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Every Saturday we let some of our favorite writers fill in for us. The Last Gaffe is a comedy website founded by Cracked writer Malcolm Christiansen and staffed almost entirely with other Cracked writers. We'd sue him for stealing all of our writers if we didn't enjoy the site so damn much. Today, Jeff Kelly offers a guide to inspirational movie presidents, and why they'd never get reelected.
Last November, the US made a giant social leap forward with the landslide election of Barack Obama. People wanted a change, and so far... well, change takes time. But that's neither here nor there.
The fact remains that we still live in uncertain times, and more and more of us are being forced to sell ourselves on the street in order to simply pay our bills. In these trying times, we look to our leaders to guide us through to better days. At the end of the day, at least we can all take solace in the fact that we won't have to rely on these fictional presidents, none of whom would ever get re-elected...
4Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck (Deep Impact)
How He Fucked Up
In a moment of crisis, we turn to our leaders to guide us. To offer us encouragement and wisdom. To tell us everything is going to be okay. And the one thing we hope they'll never, ever say to us is, "Shit, I guess you're all fucked! Now excuse me while I take only the elite and hide in a cave somewhere."
Why He'd Never Get Re-Elected
When Frodo Baggins discovered a massive meteor hurtling toward Earth and threatening to kill us all, President Tom Beck did what any leader would do: he kept it a secret for as long as he could, built a secret underground cave system to house the best and the brightest and told the majority of the population that to go fuck themselves.
In a literal display of burying his head in the sand (or in this case underneath a mountain) and hoping for the best, Beck proposed an idea of hiding away some of the best athletes, minds, and professionals in various fields in his elaborate cave system and letting the rest of the world perish. So while Michael Jordan, Bill Gates, and Rue McClanahan were probably okay, the rest of us were pretty well screwed. That anyone might survive what turned out to be a grossly overestimated doomsday was apparently beyond his comprehension.
"Gentleman, I propose a bold strategy."
When the meteor crashed and killed far less people than he had anticipated, it's a safe bet that Beck had a tough time trying to get the masses he'd abandoned to gruesome deaths to forget that he deemed them completely unworthy of continuing to live.
What He Should Have Done Instead
Hindsight is 20/20, but the fact remains that Beck didn't even really suggest any survival strategies or even seem to be thinking about anything other than saving his own and, presumably, the asses of his many financial backers.
If nothing else, with the knowledge that the meteor was going to hit off of the east coast and the majority of the damage would be done to the eastern seaboard, he could have reminded the people that Manifest Destiny needn't be a passing fad, like acid wash jeans or Tila Tequila. Instead, he could have recommended that maybe it'd be a good idea to flee to the west. Hell, it's not like anyone is using Montana or Wyoming anyway.
Wyoming State Motto: "We're so lonely."
Seeing the aftermath of the meteor crashing into the earth, we now know that if only he'd suggested that long awaited trip to check out Mount Rushmore (on which he'll probably never see his face added) a whole pantsload of American voters could have been saved. And if he'd suggested it in that soothing Morgan Freeman voice of his, we're betting he could have salvaged a few votes in the process.
3Billy Bob Thornton as The U.S. President (Love Actually)
How He Fucked Up
For years, the US and England were like bickering siblings, and like many brothers who grew up hating each other and beating each other up, they gradually grew to be great friends. And then, a U.S. president like the one portrayed by Billy Bob comes along and fucks everything up because he decides he wants his older brother's new woman. And then you know shit is on!
Why He'd Never Get Re-Elected
"Suck my dick, England."
From his disconcerting "low talking," to the creepy way he leers at women and the overall lack of tact, it's a wonder he was ever elected in the first place. We're a bit baffled that someone could have actually won on a platform of "Show me them titties!"
In a single trip to London he managed to:
- Bully the British government to the point where they were forced to actually grow a pair,
- Acted like such a dick that he very well may have single-handedly shattered one of the countries' oldest alliances, and
- Raised serious doubt as to whether the two nations could possibly remain BFF.
To make matters worse, within seconds of Prime Minister Hugh Grant leaving the room he began forcing himself on a defenseless Monica Lewinski-lookalike, showing even less restraint than Bill Clinton at Hooters.
"What's this supposed to be, some sort of heartwarming seasonal comedy about life and love? Fuck that, get those titties out!"
What He Should Have Done Instead
With the world climate seeing a whole shitload of people turning on the United States and deeming it a nation full of assholes, he may have been better served to acquiesce to a few of the Prime Minister's requests, which we assume consisted of getting Harry Potter a star on the Walk of Fame, maybe a deal on toothpaste and almost certainly "don't touch my woman."
After all, it doesn't make a ton of sense to tell your oldest and best friend that you don't really give a shit what he thinks and then try to steal his woman, which is precisely what President Billy Bob did. It might also help if he didn't look like Billy Bob Thornton.
"Ha ha, yeah, that's great. Seriously though, fish out them titties."
At the very least, he could have attempted to keep his dick at bay when he encountered the Prime Minister's love interest for the sake of the U.S./U.K. alliance. Hadn't anyone ever taught him the time-honored foreign policy of "bros before hoes?"


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Biology is unique among the natural sciences because it is a broad foundational discipline. A degree in biology can be the gateway to a career in any of numerous diverse industries as technological advances open up opportunities in new directions. It also provides outstanding preparation for further study at medical or veterinary school.
The Department of Biological Sciences is the home of undergraduate majors in biology, biomedical sciences, environmental science, microbiology, and medical laboratory science and minors in biology, environmental science and microbiology. With nearly 20 full-time faculty members, small classes and labs and study pods in the state-of-the-art McNeil Science and Technology Center, you'll have daily interaction with your professors, allowing you to learn both inside and outside the classroom.
The Department advances primary, investigative research with state-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities. Research opportunities are even available to students early in their undergraduate program, under the guidance of dedicated faculty. Students often find that they are able to present at national meetings or get published. And because University of the Sciences was founded with a scientific focus that continues today, we know about educating scientists.
Peter B. Berget, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Biological Sciences
Welcome to the Department of Biological Sciences
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'Irina' hits Kate Spade's lineup in beautiful black patent leather with striped wedge heel. Wearable, comfortable, fashionable and fun!
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The Coastal Bend College Professional and Vocational Nursing Programs received reaffirmation from the Texas Board of Nursing; the next regularly scheduled visit is in 2018, In December 2012, the director for the LVN and RN programs retired, and as a result, CBC hired two interim program directors. The interim LVN program director is Floyd Green, and the interim RN program director is Karen Mills. For more information about the nursing programs at CBC, call (361) 354-2768.
Andrea Westmoreland, Dental Hygiene Program director, reported that the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) has reaffirmed the dental hygiene program through 2019. Westmoreland also provided updates about Perkins funding and how monies have been utilized to purchase equipment such as an automatic film processors, vacuum system, LED projectors, privacy screen, and a handheld X-ray machine. This equipment helps enhance student learning and also benefits the general public who receive services at the dental hygiene clinic or at the mobile lab that visits elementary schools. The dental hygiene program boasts a 100 percent pass rate for the national board exams for the 2011-2012 academic year. For more information about the dental hygiene program or its clinical services to the community, call (361) 354-2555.
CBC President Dr. Beatriz T. Espinoza provided several updates during the president's report:
· The compliance report for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC) was completed and submitted in mid-March. The next visit from SACSCOC officials will be in late November 2013.
· Nominations for the Service Excellence Award are being accepted, and currently 10 CBC employees have been nominated. To view all the nominees, or to nominate an excellent CBC employee, visit http://www.coastalbend.edu/ServiceExcellenceAward/.
· Dr. Twila Johnson, dean of academics, was honored as the Kingsville Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year. Johnson is a passionate advocate of education, and always lends her time and knowledge to help others at CBC.
The Coastal Bend College Foundation has participated in various community and college functions in 2013. The Foundation sponsored the CBC Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 26, and also hosted a photographers' appreciation reception in March to honor all of the photographers who had their work featured in the 2013 CBC Wildlife Calendar. Canvas art prints of the photographs featured in the 2013 calendar are available from the CBC Foundation and prices start at $125. These prints are available for viewing at 306 N. Washington St. in Beeville.
On May 4, the CBC Foundation is proud to bring the Corpus Christi Ballet to Beeville to perform "Cinderella" at the A.C. Jones High School Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and under. For more information about ordering wildlife canvas art prints or "Cinderella" tickets, visit www.coastalbend.edu/foundation or call (361) 354-2348.
The board approved a four-day work week for summer 2013 beginning the week of May 13, through July 28. Summer business hours will be from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at all CBC sites.


