text:
Red Steel 2 ReviewBy Tim Stevens - Posted Mar 23, 2010
The first Red Steel failed to give gamers the immersive sword-fighting experience they hoped Nintendo would deliver. In Red Steel 2 the franchise gets a very early reboot, and is all the better for it.
The Pros
- Much more responsive and enjoyable swordplay
- Fast-paced and fun combat
- Weapon and ability unlocks keep the game fresh
The Cons
- Controls still aren't perfectly tuned
- Slow doors and training sessions kill the action
- Minimal replay value
At the dawn of the Nintendo Wii, when it was still new and exciting to have a videogame actually do something to reward waving your arms around like an idiot, a little shooter called Red Steel captured the imaginations of millions of gamers and then disappointed most by failing to deliver the immersive gaming experience everyone wanted so badly. That was over three years ago and the franchise is back, but Red Steel 2 shares nothing but the title with its predecessor. It's a reboot that's a huge improvement over the original, but a series of annoyances keep this one from hitting the zenith of first-person action on the platform.
Attack of the Ronin Bikers
Red Steel 2 drops the gritty, urban storyline of the first, instead throwing you into a fanciful southwestern desert where cowboy culture meets samurai skills. It's a mash-up that could work given the overlap between spaghetti westerns and Kurosawa classics, but the blend of cultures and eras never seems to congeal here, and a distant storyline doesn't help. A biker gang has moved in and is ravaging the town. You have to clear them out, which of course you do, but things go on from there getting murkier and less interesting along the way.
Ultimately the narrative seems to exist only for the purpose of feeding a constant stream of ever more difficult enemies to fight, and for the sake of combat, that's just fine. In this desert wasteland, you visit a bulletin board to pick up new missions in new areas -- areas that are often quite small and heavily partitioned by giant doors that open very, very slowly. This fact is important: it's how Ubisoft has chosen to hide load times -- with sluggish doors -- and as you sit through one after another after another you'll find yourself longing for a "Now Loading" screen to break up the tedium.
Thankfully, almost every new passageway contains at least a pair of goons for you to beat up, and this is where the game improves. Gunplay is not drastically different from before, with four individually upgradeable weapons on offer (revolver, rifle, shotgun, and Tommy Gun) all aimed via Wiimote, but unlike the first game, you can now you use your sword whenever you like. Thankfully, the controls are vastly improved.
The MotionPlus Touch
Probably the biggest complaint about Red Steel was that the sword fighting, while somewhat fun, didn't really feel right. The standalone remote simply wasn't precise enough to give the full effect. Now we have MotionPlus, a requirement here, and the boost in allows you to slice the sword in any direction you like and at varying intensities. It's not perfect, however.
A simple, slow swipe of the sword across the screen won't be enough to register; you need to really wind up and swing your arm to make the game realize you mean business. While you can adjust the sensitivity, it still feels like you're making a motion to trigger an in-game action rather than feeling the game match your real movements. It doesn't help that there are dozens of combos and special moves requiring button combinations. For example, why tap the Z button to do a 360 attack instead of simply swinging the remote around in a circle? You'll learn new attacks frequently through the first half of the game, all taught by your in-game sensei, and you'll need execute them successfully again and again and again before he allows you to get back to the game. It's tedious to say the least.
Despite not being a 1:1 fencing simulator, Red Steel 2's swordplay and overall combat are hugely fun. The action is fast and furious and while early brawls are simple slugfests, you need to learn tactics and skill to survive later encounters and boss fights. Each new boss is introduced by a freeze-frame comic strip intro, something Borderlands gamers will find very familiar, and while they're certainly not clones, the aesthetic similarities between the two games will catch the eye of gamers who've logged several hours into Gearbox's world. Gone is the attempt at realistic graphics from the first Red Steel, replaced by a stylized cel-shaded look that seems far better suited to the Wii's visual capabilities.
Not all gameplay is great, though, like semi-interactive cutscenes that have you frantically tapping random buttons to keep your character alive, which reminiscent of early 90s CD-ROM games. There are also a few mini-games for picking locks and opening doors that exist only as gratuitous excuses to shoehorn in MotionPlus functionality. These artificial gameplay moments just don't seem to fit in with the game at large.
Much Better
Red Steel 2 is definitely a big step forward when compared to the original. It's not perfect, and you will find yourself rolling your eyes at the tedious training sessions, groaning while yet another door stands in your way, and wishing the game was just a little bit more responsive to your every move. However, there's still plenty of fun to be had and the eight to ten hours you'll spend working your way through the campaign will deliver many smiles.


text:
New Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has wasted little time embracing the European team's leadership role heading into next year's Gleneagles encounter.
Less than a day after receiving the unanimous vote of the Tournament Players Committee the delighted Dubliner only scratched the surface in terms of the issues he will have to address in the coming 20 months.
One is the fact the 2014 Johnnie Walker Championship will be suspended for one season to allow preparations of the Ryder Cup host venue and thus ruling out the Scottish event as the final automatic European qualifying event.
"We haven't got a schedule for 2014 yet but there is no Johnnie Walker next year so we will have to wait and find out what the last qualifying event will be, so that is an issue," McGinley said.
"Also I am going to have to sit down and look at the qualifying process as the goalposts have changed a little bit as we've not got more players on the PGA Tour than for the last two captains.
"I will do all my stats on the players, look back on the last two years and see where we are as my objective is to have the best 12 players for the European team though, at the same time, taking into account players showing loyalty to the European Tour.
"When Edoardo Molinari had a good year on the European Tour in 2010, he was able to make the team and it is very important to me that fresh blood have the opportunity of making the team for Gleneagles but then I would be happy also to have the 12 players again that competed in Medinah."
McGinley also spoke on matters regarding visiting Gleneagles in coming months, possible vice captain choices, the need for a distinct Scottish theme during the event, looking to attract leading players to this year's Johnnie Walker Championship and expressing the wish there's not a repeat of the cruel weather that saw the 2010 Ryder Cup in Wales extend into a Monday.
However much of McGinley's time in the 24 hours since his appointment has been consumed dealing with an overwhelming outpouring of support from his fellow players, officials, caddies and Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship spectators.
McGinley revealed even before the meeting he had received in excess of 200 text messages, so much so that American Ryder Cup star, Jason Dufner, who he played a practice alongside on Tuesday afternoon, could not stop laughing at the number of times McGinley's rang during the round.
By yesterday afternoon the number of text messages McGinley had received was closing on 600.
However amid the delight in McGinley's appointment, the 46-year old confessed he was also prepared for the likelihood of not being appointed the successor to Jose Maria Olazabal.
"I had notes in my pocket about how I was going to project myself and what I was going to do if that happened," he revealed.
"I had prepared for both eventualities and fortunately and I'm speaking from the right side of the fence.
"I assured the Tour that I would act with integrity expected by the Tour and if I wasn't going to be appointed, despite the players support, I would wish the winner the best of luck, and leave it at that, knowing that it was probably my last opportunity.
"It would have been sore but I had so many irons in the fire. I also have six different sponsors and they had all renewed before the decision was made, irrespective of what that was, so that means a lot to me.
"I've also got three companies and I'm involved in a huge project down in Ghana to develop golf down there in a project that the R&A are involved in. That's taking up a lot of my time.
"I've built three Paul McGinley Academies down there and we started work on a golf course last Monday."
McGinley will strive to get back to some normality teeing up at 7.45am (Irish time) today in the company of Spain's Jorge Campillo and Denmark's Andreas Harto on the first day of the opening event of the 2013 Middle East Swing.
© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Hot Crab Rangoon Dip With Won Ton Chips
Total Time
Prep 3 mins
Cook 10 mins
I have not tried this recipe. I got it from Food Newtwork. It's Sandra Lee's recipe.
Ingredients Nutrition
- 16 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 12 ounces lump crabmeat, drained and shredded
- 10 ounces shrimp bisque (condensed)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 scallion, finely chopped
For the Won Ton Chips
- peanut oil
- 8 ounces wonton wrappers (1 package)
- salt, to taste
- Preheat broiler.
- Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir to combine. Place in a broiler-proof serving dish and broil for 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- For the Won Ton Chips
- Heat 2 inches of peanut oil in a Dutch oven or fryer to 350 degrees F. Add won ton wrappers in batches to fry lightly. Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels before serving. Season with salt.


text:
Holistic Healing Hashimotos Disease
Vitamin D Deficiency – Do You Have These Symptoms? – YouTube
He's all about holistic medicine and speaks of vitamin D. 42:44 Jennifer's Story: Healing Bipolar Mania/Depression Naturally by LamplightGroup 4,420 views 2:45 Vitamin D Deficiency in Hashimoto's Disease.AVI by DrJoeAlaimo 8,796 views … View Video
Meditation Inspiration Vol 1 Issue 13 DRAFT
She has suffered from Hashimotos disease (hypothyroidism) for 18 years and adrenal fatigue for the last 5 years. During this time, traditional doctors have repeatedly failed her so she turned to alternative methods including acupuncture, holistic healing and Bodhi meditation. … Fetch Here
Forthcoming Talks By Dr Shamim Daya
Hormone Imbalances including Hashimotos and underactive thyroid function Hormone imbalance is common for active cancers, it is equally important to fill in the missing gaps to help the healing process. that present to GPs and more importantly what you can do to help reverse some of these disease … View Document
Balancing Your Immune System – Thyroid Disease Information …
Healing Autoimmune Thyroid Disease May Start with the Immune System Hypothyroidism / Hashimotos; Symptoms & Risks; Basic Info /Thyroid 101 Alternative / Holistic Info; Hormone / Fertility / Women … Read Article
Otitis Externa – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
During an acute episode, either disposable plugs are recommended, or used plugs must be cleaned and dried properly to avoid contaminating the healing Ménière's disease; BPPV; Vestibular neuronitis; Perilymph fistula; central (Central positional nystagmus) … Read Article


text:
Stephen Jones: Better health gives Dallas Cowboys chance of making 'significant improvements on 8-8"²If we can really do a better job there then I like our chances of making some significant improvements on 8-8." Twice in the last three days, Stephen Jones has given his thoughts on the best way for the Dallas Cowboys to improve on their 8-8 finish to the… (more)Source: dallasnews.com
Stephen Jones sees "significant improvements" for CowboysCowboys Executive V.P. Stephen Jones sees injuries as the biggest reason his team failed to make the playoffs last season. And he sees plenty of reasons to believe the 2013 team will be healthier, and therefore better. Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that t…Source: profootballtalk.com


