me alone when I tried to take a pic…so
I hope you don't mind. These are my 15–since our game last september.
Callie wouldn't let go of dirty #14, which I got from Al Reyes at Shea
during BP on Sept 5 this year. Must be something about the mud (we
figured it was game used).
SENT BY: Gary Kowal
AKA: "gjk2212"
LOCATION: New Jersey
SENT BY: Michael
AKA: "pjpmc1"
LOCATION: Florida
IN HIS OWN WORDS: In this photo is all the baseballs in my collection.
I have snagged 262 and all of them are pictured. the ones in my hand
are a yankee stadium commemorative and nationals park
commemorative. I have 30 game balls and the rest are Batting Practice.
SENT BY: Jere Smith
AKA: "jere80"
LOCATION: Providence, RI
BLOG: http://letsgosox.blogspot.com
IN HIS OWN WORDS: I've been trying to catch balls at baseball games
since I was a little kid. I've never managed to snag one in a game, but
I am proud of the six Major League baseballs I've managed to acquire in
batting practice. #1, 8/1/89, Twins at Yankees, Yankee Stadium: Twins
outfielder Randy Bush hits a rocket shot right at me. 13-year old me
reaches out and snags the liner on the fly, using my own glove, despite
that I was given a cheap plastic one, as it was Glove Day. # 2,
6/15/03, Astros at Red Sox, Fenway Park: A left-handed Astro hits a
hooking liner–it takes one hop and I look it into my bare hands. My
guess is it was Jose Vizcaino who hit it. I later find out on Zack's
site that the "H" on the ball is not unique. #3, 5/14/04, Red Sox at
Blue Jays, (then) SkyDome: Brian Daubach hits a HR ball that bounces
off a woman and goes to me. I give it to her, but later she gives it
back to me. #4, 9/22/04, Orioles at Red Sox, Fenway Park: David Newhan
tosses a ball to me. #5, 9/25/07, Athletics at Red Sox, Fenway Park:
David Ortiz hits a HR ball into the bleacher seats–I am positioned
perfectly and snag it before anyone else. #6, 4/24/08, Angels at Red
Sox, Fenway Park: Mike Lowell (though on the disabled list at the time)
loops one into the stands, and I pick it up. In the picture the balls
are placed in chronological order from left to right (with 2 and 3
reversed, my mistake), except for the ball at far left, which is the
one ball my dad has caught in his life–an in-game foul ball pitched by
the Red Sox' Ray Culp and hit by Frank Baker at Yankee Stadium in 1971.
It's cool to see the "Mississippi Mud" on it. More details descriptions
of each snag can be found on my blog.
SENT BY: Alex
AKA: "alco24"
IN HIS OWN WORDS: The Photo's bats are as followed from top to bottom:
Mike Lowell, Brett Myers, Michel Hernandez, Johnny Damon, David Ortiz,
Brian Anderson, Willie Harris, Jody Gerut. In my left hand i am holding
the 2008 Game 4 Final Out ball WS, an ASG 08, Final Season Yankee.
Right hand is A. Phillips double from 8/4/07, Giambi game used ball
from 9/19/08 that is NOT commemorative, and a 2008 Nationals foul
tip. The ball in the lower right with the case next to it is a Mariano
Rivera signed game used baseball. Around
1,983 Professional Baseball autographs and around 1,765 MLB autographs.
SENT BY: Brian
AKA: "puckcollector"
LOCATION: New York
IN HIS OWN WORDS: The balls are from my entire snagging collection, and
111 balls are used to spell "PUCKCOLLECTOR"…And as for the balls in
the pic starting with the top left column; 2008 XM All-Star Futures
Game ball, Mariano Rivera auto, Joba Chamberlain auto, Chien-Ming Wang
auto, Nationals Park Inaugural Season Ball, and a Bobby Abreu auto.
Top Right Column:Yankee Stadium Final Season Ball, International League
(Triple A) 125 Anniversary Ball, Shea Stadium Final Season Ball, David
Price auto, and Price Fielder auto, and finally, my first ever ball
autographed by Pedro Borbon Jr.
SENT BY: Ben
AKA: "sportzfreeka"
LOCATION: Seattle, WA
IN HIS OWN WORDS: In this photo are all the balls flowing from this
basket I snagged at Safeco Field in Seattle, WA – 2008. The balls in
the background lined up are minor league balls. There are 22 balls in
this pic but one didn't get in the picture. I officially started
snagging this year so these balls are my lifetime total and by
allotment of 2008.
SENT BY: Jim
AKA: "utahsteeler17"
LOCATION: Price, UT
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here is a picture of my 12 baseballs that I have
snagged at Coors Field and Busch Stadium. They are proudly displayed in
my living room on top of my big screen TV. They make for a very
interesting conversation piece when people see them. I never came close
to ever getting a ball, even at minor league games until I began
faithfully reading your blog. You get all the credit with your tips and
stories. I thank you for making baseball even more enjoyable that it
already was for me.
SENT BY: Rick
AKA: "LAsmog"
LOCATION: California
BLOG: http://havingaballattheballpark.blogspot.com/
IN HIS OWN WORDS: This is a picture of me, my two oldest kids and the
22 balls we snagged this season, over 14 batting practices this season.
Not a whole lot, but much more than the two I got in 2007. Alina and
Tommy each had four balls thrown to them, and I snagged the 14 others.
SENT BY: Philly Guy Joe
AKA: "keekernd"
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Just one of those balls that you always will remember
where, when and how you obtained it…We were in Minnesota on vacation
visiting family this past July 4th holiday. We went to the Sunday
afternoon game between the Indians and the Twins, with Cliff Lee
pitching. Because of a Saturday night game the previous day and an
early start time, neither team took batting practice or fielding
practice that day. The only players even warming up that day were
Fausto Carmona and Sal Fassano throwing a bullpen session, with
Fausto's interpreter and about 4 coaches. An hour before first pitch,
with the stadium still about 98% empty, C C Sabathia came out to right
field and began a soft toss session with his throwing partner. I knew
that C C Sabathia was on the trading block at this time and I stayed
along the right field line Indians bullpen all pregame waiting for him
to finish. Halfway through soft toss, even before the players started
cooling down by walking closer together and reducing their throwing
distance, a coach came up to C C and he stopped throwing. What few
players were on the field for the Indians then started coming up to C C
out in right field. C C then walked down the right field line to the
Indians dugout. I knew what had just happened. I got C C's throwing
partner to toss me the ball before he left the field, and I watched the
Twins hand Cliff Lee his first American League loss…all the while
knowing that the Indians had just traded C C Sabathia and I was
probably the only non MLB employee / media representative to know.
SENT BY: Matt Jackson
AKA: "sonicmaj"
LOCATION: Irvine, CA
BLOG: http://bloggingboutbaseball.mlblogs.com/
IN HIS OWN WORDS: The photo is of me with my collection of 28
baseballs. 28 – that's a lifetime total for me. I caught my 1st during
Angel Stadium BP when I was 21. I turned 25 this August. Thanks to you,
sir, I collected 19 of these baseballs in 2008! I started reading your
blog in July…in August and September I snagged 19 balls at 4
different stadiums (Angels, Dodgers, Padres, White Sox). Many thanks!
SENT BY: Greg
AKA: "gregorybarasch"
LOCATION: New York, NY
IN HIS OWN WORDS: The balls in the pic are my lifetime total, minus my
foul balls and the ones I've given away. I'd say there are about 535
balls there (out of my 581 total).
SENT BY: Erik
AKA: "333greystreet"
LOCATION: 15 minutes outside Pittsburgh, PA
BLOG: http://countingbaseballs.mlblogs.com/
IN HIS OWN WORDS: There are 128 balls in the photo – all from 2008.
SENT BY: Matt Hiett
AKA: "braves04" (formerly "lsthrasher04")
LOCATION: Lithia Springs, GA
HIS OWN WORDS: I formed a "30" as my lifetime total, since a few were
from last year. All 30 aren't in the photo as some were given away,
but the bottom of the zero features the lone Shea commemorative as well
as the two caught on the fly during BP.
SENT BY: Anthony Herr
AKA: "chuck.herr"
LOCATION: Barboursville, WV
AIM: crazychuck051503
IN HIS OWN WORDS: Top Left: This is an over view of my collection. Top
Right: In this pic you'll see from top left to right a ball signed by
edinson volquez and johnny cueto, under that is one signed by jose
rijo. The in the forefront labeled hot pack is the bp home run ball I
caught from mike cameron in Cincinnati, beside it is a ball signed by
many current and former reds team members. In the row behind from left
to right one signed by gary majewski, next to it is one signed by josh
Hamilton, and another reds team ball. Bottom Right: The two balls in
front were purchased after my trip to yankee and shea this season,
behind them from right to left a ball signed by chris Dickerson, beside
it is signed by javier valentin, and the next one is signed by Ryan
freel. The left tower of balls were signed by bronson arroyo, homer
bailey, rob dibble and chris sabo. The right tower contains balls
signed by bill bray, dusty baker, Aaron harang, Todd benzinger, and Mr
perfect tom browning. The two balls next to those were signed by
brandon Phillips and eric davis. Most of these were signed either at
great American ballpark or in the winter at Redsfest. Bottom Left: The
ball in the case was signed last December at redsfest by future hall of
famer Ken Griffey Jr. They had stacks of OMLB balls waiting he picked
up the ball then signed and handed it to me. Behind it is a bp home run
ball hit by sammy Sosa when he was with the rangers.
SENT BY: David
AKA: "dgoldberg1313"
LOCATION: Toronto
IN HIS OWN WORDS: I don't think I've made a post in a really long time,
but I constantly follow your blog, and if you remember I sent you an
email around a year or 2 ago. I'm the one from Toronto who caught
Delgado's 3rd homer from the 4 HR night, and I have around 50 pairs of
batting gloves from players. Here's my photo, its a picture of my best
signed balls sitting behing my best pairs of batting gloves.
SENT BY: Max Van Hollebeke
AKA: "joltinjoe9"
LOCATION: Seattle, WA
IN HIS OWN WORDS: I (Max Van Hollebeke) am on the right and my 11yo brother (Luke Van Hollebeke) is on the left. We just learned about you at the end of the 07 season so we're only rookies. My total for this season (which is my whole career) is 40. Only 38 balls are pictured. Luke's total for this season (and his whole career) is 14. Every ball is pictured. He didn't attend many games.
And that's it. If I got any of your personal info wrong, or it you want
me to add anything (like your last name or age, or whatever), just
leave a comment and let me know, or send me an email. Also, if you
don't have a blog but you're on Facebook or MySpace or Friendster (do
people still use that?) and you want to share your profile with
everyone, send me the link and I'll stick it in the entry. For everyone
else who wishes they sent photos but didn't get around to it…hang
onto them for now. There's always next time.
19 Comments
Wow, been waiting for this entry to come out. Nice job Zack, 32 pictures, you've got to be pleased with that turnout. Awesome job fellow snaggers…D
Nice work on all of the pics every1. How long did it take you to put up this post Zack?
Districtboy- met at a nats bp in july, and i wasnt really snagging yet at that point. We were in the red porch and Jasn Bergmann threw us and every1 in the section a ball. Do u remember?- Joe
Awesome idea to share everyone's collection. goislanders4 is freaking hilarious.
Yep, I remember that Joe. Diamondbacks right? I stupidly forgot to ask you if you commented on the blog. But yeah, you're the very first snagger I've ever met who also reads this blog. Did you a get a NP commemorative ball?
mikeg, I love that Black Sox cap.
LAsmog, those are some dandy Dodger Stadium renovations
dgoldberg1313, how did you get so many batting gloves? I've gotten five, but 50? Wow.
Zack (and Leigh), AWESOME idea. It came together great, and this definitely should be an annual thing. Every Thanksgiving?
Aaron- Yea, the dbacks. I got a pic with c. snyder and kirk gibson that day. I hadnt yet commented at that time, and wasnt going that hard for baseballs, more for autos, now i truely just go for baseballs. But i did get 4 balls.- The J. Bergmann- practiceball, 1 via cup trick in the dugout,[ u told me about it], – practiceball, 1 found in seats while doing trick,- practiceball, and 1 from Luis Ayala after the game,- Nats Comm, brand new. Joe
This is a cool offseason entry. Maybe we can do this every year with our yearly/lifetime totals.
LASmog has the best picture of all. I don't recall seeing a large arch in Chavez Ravine lol.
Zack, you can throw in my myspace profile if you want.
Great Job!
i liked pics 3, 8 9,14,16(love the cat),18 and 27.
also, can you change 11 balls in my pic to 11 balls. that was my bad. and in response to last entry zack, at least it didnt start a whole war.
also acsport- are you a regular at isles games?
and ref chris rooney is a ***. i ask for the puck, he sees me then asks the 50 year old guy next to me if he wants it. he tells him to give it to the kid, but he still gives it to the old guy. and he blew like 3 calls during the game. you are now jinxed chris rooney.
however, i did get a practice puck before, and the top half of ottawas chris kelly's stick.
gary: you will be added to the ticket list, but idk how many games my dad and me are gonna miss
oh and pic 21 is pretty beastly too.
thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! finally, appreciation for my work.
and greg, it looks like you have no legs. you only have upper body until you waist and then bam! a pile of baseballs!
these are all really good. everyone has rediculously awesome collections and each and every one is so uniquely put together.
but i want to know one thing. where's leigh's?????? wasnt he the mastermind behind this idea.
peace foowel
Sasuage Fest!
That's a lot of balls. How much did it weigh?
100 batting gloves! How'd you get them all?
My favorite two pics are either dan's, david's or michael's. Zack, looks like you are gonna be having a lot of competition this year. Anybody got date's set for what games they're going to next year?
This blog kinda messed up my comment…it says i posted it at 11:22. I was out for the last hour lol
After reading this blog last night, I had a crazy snagging related dream. I had traveled to Anaheim to see the Braves on the road and during Angels BP, they let a few of us on the field to get all the balls we wanted lol. Then, the first one I "snagged" was a Nats commemorative. I wish it could be that easy lol.
Hey Zack I forgot to include that in my pic #8, I hand painted the MLB logo underneath all of the balls, and you can see the right side of the 13 foot wide Rockies logo on the left, which I also hand painted. Then on the right are bats that I have traded players for wanting important or meaningful home run balls back that I caught. All of this is in my daughter's bedroom, she loves it. I also painted the 07′ World Series logo and 07′ NL Champs logo on another wall. Dan
What a great idea, Zack! Is it too late for me to send a pic of my ball?
Thanks for doing this, Zack. It was cool to read everyone's story. Nice job, everyone.
Also, I am FROM pinstripe territory, but currently not IN it–I'm in Providence, RI….
citi field is finished! except for advertisements and concession stands but ever seat has been installed and all restaraunts and offices are finished.
Thanks so much for all these photos. Sorry for pulling a disappearing act for the last few days. I'm back.
Very very please. And now it's 33 because I had one sent to me at the very last second that I hadn't seen when I first hit "save" on the entry.
Thanks. It took a number of hours over the span of several days…mostly downloading all the pics from my emails and keeping them all organized with everyone's descriptions and then editing all the pics in Photoshop down to 1000 pixels wide (or less). Stuff like that. And then of course it took a while to upload them all and come up with a format to share everyone's info.
He is.
Every Thanksgiving? Quite possibly.
The MySpace has been added. I've had crazy dreams like that too. Sucks to wake up from those.
Changing what to what?!
Yeah, where IS Leigh's pic? I haven't heard from in for a while. I hope he's all right.
So it goes.
No dates for me yet, except for a game at Camden near the end of July, I think.
Thanks for the bonus info.
Heh. Yeah, wait 'til next year.
You're welcome…and I fixed your location.


