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So this was supposed to be my one shot for the round the world heard cabal posting. But I'm thinking it's at least a 3 part-er…maybe more. We'll see. It's totally AU and OOC because I can't write canon for shit. Just like everything else I write, it's M for lots of reasons. Teen drinking. swearing, smut. You've been sufficiently warned.
She sat on the floor picking at her nails, the awkward silence permeating the air as we waited for Carly to return. I had avoided situations that left us alone since…that incident, and it was the first time we'd been alone since…it…had happened.
I wanted to make the silence bearable, so I started thinking of things to say. Things that wouldn't get me punched in the face or laughed at.
I was failing miserably.
I looked over at her and she was smirking at me knowingly.
"What?" I asked, irritated that Sam was always so damn knowing. Like this awkwardness wasn't affecting her in the least. I huffed in annoyance that I was probably the only one in the twosome that was overanalyzing the crap out of what happened, and I was probably the only one that felt awkward about it at all.
She shook her head, smiling widely as her blonde curls bounced around her head. I continued glaring at her, and she opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Carly walked in with three sodas and a large plate of nachos.
Sam's attention was immediately transfixed by the chips and cheese in front of her. Any thought of the words she was about to say to me immediately forgotten. I hated how much it annoyed me. I hated how casual she could be in front of me. I hated how easily she went back to the way it always was between us.
I jumped up; the sudden urge to be as far away from her as possible overcoming me.
"Where are you going?" Carly asked.
I mumbled something about needing to fix a computer for the show, and basically sprinted out of the room, slamming the door behind me. But not before I caught a glimpse of the blonde headed demon giving me a look that could have almost been construed as hurt. But that wasn't possible seeing as she didn't have a soul.
3 weeks earlier
"Just give me the damn thing back, dorkwad!" She shouted at me, as I tried to keep it away from her. I was doing my best to be a good friend, but she was quickly testing my limit.
I was woken up from a particularly good dream involving Katy Perry by Carly, saying that her and Sam were at a party and Sam had gotten too drunk too quickly, and that Carly herself had had too many drinks to drive home. I groaned loudly as I pulled the comforter off my bed and threw on some sweats and some sneakers to pick up the drunken girls in question.
"FREEEDDIIIIIEEE!" Carly squealed as I walked into the basement apartment of some low life that was a few years older than us. Chad? Chet? Chip? I didn't know. I didn't care.
Carly was drunk, sure, but clearly in better condition than the blonde girl slumped over on the disgusting futon in the middle of the room. She was being leered at by Chad/Chet/Chip from across the room, and I was relieved that I had gotten there when I did.
I glared at the C-named dude as I lifted her up and draped her arm around my neck, dragging her out of the apartment with Carly stumbling behind us.
We pulled over three different times while Sam puked and Carly rubbed her back affectionately while I cursed them both for overindulging.
We got up to our apartment floor and Carly insisted I take Sam into my house. "You're mom's not even home! And there's no way I'll get past Spencer with her like that!"
Then she batted her cute little eyelashes and I was toast. Sam was giggling at nothing now, leaned up against the wall, and I begrudgingly led her into my apartment.
She immediately began digging though my kitchen cabinets.
"What are you doing, Sam?" I asked, annoyed that she was rifling through my stuff.
"Vodka. Need more Vodka..."
Before I had a chance to tell her that she was more likely to find a grenade in my cabinets than liquor, she shouted,
"JACKPOT!" and produced a small flask that I'd never seen before.
"Guess your mama keeps an emergency stash of…" She paused to open the flask and taste its contents, "….oh! Jack Daniels! Marissa likes the rough stuff!"
My mouth dropped and I immediately grabbed the flask from her fist. The liquor already in her system made her reflexes slower, which was likely the only reason I was able to complete the task.
"Just give me the damn thing back, dorkwad!" She shouted at me, as I tried to keep it away from her. Like I said, I was doing my best to be a good friend, but she was quickly testing my limit.
"Sam, you've had enough, I promise, you don't need anymore!" I argued, and before I could react, she stepped back to get some momentum before hurling herself on top of me, crashing us both to the floor and effectively spilling the disgusting smelling brown liquid everywhere.
"FUCK, FREDDIE!" She shouted as she grabbed the flask from me and drained the remaining few drops. She looked at the mess where it was spilled, likely deciding how desperate she'd be if she started licking it off the floor, then huffed frustratedly, her hot breath blowing over my face. It was far less disgusting than it should have been, and between the cleavage popping out of her shirt as she leaned over me and the intimate position we were in with her straddling me, my body started to react.
I pushed her off of me, half because it's what she was expecting and half because I was mortified of my body's reaction. She landed hard on her ass and I stood up quickly, trying to adjust myself discreetly and then offering her a helping hand to stand up.
She took my hand and stood up, looking up at me with a knowing smirk. That fucking knowing smirk.
"What?" I challenged raising an eyebrow, wondering if she'd have the balls, so to speak, to say what she was thinking aloud. She was nothing if not cruel to me, but this was a line that she'd never crossed before with me.
"You, uh, look like you got a big problem there, Benson." She said, her tone teasing, and becoming far more seductive than I was comfortable with.
My eyes narrowed and I decided to play into it. "Big is the operative word there, Puckett."
She swallowed thickly and I thought I saw some sort of reaction, before her damn knowing smirk was put back in place.
She took a step closer to me and leaned into my ear.
"Prove it," she whispered and then lightly nipped my ear lobe with her teeth.
It was a good thing she was leaned into my neck and couldn't see my reaction, because I'm pretty sure my eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets. I guess this is why we never had any flirty sexual banter. I definitely could not keep up.
Before I could process the absurdity of her request, she lifted her hands up my chest and over my shoulders, wrapping her arms around my neck and pushing her face further into my neck, licking and sucking the spot between my neck and shoulders, effectively erasing any sort of mental function
While my once functional brain had completely frozen, instinct led me to wrap my arms around her waist and bring her body closer to mine, allowing my hands to roam over her back and trace the curves of her sides.
Her mouth trailed wet kisses up my neck and over my chin, and I let out a shaky breath as her fists tightened in my hair. Her lips finally met mine and I eagerly kissed her back, her mouth opening slightly and her tongue darting out to touch mine. It was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. All of my previous kisses had either been sweet and innocent or lustful and chaotic. The kiss was soft and sweet but sexy and lustful at the same time. It was unbelievable.
She pulled back and looked me in the eyes, her facial features softened and a genuine smile, not a smirk, plastered on her face.
"I've wanted to do that for so long," She whispered, her eyes closing in reverence.