text:
Sounds like a Magic 8 Ball question, doesn't it?
Seems likely.
The hourly forecast indicates a break in the action in the late afternoon. Both of you longtime readers know that's my least favorite time to walk. But I have to say this daily walking has become a little bit like She Who Must Be Obeyed: I have to get it done.
I love this weather, though. I love curling up with a bunch of magazines, or my knitting, or my dog, and just relaxing into my big leather chair. Once dinner's in the crockpot, there's nothing to do but wait for the rain to let up. Well, and maybe a load of laundry.
Hope you're having exactly the kind of weather you need today.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Will the soaker we're having break my streak?
2 comments:
- Elora said...
You need to go to Tractor Supply, Debbi, and buy yourself a good rainsuit. It's actually kind of fun to don the wellies and the suit, listening to the rain pelting down on yourself! Mine is a shocking green with reflective stripes on it. There are other colors as well. All would make you very visible as you hike along. Makes me feel like a genuine highway flagperson! Check 'em out next time you're close to TS. I think mine ran somewhere around $30. Never wet! And I do like the added touch of the bib!
- November 4, 2010 at 9:13 AM
- Elora said...
I should have added that any slow down noted as a result of the slightly inhibiting foul weather gear, is immediately offset by the extra energy needed to push along with these extra layers!
- November 4, 2010 at 9:16 AM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Dan Marschak
Dan Marschak maintains an active schedule as a pianist, composer, arranger, teacher, and recording artist. An Oakland native, he currently resides in Los Angeles, and has performed with many respected artists ŌĆ including Kalil Wilson, Dr. Bobby Rodriguez, Ambrose Akinmusare, The Elliot Deutsch Big Band, Hitomi Oba, the UCLA Contemporary Large Ensemble (under the direction of Kenny Burrell and James Newton). In 2009, he earned degrees in both Ethnomusicology (Jazz Studies) and Music Composition at UCLAŌĆÖs Herb Alpert School of Music. He is currently pursuing his MasterŌĆÖs degree in Composition at UCLA.Read more
CD/LP/Track Review
- Likewise by Edward Blanco
ŌĆ£Dan Marschak has an exceptionally deep knowledge and love for jazz. As a pianist, heŌĆÖs learned the styles of the great pianists, studying them and integrating his discoveries and his perception into his own very personal voice. He plays with a solid understanding of the inner harmonic workings of the music and a fresh and imaginative improvisatory gift. I always enjoy listening to whatever he has to say musicallyŌĆØ -JOHN ADAMS Pulitzer Prize-winning Composer
ŌĆ£Dan is one of the best young players on the scene!ŌĆØ - MARK LEVINE Pianist and Author of The Jazz Piano Book
ŌĆ£Dan is a wonderfully inventive pianist and composer with, IŌĆÖm certain, a bright future!ŌĆØ -RUTH PRICE President and Artistic Director, The Jazz Bakery
ŌĆ£As both a pianist and composer, Dan Marschak is developing a unique musical voice
Primary Instrument
Los Angeles, CA
Willing to teach