text:
1. Name: Tomas
2. Age: 22
3. Nationality/Location: Poland, but maybe not long anymore, I wanna move to States :P
4. I love the Knicks since: 1991
5. Favorite Knick moment: Every Knick moment that's worth to remember is in my heart!
6. Favorite current Knick: I'm not sure :P
7. All time favorite Knick: Latrell Sprewell, Patrick Ewing and Anthony Mason
9. Worst move the Knicks management has ever done: Trading away Marcus Camby and not giving Ewing a chance to finish his career in NYK
10. Best move the Knicks management has ever done: hard to tell, but signing Ewing is a good one, maybe firing Isiah will be the best one hahaha, just kidding :P
11. How many games have you attended to: Unfortunately none.... ;( This is my dream to watch a Knicks game, but it won't be that easy! I was once in NY, but at the time of offseason, so I didn't have a chance even
<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

subset: commoncrawl


text:
More than 50 Medal of Honor recipients were honored at a block party in Chinatown Friday night.
There was a traditional lion dance, live music as well as a ceremony recognizing the service members.
"To be with my fellow Medal of Honor recipients is my greatest pride because we share something in common that not a lot of people understand," said Drew Dix, a Medal of Honor recipient.
Honolulu hosted the annual convention for the honorees. One of the youngest is 33-year-old Leroy Petry who earned his medal just last year for his bravery in Afghanistan.
"A hand grenade came over to the building and landed in between us." said Petry. "I picked it up and attempted to throw it away from my guys. As soon as I opened my hand to release it, it exploded."
For the last 30 years, the service members reunited at these annual conventions. However, this was the first time the convention hosted a block party for the honorees. The goal was to let the public meet these heroes one-on-one.
"It was pretty amazing just being in the presence of him. I couldn't explain it but I it felt pretty cool." said Manuel Navarro who met a Medal of Honor recipient.
After a week of public service and speaking at local schools, the block party was a chance heroes to relax before their convention wraps up on Saturday.