I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. What the hell was she talking about? She couldn't stand me! She was constantly torturing, teasing and humiliating me. Why would-
My thoughts stopped dead in their tracks and I started to process something I'd said to her in the first year of our friendship, ""Y'know, they say when a girl constantly rips on a guy; it just means she has a crush on him."
She'd brushed it off my comment then, and I hadn't thought about it since, but I was certainly thinking about it now.
But once again, all coherent thoughts were driven from my brain as she leaned in again, kissing me more forcefully and trailed her hands down my arms until she was resting her hands on top of my own, which were glued to her hips.
She gently moved them up and forward until her breasts were filling my palms. She moaned into my mouth and she kneaded her fingers over my own and the dual actions of her breasts in my hands and hearing her moan made me groan in response.
Our kisses became sloppy and unfocused as her hands returned to the nape of my neck, her fingers tugging at my hair and my hands continued to fondle her chest.
"More," she whispered into my mouth and without thinking, I grabbed her hand and led her to my bedroom.
I heard her give an uncharacteristic nervous giggle as I practically ran into my bedroom and shut the door behind us and pulled her close to me again.
She sighed as I kissed her languidly, and suddenly I stopped and pulled back, disgust overwhelming me. I was no better than that C named asshole. I was absolutely taking advantage of a way too drunk Samantha Puckett. A sense of dread overcame the disgust with myself as I realized how badly she was going to beat me up when she woke up tomorrow. I pushed her away from me and clenched my eyes closed, pinching the bridge of my nose, and willing my lust to take a backseat to my decency.
"What?" She asked self consciously. It was unnerving how much I didn't know the girl in front of me.
"You're really drunk, Sam, and you don't want this, and I just-"
"Don't tell me what I want!" She replied angrily. Ok. THIS Sam, I knew.
I huffed and tried to calm her down. "I'm not trying to tell you want you want…" even though that's exactly what I was trying to do, "I just don't want to be that asshole that takes advantage of a really, really drunk hot girl."
She looked up and again, gave me the damn knowing smirk. "You think I'm hot?" She slurred, further proving my point about her being too drunk, and pissing me off that she was trying to get me to admit something that I didn't want to admit.
"Sam, you know you're gorgeous. Now let's get you set up on the couch and you can sleep it off, and start planning my death for making out with you."
I started to lead her out of my room, when I was turned around and my back slammed up against the door.
"Stop. Telling me. What. To do." She growled and kissed me aggressively, her hips pressing against mine and her hands traveling over my body.
"Sam, I-I think-" I stuttered as her lips traveled down my chin and neck again, the coherent thoughts being driven right out.
"You think too much." She muttered.
She was right. I did think too much. But maybe she didn't understand how dire this was for me. I was far too concerned about the future of my balls and the possibility of her wanting to cut them off for me to fully enjoy what was going on.
As her hands slipped under my t-shirt and her fingers traced around the planes of my chest, my breath left my body in a gust. The sensation was unbelievable. Again, unlike anything I'd ever felt. Why had a girl touching my chest never felt this good?
Against my will and better judgment, my hands started creeping underneath her shirt and started lightly fingering the soft skin of her lower back above her jeans. She was so warm and soft. She let out a shaky breath against my neck.
"Why does it feel so good when you touch me?" she whispered, her voice genuinely confused. I chuckled knowing that her thoughts were at least mirroring my own. Maybe there was something more to us than just a volatile friendship.
Or maybe I was just validating the hell out of it because it'd been far too long since I got laid, and Sam was just so…goddamn…..hot.
It's not that I'd never noticed her hotness; it was just too dangerous to allow myself to go down that road. The change from her tomboy figure to the curvy, voluptuous one that she now possessed was so gradual, and I saw her so often that there wasn't ever a day when she just shocked the hell out of me.
There was, however, the one and only day when I looked. We were rehearsing for a show and there was a bit where Gibby and Sam were having a jell-o wrestling match. Now, it wasn't the skeevy kind with bikinis and whipped cream. This was a down and out dirty wrestling match that ended with Gibby's head completely submerged in blue raspberry jell-o and Carly declaring Sam the winner. She looked absolutely disgusting with huge chunks of blue goo clinging to her skin. Spencer had loaned us his giant coffee cup that we filled with water so that she and Gibby could get in to pre-clean the jell-o and not track the stuff through the house. So when Sam emerged from the cup soaking wet, and her yellow shirt clung to the body that I'd never even considered was under there, I couldn't even help myself but to stare. She proceeded to take the t-shirt off (where a perfectly modest bathing suit was on underneath) and pitched the soaking wet garment onto my computer cart, effectively ruining thousands of dollars worth of technological equipment. Though Carly reamed her out and asked what her problem was, she spared me the embarrassment by not answering and insisting I had it coming simply because I was a nub. I shut my mouth and didn't look at her, or her breasts, ever again.
Until now. They were right there in front of me, pushed together by some sort of torturous looking bra made of blue satin. I think it was blue satin. I could only see about an inch of the bra as I stared brazenly down her shirt.
"You could just take it off, you know. Get a closer look." She interrupted my staring and I cleared my throat, embarrassed to have been caught ogling her so shamelessly.
She smiled crookedly and pushed off of me slightly, dragging her fingers to the hem of her shirt and lifting it over her head, her blonde curls cascading back down and framing the most glorious set of breasts I'd ever seen.
I exhaled shakily as my hands went on their own accord and cupped her. I was right. Blue satin. Torturous looking device that mashed them together and up and made me want to thank god for Victoria's Secret.
STOP! My inner monologue shouted at me. This is wrong! She's way too drunk.
And I was right. I needed to stop. This was moving too fast. Even if it was what she wanted, it was too fast for me. And I still hadn't decided whether or not this was something that I really wanted.
I lowered my hands and she angrily grabbed them in her own and pulled herself closer to me.
"Sam-Sam stop. We need to stop. We shouldn't do this."
She dropped my hands and they fell limply to her sides and she took a minuscule step back.
"You don't want this?" She asked in a small voice.
I knew what she was asking. She was asking me if I wanted her. And I couldn't answer that. Everything had changed so quickly, in the span on 20 minutes we'd gone from possible friends to possible what? A couple? Lovers? Friends with benefits? I had no idea what it was that she wanted, and I didn't know what I wanted from her.
"We need to sleep on it, Sam." I sighed, running my fingers nervously through my hair.
She pursed her lips and nodded, narrowing her eyes and looking around the floor for her shirt and awkwardly putting it back on.
I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have just let her leave my room and faced the awkwardness that would be tomorrow. But no….
"Sam, don't be mad, I just know that this isn't what you want and you should be-"
The last thing I felt that night was a sharp crack to the bridge of my nose before everything else went black.