text:
Results tagged ' Bullpen '
The Angels' Crazy Four Corners Interleague-ean Baseball Odyssey Begins
While the Angels grounds crew plows up the entire diamond for a series of U2 concerts and then puts everything back the way it was again, the Angels will spend two weeks circling the country in pursuit of truth, justice and the baseball way…Okay, really just in pursuit of a whole lot of Ws, but didn't it sound more poetic the other way? Anyway back to the travel part. Affectionately – by which I mean sarcastically and with no small amount of annoyance – dubbed the Four Corners Trip by Mike Scioscia and crew, this road trip will take the Angels to the four corners of the continental United States, more or less. Once they conclude their current series in Seattle, the Angels will fly to New York to play the Mets, after which they will fly to Florida to play the Marlins and then right back home again to play the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. That's a journey of just over 8,000 miles.
Now the length of the road trip does come courtesy of the U2 concert. But the craziness of the broad spectrum of destinations comes courtesy of Major League baseball. Wouldn't it have made more sense to just fly out the East Coast and play more Eastern Division teams while the Angels were already out there than flying all over hell and gone? Perhaps they could have played the Yankees and the Rays on either side of the Interleague match-ups? Or maybe this would have been a better time to head for Boston or Baltimore. Heck, even stopping in Kansas City on the way out to the east coast, rather than having the Royals fly to California would have made more sense.
And this isn't even the only crazy road trip the Angels have scheduled in 2011. In Oakland right after the All-Star break for three days, Monday off, just three days at home to play the Rangers and then out to Baltimore with no day off to play the Orioles before heading back home by way of Detroit to play the Twins in Anaheim, anyone? The Four Corners Trip is merely the craziest of the bunch.
I realize that every team has crazy schedule situations this season and if by some miracle a team escapes such oddities, don't worry, MLB will get to you next year. I also realize that there is a certain amount of scheduling craziness inherent in being a Western Division team, where no two in-league opponents exist within the same 100 mile radius. Florida teams have a similar problem. And no amount of proper prior planning is going to completely fix that.
Angels Manager Mike Scioscia is one of the proponents of expanding the post season to include two wild card teams in each league. I myself am not a fan of the idea. However, Scioscia keeps talking about making the post season extension feasible without pushing play back out into November by scheduling the regular season more efficiently. Avoiding having so many bizarre road trip situations, like the one described above, which Scioscia said looked like Kindergarteners designed it, would allow MLB to shave off a few rest days here and there, shortening the regular season in a sane fashion without actually cutting out any games. If MLB makes an effort to take some of the stupid end of the crazy spectrum out of the away schedules, I would like that _so_ much that I might find it in my heart to tolerate additional wild card teams…eventually. Just no more of this 15 teams in both leagues realignment talk, okay. Now _that's_crazy…not to mention contrary to having moved the Brewers to the National League in the first place.
* * * * *
Two Ws in Seattle
However, as much as I am griping about the travel involved in the Four Corners trip, I have no complaints about the trip itself. So far the Angels are wearing it very well. They took two against Seattle including Jered Weavers' complete game shutout this evening. Wins for Weaver and Dan Haren in the same spin through the rotation. Angels bats striking early and often, including multiple hits for Bobby Abreu and Howie Kendrick whose bats are on fire and two homeruns by Vernon Wells in Monday's game. Spot on fielding. Heads up base running. A clutch bullpen. Oh yeah! Sure there are still a few things to work on, but keep it up boys. You're playing like Angels!
And with those two wins, the Angels gain two games on Seattle, of course, but also one on Texas to whom those nice, helpful Yankee boys administered a beating this evening. Well, nice and helpful this evening anyway. What's not to like?!
The Continuing Saga of Kaz
Scott Kazmir had yet another rough start in Salt Lake City this evening. He lasted 1.2 innings and is on the hook for six earned runs on five hits, three walks and one hit batsman. I don't report this gleefully. I am sorry he hasn't made any improvements at all and seems to be backsliding even further after such a solid career with the Rays. However this evening current Angels GM Tony Reagins and former Angels GM Bill Stoneman were in attendance at the Bees game, taking stock of Kaz' performance. I expect we will hear a final decision soon. It's more than time to stop prolonging the agony.
What Did Cinderella Do When She Got to the Ball? …Angels Swept by the Rays
Which is the most heartbreaking, the win you were never going to get from inning one, the win you almost had all game long, or the near comeback you give right back to the opposing team? Okay, so they're all pretty bad. And I don't know what a player might say. But, for my money, Wednesday's choked comeback felt pretty terrible. Leaving the game with a throat sore from cheering, yet choked up with loss and disappointment? Granted, any night at the ballpark is a good night but…well…it took me until this evening to post about it. Enough said.
B.J. Upton caught stealing. Howie Kendrick looks pleased in the aftermath and Upton prepares to dust himself off and head for the dugout. Fielding was hit and miss this evening, but there were a few serious highlights. For example, Jered Weaver picking off B.J. Upton at 2nd. Weaver is a 6′ 7″ cross body pitcher. His pickoff move is, understandably, okay but not phenomenal. But every now and then, You're out!
Vernon Wells dives back to first. Wells was 0-3 with this one walk to get on base. My until now infinite patience is wearing pretty thin at this point and continues only because he just got back from the DL. I won't boo the man, because I don't boo my own team. Can't do it. But come on Vernon. Have you ever hit this badly in your life? Figure it out and get it done.
Peter Bourjos bunts his way on. Bourjos, on the other hand, had a great game. Fleet Pete was 2 for 4 at the plate, including this sacrifice bunt turned hit and had two highlight reel catches in center.
The Angels bullpen. Hisanori Takahashi, Fernando Rodney and Jordan Walden hang out with the bullpen catcher and other staff early in the game.
The Rays Bullpen. Hey, equal time and all that. Besides, I was hoping to catch them at some of their famously funny shenanigans but, apparently, they are on their best, or at least, their least prank-ish behavior in visitor's dugouts.
Angels meeting on the mound. Jered Weaver asks, So, if I hold them for another inning or two do you think you guys can actually score me some runs? I'm totally kidding, of course. From everything I've heard, I can't imagine him copping an attitude like that, but it's certainly what I, as a fan, was wondering. This was not Weaver's best outing. Three of the four earned runs were his. But, given a present offense, he did pitch well enough to win.
Scott Downs warms up in the bullpen. Scott Downs had another solid outing, coming in to strike out Matt Joyce in the 8th and end the inning. In fact, I wish we'd brought him back in the 9th as I shall explain in a moment.
Howie Kendrick and Mark Trumbo chat during the pitching change. As usual, I can't help putting my own spin on what they might be saying. Hey, Trumbo. See that second base there behind me? We've got to figure out a way to get our guys past that.
Alberto Callaspo and Maicer Izturis also chat during the pitching change. "Now you see Alberto, when the ball is coming at you, you're supposed to try and keep it from going into the outfield." "Keep talking Izzy. What exactly was that you did at short in the 2nd?" As previously mentioned, our fielding left something to be desired this game. Though both are Izturis and Callaspo are usually more than dependable, neither had a very good game defensively.
Joe Maddon says good game and takes the ball from James Shields. Seriously, I can say it. Hats off to Shields. He pitched a hell of a game and was certainly a factor in our offensive woes.
Bobby Abreu hits a bases clearing double. Maicer started the 8th inning rally. Torii Hunter, batting in the 2 spot for the first time this season, continued it. Callaspo walked to load the bases. And then, Bobby Abreu, batting clean-up, became the Angels sole offensive highlight of game. With one ringing double, he cleared the bases and tied the game 3 to 3.
Closer Jordan Walden takes the mound. Hey, I finally managed to catch him mid-pitch without his arm blurred – no mean feat, really. Walden also pitched well. But, once Bobby tied up the game, I wish we'd brought Downs back out in the 9th and saved Walden for the 10th or brought Walden back out in the 10th because the minute I saw Fernando Rodney striding out to the mound in the 10th, I has a Star Wars worthy bad feeling about this…
…Why, why, why did we turn the game over to Rodney in the 10th? Because he's been really clutch for us in crucial situations this season? Because he rarely walks batters and if he does start walking them he never, ever gets rattled by it? Because he's still our #1 closer? Because he's so…no…can't type…any…more…must stop…laughing…hysterical laughter… Okay. I'm better now. You all saw the "highlight" reels, I'm sure. You know what happened in the 10th. Did Rodney lose the game all by himself? Of course not. Our offense bears at least half of the blame. We hit the ball but failed to score until the 8th inning. Even with runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs in the 2nd. Even with runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs in the 5th.
Besides, I blame the guy who decided to put Rodney in more than Rodney. Rodney just did what he's been doing more often than not all year. The guy who decided to put him in on the other hand…anyway. Suffice to say, by the time it was over I sympathized with the over-tired toddlers who were sobbing on their way out of the stadium. I'm pretty far from giving up still but, seriously, tantrums are wasted on the young.
Royally Flushed…and Yet, Still Not My Grandfather's Angels
What a difference a few days makes. Shutout by the Royals on Wednesday and shutout for seven of nine innings on Tuesday. Blast and damn. < broken record > The Angels hit in both games, just not with runners in scoring position. </ broken record > Heck, we even managed to load up the bases twice today, once with no outs, and have no runs to show for it. No, Scott Downs should not have given up the homerun today and Joel Pineiro should not have given up five in the third yesterday. But the offense needs to stop putting our starters and relievers in a position where they have three or less, often less, runs to work with, especially when we can and have done much better.
Six runs on Sunday, ten on Monday, three on Tuesday and none today. I really don't want to have to come up with a "Tanana and Ryan, then two days of cryin'" like slogan for the 2011 offense, thank you very much, but that's certainly the way things looked in May. Okay, now </ broken record >.
* * * * *
Tanana and Ryan, then two days of cryin'. This, of course, was the Angels own special version of the more famous "Spahn, then Sain, then pray for rain." from back in the days when Frank Tanana and Nolan Ryan lead the Angels four-man starting rotation. I can't remember if I learned that one from life-long Angels fan grandfather or from any number of trivia and history books I devoured as a young lass. Either way, the Angels pre-game shows and Angels weekly continue to air snippets from the 50th Anniversary celebration documentary and are currently in the middle of the Tanana/Ryan era and I can't help but think of my grandfather.
I've written of my grandfather's Angels fandom on this blog before and of my own upbringing rooting for the Dodgers – and don't think there wasn't a small, or perhaps not so small, amount of youthful rebellion in my father choosing to root for the Dodgers over his father's Angels…well, youthful rebellion and maybe Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale had a little bit to do with it too. Grandpa passed away a few years after the Dodgers won the Series in 1988, so he never saw my conversion to Angels fandom, though I bet he'd have been tickled by it.
If I close my eyes I can still hear the particular sound of the radio playing the baseball game on the floor next to Grandpa's armchair in the dining room, punctuated with short bursts of an announcer's voice growing excited over a play; an announcer's voice that was both less melodic and more enthusiastic than that of Vin Scully, with whom I was more familiar. And I can hear the occasional sounds of my grandfather's hand slapping the arm of his chair softly in approval as he kept one ear on the game throughout our visits.
It's funny what you remember and funnier still what you inherit from family. The hand slap of approval, for example? My father does the same thing. I remember distinctly from childhood, on the few Sundays my Dad took time to watch a game, being able to tell you from pretty much any room in the house if the Dodgers, or USC or anyone playing Notre Dame was doing well by the deep, happy sounding thump of his hand against the coffee table or the arm of his chair. One. Two. Three. And then continuing louder and more insistent, like fans slapping the backs of seats at a game, if the action on the TV screen continued, eventually resulting in a whoop of joy and a resonant "All right!"
My father's approval slap is significantly louder than Grandpa's was. I think this has less to do with any difference in enthusiasm than it does with an understanding that slapping the chair arm too loudly in my grandparents' house probably would have violated my grandmother's sense of decorum with company over, even family company, and resulted in the radio's banishment to the workshop in the garage. Much to my everlasting amusement, during a particularly good Angels game last season – hush you, there were a few – I paused mid cheer because I was suddenly overcome with these memories of Grandpa, Dad and baseball and couldn't think why…until I noticed my own right hand, poised to continue slapping the coffee table with enthusiasm. I don't know when I started doing that. It was completely unconscious on my part. But it makes me smile to think that I have my mother's laugh and my father's – and his father's – cheer.
And all of this remembering and recounting helps remind me that these 2011 Angels, frustrating though a few things have been this season, are not my grandfather's Angels in the best possible way. It would have surprised and thrilled him to no end to root for a team that could smooth over some rough edges and contend, let alone one with such talent – five quality starters, a bullpen that can get the job done, gold glove winners in the outfield, and a bumper crop of talented rookies. Okay, he would have seen flickers of recognition in the lack of power displayed by the lineup thus far and the occasional wilder exploits of the bullpen, but only flickers. It's June and these Angels are only two games out of first.
Perspective achieved. Rest up today guys and enjoy some home cooking, or whatever gets you ready to hit and play a great game. The Yankees are coming to town and we've got Weaver on the mound on Friday and Howie Kendrick returning to the lineup. Time to go win some ballgames!
* * * * *
My fingers are crossed for Dan Haren! More blah Angels luck this week – he experienced a "tweak in his back" during Wednesday's bullpen session significant enough to fall down. He will be evaluated tomorrow in order to determine if he will make his scheduled start on Saturday. If he has to sit the start out, this will be the first scheduled start Haren has ever missed…ever, as in entire career. He's old school like that, one of the reasons I like him and love having him on the team so much. I want Haren to maintain his streak because I want this to be nothing and him to remain in top condition. But if this isn't nothing, please, please, sit out a start or two to prevent worse issues down the line.
Angels take 2 out of 3 in Minnesota + Memorial Weekend Highlights
A spectacular, improbable come from behind win. A heartbreaking extra innings loss following a brilliant pitching performance by Jered Weaver. Dan Haren's luck finally changed as the offense rallied to his support early and often. What a weekend! And that's just the baseball part. So, what was the best part of my weekend?
Peter Bourjos' amazing catches? Whether we're talking about the catch on Friday or any of the others this weekend, Bourjos was a human highlight reel. And he wasn't too shabby at the plate either. (I'm ignoring the hot potato incident with Torii Hunter in right field as a one-time only thing, unless proven wrong.)
The fact that the offense came out to play in two out of three games? Erick Aybar, Torii Hunter, Alberto Callaspo, Bobby Abreu and Mark Trumbo, I applaud you! Now, how about the offense coming out to play for three out of three games in Kansas City? The Angels need to redeem themselves in KC this week.
The exciting come from behind win on Friday night? By the way, arent the Twins supposed to be a last place team? Because they sure weren't playing like it this weekend. They were a very good team this weekend. The Angels seem to bring that out in other teams. Um…thanks??
Jered Weaver's nine lights out, two-hit, shutout innings? All that and no W? Very sad and very frustrating for Weaver, I'm sure. But that doesn't make the feat any less fantastic.
The game night (of the board and card variety) we hosted on Saturday? That's right, we decided to be social at the expense of some of the ballgame. Me, a few of my favorite smart asses in the whole wide world, a moderately epic quantity of wine, good food and games, games and more games until the wee hours of the morning. It was just what the doctor ordered for some much need stress relief.
Kicking some strategy game ass on Saturday? Yes gentlemen, I may have consumed more wine than you but don't think that means I will wale on you any less. *evil laugh*
Turning the TV off on Saturday, because we had non-baseball friends over, when Jered Weaver was mid-gem, before the traumatically disappointing end? In hindsight at least, this is a good thing.
Dan Haren finally getting a much deserved 5th win? It's funny. Haren has joked in interviews that after losing a few games where he pitched lights out, his next win would probably be a less than stellar performance with full run support…and that is exactly what happened. I don't care, Haren's a little off is better than a lot of pitchers on and the man was due.
Mark Trumbo's homerun into the upper deck? And this was on an inside pitch where he couldn't extend his arms!
The Bullpen? Well, on Friday and Sunday at least. Yes, Walden let things get a little more exciting than necessary Sunday but he pulled it off. They all did. They came to the mound for their inning or part of an inning and got it done.
Hitting the bike trail with my husband after the ballgame on Sunday? It was only a 6 and a half mile ride in and around Santa Fe Dam. I might even have said pathetic once. But it's been two years since I was last able to ride my bike and bike riding was pretty high up on the list of things my knee might never quite be up to again, so I'm going to go with Bravo! …and thank you reformer Pilates.
The weekend's not over yet because we both have Monday off, the game starts at 1:30 and there is still the possibility of many of these things happening all over again?
Yeah, these are all great things, but I'm going to go with that last one!
Angels Slump Continues – Is It Time to Panic Yet?
Oh my god! The Angels lost five in a row! Weaver's choking and Torii's all washed up because he dropped the ball. It's 2010 all over again. The Angels are driving me to drink. And the sky is falling. And the end of the world is coming this weekend. And, and…insert list of increasingly dire sounding hyperbole here…
Actually, it was my husband who drove me to drink. Literally. In a car. Because he's a sweetie and a half and it was our circle's standing Wednesday night happy hour. And the further reality is, I am pretty far from panicking. Because this is not 2010. I repeat. This is not 2010.
Mind you, I'm not trying to put a pretty face on the last two weeks. This is an ugly slump and that's all there is to it. But here's the thing. That really is all there is to it. It's a slump. Does it point out team weaknesses? Yes, much like any other slump does. Slumps aren't generally known for being caused by strengths.
But, unlike May 2010, we only just slipped below .500. We haven't been dancing around trying to climb up to it for several weeks. This season, we have a couple of guys in the bullpen in regular use that I trust every time they take the mound…which doesn't mean they aren't going to mess up from time to time, like this week for example, but more often than not we do have some reliable relievers. This season, the bats have been slumping off and on but this does mean that at least they have also been on at times, definitely not the case this time last season. Current scouting reports are starting to get around on our formerly hot hitting rookies, exposing some of their youthful mistakes, like Peter Bourjos' penchant for fastballs high and away outside the zone. At the moment, it's affecting their averages and they just need time to adapt again, much like they all managed to do when they made the jump to the big leagues.
We have given our starting pitchers run support in 2011, just not so much this month. Some of the fielding errors in this slump were the result of guys getting used to recent changes in the infield and outfield, changes that will cease to be novel soon. And, unlike the Angels great June last season, wins so far this season have been because of things the team had done right, not because of adrenaline in the aftermath of losing a teammate for the season to a crazy accident. Also, this season, when the Angels are down, I see them fighting back to regain/gain the lead. They aren't always successful but, unlike 2010, they aren't just giving up either.
Is Jered Weaver choking? No. I think he's still recovering from the flu and losing so much weight in uncomfortable fashion. In hindsight, Weaver probably should have skipped his start against the Red Sox and rested a few more days before jumping back into the fray. He was showing signs of improvement to my eyes before Monday's game. I think coming home to warmer weather might get him back on the healing track. And as for Torii, I think folks should also look at his amazing Gold Glove catch in the 7th inning before they really start judging the final missed catch. One shows us why he is a 9 time Gold Glove winner and the other shows why he's made the switch to right. Taken together, the catches show us an Angels veteran who can still play great ball but has a few more off days than he did in his prime.
The last two weeks were a perfect storm of events resulting in a slump and the Angels just need something to break the cycle. The bad road trip is all over now. I hope the return to home cooking and their own beds is enough to jar the Angels out of this slump. If not, then I'm sure the start of Interleague play is just the ticket, hopefully this weekend but, if not, then certainly right after. Even in a bad season like 2010, the Angels do love to play the National league. Come to think of it, maybe the Angels need a standing happy hour too, like we have in my circle of friends. Forget team meetings and laying down the law. Go out together and relax for the evening. Have a tasty beverage or three. Talk, laugh and unwind until people start saying things that are so silly, they have you laughing for days after at the memory of it all. It does wonders for one's ability to break the cycle of a bad week – or two! – let me tell you.
Angels: Not the Series I Had in Mind…Again
You all know the feeling. You have a really long day at work (or school), or even an outright bad day. You come home and all you want to do is relax in front of a good game, preferably cuddled up with your honey, and cheer. But, alas, this time it's not a good game. And somehow the day is just that much more deflating for it. This has been the story of my last week and change.
