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One of the things that "really embarrasses" Pico Iyer is how little he has "seen" of his ancestral land, India. He's never been to places like Goa and Kerala. Spending his first night in Kolkata, where the 56-year-old author of a dozen acclaimed travel books and biographies came to attend the Kolkata Literary Meet, Iyer spoke about what keeps him moving from place to place or people to people. Edited excerpts from an interview:
You've spoken about someone being of brown skin Indian origin, with an English tongue, brought up in California, schooled in England, and living in Japan and America. Is rootedness inimical to travel writing?
Rootedness is essential to living. I actually feel very rooted having lived in this tiny part of Japan for the past 25 years in a small two-room flat. I have no bicycle or car and I'm always very much there. And for the last 22 years, I have been staying in a monastery in California for the rest of the time. I think travelling is only as useful as the rootedness that underlines it. You can only travel and write about it if you are rooted. In my house, I'm known as the one who rarely moves because I don't change my habits; I don't change my clothes very often. I'm rooted to a fault and it is more essential to my life than travel, which is a diversion almost.
If one can generalize some of your writing, you do seem to take a fond view of cultures where there are strong family values and deep attachments. Is that coming from your Indian blood, or an Eastern way of looking at things?
Eastern is a good way of putting it and nobody's asked me this before. You are absolutely right. In the last 25 years, I have moved back and forth between California and Japan, and California is the last word in rootlessness and the absence of family. Japan, like India, is deeply rooted to traditions and does seem to be a saner way of handling the world. You are right. Maybe it's my Indian genes or my English upbringing, for England is fairly rooted. Or maybe it comes of seeing a lot of people lost in this desert (California), a society without any history and having repudiated its foundations at large.
You've gone on record declaring 'The Lady and the Monk' to be your favourite book. The Japanese lady we know is your wife for 25 years now; she wanted to be in California when you met her and you wanted to be in Japan. Given a chance, how will you rewrite the book?
Hmm… I have sometimes entertained the thought of a sequel 25 years on. But I envy the person who wrote that book then because of the freshness and excitement of discovery when I first met my wife and Japan. But considering that early thrill of discovery, I'll do a less good job if I wrote it now. The longer you see anyone or anywhere, the more you find how much you don't know. When I first went to Japan, I was writing hundreds of pages. Now I can barely manage that. Also, now my wife has seen California quite well and seen through some of her early illusions.
Did your fascination for the monastic life push you to write 'The Open Road', the biography of the Dalai Lama?
It might have been the other way round. I first got to meet the Dalai Lama when I was 17, so from an early age I was listening to him and aware of him the way some people weren't in the 1970s. But in some ways what is powerful about him is not that he is just leading a monastic life, but is a monk in the middle of a very busy, political world. I don't think he is connected to my interest in monasticism, but he certainly shed light on it.
Your last two books on the Dalai Lama and Graham Greene ('The Man Within My Head') are biographical. Is that not a departure from the travel writing you are normally associated with?
Most readers would consider it as a departure, but I don't so much. When I was writing about places, my interest wasn't so much in the place. Each location was a gateway for digging out a certain kind of question. The same applied with people. In my head, whether you are reading places or people they are means to some larger end. There is actually quite a bit of travel in these two books as well. But those who've enjoyed travelling vicariously through my other books, might find it harder to do so.
Being the author of 'Falling Off the Map', are you worried about writing about lonely, unexposed places and harming them in the long run through the exposure?
More and more and case by case if I find a beach in a beautiful island, I would usually describe my second-best beach. I have noticed that the more isolated a country, the more its hunger for contact with the outside world. So when I go to Burma, Tibet or Cuba, if you ask the people there if they'll like more or fewer tourists, they'll always say more. I feel there's a responsibility to encourage tourists to go there. There'll be a cultural loss, but a human gain. But some are charming because of their seclusion and I try to be sensitive to that as well.
So does Pico Iyer have a secret list of places in his head which he hasn't shared with readers?
A bit, yes. The question to myself always is what do the people there want. For example, the monastery that I go to in California, I'd always preserved its identity for I didn't want people going there with the wrong motivation. Now the monastery has fallen on hard economic times and wants more people to come. So, now when I write about it, I also include the website.
You've written about that country, but how happy or disappointed were you when Bhutan started to open up to the rest of the world?
Ah, that makes me think. Hmm…not so disappointed because even when I was there in 1989, and because it was so sealed off, Bhutan had more video stores than any country I had ever seen. There seems to be something in human nature that hungers for those things. If Bhutan so wants, it isn't for us to protect them. It is a strong culture, they'll survive or get changed. But it's a culture's own responsibility after a point. It's funny, when I went to Bhutan, it was very pristine and quiet, and I almost wished there was more life and activity.
Characters often occupy central positions in your travel essays. For readers it might not be easy to replicate your experiences. So does one read your travel writing for its literary qualities?
When I write about a character, I assume that he is fairly representative of the place. If I meet a bar girl in Thailand, I think many readers will meet some variation of the same character.
Does cultural homogeneity across countries bother you?
Interestingly, no. There's another kind of invisible inner development. Each culture has their own strength and it's only right if they can learn from the other. But I don't worry. For instance, you'll know where you are by going to a McDonalds in Delhi's Connaught Circus, or in Japan or California. Each culture translates change to its own context.