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Ignition switch, trust me as crazy as it sounds.rsugarek said:hot air blows out of the drivers side and cold air blows out of the passenger side. It does this no matter where the temperture is set on the drivers side. I heard about another one that was doing this and all they did was turn off the car and then restart it and it started working again. I tried this and it still blows hot air out the drivers side with the AC set to high. Any suggestions. Thanks
kmckittrick said:I have an '04 Trailblazer that I bought used with 19,000 miles on it. Over the past year, I started having problems out of it and am slightly disgusted with it. I love my trailblazer but am afraid that Chevy may have produced a few lemons with these vehicles. I had to replace the alternator about a year ago. Less than 2 months later, it had to be replaced again. Then the battery died and had to be replaced. When the battery died, it began a whole new set of problems. My passenger and rear vents will only blow out heat no matter where I set the temperature to on the climate control. If my fuel level gets low enough for the fuel light to come on, within a minute or so the fuel hand will start going back up like I'm pumping gas in to it. The check engine light is constantly coming on and off. If I turn the fan on high, I get a vibration noise. I took it to a dealership when the AC stopped working correctly. I also told them about the other problems I was having. They said that my HVAC control head, blower motor, and passenger side actuator were all bad and needed to be replaced. They charged me $100 to tell me what was wrong and then wanted $2000 to fix it. They still didn't tell me what was causing the rest of the problems. My car isn't worth much more than the AC repair cost at this point. Anyone having any of these problems? Can some of this be fixed on my own? I have a friend who is a mechanic and he said that this wasn't very complicated. He even gave me a printed diagram of where everything is located as far as the AC parts go, but I still have no idea about the other problems. Any suggestions? PLEASE help!!!!


text:
An Overview of the EQuIP Rubric for Lessons & Units: Mathematics
Intended Audience:
K-12 Teachers, Administrators, Curriculum Directors, Professional Development Coordinators
Participants will be introduced to the EQuIP Rubric for Lessons & Units as a tool to review a lesson and to align to the CCSSM.
Suggested Use for these Documents:
- Professional Development Coordinators can use these documents to run a workshop on rewriting current tasks and lessons.
- Teachers can use these documents as a guide to write and/or adapt further tasks.
Materials Necessary:
- An Overview of the EQuIP Review Rubric
- EQuIP Review Rubric
Send questions and comments to:
Resource Links:
Return to Common Core Professional Learning Series Home Page
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License


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Beginning in 2000, under the tutelage of chess teacher and coach Elizabeth Spiegel and assistant principal and chess coordinator John Galvin, I.S. 318 expanded its small chess program and began competing in national tournaments. For those keeping score, the results have been stunning: more than 30 national chess titles, including, in 2012, the U.S. High School National Championship, a first for a junior high.
"Brooklyn Castle" goes behind the scenes to reveal the inspirational effect of the chess team's success on the entire student body. In achieving the improbable, the "chess nuts" of I.S. 318 are expanding the possibilities for themselves and for disadvantaged students like them. As they are quick to point out, if the late Albert Einstein, an avid chess player, were on this team, he would rank fourth.


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Portland Becomes First Salmon-Safe City
Mayor Hales issues Salmon-Safe challenge to other West Coast citiesRead More…
Phone: 503-823-4120
1221 SW 4th Avenue, Room 340, Portland, OR 97204
Wednesday, Jan. 30 – Approximately 20 state lawmakers came to City Hall this morning to hear members of the Portland City Council discuss priorities for the next legislative session.
The 2013 Legislature convenes Monday, Feb. 4, at the Capitol in Salem.
Mayor Hales and Commissioners Nick Fish, Amanda Fritz, Steve Novick and Dan Saltzman outlined an array of lawmaking topics, ranging from public safety and housing, to curbing gun violence.
"This is a great opportunity to sit down together and find out how much we have in common," Mayor Hales said. "The truth is: we have a lot in common. This could be a session in which we get a great deal accomplished for Oregonians."
Martha Pellegrino, director of government relations for Portland, said the meeting allowed the state lawmakers and the state's largest city to connect on a policy level, before the start of the session.
Among the lawmakers on hand were Sens. Betsy Johnson, Ginny Burdick, Rod Monroe, Chuck Thomsen, Diane Rosenbaum and Elizabeth Steiner Hayward. Also present were State Reps. Mitch Greenlick, Alissa Keny-Guyer, Lew Frederick, Chris Garrett, Jeff Reardon, Jennifer Williamson, Michael Dembrow, Jessica Vega Pederson and Shemia Fagan.
Many legislative aides also attended.


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1.25) Artie Burns - CB, Miami (Mackensie Aleander)
2.58 ) Sean Davis - S/CB, Maryland (Deion Jones)
3.89) Javon Hargrave - DT, S. Carolina St. (Nick Vannett)
4.123) Jerald Hawkins - OT, LSU (Deandre Houston-Carson)
6.220) Travis Feeny - OLB, Wash (Darius Jackson)
7.227) Demarcus Ayers - WR, Hou (Graham Glasgow)
7.246) Tyler Matakevich - OLB, Temple (Travis Feeney)
The referee said that you hit Brian Sipe too hard. Did you hit him too hard?
I hit him as hard as I could - Jack Lambert
If Worilds is moved to Woodley's side he'll get 10 sacks.
If the Steelers bring Harrison back after interest has waned? Worilds should be cut.
James Harrison had less of an impact on the field prior to taking over for Joey Porter than Worilds does for taking over for James Harrison.
Harrison - [url]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/6314/index.html[/url]
Worilds - [url]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/players/24027/index.html[/url]
Harrison was also 3 years older when he took over the starting spot. I'm pretty comfortable with Worilds abilities. But I'm not super comfortable with his ability to stay healthy.
That is why we should sign Victor Butler.
Here comes the BOOM!


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Hello mamas!
I am really worry that my milk supply is decreasing. I am currently nursing my 27 month DS (only a couple times a day now) and 6 month old DD (exclusively). Almost 3 weeks ago inserted a bootcamp weight loss program. Because I am a nursing mom my calorie intake is 2000. I only do bootcamp twice a week, walk every day, and drink about 4 liters of water a day. I think I am taking it easy. BUT a couple of days ago I noticed my breasts smaller. I usually have full breast bc I produce too much. I nurse one side at a time to make sure my baby gets hind milk. Therefore it was very noticeable that my breasts felt empty. When I pointed it to my DH he agreed they felt empty. DS is nursing less and some days only once a day. Today when he was nursing after his nap he got really upset. After a few minutes he started crying and said "more more more" I expressed the breats he was nursing on and saw only a fee drops of milk. I am freaking out this weight loss program is jeopardizing my milk supply. Is that possible? I feel really great being active again and doing something for myself, but I DONT want to jeopardize my milk supply because of it. Has anyone experienced this before? Any advice? Sorry for this long confusing message. I feel like I just wrote this without making any sense.
One more thing, DD is having wet diapers and poopy diapers and dont seem to be hungry. But I am soooo worry
Thank you in advance for you help!


text:
Purpose of the Alert Warning System
The most likely threat to the campus community is severe weather, but other causes may include the unlikely occurrences of an environmental hazard or other emergencies. The underlying intent for sounding the sirens, as well as the voice messages that follow, is the same in all emergencies: "Seek shelter now and obtain more information." The siren/voice message system acts in conjunction with other emergency information systems ETSU has in place.
The installation of the siren warning system is all about readiness, and it is one more step the University is taking toward ensuring that students, faculty, staff, and visitors can pursue higher education and attend special events in the safest possible environment.
About the Siren and Voice Messages
Whenever an emergency poses a direct threat to the university community, the system will warn the campus with siren sounds followed by an instructional message. For example, during an inclement weather event (i.e. tornado) the siren will sound followed by the following message: Attention! Life-threatening situation. A tornado has been sighted in the area. Seek shelter inside or take cover immediately. Stay away from windows and doors. These warnings will continue sounding until the coast is clear. At that point the following "all clear" message will sound: Attention! All clear. All clear. ETSU Public Safety has issued an all clear. Resume regular activities.
The siren system uses pre-recorded messages, but also may be used to directly communicate, similar to a PA type system, in order to communicate a threat not identified by the prerecorded messages. It is important to remember that the sirens will only sound when the campus is at immediate risk. For example, the sirens will not sound every time there is a tornado warning in Washington County, but they will sound when there is a tornado warning that directly impacts ETSU. The system will not be used for anything other than immediate threats to the health & safety of the campus community.
Email and Text Messages


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Buckhannon Rotary hosts meeting
Rachel Holcomb, third-year medical student at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, spoke to the Buckhannon Rotary Club on Tuesday about her mission trips to the Dominican Republic where she treated patients.
Holcomb is from Spanish Fort, Ala., and graduated with a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Miami. She said she knows a good deal of the Spanish language which helped her on her mission trip. The mission program in Dominican Republic has helped treat patients for eight years. Holcomb has been a part of the program for two years. She is completing her third year in the region of Buckhannon and Elkins.
She said the Dominican Republic is not a third-world country, but rather a country that is still developing. Holcomb said that long lines of patients would wait to be treated for various ailments that could have simple solutions that are readily available in the United States.
Treatment of some patients could be as simple as administering medications such as Tylenol or Advil, medications that are not easily accessible in the Dominican Republic and often cost more than families can afford.
Holcomb said that she, along with other students who traveled to help, passed out those medicines and vitamins they brought along with them completely free of charge to families at the clinic where they helped, the Community Service Alliance in Neiba.
"It's really a great thing that we get to do," Holcomb said, adding that the clinics in the rural area she visited were understaffed.
Many doctors that live in the Dominican Republic don't want to work in the area because of the landscape of rolling hills and for other reasons. Holcomb said she wouldn't always work out of clinics, but also worked out of schools and churches. If an examination table wasn't available, patients would have to use a mat on the floor.
Patients would often arrive in family units to be treated, but Holcomb said the men were often too shy to participate in medical treatment. She said she and the other students would be able to see about 200 to 300 patients a day, and the lines seemed to be very long.
She said the people of the Dominican Republic worked hard. She treated the 12-year-old girl who complained of shoulder pains. That girl often had to walk two miles in one direction to fetch buckets of water and carry the water back home. Holcomb said it was the same for many of the residents.
Holcomb said she is very passionate about the work she does. She hopes to be able to go on a month-long rotation in Dominican Republic again in March.
"I want to be able to learn more about the culture, more about the health impacts and the field there," Holcomb said, adding that she also wants to improve her knowledge of the Spanish language.