I am in the final stages of a huge project and I've been working 12 hour days during the week and eight to ten hour days on the weekend to get it done. It's a great project and I am thrilled to be involved but these have been long days, days in which I hoped to help the the last few hours of work (or, you know, the first few hours of the weekends work) feel less like work by completing them in front of a good game. Instead, I got last week's not-the-series-we-wanted-it-to-be against the White Sox, followed by the weekend's not-the-series-we-wanted-it-to-be against the Rangers and then this latest mini really-not-the-series-we-wanted-it-to-be against the A's. Sure there were a few high points, but they were buried in a mound of blah. And it just didn't pay to be an Angels starter this weekend. Come on Angels, haven't you considered my needs in all of this?😉
This evening, as you might have inferred from the score, was especially terrible. Shut out 14 – 0. Ouch. The Angels had no pitching. No bats. And I swear someone rubbed butter in a few of the gloves just to see what would happen. MST3K-ing our way through Transformers II this Saturday? An excellent strategy for turning a bad, bad movie into a really fun evening and a nostalgic nod to the bad movie Fridays of our college years. MST3K-ing our way through an Angels game, on the other hand? That's a last resort coping mechanism I would prefer not to employ again. But, desperate times, my friends. Desperate times.
…First, a brief digression for the sake of the uninitiated:
MST3K (n) – Mystery Science Theatre 3000. a cult American comedy series featuring a human and his robot sidekicks living on a space station, forced by an evil scientist to watch a series of bad Sci-Fi C and D movies for research. The audience watches the so-bad-it's-laughable movie with the series characters, who are depicted as silhouettes at the bottom of the screen and provide a hilarious running narrative to that episode's feature.
MST3K (v) – the act of improving any less than desirable spectacle by providing your own snarky, ideally hilarious, running commentary to the events in question. MST3K-ing is best when indulged in by a moderate sized group of quick wits, though it only outright requires two.
And now we return you to your originally scheduled MLBlogs programming…
So, my question for the team (Of course, they read this blog and take my comments very seriously. Why do you ask?😉 ) is this. Are you done now? With the botched plays, the WTF base running, the broken clutch at the plate, the wasted great starts, the self-destructing bullpen and all of the unnecessary "excitement" between outs two and three? Every team has off games and every team experiences minor slumps over the course of the season. So, are you done with that now? Are you ready to put it all behind you and play great baseball again? This season you have already shown that you can hit, you have great gloves and boy can you pitch and, this last week notwithstanding, all in the same game even. I love you guys like crazy and will keep watching no matter what you do, but I think we'd all have a lot more fun if you wrapped up this slumping thing and moved on from it like I know you can…oh, and someone give Jordan Walden a hug please, because boy did he look like he needed one after Monday night's game.
* * * * *
So, about Kendrys Morales. He got a second opinion on the broken ankle. He will have additional surgery soon and be out for the rest of the season. And my reaction? I'm thrilled. Yes, you read that right. Between the plateau, the setbacks and the pain he it sounds like he was continuing to experience, I had serious concerns about scar tissue and his ability to return to playing in any kind of good condition. I want Kendrys back and playing now as much as anyone, but I want him to have a career playing like he used to even more. I would rather do without him for the rest of the season, than bring him back too early and risk killing his career.
Tuesday's Angels Beat White Sox & Fans Rock Their Inner Strongbad
Yay, the lit Halo enveloped in a haze of fireworks returns to my blog, meaning the Angels won last night and I was there to see it! I was a little concerned after Monday. To re-cap: these May White Sox? They are not the April White Sox. They are actually the White Sox which means that if you make mistakes, they will make you pay. Unfortunately, Monday's Angels were not the 2011 Angels, I swear they were some AA team that swiped our uniforms – which is bound to happen now and then over the course of a season…or, like, again tonight in the 8th inning. Wily AA teams. So, anyway, Monday poor Ervin Santana was dealing for an inning and then he just fell apart. Was he "inspired" by Alberto Callaspo's poor running decision? By our complete inability to cash in on an amazing scoring opportunity in the second inning…or the fourth…or the…well, you get the general idea? The pitchers couldn't keep the ball in the park, the batters couldn't hit when it counted, there were a few questionable plays in the field, Jeff Mathis became a pinch hitter (?!?) and Vernon Wells left for the 15 Day DL with a pulled groin muscle. I think he may actually be on the DL longer than that. Watching the replay of the swing where he injured himself will make you cringe, especially if you yourself have ever known the "joy" of a pulled groin. In short, it was Not A Good Game.
But back to last night. It was still the May White Sox taking the field but, fortunately, I think the Angels went to bed angry last night because they showed up on a mission to redeem themselves. They started smacking the ball right away, took the lead in the first inning and never gave it up, though the White Sox threatened at times. It was A Great Game! And here are my photos to help take you all there with me.
For this game, Seth and I entered foul ball territory. This is my view of the field without any zoom, sitting immediately behind the blue sleeved lady in the front row. (Yes, the Angels' Dodger fan siblings often come to visit when the Dodgers are out of town and we gladly return the favor. It's a lot of fun living in a two team town – for large, dual county definitions of town.) And these seats were a better price than even our last seats. The moral of my story? Angels fans are a panicky lot, especially after last season. When the Red Sox sweep the Angels at home, go to a resale site and buy cheap tickets. It will ease your pain:
Howie Kendrick runs to second for an eventual double in the 3rd as Gordon Beckham waits for the throw from Juan Pierre. I have to say, of all the outfield permutations I thought of for the evening with Wells on the DL, Howie in Left was not one of them. But watching him move out there and knowing how much I like his glove and his arm, I think it could work – he looks good tonight! Left field was really quiet for most of the game however, so rather than a fascinating Howie just standing there shot, I give you this photo (taken by Seth) instead:
Joel Pineiro stares down a runner at 2nd base as Callaspo (3rd base) switches into position. Pineiro had another excellent start, going 7 2/3 innings with five strike outs and one walk. And what he was throwing for strikes? Nice. He did give up one homerun, so the White Sox smacked some of the pretty off of his E.R.A. But it all worked out in the end and I am just glad to see Pineiro back on the mound and in the same great form he showed us last season…though I wish I could find the Angels Luchador Mask video ad he filmed with Santana somewhere online to share with you all. Pretty funny stuff:
Angels fans say, 'Oh no, it's just that they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.' Because, of course, last night was also the much hyped Angels Luchador Mask night. This promotion had equal potential for being really stupid or a heck of a lot of fun and it was decidedly the latter. It didn't tread on watching the game much, if at all – which would have annoyed me – and fans had a blast. We donned the so-silly-they're-actually-pretty-darned-cool-looking-things at the top of the 5th for 10 minutes to set the record, though many wore them for most of the game. As the season progresses, I expect these masks to take on Rally Monkey-esque significance…or at least Angels Gnome-esque significance:
Some fans went all out for the occasion, donning actual Luchador regalia or, in the case of these two super Angels fans below, constructing entire Luchador costumes out of previous Angels giveaways. I thought they looked so creative and fantastic that we had to snap a photo. Well done guys!!:
Torii Hunter takes a strong swing. This at bat would turn into a single in the 5th. The Angels bats were nice and busy Tuesday night with 12 hits in all, including a homerun from Maicer Izturis…yes, Maicer. Whooo. Hooo:
Erick Aybar slides back into first to avoid a pickoff attempt as Paul Konerko catches the ball. Aybar is currently leading the team in stolen bases with 9. This thrills me to no end because it's one more sign that the Angels are back to playing Angels baseball and all is once more right with my world:
Aybar (short stop) and Mark Trumbo (first base) move with the pitch as A.J. Pierzynski, having doubled in the 7th, takes a lead off second base. Even if it was mostly so John Denks could get to Mathis, it was really funny to watch him pitch around Trumbo twice. It's enough to give a lesser rookie a big head, I'm sure:
While Fernando Rodney warms up for the last out of the 8th inning, Peter Bourjos, Torii and Reggie Willits (replacing Howie in left) chat and stretch in centerfield. Could Peter and Reggie be trying to talk Torii into long socks? Reggie in left is another outfield permutation we're likely to see a lot of while Wells is on the DL. I think this will work as a stop gap measure. I like his glove and his speed. I just hope we don't see too steep a learning curve as Willits and Bourjos adapt to one another. I should also note that, although I cringed when I saw Rodney striding out from the Bullpen (but cheered him on robustly as he passed our seats), he did really well:
Scott Downs winds up while Callaspo moves into position. Downs took over the closer role for the evening as this was technically a non-close situation. He sure pitched like a closer though, sitting them down one, two, three. Well. Okay. Maybe that was more like one, twwwwooooo, three. Pierzynski, who was less impressed than I, fouled off many pitches before grounding out. A note on Callaspo. Everything I wrote in the offseason about our hole at third base? I am pleased to say I no longer think we have one. Whether it's Maicer or Callaspo, I think third base is looking pretty darned good these days:
And that was the game. I had an absolute blast. I wanted to come home and immediately buy tickets for the rubber match, or at least post these photos, but I had to finish my meeting prep for today instead. Then today was such that…well…I got home at 8 and am posting about game 2 as game 3 heads into unecessary extra innings and the bullpen is making me ill. I tell you, this working for a living thing…well, it beats the alternative with a caber sized stick, I can tell you that much, LOL!
Game 3 Edit/Addendum – Wednesday's Angels, on the Other Hand:
Yuck! Did that just really happen? With the blown save and the self-destructing bullpen and the run. Scoring. On. An. Intentional. Walk. Wild. Pitch!? I realize it's part of the necessary learning process but Jordan Walden needs to stop working on the change-up when it's just not happening and the game is on the line. Ever since he started working on it, things have been…interesting, occasionally for Hoban Washburne definitions of interesting. He'll get it down. I'm sure of it. But in the mean time? And Kevin Jepsen? Well, are we already back to last season's two out of three rock but that third outing will kill you every time? Also, I do not like uber-specialized pitching to begin with, and I really do not like our very recent – as in, since Tampa Bay recent – moves to bring star relievers in for just one or two batters in an inning. Wouldn't it have been nice to have either Scott Downs or Rich Thompson available later in the game?
Tyler Chatwood pitched well enough to win. It's a pity the Bullpen decided to have an early April relapse. It's just one game. It's only the third series we've lost so far this season. And amateur hour is going to happen for the best of teams from time to time. I understand it. But I don't like it and I really hope my 2011 Angels show up in Texas, not this strange AA team that occasionally puts on their uniforms.
Hmmm…maybe I should go check out those ticket prices online tomorrow morning.
Angels Tame Hot Streaking Tribe Winning 2 Out of 3
The Angels took two out of three against the first-place Cleveland Indians and gave Mike Scioscia his 1,000th win as a manager, while all of Major League Baseball donned the now traditional pink accessories for Mothers' Day in support of Breast Cancer. Not a bad weekend, eh? Outside of baseball, it's actually been a weird weekend for me. I brought a lot of work home, we had my in-laws over for Mothers' Day and we got to go to the game last night (Yay!), so there wasn't a whole lot of time for extras including, sadly, blogging. We didn't even do our usual Friday Gourmet, Wine and Angels. We watched the game, but it was more of a Friday leftover (but still delicious) taco salad, Kristen building PDF forms for work and Angels kind of affair…though we did enjoy Pasoport's lovely Ruby port for an extra innings dessert.
I remembered to bring an actual camera to Saturday's game instead of just my Droid, so I figured in lieu of a more detailed write-up of the games, I'd just share some of the photos I took. It was mostly a good game with lots of scuffling back and forth, and right up until Maicer Izturis' uncharacteristically terrible decision to run to third in the 8th, I thought the guys might pull this one off. Unfortunately no, so I was greeted with this very sad, very unlit Halo when we left the stadium. I mention the Halo a lot but it occurs to me that you might not all know what I'm talking about. The Giant A you see before you is the Big A's namesake and was the stadium's original scoreboard. It was moved to the parking lot and transformed into an electronic marquee when the stadium was renovated in the late 1970's to accommodate the Rams. When the Angels win, the Halo around the top lights up, which is why so many Angels fans great a win with loud variations on Light that baby up!
We had the exact same seats we had for the last game against the Indians, oddly enough. First row of the top level, two sections behind third base. What a difference a few megapixels and a real zoom makes! This is Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar stretching and goofing around with, I believe, Orlando Cabrera before the game. I know old school rules outlaw fraternization between opposing players, but I actually like seeing the players hang out together before the game, then put their game faces on try to outdo their buddies:
I was pleased to capture this shot because you can the first long stride of Jered Weavers delivery (the right foot then lands right at the base of the mound or slightly off of it and angling towards first during his release, pretty cool stuff) and Mark Trumbo and Izturis moving into position at first and third. Weaver looked a little off all night, like he had to work for each pitch. I think he is still recovering from the weakening effects of his stomach ailment last weekend. I have no doubt he'll be back on top again soon:
Angels players hang out on the bar of the dugout in the bottom of the first. I believe that is Tyler Chatwood to the left of Bobby Wilson (#46). Chatwood pitched a great game Friday night, but was unable to earn the win – he needs to work on his walk to strike ratio. Fernando Rodney was lights out on Friday and definitely earned the win…and then he almost blew it for the Angels on Sunday. I wish he could figure things out.
Mark Trumbo (in the on deck circle) and Howie Kendrick (the RBI) congratulate Vernon Wells on his two-run homerun. He's coming around. It's taking a little while, but he's coming around:
Bobby Abreu takes a swing. It seems like such an obvious thing to say but, looking at the last several games' stats, when we hit the ball with runners in scoring position we win. When we don't we don't. The Angels had 8 hits in Saturday's losing effort compared to 6 in Sunday's winning one. Its not the hits, it's the hitting when it counts:
Mark Trumbo shown in one of what would be the many attempts to pick off Grady Sizemore at fist. Our fielding this game, and indeed in the rest of the series, was very good with the Angels committing 0 errors:
The photo I wish I had? The Kiss Cam focusing on the Indians Bullpen! Basically, in the middle of the 6th inning, the cameramen focus on couples throughout the stadium, showing them on the Jumbotron in a heart- shaped frame and any couple who finds themselves in said predicament is supposed to kiss. 90% of the time, I think it's annoying. I generally do not like any of the gimmacks geared towards the fan with no attention span. Watch the game, okay. But every now and then something funny happens with the Kiss Cam. At the Angels vs. Indians game I attended in April, the Kiss Cam panned into the Indians bullpen for the final shot, focusing tightly on two relievers (and I wish I could tell you who) who were in a deep discussion that took on overtones of "A Talk" with the Kiss Cam added context. The fans laughed uproariously and the relievers didn't even seem to notice until the last second when they just looked surprised before the Kiss Cam faded to black. This game, the Kiss Cam again panned to the Indians Bullpen (I have no idea what the story is, they don't do this with any other team). But this time the relievers (I assume the same ones) were ready for this treatment and one of them pretended to slap the other one, who jumped back and pretended to cry while the first reliever pretended to look huffy. Well played gentlemen! You are excellent sports!
So, all in all, a few things to work on in coming games, but still another great series! Congratulations to Scioscia on his 1,000th win as a manager! I wish I had been there to see it. I am looking forward to the coming series against the White Sox. They're coming into Anaheim on a few wins, so we should see some good baseball…and I have tickets to Tuesday's game. Can't wait!
The Red Sox Game – We Finished It Right!
Back to back wins. Now that is the way to end our season match-ups against the Red Sox! Wednesday night was downright magical. I am used to watching the Angels east coast games on delay, so it was a nice treat for me, if not for the players, to hear that the game was just resuming from a 2 and a half hour rain delay as I was turning off the freeway from my evening commute. So we got to watch a full game's worth of innings live – that game went late! Then today, to catch snippets of the game on the radio and know that my tired Angels were apparently a lot less tired that the Red Sox with Pawtucket reinforcements? Well, that was even better.
Coming home to watch losses on Monday and Tuesday was just a downer. I wasn't particularly down on the Angels season prospects, mind you. Outside of games involving teams from Boston (and Kansas City) they've been playing really well this season. But getting pummeled is always a downer, especially when you know the outcome could have been different.
These last two games though? Wow! Heads up plays. Stellar pitching. Bats, bats and more bats! Hey, this visiting team on the field? They looked suspiciously like my Angels! Way to go guys! Way to recover. And, Mr. Vernon Wells, I am glad to see you get your swagger back, sir, and deservedly so. Seriously, another home run over the monster. A couple of great plays against the monster. And I love the way he runs the bases when he's on a roll. Just when I think he was a little too daring, he reaches the bag standing up or with an unhurried slide just ahead of the ball. Of course, when I talk about base running, I have to mention Peter Bourjos, who recovered nicely from two bad games and lit up the basepaths – and, apparenlty, Kevin Youkilis! – with his speed.
Torii's hitting again, warming up with the summer weather as predicted – even though it was cold and wet in Boston. Heck, everyone was hitting these last two games, including Bobby Abreu with the game winning hit among others, and Mark Trumbo with another shot over the monster. I have to give love to the bullpen too, which more than rose to the occasion. I am starting to love seeing Scott Downs and Rich Thompson striding out to the mound. And Trevor Bell was lights out, shutting Boston down for the last four innings Wednesday. And the fielding! Did anyone else see the play at the plate? Perfect throws from Wells and Aybar to Jeff Mathis at the plate who positioned his feet and body so perfectly, that he rolled Marco Scutaro with the tag and brought his sliding feet to a halt against Mathis's own feet three inches shy of the plate. And the way, Mathis then popped up instantaneously to stare Youkilis down at second. Chills. I have a major soft spot for catchers, as I may have mentioned in this blog a time or ten, so this was my favorite play of the series – absolutely gorgeous to watch.
So, do I think this means the Angels are past their troubles with the Red Sox and can play them on even footing from now on? Would that I could say yes, but I think the weird, uneven rivalry goes back too far for that. However, this is a great start. It leaves the team in the right mood going into their next home stand and sets the proper tone for all future encounters with the dreaded Red Sox – who I was amused to hear serenading Youkilis with Biz Markie's Just a Friend at every at bat. Now that's man-crushing open and unrestrained, and quirky to boot, and I have to admire them for that, even as the incongruity of it all amused me to no end.
Friday Gourmet, Wine & Angels: Yay! A Win for Ervin Santana
I was a little worried going into this series. Yes, the Rays started the season badly, but I knew that wasn't going to continue. They have been hot, hot, hot lately – just ask the Twins – and David Prince was on the mound. But, even amid the concern, I just couldn't imagine Ervin Santana going any longer without a win. Fortunately, that turned out to be the better instinct. Congratulations on your first win of the season, Ervin, and here's to many more. You earned it and man were you due – see, the guys can show you love with run support too, especially when you don't botch it with a bunch of walks. Whooo hoo!
This week's Friday Night Ritual (wine, "gourmet" dinner and the Angels game) spread: Tapas, Tempranillo y beisbol. I was in a really good mood today and felt like playing in the kitchen, so we had quite the array of tapas to nibble on during the game – garlic sherry mushrooms; orange, rosemary and pimento marinated olives; bacon wrapped dates; costini with ricota, Spanish chorizo, arugula and a balsamic reduction; and oranges. Hey, it's dinner for the rest of the weekend too and it succeeded in relaxing my husband who's had a rough couple of weeks continuing to find a cubicle seat every time the music stops at work. The Tempranillo is from Paso Robles' Bodega de Edgar, who specializes in Spanish varietals, thus securing the continuing affections of my wallet. And let me just say that it's a good thing we have Pilates so early on Saturday, because I have Edgar's Garancha and Albarino in the closet too and the way the game looked like it was going after those errors in the third inning, opening a few more bottles was starting to sound like a mighty fine idea.
Before and after the third inning bobbles though – two hands please Erick, two hands -things settled down into a great tight game with the Angels ultimately emerging victorious – my favorite kind. Santana pitched a good game – less walks, more Ks and quick outs. There was no keeping Ben Zobrist off of the base paths, but at least Santana held him to one hit and one walk with no RBIs. The Angels' bats recovered nicely from their one day longer than necessary vacation. Almost everyone had multiple hits – Bobby Abreau, Torri Hunter, Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, Alberto Callaspo. Trumbo's homerun was a monster, absolutely beautiful to see. Everyone else had a hit except Jeff Mathis – come on Jeff, we know you can hit. Pretend they're all postseason games against the Yankees, please.
Howie and Trumbo, each playing their more natural position again, and Bourjos all had great defensive games. Wells made a great play at the end. Fernando Rodney, gave us all a heart attack when his first pitch turned into a BJ Upton homerun, but mostly settled down and got the three outs we needed with only one additional hit so, yay. Jordan Walden has recovered nicely from his last appearance in which he recieved his first blown save and loss. He earned his fourth save of the season this evening, allowing only one hit. Double yay!
Our pitchers are finally starting to come back from the DL! Scott Downs pitched one inning tonight almost up to his usual level after a nasty, persistent stomach virus – one K, one walk, no hits, not runs. Joel Pinero takes the mound for the first time this season tomorrow and I loved his interview this evening. He sounds excited by the feats of Jered Weaver and Dan Haren and eager to get out there and see what he can contribute. Heck, I can't wait for him to be fully up to his usual level. Best of luck to you tomorrow Joel! …and kindly wrap yourself in protective bubble wrap after the game. Thanks ever so.😉