subset: commoncrawl


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Good morning Masters! I just got back from seeing David Lindley in concert at the Fur Peace Ranch. What is on your agenda for the day?
The May 19th Sundaily
Yesterday I ran the Dirty Dog 15K Trail Run in Charleston, West Virginia. It was held in the Kanawha State Forest.There were about 300 starters and 100 dogs.
I was warned to get off to a fast start if I didn't want to have to walk up the first big hill. So I started in the second row and took off hard. I was in a good position until a guy accidentally hit my arm and knocked my Garmin off of my wrist and I had to backtrack to get it. I was farther back then I wanted to be then, but still got to the hill in time to run up it without being stuck behind walkers. I was happy with my race. It had been a long time (November or so) since I had tried to run fast and I wasn't sure how it would go. My hammys gave me no trouble. I finished 86 out of 273 finishers, and was 5th out of 24 in the 50-59 AG. The finish was a half mile or so of steep, technical downhill. Five people passed me going down it as I chose discretion rather than valor.
It is the first time I have run this race, as normally I run the Chik-fil-A 10K road race in Parkersburg, West Virginia. I think I will be back to run this trail race next year rather than race on the road.
Today I am going out to run with a lady that wants me to work with her on getting faster. I may also lift weights if I can fit it in with Mass,
Have a great day Masters!
Good morning Masters! Saturday: 8 miles 1:14:28 - 9:18 avg. pace - easy A.M. / XT / 6 miles 56:46 - 9:27 avg. pace - easy P.M. Feeling good, more easy miles on tap for me. What about you? Tony - I haven't raced in WV for a while. Was a member of the River City RoadRunners. Congrats on your race.
Tony- sounds like a great ace
Mot- nice! And I'm guessing you will again later- monster moth the run man!
me- 2 miles keep the streak run. Could feel last nights beer for sue, but went early anyway.
Rest for the rest of the day for me.
Then full week of 4.2 ride /run's next week.
Have a great one Masters.
sounds like you did a great job on a pretty technical race, Tony. What is next?
nice double yesterday, MothAudio.
enjoy your rest today, FlyinFree.
Thanks to all of you who commented on my race yesterday. As BosnPm mentioned, due to our late Spring I do think I was a little short on speed work. ... especially after all the slow stuff. This race always comes a little early, but since it is local, I feel obligated to do it. I talked yesterday about gearing up for another 5k soon, but I am not sure about this. DW and I have a two plus week hiked planned for July, and so we need to ramp up the hiking... not bad x-training, but does dilute the focus on running.
Speaking of which, I am not sure what the day will bring. DD just returned from her year abroad yesterday. Could be any of hiking, biking, or running today. I will have to see what other's plans are.
Morning Masters. No running for me today. I had planned on it but when the alarm went off I decided to stay in bed and snuggle a lil closer. Today we have a family crawfish boil so that is always a good thing. Peyton did great in his first indoor soccer game last night. He started the game as the goalie and made a bunch of great saves. In the second half he switched to offense and scored 2 goals in their 7-2 victory.
Tony great job on the race. Glad that you were able to find your garmin and didn't lose it or something even worse. Nice placement in the race as well. Have fun helping the friend get faster. She is in for it though if you tell her to get faster she has to go longer. Your longer is way longer than the normal longer. Good day sir.
Flyinfree- keeping the streak alive
Rcl-Bosnpm is right on the speed work. I'm not even sure if all the snow is melted up there yet to get speed work in. But don't let it phase you. You are a great runner and it will take no time for you to fine tune the speed. Enjoy the day especially since the DD has return. Best wishes to you and the family.
Tony - well done and congrats on the strong performance.
DF - Sounds good! What time should I stop by for dinner?
RCL - good morning to you!
FiF - Hello.
RCL - enjoy the time with DD.
Hi gang,
Never posted yesterday but did get a 5 mile run in with my friend. Still struggling but all is good. First week in a long time that I got 4 runs in. I know that doesn't sound like much but for me that is good. Then I got some mom and grandma time in with dd and dgd. I am so smitten its ridiculous.
Today just hanging out and taking care of some things at home, its getting warm here! Maybe some biking later.
tony: I love reading about your trail races. Well done! I opted to not do one yesterday because right now just don't have it in me but hoping to do some this summer.
moth: very nice double day
flyin: nice going on keeping the streak, how long?
rcl: where are you planning the 2 week hike? I'll bet you will be glad to see dd. I'm gearing up to seeing mine leave soon.
drake: some very talented soccer players you have there. I'm sure you are enjoying every minute.
opus: nice run this morning!
Have a great Sunday all!
Good morning Masters! I ran 7 miles. lifted weights and did some core work. Now it's time to refuel and do my laundry.
Have a great day Masters!
Moth: Nice double! I have been a member the last 5 or 6 years. They are now the River City Runners & Walkers Club. I also am a member of the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners. Both groups put on first class events!
Flyin: Enjoy your SRD!
Rcl: I didn't get on yesterday so I will have to go back and checkout your race. I have the Buckeye Buster 10 Mile Trail Challenge in two weeks. I will probably run the race and then run it again at a leisurely pace. Then I have the Highland Sky 40 mile trail race. It goes to the highest point in West Virginia, and supposedly runs like a 50 miler.
Drake: Have fun with the family! Going longer actually got me slower. She does need to go longer and build up a base. But not ultra longer.
Opus: Nice six, despite the handicap!
Liney: You smitten? What a surprise! LOL.
Liney- I have 19 days so far.
LOL tony- SRD-- Do streakers get those? haha
off to play, talk to ya'll tomorrow.
Good morning Masters! Saturday: 8 miles 1:14:28 - 9:18 avg. pace - easy A.M. / XT / 6 miles 56:46 - 9:27 avg. pace - easy P.M. Feeling good, more easy miles on tap for me. What about you? Tony - I haven't raced in WV for a while. Was a member of the River City RoadRunners. Congrats on your race.
12 miles 2:10:49 - 10:54 avg. pace - easy. Hilly trail [Pushed. The. Hills].
I knew it Moth! you are the man!
10.1 miles in 1:25:43.......8:29 pace.
Ran up to foothills and into the canyon a short ways...a road I have not been up since it was dirt (paved now) and I was a passenger in car that rolled on grad night 35 years ago.....the road led to a party spot in those days when we were in high school...I was in a little Mazda and a motorcycle stopped suddenly in front if us and we went off the dirt road and rolled.....we crawled out the upside down car....nobody was hurt except the car.....totaled.......'78 was an unlucky year for accidents......three months later I would be hit by a car while in AF basic in Texas......just a few days in the hospital and l and I finished basic on time.
Hi Liney,
yes, it was great to see our DD, home safe and sound. The whole experience was very positive for her, and so I hope yours has a good an experience. I can't remember what country she is going to? Ghana? (and for DW and I, we are planning on hiking in the alps. We have wanted to do this (on our own) after hiking there years ago with our kids.) Enjoy your DGD!
quite a race schedule there, Tony. I got to get off this fast stuff and start doing more of those longer trails runs... these better suit my temperament these days.
nice foothill run, tww. Sounded scary (some 35 years ago!).
DW are just back from a very nice 4 hour hike... moderate climbing, so we won't be too sore. DD, alas, did not go.
This morning DD#2 and I completed the Cleveland HM. DD's goal was to run a <2:00, but with temperatures of 67F at 7 a.m. I wasn't at all sure I'd be able to handle it as I'm a poor hot weather runner. I'm pleased to say that we finished at 1:55. Even better we finished very strong with a 26:02 (8:23 pace) for the last 5K.
We ran our first mile at 10:07 and really couldn't have gone much faster due to the congestion in the first mile. I had run the marathon in '06 & '07 and really didn't remember it being this crowded. Each mile we picked it up a little, hitting mile 10 at 1:29:40, 20 seconds faster than our goal. Until then we had been having fun and just talking as we ran, and at this point I asked Katie if she wanted to finish under 2:00, or race the last 3.1. She didn't say anything, took off, and I hung on for the rest of the race.
We were both very pleased with the finish, but we also felt we had more left in the tank at the end. This was only the second HM for each of us, and neither of us really understands yet how to race a half. I'm used to marathons and Katie comes from a XC background so we both have a lot to learn. Hopefully there's another one in our future, but her potential is so much greater than mine I'm pretty sure I need to learn quicker than she does.
I will admit when we split off from the marathoners I felt a slight tug to keep going, but there is something to be said for the ability to run a race and still be able to walk afterwards. I was even able to come home and mow the lawn.
Below is the proud dad and daughter inside Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Dave: wonderful photo! And congrats to you both on your finish despite the warm temps, well done!
Back in NC, we had a great visit at my dad's. We worked all day getting his yard/house back to his standard! I have got to make the trip more now! AB's done resting my legs!
Opus: Nice 6's
N8: Nice 10, those are some big rocks on your trail!
FF: Very nice race!
Drake: Nice 6.5, enjoy the bugs!
Fittes: Great job at state!
George: Nice 13.4
TWW: Nice 10 and 10.1, was not your time, I had a few close calls in HS also, seemed like every year someone would not be as lucky! Times were very different!
Tony M: Very nice race and 7 recovery today!
Moth A: Nice 12
FlyinFree: Good work keeping the streak alive!
RCL: Welcome home to your DD! I am sure you both are happy! Hiking the Alps now that is a vacation.
Liney: Nice 5 and mom and grandma time
Illinidave: Great race nothing is better than running one with your DD! Great pic
Good Afternoon Masters,
6.2 recovery miles on a hot day here in 54:47 @ 8:51 pace. Legs loosened up at the end. Had a relaxing bike ride with DW and DD this afternoon.
BOSNPM - great work helping out dad and a rest day from running. Have a great week.
illinidave - wonderful race report and a great day spent with DD. Thanks for sharing the pic. LR tomorrow???
Rick - well done on your race and a recovery hike with DW.
tww - sweet double digit run. That was a rough year for you.
Moth - another fine double on your part - great three days of runs.
Tony - strong work on your 15K trail run yesterday - Congrats. That is the way to pack in a Sunday - great workouts and chores.
FlyinFree - hope you had a restful day.
dfbourg - congrats to DS on a fine evening. Hope you had a good Sunday.
Opus - good way to burn off a few beers - nice work on the six miler.
Liney - you get the bike out today? Good work on your week with the four runs. Sounds like a good time with DD and DGD.
Falcon - thank you for the updates yesterday.
For Vomero runners, the Running Warehouse have the 7s on special at $94 and you can use the RUNBLOG10 discount for an extra 10% off. Only bought one pair for now, did not stock up just yet.
Be Well....
George - nice 10K. Great that you got a ride in too. Yes, I grabbed 2 pairs of 7s as well. Good buy at that price.
BOSN - welcome home.
Illini - great job on the HM. What a great way to spend the day with your DD! btw - did you graduate from Illinois? I had 2 friends that graduated in '85 from U of I.
TWW - nice run! Great 6:xx's in there. Wow, I remember you talking about your AF accident, but hadn't heard the HS one. Very fortunate no one was hurt. This time of year always worries me, as it seems there are always accidents involving teens out celebrating graduation. I swear there has been a fatal wreck almost every year we've lived in this rural area.
Neal (Foxtrot) completed his Ironman. His time was 14:44:28.
Ran, spun, mowed. The highlight of the day: DS#1 was with DW and I in spin. He started getting restless so I moved a bike near him and adjusted it so he could climb on it. And he actually did. He rode it for about 3 or 4 minutes. DW and I were quite excited about that. So a good day.
FiF, there are SRDs for streakers--typically either shorter distance or slower pace or both. I can't say I schedule them, but when my body tells me I need it, I take it. To keep my spin instructor off my back I call it "active recovery."
TonyM, nice job with the race yesterday!
Illinidave, congratulations to you and DD!
BOSNPM, thanks! And glad to hear the visit went well.
Dave: Nice race with DD and nice picture! I think the HM is getting more popular because it's long enough that you feel you've accomplished something, but short enough that you can do something afterward.
FF: How old is DS#1?
George: Pretty fast recovery run you big stud!
BOSNPM: Glad you had a great visit with your Dad!
Rcl: That's exactly why I made the switch. Now I can just run and not worry about pace at all.
tww: Nice 10.1! Pretty wild grad night story.
nightbefore: Hope you are having a great mission!
Hello Tony.
BOSNPM.......So true about some not being so lucky......I had a few friends that lost their lives when we were 16 in those same mountains.
Opus....Yep I have told that story about getting hit by the car while in San Antonio a few times......dashing across the street without looking....I often forget about the accident in June of '78....probably because we were not hurt.....just shook up...todays run jogged my memory....no pun intended.
George.....Nice recovery 6.2 miler......I need to buy me some of those Vomero's.
RCL......Nice day of hiking for you and the DW.