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You could smell it before you could see it. The tantalizing aroma of fresh-cooked food, filled with flavor and promises of a soon-to-be feast, permeated the air. It was Pig Mountain, and it had arrived on Main Street in Narrowsburg, NY to 2,500 hungry people.
This was the third annual Pig Mountain, held on August 24. The event brings together 14 chefs cooking 14 pigs in 14 different ways. Different, indeed. The food ranged from Viennese spice-rubbed pork; to pig ears with olives, parsley and basil aioli; to bacon tomato salad; and more. And that's just the pig part; each booth also boasted at least three other sides of veggies. There was the smoked potato salad from The Lodge at Woodloch, miso coleslaw, beet salad and marinated carrots and tatsoi. Many of the offerings were Asian-inspired and many had words I had never heard of before. (Giardiniera anyone?)
Pig Mountain works like this: you buy a ticket for $30 and that gets you 10 ticket stubs. One stub gets you one meal from a chef, which usually included the main dish of pig and one or two sides. The hearty dishes fill you up quickly and two people could easily split ten tickets between them. At the beginning of Main Street were a few booths from local food producers, called Community Tables, like Hilly Acres Farm, Gus Soda, Early Bird Cookery, the Catskill Distillery and more. These options were cash only and offered ice cream, fresh produce and pastries. After that was the beer truck set up by The Heron (there was always a line there), a favorite beer being (aptly) Porkslap. And there was a wine tent from Narrowsburg Fine Wine and Spirits, and a cute homemade lemonade stand scrupulously run by the kids of the shop owners of Main Street.
After you got a beverage you could stop and listen to the bands that were playing throughout the day. From bluegrass banjos to Grateful Dead covers, the talented musicians provided a cheerful backdrop, including Groggy, Pills, Hash and Lung featuring Sean and Cheyenne from Root N' Roost Farm of White Sulphur Springs.
And then: the food. Lines formed instantly to get a taste from the famous chefs' creations. Local chef Paul Nanni from The Heron was a crowd pleaser with his giant tub of baked mac and cheese and pork empanadas. I also heard excited talk from the crowd about the chopped pork from a 190-pound pig from PorcSalt Charcuterie Chef Michael Ridgway. And there was dessert, in the form of pig fat Oreos (yes, you read that right). Oh yeah, and a lot of pig heads.
Even though the food was the main attraction, the creative team behind Pig Mountain, Mother New York, really amped up the atmosphere that day in Narrowsburg. There were colorful flyers that said things like "keep eating;"and Pig Mountain "swag"—T-shirts and tote bags featuring Georgie, the pig that inspired it all; and chefs' cards with drawings of each chef on one side and a Q&A on the back—like asking chef Anthony Sasso of Casa Mono, "What's your inspiration/hero?" (Be sure to check out the old-school zine [pronounced zeen] at www.pigmt.com/The-Story.htm [1]). All of these were printed on neon paper, a decidedly punk tableau. The street fair feast has roots in the punk music scene, being born out of a punk rock show in a basement. It was started by NYC chef Heather Carlucci and local artist Matthew Solomon. Narrowsburg set the perfect backdrop for the not-quite-punk but still cool crowd, with Narrowsburg's hipster-cred and under-the-radar locale.
But what's more punk than pigs? Local farms, of course. The pigs and vegetables were sourced from New York State farms and a part of the proceeds will be donated to the National Young Farmers Coalition, an organization that "represents, mobilizes, and engages young farmers to ensure their success." Members of the coalition were on hand to answer people's questions and spread the word about the importance of young farmers.
While the yummy food was good for our stomachs, the pig roast and veggie fest is also good for our town. Pig Mountain has grown from 475 attendees and four chefs in 2011, to over 2,500 attendees and 14 chefs this year. All those people mean good business, and local stores saw a 45 to 50% increase in business during the weekend. Most of the crowd were people from New York City or New Jersey and many are second-home owners.
It's clear that Pig Mountain, the little punk show that could, is soaring in popularity. Just remember get in line early next year. Visit www.pigmt.com [2].


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Carnegie Hall
Carnegie is located in the main quad area on the north side of campus. Carnegie contains doubles and two-room quads. Each room opens into a large central study room with natural hardwood floors and wood paneling on the walls. Carnegie also contains a spacious lounge with television, study lounge, recreation room, laundry room and kitchen area.


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Gum Grafting Surgery To Prevent Further Gum Recession And Reduce Gum Sensitivity
Hello! In my previous post on the completion of my porcelain veneers, I mentioned that I'd be back to keep you updated on my gum grafting procedure.
Here are the 2 previous posts of my Smile Makeover journey:
Look how far I've come! 😀 So grateful that I had Dr Jerry from Orchard Scotts Dental as my dentist.
While veneers were more for cosmetic purposes, my gum grafting procedure was to prevent further gum recession and reduce gum sensitivity.
Gum Recession
Several factors contribute to the recession of my gums.
The first would be the wearing of braces. I wore braces about 10 years ago and after extracting 2 upper and 2 lower teeth (my jaw couldn't accommodate so many teeth so there was overcrowding), the dentist had to pull my teeth inwards to close up the gaps. This inward bending of teeth caused the stretching of lower gum and made them thinner.
Secondly, I grind and clench my teeth, which can put too much force on the teeth, causing gums to recede. After the completion of my veneers, I was given a mouth guard to wear to protect my veneers, and I think it has helped me relax so that I don't wake up with a sore jaw from over-clenching.
Check out my receding gums and the ugly extended 'root' from before.
My gum had receded so much that a lot of my tooth was exposed and it HURT SO MUCH when I ate chocolate and cold food/drinks. This ugly filling was done by my neighborhood dentist who had no aesthetic sense but just fulfilled the fundamental job of covering the exposed tooth. It bothered me a little because it was kind of thick and when my mouth closed, there was a bit of a bump.


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Serving the Santal Tribe of Bangladesh
The people of the Santal community have lived in the northwest region of Bangladesh for hundreds of years. They are one of the major tribes in Bangladesh.
The features of the Santal people are quite similar to those of the Bengali people, the original inhabitants of Bangladesh, but the Santal people are a bit darker in color and have curly hair.Continue Reading ›


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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — The premier organization that represents organic farming interests in New York State approved a major policy statement at its annual conference last weekend, urging the ban of an herbicide used in conjunction with some genetically-modified agricultural crops. Some 1,300 people, including farmers and residents of the Upper Delaware Valley attended the Northeast Organic Farming Association-New York (NOFA-NY) conference in Saratoga Springs on January 25 through 27, during which about 75 NOFA-NY representatives approved some newsworthy policy resoutions.
Among the policy positions adopted was one that the herbicide glyphosate, which is used in connection with genetically modified organisms (GMO), should be banned. Some crops, known as "Round-Up Ready," have been genetically engineered to be resistant to glyphosate. The resolution said there are "many troubling questions about livestock and human infertility and environmental impacts linked to the production and consumption of Round-Up Ready genetically modified organisms.... "
Concerns about GMO products surfaced several times throughout the three-day conference. One workshop focused on the growing effort of activists to convince officials in the U.S. to follow the lead of more than 60 other countries around the world to require that products containing GMO ingredients be labeled as such.
In one workshop, Dr. Michael Hansen of Consumers Union responded to industry claims that GMO seed varieties are more productive than traditional varieties. Hansen said the U.S. Department of Agriculture disputes this, and he cited a side-by-side study done at the University of Nebraska of GMO and non-GMO varieties of soy beans, which found the GMO seeds were 10% less productive.
Hansen also responded to industry claims that GMO crops would lead to a reduction in the use of pesticides. He said with most GMO crops, the amount of pesticides used has increased significantly over time. Further, he said the use of glyphosates has resulted in many weed species in the U.S. and elsewhere becoming resistant to it, which has prompted the industry to engineer crops with resistance to other herbicides, specifically 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid and Dicamba.
GMO crops also got a mention from Scott Chaskey, who is a past president of NOFA-NY and also an educator, conservationist, farmer and poet. During one of the two keynote speeches of the conference, Chaskey used a phrase coined by author Ronald Wright when he called the spreading use of GMO crops a "progress trap." He said, "A progress trap is a short term social or technological improvement that turns out, in the long term, to be instead a backward step."
The other keynote touched not on GMO crops but instead on nuclear power. Shinji Hashimoto is an organic farmer from Japan and head of that country's Teikei, or association of consumer-supported agriculture operations. Part of his address dealt with organic farmers who were ordered off their land because it had been contaminated by radioactivity in the wake of the tsunami in March 2011, and the subsequent disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
On the fringe of the contaminated area, one farmer was trying to prevent his rice plants from absorbing radioactive cesium by applying heavy applications of potassium. Hashimoto said the authorities insist they will clean the land, and eventually the famers and other villagers will be able to return.
Hashimoto, however, said the farming area is surrounded by forests. He said, "It's not possible to clean the forests because the contaminants are among the leaves." Even though government officials say otherwise, Hashimoto said, "They will never go back to their homes."


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I think the laundry ate my brothers couch. It was a sectional but sections have been disappearing. The corner was there but has since gone missing. The couch itself has consumed many remotes and varies other small things. All family members are accounted for, so far.
Couch Hunting, can you find it?
By: fillesha25Subscribe Channel: Home & Garden Location: Gouverneur, NY
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says ... on Wednesday, Nov 6 at 10:02 PM
u need a housekeeper not a couch152625576
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NEW YORK, N.Y. - Netflix says it is facing scrutiny from government regulators over a Facebook post made by CEO Reed Hastings in July.
The company disclosed Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission sent notices to Netflix Inc. and Hastings regarding the July 3 public post on Hastings' account. The SEC sent "Wells Notices," giving Netflix and Hastings a chance to argue why the agency should not take action against them.
On July 3 Hastings wrote on Facebook that monthly viewing on Netflix had exceeded 1 billion hours in June. The SEC says that is material investor information that must be disclosed in a regulatory filing or press release. The company says the information isn't material because a few weeks earlier it disclosed on its blog that subscribers were viewing almost a billion hours of content per month. That announcement also was not announced in a press release or an SEC filing.
Shares of the Los Gatos, Calif., company jumped 13.4 per cent on July 5.
Hastings responded to the notices with a post on Facebook that was also filed with the SEC, calling it a "fascinating social media story."
Netflix shares rose $2.80, or 3.4 per cent, to $86.17 on Thursday after the company announced a multi-year licensing deal with Disney. The stock fell $1.39 to $84.78 in after-hours trading.