THANK YOU A BAZILLION TO MY LOVELY AND WONDERFUL BETA AUSSIEMMA. She is everything amazing and more. Her story Kiss with a Fist is fucking phenomenal and you need to read it. Now. Go. Oh. But review this one first. ;)
Thanks to Earl of Sandwich for being fucking awesome. I tried to write it better, but damn man, you're just fucking awesome. (also people, go read his shit. It's good. Like. Really. Really good.)
Also, read and review the rest of The Cabal!
~The CABAL~
For constant quality!
Commander Lagasse
Coyote Laughs
The Earl of Sandwich


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subset: commoncrawl


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Sports star mistreating – and even insulting – journalists has become a common theme in the past few months. For some reason, it is now the coolest fad among athletes to misbehave with the assorted group of media officials when facing the camera.
Having seen NFL star Marshawn Lynch blatantly refuse to answer questions in press conferences this entire winter, soccer superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently made the news by making a journalist sweat.
Following Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 win over Rennes, a poor journo – who was apparently holding both the microphone as well as the camera – approached the big Swede with a question regarding some rumored friction between him and teammate Edinson Cavani.
Considering Ibra's history of troubled relationships with club officials/former teammates and his general penchant for undermining others' authority, it was a valid query. It apparently hit a raw nerve with the 6'5" footballer, who spent the remainder of the minute-long interview mercilessly intimidating him.
These are of course just two in a long line of sports prima donnas who think their talents on the field of play gives them right to mistreat media personnel. Granted that in this business, it's the reporters who come off looking needy, but in reality, it's the other way around.
Without media's spotlight and attention, these sports stars would be unknown entities and nowhere near as rich as they are now. It's actually a fallacy that talent alone is enough for someone to be successful. Nope, the way things go in this digital age, fame plays an even bigger part. Disagree? Then justify how Tim Tebow was so famous despite not being half as talented. Hint: It's all because of media's blessing.
And why is it that underdeveloped regions – let's say Africa or South America – where media coverage isn't that comprehensive, harbors undoubted talent that regularly goes to waste?
They may not like to admit it, but superstars like Ibrahimovic and Lynch are where they are because media played its part by shedding some light on them. And for them to insult the force that propelled their careers and refined their image is just ungrateful behavior.
Also check: Marshawn Lynch Thanks Reporters But Dodges Questions In Another Bizarre Interview


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When Meles Zenawi, the national and
- Kristin Richardson
- 2 years ago
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1 [A]lthough the institutionalization of the ruling party organization after Meles s death ensured the immediate survival of the Ethiopian regime, we should not confuse short-term stability and growth with long-term sustainability. Ethiopia After Meles: Stability for How Long? Lovise Aalen When Meles Zenawi, the national and ruling party leader for 21 years, died in August 2012, most observers predicted that Ethiopia would be thrown into an uncertain transition and put in great danger by destructive internal power struggles and external pressure. As the months went by, none of these things happened. Instead, the world witnessed a peaceful succession, and a calm status quo has been maintained under the new prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn. Numerous analyses of political developments in post-meles Ethiopia have expressed amazement at this tranquility, particularly in the context of past state collapse and civil wars in neighboring states in the Horn of Africa region. Two questions present themselves. First, what are the reasons for the apparently smooth changeover? And second, will the stability prove long lasting or just an intermezzo before turmoil erupts? Successful institutionalization of the ruling party organization and strong economic growth are crucial factors to note in explaining why Meles s death did not produce chaos. The continuation of authoritarian and centralized developmental state policies, which are hampering the realization of political and civil rights and the devolution of power under an ethnic-based federal system coupled with the potential for a slowdown in economic growth indicates that stability may not last long. Succession plan When Meles died, a major concern was that power struggles within the Ethiopian People s Lovise Aalen is a senior researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Bergen, Norway. Her books include The Politics of Ethnicity in Ethiopia: Actors, Power, and Mobilization under Ethnic Federalism (Brill, 2011). Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) for the open leadership position would create obstacles to a peaceful succession. Both Meles s personal leadership style and the multiethnic composition of the ruling party contributed to this fear. The EPRDF came to power in 1991 after toppling the Marxist military dictatorship of Mengistu Haile Mariam ( ). The party is a coalition of four ethnic-based movements, created and led by one of them, the Tigray People s Liberation Front (TPLF). Despite the TPLF s domination, the member parties have constantly feuded over who should be promoted to various positions, partly based on ethnic rivalries. While the TPLF s original founders played a dominant role in the EPRDF throughout the 1990s, Meles gradually managed to maneuver among the different factions to strengthen his personal power base. He became leader of the TPLF in 1989, was the interim president of Ethiopia from 1991 to 1995, and served 12 years as prime minister until his death (from natural causes) in One of his most important maneuvers took place after an internal party schism emerged in Disagreements about ideology and how to deal with the Eritrean regime led to the expulsion of major political veterans in the EPRDF, ultimately enhancing Meles s position as undisputed leader. Frequent reshuffles in the cabinet and in the party organization thereafter made him seem a master of factional manipulation, prompting worries about too much power being concentrated in his hands. Long before his death, speculation regarding the absence of potential successors increased apprehensions about a potential breakdown if Meles decided to resign. After the 2010 elections, which reinforced the EPRDF s dominance, the party took measures to promote a new breed of leaders. A number of party veterans retired, while a new generation of younger leaders represent- 192
