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Pete Rose
First Baseman
Career w/Phillies: .290 AVG / 8 HR / 255 RBI / 51 SB
By now the story is well known: Pete Rose was ripped from Cincinnati after 16 seasons, signing as a free agent with the Phillies to be the final piece in a championship puzzle. And he delivered. After a trying 1979 season that underwhelmed everyone, the Phillies rebounded in '80, led by Rose, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton and Co. to take the pennant and World Series trophy. Rose's contribution can't go overlooked — he hit .331 in 1979, .282 in 1980 and .325 in the strike-shortened 1981. That season he broke the National League all time hit record. Aside from his Philadelphia accomplishments, Rose remains baseball's all time hit king. He's first in games and at bats, sixth in runs, seventh in total bases, a 17-time all star (four times with the Phils) and one-time MVP. Plus he had the most wicked head-first slide in the game's history. Maybe the most incredible stat? In his five seasons as a Phillie, he struck out 151 times.
Comment: If Philadelphia can appreciate anyone, it's Pete Rose. All-out hustle. Never-say-die attitude. Gambler. Drinker. Pariah. Crazy guy. Heck, if only he was a Phillie his entire career. As it stands, Rose had a heck of a Phillies career, and he can never be forgotten for his role in bringing the Phils their first championship.
75 Comments
151 strikeouts in 5 seasons is close to amazing. Only about 30 a season
I would think this guy would be in our top 30.
That K stat is incredible btw.
Pete Rose and Joe Jackson both deserve to be in the Hall, and it would be an amazing class if those 2 can go in the same year.
Forget about the top 30 this man should be in the Hall of Fame, Hey Alan "Bud" Selig, get your head out off your ass and let the All-Time Hit King into the Hall.
Thought it was a good 'bet' he'd be higher, guess the 'gamble' didn't pay off….
Hall of Famer without question!!! When will he be forgiven? If Roger Clemens makes the hall before Rose does, it will expose a truth we all have known for years. Hypocrisy rules our beloved sport. Also, those uniforms…. WOW. Friggin Awesome.
Tim, it always ticks me off when people question your picks and their positions, so now I guess I'll have to be ticked off at myself. I would def put him higher, not my favorite player, by far, I like the more laid back type myself, but he was such a sparkplug for that championship team, very clutch, ALWAYS hustled. But it really depends on who is on the remainder of the list though, maybe he does belong here.
BTW, just the fact that you put this list together is amazing, I wouldn't know where to start. Can't wait for the top ten, plus that means it's almost time for baseball-yeaaaa!!!!
Pete Rose is my all time favorite Phillie. One of the best ball players of all time, and I look forward to the day when he is forgiven, if that day ever comes.
like i said this guy knows nothing about the phillies. pete rose is one of the greatest player of all time. to list him 54 is crazy. he should be in the top 10 of phillies. im done with this site…
Hey Mike, get over yourself. I'm not the most astute Phils fan, but I can rattle off at least 25-30 former Phils that I believe meant more to THIS organization, not the game of baseball as a whole. Now if someone made a list of All Time Reds and had him listed at #54 then I would tell them to put the crack pipe down. As far as Rose being in HOF, he deserves to be, but didn't he agree to the ban???
Nice uni for Pete
Off the field is one story…
On the field, he kicked ass. Especially for Philadelphia. His hustle, his leadership. I will always see him in Phillies pinstripes diving head first into third. Or spiking the ball after the third out of an inning running to the dugout.
Off the field is a different story…
Pete Rose the player was AWESOME! Charlie Hustle. Today's players DO NOT hustle like Rose. AT ALL.
54 is WAAAAAAAAAAAY low on the list for Pete Rose! He's probably in my top ten!
Charlie Hustle should be much higher on this list. I know his best years were in Cincy, but without him the Phillies don't even sniff the playoffs in 1980. And without him Lefty and Schmidt and Bull and Maddox etc… would just be more guys who were good players but couldn't get it done.
My All Time favourite Phillie. i remember when i was in 2nd grade and the Phillies snatched him from the Reds, and i donned my Super Pete t-shirt. Nobody played as hard as Pete. it's insane that he's not in the HOF. The fact that a player could have 200 hits a year for 20 years and still not reach Pete is a testament to the player he was.
Pete Rose at 54. Now i'm convinced this guy is just posting this to get attention… Just posting names he's heard of, in random order, which explains the Jay Johnstone #76. I for one, am morbidly curious to see the 53 players who are considered greater Phillies than Rose. There might be 25 at the most.
This is way off…hes in the top 20 at the very least. This is one of the very best players ever to play the game, and his seasons in Philadelphia were no different. That he was black-balled from the hall of fame is a disgrace…gambling aside. To put him at 54 is a disgrace. Sorry, Tim. I cant be on board with you this time. Even if he was top 30 I wouldnt be that irked. This is THE guy that get this team over the hump. They had Carlton and Schmidt and others, but they couldnt come through with clutch hits in the postseason until this guy showed up in town…
In defense of Tim, I think a lot of us see the name Pete Rose and think of his whole career. This is only as a phillie for this countdown though. If you look at his numbers as a phillie, they are not amazing because he didnt play here that long. Take away the name Pete Rose and only look at his numbers and you'll see where Tim is coming from. For instance, someone like Bobby Abreu isnt anywhere close to Rose as a player but had better numbers as a phillie so will be higher on this list. That being said, I was at some of the 1980 playoff games and will always love Pete Rose. He made life right after coming close so many times.
Let's see…. PETE ROSE #54….. Randy Wolf #58…… Oh, yeah.
IRONPIGPEN Says:
"Pete Rose the player was AWESOME! Charlie Hustle. Today's players DO NOT hustle like Rose. AT ALL."
Seriously? Chase Utley?
Pete was one of my favorites as a kid. i am curious to see who is ranked above him. Tim, you may be right, but prepare yourself for second guessing with pick 53. Some people are way off base here with their criticisms.
little surprised he came in above the top 50. I didn't know how many greats there are in phils' history…
Joe O'Phillie, that is what I was just about to say, Chase Utley is a similar player to Pete PH**KING Rose, but also Shane Victorino, has the same intensity as Pete did for the Game, Pete was the motor for the 80 Phillies Shane was the motor for 08 Phillies.
AS far as his Phillies resume… Pete Rose is in the appropriate spot I think. He played 4 years for the Phils. He only had a 290 average. Sure, Pete was what got us over the top to win a championship, but it was not his offense that made the difference. It was his ATTITUDE. He brought a winning attitude to the team. I understand why people think he should be ranked higher, but looking at his number AS A PHILLIE, #54 sounds about right.
Pete was the player you loved to hate, until he was on your team. What about the Bob Boone, Pete Rose play at the dugout against the Royals? It is a crime that he is not in the Hall of Fame. When this list started, I stated that it's tough to rank players without criteria. Pete is the all-time ML hits leader and he played for the Phillies. He should be in the top 10 greatest Phillies.
Oh, I swear my heart stopped when that Boone/Rose play happened, it was like everything went into slow motion for those few moments, I'll never forget that.
Per Bob Boone, the Boone-Rose play should never have happened. Rose was late getting there. It was his play. Boone kept looking for Rose…which let to the drop. Thankfully, Pete did get there in time to make one of the greatest plays in Phillies history.
Regardless, lets see who will be named #53 thru #1 before hurling insults.
Ugh. This means he'll have that steroid ridden, NY Mut, Lenny Dykstra higher than Pete Rose. I think im gonna be sick.
This is going to start to get interesting real quick. We have a lot of great players coming up.
I also thought he would be in the Top 10, although, he is know more as a Red on a national basis. Still though #54? I wait to see who is higher!
im diggin the jersey hes wearing in the pic
As a few pointed out, there is a need for clarification on a criteria for determining "greatest Phillies" in franchise' history. Statistics alone? Ignore the intangibles? And what of honors and awards for on field achievements? Perhaps I missed Tim's stated criteria at the beginning of his selections. I think at least a few of us here would like to see his explanation for greatness once again. To see Pete Rose listed as 54th greatest is mind boggling especially when there were so many, many lean years of mediocrity with the team. FIFTYFOURTH?! And to Jason B… yes..ATTITUDE and INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP are great attributes to go along with his clutch hitting and fielding. And as Tim pointed out, "… 17-time all star (four times with the Phils) and one-time MVP". That's FOUR times he was named an "ALL STAR" with the Phillies in honoring his achievements.
I too will be curious to see Tim's selection of 53 players he considers having achieved more for the team than Pete Rose.
Remember Tim, it's QUALITY not quantity that matters when considering statistics and number of years.
Pete Rose was a one of a kind player. His gambling addiction shouldn't keep him out of Cooperstown.
As for him being 54 on the list, he did contribute to a World Series team but he wasn't the star he was on the Reds. Maybe he should be higher up, but I don't think he cracks to the top 30.
while pete wasn't the star he was on the reds, he was the big missing piece of the puzzle that set the phillies in motion to win the world series. i'm glad tim is doing this countdown, i've found it to be very interesting, but i've disagreed with a lot of picks/placements and maybe none as strongly as this one. rose should be top 20 easily.
rose is #1 for the reds but #54 for the phils makes sense. hes not a phillie hes a red. just like thome is an indian. rose helped us win a world series but hes still a red.
I always thought Rose was nothing more then a hired gun. Yeah he was a great player but the majority of those years happened somewhere else, he did play a key role in the Phillies winning in 80, but that doesn't change the fact that he had most of his best years some where else.
Hmmm. I don't post much here, but I have been waiting for this Pete rose controversy. Certainly he is a HOF caliber player for his career, but his gambling clearly threatened the integrity of the game far beyond other kinds of bad behavior. For me, his intensity is unquestioned but I always thought it was more often about Pete Rose than the team. His gambling as a player and manager, his off field attitude, his padding of his own stats as a player-manager all indicate this. Although a terrific hitter and hustler, he was an evn better self promoter. Lets not forget that he never hit for power, had very little speed, and was an average defensive player.