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Man held after gun incident
BARRE A Duxbury man with a recent history of violence is being held on $10,000 bail because Vermont State Police say he assaulted a woman and threatened to kill himself with a shotgun.
Patrick M. Sherman, 20, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Chittenden County criminal court to domestic assault, interference with access to emergency services, unlawful mischief and two counts of violating conditions of release, all misdemeanors. If convicted, he faces a maximum of four years in prison and a $11,500 fine.
According to the state police affidavit, troopers responded to a 911 hang-up on Route 100 in Duxbury around 9:15 p.m. Monday.
Before arriving, state police say, they received a second 911 call from the home, with a woman saying Sherman had assaulted her and that he was threatening to kill himself with a loaded shotgun.
When they arrived, state police say, they ordered Sherman to come out of the house, and he did. State police say Sherman was alone there and a brief search of the residence found no weapons. When state police spoke with Sherman, he told them he and his girlfriend had gotten into an argument and she left. He told state police he was not suicidal and never made any suicidal comments.
State police then spoke with the woman, who said she and Sherman were watching a movie when he instigated an argument and eventually told her to leave. She told state police she then went into the bedroom and started packing clothes when Sherman came in, grabbed her, punched her in the back of the head, shoved her into the bedroom wall and pushed her to the floor. The woman told state police she then went into the living room and called 911 but didnt say anything on the phone because she knew state police would show up on a 911 hang-up.
The woman said Shermans mother, who was at the home with the couple at the time, was arguing with Sherman and that when she tried to call 911, he yanked the phone out of the wall, rendering it unusable. The woman told state police Sherman then smashed her cellphone, threw a television stand and punched a television.
Before she left, the woman told state police Sherman came out of his brothers room holding a loaded shotgun and threatened to kill himself.
State police say the woman had a scratch on her left wrist, red marks on her right arm and a lump on her forehead.
State police returned to Shermans home and he said the land line phone had been broken for months and he did not know how the woman suffered her injuries. He told state police he would not hurt the woman because she was pregnant.
While Sherman was being processed after the incident, state police say he kicked a desk in the processing room and ripped up several documents with his feet.
In April, Sherman was convicted of domestic assault, reckless endangerment, interference with access to emergency services and violating conditions of release.
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Airport officials meet with business leaders
- published_in
- Today's News
Airport and Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. officials met with a group of area business people Tuesday at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland to discuss airport growth. The meeting was part of an effort to develop a "comprehensive air service development and marketing strategic plan," according to an NCEDC statement.
That plan will address general and corporate aviation along with commercial air service and airport aviation business development, Airport Director Jason Licon said. The airport has contracted with Washington, D.C.-based airport management company AvPORTS to develop the plan.
Representatives from the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland as well as Larimer County and "numerous private businesses" attended the meeting, according to NCEDC.
Allegiant Air stopped its flights from the airport to Las Vegas and Phoenix in October. Allegiant CEO Maury Gallagher blamed the lack of an air-traffic control tower and too many general aviation aircraft in Fort Collins skies.
The withdrawal came after the airline had flown planes at the airport for nearly a decade and despite a 26-percent increase in the number of passengers boarding planes from the airport.
The airport is home to a number of business jets, including ones owned by Woodward Inc., Crop Production Services, billionaire Pat Stryker's Bohemian Foundation and mobile-technology case maker OtterBox.
Business leaders have called for airport improvements.
OtterBox CEO Brian Thomas told the Business Report in November that simple upgrades could make the airport a "real economic driver for our community." Those upgrades, he said, could include a repaved parking lot, landscaping and improved signage; terminal improvements such as food services, ticketing counters and a basic baggage system; and safety considerations such as an air traffic control tower and crosswind runway.
The airport, however, has slashed its $6.5 million project wish list in half as a result of Allegiant Air's defection, as the Business Report wrote in November.
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March 3, 2011 —
I was stunned this week to hear one of my pals exclaim that there was "nothing to do around here." I know that most of us have grown weary of winter, and the weather tends to keep us inside—but nothing to do? Hardly.
I scanned my schedule and made several suggestions, but while she had to admit that there were events of interest on my list, when push came to shove, she simply did not want to go out. "Fine," I replied, "but I'm hitting the road."
The Monticello Performing Arts Booster Club ( monticelloschools.net ) offered a perfect opportunity for something different this week, in the form of "Sounds of Africa," led by award-winning "Master Drummer" Bernard Woma and the Saakumu Dance Troupe, arriving in the Catskills from Ghana, West Africa. Their music ranges from "spiritual, ceremonial, recreational genres to contemporary African dance forms." Woma has performed with artists Maya Angelou and Yo Yo Ma, and has appeared at Lincoln Center, Avery Fisher Hall, with the New York Philharmonic and for the likes of Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth II. Oh, and for a SRO crowd in Monticello, NY.
Woma was recently honored as the cultural resource person for President Barack Obama's family while they visited Ghana. Considered one of West Africa's "cultural treasures," his resume is extensive as both a dynamic artist and educator, lifting students' spirits while sharing a rich history of music and dance.
The Eugene D. Nesin Theatre was packed with people stomping their feet, clapping their hands and dancing in the aisles. While one friend stayed home, I attended with another, and we were invigorated by the spirit of this (IMHO) amazing troupe, which had already performed its whirlwind program twice that day, before hitting the streets of Monticello and heading off to Buffalo to spread more joy.
Variety being the operative word this week and with "nothing to do," I headed a bit west—to the Sunshine Hall Free Library ( rcls.org/eld/friends.html ) in Eldred, NY for a bit of light reading. The bill of fare for the afternoon showcased Port Jervis' "Ghost Detective" Michael J. Worden—who is, by day, a real-life police officer and in the off hours, a man who hunts for "things that go bump in the night."
Worden regaled the attentive crowd with personal anecdotes, sharing stories of local hauntings, peppered with helpful hints for the would-be ghost hunter in all of us. His book "Ghost Detective" and website ( paranormalpolice.com ) are designed for both the novice and avid enthusiast.
What separates Worden's book from the plethora of TV shows on the subject is that he focuses his attention on local legend, scouring the Upper Delaware Valley for proof of life after death. Working closely with paranormal investigator, researcher and author Linda Zimmerman ( ghostinvestigator.com ) and psychic Lisa Ann ( psychiclisaann.com ), the intrepid trio sometimes "go the distance" but most often can be found close to home, digging up long-buried tales that sometimes send a chill up the spine, and other times fizzle out as a natural phenomena or just plain hooey.
"This book has been a work in progress for some time now," the author said. "I did not want to write a book of just ghost stories or chronicles of investigations, or how to use electronic magnetic field (EMF) detectors. Believe me, you do not need a manual to learn how to use those tools."
I was a bit perplexed to see chapter headings like "Tools of the Trade," "Personal Experiences as Valid Evidence" and "Electronic Voice Phenomenon," in light of this statement, but chalked it up to the author's desire to cover a lot of ground within the confines of this 122-page tome.
Graveyards, private homes and huge institutions are all covered in the book, and what I found most interesting was the aspect that there is so much to "investigate" right in our own backyard. Sisu Books ( email@example.com [2] ), located in Sparrowbush, NY, has published "Ghost Detective" as its first title in print. It should prove interesting to keep an eye on them (and Detective Worden) as they continue to explore, expose and entertain.


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Ice cream bar commercials make me wonder what I'd do for one.
After solemn deliberation, here are a few things:
• Watch first-graders play volleyball.
• Play "Words with Friends" against Alec Baldwin during takeoff.
• Sit on a front pew without smirking about the length of women's skirts determining their fates.
• Fill out another reference form for another mediocre student I haven't seen in 15 years.
• Stop sneering at militias who spew conspiracy theories about men in blue helmets.
• Serve as a Big Brother/Big Sister reference for someone I haven't seen in 20 years (and didn't think highly of them during the three months I knew them).
• Stifle yawning at basal-cell, skin-cancer survivors' tales (I've had 12 of the routine surgeries).
• Resist telling "the rest of the story" on the blog of a former girlfriend who keeps mentioning her former boyfriend.
• Not laugh at young dudes who throw tantrums and quit because us old men are whipping them in basketball.
• Pretend I care about not mixing whites and colors.
• Prevent my jaw from dropping to the floor when told God created perfect organs and the devil created cancer.
• Not give a one-digit salute to someone crowing because the Redskins beat the Cowboys — like they caught the winning pass.
• Sit on the Clovis Wildcats side while cheering for the Portales Rams tennis team (I figure tennis fans are more genteel than football ones).
• Wear an Obama mask to a little girls' tea party.
• Out closet liberals in Clovis, Portales and Mt. Vernon, Texas, secretly opposed to private ownership of surface-to-air missiles.
• Tell the next hostile reader that their email has convinced me of the error of my ways, and I will join them in praying for "smart women in real short skirts who know how to flirt" (paraphrasing Jimmy Buffett).
Contact Wendel Sloan at:


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"I wanted to thank Catholic Answers for doing such a great job in defending the Catholic Faith. I find your tracts have helped me to more easily explain Catholicism at work and in online discussions."
"Your rank and possessions are nothing to us, for we have long before this sacrificed the like for the sake of Christ and rejoice in what we have done."