text:
If Not for the British, America Would've Faced Catastrophic Attack. Despite What Bush Says, We're Less Safe than Before 9/11
The simple reality in this country is that we are less safe today than before 9/11. President Bush and his kool-aid-drunken supporters constantly point to the fact that we've not been attacked since 9/11 as proof that we are indeed more secure. But the fact is, had the British police and intelligence officials not brilliantly thwarted this week's terror plot to blow up 10 planes en route to the United States, we'd would've faced a horrific attack resulting in hundreds if not thousands of American deaths.
It was not our intelligence that foiled this chilling plot. And that's the real scary part. Our financial, political, military and intelligence resources are being shamelessly squandered in Iraq while American citizens abroad and at home still face the very real threat of a terrorist attack. The Busheviks have taken their eyes off the real enemy. Bush will tell us we're more secure since 9/11, but we're not. Bush will tell us the Iraq war is the central front in the war on terror, but it's not. he will continue to insist that we need to "stay the course" in Iraq, but we don't. The Repuglicans will be relentlessly driving the talking points home between now and November that a vote for Democrats will weaken America and cause another attack on U.S. soil, but it will not. It was on Bush's watch that we were attacked on 9/11, and, if not for the British, I hate to think what'd be happening here again in the days or weeks to come.


text:
Economics Departments, Institutes and Research Centers in the World
Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Żywnościowej - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (IERiGŻ-PIB)Translation: Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics - National Research Institute (IAFE-NRI)
Location: Warszawa, Poland
Homepage: http://www.ierigz.waw.pl/
Phone: (22) 505 44 44
Fax: (22) 827 19 60
Postal: ul. Ŝwiętokrzyska 20, 00-002 Warszawa
Handle: RePEc:edi:ierigpl
Areas or Functions: Agricultural Economics
Additional details:
Publications at this institution that are listed with RePEc:
- Multiannual Program Reports, Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics - National Research Institute (IAFE-NRI)
- Problems of Agricultural Economics, Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics - National
People who have registered with RePEc and have claimed to be affiliated with this institution:Find all publications of all authors listed below conveniently compiled on IDEAS. Authors with publications are listed below with . We have lost contact with authors marked with ?, and they do not count towards the ranking of this institution.
This listing is provided to you by EDIRC at the Economic Research Department, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Please send additions and corrections to Christian Zimmermann.