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With its success since coach Michelle Brazil arrived on campus, the Branson School girls volleyball team has been making team history for several years. Saturday, the Bulls took it up a notch by etching their name in the high school state record books.
The Bulls, after earlier grabbing league, section and NorCal titles, added a fourth consecutive Division V state championship to their list of accomplishments with a three-game sweep of Vista's Tri-City Christian at Concordia College in Irvine. Branson's 25-9, 25-21, 25-8 victory over the Eagles allowed the Bulls to tie the state record for consecutive championships previously achieved by only three other schools.
"I didn't even know about that record," said Brazil, who now has four titles in her four seasons at the school. "I think this (title) is more fun because it's now, but anytime you wind up winning it's really exciting. But this one feels the best because it's happening right now."
Entering the match, there were several factors that suggested that Branson (42-3) could win. The Bulls, for example, had already set a school record with 41 victories and had lost only one match against a team from California this season. Then there was the fact that they had defeated Tri-City Christian in each of the past three state championship matches. And then there was the matter of big-match experience, as several of the players had been key cogs in previous title runs.
But the Bulls insist they weren't looking at anything from the past as they faced the Southern California-champion Eagles (18-21).
"It's unbelievable," said senior McKenna Becker, whose kill provided the match-clinching point for the Bulls. "All three years I was on varsity we won state. But if you go into a game expecting to win, that's how teams get beaten. But if you go into a game expecting to play well, confident in what you can do and confident in your abilities then that's the only way you can win a game. And we went into this game knowing that if we played up to the way we're capable of playing that we could pull it out. But I don't think we ever expected to win."
Branson actually fell into a 4-1 hole in Game 1, but it didn't take the Bulls long to get things straightened out. They tied the game at 4-4 and then snapped a 6-6 tie with a nine-point run with Gaby Steiner at the service line to take control.
Sarah Wallace, who had a match-high 15 kills, provided six of them in that opening game as she overshadowed Tri-City Christian standout McKenna Hollingsworth, who had just seven kills for the match. As a team, Branson finished with 35 kills — including eight from sophomore Jordan Winters and seven by freshman Grace Roberts-Burbank — compared to the Eagles' 16.
"It was super fun to get out there and play on the biggest stage you can play on," Wallace said. "I just took this opportunity and wanted to make the most of it, so I had a blast today. I definitely think in the first game, when we started to get a lot of runs, I felt like we were in control of the match. That built our confidence early on and helped us through the rest of the match."
Though Tri-City Christian did a better job of hanging with Branson in Game 2, the Eagles fell into a 4-0 hole to start things and never wrestled the lead away from Branson. Then, in Game 3, the Bulls jumped to a 9-4 lead and then blew the match open with Steiner again at the service line with an 11-0 run that made it 20-4. From there, it was clearly a question of when, not whether, the Bulls would be picking up another championship trophy.
"Initially, when I started serving I thought it was just a normal thing," said Steiner, whose setting resulted in 32 assists and whose defense produced six digs. "But when we got to 20 points, I thought, 'Oh my God, this has to be it.' It was really fun. "... Serving is such a crucial part of the game. A lot of coaches tell you that it's the element of the game that you have most control over because it's something that just takes a lot of reps to do. And if you can deliver in the moment, then it's going to help your team. "
For Tri-City Christian, which lost in the championship match for the fifth consecutive year, the result appeared a bit easier to accept than in previous title contests.
"Maybe we didn't play our best,'' Tri-City Christian coach Kristen Wright told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We lost to a team that was better than us and played better than us. Playing in five straight makes me feel humble and proud. We were pursuing victory, but it's OK when the other team is better.''
For Branson, proving to be the better team in the championship match was satisfying.
"I honestly think we played one of our best matches of the season," said Bulls libero Whitney Hansen, who is among the three seniors who completed their Branson careers with the match. "If' I'm going to be honest, I think our best was in the NorCal finals against Woodside Priory. But I think this game we played very similarly to how we did then. There were a lot more nerves going around and a lot more emotion because it was the last game. So this is one of our best games of the season and it's a good way to finish the season."
Contact Dave Curtis via email at firstname.lastname@example.com
Only five Marin teams have won the high school state girls volleyball championship.
2004: D-V, Marin Academy def. Santa Fe Christian, 19-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 15-11
2009: D-V, Branson def. Tri-City Christian, 22-25, 25-15, 25-16, 28-26
2010: D-V, Branson def. Tri-City Christian, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22
2011: D-V, Branson def. Tri-City Christian, 25-12, 25-15, 25-21
2012: D-V, Branson def. Tri-City Christian, 25-9, 25-21, 25-8


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Hope everyone's enjoying their Friday night. Before some relaxing, I thought I'd share the latest fan art contributions sent to us. Some really fantastic stuff — including our first fan art for RAGE!
Regarding our fan art section, please pardon our dust. We're in the process of moving everything to the Bethesda Blog Flickr page. There you'll find three album sets: Latest Fan Art, Elder Scrolls Fan Art, and Fallout Fan Art. As we get more contributions for our other titles (RAGE, Brink, etc.), we'll create new albums.
If you'd like to share your work, email us at [email protected]. Likewise, if you see your contributions on the Flickr page already, feel free to send us updated information for the image(s). With the Flickr page, we're now able to put titles and descriptions in for each piece.