text:
The LEDs are very trip the light fantastic to look at. We have contracted the exclusive rights to sell the watch outside of Japan, you will not find this anywhere else but here. Once gone, no more. To learn more about Pimp watches visit www.pimp-watches.com
Very exclusive and rare. The quality is top notch 100% all stainless base with every part IP coated, including the back. The face is made with mineral crystal glass. The strap links match nicely with the case and the clasp looks like a link in the strap with a double spring lock. Also 3 groups of 3 lights in green, yellow and red light up every minute! Extra tacky, and very pimpy.
The watch logo is only on the back so keeps the watch nice and clean looking. The watch runs on 2 lithium batteries and will last about a year if you press the button an average of 15 times a day.
000 284
This product is no longer available.
Tagged in: LED Watches | Mens Watches | Wrist Watches | Metal Strap Watches | Big Watches | Heavy Watches | Unique Watches | Gold Watches | Colorful Watches | Cool Watches |


text:
I thought maybe other beginners might benefit, or maybe the advanced people here can tell me how wrong I am
So, first topic.... I really like minidjvu over cjb2. I think the lossy output looks a little nicer, and I assume the shared dictionary across multiple pages is helping me size-wise. BUT, I had a hard time figuring out how to incorporate the mixed-mode (text-and-graphics) files into that mix. In other words, if one of the pages has a picture, I want to:
- send the bitonal part through minidjvu along with all the other pages at 600dpi
- send the colorful part through c44 at 120 or 300 dpi
- splice in the colorful part into the correct page as the background
Well, the shared shape dictionary in the minidjvu output made this tricky (for me, anyway). I couldn't figure out how to make djvumake happy. It kept complaining that it was expecting the dictionary. So, I extracted it, too. No help. I extracted the INCL chunk from the text page and passed it in. It still complained. After a bit more trial and error, I found out it wanted the dictionary (iff) file as the INCL agument, instead of the INCL chunk from the page. Tricky...
I also later realized that just having minidjvu create an indirect djvu file saves me the step of extracting the pages and dictionaries. That was a nice discovery!
So... here's basically what I do:
Code: Select all
minidjvu -d 600 -i -r -l page*.tif indirect.djvu
# let's say page 3 has a diagram, which I've resampled to 120dpi and run through c44
# we need to get the BG44 chunk out of it
djvuextract page-003image.djvu BG44=page-003image.bg44
# now move the minidjvu output out of the way...
mv page-003.djvu page-003text.djvu
# ... and replace it with the combined text and graphics page:
djvumake page-003.djvu INFO=,,600 Sjbz=page-003text.djvu INCL=pages-001.iff BG44=pages-003.bg44
... and obviously when I'm done I convert it all to a bundled file with djvmcvt.
Does that seem like a sane way to proceed? (Don't worry, I have scripts that help out... I don't type all that stuff every time)
Some other things that confuse(d) me: For the Sjbz argument to djvumake, you can just give it a djvu file and it pulls out the Sjbz chunk automatically. (at least it seems to)! BUT you can't do the same for the BG44 argument. That's too bad. It seems logical that it should accept djvu files for any arguments like that, and just extract the relevant chunk on the fly.


text: I weaned my daughter about a month and a half ago after 28 months of nursing. She's coping well, but I am going crazy. My hormones are way out of whack. I'm moody, depressed, exhausted, and my glands are swollen in my armpits. I stay at home with my daughter and I'm finding it really hard to cope with her typical toddler behavior which is not normal for me; I usually have tons of patience. How long is this going to last? DO I need to get on antidepressants?


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The numbers certainly indicate that this could become the most prolific month in Phillies history. Using baseball-reference.com as a guide (as you all should), I found that the Phillies haven't had a month like this in quite sometime.
In May of 1976 and in more recent times, June of 1892(!), the Phillies posted a 22-5 month. In '76, the Phillies finished with a team-record 101 wins, which they would match the following year. The 1892 season was only an 87 win year, sorry old fellas.
Here are some other great months in Phillies history:
- July 2009: 20-7
- Sept 2008: 17-8
- April 1993: 17-5
- Sept 1983 22-7
- Sept 1980: 19-10
- Aug 1977: 22-7
- Aug 1950: 20-13, July 1950: 21-13
- Sept 1916: 22-9
But anyway, are we currently witnessing the most impressive month in Phillies history? If the Phils finish the month going 5-1, they'll have a record of 23-4, which would be the most wins in any month ever, and maybe one of the better September/October runs in recent memory by any team.
The Colorado Rockies of 2007 stand out for a team that finished strong, and even they won't come close. Those Rockies got steaming hot, winning 11 in a row and 14 of 15 to finish the year, and still only compiled a 20-8 September record.
If you go into the way-back machine, the '02 Oakland A's won 20 consecutive games in August and completed the month a ridiculous 24-4. The Phillies have an outside shot of nearing that win percentage with an incredible stretch run.
To the best of my knowledge using the internets, The Giants won 29 games in September of 1916, the most ever. The 1938 Yankees won 28 games in August of that year, the most by an AL team. Both were obviously aided by the use of doubleheaders during that time.
Whatever the case may be, you could be witnessing history yet again with this club. Depending on how they close, the 2010 Phillies could be setting themselves up for a prime run at the crown once again.
25 Comments
Pat, I couldn't live without baseballreference.com. One of my favorite sites…
Anyhow, this run is truly spectacular. Could they go 8-1 for 100 wins???!!!
How can the Phils go 5-1 in 9 games? Don't we have 9 games left?
We'll finish with 99.
Problems, that is.
I remember 83, the Phillies record was 3 games over .500 at 68-65 the end of August when Joe Morgan took ownership. Joe hit over .625 for the entire month and to let you know how bad things were, he wound up hitting .230 for the year. Yes, he was hitting .180 for most of the season, the Phillies had no offense at all that year, 2 aging gents were trying to revive the offense Pete Rose (at 42 he had his worse and last season in Philadelphia) and Joe Morgan (he moved on to trudge one more year in the AL).
Time to break out the original predictions – I said 98 wins, Keith said 97. This was based on the team we had in March and April though, not this 3 headed monster we have now-it was going to be that many wins and a lot of hrs. I think I like the team better this way as sometimes the big win comes from a longball and sometimes from gritty play. This is great stuff, what a year.
Matt he is talking about the month of September
If we can sweep the Mets this weekend, they are guarenteed home field advantage throughout the playoffs (Thank you Brian McCann). The Nats and Braves series will be completely meaningless (at least to the Phils – probably see a lot of KK, Worley and the b-team bullpen, everyone else will get just enough work to stay loose).
I think they'll go 5-4 to finish up a great Sept (I thought they'd win 19 in Sept, just 1 win away with 9 to go). Killing yourself, risking injuries for meaningless wins in the regular season is a waste of time. Save it for the playoffs. Howard is still gimpy, PP looks like the elbow is hurting, and Vic is in a mini slump (facing all righties this weekend, I'd sit him at least one game, move Werth to center, D-Brown in right, maybe even try Gload in center 1 game). We'll see a lot of Dobbs, Sweeney, Gload,and Francisco over the final week. We may need these guys in the playoffs, let them get some reps now.
I'm thinking that stinking knuckleball is a likely a candidate to stop the Phils streak as any, they can't seem to get the hang of swinging at nothing but junk. But who knows? Phils may catch this turd and tear him up like almost every other team has.
Regardless, this month has been epic and to win more than 20 games in any month, especially September is amazing.
Yea, I'm also worried about that Dickey guy killing our mojo.
It is a great time to be a Phillies fan. Embrace it. Enjoy it.
Yea, I'm also worried about that Di*key guy killing our mojo.
Me too,i dont want us to get in a funk vs the knuckle baller!
I agree Chuck, Baseball Reference is one great site.
Still have a mental block of regular season games in Oct. J-Roll faced live pitching yesterday – hopefully ready by the Nat series to get soem abs.
Numbers aside, this is truly a spectacular september because after all the injuries and the record we had, look at the roll we're on now.
I predict finishing with 99 wins.
I like the list of past awesome months. Sept 80 and 08 both were pretty good, didnt something good happen those years?
Frankly my dear – I don't give a damn!
In 2000, the Yankees lost 15 of their last 18 games – and won the World Series.
In the wild card era – only 2 teams, of 20 total, that went 8-2 in their last 10 games won the World Series.
In 2006 the Tigers limped into the postseason, losing the division title on the last day they were playing so lousy – and beat the Yankees in the first round in 4 games. The Cardinals that year were 12-7 going into the playoffs – few picked them to win it all – and they did.
So, I could really give a flyin fig about September. We need to sow up the division and start resting people – even if Kendrick has to pitch the last 4 games on no days rest.
Let me correct myself – we need to start resting PITCHERS. Everbody else plays.
Sew up the division….AND….go for the best record.
Being able to choose which playoff format you want in that first round is HUGE…
Being able to throw Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt…on FULL rest… is what the Phillies need to keep their sights on.
I trust Charlie has a plan in place..
We're six games up in the loss column to the next closest team. We'd have to have a major brain fart to not have the best record.
All three West teams are playing like crap. Reds are already in rest mode.
The only team capable of beating the Phillies in the NL are………the Phillies.
In case anyone forgot, the Phillies don't need the best record in all of baseball to get home field through the WS. The NL won the All-Star game, so all they need is the best record in the NL, which seems like a formality right now.
Pat, what's your best guess…from your position…on whether or not the Phils can indeed secure the best record in the NL, guaranteeing them home-field and the NLDS schedule option??
1 game at a time folks 1 game at a time…
I would like to wrap it up and rest some players. We have to take this one game at a time….also would like to see Worley in there he might contend for our fifth starter long type of relief type of guy…next year


text:
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the circumstances surrounding a Maui helicopter crew that dropped a wrecked plane into the ocean off Maui Tuesday.
The helicopter was transporting the small Piper Cherokee airplane from the wreckage site near Waiehu Beach, Maui when the crew dropped the aircraft about a mile offshore.
Ivan Bersamin snapped photos from his Waiehu home. Soon he stopped shooting, and stood their in awe.
"I guess all of a sudden the plane just released and fell into the ocean," says Bersamin, a Waiehu resident. "It made a big splash and that was it, the plane was gone," says Bersamin.
We're told the helicopter is owned by Pacific Helicopters out of Kahului. The company is known for its salvage operations. Bersamin says he was excited to see it show up Tuesday evening to remove the plane from the brush. But after the chopper lifted the plane and tried to fly away, witnesses say it ran into a problem.
"The plane was just rocking back and forth in the strong wind and then he was trying to control the helicopter but he was having a really hard time picking up altitude.
Bersamin tells us the harder the chopper fought, the more the plane rocked and weather wasn't on the pilots side.
"I don't know why they did it late in the afternoon when the high winds were howling," says Bersamin.
The initial plane crash happened Sunday evening. According to the FAA, the pilot of the plane declared an emergency around 5:40 p.m. when he encountered engine problems three to four miles from Kahului Airport. He was flying from Maui to Honolulu.
The pilot then landed the plane among nau paka bushes and other shrubs in an area near Waiehu Beach park just west of Wailuku.
None of the four people aboard was hurt, but the plane was heavily damaged.
The decision on whether to recover the Cherokee plane from the ocean is up to the owner and their insurance company.