As for his time on the Phillies: he certainly made a contribution and belongs on this list, but he had just a good year in 1980 and I question the idea that they would not have won without him. I know Schmidt has promoted his role on that team for years, but I would point to Schmidt himself, Trillo, Carlton, McGraw before I would even begin to consider Rose as a key element. I agree with Bob B. re the World Series play and if we are talking about intensity on this team—what about Dallas Greene (someone I'd probably dislike personally about as much as Pete)?
Rose might have only been the 7th best on the 1980 team behind Schmidt, Carlton, Lusinski, Bowa, Maddox and Boone so no way is he a top 10 in Phils history.
For the record, I hope that he gets in the hall of fame along with McGuire and Shoeless Joe Jackson as an effort of reconciliation.
if you want to see pete rose higher, you should make your own blog, write your own list and put him up there. tim could rank pete rose #101, it's his list. although i don't necessarily agree, there's no need to attack anyone here. debating is cool but saying things like "this guy knows nothing about the phillies" (really?) come on.
Way too low – I would have had him in the top 10 at least. Phillies don't win 1980 World Series without him. It was his leadership that took a bunch of guys who couldn't reach the ultimate goal before he arrived and had them reach the pinacle of baseball.
I was at the closing ceremonies at the Vet, his absence was very dissapointing to me.
As for the HOF for Pete – unquestionably. Baseball is so hypocritical, no gambling, yet look at the outfield walls of many ballparks and you'll see ads for casinos and state lotteries. Makes no sense to me.
Nationals #1: "if you want to see pete rose higher, you should make your own blog, write your own list and put him up there. tim could rank pete rose #101, it's his list. although i don't necessarily agree, there's no need to attack anyone here. debating is cool but saying things like "this guy knows nothing about the phillies" (really?) come on."
Amen. When someone with a complaint posts their well-thought out top 100, then I'll listen.
The truth is that Pete was going to be ranked higher, but his maroon pajamas in that picture dropped him down to 54.
is that the "saturday night special" uniform that everyone hated? it's funny how many people seem to like it now
Would have thought Rose would have been higher. Used to be a huge defender of his but he created all his own problems.
As far as being in the HOF a no brainer, while agreeing to the ban there was no rule that banned players couldn't be in the HOF at the time. That rule was put in after the fact.
Pete Rose was an exciting ballplayer. He should be in the Hall of Fame for all that he accomplished and gave to the game, his hustle, determination and hard work. Pete, when he started out, did not have the great natural ability and skills to play baseball in the Major Leagues but he made himself into a great ballplayer thru determination and hard work. He was a leader. I see alot of Charlie Hustle in Chase Utley when I watch Chase play.
I find myself somewhere in the middle of the two sides of this debate. While I do think that Rose should be rated higher I do not think he is in the top ten based on the fact that he only played a small part of his career here. Just the fact that he participated in getting us a world championship alone puts him above most who will follow in this list.
I also tend to think a lot of Pete Rose when I see Chase Utley play which is strange. They seem to be opposites off the field but attack the game with the same intensity.
Well, let the "this player is better than Pete Rose!?" debates begin from this point on.
i just read on mlbtr that amaro is in contract negotiations for howard…lets see how that ends up. speaking of howard where will he rank on this list? how about utley, rollins, and hamels?
Top 3 have to be Schmidt, Carlton and Grover Cleveland Alexander, right?
Utley, Rollins and Howard top 10-15?
I'd say that would be my top 3 in that order, Griffin. Close 4 being Richie Ashburn.
Off the top of my head Phillies deserving a higher spot than Rose:
I'm sure I'm missing others, but I guarantee you that all of them will rank higher than Pete Rose.
Those unifroms are SUPER-UGLY in my opinion
Phil- Hamner was already listed a long time ago.
Phil is right. Rose was a great player and we are all clouded by the fact that Rose is the all time hit leader. While that is true he was only with the phillies for 4 years and in that time he was good but not great and didnt stay long enough to be a real legend of this franchise
Those uniforms are really bad looking…
MLBTR says the phillies are "still in negotiations" to re-sign Ryan Howard before arb…Translation: The Phillies are still in negotiations to trade Ryan Howard to the Yankees for a package headed by either Chien Ming Wang or Xavier Nady or possibly even Hideki Matsui if the Yankees pay some of this 13M salary…good bye Ryan Howard, its been nice watching you play in Philadelphia. Hope you enjoyed it while you had it becuase youre going to hate playing for the Yankees…
obviously matsui would require better prospects in return with him. but still..one of nady or wang plus good prospects isnt a bad haul for Howard. Nice job Amaro, hopefully he can finish off that deal…
Geoff, is that speculation or did you read that? I'd want Joba and Nady for Howard. Nothing less. Put Joba in the 2 spot and Nady in LF. Move Ibanez to 1st.
John Kruk mentioned on ESPN radio on two different shows that he had heard rumblings of a package headed by Chien Ming Wang & that there has been some talk… other than that..nothing. it has not been on MLBTR at all because he doesnt count rumors unless its printed. If an analyst mentions it on the radio he ignores it unless its the overly worshipped red sox/yankees mouthpiece peter gammons. even rosenthal has to put it in writing first and hes usually right. as you recall, rosenthal predicted during august that ryan howard would be traded before the beginning of this coming season…
Side note: Joba would be a wicked setup man too, but the Yankees seem to insist on using him as a starter and Madson is our RH setup man for the foreseeable future…
There is a 0.0% chance that a new GM taking over a World Champion baseball club is going to trade the MVP runner-up.
It's just not going to happen.
Next offseason maybe, but not now.
I'd be afraid of trading Howard for pitching. Who would bat clean up?
thats the issue…thats the one reason why id doubt it happening before the arb hearing..they clearly are counting on michael taylor to be their cleanup man in 2/3 years. they seem really fed up with howard. they get a little irked in every interview about him now…be it montogmery or amaro they really get annoyed at the mere mention of his name. im pretty sure there is some VERY bad blood there. rosenthal is right like 90 percent of the time, so if he thinks theyll move him THIS offseason i still will go with that until it happens otherwise..
this is also the type of trade that will happen with little or no warning. it wont be like peavy where it drags on for months and months. itll just happen out of virtually nowhere…
Agree with Griffin 100%… Rosenthal is trying to create a self-fullfilling prophecy. He posts something that might make sense to get us talking and hopes that we can figure out how it could work. CM Wang is a fine pitcher and might fit well. Xavier Nady is a decent bat but certainly not Ryan Howard. Not enough… regardless, it's not gonna happen. If we had not won a WS title, I might take this more seriously. Do you really think that Amaro wants to be known as the guy that came in and dismantled the championship team?
thats the issue…i mean werth has power, utleys a born 3-hitter…ibanez could cleanup and play first until michael taylor is ready to join the big club. nady/matusi are 3's or 5's.
See I think its a thousand times more likely to happen now that they won a WS…they dont need him to "get over the hump" anymore, theyve already done that, with his help in september and for two games in the WS. So now the pressure is off of their shoulders in that regard.
Geoff, you're anti-Howard bias is showing again.
Pete is being judge by something that is not easily defined. I think in terms on numerical impact, 54 is fine. However, the matter of his impact on the 1980 Phillies is immeasurable.
Schmitty et al, have spoken often on his (ROSE's) leadership and mentoriship to the Phillies team…
I would have ranked him higher only b/c without him, this year would have been our first!
Pete brought so much from the intangible side, it is not possible to measure his impact on Bowa, Schmidt, Greg, Gary, Steve, et al…
YET…I cannot dispute the position based upon numbers!
reply to PHIL…
You forgot Von Hayes…who was amazing for a bad team…knowing your list was off the top of your head!
If we trade Ryan Howard for Xavier Nady or Hideki Matsui.. i'll boycott the Phillies this season… Since the only place this trade would actually happen is in Geoff's mind.. I have nothing to worry about
How can I forget Von Hayes!?
In the 1980 NLCS, the Phillies were down 5-2 in the deciding game. Before Bowa went to the plate to lead off against none other than Nolan Ryan, Rose told him "Get on and we'll win this thing". Bowa singled, Rose eventually drew a walk later in the inning to score Bowa, and the comeback was on.
You'll need to rename this the 100 Greatest Phillies Statistically speaking if you are going to bury Rose at 54 and use his .290 average as some sort of excuse.
Rose was the difference between playoff misery in the late 70s and a World Series win in 1980. How is that not worth a far higher ranking? They'd never won the WS before he came, and the next year, they did.
I am not trying to knock Tim, here, but there is something to be said for having been there. This list is unmitigated poop if Pete Rose is 54.
wow, what a crazy red uniform he's wearing there. red from head to toe?
guys…ryan howard wont be tradeduntil they have used up all of his arb years…ud be crazy to let this guy go during his prime years…its one thing if you cant sign him and arb runs out and you want to at least get something for him but to trade him when u still own the rights to him is bordering terrorism…it took 100 years and 10k losses to find a guy that can hit 50hrs and drive in 150 runs for this team every year and a guy like this wont ever appear again…in this teams system anyways…sure, im rubbed the wrong way a bit by his high salary demands but you cant argue with the production…best slugger in baseball and remember we let this guy treat the minors like it was little league for a year and a half longer than we should have. had he been up at the start of the 04 season instead of mid 05 we may have already inked this moose to an 8yr 60m deal ala chase and rollins…i ahte to see him go but it looks like it will eventually happen but get every possible at bat and game as you possibnly can from this guy
I want kane to give pete another chokeslam
If Philadelphia can appreciate anyone, it's Pete Rose. All-out hustle. Never-say-die attitude. Gambler. Drinker. Pariah. Crazy guy. Heck, if only he was a Phillie his entire career. As it stands, Rose had a heck of a Phillies career, and he can never be forgotten for his role in bringing the Phils their first championship.