2 ing a balance among the various ethnic blocs was promoted. This collective leadership transition appeased some of the criticisms and concerns over succession. Although no successor was named then, the appointment of Hailemariam, a Protestant from the traditionally marginalized south, as deputy prime minister gave hints about Ethiopia s political direction after Meles. There are reasons to believe that when the news of Meles s death was released on August 20, 2012, important individuals within the party had known for some time about his terminal medical condition. The party appeared to have planned the succession well, introducing a new national leadership well balanced in terms of ethnic representation. While the new prime minister represented the Southern Ethiopian People s Democratic Movement, the three deputy prime ministers represented each of the remaining parties in the coalition: the Amhara National Democratic Movement, the TPLF, and the Oromo People s Democratic Organization. Party leaders did not use the transition as an opportunity to change direction. Instead, their main priority after Meles s death was to maintain the status quo. So far they appear to have succeeded. This shows that, despite rumors of intra-eprdf struggles, the party has managed to consolidate its position, independent of personal leadership. Hailemariam, the new prime minister, is less rhetorically gifted than Meles, and lacks his predecessor s experience as a rebel leader during the country s civil war. But his hard work and technocratic approach, his undisputed loyalty to the EPRDF s program and ideology, and the fact that he represents two historically marginalized groups evangelical Christians and the southern peripheral peoples make him a good compromise candidate who does not threaten any of the factions within the party. Indeed, a common complaint during Hailemariam s first year as prime minister was that he mentioned Meles s legacy in nearly every public speech. It is said that he has not managed to come up with his own policies and visions, giving the impression of a rather spiritless national leader. The lack of separation between party and government affairs means that bureaucrats are highly politicized. Ethiopia After Meles: Stability for How Long? 193 Delivering development Hailemariam has faithfully carried on with the policies defined by his predecessor, and his position is still sustained by the authority that Meles s rule embodied. But maybe most important of all, the economic growth that started under Meles has so far been maintained. This provides the crucial foundation for the support and legitimacy of the EPRDF s dominant party rule. Ethiopia has seen unprecedented growth for the past few years the economy expanded by 8.5 percent in Many citizens have escaped poverty as a result. From a financial point of view, Ethiopia is a success story. From a human rights perspective, the situation is different. In controversial national elections in 2005, the opposition took a third of the parliament s seats, and a government crackdown on postelection protesters led to the deaths of more than 200 people. Since then, the space for political life and discussion has been severely constricted. Following the enactment of a range of laws regulating civil society, independent media, and opposition parties, as well as a new and excessive antiterrorism law, voices outside the ruling party s immediate control can hardly be heard. As Northwestern University s Richard Joseph suggested in the November 2011 issue of Current History, what really counts from the regime s perspective is not its democratic character but its capacity to project force, domestically and externally, and the country s socioeconomic indicators. The EPRDF maintains that it provides the Ethiopian people with what they need a developmental state and revolutionary democracy, the antithesis to neoliberalism. The ideological thinking behind the EPRDF s developmental state can be traced to the party s Marxist-Leninist tradition and to Meles s ideas and pronouncements in office. Although he liberalized and privatized parts of the Ethiopian economy in the early 1990s, the late prime minister was a staunch critic of the neoliberal model and structural adjustment policies implemented elsewhere in the continent. In particular, Meles argued that the neoliberal paradigm failed to appreciate the problem of market failures in Africa and hence the state s necessary role in steering economic development. EPRDF party documents and Meles himself referred to the postwar experiences of South Korea and Taiwan in stressing the need for state intervention to promote development.
3 194 CURRENT HISTORY May 2014 The Ethiopian Growth and Transformation Plan, covering the period from 2010 to 2015, includes ambitious development goals. In order to make Ethiopia a mid-level-income country by , the industrial sector has to take the lead from agriculture in its contribution to the national economy. Among five industries prioritized by the plan, the state will take the lead in two capitalintensive sectors (metals and sugar) through the establishment of monopolistic government corporations. In an effort to transform the subsistence agriculture economy, the plan clearly stipulates the government s intention to transfer three million hectares of land in lowland parts of the country to private investors. Moreover, in the urban areas the government is using small and micro enterprises to provide jobs for hundreds of thousands of unemployed youth. Blurred boundaries These developmental state policies go hand in hand with the EPRDF s own brand of popular rule, revolutionary democracy. In this model, what Centralized policy making is weakening the mechanisms for accommodating ethnic and political pluralism. is most important is not the representation but the participation of the people. Through mobilization of the masses by the ruling party s vanguard, a strong revolutionary leadership will lead the people to obedient participation. Around one third of the residents of an average-sized kebele, the lowest administrative unit, are today members of the local council controlled by the EPRDF, and are thus participating in local affairs but safely within the ruling party s control. In addition, the party uses development teams, or what it calls One to Five Networks, to mobilize peasants for community development projects like soil and water conservation, and also as a communication channel for party affairs, particularly during elections and for controlling dissent. In this scheme, each development team controls no more than five households. In addition to peasants, civil servants, students, and even children at elementary schools are now being organized on this basis, and are expected to meet every Wednesday and Friday. This mobilization process has predictably blurred boundaries between the party and the state. Membership in the EPRDF facilitates government employment for young graduates or the promotion of civil servants to better positions. This has proved a highly efficient method, both for sustaining and enlarging the ruling party s popular base and for eroding the opposition. In the last national election, in 2010, the party won all but one seat in the parliament. The number of EPRDF members has grown from around half a million to over six million since the contested 2005 elections. Meanwhile, the opposition parties that competed in the 2005 polls have all been split and marginalized, both by their own factionalism and by the government s deliberate shrinking of political space. The Blue Party, a recently established opposition party, has attempted to mobilize supporters. It managed to organize a rally and protests in Addis Ababa in But it is still unclear to many what this party stands for and whether it represents a genuine alternative to the EPRDF. There is even speculation that the EPRDF may be behind the party as part of its search for a constructive, progressive opposition. The lack of separation between party and government affairs also means that Ethiopian bureaucrats at all levels are highly politicized, acting as agents of the ruling party. In the classical developmental states of East Asia, an independent bureaucracy enabling technocrats to make public policies insulated from vested interests was seen as crucial for creating sustainable economic growth. But the lack of an autonomous civil service in Ethiopia is not a concern for the EPRDF. When I confronted an official in the national EPRDF leadership, about this in an interview in November 2012, he replied that the politicization of the bureaucracy was by design, and not by default. He argued that the EPRDF wants party officials to play leading roles in all areas of society, including the bureaucracy. In the civil service, he said, we [the EPRDF] go after the hard workers, struggle to make them our members, to recruit those who are willing to change. The bureaucracy, he contended, should not be isolated; it should be rooted in the masses and the party: We cannot envisage a developmental state currently without the EPRDF, [since] there are no other parties with the comprehensive understanding like we have.