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BP Comment Quick Links
|Strength of Schedule Report
April 9, 2013
Skewed Left
The Astros' Whiff-Prone Ways
In our haste to dismiss the small-sample-size happenings of April, or in some cases be the loudest in a group of people loudly dismissing them, sometimes there's a small something that we forget. Those things actually did happen. What I mean by that is that while these events may not tell us much about true talent, it's important not to dismiss their impact as quickly as we dismiss their predictive value.
Take two teams that appear to have about .500-level talent. One gets off to a 5-1 start, while the other gets off to a 1-5 start. That means nothing, you say. It's baseball, and teams have mid-season stretches like that all the time, without us paying much attention.
And that may be true in the predictive sense—we could still expect both teams to play .500 baseball the rest of the way—but those games still happened. The 1-5 team now has to play four-plus games better the rest of the season, which can be a lot for teams of equal talent. The Red Sox' "don't panic" 0-6 start to the 2011 season was a great example of this; there indeed was no reason to panic for their future, as they would be a great team for the next five months, but the 0-6 start did happen, and they lost out to the Rays by one game.
The significance of six games is why it's certainly reasonable to expect—on the other end of the major-league talent spectrum—the Astros to break the American League record for strikeouts, no matter how far off that seems (1,387, set by last year's Athletics). They already have a lot of them, enough to visibly change what they need to do the rest of the year to get there.
While the Astros' 82 strikeouts through their first seven games (11.7 per game) put them on pace for 1,898, they aren't going to strike out 1,898 times. Nor will they, as BP compadre Ryan Lind points out, finish with a higher team strikeout rate (35.8 percent of PAs) than Mark Reynolds' individual record of 35.4 percent, set in 2010.
To reach the mark established way back in 2012 by the Athletics, and actually set on a whiff by one of Houston's leading culprits, Chris Carter, the Astros had to strike out 8.57 times per game. Now they need only to strike out 8.42 times per game over the remaining 155. Basically, they've already cut their per-162-game target by 23 strikeouts. It took a Joe Saunders outing to get below that 8.42 figure for a night on Monday night, and they still struck out eight times in that one. That looks and is going to keep looking like a good night.
Through the end of their first homestand, the Astros had three of the eight American Leaguers with double-digit strikeout totals and, Monday night against Seattle, the contact-poor got contact-poorer. Now, they have three of the top four on the list including major-league co-leaders Brett Wallace and Chris Carter, who have 13 apiece in just 18 and 27 plate appearances apiece. Telling you that's the same number of strikeouts Joe Dimaggio had in his 1941 MVP season would be cheap, so I won't do it.
The full tally, before last night:
Thank God—or the Marlins—for Matt Dominguez, huh?
First-year manager Bo Porter, the public poobah of positivity, is certainly taking notice, stressing to Houston reporters the need for his young team to control the strike zone. He heaped credit on Yu Darvish for his 14-strikeout performance that fell an out short of perfection, but put much of the rest of the week's windiness on his guys and their wide eyes.
A look into the numbers shows that it's certainly not for watching the good ones.
The Astros actually have a below-average number of looking strikes. Their swinging-strike rates are off the charts, though. Whereas the league averages 16 percent swinging strikes and the whiff-prone Angels are second highest at 20 percent, the Astros have swung and missed on 24 percent of the pitches they've seen and whiffed on 33 percent of their swings, with no other team above 28 percent in that category.
Yet there really should be no team correlation here. It's a collection of guys who love to swing and just aren't very good at it.
This is probably the most stunning of all: Here are the American League leaders in percentage of pitches that went for swinging strikes at the individual level (minimum 25 pitches seen):
Rick Ankiel, HOU, 47%
It's a lonely walk back to that dugout. Except when you have plenty of company.
And it's probably fitting. The Astros were the ultimate laboratory creation, molded in a perfectly controlled environment where losses in the present don't seem to matter to ownership. When they did for some reason decide to go sign hitters, those hitters have been terrible. Cedeno, Pena and Ankiel, playing over Tyler Greene, Nate Freiman and Jimmy Paredes, respectively, are 7-for-51 with no walks and 23 strikeouts.
There's an argument that all the strikeouts hurt the product enough to turn the fans off with a less exciting game, but that's like accidentally cutting a dead body with a blade during an autopsy. By that point, it doesn't hurt that much. The fans who are gone are gone—they'll be back though, Houston's a forgiving town—and those who remain weren't watching them thinking they'd be good. As Sam Miller said on the Effectively Wild podcast on this topic today, they're no less watchable now than they were heading into this season.
Besides, Carlos Correa has four walks and six strikeouts in 27 plate appearances at the age of 18 in the Midwest League. That's 100 times more important than any record the Astros will break, or will not break but probably will break.
Zachary Levine is an author of Baseball Prospectus. Follow @zacharylevine
1 comment has been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
I agree that many fans will come back should the team start winning again ... perhaps even if they begin fielding more than 2 or 3 major league-quality players on their roster.
Apr 09, 2013 12:10 PM
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After the celebration over the great market action Friday, the action is weak and uncertain this morning. Breadth is running worse than 2-to-1 negative and other than minor strength in solar energy and select tech names due to the Oracle (ORCL) acquisition, it is tough slogging. Apple (AAPL) is back in the red and Google (GOOG) and Amazon (AMZN) are down as well, which is a sign that the momentum money is taking a rest.
My biggest problem with this market lately has been the difficulty of putting money to work even if you maintain a bullish bias and want to ride the trend. There haven't been that many pockets of momentum. We've seen strength in things like refineries, homebuilders and solar energy, but the themes have not been too impressive overall.
This morning I had Shark technical buys for Atmel (ATML) and Canadian Solar (CSIQ), which are working but just aren't the sort of picks you can really load up on for a long, sustained move. I have to admit, I'm rooting for more aggressive selling simply so that things will reset and give us better setups.
I'm doing very little and I have a good-sized cash position.


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Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation
Nanomanufacturing (NM)
Due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, CMMI's fall unsolicited deadline has been extended to 5:00 pm submitter's local time September 22, 2017.
Learn more in Dear Colleague Letter: CMMI to Extend Deadlines in Response to Recent Hurricanes (NSF 17-132).
|Khershed Cooper
|(703) 292-7017
|Brigid A. Mullany
|(703) 292-4453
Apply to PD 17-1788 as follows:
For full proposals submitted via FastLane: standard NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide proposal preparation guidelines apply.
For full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov Guidelines applies. (Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide)
Important Information for Proposers
A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 17-1), is effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 30, 2017. Please be advised that, depending on the specified due date, the guidelines contained in NSF 17-1 may apply to proposals submitted in response to this funding opportunity.
Full Proposal Window
January 10, 2018 - January 24, 2018
January 10 - January 24, Annually Thereafter
September 1, 2018 - September 17, 2018
September 1 - September 15, Annually Thereafter
Due dates repeat annually. Please reference the CMMI main page for further specifics concerning unsolicited proposal submission windows.
Nanomanufacturing is the production of useful nano-scale materials, structures, devices and systems in an economically viable manner. The NSF Nanomanufacturing Program supports fundamental research in novel methods and techniques for batch and continuous processes, top-down (addition/subtraction) and bottom-up (directed self-assembly) processes leading to the formation of complex heterogeneous nanosystems. The program supports basic research in nanostructure and process design principles, integration across length-scales, and system-level integration. The Program leverages advances in the understanding of nano-scale phenomena and processes (physical, chemical, electrical, thermal, mechanical and biological), nanomaterials discovery, novel nanostructure architectures, and new nanodevice and nanosystem concepts. It seeks to address quality, efficiency, scalability, reliability, safety and affordability issues that are relevant to manufacturing. To address these issues, the Program encourages research on processes and production systems based on computation, modeling and simulation, use of process metrology, sensing, monitoring, and control, and assessment of product (nanomaterial, nanostructure, nanodevice or nanosystem) quality and performance.
The Program seeks to explore transformative approaches to nanomanufacturing, including but not limited to: micro-reactor and micro-fluidics enabled nanosynthesis, bio-inspired nanomanufacturing, manufacturing by nanomachines, additive nanomanufacturing, hierarchical nanostructure assembly, continuous high-rate nanofabrication such as roll-to-roll processing or massively-parallel large-area processing, and modular manufacturing platforms for nanosystems. The Program encourages the fabrication of nanomaterials by design, three-dimensional nanostructures, multi-layer nanodevices, and multi-material and multi-functional nanosystems. Also of interest is the manufacture of dynamic nanosystems such as nanomotors, nanorobots, and nanomachines, and enabling advances in transport and diffusion mechanisms at the nano-scale.
The program supports education of the next generation of researchers, and encourages building a workforce trained in nanomanufacturing systems. It is also interested in understanding long-term environmental, health and societal (EHS) implications of large-scale production and use of nano-scale materials, devices and systems.
Individual and small group proposals are encouraged to partner with industry and government sponsored laboratories. Proposers are referred to NSF GOALI program for collaborative efforts with industry. NSF contributes fundamental research in support of the NNI's Signature Initiative on Sustainable Nanomanufacturing (available on http://www.nano.gov/).
The Nanomanufacturing Program does not support research that focuses on synthesis and characterization of nanomaterials and nanostructures, or the processing, compounding, and manufacture of nanomaterials and nanostructures in bulk quantities. Proposals in these areas should be directed to the appropriate NSF program.
Investigators wishing to serve on a proposal review panel should send an email to the Programs Director with a short biographical sketch, a list of areas of expertise and a link to their home page.
REU/RET supplement requests should be submitted by March 31 each year.
What Has Been Funded (Recent Awards Made Through This Program, with Abstracts)
Map of Recent Awards Made Through This Program