text:
This week I spent several days with SAP at its Walldorf HQ. During that time, John Wookey, who heads SAP's on-demand strategy explained what has been going on and how Sales OnDemand in particular came into being. The 18 min 53 sec video goes into a lot of detail about this topic. The core of this discussion occurs at around 6:27. Later, at around 12:34, John gets into how this will impact other line of business applications.
Here are the show notes:
0:00 – The background and Frictionless
3:51 – An opportunity to rethink
5:42 – Generational shifts
6:27 – Design thinking
9:23 – Process, people or both?
12:34 – How does deisgn thinking inform the new categories of application?
15:38 – Meeting the challenges of different functional entities
17:20 – A year's time?
Here is the audio version:


text:
Comment this
Make sure your text complies with our rules
Today, my friend told me that he was having a scrabble tournament at his house with a bunch of our friends. I told my dad about the tournament and he gave me a special scrabble dictionary to bring. Hesitantly, I brought the dictionary and as I walked in everyone was playing beer pong. FML
by Anonymous / 06/17/2009 at 1:15pm / United States (Maryland) / Miscellaneous
Make sure your text complies with our rules


text: × Please take a short survey to help us improve our data-related literature resources. Search Results Studies Variables Publications (1) Your query returned 1 citations. Sort by: Pub Date (newest) Title Recent Additions Author Clear All Pub. Year Citation 1. 2012 Siddiq, F., Chaudhry, S.A., Vazquez, G., Suri, M.F., Qureshi, AI . Intracranial stenosis in young patients: Unique characteristics and risk factors. Neuroepidemiology. 38, (3), 148-153. Full Text Options: DOI Worldcat Google Scholar Export Options: RIS EndNote XML Results 1 - 1


text:
Top Ten Reasons to Be a UIAA Member
Support Your University
Alumni engagement is critical to the ongoing success of the University of Iowa—and to the value of an Iowa degree. "Engagement" can range from volunteering time, sharing positive news about UI events or achievements, or providing a potential student with insights about the university.
Show Your Pride
Membership in the University of Iowa Alumni Association is the perfect way to express pride in your alma mater! It shows you want an ongoing relationship with the institution that gave you a world-class education, incredible friends, and life-changing experiences.
Be In the Know
Aware that alumni are eager for news about their alma mater and their fellow graduates, the UIAA publishes Iowa Alumni Magazine and various electronic newsletters to help alumni stay in the know.
Stay Connected
Through its national network of IOWA Clubs, exclusive members-only events, and a range of outreach programs, the UIAA makes it easy to socialize with the best people in the world—Hawkeyes.
Further Your Career
The UIAA offers a range of seminars, networking opportunities, and career-themed events to help alumni get that first job or that big promotion. On campus, the UIAA made a $1 million gift to support the Pomerantz Career Center, which provides job-related advice and information for students and alumni.
See the World
UIAA members are eligible to travel with Iowa Voyagers, which takes alumni and friends to destinations across the country and around the world.
Support Future Hawkeyes
Each year, the UIAA and its network of IOWA Clubs fund scholarships for UI students.
Celebrate the Best
The UIAA's Distinguished Alumni Awards honor and publicly celebrate some of the University's most notable graduates, who make a difference in their communities, their career fields, and the world.
Help Build a Community
UIAA membership dues support programs and events for alumni across the country to help increase awareness of and pride in The University of Iowa.
Save Money
UIAA members enjoy valuable money-saving discounts on hotels, car rentals, insurance, and much more.