4 Ethiopia After Meles: Stability for How Long? 195 The politicization of the bureaucracy, in combination with a strongly hierarchical political tradition and a culture of centralism in the EPRDF, may nevertheless prove detrimental to the sustainability of the Ethiopian developmental state. This combination prevents the ruling party from receiving genuine feedback from the people themselves. It therefore affords little room for correcting failing policies, curbing corruption, or promoting transparency. In daily practice, it is likely that party concerns and loyalty come first, and concern for creating inclusive development comes second. As the journalist René Lefort has rightly pointed out, the most promising path for a rent seeker in Ethiopia is to join the party and climb the ladder within it while the private sector, which is supposed to be the engine of growth in a developmental state, remains underdeveloped and undernourished. Internal contradictions When the EPRDF came to power in 1991, the Ethiopian government was restructured from a unitary state into a multiethnic federation through the subdivision of the national territory into nine ethnic-based regional states, the representation of these states in the national government, and the establishment of numerous ethnically defined local administration units. The transitional charter adopted in 1991 and the federal constitution that came into force in 1995 recognized the rights of self-administration, and even secession, among Ethiopia s ethnic groups. The devolution of power to subnational units proved successful in avoiding the large-scale conflicts of the past between the central state and ethnic-based liberation movements. But as conflicts were diffused from the national to the local level, this led to a sharpening of ethnic divides and an ethnicization of local conflicts. After major ethnic groups received legislative, executive, and judicial powers in the regional states, entirely new actors became involved in the government of their own communities, even though they all were part of the EPRDF or EPRDF-affiliated parties. This seemed an efficient way for the new power elite to get a foothold in every ethnic community in the country, but it led also to unwanted mobilization of ethnic identities among new groups in the contest for resources and power, described as narrow nationalism and ethnic chauvinism by the party leadership. Particularly since the contested 2005 elections, when the EPRDF reoriented itself toward building a developmental state, ethnic self-rule has been given less emphasis, and the constitutional devolution of power has in many cases been overlooked in making way for centrally planned developmental policies, plans, and projects. The construction of large-scale hydropower dams and irrigated sugar plantations in the southern region s Lower Omo Valley without the consent of the local pastoral people, and the eviction of farmers from land given to international investors in the Gambella region, exemplify the conflicting aims of national development projects and evolution of the federal system. Top-down development edicts are undermining the autonomy of the regional states. Rather than facilitating national integration, centralized policy making is weakening the mechanisms for accommodating ethnic and political pluralism, creating new sources of conflict in multiethnic Ethiopia. Risks ahead Even though Ethiopia has received almost unanimous international approval for its ability to create economic growth during the past decade, its numbers are contested and the character of the growth is disputed. Such criticisms call into question the EPRDF s claim of providing the Ethiopian people with what they need inclusive and sustainable From the archives of Current History The internationalization of domestic issues 1 and the permeability of sovereign (especially small and weak) states created opportunities for big power involvement in Africa on a scale and of a scope unknown even during the cold war. The Angola crisis illustrated also the expansionist mood of the Soviet Union and the timidity of the United States. It would be the height of irony if independence and non-alignment signaled more, rather than less, big power intrusion. W. A. E. Skurnik Africa and the Superpowers November 1976 HISTORY IN THE MAKING
5 196 CURRENT HISTORY May 2014 development and may ultimately challenge the whole rationale for maintaining a centralized revolutionary democracy and keeping the political and civil rights of liberal democracy at bay. There are many questions regarding the scope and nature of Ethiopia s economic growth. The International Monetary Fund has argued, for instance, that the government s annual growth rates of 10 to 11 percent are overstated, and were likely closer to 7 to 8 percent from 2004 to The World Bank has expressed concern that growth has been dependent on public investment, while ruling party affiliated businesses dominate the weak private sector. Soaring double-digit inflation, particularly on food items, and a currency devaluation that has made the birr worth much less in relation to the dollar than some years ago, have severely affected the ordinary population. All of this has reduced the immediate benefits of growth for the majority of Ethiopians. The country still has the smallest urban sector in Africa: 17 percent of the economy, in contrast to a 34 percent average across the continent. This, together with the high inflation rates, casts doubt on the EPRDF s claim of successfully creating an urban middle class. Meanwhile, as the Ethiopia scholar John Markakis has pointed out, the country s growth in educational facilities has not resulted in increased quality. Less than half of the secondary-level teachers are certified, high school dropout rates are still high, and many rural areas have yet to see school expansions. While agriculture continues to provide the major items for export and also food for local consumption, millions of Ethiopians (conseratively estimated by the Ethiopian government at 2.7 million for 2014) still depend on food aid. The country s economy remains small and vulnerable to drought. Scope for improving the agricultural sector is also limited because of land scarcity, degradation, low soil fertility, and tenure insecurity. The industrial and service sectors suffer from weak financial institutions, lack of skilled and semi-skilled human resources, poor information technology, cumbersome regulatory regimes, and scarcity of foreign exchange. Illicit trafficking of hard currency from the country is also a growing challenge: A report by the UN Development Program shows that in 2009, these outflows of illicit money totaled $3.26 billion, which was double the amount in each of the two previous years. Corruption is particularly endemic in land acquisition, tax and customs payments, and government procurement. Official campaigns against corruption are impeded by popular perceptions that such campaigns are used for political purposes. These developmental challenges, in combination with the blurred division between party and state interests and the contradiction between the constitutional devolution of power and the actual centralization of development policies, raise questions about the longevity of Ethiopia s stability. They demonstrate that, although the institutionalization of the ruling party organization after Meles s death ensured the immediate survival of the Ethiopian regime, we should not confuse short-term stability and growth with long-term sustainability.
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Description: This triple performance set has some killer card magic from some of the most creative minds in magic.
Credit: "Overkill" - Harris / Ackerman / Emberg. "Card Thru Handkercheif" - unknown.
"Card Penetration and Change" - Cy Endfield
Source: Michael Ammar "Easy to Master Card Miracles' Volume 2 DVD
File Type: zip / mp4
File size: 110 MB
Watch the performance now:
Overkill was an all out effort to squeeze the maximum effect out of a series of climaxes. The end result is a mind boggling sequence based on very simple procedures that you have to see to fully appreciate.
At one time Card Through Handkerchief was in the repertoire of every sleight of hand performer this is one of those wonderful effects that is so old it is new again. In this version the selected card is returned to the deck, placed into the card box and wrapped inside a handkerchief. Yet on command, the selected card is seen to penetrate right through the handkerchief from the bottom of the boxed shape inside. Everything is normal and can be examined both before and after.
Rounding out this performance set is a wonderful Card Penetration and Change by the great Cy Enfield. This is a perfect followup to Card through Handkerchief!
FILE INFORMATION: After checkout you will receive an email with a download link to your file. The file size is 110 MB. The file is zipped. The format is MP4. We recommend unzipping the file with WinZip and then watch using the Quicktime media player. It is available for free online if you don't already have it.


text:
By The Associated Press
Thumbnails of prominent players mentioned in the Mitchell Report (in alphabetical order):
CHAD ALLEN — 2007 team: Played in Japan
An outfielder who played with four teams in Major League Baseball between 1999 and 2005, the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Florida Marlins, and Texas Rangers.
In the report: Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski believed he made between three and five sales to Allen involving Winstrol, testosterone, and Deca- Durabolin. According to Radomski, Allen could not afford human growth hormone. Allen met with my investigators after his return from Japan, and has been cooperating with federal authorities.