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Minnesota Twins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Time: 1:05 pm
Hammond Stadium– Fort Myers, FL
Weather: 77, 30% Chance of Storms
TV: n/a
Follow Phillies Nation on Twitter
John Lannan takes the hill against the Minnesota Twins today. He is scheduled to be followed by Adam Morgan, who is celebrating his 23rd birthday today, Antonio Bastardo, B.J. Rosenberg, Justin De Fratus, and whoever is going to replace the now traded Michael Schwimer.
1. Revere– CF
2. Galvis – SS
3. Brown – LF
4. Howard – 1B
5. Ruiz – C
6. Mayberry– RF
7. Frandsen- 3B
8. Betancourt- 2B
9. Orr– DH
Go Phillies!
58 Comments
Is anyone but me concerned about the fact that Utley is not in the lineup again today?
Yes, you're right Ian. I remember reading that he probably would not make those trips. I forgot about that. Of course after the last two springs we are going to be over-analyzing everything regarding Utley!
I'd like to see Ruf get more playing time. Is he hurt?
theres no game on either channel
you said the season was oiver, so I had the station engineers disconnect the connection to your radio.
Ryan Howard rbis the Phils to a 1-0 lead. On the way to a win streak.
"The SZeason is over"
February, 2013
*AFM = Arc, the foolish Moron
Condascendingly yours,
Ken E. Baseball
This. Is. Funny.
The only thing perennially worse than Phila general managers, and coaches are the stereotypical phila fan. The only city that breeds infighting because of a difference of opinion.
They say this city has fandom of that on par with soccer hooligans. ken bland, and chuck a posts attest to this thuggery.
If you dont agree with people who dont share your opinion or fanaticism; its ok. this is America, people can have a difference of opinion, even about a Philadelphia sports team. Stop feeding the stereotype.
By the way, in order to inject some objectivity to my above comments; there are other posters on here who disagree with me and do it respectfully, so yeah, its just you.
Chuck A; I refuse to call you what I so badly want to, but do you live in a vacuum?
Have you not witnessed the regression offensively of this #1 offense for the last 3 seasons?
when I see the same batting approach in spring 2013, yeah, Im concerned. When I see the correlation between the phils regular and post season success with the lack of hits/hr which Amaro still refuses to address with the acquisition of Revere, Young, and Young; yeah, Im concerned. But enough speculation, everyone on this site knows were I stand. Its my opinion. Hope Im wrong, but i doubt it.
On the other hand, aside from your knack for snide remarks; what evidence do you have to back your position; if you have any other than pure fanaticism?
fool 1 |foōl|
a person who acts unwisely or imprudently; a silly person : what a fool(ken bland) I am to have faith in a team whose general manager ruined the next 10 years in order to assemble the best pitching staff with no offense.
Fool 2 What a fool(ken bland) I am to seriously think a team can win when the general manager in essence is now doing his best to manage his mistakes of the last few years and assemble a team who cant even hit spring training pitching
Hey, I didnt get a poloroid of your face when the Giants and Cards upet the Phils in 2010-2011. Could you please send me one this fall when the phils get eliminated in the regular season?
roffle, webster's dictionary come back. That'll cut him deep.
Fool 3
A person that actually worries about the results of games (hitting and pitching) when we're not even out of the month of February.
Dave p it was actually Oxford. Websters is for secondary school. Hope I didnt cut too deep?
Im worrying about utley … We heard bullshit for awhile last year also and we all know what the outcome was… Yesterday he didn't play at all either, they said it was because the field was wet….. It didn't look bad to me…. Seems with that statement that he maybe hurt.
If it makes you feel better, Jim (CSN) Salisbury tweeted this about 15 minutes before you posted your thought.
"Lots of Phils fans in Ft Myers. Btw, Utley is fine. Manuel has said for weeks that he will not make long trips. He will play in CLW & area."
As Ian, who wrote this article said in the comments…
"a lot of veterans do not travel for away Spring games. Ft. Myers to Clearwater is 5 hrs round trip. It's a planned day off for that reason"
Your concern is understandable based on history, but everything seems okay from Florida, and that's all we can go on.
always worry about utley, and F**k what management says; they need you to buy tickets!!!!
Ken E. trying to confuse me?
RE: Utley
Come on guys if you are going to worry about the fossils and thier health you will be all greybeards trying to pick up hotties.
You will be drinking a half gallon of grey goose every day like myself and Brooks.
In race horsing terms Utley is former Kentucky derby winner running in a $3,000 claimer at a cheap track.
You feel bad for the former champion toiling away. All broken down and sore. A shell of his former self.
I really dont mind Galvis at 2B.
Although I will say I hope Chase is healthy and has a big year.
Chances of that are not high though.
I know by ken bland and chuck a's logic this means nothing but, the phils have the fewest runs and hits of any NL team so far in spring training. As a matter of fact, they have the fewest hits in all of major league baseball.
Are you seriously concerned about, or drawing any conclusions from, these facts?
Sure. Firm ones, too.
kb- I just read your above comment in the "recent comments" section on the right side of the page before clicking it and ending up here. It looked funny out of context over there-
"Sure, Firm ones, too."
I was busy stuydying the all important spring training stats and didn't have time to write more.
Have you ever heard the term "small sample size"?
What do you infer from the facts that the KC Royals have outscored their opponents 36-17 while the Angels and Rangers have been outscored 23-38 and 21-39, respectively?
Are you relieved that, after scoring 5 runs today, the Phils are averaging as many runs per game as Atlanta and Pittsburgh and more runs per game than Milwaukee and Washington?
looks like ken bland needs to stop "stuydying" baseball stats and open a spelling book.
With his logic it figures.
I heard it best explained the other day – regarding Paps and probably most of the seasoned veterans on the club – The 9th inning is about adrenalin. To pitch in the middle of a game, a spring training game means absolutely nothing.
Just warm ups.
Chill boys, chill..
How long have you been reading here? And are you mocking paroding me?
I feel now that the team is well under the radar. The first offensive player is being drafted in the 8th round.
Whats the point? The offense sucks. Has basicly since 2009.
And now its 4 years older.
Ive been here since then crying about it. And how Ruben has locked down all the fan favorites forever.
GMing like a fan on a blog would.
Try to be a little nicer.
For the most part these are good guys.
Even if they see things with rose colored glasses and drink the kool aid sometime.
Think about it.
If this team makes the playoffs ( long shot)
But if they did and Lee, Halladay and Hamels were healthy.
They would have a shot.
Even with the worst line up in baseball.
Have fun and enjoy it while the team is still in first place for the next month.
I like cool aid
You like it better with Grey Goose, Wild Turkey or Bacardi?
lol, Its amazing how easy it is to fleece philly fans. Sports execs know and love this. Philly is a cash cow. The people here want so bad to believe they bite at everything. I dont make these observations as a recent transplant or outsider; I was born and raised here. I love my city, but the philly ethos is very cliquish/provincial, and irritates me to no end sometimes. You cannot be a decenter to popular opinion without being labeled a heretic.
Andy Reid ruined the eagles prospects of gaining a top tier qb for god knows how long.
Amaro has ruined the chance of the phils gaining a top tier hitter at least through 2014, for which after that date it wont matter because our pitching staff will be reduced to Hamels and John Lennon, I mean Lannon.
Dom's tearing it up, boys… 3 runs, an RBI and a double today. Howard has another hit and another RBI today, too. Nice to see those two guys taking it seriously.
How special does your life have to be to troll in spring training… it's not like we're the Astros.
Lannan on today through Gelb….
Four of his six outs Wednesday were on the ground, which was a good sign. Lannan allowed one run in two innings during his Grapefruit League debut. A few Twins made solid contact.
"Yeah," Lannan said, "so I'm relatively happy."
And he should be. But you talk about an impressive performance, spring or not. Tim Hudson today closed out his work with groundouts on the last 5 hitters he faced.
Yo! hypocrite, If you discount the bad performances in spring training, how the hell can you call any performance "impressive"? Hudsons performance meaningless.
By the way; Phillies 5, Twins 12. youre laughable!!!
Tim Hudson probably won't make it into Cooperstown… but having had the privilege to watch him pitch, I'd say he's damn good. His adjusted ERA is going to be better than a lot of pitchers already in Cooperstown (I'd say he's as deserving as Jim Bunning, as well as some others).
I was curious what a quick look of career V Phils would look like.
Howard's done well against him, about .333 BA, 1.100 OPS, 66 at bats.
But a couple that surprised me, Frandsen is 5-10 off him, and Mayberryis 4-13 with 2 rips.
Hall or not, a fine career.
12-5, Twinkies. Got em just about where we want 'em.
Nice ERAs from the pen early in the spring.
Paps 81.00 (I was being sarcastic using the word nice)
DeFratus 15.00 (I guess that could stand some improvement, too)
B.J. 15.00 and the hits just keep on comin'g
We'll see Adams tomorrow. Should be semi compelling, back on tv, and against the Braves. This one, yuck. Cept for Brown and Howard. Keep getting after it, you two.
Arc is probably having a coronary right about now upon learning THOSE stats.
Seriously, where did this clown come from anyway? He actually makes our beloved AFW seem like a combination of Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking. (We love ya, Andrew!)
Here you go Lefty.
Ironic I said the same thing a few days ago.
Our guys are finaly so devalued that they offer fantasy value.
I hope this article doesnt cost me my shot at howard in the 8th round.
I'm definitely going to give Dom Brown a shot in round 12-15 assuming he'll be there. I'll shy away from Howard, not because I don't agree with the link, but because there will be too many other good choices. I'm thinking someone like Paul Goldschmidt might be a good play.
P.S. Some of the comments below the article are a hoot. Well worth the time.
Brown is currently owned in only 5% of yahoo leagues.
Id say you either draft him in the very last round or you can get him as a free agent. Unless of course your league is phillie fans and yuo really want him. He is otherwise not a hot fantasy commodity.
Regarding me taking a flyer on Howard.
Ill take a firstbaseman very early. A Votto Fielder type of stud.
In my league I have 2 utility positions and I always try to stick first baseman in those 2 slots.
As a 2nd or 3rd 1B used in the utility spot taken in round 8.
There is real value there.
I am sure after saying this out loud though some goober will take him in round 4 making it all moot now.
The problem with first baseman is that there are very few first tier first basemen who are "no doubt about it" guys. I'd say three… maybe four. There are a lot of next tier 1B with upside but they aren't sure thing guys. So after those three first tier guys, you're gambling and as an absolute rule, I don't gamble with my first two picks. So I say, if you don't get Votto or Pujols or Prince, you might as well wait because the value of the next 15 guys on the board is going to be relatively close and you can let everyone else get in and out of that pool and stilll walk away with decent value. I'd say wait on the first baseman and fill other positions that don't have as much depth – 3B, 2B, SS… you won't find good options at those positions in the later rounds.
I'm in a Keeper league, so the Vottos, Fielders, etc. are not available. I have to make a value pick at 1b. Last year I got Billy Butler and Alan Craig who both played well and I may go that direction again. We keep 9, so there are 16 rounds in the draft. That's why I said 12-15. Don't want to wait until last round in case a a heavy Phils fan is involved, but I will let Dom slide as long as I can. I'll consider Howard, but it's not likely.
I think Brown could be a real value pick.
Hail to the goobers.
Yes, a little vodka with that kool aide – nice shot there Andrew.
holy crap this team sucks this year , so far. Organzational depth, I guess that means dumpster dwellers. Garbage just garbage At this rate the Lastros are better.
There is no "so far" yet. Play begins on April 1st.
Not only do these games not count, but they are nearly meaningless in what they tell us about how good the team will be. The most important thing they tell us is whether players are healthy, and all the news in that department "so far" is good.
Wait, are you saying we shouldn't get all worked up about the Royals being 4-0 while the Rangers and Angels are 0-4 or that the Marlins are playing .750 ball after everyone wrote them off after their fire sale?
People that get worked up over Spring Training stats and outcomes are the same people that are getting worked up over the fact that Chase Utley didn't make the trip to Ft. Myers today…after management MADE IT CLEAR that he wouldn't travel far away from Clearwater this spring.
The Yankeees have scored fewer runs than any other team in ST so far… who cares. It doesn't matter. Try not to get too excited or too depressed.
OCP- I think the Yankees may have a real problem. I'm not basing that on ST numbers, I just think they lost too much, and now the Granderson injury. Could be a tough year for baseball in the big apple.
Many of the self righteous philly/taliabn fanatic fans on this site live in a vacuum. Are spring training games determinate of a good club? no, are they meaningless? no. If they were there would not be a spring training. If anything it gives management and players a chance to work on routines, practice, and weaknesses in the course of a 9 inning game.
My critisim is not so much of ST performance, rather the offensive moves Amaro made that have not enhanced this club in any way. These low scoring games will not so much be the outcome of player performance whether meaningless or meaningful to the regular season, but more of the lack of personnel, similar to what the Yanks will face without Granderson. Thanks to the person who pointed that out for the regular rockheads.
What kind of vacuum? Hoover? Maybe Oreck or Dyson or Eureka or possibly Bissell?
The word meaningless appeared here:
"Not only do these games not count, but they are nearly meaningless in what they tell us about how good the team will be."
You don't actually seem to disagree with that based on your last comment.
Last time the Phils won the World Series….2008….their Grapefruit League record was 12-18.
In 2009, when they went to the Fall Classic, their Spring record was 13-19.
Just sayin'.
A rockhead is a rockhead all the same. I guess he'll never get it. With the vaccuum come back I see vocabulary is not his strong point.
The fact you checked that out shows me it means something, Because if it didnt then why did you care?
Rule 1
If you comment on someone elses vocaulary or spelling ( particularily on a site without a spell check). You lose. Just ask Don M. Wheeler.
Arc I tend to agree with alot of your points.
I felt helpless alot of times here the last few years.
I wanted so badly for Rollins to jsut be allowed to walk away.
But it didnt happen.
I saw for years the impending doom that RAJ was doing to this line up.
I also think that the damage he is doing may take a decade to fix.
The guys who post here are good guys who love the Phillies just like we do.
They just get emotionaly attached to the players.
The problem is RAJ is as bad as a poster on a blog.
Wait till the reg season when the real trolls come out.
Lets have some fun. Most the guys your posting to deserve some respect even if they are wrong alot of times.
But try to be nice to people.
AfW is right in that this is a place for civilized commentary on the Phils. AfW and you are not alone in your anti-RAJ position on this site. However, you will get much more respect if you come on here with substantive reasons why RAJ's tenure has been / will be a disaster (e.g. overpaying in $ and/or years on the majority of the free agent contracts he signed, squandering 1st round picks and misusing Dom Brown) rather than claiming the sky is falling based on the fact that the Phils were the NL team with the fewest RS in Spring Training after 3 games (especially when many of the other NL teams had played 4 or even 5 games).