text:
CNJ staff
PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico University junior placekicker Taylor Cannon has been chosen to the second-team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region IV football squad.
Cannon, from Los Lunas, finished third in the Lone Star Conference in scoring with 84 points, making 45-of-46 extra points and 13-of-18 field goals. He was also third in the LSC in punting, averaging 40.6 yards on 34 kicks, including a 62-yarder in a season-ending win at Tarleton State.
ENMU finished 5-6 this season, including 3-3 in the Lone Star Conference North Division.
Five Greyhounds were selected to the third team, including senior wide receiver Jessie Poku of Murphy, Texas; senior guard T.J. Cleavinger of Garland, Texas; junior offensive tackle Adam Robinson of Lubbock; senior linebacker Nathan Uland of Denton, Texas, and senior safety Tillman Stevens of Baytown, Texas.
Poku set several ENMU records during the season, including career touchdown receptions. He finished second in the LSC in 2010 with 86 receptions, good for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns, all career highs, and will represent the school in the Cactus Bowl all-star game on Jan. 7 at Kingsville, Texas.
Cleavinger and Robinson had been mainstays on the offensive line during the transition from a triple-option offense to a spread attack. ENMU led the LSC North this season in scoring offense, passing offense and total offense.
Uland tied for 28th in NCAA Division II and finished third in the LSC in tackles, averaging 9.1 per game. Stevens led the LSC and finished seventh in Division II in tackles with 11.1 per game, and also was 11th nationally and tied for the lead in the LSC in interceptions with six.


text:
"I started listening to Catholic Answers Live when I was struck down by an illness that basically left me bedridden. This left me questioning my faith and mortality, and my son introduced the Catholic Answers Live podcast to me. Listening to all the guests explain and defend the Catholic Faith has been instrumental. Has Catholic Answers made a difference in my life? It has become part of my life!"
~ Robyn, Australia
0 results sorted by popularity
"I dare not longer contradict the decrees of him who keeps the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven, lest he should refuse me admission."
~ King Oswy, at the Synod of Whitby in A.D. 664, declaring himself in favor of the arguments of Bishop Wilfrid (who himself had just quoted Saint Peter) thereby aligning England with the Vatican.


text:
Distilling the Best of Coachella
When anyone describes the time they had at Coachella, it's hard to put it all into words. The best way to get a true feeling of the excitement is through the person's eyes which open widely as they tell stories of the thousands upon thousands of people dancing freely to Pharrell, Disclosure, Chvrches, Calvin Harris, or any of the other incredible acts.
To help give a better idea of the fun to all those who weren't able to make it, we made a little recap video from our time at this amazing festival. Check it out, and hopefully we'll see you next year.


text:
Welcome to the CRG Discussion Forum!Forum registration problems: Make sure you enter your email correctly and you check your spam box first. *Then* email KurtS2@gmail for help.
1f you have to replace 75% of the sheet metal, 100% of the running gear and interior, 90% of the glass and 100% of the trim, what do you really have?I guess that's why I kept the VIN and Cowl tag from the one I sent it away.
old topic, but I believe this is the same car up for sale again. Not sure what it is, but I always seem to remember the turds when they come back up for sale. Lately, there has been a bunch of them to!
Guys like Gary will happily pay $6500.00 for that pile simple because it is Hugger Orange!LOL! Paul
Looks like it came from here:http://archive.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=124161
That tells me the weather has improved in your area enough where we should be expecting to see pics of yours on the road, right??( hoping your getting close)


text:
A group of ghost hunters have to stop at the inn as a storm blows in, and they soon start dying and have to figure which one is actually to blame.
"It's a murder/mystery/comedy," Garcia said.
And what made Garcia choose this particular play for her spring show?
"It's funny," she added.
"I love anything funny. I love comedies."
The casting call for "Murder Inn" will be held at the CBC Gertrude Jones Auditorium and Garcia is looking for a few good, older actors.
"High school and up.
"No children at all. There's some movement for age, but it is a show where most of the characters are in their 30s and 40s."
And taking a look at the casting sheet, there are more than a few advanced age parts that will be needing filling.
So if you've always wanted to try your hand at acting, now's your chance.
"I've had a couple of phone calls already and of course kids on campus have already told me they want to come by and audition."
And it's not only actors the production is seeking.
"If you're interested in being backstage crew, running lights, sound, working on costumes, just helping people backstage. We're always looking for those people as well."
And so far Garcia hasn't been at a loss for a cast or crew. She's usually filling cast by the end of the casting calls.
"It hasn't been a problem normally.
"I usually have enough people show up, but you never know.
"We've been short a person once or twice, and usually I'll just find somebody I know who will do it for me."
And anyone looking to audition shouldn't bring anything but your reading glasses and some guts.
"I'm strictly a cold reading director, which means that I give you a piece of the script and ask you to get up and improvise to the best of your ability."
And after the casting call is complete, practice will start for the play which will hit the stage in April.
"April 25, 26 and 27. That's what I'm seeing calendar wise. It's Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the last full week in April."
The casting call for "Murder Inn" will be held Jan. 31 at the Gertrude Jones Auditorium starting at 6 p.m.
You can also call Garcia at (361) 354-2427 or drop her a line at email@example.com.
Paul Gonzales is the entertainment writer at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 116, or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Learning Center Search Results
Showing 1-3 of 3 results
Find out how documents held by The National Archives can reveal a fascinating picture of the domestic lives of ordinary people living through the Second World War.
Finding an ancestor using Internet sources from the United Kingdom and Germany. This lesson also includes references to merchant navy records, and the SMS Seeadler (Sea Eagle) also known as the Pass of Balmaha which was commanded by Count Von Luckner. Douglas Page sailed on the SS Horngarth
Tracing Ancestors in Nelson's Navy
An overview of the essential finding aids and documents held by The National Archives which can be used to trace ancestors who served in Nelson's Navy.