RICK ANKIEL — 2007 team: St. Louis Cardinals
Lefty was a rookie phenom on the mound in 2000, but wildness and injuries derailed his pitching career. So he switched to the outfield a few years later and began long climb back to the big leagues. Called up in August, he batted .358 with nine homers and 29 RBI in first 23 games after being brought up from minors. Just as his unique comeback was making Ankiel the feel-good story of the season, the (New York) Daily News reported he received eight shipments of prescription human growth hormone in 2004. Ankiel admitted he used HGH, saying any drugs he took were prescribed by a doctor as part of his recovery from elbow surgery. Baseball recently concluded there was "insufficient evidence" to determine he committed a doping violation.
DAVID BELL — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Steady third baseman played very well for San Francisco in 2002 NLCS and World Series. Spent 12 years in the majors, batting .257 with 123 homers. Hampered by chronic back problems, Bell made his last big league appearance in 2006 with Milwaukee.
In the report: According to the Sports Illustrated article, Bell reportedly purchased six packages of human chorionic gonadatropin ("HCG") from Applied Pharmacy Services of Mobile, Ala., in April 2005. The SI article reported that Bell acknowledged to reporters that he received the drugs but explained that he had received a prescription for them.
MARVIN BENARD — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Quick outfielder played for San Francisco with Barry Bonds from 1995-2003, hitting .271 with 54 homers and 105 stolen bases. Had career-best 16 home runs and 27 steals with .290 average in '99. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in March 2004 that federal investigators were told by BALCO that Benard received performance-enhancing drugs.
GARY BENNETT JR. — 2007 team: St. Louis Cardinals
A catcher who since 1995 has played with seven teams in Major League Baseball, Bennett Jr. played for the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Washington Nationals, and St. Louis Cardinals. Radomski said that Denny Neagle referred Bennett to him. Neagle and Bennett were teammates in 2001 and 2002 with the Colorado Rockies.
In the report: Radomski said that Denny Neagle referred Bennett to him. Radomski recalled one transaction with Bennett in July 2003 for two kits of human growth hormone. Radomski produced one check from Bennett payable to Radomski in the amount of $3,200 dated July 13, 2003. Bennett declined to meet with Mitchell.
LARRY BIGBIE — 2007 team: Minor leagues
An outfielder who played from 2001-06 for the Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, and St. Louis Cardinals.
In the report: Radomski sold a variety of performance enhancing substances to Bigbie on a number of occasions. Bigbie consistently paid by check. Because Bigbie was young and "not making that much money," Radomski said he charged Bigbie no more than his cost for the substances. Radomski retrieved from his banks three checks written by Bigbie.
BARRY BONDS — 2007 team: San Francisco Giants
Home run king pleaded not guilty this month to perjury and obstruction of justice charges after a grand jury indicted him for allegedly lying under oath about using steroids. "I know that when all of this is over, I will be vindicated," the seven-time NL MVP said in a statement on his website. The case also might jeopardize his potential election to the Hall of Fame. ... In 2003, Bonds testified before a federal grand jury that he hadn't knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs, even though prosecutors say he flunked a private steroids test in 2000. In his testimony, Bonds said he thought his personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was giving him flaxseed oil and an arthritic balm. Authorities suspected those substances were actually "the clear" and "the cream," two steroids linked to BALCO. ... Bonds went from a skinny, speedy outfielder early in his career to a bulked-up slugger in his mid-to-late 30s. He hit his 756th homer on Aug. 7, breaking Hank Aaron's career record, and finished the year with 762. He also holds the season mark of 73 set in 2001. The 43-year-old Bonds, who spent the past 15 seasons with San Francisco, is a free agent and is interested in playing again next season.
KEVIN BROWN — 2007 team: Out of baseball
A veteran starter, Brown pitched for six teams between 1986 and 2005, including the Rangers, Padres, Marlins, Dodgers, Orioles and Yankees. He played in six All-Star games, was the Padres' player of the year in 1998 and the Dodgers' player of the year in 1999.
In the report: Brown was placed on the disabled list in June 2001 with a neck injury and in July 2001 with an elbow injury. After Brown got hurt, he called Radomski and asked for human growth hormone. Radomski sent HGH to Brown and in return received a package containing $8,000 in cash. According to Radomski, over the next two or three years he sold performance enhancing substances to Brown five or six times. Radomski recalled that Brown usually purchased multiple kits of HGH, paying with cash. At one point, Brown asked Radomski for Deca-Durabolin to help with an ailing elbow, and Radomski sold it to him.
PAUL BYRD — 2007 team: Cleveland Indians
Soft-tossing pitcher went 15-8 with a 4.59 ERA this season and 2-0 with a 3.60 mark in two playoff starts. Before Game 7 of the ALCS in Boston, he acknowledged taking human growth hormone after the San Francisco Chronicle reported he spent nearly $25,000 on the banned drug between August 2002 and January 2005. Byrd, expected to be interviewed by the commissioner's office about the report, said he was prescribed HGH to medicate a "pituitary tumor." The Indians picked up his $7.5 million option for 2008.
JOSE CANSECO — 2007 team: Out of baseball
An admitted steroids user, the power-hitting outfielder won the 1988 AL MVP award with Oakland after becoming the first major leaguer to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases in one season. In his 2005 book Juiced, Canseco said he injected Mark McGwire with steroids and introduced several other players to the drugs, leading to a March 2005 congressional hearing on the issue. The former slugger, one of several players who testified at the hearing, also implicated Rafael Palmeiro, Juan Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez. Canseco has said he spoke with George Mitchell as part of the former Senate Majority Leader's investigation. A six-time All-Star and '86 AL Rookie of the Year, Canseco played his final big league season in 2001. He finished with 462 homers and 1,407 RBI.
MARK CARREON — 2007 team: Out of baseball
An outfielder from 1987-96, Carreon played for the New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants, and Cleveland Indians.
In the report: Radomski said that he provided Carreon with Dianabol pills toward the end of his tenure with the Giants, where he played from 1994 through the middle of the 1996 season. According to Radomski, Carreon told him that the "ball was jumping off his bat" and that he could hit farther because of the anabolic steroids he used.
ROGER CLEMENS — 2007 team: New York Yankees
One of the game's greatest pitchers, he ranks eighth on the career wins list with 354 and owns a record seven Cy Young Awards. The 45-year-old right-hander was 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA this season, his 24th in the majors. A free agent, he hasn't said if he plans to pitch next season. In October 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported Clemens' name was included in the affidavit of a federal agent who said former big league pitcher Jason Grimsley implicated several players in the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Players in the report denied using steroids. Clemens, who played with Grimsley on the Yankees in 1999 and 2000, called it "dangerous and malicious and reckless." Clemens' agent, Randy Hendricks, said he was told Grimsley denied making the statements attributed to him in the affidavit of IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky. Kevin Ryan, then the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco, said the Times report contained "significant inaccuracies."