text:
The young Matt Harvey was impressive in seven innings, striking out nine while scattering five base runners, setting up a 7-2 Mets win. Harvey is the second Mets pitcher with consecutive starts of 7+ IP and 3 or fewer hits to start a season. The other was Nolan Ryan in 1970.
Halladay Hits the Wall
In his second start of the season, Halladay fell off track early again, allowing a three-run home run to John Buck in the third. Halladay threw 99 pitches, just 59 for strikes, allowing three walks, six hits, and seven runs, all earned. Hitters routinely took advantage of hitters' counts and Halladay exited the game in the fifth with runners on first and third. Doc's fastball sat around 89 for most of the night but left it over the plate too often.
Durbin Was Durbin
Chad Durbin entered the game in a tough spot, with two runners on, but allowed both to score. My favorite fictitious baseball player ever is Wally Bunting, the Quad-A type player who Rick Moranis's wife leaves him for in the 1990 film My Blue Heaven. In the movie, a radio announcer very calmly says "Fans, what are we going to do with Wally Bunting?" I'm starting to get this feeling regarding Durbin – you don't want to penalize him for allowing the inherited runners to score in a tough spot but Durbin compounded his situation by walking Lucas Duda. Ruben Tejada sealed the deal by singling in a pair and closing the book on Doc.
What are we going to do with Chad Durbin?
Did Howard Leave His Bat in Clearwater?
Ryan Howard went 0-3 with 2 Ks, lowering his average to .154. The progress Howard made in Spring has seemingly been erased – Howard chased one up the ladder near the letters and down and out of the strike zone.
Were There Any Positives?
There were a few – Michael Young fielded his position about as well you could ask for and Jeremy Horst had two solid innings. Raul Valdes also threw two scoreless innings.
The Phils are in action again tomorrow against the Mets and have Cliff Lee taking the hill.
87 Comments
A continuation of last year's debacle. Howard looks completely clueless and I've been a supporter of him and his mega-deal. He's making me look realllllly bad. The rest of the team with the exception of Utley and Young are ridiculous. Perhaps its not out of the question to bat Ben Revere ninth. Oh well the sun will come up tomorrow barring a super-nova and I've still got to go work.
Watched this game while chatting with my buddy from Long Island.
He cant believe how lifeless the Phils are.
Reminds him of the old mets teams with Delgado Reyes and Beltran.
He understands now that he is better off without those guys.
There is something to be said for being young and hungry.
If it gets too bad maybe a new manager becomes a reality.
Definately have to think if Halladays days as an effective starter may be over.
He tries and he cares and he gives full effort but there has been nothing there the first 2 starts.
3 games behind the mets on april 8th.
Its pretty amazing the short memories here,
All this comparing to the Giants, a smaller market, different fan base.
Used to compare to the Cards, a smaller market, different fan base.
before that used to compare to the Yankees, bigger market, larger fan base.
Let's be real for a sec.
Howard contract- not looking good- not going to be platooned period can babble all you want about it not happening, play fantasy baseball instead better chance of benching him there.
Honestly Halladay is the number 1 concern, but the media in the fans in Philly are traditionally brutal on poor performances and overreact in 99.9% of the situations. We have played 7 games!!!!!!!
Howard will find his stroke. he is one of the streakiest hitters in all of baseball. Maybe his streaks are smaller than his MVP and ROY years, but that is his MO. He has notoriously been a slow starter.
Hamels 2 starts he will get it together just pressing and putting too much pressure on himself to be the Ace when really Cliff is the Ace of this staff.
Durbin is a mess said it many times, would rather have Stutes pitching.
I am not an overly negative fan, and I don't like to jump on players early. But I would like to put this out there – with what seemed like a logjam of players trying to get into the bullpen this spring, how long of a leash does Chad Durbin get?
I'm guessing till Stutes finds his old self back while pitching in the minors. I think once his shoulder and arm work out the kinks from not being used and spring training, he will be in for middle relief. Of course, I could be completely wrong on this.
Whats Pedro Martinez up to these days? Maybe Rubes should give his agent a call.
Days ago we were saying we needed to get a bunch of wins against the Mets and the Fish. Soon other teams may be saying that when playing us 🙁
I really feel for Doc and hope he finds what is ailing him: pitching arm slot, command, etc.
Thank God for Cliff Lee! Hoping he has another strong outing tomorrow and we can right this ship and take the series.
Matt Harvey is the real deal, and Zack Wheeler is projected to be even better. Yikes.
I don't think they can give Halladay more than two or three more starts pitching like he is now. Even if he continues to claim he's healthy, they'll convince him to come down with one of those phantom injuries for the good of the team. It's hard to watch him pitch like this.
You know things are going bad when one of the game's highlights is Michael Young making some routine plays in the field.
What have we got to lose if they bring up Ruf to play 1b versus lefties and sit Howard on the wood. Its a win win situation plus he'll be available to PH late in games when they bring that southie in to pitch to the "Big lummox, er Piece"
Cholly said, "He's having a little trouble hitting lefties…"
Lol. Cholly the master of understatement.
(in 9 plate appearances)
Although he's not hitting righties either at the moment. All of which is nothing he hasn't gone through many times even in his better years.
If Howard was swinging at basketballs he'd still strike out unless he can start making contact when they're seven feet off the plate.
Didn't you guys see his segment on Philly Sports Talk? His Momma said he's a slow starter…LOL
They aren't going to platoon a guy making $25 million a year. It just won't happen.
@ Schmenkman: was trying for a little laughter and levity after a brutal game to watch. I know it is a small sample size upon which to judge. I will go on record that he "seems" ( and maybe he is not), but he seems lost in the sauce at the plate, or he is trying too hard.
Yeah, I completely agree that he's lost, AND trying too hard.
You mean they would rather keep him in the lineup to their disadvantage than platoon him with Ruf because of his salary? If so, whoever made that decision needs to be fired and us P's faithful need to find a team that wants to win. I find that comment really hard to swallow.
Not to speak for Rudy but I think he means that teams don't platoon their stars, no matter how bad their platoon splits are.
Ethier, Morneau, Dunn, Crawford, Hosmer, etc.
howards problem is freakin shift. he hits the ball hard to right field practically every time he makes contact. He needs to learn to hit to left for a month, and keep the defense honest.
Ouch, that game bit the big one for sure.
When you look at the amount of effort it takes 24 year old Harvey to flick a 95 mph fastball, compared to the amount of effort it takes Doc to throw 89, that says it all to me. I thought Doc's face was going to explode he turned so purple. I love the effort don't get me wrong, but we all age and when it's gone, it's gone.
But father time has NOT been cruel to Halladay, he had a long run. ( just a shame most of it wasn't here) The cruelty is when it's taken away from young pitchers with promising careers ahead. So no tears for Doc. He earned his contract, it wasn't a waste, and that first year here was glorious. So what happens from here? Does he become Greg Maddux and reinvent himself? Or does he flounder like my favorite pitcher of all time for his last few years? Time will tell.
Your favorite pitcher of all time?
Jose Mesa or Don Carman?
I forget
Adam Eaton
He hangs it up.
It's one thing to lose your arm. Always sad, especially when a great pitcher like Halladay loses his incredible skills.
But this is Robin Roberts or Maddux or Moyer. This is a guy who looks like he's going to faint on the mound every time he goes out there and in any weather. I've been harping on this but I am convinced something more is wrong with Doc and that bothers me much more than the Phils losing a class pitcher and class act. I think he's ill and I'm very concerned.
True Lefty. But was is sad is that Halladay is losing it a bit earlier than most great pitchers. If you count last year, he lost it at 34. If he doesn't reinvent himself, he probably doesn't have much chance of getting into the HOF either.
The offense should be thanking Doc. His horrible performance is keeping the spotlight off of the non-existent run production.
Great as if its not bad enough bring back Oswalt?
And yes you can platoon or sit anyone making any amount.
As Ive said many times the Giants won a WS benching thier highest priced offensive player ( Rowand) and pitcher ( Zito)
$11 million is slightly less than $25 million, and I'm talking about the reality of the situation right now in Philadelphia. Do you actually believe that RAJ would allow his highest paid position player to become a part time player? It would be admitting that the Howard contract was a huge mistake, and in case you haven't noticed, RAJ doesn't often admit to being wrong. It's not like this is the last year of that deal – they still have three more guaranteed years after this one. A platoon with Howard just isn't happening.
Well I suppose Ryan could be a hot dog vender when the team faces lefties. That would make up some of the salary.
So we should just sit back for three years and know, because of his contract, he"ll be in lineup everyday and we have no chance for full success. So we should as lemmings just pay the prices for tickets, beer and food and don't have any regard for how the team does. I don't think so. Amaro needs to go and Howard needs to learn how to hit to left or sit his big ass down at least versus southpaws when Ruf can start and pinch hit late in games for him which gives the P's a better chance of victory.
Teams do not bench or platoon their stars. It should be done, but it just isn't.
Schmeck, how bout the Giants and Bochy's success doing it??
If you mean Rowand, by 2010 he had had exactly ONE season as an above-average hitter in the last 6. He had hit .230 that year, with a .281 OBP and no power, and was one of the worst hitters in baseball. Not a very compelling example.
Here are some players' OPS vs. lefties over the last 3 years — which of these players get platooned?
.588 – Hosmer
.601 – Ethier
.647 – Choo
.650 – Morneau
.661 – Bourn
.665 – Heyward
.678 – Berkman
.695 – Mauer
.708 – Howard
.716 – Helton
That's exactly right. Bochy, the giants manager will bench the highest paid player for the good of the team. I've seen it many times with success and the players never complain. In the 2010 world series, Barry zito did not even make the team and he's under contract for millions. But he wasn't pitching good. Last year he was pitching good and was one of the heroes of the post season. I've said it before, bochy is the reason they have 2 rings. He is a brilliant manager. Just a response to a comment from Rudy about mets pitchers Harvey and wheeler possibly being a better pitcher. Listening to a talk show out here in California the other day. The guest from the minor leagues, supposedly an expert, says after wheeler, the mets have so many pitchers as strong as they are in line to start coming up to the majors that they probably will have no choice to make trades for lack of room on the team. If I was in upper management with the phillies, I would aggressively look at their system and really try and pick up one or two prospects at any cost. They have money issues, sooooooo. Be smart
Exactly Frank thats why they have 2 titles.
With teams that talent wise couldnt touch the 2011 Phillies team that lost in the first round.
Its SF though and this is philly.
But if it gets bad enough anything is possible.
Unfortunately, I don't know that Zito and Howard are an apples to apples comparison. Zito was really bad for a long time before he was knocked off the post season roster. Unfortunately, as bad as he has looked on the whole since Opening Day, it is only 7 games, and it's not like streaks are anything new to Howard. Plus, he's a hit the ball hard a fair amount of the time this year. I get the idea of an occasional platoon, a removal from the 4 spot, all that good stuff, I just don't know if it's that simple. I haven't looked at his numbers off Gee, but a night off might not be a bad idea. I kinda doubt it happens, but that's a pretty wild guess.
I fully welcome an Oswalt comeback. Just because it would help me with my t-shirt situation. I have 10 different Phillies players t-shirts. Only 3 of them (Howard, Halladay and Ruiz) are still on the team, and Ruiz is currently suspended. All of the rest have set sail for greener pastures- Rolen, Thome, Pence, Victorino, Ibanez, Werth and Oswalt. But it's mostly my fault for buying t-shirts at Modells for $5 after the player gets traded or signs somewhere else.
I think you can still proudly wear Rolen and Thome…
You need to burn the Werth shirt – or use it as a cleaning rag. LOL
Tonight's reports are saying Halladay's velocity is back again averaging 89.7 on the gun (including cutters). The bad news is his continued lost of command on breaking pitches; falling behind in counts to the hitters. Consequently, the Mets hitters were sitting on the fastballs. Obviously, his lack of command is uncharacteristic of him. Is he trying too hard to make the perfect pitch instead of attacking the strike zone? Does he have a "mechanics" problem (arm slot)?
I still have confidence in Halladay. He is an experienced veteran with great knowledge of the game and can eventually resolve his problem(s) with the necessary adjustments. Remember the Jamie Moyer lesson #101: It's not how hard you throw but WHERE you throw the pitch. (smile)
Irrespective of $$$, contracts etc., it is very painful to watch one of the very best players of any generation deteriorate before our very eyes. For me, it was a very sad event in front of a national ESPN audience. Imagine the embarrassment, the pain, and the feelings Doc had…..I don't care how much $$$$ he earns – to be disrobed in front of millions of fans….I know I was embarrassed for that man who has given us all so many memorable moments. In fact, I couldn't wait to see the basketball game and turned the Phils off to see something less difficult to watch………..
He doesnt have to admit to being wrong.
You can see it on the field plan as day.
Do I thnk he will bench him?
My point was that a team that really wanted to win would do whatever to win.
If it continues like this Charlie may be gone sooner rather than later.
Hopefully a new manager will do whats best for the team and stop coddling the over priced prima donalds.
The salary should be moot when it comes to managing the team.