Really, you said all of this…and still have him 54th?!?!?!?
Put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame!!!
and while we're at it put ron swaboda in too. he was nice to his mother
I gotta go with the Rose lovers here. Pete Rose deserves to be a top-20 all-time Phillie.
And Phil, you're putting Scott Rolen ahead of Pete Rose? How many seasons did Rolen play here? Was it much more than four? And how many championships did he win here?
I'm suddenly much more interested in this list.
Why does everyone keep saying 4 years, when he was on this team for 5 years?
Why no mention of 1983? When it is the 93 team, winning a National League Championship is a pinnacle of a career, when it is the 1983 team it is an afterthought. Rose won two National League Championships for the Phillies, a team that has only won 4 in the last 58 years. Rose did more in 5 years than most guys can do in 10. I'd put him in the top 20 if I gave a crap about this stupid list.
Pete helped the team a helluva lot more than Abreu did.


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This is a Smith family favorite! Every holiday at my Chris' parents' home, his sister Angela will begin making this. And we will all hover around her like vultures waiting for it to be finished. So usually the refrigerate for 2 hours part does not happen…it's just that good.
1 bar cream cheese
1 large carton sour cream
1 pkg. Good Season's Italian dressing (dry)
2 (4 1/2 oz.) cans shrimp
2 t. lemon juice
1 can cream of shrimp soup
Thoroughly blend cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and dressing mix with a blender. With a spoon, mix in soup and shrimp. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Great with Wheat Thins or Triscuit crackers (fire-roasted tomato are our favorite!).

subset: commoncrawl


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Needs like a wooden barrel here and there, maybe one in the corner of the house and chimney.
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Needs like a wooden barrel here and there, maybe one in the corner of the house and chimney.
Yes, it looks a bit empty
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Hi guys, just a little update as proof we're not dead. Things have been slow but that's one of the obstacles of working on a project like this, time isn't always kind to us.
To give you all an idea of where we are at, we estimate to be at about the 80% stage for content production and implementation. Maps are being redone, textures tweaked, items modelled and animated. There's lots left to do, but we're not far off and it's looking good.
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Devilswood and Epehy: Ashton
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We WILL remember them.
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After hearing Carmelo Anthony(notes) express public doubts over the New York Knicks' desire and need for him, Amar'e Stoudemire(notes) reached out to tell the Denver Nuggets star that he "wants him in New York," a league source told Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday.
The Knicks' forward recently contacted Anthony via text message with a two-fold agenda: Make sure Anthony knows that Stoudemire himself wants Anthony at his side, and push Anthony to resist a proposed trade to the New Jersey Nets. Stoudemire is sensitive to public suggestions that he would prefer to play without a Madison Square Garden co-star and has repeatedly expressed that to Anthony.
As momentum ground to a crawl for a three-team deal with the Nuggets, Nets and Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, the Knicks kept hope they could overcome several hurdles to make a deal for Anthony. And none remains bigger than the fact the Nuggets prefer the Nets' package of players and draft picks over New York's assets.
Anthony has delivered mixed messages on his desire to sign a contract extension with the Nuggets. He's told two teammates he would ultimately be fine joining the Nets, and pushed his agent, Leon Rose, to help construct a package of players to go to the Nets with him. Nevertheless, Anthony has been wildly back and forth on his willingness to compromise with the Nets over the Knicks.
Denver general manager Masai Ujiri has twice moved to the cusp of a trade only to back away and press a reset button. It happened once in September in a four-team trade and again on Sunday night. Several rival team executives rolled their eyes over the Nuggets' tantrum directed at the Nets on Monday, mocking Denver for its threat to punish New Jersey for perceived leaks by trading Anthony to rival New York.
"Just for the sake of sanity, what would Denver do if Jersey told them, 'OK, go ahead and trade him to New York?' " one Eastern Conference front-office official said.
With so many moving parts, and so many people involved, that's a difficult proposition in this digital age. What's more, Ujiri has been making calls to Eastern and Western Conference teams trying to find a team to take New Jersey point guard Devin Harris(notes), league sources said. Harris is still a player the Nuggets don't control, and yet he's shopping him around the league. Those calls contribute to details escaping, but then Ujiri has never made a trade in the NBA and he's been thrust into one of the most volatile in the league's recent history.
Anthony is at the center of one more public brawl between the Nets and Knicks. New Jersey's corporate public-relations flak sent out a photo update on the construction of the Nets' new Brooklyn Arena with a declaration that it will be opening in the 2012-13 season. All along, Brooklyn has been the selling point for Anthony. He was born in Brooklyn and raised in Baltimore.
"They've sold him on being the 'guy' moving into Brooklyn, having the whole thing built and marketed around him," one league official said. "That appeals to him, but the Garden is still the Garden. It's New York."
For the Nets, they have a better case to be made selling a grainy construction photo than the young 7-footer that they promised Anthony, 26, would be a pillar beside him for the next decade. The regression of Brook Lopez(notes) hasn't gone unnoticed with Anthony. Lopez had been pitched to Anthony as a future 20-point, 10-rebound All-Star center. Only now, he's averaging 18 points and 5.9 rebounds. One former Nets coach believes Lopez suffered with the loss of Vince Carter(notes) and would greatly benefit playing next to Anthony. "He needs someone to take the pressure off him offensively," the coach said. "He's not ready to handle all that defensive attention."
Lopez's rebounding has always been an issue, but this season's drop has perplexed the Nets. Perhaps no player has struggled more with the trade cloud this season, but as one official said, "He's the one guy who never has never been in the talks and never will."
For now, the Nets stay in the discussions for Anthony, but the Knicks are still lurking in the distance. Amar'e Stoudemire sent one more message to the Nuggets star, and it was simple: Let's do this, 'Melo.
This is just for anyone who couldn't read into STAT's politically-correct drenched statements about not wanting another star in NYC when he was asked about it.


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Instead of taking the dog for a walk, this man breaks out his ice skates and goes for a skate with his dog.
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Legislation that would require facilities offering mammograms to also give patients information on breast density will be considered by state lawmakers.
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The advocacy group Are You Dense says five states have established similar laws, including New York, Texas and California. A recent study by the American Cancer Society showed that women with denser breasts had the same chances of breast cancer survival as patients with less dense breasts.


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text:
Our strategy
Improve community infrastructure, health, resiliency and economic opportunities in Indonesia's most challenging urban and coastal areas.
The context
About half of all Indonesians live on less than two dollars a day. Employment growth has been slower than population growth. Public services remain inadequate by middle-income standards, and health indicators are poor. The island is also one of the most disaster-prone nations in the world.
Our work
- Economic opportunity: Providing technical assistance, training and financial services to microfinance institutions throughout the country and helping spice farmers earn more income
- Health: Raising awareness and supporting mothers to practice and promote exclusive breastfeeding
- Water: Improving sanitation and hygiene in crowded urban areas with a mobile sludge removal service
- Disaster preparedness: Identifying and mapping areas at risk and helping those communities plan, train and practice how to respond when disasters occur
- Emergency response: Maintaining a response team ready to quickly deploy and provide immediate relief to survivors during the critical first months after a disaster strikes
All stories about Indonesia
Indonesia: Normally I don't like children. But today I had no choice!
As most of my colleagues will tell you, generally I'm not keen on kids. But today, celebrating Global Handwashing Day with more than 1,500 mothers and children in West Jakarta, I had to get over that pretty quickly.
Indonesia: Working in all levels for better disaster risk reduction initiatives
This Wednesday — October 13 — is International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction. It's a day to focus on disaster preparedness and resilience.
Indonesia: From gloom to loom
Indonesia: Recognition for our programs in West Sumatra
Indonesia: Smiles from Padang's orphans
September 8, 2010 was the last day of working in Mercy Corps West Sumatra before the office closed for the Eid al Fitri, marking the end of the holy month of Ramadhan. I joined the Urban Team in distributing supplies to the orphanages in and around the city of Padang.
Indonesia: Survey day
A day like any other, in a small village near the equator in West Sumatra, begins at 5 o'clock in the morning with a call on the loud speakers from the muezzin. As villagers pray to Allah, daybreak brings the inescapable heat that will stay until after nightfall.
Indonesia: "Is it healthy food or not?"
"Why, lately, has my child been commenting on the food that I cook, asking if is it healthy food or not?" was a mother's question. Yulaita, the principal of Aisyiyah Suka Ramai Kindergarten in Aceh recalls hearing the question — she's also been hearing similar question from her child.
Indonesia: World, meet these butterflies
When we first kicked off the Global Citizen Corps (GCC) program in Indonesia earlier this year, we didn't expect that more than 700 young people of Jakarta would apply to be GCC leaders in over a month period of recruitment.
Indonesia: Meet the lady farmers who produce coffee and breastfeed their babies!
Indonesia: Training of trainers opens the door for a new skill
I usually did not go to trainings as either speaker or facilitator. I admit that public speaking is not my thing, be it speaking to five persons or bigger crowds.


text:
ATF launches investigation into Milwaukee sting
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it plans to internally investigate a flawed sting operation in Milwaukee.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this week exposed a 10-month ATF storefront operation intended to bust felons for drug and gun offenses was marred by missteps. The newspaper reported that the ATF operation was robbed of $35,000 in merchandise, an agent's machine gun was stolen and a document listing undercover agents was left behind. Several key members of Congress are demanding answers.
ATF spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun told the Journal Sentinel the agency is reviewing the operation.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin joined other congressional members from both parties is demanding accountability. In her letter to Acting ATF Director B. Todd Jones, Baldwin repeatedly admonished the ATF for a "failed operation" in Milwaukee.
Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
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Read more… Read less…


text:
|DM Sinvel
Having decided to follow up on an offer for work, you find yourself approaching one of the more run down looking establishments in the Eastern District. Freeport has its share of truly forsaken buildings, and the Eastern district is far from the well-appointed dwellings of the Merchant District, but most buildings in this area are at least somewhat taken care of.
A sign swings on one hing back and forth in the breeze. You squint and care barely make out some words through the flaked paint on it enough to put together the name: Gentleman John's. You have a feeling that it has been quite a while since any gentlemen have frequented this bar. The wind wips up again, bringing with it the salty air filled with dead fish and gull droppings from The Docks to the south, and you decide to enter.
The place is almost vacant at this time of day, and you see someone sitting at a table on the far wall almost in an alcove. Laying on his table is a gold-colored flute and you remember the wanted advertisment you are answering which called for "Capabul persons of good intelekt" followed by "Golden flute at Gentleman John's mid afternoon" followed by "good pay". Looks like you made it to the right place.
An older man with only a few teeth lifts his head up from the table as you approach. "Ahhhhrggh...so you'd like ter find some work, were ya?" he says through squinted eyes in this fairly dark room. His breath reeks of cheap swill and he doesn't look well at all.
You have all decided to answer an ad that sounded interesting. Come on in and get acquainted with each other. A good description of what each of you look like and what you're wearing would be good.
Mishael, a lean woman with bronze skin and red-orange hair and fiery red eyes walks confidently into Gentleman John's. Spotting the old man with the golden flute, she begins to make her way back to the table while looking around the room. She's wearing leathers glistening with metal beads and a cutlass strapped to her side. A sash with countless pockets hangs across her chest and a battered tankard swings from her belt.
Perception Check:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Approaching the table and hearing his greeting, Mishael replies "Aye, old man. I might be interested in your work, especially if it proves...interesting. Tell me more."
|DM Sinvel
As you enter the tavern you notice the putrid smell of vomit permiating the room. The furniture is of various styles, none of it matching. Next to an unlit fireplace stands an 8' high statue of a pirate, which is badly mangled and pitted. More than a few knives and axes buried in various parts of the torso. There are no other customers, the only person who appears to be working is a boy standing behind the bar spit polishing the inside of a tankard.
"Well ain't ye a fancy lass? Aye, I do be havin' some good work fer ye, if ye`re able." he says before stopping to cough. "Have a seat and get yer a drink. We will get more swabbies comin' soon I`d say. I ain't gonna tell all of yous more than once. Work might be interesting, pays better than it should though."
The tall figure halts in the doorway, one leg left raised as if in readiness for flight.
Character Illustration:Island Elf(link)
As the Elf's large eyes seem to grow more accustomed to the change in illumination, she steps fully into the tavern. Dressed only in a shift and skirt, with a wide leather belt of some sort around her slender hips, it is not immediately apparent as to how she has avoided some of the more 'predatory' inhabitants of this part of town.
Though as she walks closer, the paired short swords that are sheathed in their scabbards across the middle of her back show that she is armed, enough to make any would be aggressors think at least twice.
As she she moves across the room, (Will Save:1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2) Her hands seem to reflexively grasp as her fingers dance at her sides.
As she steps up to the fellow behind his table her clothes are noticeably even more 'minimalist' than at first glance. The shirt is some thing made of faded thin canvas and the 'skirt' is no more than a large man's shirt wrapped and tied about her waist and thighs. She tilts her head in greeting to the other woman who has arrived before her.
"G'day t' ye." She says directly to the man however, "I be hearin' about some...venture, with th' tellin's of pay t' be had?" She asks, some-what directly, still standing as she awaits a response or offers to be seated. Weight resting on one leg, hand upon one hip. Said hand noticeably within casual reach of a sword hilt.
Hello! G'day t' ye an' glad I am t' meet'cha! Here's t' ADVENTURE! (^_^)
|DM Sinvel
"Well I`ll be, eyeball that! I ortin' ta put ou' help wanted ads more often!" the old man says as he slowly stands in a lame attempt at courtesy. "And how about them blades. I dasn't be havin' t' ask if ye be capable o' usin' them either. Please pull up a chair lassy."
He stares for a moment with a dumb smile on his face, then shakes his head a bit. "John! Get yer arse o'er here an' help these two fine ladies! They need them some drinks!"
|Kazmir "Bloody Flag" Voltiss
The door gives off a long creak as it opens slowly and suddenly a light crack of thunder could be heard., everyone looks at the doorway to see a tall and lean figure standing there draped in a blood stained flag and clutching a long sword's scabbard in his left hand. As he drifts towards the bar, rumors of the killer Bloody Flag trail behind him in whispers. As he gets closer to people they can see he is lightly equipped, but still in air of fear generates in the way he moves. A red bandana covers the lower part of his face, and his intense eyes almost look like dark voids with the stare he gives. His wild black hair flows all over and parts of his face are covered in fresh blood. He stops at the old man, after seeing the flute he gives an intimidating scowl towards the bar flies. Then brings his attention back to the man with flute and smacks his hand on the table and says in a muffled dark tone "…Work….". He will just stare him down.
The blood is from the butchers slaughter house to give off the illusion he was just in a fight Disguise:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Then Intimidate the crowd with my Scowl 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27.
Then an Intimidate to the old man as I ask for work. 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17
Suny blinks at the opening of the door. (The Tavern actually had one?) and watches the...figure...stalk across the room.
As He comes to stand before the fellow offering shiny's, Suny both leans back -away from the gore painted figure -as well as takes a keen interest.
perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Her fingers also continue to dance and weave, though now more in the direction of the newest addition to the establishment. (Yes, more of Suny's magic being spread about. (^_^) )
Mishael involuntarily takes a short step back, pauses for a moment, and then shaking her head swears "Sweet Barleybrew! If that ain't Bawdy Flag..."
Stepping back up to the table, she reaches for her hip, sweeps the tankard off her belt with a flourish and slams it down on the table next to Bloody Flag's hand. "John, I'll take a black rum. Old man, let's talk about that work. It just got interestin'."
Mishael drops into a chair next to the old man, tips back in her seat and sweeps her boots onto the table. Then, with a dismissive glance toward the elf says "Honey, you're surely out of your league. You best get your bum back to Kafe Ilkin to sing pretty songs with the pretty boys.
Waving her hand at Bloody Flag, she says "Black Flag, you simply must have a seat darlin'. I can't wait to hear your story. But first, let's hear about your work old man."
At the woman's words, 'The Elf' raises an eyebrow.
"An' jus' whut do it be 'at makes ye be so dismissive o' a kin such as me?" Suny asks casually, turning a little and eying the bar to gander at what else they have on offer to drink. Then to the fellow with the flute,
"Also, whut do it be that yer offerin shiny fer th' doin' of?" She gives him a smile as well. =)
|Kazmir "Bloody Flag" Voltiss
|DM Sinvel
I'm still waiting for the other two to show up. Looks like he is intimidated now so I suppose he'll spill his guts.
John the barkeep growls as he turns around and walks back to the bar. He was on his way with two dented-up mugs of some type of beverage before he heard Mishael ask for some black rum.
Suny looks for other types of drink behind the sparse bar but can only see five barrels of ale. John picks up a bottle of some cloudy looking liquid and pours it into a small cup and brings the two drinks back to the table, setting them down. He looks nervously at his new blood-covered patron.
The old man begins "Yes, well...th' job. `Tis fairly simple really. I need ye all t' find a feller fer me. Seems he has disappeared without a word to t' ere."
"John, get me a hair o' th' dog...an' get this man here one too. Maybe a rag too fer his face. Put it on me bill." He stops for another cough, and spits out a wheeze-induced phlegm-filled substance on the floor. "My name be Jack Pepper, but I go by Pepper t' sea dogs an' land lubbers around here. What ye say we do some introductions?"
|DM Sinvel
|Silas Vayn
A weary but capable looking young man enters the room, peering about as if he'd seen a ghost, his blonde hair disheveled. Upon seeing Bloody Flag here, he whistles in appreciation. I thought I'd find some interesting work here, but hell, if I'd known I'd be working with Bloody Flag here, maybe I'd have come in a bit sooner."
The man wears an old chain shirt underneath a sailor's jerkin and a tattered, long naval coat. Most of the color has been robbed from it by mud and sun, painting the image of the man that of a general brown tone. His boots, at least, are in fine repair, and make little sound as he crosses the room. He wears a dagger in each boot and another at his right side. His left is occupied by a longsword, shaped like a long cutlass
As he sits, he calls for the house brew. "Looks like I'll be working up quite the thirst here. So, old man, what are we waiting on?"
|DM Sinvel
Pepper looks up to Silas as he takes the day's first sip of the previous night's poison. "Aye, lad, 'ave a seat." he says as he pushes a flimsy chair in Silas' direction. "This be definitely a fine bunch, but we will add another. Canna be havin' too many if, by chance, ye run into one o' them gangs o' hoodlums that hang on ever' corner. I think five o' ya will do fine. Ah, here comes someone else now."
As the latest candidate walks into the door it becomes apparent to all that this one isn't cut out for much beyond swabbing the floor. Looking no older than 16, he has poor clothing and no visible armor. A shortsword that is in bad need of repair hangs in his belt.
As he approaches the table, he isn't able to mutter more than an "I'm here for the..." before Pepper lets into him. "out o' here, boy! Ye ain`t cut ou' fer th' kind o' work I got!"
"Well, looks like we`ll be waitin' a bit longer."
Thank'e DM Sinvel
At Kazmir's prompting, the old man begins "Yes, well...th' job. `Tis fairly simple really. I need ye all t' find a feller fer me. Seems he has disappeared without a word to t' ere."
"John, get me a hair o' th' dog...an' get this man here one too. Maybe a rag too fer his face. Put it on me bill." He stops for another cough, and spits out a wheeze-induced phlegm-filled substance on the floor.