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I purchased the negative LCD + I2C board kit from Adafruit, and had some general questions about the operation of the I2C bus and the MCP23017.
The LCD works perfectly, the buttons work well, but, I run into an issue when I use multithreading to read button state and write to the LCD at the same time.
Is anyone else doing this successfully? When I have button states being checked in their own thread and make write ops (message, backlight, clear, etc), the screen fills with gibberish and the LCD becomes non-responsive until I re-initialize it.
Is there some kind of a trick to enable I2C transactions? Is there no way to have multiple threading with this? Do I need a queue?
All help is appreciated


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Outman looking to put 2012 season behind him
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Not long after learning he had made the Rockies' 2012 Opening Day roster, left-hander Josh Outman came down with a case of food poisoning and suffered a strained oblique while vomiting.
Changes in his motion while trying to come back from the injury caused inconsistency that led to a season of bouncing between the Majors and the Minors. He wasn't right until September, when he threw scoreless ball in nine of 12 relief appearances. He finished the year 1-3 with an 8.19 ERA in 27 games, including seven starts.
After the season, Outman, 28, went 2-1 with a 4.21 ERA in six starts in the Dominican Winter League, and he is back at camp this year hoping to turn heads again -- and be known for more than the guy whose stomach turned at the wrong time.
"I don't think that I'm ever going to be able to live that one down, and I've made peace with that fact," Outman said. "Once it's out there, it's out there. But I think I'm OK with that story being embellished if I can put my body of work from last season to rest. It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mentality. If I have a strong 2013, everybody will forget about 2012."
The Rockies have said Outman is a competitor for a starting-rotation spot, but he also has the versatility to pitch out of the bullpen.


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Click here, or on the image above, to see the trailer for The Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, and one of the most anticipated films of early 2012, will open on March 23rd.
Lionsgate just received a PG13 rating for the film from the MPAA, which is surprising, given the film's bloodthirsty premise; a group of adolescents are forced to fight to death each year until only one survives, all for the spectatorial pleasure of a massive viewing audience. The plot owes an obvious debt to Battle Royale, both the 1998 novel by Kōshun Takami, as well as the extremely well-received 2000 film by Kinji Fukasaku, though Collins says she'd never heard of either the novel or the film before she handed in her manuscript; but it also has clear thematic links to William Golding's novel Lord of The Flies (filmed superbly in 1963 by Peter Brook, and indifferently by Harry Hook in 1990), as well as Shirley Jackson's groundbreaking 1948 short story The Lottery, first published in 1948 in The New Yorker, and subsequently filmed at least three times in 1969, 1996 and 2007.
There's also obvious connections to the Roman gladiatorial games, and the whole "future Dystopian society" angle has been a staple of films and novels for decades, from Metropolis to Blade Runner to Death Race 2000, with numerous stops in-between. And of course there's always the inescapable influence of George Orwell's 1984 — the template for nearly all visions of future society in collapse — in the completely downbeat, hypersurveillant nature of both the novel, and one would presume, the film. The director is Gary Ross, whose previous films include Pleasantville.
As Lionsgate summarizes the film in their press release, "every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which 'Tributes' must fight with one another until one survivor remains." The cast is first rate: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. Whether or not the film will live up to its grim potential remains, however, to be seen.
This is one of the oldest, and saddest, plot lines of all; kill or be killed, the survival of the fittest, trust no one, and look out for number one. It's a cruel, brutal film for an era of dead dreams – sad, but all too true.


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Sox taking conservative approach with Craig
ANAHEIM -- No new findings were discovered after outfielder Allen Craig visited Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., for a second opinion on his left foot sprain, manager John Farrell said on Friday.
Since placing Craig on the 15-day disabled list Saturday, the Red Sox have taken a conservative approach. That's because it's the same foot he injured late last year, forcing him to miss most of the playoffs.
"He hit the bag the other day, which obviously caused the irritation," Farrell said. "Upon his return, we will take every step to ramp up his baseball activities and get him back on the field as soon as possible."
Craig was en route to the West Coast before Friday's series opener against the Angels and is expected to go to Cincinnati when the team plays the Reds next week.
"We can't deny the fact that the injury was sustained last season," Farrell said. "The most important thing is that no increase was seen from what was known and seen before."
As Craig continues to improve with each passing day, Farrell is optimistic about his prognosis.
"We just want to get him back on the field and playing," Farrell said. "Then we'll see if we have any residual effects."
Quinn Roberts is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Pub-goers and passers-by donated almost £800 to fancy dress walkers as they trekked up the Aire valley on Saturday.
The bucket collection will boost money raised through sponsorship by parents and staff from a Skipton school.
A total of 28 people – mostly women – walked from Keighley to Skipton in aid of Brooklands Community Special School.
The 12-mile route took in villages including Sutton, Cross Hills and Kildwick so they could call at pubs to pass round their buckets.
The walk was the first of several planned events aimed at raising £20,000 for a sensory room for disabled pupils. It was organised by Samantha Turner, whose daughter Jorden-Louise attends Brooklands, and staff member Paula Mason, both of Cross Hills.
Samantha wanted to give some-thing back to Brooklands for the help it has given her daughter during the past seven years.
Paula estimated that each of the walkers would raise between £60 and £100 in sponsorship. The bucket collection raised £773. The group also included four children, who walked as far as Cross Hills.
Paula said: "We had a great time. The weather was all right until we got to the 'Welcome to the Yorkshire Dales' sign in Skipton when it rained!"
The Royal Shepherd pub in Skipton treated the walkers to a meal after they finished.
Anyone who wishes to contribute to the fundraising target should contact Paula on 07840 493536.


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Mobile Marketing: The New First Screen
August 13, 2012
With 95% mobile penetration in the U.S., it's time for marketers to start thinking of mobile as the first screen. This ANA Insight Brief profiles eight types of mobile users and discusses the latest trends in mobile technology, marketing, and ad spend. ANA Survey Research and case studies from Coca-Cola, IBM, Macy's, and UPS are also shared.
Restricted Content
Access to this content item is restricted to:
- ANA Corporate Marketer Members
Please login below or create an account.
You may already be a member. Find out if your company is already an ANA member.


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DEVIZES manager Stuart Hadden reckons his side's new-found spirit will be the key to a successful season for the Saddlebacks.
Devizes, who narrowly missed out on promotion from the Southern Counties South Division last season, moved top of the table last weekend as Andy Thompson's last-gasp penalty earned Hadden's men a 20-18 victory over second-placed Sherborne.
Devizes are aiming to get over the line and clinch the title this time around but first-team boss Hadden believes they are still improving.
"We've got so much more belief and character this season and we've been in a few games where we've led, then gone behind but still managed to get the win right at the end – we don't know when we're beaten," he said.
"Saturday was a big game for us and I said to the boys that we couldn't afford a slip-up against those guys because they'd punish it.
"It was 18-17 and we had a penalty with the last kick of the game but Andy Thompson hit it right between the posts and that was it.
"We're top of the league now and we want to prove that we're the best side in this division but we're not firing on all cylinders quite yet.
"I think that there's still an extra 20 per cent left and once we click, we're going to be a real force."
Devizes travel to Wimborne in the semi-finals of the Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Cup this weekend with Hadden expecting a tough test in Dorset.
He said: "They're going to be after revenge after we already beat them on their own patch earlier this season (a 20-10 triumph on the opening day of the season.)"