One other comment: Matt Harvey is a beast! The Mets' starting rotation is becoming more respectful as they groomed their young arms and much hyped Zack Wheeler is waiting in the wings (eventually to be called up from AAA minors). That team is one solid hitter away from contending in the division.
I'm still hoping for the Phillies to make one last hurrah this season with their aging superstars. Right now, their hitting slump, like the hot bats, can be contagious. It has affected just about the entire team with the exception of Utley. Even Dominic Brown has cooled down to a mere .231 BA. Of course, the Phillies do have a excuse for not hitting tonight.. the dominance of a emerging superstar, Matt Harvey.
We've all heard this stat before, but I think it bears repeating tonight. Ruin Tomorrow Jr. is paying Ryan Howard $40,000 per at bat. He's hitting .167. I don't know what you make a year, but that means that each time he gets up and wiffs mindlessly at whatever junk they throw his way, he makes most of my salary for the year.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a pencil, sharpen it, and shove it in my eye.
This one had me laughing. Specifically the last sentence.
It might be more productive to go find a batting cage and learn to hit home runs (or teach your young so to do the same).
(young son)
I know rationally it is still very early but when the duo Hamels & Halladay combine to give up 25 Runs in 18 Innings over their first 4 starts and the Phillies start 2-5 against the Braves, Royals and Mets I am ready to panic. Can anybody please calm me down?
How 'bout them Eagles?
The offense did not score runs today but they have scored enough runs against the Royals to sweep that series Doc struggle with his control again as did Cole I have faith they will go through hot starts. The biggest problem is running Durbin out there with guys on base every day. Aumont is having control issues but it time to start giving him the shot when you bring a RHer in.
I know I am doing it to Durbin and maybe he can find some old form. But slow streaks happen this offense will hit can we please wait at least 20-30 games before we bury this team
Horst and Valdes DID do okay. Yes that's true.
But at that point in an absolutely zero pressure situation and w the Mets all but not giving a crap- yeah those 2 did good. Big deal.
Not a lot to be happy about so far. Maybe- just the fact that its still early. Cole pitching like a slob really spreads bad karma for the team.
And lets see how long Chaz stays true to Durbin. What a waste it would be to keep Chad. We let him go before, did we think he's magically better???
And I had a bad feeling once Howard whiffed when Benny was on 3rd. It wasn't even close-99 on the radar. Wow Harvey.
What do you honestly think Howard feels? It's like HA-I'm making $25mil for a .154 average. Does anyone know him ?
From everything I've heard about Howard, this must be tearing him up inside.
I would imagine it is. I know people love to get all over highly-paid athletes that are struggling as if to suggest that they don't care. But I don't think Howard is in that group.
I think Howard tries and cares.
He has not been properly coached.
You have a GM and a manager who allow players to swing at 3-0 pitches losing in late innings while leading off.
A home run to lead off losing 5-1 makes it 5-2. A walk puts pressure on the other team and theres a chance for a rally.
I do think that if the Phillies lose 15-5 tongiht and he hits 3 home runs he will be happy. As will a large portion of his fans who feel the need to always apologize or take up for him.
I think he would also consider winning an MVP on a last place team a good year.
I would not.
I do believe he cares though and there is effort. And that he isnt a bad guy.
Its about performance on the field.
"I think Howard tries and cares."
"I do think that if the Phillies lose 15-5 tongiht and he hits 3 home runs he will be happy."
Huh? How do you reconcile these statements? So he likes losing?
No Schenk I think he is like most people and athletes.
The Michael Jordan and Doc Halladay and Pete Rose types that would sell their children and mothers to win are a very small minority of the athletes today.
Not knocking Howard for anything but performance on the field.
As Ive said before hes a good guy and cares. The contract is 0% his fault.
Hes been a liability for awhile on the diamond.
But thats just my opinion. You are entitled to yours.
Well, here's my two cents.
You can't bench Howard against lefties unless you have a guaranteed talent to replace him with. Ruf is not guaranteed, and if he's brought up, someone else has to go back to AAA. Who?
Halladay is having command issues partly because he's trying too hard to get his velocity up. He needs to slow down. Even if he's only hitting 87 MPH, if it's where it needs to be, it'll be more effective than 95 MPH in some batter's wheelhouse.
The offense faced an extemely difficult pitcher. They'll score runs in other situations.
The Phil's consistent slow starts make me wonder if there's something wrong with their ST program. Every year, they stink in April.
BTW…does anyone else but me hate the way the bullpen stats are compiled? If you look at Durbin's numbers from last night you would say he didn't do too bad. 1 inn, 0 runs 1 hit and 1 walk. What isn't shown is that the hit brought in 2 runners. Theoretically, Durbin could come in 50 times this year, surrender a hit that scores runners and his era remains in tact. I always thought that the pitcher leaving the game with runners in scoring position and the reliever who gave up the hit to score the inherited runners should be each charged .5 runs on their stats since they are both responsible for the runners scoring.
fyi, if you go the game log below, it shows that he has allowed all 7 inherited runners to score this year (look for IR and IS). There are probably others that show the same kind of thing:
That's good, but it should count against his ERA. It's deceptive the way it's tracked now.
I don't disagree, I just don't see the way ERA is calculated changing any time soon.
Time to reel off 5 in a row. No reason to think that they can't rebound and win the next two at home to even the home record….and then go down to Miami and sweep the Fish. Seriously…as bad as the first week's worth of games has been, this is completely realistic and doable.
Cliff Lee AGAIN is being called upon to be the stopper.
I wish it was that simple, reeling off 5 straight. They run into a similar, if not carbon copy of Friday night when Miami is scheduled to throw this 20 year old Jose Hernandez. He's one of these 20 year olds they moved the clock on by starting him rather than waiting a few weeks and controlling him an extra year. Pitched real well Sunday against the Mets. Hamels gets him, so I'm not thinking they automatically lose, but it isn't like they'll be facing a Miami team that's as bad as the one that appeared as beatable as after they completed their fire sale. Actually, I guess Lannan gets him with the night off. We'll see if they can win these next 2 against the Mets even before that. I wouldn't go further than maybe, but not much point expecting to lose.
Pressing too hard way too hard. Who's in charge of motivation?
The team is flawed and we need to rebuild. Amaro must get young talent. Trade Utley and Chooch for some young studs. Throw in Lee if the deal is good.
Doc gone at end of year. Build around Hamels. The earlier we start the sooner we can get a new team. Expect below 500 for 3-4 years.
I'll just say this about a post that carries a flavor of complete fire sale. It would have been interesting if that article of a month ago by Jonah Keri recommending a complete fire sale came out this morning. Probably drive an already lousy feeling about the club to the depths of despair.
RE: Howard v. LHP.
No other manager would have sat by this long while allowing Howard to hit in the 4 spot against LHP. The money that he makes, the problem(s) that a change might create for his psyche, etc. all pale in consideration to the woeful inadequacy of his performance and what it does to the team. Ryan can't or won't change his approach and Charlie either doesn't care or just chooses to lift with a black hole in the cleanup spot. When you bat Howard against a lefty, he has a 1 in 5 chance of not making an out. What else needs to be said?
The Dipsy
Dipsy, it sounds like you may know: which of the players below get platooned vs. lefties (shown is their OPS vs. lefties over the last 3 years):
.588 – Hosmer
.601 – Ethier
.647 – Choo
.650 – Morneau
.661 – Bourn
.665 – Heyward
.678 – Berkman
.695 – Mauer
.708 – Howard
.716 – Helton
Is this your way of disagreeing with my post? I don't think Howard should be platooned but I would like to see him dropped to 6th in the order or, if need be, 5th.
The Dipsy
Problem is, numerous studies have shown that changing of line-up spots only has minimial impact on overall run production of a team. Check out this link, for example:
Well, if thats true than lets just put nine names in a hat and pull them out one by one before each game and that can be out lineup.
The Dipsy
Well, as I said, it has an impact but a very small one. Of course, if you do everything wrong with the line-up then the impact might be a liitle bigger.
Hitting Howard 6th in the lineup against lefties will give him maybe 20 PA's less against lefties compared to hitting him in the clean-up spot. over the whole season. That is what I call minimal impact.
If by chance Roy Halladay is reading this… which he's not… it would be so wonderful to convey to him that we love him. The postseason no-hitter, the perfect game, the Cy Young… Roy, you have nothing to prove to us. If there's something going on, we understand because you gave us everything. If that's not the case – if it is truly mental – there is no need to press any harder because you have been a warrior and there is nothing that you can do to take away what you've already accomplished. Go to the drawing board and get the mechanics right… if it comes back, it comes back. If not, we will gracefully accept the situation for what it is… we appreciate you, Roy.
I'm not sure what's going on with Howard… I swear that teams pitch him differently in Spring Training. I didn't expect him to have a good spring and he did but I think that was a mirage… I was worried that all of the off season distractions would cause him to lack focus early on and have him ill prepared for the season. As much as it pains me to say it – and I'm a huge Howard supporter – I think we're seeing a guy that's just not ready to play. I think that he wants to do well and I don't think he's laughing his way to the bank like some suggest but if you're not there physically, it doesn't matter how much you want it. Actions speak louder than words… I think Ryne Sandberg's structured practices are working (the defense has been ok) but maybe the big man needs to see some more live pitching to find his stroke again.
He may not be laughing his way to the bank….but he's obviously having no problems going to the bank. I don't feel sorry for Roy other than I know he must be hurting and that he desperately wants to correct the problems and help the team. That has to be incredibly painful and I DO feel bad for him in that regard. But he's done well in this league, earned his accolades (and his money) and is headed for the Hall, whether he hangs it up today or 5 years from now.
Chuck…you really think Halladay is heading for the HOF? I'd say he's 60/40 at this point. His career numbers are not that great. Losing it at 34 years old is not helping either.
there is nothing wrong physically with Ryan Howard. This is all mental – its all a matter of relaxing because this man is pressing the pedal to the floor and going nowhere quickly.
I hate to be Debbie Downer, although it seems like the majority beat me to it.
But it is so typical for us fans to avoid the inevitable. Durbin is this years Qualls and reunions rarely work out for the best. It also tells me Cholly doesn't trust anyone other than Adams and Pap but not for nothing, like that Canadian go out there and throw heat. At least he'll force people to swing unlike Durbin who automatically is advance to "Go." Howard, while notoriously a slow starter has no excuse. Nobody wants to hear why a guy making 25M can't get it right. He looked like he "learned' this Spring and then forgot it all by the start of the season.
Revere, while fun to watch on the base bath has zero pop, no arm and makes me really regret not finding the pieces or $ for one of the Upton brothers. Cole will get it right. Lee will be our best pitcher but at the end of the day, our outfield is a mess, our SP is almost as bad as our mid relief and we show no signs of power from the heart of our line-up with the exception of the God Utley.
Zito was in his 4th year with the Giants when he was left off the post season roster.
I know some here thinkk Howard is as good as ever.
But to me the decline has been on going since 2010.
As the Dipsy is trying to point out.
I am not saying to bench or platoon or anything else.
I am saying to be smart. If the Phillies face a lefthander the next 50 games just blindly penciling him in 4th is nonsense.
If the other team brings in a left handed reliever who howard is say 0-15 off with 14 Ks. in the ninth with the bases loaded and 2 outs Id like to at least think maybe hed be pinch hit for.
You guys are probably right and he will hit 4th forever regardless.
This is not good. This is one of the big problems of why this team has declined. Mirroring almost exactly the decline of Ryan Howard.
Re: Halladay
Its not his fault there wasnt a WS title won.
He deserved to win one and came here to get it.
Just didnt happen.
That's true about Howard. The media would have a field day benching a 25 million dollar man after one week of the season. I think Ryan does really care about his performance. That's why I think he needs help. I don't care what the stats say about changing the line up around. To take the pressure off of Ryan, I would bat him 5th or even 6th for now, and also pinch hit for him against a lefty in a critical late inning situation. I believe the manager has a responsibility to his players to help get them through tough times. And possibly, at the same time, something good might happen for the team and for Ryan.
Ryan Howard will be penciled in batting 4th in every game he plays as long as Charlie Manuel is the manager. You need to get past this, because it's not gonna change man. Mets broadcasters just said that Howard has the longest streak of hitting 4th in the lineup of any major leaguer since Albert Belle in the 1990's
If they keep playing this way through April, is Charlie's job in trouble?
Ive said it before and ill say it again, its almost like that last game against St Louis in 2011 broke halladay. 125 pitches, 1 run and a loss. one of the guttiest performances ive seen.
ended Carpenter's career too.
If Charlie Manuel were a doctor or a lawyer he would be sued for malpractice for letting Howard hit 4 against lefties. Day after day. Season after season.
The Dipsy
Phils lineup for Wednesday is out and pretty standard. Actually, more than pretty standard, it's what you'd expect against the lefty. Howard does have 2 homers in 7 at bats off Gee, so any thought of resting him for a night, let alone moving him in the order went wayside fast.
Besides that, RyHo is having a kickass year compared to Rick Ankiel. He's struck out 12 times in 14 at bats.