In the report: According to former New York Yankees major league strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee, from the time that McNamee injected Clemens with Winstrol through the end of the 1998 season, Clemens' performance showed remarkable improvement. During this time, Clemens reportedly told McNamee that the steroids "had a pretty good effect" on him. McNamee told investigators that "during the middle of the 2000 season, Clemens made it clear that he was ready to use steroids again. During the latter part of the regular season, McNamee injected Clemens in the buttocks four to six times with testosterone from a bottle labeled either Sustanon 250 or Deca-Durabolin."
JACK CUST — 2007 team: Oakland Athletics
An outfielder, Cust began his major league career with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, and has since played for the Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres and Oakland Athletics.
In the report: Cust asked teammate Larry Bigbie at Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate in 2003 whether Bigbie had ever tried steroids. Bigbie acknowledged he had, and Cust said that he also had tried steroids.
BRENDAN DONNELLY — 2007 team: Boston Red Sox
A free-agent after the Red Sox non-tendered his contract, Donnelly was selected to play in the All-Star game in 2003. He has also played with the Los Angeles Angels.
In the report: Radomski recalled that Donnelly called him in 2004 looking for Anavar, an anabolic steroid. Radomski made one sale to Donnelly of Deca-Durabolin for which Donnelly paid $250 to $300. In considering whether to trade for Donnelly in 2007, Red Sox baseball operations personnel internally discussed concerns that Donnelly was using performance enhancing substances. That conversation is detailed in an e-mail to vice president of player personnel Ben Charington dated Dec. 13, 2006, from Zack Scott of the Red Sox baseball operations staff.
LENNY DYKSTRA — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Nicknamed "Nails" for his daring play, the three-time All-Star was runner-up for NL MVP in 1993, when he led Philadelphia to the World Series. A productive leadoff hitter, he went from a skinny speedster with the New York Mets to a muscular outfielder with the Phillies.
In the report: According to Radomski, when Dykstra reported to spring training in 1989, "his increased size was noticeable." When Radomski asked him about his increased size, Dykstra admitted to taking steroids. After the Phillies lost the 1993 World Series, Dykstra called Radomski and asked whether Radomski could get Dykstra steroids. Although Radomski does not remember the exact time frame, he recalled providing Dykstra with Deca-Durabolin, Dianabol, and testosterone.
BOBBY ESTALELLA — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Light-hitting catcher played nine seasons in the majors from 1996-2004, batting .216 with 48 homers. In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Estalella told a grand jury he used HGH and undetectable BALCO drugs, provided by Greg Anderson.
RYAN FRANKIN — 2007 team: St. Louis Cardinals
Right-hander went 4-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 69 relief appearances this year, his eighth major league season. While pitching for Seattle, he was suspended 10 days in August 2005 for violating the steroids policy. He said he had no idea how he tested positive, though he did say he took supplements he bought at a nutrition store. "There's got to be a flaw in the system," Franklin said. "I have no clue. I tested in (early) May and again three weeks later. The first was positive, the second was negative."
JASON GIAMBI — 2007 team: New York Yankees
A five-time All-Star and the 2000 AL MVP, the first baseman has been hampered by injuries and batted .235 with 14 homers and 39 RBI this year. Under threat of discipline from commissioner Bud Selig, Giambi became the first active player known to have spoken with George Mitchell when he interviewed on July 13 after he appeared to admit using steroids in a USA TODAY report. "I will address my own personal history regarding steroids. I will not discuss in any fashion any other individual," Giambi said in a statement issued by the players' association. Testified to the BALCO grand jury in December 2003 that he used steroids obtained from Greg Anderson and used HGH, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in December 2004.
JEREMY GIAMBI — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Brother of Jason, the outfielder/first baseman played in the major leagues from 1998-2003. Testified before the BALCO grand jury and was quoted as saying in March 2005 by The Kansas City Star as admitting he used steroids. "It's something I did," Giambi told the newspaper. "I apologize. I made a mistake. I moved on."
JAY GIBBONS — 2007 team: Baltimore Orioles
Batted .230 with six homers and 28 RBI this year. It was the poorest season of his seven-year big league career, and it ended in mid-August because of a torn labrum that required surgery. The Los Angeles Times reported in October 2006 that the outfielder was among the blacked-out names in an affidavit by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky claiming pitcher Jason Grimsley implicated him in drug use. In September, SI.com reported Gibbons received steroids and HGH from Signature Pharmacy from October 2003 and July 2005. On Dec. 6, Gibbons was suspended for the first 15 days of the 2008 season for violating baseball's drug policy. Gibbons chose not to contest the penalty, saying he was prescribed HGH. "I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that I have made," he said.
TROY GLAUS — 2007 team: Toronto Blue Jays
MVP of the 2002 World Series and a four-time All-Star, Glaus batted .262 with 20 home runs and 62 RBI in 115 games this year. The third baseman's season was limited to 115 games because of foot and leg injuries, including a damaged nerve that was operated on in September. That same month, SI.com reported Glaus received steroids from Signature Pharmacy between September 2003 and May 2004. On Dec. 6, MLB said it found insufficient evidence to discipline Glaus.
JUAN GONZALEZ—2007 team: Out of the majors
Hard-hitting outfielder who was a two-time AL MVP and a two-time home run champion during 11 seasons with the Texas Rangers. Eight times he drove in more than 100 runs. Had seven hits, including five home runs, and knocked in nine runs during the Rangers' four-game playoff loss to the New York Yankees in 1996. Was a three-time All-Star who also played for Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City.
JASON GRIMSLEY — 2007 team: Out of baseball
A journeyman who pitched in 552 games over 15 seasons, Grimsley admitted he used HGH, steroids and amphetamines, according to a May 2006 affidavit by IRS Special Agent Jeff Novitzky. Authorities tracked a package containing HGH to Grimsley's house that April 19. Grimsley, according to Novitzky, implicated other players in drug use. After his home was raided by federal agents in June 2006, Grimsley asked for Arizona to release him, and the team complied.
JOSE GUILLEN — 2007 team: Seattle Mariners
A veteran of 11 major league seasons, the 31-year-old batted .290 with 23 homers, 99 RBI and 28 doubles for the Seattle Mariners this year. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in October 2007 that Guillen bought nearly $20,000 worth of steroids and HGH from 2003-05. Guillen was suspended Dec. 6 for the first 15 days of next season for violating MLB's drug agreement, and the players' association filed a grievance four days later to overturn the penalty. On the day he was suspended, Guillen agreed to a $36 million, three-year contract with the Kansas City Royals.
JERRY HAIRSTON JR. — 2007 team: Texas Rangers
He is the son of Jerry Hairston, grandson of Sammy Hairston, brother of Scott Hairston and nephew of Johnny Hairston — all major leaguers. Currently a free agent, the utilityman batted .189 last season for Texas.