"My name be Jack Pepper, but I go by Pepper t' sea dogs an' land lubbers around here. What ye say we do some introductions?" He then pauses as another presence comes into the room.
"Aye, lad, 'ave a seat." He says as he pushes a flimsy chair in Silas' direction.
"This be definitely a fine bunch, but we will add another. Canna be havin' too many if, by chance, ye run into one o' them gangs o' hoodlums that hang on ever' corner. I think five o' ya will do fine. Ah, here comes someone else now." As the latest candidate walks into the door it becomes apparent to all that this one isn't cut out for much beyond swabbing the floor. Looking no older than 16, he has poor clothing and no visible armor. A shorts-word that is in bad need of repair hangs in his belt. As he approaches the table, he isn't able to mutter more than an
"I'm here for the..." Before Pepper lets into him.
"Out o' here, boy! Ye ain`t cut ou' fer th' kind o' work I got!"
"Well, looks like we`ll be waitin' a bit longer."
Suny nods to the Silas as the man joins them, also offering a cheery grin to the 'Boy' who is given perhaps a shorter shrift than need be by Pepper.
She picks up on Pepper's question about who's and where fores. Folding her bare brown legs beneath herself upon her chair as she accepts whatever mug of drink is placed before her.
"M' name be 'Suny' in th' name o' th' folk here abouts an' I hale from a place a tad further away than t'others ye've gathered." She nods and smiles kindheartedly at every one. Indicating herself and her rather spare garb with which she has presented herself she continues, "I must admit t' only comin' along in me more 'relaxed' stuff. Ye're missive said nuthin' about sailin wi' any tides...." She points out to Pepper.
"As few whut I c'n do? Hold m'elf in'a fight fer one an' maybe most important." She indicates the short swords at her back and then waves her fingers with a hum at Kazmir and her minor arcane powers help make his demeanor a little more 'presentable'.
"Like most o' m' kin, I've a touch o' th' gift as well." She explains. "Nothin' fancy though...And finally, I be a of a kin who're at home on'a sand an' in'a surf." She sits back and takes a sample of the grog, though still watching the others reactions.
"It c'n make fer...interestin'..tactics if'n it come t' boardin' actions." She suggests.
Mishael slowly rocks back and forth on the chair. She grabs the offered cup, takes a deep sniff of the rum...
Perception check:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Not smelling a thing, she tips the cup into her tankard and proceeds to have a drink of the questionable beverage.
"Names Mishael folks. Y'all can call me Misha."
Taking a dubious look at Suny she drawls, "Hey Suny, you sure you don't want to run off w' the little boy? Swords don't make the swordsman. Though I must admit, that little trick might eventually make Bleak Flag here presentable in public."
Taking a look over Silas's naval coat she asks, "So, what's your story sailor? Grab a drink and tell us more while we wait for whoever the old man's expecting."
"Names Mishael folks. Y'all can call me Misha."Taking a dubious look at Suny she drawls,
"Hey Suny, you sure you don't want to run off w' the little boy? Swords don't make the swordsman. Though I must admit, that little trick might eventually make Bleak Flag here presentable in public." Taking a look over Silas's naval coat she asks,
"So, what's your story sailor? Grab a drink and tell us more while we wait for whoever the old man's expecting."
Not wanting the other woman's comment to slide Suny chirps up,
"Th' fact I in't a feller then be a much better mark fer me usin' me sharp an' pointy-s, hey? As fer time spent wi' others? I'll be relaxin' aplenty when we's got our share o' shiny." She glances in the direction the lad has gone,
"A'sides...how d'ye know th' lad be little?" She asks quietly with a mischievous wink in Mishael's direction. Then looks to Silas Vayn with a nod.(^_~)
|Kazmir "Bloody Flag" Voltiss
"They call me Bloody Flag, rumors dip into my dark soul but the truths would drive you insane. That's all you need to know about me." He sits and broods as we wait for the last member.
With a wicked smirk at Suny, Mishael replies, "Oh sweetie. You think you need gold to get a man? You're not that plain. As for the boy, I guess you just had eyes for his sword and ass and didn't notice those tiny feet. Perhaps you should stick around. You might learn something."
Turning to Bloody Flag she laughs, "Ha! Well, the rumors of your charming disposition are certainly true. I guess we'll see about your soul."
|DM Sinvel
Misha sips her drink cautiously and finds that she can't quite place what it contains. It may have some rum in it, but not very much. The others who drink the ale find that it, on the other hand, is fairly strong and bitter with a thick consistency.
Small talk continues for a while before Pepper starts to look as restless as the rest of the group. "Well, let`s get started. Like I spake earlier, ye`ll be lookin' fer a gent. Dasn't know what happened t' th' lad's, but he be missin' fer nearly a week now an' none o' th' bodies they be havin' pulled ou' o' th' water so far (Knowledge local) appear t' be th' his."
The cities biggest party of the year, Swagfest, happened about a week ago. Swagfest is an annual holiday in Freeport to celebrate the time long ago when pirate lords actually ruled the city. Two famous pirates, Captain Drac and Captain Francisco, joined forces and went on a three month raid called The Great Raid and returned to the city with untold riches.
|DM Sinvel
Uh, that seems t' be a tad on'a short side o' knowin' things, oh Master DM, Sir....Y'know, given th' place's penchant fer skullduggery an' all....Jus' sayin'....(¬_¬)
"So, we find this feller an' then....?" Suny asks, sipping at her ale...
|DM Sinvel
|DM Sinvel
Will Save:1d20 ⇒ 15
Suny blinks, nods and stands. Reaching a sun browned arm towards Pepper, she offers for him to shake,
"Aye, we have an accord." She says. Then after they've shaken to seal the deal, Suny steps back and awaits the others to have their say and make their piece.
|Silas Vayn
"Well lady, it isn't really much of a story. Father was a naval officer, mother was, well, very friendly for the right price. Don't be bothered by it, I ain't. Spent my early years playing in filthy alleyways with beggar children. Grew up on stories of navy life from the times that dear old dad stopped by, and enlisted when I came of age. Didn't take too long for me to decide that I didn't like all that strict military life, though, and got myself discharged soon enough afterwards. Somehow, I found myself a place here in Freeport as a problem solver, I guess you could say. Most of the time I hunt men down and bring 'em back, but sometimes they just want the people dead."
Silas takes a long drink, and nods in satisfaction. "Finest cheap swill I've had in quite a while. Excellent stuff."
|Kazmir "Bloody Flag" Voltiss
"What's this garbage look like? I buried my blade in a man earlier today, the corpse is close." He lets out an evil chuckle, "I could use some easy money." Bloody Flagg just stares down Pepper, trying to force out information.
Intimidate:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23
Bluff:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Let me know if you want me to do this stuff a different way.
Glancing at Silas, Mishael remarks, "Interesting. Might have a problem, we could work on together if this all works out."
Turning back to Pepper, Mishael looks him right in the eye and says, "Aye old man. I'm in. I'll help ya find the lad, but I agree with Blue Flag here. Perhaps you better start with a little more about his name, or what he looks like, or where ya last saw 'im."
And then, with a turn to Bloody Flag she grins, "Or maybe we just start with your dead man?"
Suny sighs and mutters, "No call on propriety, these mob..." She shifts from foot to foot (Crossing one arm over her front to hug a shoulder and the other around her back to hug her waist.) as she waits a little longer for developments to unfold.
At last a woman covered in exotic eastern flowing gowns enters the bar, most definitely out of place in this bar. Her nose is held aloft as she sniffs and looks down on the surroundings. The yellow and orange chiffon head gear covers what looks like soft golden hair. On her shoulders a well made gown, sweeps down to the floor, offering glimpses of a shapely and long legged figure underneath. Around her neck, she wear a necklace of semi-precious stones, jet and amber which holds at its end the body of wasp captured in a large amber stone. She appears to have no weapons showing, yet as she walks towards the group, it is with the confidence of one who knows how to look after herself. All eyes in the bar follow her, yet she seems happy, almost pleased to have been noticed by everyone.
"Such a wretched place, even for a port such as this. I nearly didn't come, but there may be something in it for me, so here I am. You may call me 'my lady Karsielle'" then looking down at the man with the flute, her eyes sparkle and twinkle and her mouth gives the faint suggestion of a smile, "Though I doubt your reward is enough gold to make me happy, it maybe fun to travel with those you have gathered to your table."
Her eyes, as blue and bright as the sapphires of the ancient worlds, rich deep and enticing, take in each one of you in turn. As her gaze falls on your face, you know you are being weighed up and assessed, but for what ends, you cannot tell.
As she looks a 'Bloody Flag', a long and slender leg appears through the crack in the gown, tight black boots encase her leg, up above her knee, then as soon as it appears the sight is gone, and the tip of a leather whip appears. She addresses 'Black Flag', "One day, maybe I shall count you as a friend." see smiles at him, her thin ruby lips tighten revealing beautiful white teeth.
To the rest she seems almost to treat you with disdain, and continues, "and I look forward to joining you all in this .... " her voice deepens as she says questioningly "adventure."
Suddenly she turns away, raises a slender arm in the air and snaps her fingers, "Wine, if its bareable to drink." When the wine arrives, she says a few words and touches the goblet, before sniffing and tasting the awful liquid.
Casts Purify food and drink on the wine, to take the worst of the impurities from it.
Diplomacy 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 = 17 includes charming trait on Pepper.
If there's a chance the Karsielle would know of the man to be found, and his whereabouts would interest Karsielle's elven society, then it would make her reason for joining this group of adventurers very worthwhile. If that's possible, can we roll with it?
Making headway on the character sheet should be ready soon, skills should be about right.
|DM Sinvel
"His name be Captain Montrose an' he be somewhat o' a unique lookin' gentl'man. He be very large, maybe near 300 pounds, an' tall, standin' somewhere between a 6 an' 7 feet. He has nay hair on top his head, but sports a large bushy beard on his face. He be usually dressed in fine red clothin' wi' two large hoop earrings danglin' from his ears." Pepper stops then asks Bloody Flag with a wink "This sound like th' poor fella ye jus' tookst down?"