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Center Pivot Irrigation on the Ogallala Aquifer
An Eden-like canyon in the Desert West
Yosemite Falls
The Geography Blog focusing on all things geography: human, physical, technical, space, news, and geopolitics. Also known as Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze! Written by a former National Geographic employee who also proudly served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Rocky Mountains are beautiful!
I've always wondered what I am flying over. The only thing I've been able to identify are soccer stadiums (Cardiff, Wembley, Stamford Bridge, Toyota Park) or large landmasses (like "that must be Iceland"). Do you check the airplane's route beforehand so you know what to look for?
I knew the general route just doing the great circle method. However, after Remote Sensing class and playing with Google Earth its fairly easy to identify stuff.


text: I am hoping maybe some of you have some experience with this. I have a 5 week old baby who I have been b-feeding since birth. He started getting very fussy around 2 weeks and since that time, has colic every day either at morning or evening and cries with severe gas pains. Draws up his feet, arches back..etc. Some days are better than others. I did try giving him a sensitive formula for 3 feedings to see if that made things better and he did not have the same colic. BUT..I do not want to give formula for this but I can't figure out why the breast milk is giving him such a hard time. The gas is so bad that I have had two people ask me if he has an allergy or something b/c he seems to hurt so bad. I have tried gripe water after feedings, gas drops, etc. He feeds about every 1-2 hours.. at 5 weeks old. Does not sleep at night but about 2-2.5 hours and is very restless in his sleep. My first child was the same way and I ended up on a specialized formula at 7 weeks and do not want to do that again with this one. I simply can't imagine that he could have issues with breast milk but be able to take formula. That does not make sense. Any ideas? Yes, I have cut out dairy and also caffeine. I started to cut out tomatoes also as I have read that they can cause issues also. I am trying anything. Honestly, some days the breast milk seems to be fine with him and others it is all day and night crying in pain with gas and a gurgling tummy.