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Mejia released so he can play in Japan
ATLANTA -- Despite producing good power numbers over the past few seasons in the Braves' Minor League system, Ernesto Mejia has not been widely viewed a Major League-caliber player. But Mejia will have a chance to make some money and improve his stock as he spends the rest of this year playing for Japan's Seibu Lions.
The Braves released Mejia from their 40-man roster on Saturday to allow him the chance to sign with Seibu. Specifics of Mejia's contract and the financial return the Braves will receive were not revealed.
"[Mejia] has played great and he has done everything we have asked him to do at Triple-A, but there just wasn't a spot [at the Major League level]," Braves general manager Frank Wren said. "We thought we had a deal this winter with another Japanese club and that fell through. This one surfaced in the past couple weeks. It works out well where he can go over, get a chance to support his family, make some money and establish himself over there."
Mejia's path to Atlanta was blocked by the presence of Freddie Freeman, who signed a franchise-record eight-year, $135 million contract in January.
But even if Freeman is sidelined for an extended stretch this season, the Braves would likely fill their first-base void with Joey Terdoslavich or Chris Johnson. The 6-foot-5, 260 pound Mejia's limited mobility and lack of defensive versatility have created doubt about his ability to play in the Majors. There has been some thought he could potentially serve as a designated hitter. But American League clubs have not shown interest in trading for him over the past couple years.
Mejia, 28, batted .354 (28-for-79) with seven home runs and a 1.104 OPS in 20 games with Triple-A Gwinnett this year. The first baseman's early season power surge had positioned him to best the career-high 28 home runs he hit last year, during the second of the three seasons he spent with Gwinnett.
After hitting .296 with 24 home runs and an .849 OPS in 133 games with Gwinnett in 2012, Mejia was added to Atlanta's 40-man roster. Though he had been granted this honor, he still did not get his first call to the big leagues when rosters expanded last September.
When asked during Spring Training about the fact he had not been added to Atlanta's roster for last season's final month, Mejia said he was surprised. But the mild-mannered Venezuelan was never critical of the Braves organization which had signed him to his first professional contract in 2002.
"I expect him to do well and put up pretty big numbers [in Japan]," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "But at the very least, he gets a chance for other clubs to look at him and see him. I'm happy for him. We couldn't ask more from him. It was just a bad situation."
Mark Bowman is a reporter for MLB.com. Joe Morgan is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Salted Chocolate Tartlets
We love the sophisticated, sweet-savory combination of chocolate and salt, but you could also finish these with a sprinkle of crushed candy canes, confectioners' sugar, or cocoa.
- Prep:
- Total Time:
- Yield: Makes 24
Source: Everyday Food, December 2010
- All-purpose flour, for work surface
- 1 recipe Basic Pastry Dough
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)
- Coarse salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to an 1/8-inch thickness. With a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut dough into 24 rounds (reroll scraps if necessary), then press into 24 standard muffin cups (dough should come 3/4 inch up sides). Freeze until firm, 10 minutes (or up to 1 day).
Bake until shells are golden, 18 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.
In a medium heatproof bowl, combine chocolate and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium-high. Immediately pour over chocolate, add vanilla, and let sit 1 minute. Stir gently until mixture is completely smooth. Pour chocolate into cooled shells and refrigerate until set, 20 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with coarse salt.
Reviews Add a comment
ALR12524552DW18 FEB, 2017Haven't made them yet, but they look rather easy! You could put the crust in little cupcake papers for an easier cleanupReply


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Image: Bluetail Leatherjacket, Eubalichthys cyanoura
A Bluetail Leatherjacket on the Barge wreck at Glenelg, Victoria, 9 June 2013.
- Photographer:
- David Teubner
- Rights:
- © David Teubner
Barry Hutchins wrote: "This appears to be a young female as it lacks the distinctive anterior blue band on the integument of the caudal fin and the dark blotches on the body are partially obvious."
Last Updated:
Tags Bluetail Leatherjacket, Eubalichthys cyanoura, Monacanthidae, fishes, ichthyology, 30 cm - 1 m, marine, dots, yellow, black,


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Here's how Dwight Howard can view the glass half full. The Lakers center won't receive a suspension and will be able to play in tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers despite committing a flagrant foul type 2 against Denver forward Kenneth Faried.
Here's how Howard can view the glass half empty. The NBA fined him $35,000 for what the league considered "excessive contact with Faried above the shoulders" that caused him to fall to the ground with 5:02 left in the third quarter in the Lakers' loss Wednesday to the Denver Nuggets.
Although Kobe Bryant called Howard's flagrant foul type 2 and immediate ejection the "right call," the Lakers strongly argued Howard didn't warrant a suspension.
"I shouldn't get penalized for fouling somebody hard," Howard said. "My intentions weren't to hurt anybody. It was just a hard foul. I've been fouled harder and nothing has happened. They can't put me on a different scale because I'm a strong guy."
Howard collected three flagrant fouls and "four points" under the NBA's flagrant foul policy. Should he earn another flagrant foul type 2, Howard would receive an immediate suspension.
The NBA issues such punishment depending on various variables. It measures the severity of the contact, whether it's considered a "basketball play," whether the player committed the foul with his arm or hand, the potential for injury, the severity of any injury the offended player suffered and whether it led to an altercation.
Howard struck Faried's face and caused him to land on the ground. But Faried stayed in the whole game and the incident didn't spark a fight.
"I don't think he threw a punch or anything," Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni said. "I think he just pushed him backwards."
Nuggets coach George Karl saw otherwise.
"I thought (Howard) went intentionally to endanger (Faried)," Karl said.
"It looked like (Faried) was pretty stunned after that."
Faried believed Howard's foul reflected his frustration after posting only 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds. Faried's 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 15 rebounds far exceeded the Lakers' energy.
"He was just mad," Faried said of Howard. "I was getting in his head and he couldn't get the rebound."
Injury bug
The Lakers listed Pau Gasol as "probable" against Portland after an MRI on Thursday revealed he has plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Gasol recently missed eight consecutive games because of knee tendinitis. Gasol has averaged 12.75 points on 42.2 percent shooting, 8.25 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the past four games since returning.
Getting defensive
The Lakers took the day off Thursday, something D'Antoni has routinely done so that his veteran-laden team feels rested for his up-tempo system.
Howard suggested they need more practices to sharpen on defense.
"Guys got to be in the right spots and they have to be taught it and it has to be something that you practice on so guys can understand," Howard said.
"They have to go through it. You can't just talk about defense or talk about where to go. You actually have to show guys where to go."
Get out the vote
Bryant surpassed Miami's LeBron James by 7,130 as the league's top vote-getter for the NBA All-Star Game, based on the second set of balloting returns released Thursday.
The Western Conference starters could feature plenty of Lakers and Clippers, including Bryant, Howard (616,150 votes), Chris Paul (542,565) and Blake Griffin (489,795).
Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, who has 970,314 votes, will also likely start.


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McCarthy's 'Identity Thief' tops box office again
Hollywood's latest films performed tepidly at the box office on Oscar weekend, with Melissa McCarthy's "Identity Thief" returning to the top spot in its third week of release.
According to studio estimates Sunday, the Universal comedy earned $14.1 million over the weekend, enough to regain the box-office title after losing it last week to Fox's "A Good Day to Die Hard."
With a cumulative total of $93.7 million, "Identity Thief" is the biggest hit so far in 2013.
For the fifth week in a row, the box office was down as compared to last year's business. That was unlikely to dampen Sunday night's Academy Awards, though. The nine best picture nominees have largely fared well at the box office. This weekend, eight of them are in the top 21 films.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Roy wrote:Frank Delicious wrote:I feel like I'm back in 10th grade after reading the last couple of pages.
Really? The guy who's proud of trolling DGCR for weeks calls people out as immature.
Some people encurouge free thought as long as you think just like they do.
Sunspots post was thought provoking and appropriate to the question IMO. Where does society draw the line? Sexual criminals can be held indefinitly even after their sentence has been served.
Society draws the line at hurting others or having any affect on them at all*
*being gay does not qualify


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TWO teenagers have been charged with assault after they were alleged to have taken part in an incident in Newport on New Year's Day which looks set to a man losing his eye today.
Christopher Collins, 54, is today due to undergo surgery to have his eye removed after sustaining serious injuries in the incident opposite Newport Cathedral.
The 18-year-old man and the 15-year-old youth will appear before Newport Magistrates on January 28.
Gwent Police ask if anyone has information about the incident to call 101 and quote log number 227 1/1/14.