"Although its possible that he would change his appearance once he got t' runnin' th' streets. Maybe disguise hisself, change his clothes or somethin'. He be last seen by his crew rowin' ou' t' Freeport from his ship docked half a league ou' in th' port, goin' ou' fer a night on th' town by hisself." he says before stopping to take a large gulp of ale.
"His first mate done look through th' jails o' th' Watch, but he ain`t thar. Although 'tis possible they tookst th' lad's somewhere special, him bein' a pearl merchant an' all."
They never dock ashore and aren't bound to the city's taxation laws. Acting in part as floating pawnshops, they deal in all coins tendered, as well as weapons, jewelry, and other goods. They purchase coins and goods in pearls, thus easily laundering thousands in gold pieces each year and earning them the wrath of the city Watch.
OK, we're all here! Feel free to ask Pepper more questions.
"All right Pepper! A few questions...what's your relationship to this Captain Montrose that makes him worth 5000 doubloons to ya? What do ya know about his favored drinking establishments? And who's his first mate and where can we find him?"
She takes a glance at the dubious rum and asks, "And, what makes you think he might be on the run?"
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Suny nods at Pepper's description of Montrose and as the rest of the details come to light she adds her knowledge of the local customs to build up a better picture in her mind.
She nods and smiles at the last woman who's entered, though her gaze also sweeps around the rest of the tavern as well as she 'keeps an eye' on the Bartender and the young lad who also offered his services.
Perception:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10
"Hmm...so th' feller be involved in pearls..." Suny muses quietly, "Well, that done opens up a whole barrel o' kippers..." Her lips purse in thought. Then she blinks and glances at the others,
"Does this mean we've all got an accord?" She asks, "I dun't actually see any one else give they word, nor shake on it.' She points out.
|Kazmir "Bloody Flag" Voltiss
Knowledge(local):1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
He gives Karsielle an intrested look to her comment then catches himself and quickly focuses back to Pepper.
"The lad that met my blade was not this Captain."He replies to Pepper. He looks over at Suny and says "I haven't left or killed this man that shows my acceptance of this job, elf."
He looks over at Suny and says "I haven't left or killed this man that shows my acceptance of this job, elf."
Suny just raises an eyebrow, "Oh good-O! Wouldn't want t' rush ye. I've gots a long life ahead o' me, not sure whether t'other folks mind waitin..." She smiles sweetly at Kazmir,
"Y'know, th' feller we's goin' t' be lookin' fer could be high tailin' it even farther away while we wait." She holds up a hand, "Agin, not t' rush ye, or nuthin'..." She looks away now seeming bored,
"Th' heavens forbid folks show a touch o' civility..." She mutters.
Whut's th' young-ish lad doin'? DM Sinvel.
"Hey Suny, since you can seem to keep your eyes off the door that banged that little boy in the tail, why don't you go track him down and see if he has any leads. I think I heard he was headed for Bloodsalt. We'll meet up with you tonight at Krom's Throat." Mishael leans back in her chair and turns back to Pepper.
"Well Pepper, seems you've got four steady hands that know their way about Freeport and one just off the boat. You know Freeport's not the best place to run off without a little more background. Tell us a little more about Montrose's story..."
|DM Sinvel
"Hey Suny, since you can seem to keep your eyes off the door that banged that little boy in the tail, why don't you go track him down and see if he has any leads. I think I heard he was headed for Bloodsalt. We'll meet up with you tonight at Krom's Throat." Mishael leans back in her chair and turns back to Pepper.
"Aye, well I be meanin' t' catch up wi' th' feller, if jus' t' see whut his interest were." Suny nods to Mishael. "I'll compare charts with ye t'nigh, then?" She turns and skips off with a cheery smile, a jaunty wave and a swish of skirt.
A late Happy Father's Day from the far side of the world! (^_^)
Karsielle, moves back and watches. Turning to Silas she whispers in his ear, "It seems these 'ladies' have things under control. So handsome, shall we be earning some gold together on this?" She winks, "I hope so." The waft of sweet perfume leaves Silas, as her head moves away. She looks back, before directing her questions to Pepper.
"Cap'n Pepper", she reaches over, letting her perfume swirl into his nostrils. "It seems my compatriots have the right questions, but other than the guard, who was Captain Montrose upsetting this time. I'm sure his business might not be all it should be, so who do you think is interested in making him disappear?"
Oh and a belated Father's Day, although I'm postponing mine for a week until next Saturday when I'll be off to see my daughter for some special family time. Only a few weeks to go before she graduates.
|DM Sinvel
"Well, that`s jus' it. Captain Montrose has nay reason nay t' return t' his ship. He has mounds o' laundered treasure thar, what wi' th' lad's bein' a pearl merchant an' all. Now th' fact that he launders treasure make th' lad's o' interest t' th' Watch. Sea Lord Maeorgan dasn't exactly like losin' ou' on th' lass' share o' taxes."
"If you ask me he is a fool to go out into the city alone. But he is always wanting to show how brave he is. I've known him for a few years, but it is his first mate, Squinty, who is setting up the reward. I'm acting in his favor since he is scared to death about entering the city now that his captain has disappeared."
"As far as places he would go. Its been told that he frequents Th' Last Resort and Salon du Masque in The Merchant District. And The Black Rose tavern in the Old City."
Mishael tips her chair back forward again, setting the legs back on the ground with a "THUD"
"Thanks Pepper. Have to agree with you about a man like this going into the city alone. Sounds like most of us are ready to do what we can to help you out."
Turning to Silas, she says, "Sounds like you have the most experience of any of us hunting down men...any more questions? If not, any thoughts on which of those spots might be best to start?"
Not waiting for an answer, she turns back to Pepper, "When we find this captain for you and Squinty, I take it we should get him back to his ship?"
|DM Sinvel
Suny runs after the boy who just left Gentleman John's after being humiliated. It doesn't take her long to find him, he is crouched down in an alley across the street, sobbing.
When you approach him he recognizes you from the group and starts babbling "That old loaded t' th' gunwhales dasn't know I be nay cut ou' fer this type o' work! I be pretty capable myself. Plus, I need th' work. Me mom done port us an' me wee lassie sister be mighty sick. Some sort o' fever has had fer quite a while."
It's clear to you that this boy wouldn't be able to handle himself in any sort of scuffle. He is quite thin and his shoes have holes in them.
[ooc]He was just looking for some work since he was in bad need of money. He has never heard of Captain Montrose.
"What say we go an' have a gander at her sister, then I'll see how me funds are goin' an' we'll see t' gettin' some one t' look after her, hey?' She says standing and offering him a hand up.
"M'name be 'Suny' t' folk, since people tryin' t' say it th' Kin way tend t' either get it completely bummed about, or find it too long t' be callin' out in'a fight." She grins, "Whut is it ye're known by, then?" She asks as they begin to walk along. (So yes, a little side trip to sorting out and seeing to the sick waif. A good turn done now might have a good investment paying off in the future. (^_~) He may not have heard of Montrose, but there are other things he may have heard of/know about. This seems to be the kind of job to come at all 'sideways' like. Not rovin' in, ports open and broad-sides ablaze!
"So did Squinty know anything about Cap'n Montrose's current work, you nkow who he's been dealing with recently? Otherwise, it looks like we are on our way to seek out his movements." says the woman as she takes out s small mirror, looks into it and straightens her hair, tucking one or two strands that have fallen down, back into their rightful place.


text: Hi mommies! I'm new on here. I have a 10 week old. We just recently weaned from a nipple shield about 2 weeks ago. When on the shield LO had "normal" looking bm (yellow, orangeish) And had only a bit of gas. Normal I know. Well now that we have ditched the shield her poos are now green and is much more gassier and a bit fussier. I know this means too much fore milk but she won't stay latched for more than 5 mins. I've waited it out a bit thinking she'll get the hang of nursing w/out the shield but everything looks fine when she's latched. No soreness and she takes the breast well. Should I still wait it out or should I see a LC. She's been gaining good weight and has enough wet diapers. Not a lot of poos though. Maybe everyother day. I'm lost. I tried so hard to ditch the shield thinking things would be easier but now I'm worried. Any advice is appreciated!! T.I.A


text:
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Springfield, Ill. The Illinois State Board of Education
(ISBE) has announced that Ridgeland School District #122
in Oak Lawn made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2003-2004,
meeting all the assessment and accountability requirements
under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Ridgeland
School District #122 was initially labeled as not making
AYP in ISBEs December 2004 announcement of Illinois
2003-2004 district and school results.
Upon the districts appeal and ISBE staffs
review of the districts data, discrepancies in Ridgeland
School District #122 data were corrected. After these
corrections, ISBE has found that the district made AYP
in 2003-2004.
The districts successful appeal is extremely important,
as AYP is the critical measure of success under the federal
No Child Left Behind law.
Illinois State Board of Education
100 North First Street
Springfield, IL 62777


text:
Shakespeare's treatment of love in the play is complex and multifaceted. He uses love in its many guises to thread together the key relationships in the play.
Fickle Love
Some characters fall in and out of love very quickly in Romeo and Juliet. For example, Romeo is in love with Rosaline at the start of the play, which is presented as an immature infatuation. Today, we might use the term "puppy love" to describe this. Romeo's love for Rosaline is shallow and nobody really believes that it will last, including Friar Laurence:
Romeo. Thou chid'st me oft for loving Rosaline.
Friar Laurence. For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.
Similarly, Paris' love for Juliet is borne out of tradition, not passion. He has identified her as a good candidate for a wife and approaches her father to arrange the marriage. Although this was the tradition at the time, it also says something about Paris' staid attitude towards love. He even admits to Friar Laurence that in his haste to rush the wedding through he hasn't discussed it with his bride-to-be:
Friar Laurence. On Thursday, sir? the time is very short.