In the report: Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski said that he sold human growth hormone to Hairston on two or three occasions during 2003 and 2004 and had one check from Hairston.
DARREN HOLMES — 2007 team: Out of baseball
A 13-year veteran, the reliever had a 35-33 record during a major league career that ended in 2003. Holmes received HGH and testosterone from Palm Beach Rejuvenation in October 2003, SI.com reported in March 2007. Holmes said he did order and receive the HGH but that the testosterone was unsolicited and unused, SI.com reported.
RYAN JORGENSON — 2007 team: Cincinnati Reds
The 28-year-old catcher has appeared in eight big league games, four with Florida in 2005 and four with Florida this year. He was suspended for 50 games on Sept. 7 for violating the drug program.
GARY MATTHEWS JR. — 2007 team: Los Angeles Angels
After signing a $50 million, five-year contract with the Angels, was slowed by injuries this year and batted .252 with 18 homers and 72 RBI. Was sent HGH by Applied Pharmacy in August 2004, SI.com reported in February 2007. "I have never taken HGH — during the 2004 season or any other time," Matthews said in a statement. On Dec. 6, MLB said there was insufficient evidence to discipline Matthews.
RAFAEL PALMEIRO — 2007 team: Out of baseball
A four-time All-Star, Palmeiro batted .288 with 569 homers and 1,835 RBI over 20 seasons in the majors. He dramatically pointed his finger and told Congress in 2005 that he had never used steroids, then tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol about six weeks later, leading to a 10-day ban from Major League Baseball. He denied intentionally taking steroids, saying teammate Miguel Tejada gave him vitamin B-12 that might have been tainted with performance-enhancing drugs. Tejada denied any wrongdoing.
ANDY PETTITTE — 2007 team: New York Yankees
Went 15-9 with a 4.05 ERA this year, and has 201 career wins in 13 seasons in the majors. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2006 that Pettitte was among the players former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, according to a federal agent's affidavit. Pettitte denied the allegations, and a federal prosecutor said the newspaper report contained "significant inaccuracies."
In the report: According to former New York Yankees major league strength and conditioning coach Brian McNamee, he recalled injecting Pettitte in 2002 with human growth hormone that McNamee obtained from Radomski on two to four occasions. Pettitte was rehabilitating an injury at the time.
ARMANDO RIOS — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Rios hit .269 with 36 homers and 167 RBI over six seasons. He testified before the BALCO grand jury in 2003. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in 2004 that Rios told a federal agent that he purchased human growth hormone and testosterone from Barry Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson.
BRIAN ROBERTS — 2007 team: Baltimore Orioles
A two-time All-Star, Roberts batted .290 with 12 homers and 57 RBI this year. The Los Angeles Times reported in 2006 that Roberts was among the players former major league pitcher Jason Grimsley accused of using performance-enhancing drugs, according to a federal agent's affidavit. Roberts derided the accusations as "ridiculous," and a federal prosecutor said the newspaper report contained "significant inaccuracies."
JOHN ROCKER — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Rocker went 13-22 with 88 saves and a 3.42 ERA in six seasons in the majors, last appearing with Tampa Bay in 2003. Jeopardized his career by making disparaging remarks against several groups while pitching for Atlanta. SI.com reported in March that Rocker received two prescriptions for somatropin, a form of human growth hormone, between April and July 2003. In an interview on ESPN Radio, Rocker denied ever having an HGH prescription.
BENITO SANTIAGO — 2007 team: Out of baseballBENITO SANTIAGO — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Five-time All-Star catcher won three Gold Gloves and was the 1987 NL Rookie of the Year. Spent 20 seasons in the majors, finishing in 2005. Santiago told the BALCO grand jury he got HGH and an injectable steroid from Greg Anderson, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
SCOTT SCHOENEWEIS — 2007 team: New York Mets
Lefty was 0-2 with a 5.03 ERA in 70 games this season. Durable reliever helped the Angels win the 2002 World Series. He received six shipments of steroids in 2003 and 2004 from Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, ESPN.com reported. Baseball recently concluded there was "insufficient evidence" to determine he committed a doping violation. Schoeneweis, who survived testicular cancer, told the (New York) Daily News he had never received shipments from Florida or even heard of Signature Pharmacy.
DAVID SEGUI — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Slick-fielding first baseman played 15 seasons, finishing with Baltimore in 2004. Acknowledged he used HGH and said he was among the players mentioned by ex-teammate Jason Grimsley to federal investigators. Segui told ESPN's Outside the Lines he used HGH with a doctor's prescription because of a growth hormone deficiency. This week, he told the Baltimore Sun that he bought steroids and drugs from former Mets clubhouse attendant Kirk Radomski. Segui said he refused to talk to the Mitchell investigation.
GARY SHEFFIELD — 2007 team: Detroit Tigers
Hit 25 homers this season. Nine-time All-Star has 480 career HRs after 20 years. Told HBO he took the "clear" and the "cream," two designer steroids distributed by BALCO, but said he didn't know they were steroids. "Steroids is something you shoot in your butt," he said. Once worked out with Barry Bonds, then had a falling-out with the star.
MIGUEL TEJADA — 2007 team: Baltimore Orioles
Four-time All-Star shortstop and former AL MVP. In 2005, then-teammate Rafael Palmeiro implied his positive test for steroids might have come from an injection of B-12 vitamin provided by Tejada. Earlier that year, Tejada denied taking steroids. "I know I'm clean. I know who I am, and I know everything that I do is right," he said.
ISMAEL VALDEZ — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Went 104-105 in a 12-year career that ended in 2005. Valdez bought $11,300 worth of growth hormone and other performance-enhancing drugs in 2002 from the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center after he was traded from Texas to Seattle, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
MO VAUGHN — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Husky slugger was a three-time All-Star and AL MVP before finishing up with the Mets in 2003. In his last season, Vaughn told The New York Times he used supplements that contained ephedra. Vaughn said he did it to build energy, not to lose weight.
RANDY VELARDE — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Solid infielder for 16 years, turned an unassisted triple play for Oakland. Got 200 hits in 1999 — never had more than 151 in any other season. Velarde received steroids and human growth hormone from BALCO, according to information given to federal investigators, the San Francisco Chronicle reported in 2004.
MATT WILLIAMS — 2007 team: Out of baseball
Five-time All-Star won four Gold Gloves at third base. Retired after playing in 2003 with Arizona, now a Diamondbacks broadcaster. Williams bought $11,600 worth of growth hormone, steroids and other drugs in 2002, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He said a doctor advised him to try growth hormone to heal an injured ankle.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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