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Holiday Shopping Tips
Holiday shopping can be such a whirlwind that many forget to take the time to stop and think before they shop. Then after the dust has settled they think, "Huh, I didn't think I spent that much." Having a set budget and knowing the ins and outs of holiday shopping can be your best defense from a holiday financial hangover.
The Budget
The most helpful step in planning your holiday shopping adventures it so establish a realistic budget based on your current cash flow and financial obligations. You will need to identify your current monthly income and expenses, which will guide your spending for the holiday season. It is important that once you create a budget you stick to it. Here are a few helpful steps for creating your holiday budget:
- Make a list of who you really want to give gifts
- Determine your current monthly income and expenses, in order to recognize how much money you will have left over to put towards the holidays. Remember, if you travel for the holidays, or host any parties, these costs should be included in your expenses.
- Once you make your budget of how much you can spend, allocate that amount to the people on your list. Now that you have your holiday list, be an educated shopper and compare prices. You might be able to save $20, $30 or more if you find the same product online or at another store. You might have to invest some time into shopping, but in the long run it will save you in the wallet.
- Do not go into the stores unprepared and fall into the trap of impulse buying. Plan your trip and gifts out in advance and stick to your plan
Money Saving Measures
Even with all the budgeting in the world, the holidays can still be financially taxing. You may start out strong, and then the last minute expenses hit you. But there are preventative measures you can take to help avoid this. One of the best ways to watch how much you are spending is to buy gifts with cash whenever possible; do not use credit cards. If you only pay in cash, then when you run out, you run out. Keeping track of how much you are spending is much easier if you have the money physically on hand.
Another important habit is to shop carefully. Make use of sales, coupons, and internet sites, especially those with free shipping. Also, don't rush to shop. Can you purchase gifts after December 25? Perhaps give gift cards that can be used at the after Christmas sales. You can also see if the store or stores you are shopping at have a layaway program. Layaways allows you to pay a little bit each week, interest free, so by the time you are ready to give the gift it is already paid for.
Gift Cards
If you are buying gift cards, be wary of fees or terms of usage that could erode the value of the gift. Some gift cards lose value if they are not used within a certain time, or have a fee associated with usage. And be sure to ask if the card is valid for online use. While it's not an issue for most retailers, some companies do not allow online use.
And be careful about getting your gift cards from "bulk gift card places" like the grocery store. A common scam is to go into those stores and take (not pay for) a handful or two of the cards, bring them home and copy down the numbers, and then bring them back to the store and put them back on the rack. Then someone will buy them and activate them, allowing the scammer to use the numbers. They get free gifts, and some poor sap gets a card with no (or little) money left on it. So only buy gift cards from the specific places they are for, and only get them right in front of the registers.
In addition, try to stay with companies that will be around after the holidays. Some companies close right at the end of the year and then any gift cards you bought from them and even merchandise you may want to return to them will result in the individual being left out in the cold. Beware of buying a gift card from a company or establishment that may be in financial difficulty. If the business fails, the gift card may become useless.
Return Policies and Warranties
Understand the seller's return policy before you buy a gift. Some sellers charge a restock fee or will only refund the amount of a purchase at the price at time of return, not purchase. These policies could cause your gift to be worth less than you paid.
When buying electronics and the sales person is trying to sell you a warranty, make certain to read the manufacturer's warranty. Although warranties are generally a good idea, it can often take several months for a replacement or repair to go through.
For example . . .
"I purchased a camera from with the store warranty which I was told would replace the camera if anything happened within the two years. After a month it died. The real story was first it had to go through the manufacturer's warranty which was to see if they could fix it. My camera was sent off to who knows where and then three months later I finally got it back. Basically, the warranty from was very misleading and certainly not worth the cost." – Lisa Baskfield, CPA, Owner and CEO Baskfield and Associates
Online shopping
The rise of online shopping has opened a whole new world of possibilities for taking care of the holiday list. With competitive prices and deals galore, it's no wonder shoppers are visiting stores less and less. If you are ordering online, make sure you check the total price, cost plus shipping and handling. The price may appear cheaper than buying elsewhere, but shipping and handling can make items more expensive.
You should also make sure to do your research. Not only are there a growing number of sites competing to offer the lowest price, but there are also coupon websites popping up that list current web deals and coupon codes. Independent retailers are even starting to offer specials on Facebook and other social media outlets. One handy tool to try is Google's "Google Product Search", which helps you find items for the lowest price.
If you are shopping for people out-of-town, take advantage of online shopping by having it shipped directly to the recipient. But make sure not to wait till the last minute, the slowest shipping method is always the cheapest. You can also save on shipping by ordering from fewer places; often places will offer free shipping once you hit a specified total.
As with shopping in-store: know your limit before you start. It can be very easy to get carried away while shopping online, so have a set limit before you even turn on the computer. And while it may be tempting, do not get caught up in shopping for yourself. It can be easy to find all the little things you need while shopping for others, so instead of blowing your budget on yourself, write them down on your wish list for those shopping for you, or make a note to check back after the holidays for extra steals and deals.
Spread your shopping out throughout the year. If a store has a huge sale in May, there's nothing holding you back from getting something from that sale as a Christmas gift, right? Buying throughout the year will benefit your budget during the Christmas buying crunch time and it'll also take away the stress of needing to buy at the last minute. Sit back and have a cup of coffee while you're watching all of the other "suckers" get their last minute gifts!