text:
SPARTANBURG, S.C. --- Quinshad Davis will focus more intently on his recruiting process once the holidays come and go.
Four-star WR Davis sets Vols visit, more
Premium Content
Subscribe today to read the full article and get everything Rivals has to offer.
- Member-only message boards
- Exclusive highlights and recruiting interviews
- Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
- Breaking recruiting news


text:
SRCE 1.0.9 maintenance release
Posted on | April 17, 2008 | Comments Off
I'm putting together a source maintenance release for SRCE that addresses some build issues on Fedora 8 and 9 (x86_64). Namely, I finished properizing its implementation of beecrypt so that the static library is built arch specific. Up till now, the shrunken beecrypt library was included pre-compiled. I might also finish properly integrating autoconf.
For those of you following / using the programs, I'm not going to jump right to 1.1.0, I want to get the interactive CLI finished before we go to the next minor version.
1.0.9 is just a source maintenance release so that build farms making .deb and .rpm's don't break on fedora, there's really no reason to upgrade until 1.1.0 comes out, unless you need to build on Fedora 8 or 9.
If there is anything else that needs to go into 1.0.9, please try to file bug reports here before April 25.
Tags: autoconf > Free Software > Programming > srce


text: × Please take a short survey to help us improve our data-related literature resources. Search Results Studies Variables Publications (1) Your query returned 1 citations. Sort by: Pub Date (newest) Title Recent Additions Author Clear All Pub. Year Citation 1. 2011 Gupta, Alok K., Brashear, Meghan M., Johnson, William D. Coexisting prehypertension and prediabetes in healthy adults: A pathway for accelerated cardiovascular events. Hypertension Research. 34, (4), 456-461. Full Text Options: DOI Worldcat Google Scholar Export Options: RIS EndNote XML Results 1 - 1


text:
Cardiac Cath Lab Virtual Tour
Heart Assessment
Heart Attack Topic Center
Heart Health Topic Center
Heart Attack Quiz
Heart Attack Risk Assessment
Heart Health Quiz
How the Heart Beats
The Anatomy of the Heart
At ValleyCare we understand that cardiovascular disease affects millions of people. We are proud to offer a heart program that includes community outreach, noninvasive diagnostic testing, interventional cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation and open-heart surgery for treatment of coronary artery and valve disease.
Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States, surpassing the next seven causes of death combined, including cancer. The American Heart Association recommends that heart attack prevention begin by age 20. Understanding your risk factors is the first step. If you have risks, talk to your doctor about treatment and positive lifestyle changes.
Major risk factors you can change:
Are you at risk? Click here to find out! Get the latest Heart Health news each month by subscribing to ValleyCare's FREE e-Newsletter.
Staffed by experienced nurses, technicians, interventional cardiologists and radiologists, the Cardiac Catheterization Lab provides diagnostic procedures for both cardiac and noncardiac patients.
Cardiac catheterization is used for diagnosis and treatment of blocked coronary arteries. A thin catheter is guided into an artery and then passed into the heart and coronary arteries. Dye, visible by x-ray, is injected through the catheter, which allows the cardiologist to detect where arteries are narrowed or blocked. If a significant blockage is found, balloon angioplasty and stent placement may be performed.
ValleyCare Medical Center is a designated STEMI Receiving Center (ST elevation myocardial infarction or critical heart attack) and a Cardiac Arrest Receiving Center (no heartbeat, no breathing) for Alameda County.
The Emergency Cardiac Team at ValleyCare consistently achieves some of the fastest "door-to-balloon" times in the nation for patients having an acute myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Door-to-balloon (or reperfusion) is the number of minutes from arrival at the Emergency Department until the opening of the coronary artery blockage in the Cardiac Cath Lab.
Because of these outcomes, ValleyCare Medical Center was chosen to participate in a Yale-New Haven study as one of the top 11 hospitals in the United States achieving times less than 90 minutes. Time is important because the faster coronary artery blood flow is restored, the less heart muscle damage occurs.
The ValleyCare Cardiac Catheterization Lab team implants the latest pacemakers, automatic implantable cardiac defibrillators (AICDs) and cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator devices (CRT-Ds). These devices are indicated for patients at risk for sudden death due to lethal heart rhythms, and those who suffer from severe heart failure.
Stanford Health Care - ValleyCare is only one of 164 hospitals nationwide to receive the American College of Cardiology Foundation's National Cardiovascular Data Registry ACTION Registry—Get With the Guidelines (GWTG) Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2012. This is the fifth year in a row ValleyCare has received GWTG recognition for treatment of cardiac patients.
The award recognizes ValleyCare's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that ValleyCare has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
For referral to a ValleyCare cardiologist, please visit the ValleyCare Physician Network or call 800.719.9111.
Back to top
Stanford Health Care - ValleyCare. All rights reserved.
Medical facilities in Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton, Calif. |Site Map |Privacy Policy |Notice of Nondiscrimination
Get Adobe ReaderGet Adobe Flash Player


text:
Um... How are we supposed to help you find things around your own house...?
this is the ? You have at least 10 items. Can you separate your items into 2 equal halves? Can you split each half into 2 more piles? What fraction of total are these piles? Try starting with different numbers of items. thank you Lilly belle


text:
Mothercare has returned to sales growth as Simon Calver's turnaround plan for the struggling retailer gains momentum.
Like-for-like store sales rose by 0.3 per cent in the 13 weeks to October 13, compared with a 6.7 per cent fall in the previous quarter, while online sales also returned to growth with an 11 per cent increase. However, UK sales were still down 3.4 per cent for the first half overall.
Mr Calver, who joined in April from Lovefilm, said Mothercare was focusing on what customers wanted from its 203 Mothercare and 77 Early Learning Centres in Britain.
"We recognise that


text:
Hello, !
Manage Subscriptions
Log Out
Log In
Tomah Middle School students are exposed to Mandarine Chinese, Arabic and Russian languages
Personalized learning is coming to the Tomah School
A 600-thousand dollar.
three-year grant is making this style of education
In tonight's Assignment: Education report.
we'll take a look at what this means for students
at Tomah Middle School.
Sound from translator/student
I'm studying Manderine Chinese.
I'm studying Russian.
I am studying Arabic.
All three world languages are now being offered at
Tomah Middle School.
I'm taking a Rosetta Stone program.
This computer software program specializes in teaching
a foreign language.
8th grader Matthew Buss is one of six middle school
students who are piloting this foreign language program.
I thought it would be something different to try and
I've always kind of wanted to learn Chinese.
Matthew is learning Manderine Chinese as a part of
the Tomah School District's personalized approach
to exposing students to as many foreign languages
as possible.
Our intent is to expose them to German and Spanish
their 6th grade year.
And then in 7th grade year, they get to pick between
three languages whether it's arabic, chinese or russian.
The foreign language computer software is being paid
for with grant money, and offers the students the
opportunity to learn at their own pace.
It was a little hard to use at first but then I got
used to it after a while.
So, it's been kind of routine now.
Next year.
every 7th grader at Tomah Middle will get to choose
between Manderine Chinese, Russian and Arabic.
And they will all be learning with a computer.
and at their own pace.
The biggest thing we're hoping to learn is how can
we go ahead and implement this affectively for next
year based off our six kids.
based off their progress level.
Matthew is doing well in his Manderine Chinese class.
He plans to continue studying the language next year
when he enters high school in hopes of becoming fluent.
If I travel to other countries, I won't need a translator.
I can just speak to them in their native language.
To have the ability to be able to actually go ahead
and speak that foreign language and be fluent makes
you so much more marketable in that global economy.
And this personalized computer software program is
making it possible for Tomah middle school students
to get a taste for as many different world languages
In Tomah.
This is the first year of the personalized foreign
language program.
The grant was given to the district by the Department
of Defense.
To be eligible.
a certain percentage of the student population within
the school district must have a military connection.
This grant is also paying for personalized learning
in math, as well.
The district is using a web-based software program
to give every student in the middle school a personalized
math lesson.
in addition to their regular math class.
The program will help high achievers stretch their
and also provide assistance to students who are struggling.
Three members of the board are up for re-election in the upcoming spring elections. While two of those members have shown interest in running again, one has…
12/5/16 - Girls Basketball - Rice Lake 49, Holmen 59
KRBC; KTAB via CNN
Texas veteran finds perfect job with service dog.
The upcoming sequel to 'Guardians of the Galaxy' has a new trailer in theaters and online. Meanwhile, the Aquaman standalone film starring Jason Momoa will hit…
No email address was supplied by
To complete your registration on this site, please supply an address.
Please confirm or modify the email address to which you will have subscription offers sent.
For a more personalized experience, please supply the following optional information.


text:
Futuremark 3DMark Vantage
As usual, we try to minimize the CPU influence in 3DMark Vantage by using the Extreme profile (1920x1200, 4x FSAA and anisotropic filtering).
Since they didn't declare any performance changes in 3DMark provided in the new driver, we were not surprised to see that driver versions 181.22 and 182.06 delivered similar results. When we checked out the individual benchmarks, the results coincided with up to two tenths of second precision. However, a pragmatic gamer will hardy take 3DMark results seriously into consideration, because they are rarely considered representative of a graphics accelerator/driver performance in contemporary games.


text:
Of the 224 worthy prospects that will inevitably be selected in 2014 NFL draft, which are destined to buckle the chinstrap attached the timeless gold helmet of the San Francisco 49ers?
Following the rush of NFL free agency, the picture has become much clearer, as many observers can gauge the team's adjusted draft strategy. They were able to settle several positions of need, even though they didn't make any waves in the football community.
The 49ers also still have a surplus of draft picks (11, via Niners Nation), even after pushing through trades for Miami Dolphins tackle Jonathan Martin and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert. This knocked off needs for both a talented sixth offensive lineman and a backup QB.
Their addition of safety Antoine Bethea, as well as the re-signings of receiver Anquan Boldin and kicker Phil Dawson also provided a significant cushion by eliminating needs for three potential starters. Now they have no real positions to settle outside cornerback.
They can do anything they want.
We're talking about unbelievable draft flexibility; even more so than we witnessed in last year's draft. This year can be almost entirely value-based, while general manager Trent Baalke targets several A-plus and high-ceiling prospects.
In the two best drafts, in 2011 and 2013, the 49ers were active in the front half of the draft, emerging with their own "Big Four."
This May, expect a similar strategy where four or five high-profile players land on this team, while the rest are developmental picks. There will be trades up (which are factored into this mock), largely because the 49ers need blue-chip players to compete with their Pro Bowl roster. And 11 draft picks is just far too many, especially for this club.
Without further ado, meet the 49ers' glamorous 2014 draft class...
Round projections and measurements courtesy of CBS Sports and NFL Draft Scout, unless specified otherwise.