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The Planning Department is responsible for all land use and zoning issues within the Columbus Consolidated Government. This is accomplished under the city's Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). The UDO is the main instrument used by the department to regulate development in the county. The department receives, processes, reviews and makes recommendations on applications to rezone property in the county.
The Planning Department receives, processes, reviews and makes recommendations on applications to rezone property in Muscogee County (Columbus, Georgia).
Subdivision regulations are needed to protect communities and ensure building lots provide a wholesome living environment for future residents. These regulations ensure adequate lot size, public access, and the availability of public services to each lot created.
A special exception permit allows for certain land uses in a given zoning district that generally require a more in-depth study than permitted uses.
The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) is the compilation of regulations that govern land use, which includes the Zoning Ordinance, the Environmental Ordinance and the Subdivision Ordinance/Regulations.
The Planning Advisory Commission serves in an advisory capacity to the Planning Department with regard to:
It has seven regular and two alternate members, all of which are appointed by the Columbus City Council.
The Board of Zoning Appeals is responsible for deciding appeals and granting variances relative to the enforcement of the zoning regulations. It has five members, which are appointed by the Columbus City Council.
Still have questions about development services in Columbus, Georgia? Find answers to the Department's frequently asked questions.
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text:
Jean A. Wiedeman, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Interests
Center/Program Affiliation:
Pediatric Specialty Clinics
2521 Stockton Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Driving Directions
Phone: 800-282-3284
Additional Phone:
B.A., Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, Illinois, 1976
Board Certifications:
Professional Memberships:
American Society of Microbiology
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
Society for General Microbiology - United Kingdom
Select Recent Publications:
Antkowiak TT, Polage CR, Wiedeman JA, Meehan JP, Jamali AA. Chondrolysis of the Tibial Plateau Caused by Articular Aspergillosis After ACL Autograft Reconstruction: Management with a Fresh Osteochondral Allograft: A Case Report. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2011 Nov 2;93(21):e1241-6.
Chantry CJ, Wiedeman J, Buehring G, Peerson JM, Hayfron K, K'Aluoch O, Lonnerdal B, Israel-Ballard K, Coutsoudis A, Abrams B. Effect of flash-heat treatment on antimicrobial activity of breastmilk. Breastfeed Med. 2011 Jun;6(3):111-6. Epub 2010 Nov 23.
Chiou HL, Wiedeman JA, Devaraj S, Subramanian N. C-Reactive Protein Outperformed Pro calcitonin as an Early Biomarker for Central Line-Related Bloodstream Infection in Neonates. Submitted: Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal. 2010
Hayfron K and Wiedeman JA. A 7-year-old Girl with Ulcerative Lesion after a Rodent Bite. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal. 2009
Wiedeman JA, Kaul R, Heuer L, Thao NN, Pinkerton K, Wenman WM. Cigarette smoke induces a persistent but recoverable state in Chlamydia pneumoniae infection of human endothelial cells. Microbial Pathogenesis 39: 197-204. 2005
Wiedeman JA , Kaul R, Heuer L, Thao NN, Pinkerton K, Wenman WM. Tobacco Smoke induces persistent infection of Chlamydophila pneumoniae in HEp=2Cells. Microbial Pathogenesis 37: 141-148. 2004
Bolovan-Fritts C and Wiedeman J. Mapping the Viral Genetic Determinants of Endothelial Cell Tropism in Human Cytomegalovirus. Journal of Clinical Virology 25:S97-S109. 2002
Bolovan-Fritts C and Wiedeman J. Human Cytomegalovirus Strain Toledo Lacks a Viral Encoded Tropism Factor Required for Infection of Aortic Endothelial Cells. Journal of Infectious Diseases 184: 1252-61. 2001
Kaul R, Uphoff J, Wiedeman J, Yadlapalli S, and Wenman WM. Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA in CD3+ Lymphocytes from Normal Healthy Blood Donors and Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. Circulation 102, 2341-46. 2000
Lunetta J and Wiedeman J. Latency-associated sense transcripts are expressed during in vitro human cytomegalovirus productive infection. Virology 278, 467-476. 2000
Bolovan CJ, Mocarski E, and Wiedeman J Peripheral Blood CD14+ Cells from Healthy Subjects Carry a Circular Conformation of Latent Cytomegalovirus Genome. Blood 93, 394-398, 1999.
Gross C, Wiedeman J. Generic acyclovir vs. famciclovir and valacyclovir. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal 1997;16:838-841
Taylor-Wiedeman J, Sission JGP, Sinclair JHG. Induction of endogenous human cytomegalovirus gene expression after differentiation of monocytes from healthy carriers. Journal of Virology 1994;68(3):1597-1604
Bowness P, Cavies KA, Norsworthy PJ, Athanassiou P, Taylor-Wiedeman J, Borysiewicz LK, Meyer PAR, Walport MJ. Hereditary C1q deficiency and SLE: case report and review of the literature. Quarterly Journal of Medicine 87, 834-841, 1994.
Bowness P, Cavies KA, Norsworthy PJ, Athanassiou P, Taylor-Wiedeman J, Borysiewicz LK, Meyer PAR, Walport MJ. Hereditary C1q deficiency and SLE: case report and review of the literature. Quarterly Journal of Medicine 1994;87:455-464
Wang ECY, Taylor-Wiedeman J, Perera P, Fisher J, Borysiewics LK. Subsets of CD8+, CD57+ cells in normal, healthy individuals: correlation with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) carrier status, and phenotypic functional analyses. Clinical and Experimental Immunology 1993;94:297-305
Taylor-Wiedeman J, Hayhurst GP, Sissions JGP, Sinclair JHG. Polymorphonuclear cells are not sites of persistence of human cytomegalovirus in healthy individuals. Journal of General Virology 1993;74:265-268


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This A list model with B list name recognition is in a "relationship" right now. Last night after she walked in a show her celebrity "boyfriend" spent twenty minutes critiquing her walk and makeup and had detailed notes.
Hilary Rhoda/Sean Avery
She should listen. . He interned at Vogue dahling.ReplyCancel
If yo man takes notes on how you walk, you best RUN like Gump and GTFO!!!ReplyCancel
Uh Sean Avery is gay. Hilary Rhoda is nothing but a pass aroundReplyCancel
Yup. Hence the quotation marks. Enty, you hipster tipster, you!!!ReplyCancel
excuse me for a minute…. I can't hear anything over the sound of Andy Cohen crying.ReplyCancel
@B got it! Great job!!ReplyCancel
I'm outta that loop now, happily, but all I can say is, DUDE BETTER BE HOT AND (as SugarT has informed) better use his connections to further your coke fueled career.
Cynical. Party of one.
No no no, make that,
"Experienced", part of one, the best table in the house awaits you!"
He shames the NHL.ReplyCancel
Someone please tell me you too remember the Cohen & Avery are engaged thing that ended with Avery getting engaged to this beard instead like days later. Dumb. Ass. Move. Avery could have been set for life as a socialite househusband.ReplyCancel
"party". Damn it, not "part of one". I'm a whole person now!!ReplyCancel
No Todd Bertuzzi does.ReplyCancel
@Tina in my opinion sorry meant to add that. Don't mean to act like you can't have one too. 🙂ReplyCancel
I remember that Andy Cohen was getting married but the other half was never revealed but supposed to be Sean.ReplyCancel
OK, I get the implication that because he's fussing with her look that he must be gay. It's a pretty horrible stereotype. I, as a slovenly, misanthropic, design-challenged gay man find it a horrible standard to live up to. Let my people be schlubs already! And actually, I see a lot of instances of controlling straight guys that make requirements for their girlfriends like this or worse. Don't base someone's sexuality on their controlling nature.ReplyCancel
I'm pretty sure Sean and Andy are still together, right after their engagement came out he started wearing a ring that looks like a wedding band, he always wears it on wwhl.ReplyCancel
Who? X 2ReplyCancel
Lady H reminded me of something-
My first long-term boyfriend was very …"attentive".
Once he looked at my eyelashes and said, "we need to go get you a new mascara that when you're using is flaking."
The killer was when he told me that his friends were only shy towards me bcuz they were intimidated. (Hear me out here.). He followed that with,
Bahahaha… Dumbass! As if I EVER thought that. Actually never would even think about that nor think I was. But damn, what girl needs their bf to o say that to them???? I DID NOT, that's FSS!
So I kept him around until I could properly get over him and in those years, believe me, he paid for it! Bad!
And of coarse I learned these are the kind of guys that have it baaaaaadddd.
Even if this Bl guy is gay, for some reason he has it baaaaadddd for ?Hilary Rhoda.
Off to google them. (Sorry for long comment)ReplyCancel
I feel like Andy could do much better.ReplyCancel
I am sorry, Sincerely. Good thing you let this asshat get away! Gay or straight, control freaks are bad news (unless maybe that's your thing- since my bro is into control freaks). They are never good at compromising, and you got to wonder why they are so compulsive about everything. They are usually being controlling as a means of compensating for things they cannot control. Just my opinion.ReplyCancel
Saw him recently on an older episode of wwhl. He came off as a pissy queen. I don't know, perhaps I misconstrued his smug self righteous attitude for a bitchy queen? *shrug* I never bought him as 100 straight.ReplyCancel
Hey Riven I found your reply hilarious and correct!!!! LOL.ReplyCancel
And yet Witch he is probably right speaking as someone who has a walk in closet and is hoping to getting around to purging this weekend, if it rains on Sunday, maybe.ReplyCancel
At this point he is not playing anymore so why not just come out already. I don't see him making big money due to his straightness. He would probably rack up $$ if he came out (if he is gay or bi).ReplyCancel
If he's gay, at this point he really just needs to come out. It's not like virtually every NHL fan doesn't think he's gay already, and it's completely unrelated to why everyone hates him.
If he came out and claimed that he was a douche for all those years because of the stress of being a closeted athlete he'd be a much more sympathetic figure. Probably wouldn't be forgiven for his on ice shenanigans but it would certainly help with the reputation he built as a locker room cancer and general terrible person.ReplyCancel
and yes i remember when Sean and Andy were engagedReplyCancel
@Fins ^5 I'm happy that it's not just me this time.ReplyCancel