Paris. My father Capulet will have it so;
And I am nothing slow to slack his haste.
Friar Laurence. You say you do not know the lady's mind:
Uneven is the course, I like it not.
Paris. Immoderately she weeps for Tybalt's death,
And therefore have I little talked of love;
Romantic Love
Our classic idea of romantic love is embodied in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare presents this as a force of nature, so strong that it transcends societal conventions. This idea is established in the play's prologue with the line "a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life."
Perhaps Romeo and Juliet's love is fate – there love is given cosmic significance which can therefore overturn the social boundaries of "fair Verona." Their love is disallowed by the Capulet and Montague households, and Juliet is to marry Paris – Yet, they inevitably find themselves drawn together.
Other Types of Love
Many of the friendships in the play are as sincere as Romeo and Juliet's love for one another. The close relationships between Juliet and her Nurse, and between Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio are meaningful and heartfelt. They care deeply for another and protect each others honor – this ultimately costs Mercutio his life.
This platonic love is offset by the sexual innuendos made by some characters – particularly Juliet's Nurse and Mercutio. Their view of love is earthy and purely sexual, creating an effective contrast with Romeo and Juliet's romanticism.
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."
—Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene V
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare explores the theme of fate by allowing the audience to be party to his characters' destiny. In the opening lines of the play the audience is told what is going to happen to the lovers: "a pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life." Throughout the story, the audience is put in an omnipotent, god-like position from the start encouraging them to think about fate and to what extent our actions are free.
Because we know Romeo and Juliet's fate from the outset we are constantly hoping that they will take a different course – perhaps that Romeo will arrive just after Juliet has woken. However, their fate is sealed and we are forced to question our own destiny and ability to make free choices.
When Mercutio shouts "a plague on both your houses" in Act 3, Scene 1, we are reminded of the protagonists' fate. This bloody scene in which characters are killed gives us a glimpse of what fate has in store, marking the beginning of Romeo and Juliet's tragic downfall.
Fate permeates the events and speeches in the play. Is it fate that Friar Lawrence's plan to inform Romeo of Juliet's faked death is not realized due to unforeseen circumstances? Is it fate that Romeo kills himself when he does?
Romeo and Juliet see omens throughout the play, continually reminding the audience of their fate. Their death is a catalyst for change in Verona: the dueling families are united in their grief creating a political shift in the city. Perhaps Romeo and Juliet were fated to love and die for the greater good of Verona.
"O, I am fortune's fool!"
—Romeo, Act III Scene I
Duality (light and dark)
Scholars have long noted Shakespeare's widespread use of light and dark imagery throughout the play. Caroline Spurgeon considers the theme of light as "symbolic of the natural beauty of young love" and later critics have expanded on this interpretation. For example, both Romeo and Juliet see the other as light in a surrounding darkness. Romeo describes Juliet as being like the sun, brighter than a torch, a jewel sparkling in the night, and a bright angel among dark clouds. Even when she lies apparently dead in the tomb, he says her "beauty makes This vault a feasting presence full of light." Juliet describes Romeo as "day in night" and "Whiter than snow upon a raven's back."This contrast of light and dark can be expanded as symbols—contrasting love and hate, youth and age in a metaphoric way. Sometimes these intertwining metaphors create dramatic irony. For example, Romeo and Juliet's love is a light in the midst of the darkness of the hate around them, but all of their activity together is done in night and darkness, while all of the feuding is done in broad daylight. This paradox of imagery adds atmosphere to the moral dilemma facing the two lovers: loyalty to family or loyalty to love. At the end of the story, when the morning is gloomy and the sun hiding its face for sorrow, light and dark have returned to their proper places, the outward darkness reflecting the true, inner darkness of the family feud out of sorrow for the lovers. All characters now recognise their folly in light of recent events, and things return to the natural order, thanks to the love of Romeo and Juliet. The "light" theme in the play is also heavily connected to the theme of time, since light was a convenient way for Shakespeare to express the passage of time through descriptions of the sun, moon, and stars.
"O brawling love, O loving hate,
O any thing of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!"
Romeo–Act I
Time plays an important role in the language and plot of the play. Both Romeo and Juliet struggle to maintain an imaginary world void of time in the face of the harsh realities that surround them. For instance, when Romeo swears his love to Juliet by the moon, she protests "O swear not by the moon, th'inconstant moon, / That monthly changes in her circled orb, / Lest that thy love prove likewise variable." From the very beginning, the lovers are designated as "star-cross'd" referring to an astrologic belief associated with time. Stars were thought to control the fates of humanity, and as time passed, stars would move along their course in the sky, also charting the course of human lives below. Romeo speaks of a foreboding he feels in the stars' movements early in the play, and when he learns of Juliet's death, he defies the stars' course for him.
Another central theme is haste: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet spans a period of four to six days, in contrast to Brooke's poem's spanning nine months. Scholars such as G. Thomas Tanselle believe that time was "especially important to Shakespeare" in this play, as he used references to "short-time" for the young lovers as opposed to references to "long-time" for the "older generation" to highlight "a headlong rush towards doom". Romeo and Juliet fight time to make their love last forever. In the end, the only way they seem to defeat time is through a death that makes them immortal through art.
"These times of woe afford no time to woo."—Paris, Act III Scene IV
Criticism and interpretation
Critical history
The earliest known critic of the play was diarist Samuel Pepys, who wrote in 1662: "it is a play of itself the worst that I ever heard in my life." Poet John Dryden wrote 10 years later in praise of the play and its comic character Mercutio: "Shakespear show'd the best of his skill in his Mercutio, and he said himself, that he was forc'd to kill him in the third Act, to prevent being killed by him." Criticism of the play in the 18th century was less sparse, but no less divided. Publisher Nicholas Rowe was the first critic to ponder the theme of the play, which he saw as the just punishment of the two feuding families. In mid-century, writer Charles Gildon and philosopher Lord Kames argued that the play was a failure in that it did not follow the classical rules of drama: the tragedy must occur because of some character flaw, not an accident of fate. Writer and critic Samuel Johnson, however, considered it one of Shakespeare's "most pleasing" plays.
In the later part of the 18th and through the 19th century, criticism centred on debates over the moral message of the play. Actor and playwright David Garrick's 1748 adaptation excluded Rosaline: Romeo abandoning her for Juliet was seen as fickle and reckless. Critics such as Charles Dibdin argued that Rosaline had been purposely included in the play to show how reckless the hero was, and that this was the reason for his tragic end. Others argued that Friar Laurence might be Shakespeare's spokesman in his warnings against undue haste. With the advent of the 20th century, these moral arguments were disputed by critics such as Richard Green Moulton: he argued that accident, and not some character flaw, led to the lovers' deaths.
Dramatic structure
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare employs several dramatic techniques that have garnered praise from critics; most notably the abrupt shifts from comedy to tragedy (an example is the punning exchange between Benvolio and Mercutio just before Tybalt arrives). Before Mercutio's death in Act three, the play is largely a comedy. After his accidental demise, the play suddenly becomes serious and takes on a tragic tone. When Romeo is banished, rather than executed, and Friar Laurence offers Juliet a plan to reunite her with Romeo, the audience can still hope that all will end well. They are in a "breathless state of suspense" by the opening of the last scene in the tomb: If Romeo is delayed long enough for the Friar to arrive, he and Juliet may yet be saved. These shifts from hope to despair, reprieve, and new hope, serve to emphasise the tragedy when the final hope fails and both the lovers die at the end.
Shakespeare also uses sub-plots to offer a clearer view of the actions of the main characters. For example, when the play begins, Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who has refused all of his advances. Romeo's infatuation with her stands in obvious contrast to his later love for Juliet. This provides a comparison through which the audience can see the seriousness of Romeo and Juliet's love and marriage. Paris' love for Juliet also sets up a contrast between Juliet's feelings for him and her feelings for Romeo. The formal language she uses around Paris, as well as the way she talks about him to her Nurse, show that her feelings clearly lie with Romeo. Beyond this, the sub-plot of the Montague–Capulet feud overarches the whole play, providing an atmosphere of hate that is the main contributor to the play's tragic end.
Shakespeare uses a variety of poetic forms throughout the play. He begins with a 14-line prologue in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet, spoken by a Chorus. Most of Romeo and Juliet is, however, written in blank verse, and much of it in strict iambic pentameter, with less rhythmic variation than in most of Shakespeare's later plays. In choosing forms, Shakespeare matches the poetry to the character who uses it. Friar Laurence, for example, uses sermon and sententiae forms, and the Nurse uses a unique blank verse form that closely matches colloquial speech. Each of these forms is also moulded and matched to the emotion of the scene the character occupies. For example, when Romeo talks about Rosaline earlier in the play, he attempts to use the Petrarchan sonnet form. Petrarchan sonnets were often used by men to exaggerate the beauty of women who were impossible for them to attain, as in Romeo's situation with Rosaline. This sonnet form is used by Lady Capulet to describe Count Paris to Juliet as a handsome man. When Romeo and Juliet meet, the poetic form changes from the Petrarchan (which was becoming archaic in Shakespeare's day) to a then more contemporary sonnet form, using "pilgrims" and "saints" as metaphors. Finally, when the two meet on the balcony, Romeo attempts to use the sonnet form to pledge his love, but Juliet breaks it by saying "Dost thou love me?" By doing this, she searches for true expression, rather than a poetic exaggeration of their love. Juliet uses monosyllabic words with Romeo, but uses formal language with Paris. Other forms in the play include an epithalamium by Juliet, a rhapsody in Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, and an elegy by Paris.Shakespeare saves his prose style most often for the common people in the play, though at times he uses it for other characters, such as Mercutio. Humour, also, is important: scholar Molly Mahood identifies at least 175 puns and wordplays in the text. Many of these jokes are sexual in nature, especially those involving Mercutio and the Nurse.