text:
Most of the time, code that we write doesn't have to perform as fast as if we wrote it in C. Most of the time, the first pass at writing it is "fast enough" and we don't have to optimize--but there are times when a piece of code just has to meet a certain standard of performance. For those "it's gotta run like a scalded dog" moments, the Python profiler may lend some assistance.
The Python standard library provides three libraries for performing code profiling:
hotshot, and
timeit. The type of profiling performed in these modules involves tracing method and function calls and recording how long they took to run.
profile provides detailed profiling information on all functions and methods in a code base, which are called at a specific runtime.
hotshot is a replacement for the
profile module.
timeit provides less detailed profiling information for smaller pieces of code, where "less detailed" comprises overall execution time.
One of the frequently repeated mantras I hear from Python veterans is, "Premature optimization is the root of all evil" (a quote from Donald Knuth, which apparently originated from Tony Hoare). The Pythonic approach to writing code that performs acceptably is:
The example code I use in these examples comes from ediplex. ediplex is an open source project centered around parsing and handling EDI data. For people who don't know, EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange and is a generic term used as a general umbrella for the means used to trade electronic business documents between two business partners. I profiled my EDI parser with
hotshot by putting this code in the
if __name__ == '__main__': block of the main entry point module, aggregate_parser.py:
import hotshot
prof = hotshot.Profile("hotshot_edi_stats")
calling aggregate_parser.py from the command line and passing the appropriate parameters. Interestingly, running this with
hotshot takes about 25 seconds, while running it without a profiler takes a little over 3 seconds. Here is a run on the command line without the profiler, tracking the time with the Unix
time utility:
jmjones@qiwi 10:10PM edi % time python \
~/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py \
python ~/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py
3.09s user 0.08s system 93% cpu 3.380 total
Here is a run on the command line with the profiler:
jmjones@qiwi 10:54PM edi % time python \
~/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py \
python ~/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py
4.11s user 20.99s system 98% cpu 25.381 total
This run with the
hotshot profiler created a log file (hotshot_edi_stats) with profiling information of each called method. Here is an IPython session showing how to get the profiling information:
In [1]: from hotshot import stats
In [2]: s = stats.load("hotshot_edi_stats")
In [3]: s.sort_stats("time").print_stats()
286016 function calls in 3.359 CPU seconds
Ordered by: internal time
ncalls tottime percall cumtime percall filename:lineno(function)
134000 1.455 0.000 2.104 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:97(body_seg)
1 0.942 0.942 3.358 3.358 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/util/state_machine.py:22(run)
136000 0.658 0.000 0.658 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/example/edi_handler.py:30(segment)
1000 0.203 0.000 0.250 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:29(header_seg)
1000 0.034 0.000 0.057 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:135(end_seg)
7000 0.032 0.000 0.032 0.000 /usr/lib/python2.4/string.py:248(strip)
2000 0.009 0.000 0.009 0.000 /usr/lib/python2.4/string.py:281(split)
1001 0.006 0.000 0.006 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:28(searching_header)
1000 0.005 0.000 0.005 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/example/edi_handler.py:24(__init__)
1000 0.005 0.000 0.005 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/example/edi_handler.py:26(start_interchange)
1000 0.005 0.000 0.005 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/example/edi_handler.py:28(end_interchange)
1000 0.005 0.000 0.005 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:62(append_interchange)
1 0.000 0.000 3.359 3.359 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:51(run)
1 0.000 0.000 3.359 3.359 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:74(main)
6 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/util/state_machine.py:14(add_state)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:25(add_transitions)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:10(__init__)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:17(__init__)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/util/state_machine.py:9(__init__)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/util/state_machine.py:19(set_start)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/aggregate_parser.py:40(eof)
0 0.000 0.000 profile:0(profiler)
Out[3]: <pstats.Stats instance at 0xb798f52c>
stats.load() call returns a
object. The only methods that I could find documented in the standard library
for this object were
strip_dirs(). Here, I have used only
sort_stats(), which sorts the statistics based on the column
specified in the argument list, and
print_stats(), which prints
out the statistics table displayed above. The
strip_dirs() method
would have displayed only the module rather than the absolute path to the
module. Call me nutty, but I like seeing the absolute path to my modules. With
a 17-inch display on my laptop, I don't worry about the extra output width from
absolute filenames.
The statistical output shows the number of times a method was called (
ncalls), the total time spent in the specified method but not in any of its children (
tottime), the amount of time spent for each call to the specified method (the first
percall), the amount of time spent in a method and calls to its children (
cumtime), the amount of time spent for each call to the specified method including child methods (the second
percall), and the filename. Given the profiling information, I can see that my three biggest bottlenecks are in x12_parser.py (in the
body_seg method), state_machine.py (in the
run method), and edi_handler.py (in the
segment method).
I sorted the statistics on the
tottime column (by passing "time" to the
sort_stats() method) to show how well each method performed by itself. The total time spent in the top four methods is about 97 percent of the entire processing time. The top one takes about 43 percent of the entire processing time.
I should now ask the question, Is it fast enough? My answer is, Probably, but faster would be nice. It can parse about 300 2K interchanges per second on my laptop, (about 440 per second if I don't take into consideration Python interpreter startup, library imports, and such), which is actually pretty respectable, but I would like to trim whatever time I can. The profiler has pointed out a couple of glaring architectural deficiencies, so some changes are in order.
I just mentioned the parser's performance without Python interpreter startup and library imports. The
timeit module is an excellent tool for helping determine the performance of only the interesting piece of code. I put this code:
import timeit
t = timeit.Timer("main()", "from __main__ import main")
res_set = t.repeat(10, 1)
print res_set, "::", min(res_set)
in my
if __name__ == "__main__": block and ran it.
jmjones@qiwi 5:39AM parser % python aggregate_parser.py
[3.1825220584869385, 2.4778821468353271, 2.4290919303894043, 2.4358069896697998,
2.4379229545593262, 2.4492578506469727, 2.439661979675293, 2.4325060844421387,
2.4347169399261475, 2.435114860534668] :: 2.42909193039
repeat(10, 1) runs 10 iterations of the specified code one time. I specified for the code to execute only once per iteration because I handled the looping by parsing a file of 1,000 EDI interchanges. The output of
repeat() is a list of runtimes for each repeating call to the specified code. The recommended method of determining performance for a piece of code (by using
timeit) is to take the minimum value from the returned list.
Related Reading
Python Cookbook
A primer on X12 EDI would probably be helpful at this point. EDI documents are character-delimited text files, which are more machine-readable than human-readable. Each document is made up of one interchange; each interchange is made up of a series of segments that roughly equate to database records; each segment is made up of elements that roughly equate to database columns. The first few characters of each segment (sometimes called the tag), up to the element-separating delimiter, declares what type of segment it is. The first segment in an X12 interchange has an ISA tag. The last segment in an X12 interchange has an IEA tag.
First problem: when ediplex parses an EDI document, it first determines whether it has a valid header segment, then proceeds to look for each individual segment and determines whether that segment is the end segment. This is really inefficient and results in an inordinate number of calls to the
body_seg() method as it chunks through the document. A better method would be to read in the body of the EDI document in bigger chunks to search specifically for the end segment rather than just the segment delimiter.
Second problem:
aggregate_parser calls a
segment() method in the specified EDI handler for each segment it finds, passing it the segment data.
aggregate_parser was using the
NoOpEDIHandler for this example. The
segment() method in this particular handler does nothing. The entirety of this
segment() method is
pass. It's interesting, but not surprising, that a no-op now takes about 20 percent of the overall processing time; it's not surprising because the parser called
segment() 136,000 times. This is an obvious inefficiency, but it is also an architectural problem. If I write a piece of code that uses this parser, which ignores the finer level of detail of an EDI document at the segment level, then handling segment data, even with a no-op, costs a 20 percent performance hit. A better method would be to return a segment iterator such that code will retrieve segments only when the interested code calls the iterator's
next() method.
I have rearchitected ediplex to work more iteratively rather than relying on callbacks. I have also reduced the granularity of what the parser is interested in on its first pass. Now when ediplex parses a file of EDI interchanges, it identifies the header segment, then immediately starts looking for the footer segment rather than each body segment. When it finds a full interchange, it yields a parser object, which can, in turn, return an iterator for the interchange's segments.
The results were surprising. I was hoping for a 50 to 100 percent performance improvement. Here is a
time of running the parser with no profiler:
jmjones@qiwi 9:25PM parser % time python aggregate_parser.py \
python aggregate_parser.py ~/svn/ediplex/example_data/big_edi.txt
0.47s user 0.01s system 99% cpu 0.481 total
Here is the parser run with the
hotshot profiler:
jmjones@qiwi 5:43PM parser % time python aggregate_parser.py \
python aggregate_parser.py ~/svn/ediplex/example_data/big_edi.txt
0.42s user 0.49s system 87% cpu 1.042 total
Without the profiler, this is a performance boost of about 7X. Removing the Python interpreter startup time, library imports, and such from both sides of the equation, this was actually a performance boost of 10X. The
timeit module shows a 2.3 second best time for parsing a file before optimization and .22 seconds after optimizations. Here is the statistical data from running the parser:
In [1]: from hotshot import stats
In [2]: s = stats.load("hotshot_edi_stats")
In [3]: s.sort_stats("time").print_stats()
11005 function calls in 0.436 CPU seconds
Ordered by: internal time
ncalls tottime percall cumtime percall filename:lineno(function)
1000 0.338 0.000 0.374 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:32(is_valid_header)
7000 0.036 0.000 0.036 0.000 /usr/lib/python2.4/string.py:248(strip)
1001 0.035 0.000 0.428 0.000 aggregate_parser.py:57(parse_file)
1000 0.013 0.000 0.013 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:15(__init__)
1 0.008 0.008 0.436 0.436 aggregate_parser.py:128(main)
1000 0.006 0.000 0.006 0.000 /home/jmjones/svn/ediplex/src/ediplex/parser/x12_parser.py:64(is_valid_footer)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 aggregate_parser.py:122(get_canned_aggregate_parser)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 aggregate_parser.py:15(__init__)
1 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 aggregate_parser.py:107(add_parser)
0 0.000 0.000 profile:0(profiler)
Out[3]: <pstats.Stats instance at 0xb798f4cc>
The profiler shows far fewer methods than before optimizing things. The majority of time is now in methods that actually do things rather than no-op or state transitions. All of the features that had no-op placeholders are now gone and will occur only when a user decides he needs to call them.
The profiler also shows far fewer method calls. Before, there were two
body_seg() and
segment(), with calls over
130,000 times. Function calls were fairly expensive in previous versions of
Python--and I believe they still are, but to a lesser degree. This explains
why 130,000 function calls to even a no-op created a performance bottle
I heavily optimized the method that searched for the end of an EDI interchange (now called
is_valid_footer()) but hardly touched the one that identified the beginning of an interchange (now called
is_valid_header() is now the biggest bottleneck, taking 10 times more time than the next method in the list, which happens to be the Python standard
string.strip() method--and about 77 percent of the total processing time. The only section of
is_valid_header() that does anything is a
for loop that iterates over
range(106) and checks the header string for correctness. If I really wanted to optimize
is_valid_header(), I would remove the
for loop and either do the string check with a (shudder) regex or write a function in C and swig it. I may implement one of these optimizations just because of that nagging bottleneck (and for fun!)--but the 2,080 2K interchanges per second, which includes Python interpreter startup and library imports, or 4,500 2K interchanges per second, excluding Python startup and imports, is faster than I had hoped to take this parser.
Just for the sake of comparison, here is the
timeit run of the optimized code:
jmjones@qiwi 4:33PM parser % python aggregate_parser.py
[0.4770960807800293, 0.47198605537414551, 0.43927288055419922,
0.29295921325683594, 0.21883893013000488, 0.21800088882446289,
0.2185051441192627, 0.21764492988586426, 0.23419904708862305,
0.21747803688049316] :: 0.21747803688
I have attempted to live by the "premature optimization" motto with the activity surrounding this article. I spent very little time up front trying to predict where my code would run slow, and made very few concessions to preemptively make it run faster. I simply used the
hotshot profiler, a tool that is part of the Python standard library, found my bottlenecks, rearchitected my parser (which is probably a bit more extreme than what most folks will have to do), made some code changes, and saw a significant performance improvement. For any performance analysis of Python source code, the profiler is an indispensable tool.
Jeremy Jones is a software engineer who works for Predictix. His weapon of choice is Python.
Return to the Python DevCenter.
Copyright © 2009 O'Reilly Media, Inc.