text:
Reset password
Create your own account in less than a minute…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
This review may contain spoilers.
The attitudes shown in this melodrama may have been a little more representative of the 1890s than the 1920s, but the story was told well and made me wonder what it must have been like for young girls in less liberated times. The rescue scenes toward the end of the film are well worth watching - they don't look as good as the modern CGI'd scenes that would be in their place nowadays, but have a much greater charm.


text:
Total # Posts: 18
Find four consecutive even integers such that four times the greatest is 36 more than more than the sum of the other three.Four times a number increased by 5 is 37.Find the number.
November 26, 2015
I copied and pasted the question from my online HW so i guess the formatting is off or something
May 27, 2015
10*12*x = 1800 120(x)=1800 1800/120 = 15 height = 15cm
May 27, 2015
Cristian put a large rock on the bottom of the terrarium he made for his pet turtle. The rock is a right rectangular prism 10 cm wide by 12 cm long. The rock displaces 1800 cm3 of water. How high is the rock? 10times12 times 1800 minus 1800 =214200 ??
May 27, 2015
Some cowboys plan to build a rectangular corral in a canyon. They have 500 feet of fencing to use for three sides of the rectangle (the canyon wall is used for the 4th side). a) What is the maximum area that they can fence in? b) What are the dimensions of the rectangle?
October 8, 2014
B. Comet. Comets are made of ice and rock
February 28, 2014
Science help,please...
Um.... im learning this in 6th grade, online school and these questions are from a practice.
December 9, 2013
Do all of the online schools have the same questions???? i go to Connections academy and yes that is right
November 6, 2013
Consumer Math
How many cement blocks are needed to construct a wall 0.5 ft. thick, 6 ft. high, and 60 ft. long if it takes 10 standard cement blocks to make 1 cubic foot of wall?
July 11, 2013
Find the distance between the points with polar coordinates (3, 120°) and (0.5, 49°)? Is the answer 2.88?
April 14, 2013
if 40.0 g of methane gas reacts with 40.0 g of oxygen gas whis it the limiting reactant
January 22, 2013
Assume the box contains 7 balls: 3 red, 2 blue, and 2 yellow. A ball is drawn and its color noted. If the ball is yellow, it is replaced; otherwise, it is not. A second ball is then drawn and its color is noted. What is the probability that the first ball was yellow, given ...
November 15, 2011
PROVE: P(( union )[i=1]^(k))=(∑)P(A[i]^ ) ∀ A[i]^ such that (A[i]^ intersect A[]j = ∅ ∀i <>j) ∀k
March 16, 2011
how do you rearrange the equation 2x+y=6 and the equation -3x+4y+5=0 into standard form.
June 1, 2008
when will a product be positive regardless of the number of factors? & when will a product be negative regardless of the number of factors?
February 18, 2008
Can you give me a mythological reference to a product? because i can't find any :(
February 11, 2008
riddle - please help
Get a life
January 21, 2007


text:
Caldwell, Idaho Street View early 1900s
- Idaho |
- Caldwell ID |
- Canyon Co ID |
- Trolleys
Showing Trolley and intersection. Photo from an early 1900s postcard.
Caldwell, ID
Nice old photo of the street car in Caldwell, ID. I am wondering what is going on over to the left in the picture? Perhaps the old Caldwell bandstand? I would like to get more information and post it on my Idaho blog.
Click on the City or Town name right under the name of the photograph, to view more photographs from that city or town. If there's a county listed, you can view more photographs from that county. If you see a surname listed under the title of the photograph, you can click on that surname or surnames to view more photos that are associated with that surname. Same thing works with any of the other "tags" listed right under the title of the photograph. You may be able to make the photo larger, if the original photograph was larger than the photo shown here. Click on the word "original" above and a window will open with a the photo in a larger size. Want to add some information or comment on this photo? Click on "Add new comment" above.


text:
About prettyinpunk1025 : Hey the name is Sam... If you want to know anything about me, or just want to chat, send me a message. Although I'm usually on the app, so it may take me a while to respond.
prettyinpunk1025's FML badges
The Mixer
You like to live life randomly, and we salute you.
Keen reader – Level: student ninja
You have voted for 15% of the entire collection of FMLs to date.
Hard at Work
Voting on an FML from the Work category on a Monday between 8 and 9am, how ironic.
prettyinpunk1025's favorite FMLs
Today, my new roommate moved in. It seems that instead of using toilet paper like a normal human being, she instead opts to use the nearest towel in reach. I found this out when I went to dry off with mine after a shower. FML
by poop towel / 09/15/2011 at 3:43pm / United States (Maryland) / Miscellaneous
Today, I realized that the place that my brothers and I would find soggy balloons and blow them up when we were younger is where the prostitutes take their clients. We were blowing up used condoms for a good part of our childhood. FML
by IbetIgotAIDS / 09/12/2011 at 12:15pm / United States (Kentucky) / Intimacy
Today, my father in law drunkenly announced at dinner that he wished my husband had married my best friend. No one stuck up for me. Not even my husband. FML
by Anonymous / 09/11/2011 at 12:19am / United States (Colorado) / Love
Today, I brought my date home to meet my parents. We walked in the front door to find my drunken father wearing nothing but a Viking helmet, and swinging and jabbing our living room furniture with a pool noodle. FML
by Hailey Antone / 09/10/2011 at 3:01pm / United States / Miscellaneous
Today, I decided to formally introduce my girlfriend to my parents. My dad took the opportunity to apologize for walking in on us a few days ago while we were having sex. It wasn't her. Thanks dad. FML
by Anonymous / 09/10/2011 at 2:35am / United States / Intimacy
Today, I heard on a TV show that it's possible to fit a standard light-bulb in your mouth, but it can't be removed afterwards. I just had to try this out. And then visit the local hospital to get it removed. FML
by Stuck / 09/08/2011 at 6:00am / United States / Health
Today, my dad met my fiancé's dad for the first time. My fiancé's dad is a cop. He had arrested my dad for indecent exposure in the past. FML
by lolomg / 09/07/2011 at 9:22pm / New Zealand (Wellington) / Intimacy
Today, I was giving a talk in class, when halfway through someone pointed out that my pubes were sticking out my trousers. FML
by Sammylad / 09/07/2011 at 6:14pm / United Kingdom (London) / Work
Today, I broke my right leg. I've had one shot of morphine, and even that only relieved the pain a little. It's now totally worn off and I have yet to get pain medication of any kind. My leg has been broken for over nine hours now. FML
by Anonymous / 08/27/2011 at 4:12am / United States (West Virginia) / Health
Today, my boyfriend thought it would be sexy if he bit me on the lips. Normally, I would have enjoyed it, if the lips in question were the ones on my face. FML
by RainCl0ud / 08/27/2011 at 2:08am / United States (California) / Intimacy
Today, thanks to my wife's confession, I found out that the 14 year old child I've raised since I was 16 isn't related to me at all. But at least this narrows the real father down to one of three other guys. FML
by candie / 08/26/2011 at 10:10pm / United States (Texas) / Kids
Today, my dad looked me dead in the eyes and told me that if I wanted to join the Lingerie Football League, I would have his approval. His drunken friends nodded in agreement. FML
by Alexis / 08/26/2011 at 7:32pm / United States (Virginia) / Miscellaneous
Today, I got a text message from a number I don't know saying "I'm sorry, but I'm cheating on you, I couldn't do this in person because you're ugly when you cry." I haven't had a relationship in 6 years and I still manage to get dumped. FML
by j_babydoll6520 / 08/26/2011 at 7:09am / Australia (Victoria) / Love
Today, I walked in on my new college roommate holding his cock. He said "Hi I'm Jeffrey, and this is Jeffrey junior" while directing attention towards his penis. It's going to be a long semester. FML
by InAnAwkwardSituation / 08/25/2011 at 1:26am / United States (New York) / Intimacy
Today, I finally lost my virginity. In my boyfriend's racecar bed. FML
by Emily / 08/21/2011 at 12:54am / United States (New York) / Intimacy


text:
Four years ago, Democrat Keith Wilkowski ran for mayor using the Web address wilkowskiformayor.com. It said it all. The perfect Web site. But that Web site address wasn't available to Mr. Wilkowski this year as he tools up for another run at Toledo's top government position.
Jay and Kara Wagoner have lived in West Toledo for nearly a dozen years and they each have jobs in suburban communities. The couple very soon could have a reason to move out of Toledo. "I love the neighborhood - it's a great neighborhood - and at the time I bought my house, I worked in the city of Toledo, but one of the reasons I bought a house in Toledo was the reciprocity agreement," Mr. Wagoner said. "I knew I wouldn't get double-taxed."
Jackie Frisch has big plans and big dreams to go with her big heart and big family. The only thing that may be in short supply is time. Millions of people got to meet the bubbly mother of 12 when Extreme Makeover: Home Edition built the Frisch family a dream home in West Toledo last fall.
Into the church they streamed by the dozen, bringing objects to receive a special kind of benediction. Terrible Towels, magnets, magazines, school notebooks. Unblemished footballs snug in cardboard boxes. Well-worn jerseys and backpacks. Each received hands-on treatment from the young hero who penned his swooping signature over and again.


text:
5 Stars @ Australia's 1st Practice Match
Five men who caught attention during the two-day practice match between the visiting Australians and Indian Board President's XI.
1. Nathan Lyon
The Australian off-spinner claimed 3 wickets conceding 69 runs in 13 overs.
2. Ed Cowan
The Australian opener scored 58 runs (1 six and 8 fours) off 109 balls.
3. Moises Henriques
The Australian all-rounder claimed 4 wickets conceding just 12 runs in 9.3 overs.
4. Ambati Rayudu
The Baroda batsman played a classy innings of 87 runs (3 sixes and 9 fours) off 150 balls.
5. Parvez Rassol
This Jammu & Kashmir lad is simply unstoppable. After spinning out the visitors in the first innings with a 7-wicket haul, the all-rounder scored vital 36 runs (1 six and 4 fours) off 54 balls.


text:
Kansas City Zoo Educators will bring three animals (that's small animals like hissing cockroaches, rainbow boa, hedgehog, etc.) and lots of stories and animal artifacts to share.
Two sessions are available – 10:00am and 11:00am. Let us know when you register which session you want.
For 1st – 6th Grades only.