Psychoanalytic criticism
Early psychoanalytic critics saw the problem of Romeo and Juliet in terms of Romeo's impulsiveness, deriving from "ill-controlled, partially disguised aggression", which leads both to Mercutio's death and to the double suicide. Romeo and Juliet is not considered to be exceedingly psychologically complex, and sympathetic psychoanalytic readings of the play make the tragic male experience equivalent with sicknesses. Norman Holland, writing in 1966, considers Romeo's dream as a realistic "wish fulfilling fantasy both in terms of Romeo's adult world and his hypothetical childhood at stages oral, phallic and oedipal" – while acknowledging that a dramatic character is not a human being with mental processes separate from those of the author. Critics such as Julia Kristeva focus on the hatred between the families, arguing that this hatred is the cause of Romeo and Juliet's passion for each other. That hatred manifests itself directly in the lovers' language: Juliet, for example, speaks of "my only love sprung from my only hate" and often expresses her passion through an anticipation of Romeo's death. This leads on to speculation as to the playwright's psychology, in particular to a consideration of Shakespeare's grief for the death of his son, Hamnet.
Feminist criticism
Feminist literary critics argue that the blame for the family feud lies in Verona's patriarchal society. For Coppélia Kahn, for example, the strict, masculine code of violence imposed on Romeo is the main force driving the tragedy to its end. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo shifts into this violent mode, regretting that Juliet has made him so "effeminate". In this view, the younger males "become men" by engaging in violence on behalf of their fathers, or in the case of the servants, their masters. The feud is also linked to male virility, as the numerous jokes about maidenheads aptly demonstrate. Juliet also submits to a female code of docility by allowing others, such as the Friar, to solve her problems for her. Other critics, such as Dympna Callaghan, look at the play's feminism from a historicist angle, stressing that when the play was written the feudal order was being challenged by increasingly centralised government and the advent of capitalism. At the same time, emerging Puritan ideas about marriage were less concerned with the "evils of female sexuality" than those of earlier eras, and more sympathetic towards love-matches: when Juliet dodges her father's attempt to force her to marry a man she has no feeling for, she is challenging the patriarchal order in a way that would not have been possible at an earlier time.
Queer theory
Critics utilizing queer theory have examined the sexuality of Mercutio and Romeo, comparing their friendship with sexual love. Mercutio, in friendly conversation, mentions Romeo's phallus, suggesting traces of homoeroticism. An example is his joking wish "To raise a spirit in his mistress' circle … letting it there stand / Till she had laid it and conjured it down." Romeo's homoeroticism can also be found in his attitude to Rosaline, a woman who is distant and unavailable and brings no hope of offspring. As Benvolio argues, she is best replaced by someone who will reciprocate. Shakespeare's procreation sonnets describe another young man who, like Romeo, is having trouble creating offspring and who may be seen as being a homosexual. Gender critics believe that Shakespeare may have used Rosaline as a way to express homosexual problems of procreation in an acceptable way. In this view, when Juliet says "…that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet", she may be raising the question of whether there is any difference between the beauty of a man and the beauty of a woman.
Source: http://shakespeare.about.com/od/romeoandjuliet/tp/Romeo_and_Juliet_Study_Guide.htm
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet


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What is in this article?:
- Assuring safe produce is key for industry
- Reality of recall
- When health professionals and dieticians encourage consumers to "eat your vegetables," they want to make certain that the products are not only nutritious but safe as well.
When health professionals and dieticians encourage consumers to "eat your vegetables," they want to make certain that the products are not only nutritious but safe as well.
"We always want to be confident of the product," says Susan Tennyson, director of the Environmental and Consumer Safety Section of the Texas Department of Agriculture, who moderated a panel discussion on food safety problems at the recent Texas Food Safety Conference in Austin.
Linda Gaul, an epidemiologist with the Texas Department of Health Services, says new technology makes identifying and tracing foodborne illness origins a bit easier — that biochemical testing is the "gold standard," for identifying pathogens.
"Our first issue is to confirm contamination," she says. "Then we determine the source of contamination and identify control measures. We work closely with regulatory agencies to determine where contamination originates."
Gaul says more outbreaks are identified today because of "genetic fingerprinting," and that some really nasty contaminants are naturally occurring. "Organisms live in the soil or in animals, which may carry contaminants and not be sick."
Outbreaks at processing or handling facilities typically occur because of facility defects, such as cracks in the floor where contaminants can get established, she says. Sewage backups also pose contamination threats.
Defective operational procedures is another concern. "Placing raw products next to finished products may cause contamination."
Raw materials may be the source of contamination; sources could include animals or irrigation water that may contain animal feces.
"Our ability to trace contamination is much enhanced now," Gaul says. "It's possible that a business could be ruined because of contamination — that possibility has increased in recent years."
Emillio Escobar, consumer food safety investigator with the Department of Health Services, says imported products pose a risk for contamination, and that investigators are concerned with three things in imported foods — filth, pesticides, and Salmonella.
"Filth comes from poor shipping conditions, rodents, and decomposing produce." Pesticide residue may be apparent in shipments from countries with different standards than the United States.
Salmonella, "is a big concern in imports," Escobar says. Sources may include irrigation water contaminated with animal feces that runs off into reservoirs. Poor worker hygiene and inadequate facility sanitation are also potential problems.


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my 8-day-old baby boy developed jaundice at about his 3rd day home. my milk didn't come in well until the 5th day and he wasn't having many dirty/wet diapers. yesterday was our first visit to the pediatrician and it was found that the baby had a high billirubin level - 22.8 - and a phototherapy blanket was ordered for us to use at home. we also found out that the baby - who left the hospital weighing 9.7 lbs. - now weighed only 8.8 lbs. the doctor told me to stop breastfeeding and give the baby formula. i was really upset because the baby had just started producing dirty and wet diapers. yesterday he had about 5 dirty diapers and a few additional wet ones. today he's dirtied 3 or 4 and wet 5. i havn't stopped breastfeeding but i feel guilty - am i putting my child in danger? his billirubin was down to 15 today and the doctor wants to see him on monday. i didn't tell him i wasn't giving the baby formula, and i'm actually afraid to do so because i don't know if i'm in the right here.
anyone have any advice?? i could really use it!


text:
Kimimasa Mayama / EPA
A chef shows the head of a 489-pound bluefin tuna sold for the record sum of 155.4 million yen (some $1.7 million) in the New Year's first auction at Tsukiji Market. The successful bid was about three times the record 56.49 million yen bid in last year's auction.
A bluefin tuna sold for a record $1.76 million at a Tokyo auction Saturday, nearly three times the previous high set last year — even as environmentalists warn that stocks of the majestic, speedy fish are being depleted worldwide amid strong demand for sushi.
In the year's first auction at Tokyo's sprawling Tsukiji fish market, the 222-kilogram (489-pound) tuna caught off northeastern Japan sold for 155.4 million yen, said Ryoji Yagi, a market official.
The fish's tender pink and red meat is prized for sushi and sashimi. The best slices of fatty bluefin — called "o-toro" here — can sell for 2,000 yen ($24) per piece at upmarket Tokyo sushi bars.
Japanese eat 80 percent of the bluefin tuna caught worldwide, and much the global catch is shipped to Japan for consumption.
The winning bidder, Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Co., which operates the Sushi-Zanmai restaurant chain, said "the price was a bit high," but that he wanted to "encourage Japan," according to Kyodo News agency. He was planning to serve the fish to customers later Saturday.
Kimura also set the old record of 56.4 million yen at last year's New Year's auction, which tends to attract high bids as a celebratory way to kick off the new year — or get some publicity. The high prices don't necessarily reflect exceptionally high fish quality.
PhotoBlog: Giant bluefin tuna nets $1.76 million
The price works out to a stunning 700,000 yen per kilogram, or $3,603 per pound.
Stocks of all three bluefin species —the Pacific, Southern and Atlantic — have fallen over the past 15 years amid overfishing.
On Monday, an intergovernmental group is to release data on Pacific Bluefin stocks that environmentalists believe will likely show an alarming decline.
"Everything we're hearing is that there's no good news for the Pacific bluefin," said Amanda Nickson, the director of the Washington-based Pew Environmental Group's global tuna conservation campaign. "We're seeing a very high value fish continue to be overfished."
The population of another species, the southern bluefin, which swims in the southern Pacific, has plunged to 3-8 percent of its original levels.
Stocks of bluefin caught in the Atlantic and Mediterranean plunged by 60 percent between 1997 and 2007 due to rampant, often illegal, overfishing and lax quotas. Although there has been some improvement in recent years, experts say the outlook for the species is still fragile.
In November, the 48 member nations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, or ICCAT, voted to maintain strict catch limits on the species, although some countries argued for higher limits. The quota will be allowed to rise slightly from 12,900 metric tons a year to 13,500. Quotas were as high as 32,000 tons in 2006.
A total catch limit on the Pacific bluefin has been imposed only recently in the eastern part of the Pacific near the United States and Mexico, but not by the intergovernmental group that oversees the western Pacific, Nickson said. So-called effort limits in place now — restrictions on the number of vessels and days fishing allowed — are not effective, she added, and fisherman also are targeting juvenile populations and spawning grounds.
"This poor species is being hit from every angle," she said.
More world stories from NBC News:
- 'Strong young woman': Taliban shooting victim Malala leaves hospital
- ANALYSIS: Is peace really in the air in Afghanistan?
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SQL Down Under are a team of SQL Server and Business Intelligence specialists operating from Australia and providing global offerings.
SQL Down Under are master SQL Server trainers and mentors. Why learn about SQL Server second-hand? Learn from the people that the other trainers learn from, to gain deep technical and business insights that you just won't find anywhere else.