text:
Restaurant Roth is located in Hotel Regina, a traditional Viennese hotel near the University of Vienna and the famous Ringstrasse, and combines mastered tradition with modern flair.
The outstanding cuisine will win you over with Austrian and Viennese specialties, augmented with seasonal delicacies.
The cozy restaurant bar is a popular meeting point for an aperitif or digestive. The special ambience can best be appreciated over a refreshing cocktail, a glass of excellent Austrian wine, or one of the various beers on tap.
In summer, the cool, shaded garden will lure you under the arcades and invite you to relax and enjoy. Please see our varying seasonal offers in our event calendar.
In Restaurant Roth we offer our guests a sumptuous midday plate from Monday to Friday. We are happy to inform you about our offer by email.


text:
November 22, 2011 —
The U.S. Post Office in Pond Eddy is one of more than 3,000 across the country that is set for possible closure. When resident Jeanne Mulcahey and her friends heard it was under threat, they launched an effort to try to keep it open, which included a letter-writing campaign to Congressman Maurice Hinchey.
Other communities in Sullivan County that have taken steps to keep their post offices open include Kenoza Lake and North Branch.
The U.S. Post Office (USPS) announced in early November that it lost $5 billion dollars in the past year, in part because of increased use of the Internet and also because of the after effects of the great recession.
Public pressure from around the country, however, is having some effect. Last week, USPS issued a notice to all area postal vice presidents, directing them to temporarily suspend all Delivery Unit Optimization implementations and post office closings beginning November 19 through January 2, 2012.
While districts may proceed with the post office discontinuance process, the physical closing of a post office or the physical relocation of routes will be temporarily suspended during this window.


text:
- Admissions
- Visit Dordt
- Programs of Study
- Tuition & Fees
- Financial Aid
- Scholars Program
- Concurrent Credit Program
- Academics
- Services & Support
- Academic Affairs
- Academic Enrichment Center
- Admissions
- Advancement
- Alumni
- Andreas Center
- Bookstore
- Business Office
- Campus Health Services
- Career Development Center
- Center for Economic Education
- Church Relations
- Campus Life
- Athletics
- Arts
- Events
- Dordt College on Facebook
- Dordt College on Twitter
- Dordt College on LinkedIn
- Dordt College on YouTube
- Dordt College on Instagram
- News RSS Feed
- Services & Support
- Dordt Dining
- Catering
Providing great food and service is our passion, and we are dedicated to making sure your event is perfect in every way. Inspired by fresh, high-quality ingredients and committed to community and sustainability, our culinary team creates cuisine ranging from simple to elegant. Light-hearted to classical. Cross-cultural to regional American. We invite you to discover all Dordt College Dining catering has to offer.
Forms of Payment:
Department charge, cash, or check.
Our Services Include:
- Menu Planning
- Service Personnel
- Event Planning
Catering Manager:
Mindi Sneller


text:
New Coke
n 1985, Coca-Cola released a new formula of their signature soda – only to remove it from the shelves months later due to terrible sales. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Enron Scandal
Crime never pays – in the long run that is. After years of embezzling and cooking the books, the scandal surrounding Enron finally broke in Nov. 2001. By December, the company's stocks had tanked and it filed for bankruptcy.
Arch Deluxe
What's more gourmet than McDonald's? In 1996, the Golden Arches started cooking up fancier burger (with its own $100 million advertising campaign), which tanked, causing Mickey Ds some heartache. (AP Photo/Chris Gardner)
AOL/Time Warner Merger
One of the biggest mergers also ended up as the most expensive. Announced in February 2001, the merged company AOL-Time Warner posted a $99 billion loss in a year's time. (Photo by Chris Hondros)
Ford Edsel
The classic failure – the Ford Edsel even had its own television show, but nothing could help sales of the ugly car.
ET and M&M's?
Originally the candies Elliot used to lure the alien in his shed out in ET were supposed to be M&M's! But Mars balked at the product placement, and "ET's favorite candy" ended up being Reese's. The candies enjoyed a huge spike in sales thanks to the movie.
Categories: Business


text: Lincoln's Most Pivotal Speech (4) tv-pg Play video Select your TV provider to log in to have full access to videos Select your TV provider See all providers Don't see your TV provider? Learn more You can access this video on the free HISTORY® app. *You must verify your TV provider towatch this video on the App Your Parental Control settings do not allow you to view this content. Lincoln's Most Pivotal Speech (4 min) tv-pg Which of President Lincoln's many eloquent speeches was the most important?


text: My baby is 5 weeks old. I started bf at the hospital and had some difficulty getting her to latch on. She would at times latch on great then times when she would get frustrated. I would then throw in the towel, and supplement with formula. When I went home she would at times latch on then times when I would pump and bottle feed. I continued to pump and would get 6-8 oz and bottle fed her for two weeks. Towards the end of the second week I noticed I was only pumping 4 oz. (I think because I was not eating properly... it's hard to cook a meal with a newborn.) So, I just gave up trying to get her to latch on and pumping. I have been supplementing with formula ever since and I have been feeling guilty that I gave up trying to BF. I recently tried getting her to latch on, but she is not having it. I want to know if it's even possible to get my milk to come back in and would like some advice on getting her to latch on.


text:
At Any Age…KISS is the Rage
I've never seen KISS live before and that's a shame because KISS is all about the live show.
I've often been asked "D..What's the first concert you ever attended?"
Each time I answer that embarrassing question I bow my head and force out the word "Loverboy".
Yes Loverboy…
All I can tell you is I grew in the Great White North and they were extremely popular up there.
I was bound and determined that my kids wouldn't suffer the same fate as me. I wanted them to be able to answer the question.."What was your first concert?", with pride and not have to hang their head in bad decision disgust like their pops.
I picked up a 4 pack of tickets for Kiss/Motley Crue a few months back with the idea of taking the wife and kids, however Hunter is spending the summer in Canada so his extra ticket was given to Mike the Rox Addict.
As soon as Mylee found out she was seeing KISS she decided she had to put makeup on.
Here's Peter Chriss of KISS
Here's Mylee and Krista.
We arrived early and found ourselves walking past a huge caravan of tour busses. I mentioned to Mylee that these particular busses belonged to KISS. As we were approaching the end of the last KISS tour bus we heard a hard knock on the bus window. We all immediately stopped dead in our tracks.
The bus window slid open and for a second I swore I was staring at Gene Simmons.
The guy inside pointed at Mylee and said "Man that's cool". I told him it was her first concert. He said "Hold on" and disappeared for a few seconds. He came back, stuck his hand out the window and handed me four guitar pics and told us to "Enjoy the show". I had no idea who the guy was until later on.
I found out it was Nick Simmons, Gene Simmons son.
I looked at my daughter and said, "That's why you dress up". I was extremely proud and happy for her at the same time.
The surprise "I didn't know there was a third band" tonight was a band called "The Treatment".
Here's a link to their website.
They rocked it to an unenthusiastic crowd, but seemed a little better when I found out I have underwear older than a lot of these kids rock'n the stage.
I love Motley Crue.
Tonight was not their finest performance. The band seemed tight but Vince Neil was terrible. He wasn't synced with the rest of the fellas and his chubby ass was huff'n and puff'n skipp'n lyrics all over the stage.
Random crowd shot.
The highlight of the show was the Tommy Lee's 360 degree rotating drum set with room for a lucky passenger.
After a brief stage swap it was time for KISS. Here they are being lowered onto the stage to begin the show bust'n out Detroit Rock City.
I looked back at Mylee and she was wide-eyed and having a great time.
Here's Kiss performing "Love Gun
Mike and I enjoying the show.
The KISS Setlist:
Detroit Rock City
Shout It Out Loud
I Love It Loud
Love Gun
War machine
Shock Me
Hell or Hallelujah
God of Thunder
Lick It Up
Black Diamond
Rock'N Roll All Nite
In the end I want to thank Nick Simmons for being classy and KISS for putting on a stellar show and show'n my little girl what good old fashioned rock'n roll is all about.
I'm "D" the Ranter…I can't tell you how fun it was to share my first time KISS experience with my wife and youngest daughter. Mike thanks for hang'n too brotha. Andy from Spring training, good to see you as well.
What a great Birthday present :)…Rock On!…"D"
2 Comments
Very cool, D! Sounds like a great time. Trying to think if The Treatment was the band that was on GSFJ, and had that crappy little van, LOL.
The tour is coming to Grand Junction in the next week or two. Hopefully I'll be there in my stirrups and rockies gear.
I'd Love to send you a pair of the stirrups. Let me know if you're interested.
– Jake


text:
Amazon has a new version of its e-reader out called the Kindle Paperwhite.
Its big feature is a screen that lights up in the dark, but is still readable in direct sunlight. It costs $119 with no wireless connection or $180 with it.
Reviews of the Kindle Paperwhite are overwhelmingly positive.
The Verge's Josh Topolsky sums it up: "Between the new display, the improved software and performance, great battery life, and Amazon's massive book selection, there's not much here to complain about."
"Reading on this display was completely comfortable in any environment I put it in."
He says it is "probably the best I've used."
If you want a few more thousand words on the Kindle Paperwhite, go read Topolsky's review.
CORRECTION: Earlier, this article called the Paperwhite the Paperweight. Boy was that dumb. Someone needs more coffee …
Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.