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I have a pot of this lovely plant and I'm considering where to place it. I have plenty of woodland areas, but I also have some shady areas around the house, and a lot of borders along the 800 plus feet of stone wall.
Eomecon chionantha
Not surprising, this one didn't even last the first winter for me in zone 4.
Had to look this one up, very interesting... a Chinese relative to bloodroot!
The pics, looks like a beautiful plant!
Digging Dog Nursery rates the plant as Zone 6
A few more links:
I had this very lovely plant for several years but it eventually was swamped by other plants. I was too late to take action. Now I am looking for seed or plants. I want it back!
When growing in a shady woodland it was quite happy but other, bigger plants took command when I neglected it for some time.
I never heard of it either....it should survive here if given a chance. Well worth trying to track down.
It spreads like a weed in the Pacific NW, by underground stems. I would like to try some from seed, but I've never seen the seed offered. I grow it in full sun, but my climate is quite cool, even for this region. It definitely needs water until mid to late summer.
I received a plant of this species late summer, and planted it. We'll have to see how it does over the winter, I'm hoping for the best.
I don't grow it myself in our woodland garden however it grows well in Southwest Scotland.
Pic taken about 6 weeks ago during our UK visit.
Cheers Dave
Toole wrote:
I don't grow it myself in our woodland garden however it grows well in Southwest Scotland.
Pic taken about 6 weeks ago during our UK visit.
Cheers Dave
Who can't love a plant like that?
I like it. How long do the leaves usually persist (through summer?)?


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Riedesel, a federal firearms licensee, owned Garrett's Gun Vault in Victoria at the time of his arrest. The store is now closed.
Riedesel admitted he was in possession of a Remington Model 870, 12-gauge shotgun which had a barrel length of more than seven inches and an overall length of nearly 15 inches. A check of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR) revealed that the firearm was not registered to Riedesel.
The investigation began after customers reported having trouble retrieving firearms that had been dropped off at Riedesel's establishment for repair.
On March 13, a federal search warrant was executed at Garrett's Gun Vault in Victoria. At that time, agents seized 117 firearms that were not properly logged into Riedesel's acquisition and disposition books as required by federal law. Four of the weapons seized were required to be registered in the NFRTR, including the shotgun Riedesel admitted to possessing as part of his guilty plea today.
Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey has set sentencing for Oct. 6, 2014. At that time, Riedesel faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. He was ordered to remain in custody pending that hearing.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth is prosecuting.


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February 15, 2002: NASA's Servicing Mission 3B for the Hubble Space Telescope will give the orbiting observatory a new camera that will significantly increase Hubble's abilities and enable a broad array of new astronomical discoveries. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) covers twice the area, has twice the sharpness, and is up to five times more sensitive to light than Hubble's workhorse camera, the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The servicing mission will begin on Feb. 28 with the launch of the space shuttle Columbia. The simulated image [above, right] depicts how the cosmos will look through the "eyes" of the ACS.See the rest:
The images depict a distant massive cluster of galaxies. The picture at left shows the cluster through the "eyes" of the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). The WFPC2's view depicts the galaxies in the cluster as faint smudges. But the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) will be able to see more galaxies in much more detail [image at right], including several faint arc-like features produced when the light from more distant galaxies is bent and magnified by the cluster, an effect called gravitational lensing. The cluster is "observed" by the two instruments for the same length of time and through the same color filters.
The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) will search for very young galaxies that existed less than a billion years after the Big Bang, the explosive birth of the universe. Hubble has provided intriguing clues to how galaxies form and evolve. The ACS's greater sensitivity and higher efficiency will allow astronomers to see objects and details that could never have been seen before. The camera, for example, will be able to spot galaxies that are several times fainter than those detected by the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), providing more details about how matter combines to form galaxies. The ACS can detect radiation ranging from the ultraviolet portion of the spectrum, through visible light, to a portion of the spectrum known as the near infrared.
The ACS contains an instrument known as a coronagraph that will allow astronomers to block out small bright sources of light in order examine the details of structures around the light sources. The coronagraph may allow astronomers to search for warps and gaps in the disks of gas and dust surrounding nearby stars that may be early signs of planet formation. The coronagraph will also be very useful to astronomers who study quasars, powerful distant objects in the farthest reaches of the universe that are thought to be highly active black holes in the center of galaxies.
The ACS also will search for "direct evidence" of planets in nearby solar systems. Although planets have been detected around many stars, all of them have been inferred through the gravitational wobbles they impart to their stars, rather than detected through a direct image of the planets themselves.
Science and Illustration Credit: NASA and the ACS Science Team


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President signs whistle-blower bill for US workersBy LARRY MARGASAK
The Associated Press | November 28,2012WASHINGTON President Barack Obama signed legislation Tuesday that affords greater protection to federal employees who expose fraud, waste and abuse in government operations.
Capping a 13-year effort by supporters of whistle-blower rights, the new law closes loopholes created by court rulings, which removed protections for federal whistle-blowers. One loophole specified that whistle-blowers were only protected when they were the first to report misconduct.
The law makes it easier to punish supervisors who try to retaliate against the government workers.
The federal official who investigates retaliation, Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, said her office stands ready to implement these important reforms, which will better ensure that no employee suffers retaliation for speaking out against government waste or misconduct.
The new legislation, however, would go beyond restoring protections, to expand whistle-blower rights and clarify certain protections. For example, whistle-blowers could challenge the consequences of government policy decisions.
Specific protections would be given to certain employees, including government scientists who challenge censorship. Workers at the Transportation Security Administration, who provide airport security, would be covered under the law for the first time.
The bill also would clarify that whistleblowers have the right to communicate with Congress.
To stop illegal retaliation, the bill would make it easier to discipline those responsible, by modifying the burden of proof required when taking action against those trying to punish whistle-blowers. Also, the Office of Special Counsel, which was established to protect federal employees, would no longer be liable for attorney fees of government managers if the office does not prevail in a disciplinary action.
The new legislation would suspend the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals sole jurisdiction to review decisions in whistle-blower cases.
The bills supporters said the court consistently narrowed protections and ruled for whistle-blowers only three times in 229 cases between October 1994 and May 2012. A review by all federal circuit courts was added as a two-year experiment.
Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, said, This reform took 13 years to pass because it can make so much difference against fraud, waste and abuse. Government managers at all levels made pleas and repeatedly blocked the bill through procedural sabotage.
Devine, whose organization represents whistle-blowers, said the bill sailed through Congress once some senators who previously worked in secret to block a vote dropped their opposition.MORE IN National / World BusinessNEW YORK Its not just the musical Hairspray that will air live on NBC tonight. Full StoryOXON HILL, Md. Far from the Las Vegas Strip, MGM Resorts International opens its $1. Full Story
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By Eerke Boiten, University of Kent | June 28, 2014
Talking up the power of big data is a real trend at the moment and Google founder Larry Page took it to new levels this week by proclaiming that 100,000 lives could be saved next year alone if we did more to open up healthcare information.
Google, likely the biggest data owner outside the NSA, is evidently carving a place for itself in the big data vs life and death debate but Page might have been a little more modest, given that Google's massive Flu Trends programme ultimately proved unreliable. Big data isn't some magic weapon that can solve all our problems and whether Page wants to admit it or not, it won't save thousands of lives in the near future.
Big promises
Saving lives by analysing healthcare data has become a major human ambition, but to say this is a tricky task would be an enormous understatement.
In the UK, the government has just produced a consultation on introducing regulations for protecting this kind of information alongside care.data, a huge scheme aiming to make health records available to researchers and others who could work with it.
Given the ongoing care.data debacle, this is a broadly sensible document and a promising start for consultation. In particular, it identifies different levels of data. Data that could be used to identify an individual person should not be shared in the same way as other types of data.
But, like Page, the UK government is also presenting a false vision for big data. It has said review after review have found that a failure to share information between healthcare workers has led to child deaths. It's an emotive admission but rather beside the point in the big data perspective.
It is indeed entirely credible that many tragic failures within the NHS might have been prevented by someone sharing the right information with the right person. Sharing is essential, but when the NHS talks about sharing, it means linking and sharing large medical databases between organisations. Surely no case review has ever claimed that the mere existence of a larger database of information would have got the right knowledge to the right person.
Medical data sharing may be a good thing in many ways, but unfortunately there is no clear case yet that it prevents child deaths and other tragedies. It is only big data, not magic. Preventing child deaths appears to be brought in as emotional blackmail, expected to trump the valid concerns over the NHS' big data plans.
To view the full article, please visit Google's Larry Page wants to 'save 100,000 lives' by analyzing your healthcare data


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