text:
Differential Clinical and Serologic Response in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis to Drug Treatment
This study has been completed.
National Taiwan University Hospital
Information provided by:
National Taiwan University Hospital
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: March 22, 2007
Last updated: NA
Last verified: December 2004
History: No changes posted
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Psoriasis is a multifactorial cutaneous disorders which affects about 100000 patients in Taiwan. Psoriatic arthritis is also present in about 20~30 percents. Many drugs have been shown to aggravate psoriasis including drugs used in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. On the contrary, anti-psoriatic drugs are also known to aggravate or induce psoriatic arthritis. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are believed to share the same pathogenic lymphocytes, but the differential responses to drugs are intriguing. This also causes problems in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Recently different serologic markers have been found for the assessment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Recent genetic study showed a different genetic susceptibility genes. We tested the serologic responses of three new biologic drugs used in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Paired blood samples of the same patients before and after 12 weeks of treatment were used. IL6 decreased after alefacept and etanercept but was increased after efalizumab treatment without statistical significance (Paired t test: 0.3336、0.2773、0.5904)。IL-8 decreased after etanercept but increased after efalizumab and alefacept without statistical significance (Paired t test: 0.4031、0.6749、0.2998)。IL10 decreased after efalizumab and etanercept, but increased significantly after alefacept treatment (Paired t test: 0.7254、0.5123、0.0350)。None of the treatment has a significant effect on TNF-alpha. HC10 decreased after alefacept and efalizumab,but increased after etanercept treatmentwithout statistical significance (Paired t test: 0.6589、0.1576、0.1988).
|Psoriatic Arthritis
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Case Control
Time Perspective: Cross-Sectional
Time Perspective: Retrospective/Prospective
|Official Title:
|Differential Clinical and Serologic Response in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis to Drug Treatmen
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: psoriatic arthritis
MedlinePlus related topics: Arthritis Psoriasis Psoriatic ArthritisU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|Child, Adult, Senior
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Clinical diagnosis of psoriasis
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00451243
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00451243
Sponsors and Collaborators
National Taiwan University Hospital
|Study Chair:
|TSEN-FANG Tsai
|TSEN-FANG Tsai
More Information
Keywords provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00451243 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|March 22, 2007
|Last Updated:
|March 22, 2007
Keywords provided by National Taiwan University Hospital:
psoriatic arthritis
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Arthritis, Psoriatic
Joint Diseases
Musculoskeletal Diseases
Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous
Skin Diseases
Spinal Diseases
Bone Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text: Hick's Holler is a magical paradise of wildflowers By Alyce Faye Bragg May 3, 2013 Story Share The last day of April dawned bright and sunny. Songbirds were warbling merrily; the purple lilac's heavy blossoms wafted a heavenly scent across the yard, and vied with the lavender azalea bush for beauty. It was a perfect spring day to be enjoyed to the fullest.Daughter Patty called and suggested that we clean the cellar on such a fine day. By the time she got up to our house, I had another idea. "I would love to go up Hick's Holler," I suggested. It is not far from our house, and has always been one of my favorite places. I hadn't been there for a long time, due to my numerous physical problems.Criss wasn't here (he always puts a damper on my plans, saying I'm not able) so Patty harnessed up the 4-wheeler (RV) and we piled on -- three little girls, Patty, Minnie Dog, and me. Fortunately, Criss had built a dog crate on the front of the vehicle, and two little girls rode there. Minnie Dog was squeezed between Patty and me, and one little girl hung on behind.Hick's Holler has always been a magical place. As soon as we skirted the meadow, we entered a shaded glade that was far removed from everyday living. At one time there was a house and a family lived there, but even the old chimney is obliterated. It is a paradise of wild flowers, and numerous woodsy plants thrive there. Roscoe, our squirrel dog, had followed us and immediately treed a squirrel. Minnie was so excited that she ran uphill and down, while the little girls were fascinated by all the wildflowers. They found a dry land terrapin (which we always called a "torpin," and insisted on bringing it home.Spring beauties were wide spread, their tiny pink flowers scattered all over the ground. This is also locally called "tanglefoot" and makes excellent early greens. Several varieties of violets grew in clumps along the little branch, which flowed down the holler-long-spurred, pale blue ones, the common blue (though I wonder why it is called "common" -- they are beautiful.) There were the delicate white violets with their exquisite perfume, and the downy yellow ones. This woodsy little glade was crammed full of nature's beauty. Star chickweed, wood anemones (or windflowers, so-called because they tremble in the slightest breeze) and common fleabane flaunts its daisy-like flowers. Golden ragwort is rampant, not only here, but all over the meadows. It was a serene, quiet place; the silence broken only by bird song and the chatter of little girls. I could have stayed there longer, but the girls got restless -- Lainee was "thusty;" Maddy was tired and wanted to go home. She kept calling for "Pookey" -- which is what the girls call Patty. Only Adrianna was supremely content. She announced, "The woods are my home!"Patty found a few morels while I picked a mess of "wood" lettuce. I'm sure it has another name, but that's what Mom always called it. I bypassed the tanglefoot -- those spring beauty flowers were too pretty to uproot. I brought the wood lettuce home and wilted it with hot bacon grease and vinegar -- it was rollickin'! Of course the cellar sat there reproachfully, but when it comes to decision to clean or forage in the woods, it's no contest. This is such a green and growing time, it's a shame not to take advantage of it. The fiddlehead ferns are already too big to harvest, and the redbud flowers are fading. These little flowers are quite tasty sprinkled on a salad. It was a fruitful day. And -- the girls found two more box turtles, which they brought home.Poppaw will be so happy!n nWe've gotten a lot of good feedback from previous articles, and I need to share some of them. Gordon Parker of Elkview writes that when they lived in Roane County, he helped his mother gather dandelion greens. Sometimes she mixed them with chopped green onions and wilted them with bacon grease. The rest of the menu consisted of pinto beans, fried potatoes and corn bread. He added "I miss that!"Bunny Crockett was reminiscing about her first day of high school, "I was so terrified -- didn't know where anything was. There were two full floors of classrooms, and all these big kids whipped around me knowing where to go and I was lost!" I had Bunny figured as a city mouse, and unfazed by unfamiliar surroundings. I know exactly how she felt.The town kids seemed a breed apart. They seemed so self-assured and confident, knowing all the ropes. Patsy Spencer Baughman seemed to be one of the confident ones, but she started there in the seventh grade, and most of us were in the ninth when we started. She says, "There was this huge, frightening building on the hill, and it seemed so big!" (Remember, most of the students were country kids, where the largest establishment in our community was the local post office!) She continued, "What a wonderful group of friends we made and the enjoyment we had when we were very young! One does not forget the footsteps on the wooden stairs, the smell of the oiled floors, and the ringing of the bell as we changed classes. The surroundings have changed in those small towns that were once so vital, our homes have faded away, but memories linger on."Jack Moss writes, "It's been 20 years since I drove through the streets of Clay, but please keep the memories of Clay fresh in the minds of us travelers."Small town America -- there's nothing like it.We have such a good description of spring from Darren Porter that I need to share it.BARE FEETBy Darren Porter Another walking barefoot in the yard season is here. All of a sudden the hills are greening. The dogwoods are lovely. The crabapples are blooming. The scents of spring are filling the breeze with perfume.Owls are hollering. Turkeys are gobbling in reply. Soft evenings are upon us. Here in the head of Dark Holler, the darkening night fades in around us while the distant ridge and hilltops still glow with early dusk highlights. I need not tell you how pretty spring is here in the Appalachians.Frogs and spring night sounds are outside our open windows tonight. Thank you, Lord, for the head of Dark Holler and the barred owl that whoo-whoos out back. Thank you for the spring wildflowers, and for the breeze coming through our windows -- for all which embodies the re-birth of life in God's creation.Contact Alyce Faye Bragg at firstname.lastname@example.com or write to 2556 Summers Fork Road, Ovapa, WV 25164. Story Share Story Share Trending Now 1 Facebook founder visits Cabin Creek Health Systems 2 Teen pleads guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Oakes Field shooting 3 Safety shutoff disabled prior to June coal-mining death, report says 4 Huggins, WVU tap South Florida hoops talent 5 New company planning $73M synthetic fuel plant in Greenbrier County A godly mother sets a day-by-day example for her children Next Story


text:
Armida and Jimmy McDowell had been subsisting on coffee when they finally visited the cafeteria at UC San Francisco Medical Center for a decent meal.
Their second-born, a son named Cruz, had been flown there when it was discovered shortly after his birth that he had Severe Hemophilia A.
"It was the day he was getting released, and my husband and I were so happy," said Armida about the day in the cafeteria. She was also looking forward to getting home to their 3-year-old daughter.
They started throwing ideas around about what they could do in light of their experience. "'We're so helpless. We need to be able to do something,'" McDowell remembered thinking.
It didn't take long before the new parents were planning a full evening at Sly McFly's that would become an annual event.
The second annual Cruz McDowell Hemophilia Fundraiser will take place from 4-8 p.m., Sunday, Dec 2, with all proceeds going to the Central California Hemophilia Foundation.
"It's neat to see that people care," said McDowell, who noted her family has been overwhelmed by the positive response in the community.
Hemophilia is a rare disease that affects 1 in 5,000 people, mainly males. It's normally genetic, though in the case of the McDowells it is not. Those suffering from the condition lack sufficient proteins, either factor VIII or IX, that the body needs to clot blood. Hemophiliacs are classified along a scale of severity as type A or B, depending which factor is missing.
A bleed requires an injection of the clotting protein in order to stop it. There is no cure.
What all that means for the mother of a baby/toddler with hemophilia is constant vigilance.
Even beyond the normal tumbles and scrapes any child acquires, of concern are incidents called "fingertip bruising" which can be caused by picking the child up, and "spontaneous bleeds" where a popped blood vessel can result in internal bleeding.
"It got to the point where we were in the ER once a week," McDowell said. That was before Cruz turned 7 months old.
After a particularly horrendous time at the emergency room, during which the infant had to be held down and stuck 10 times before anyone could find a vein — ultimately with the help of an ultrasound wand — his parents requested to have a port put in, a decision that could save his life.
Now, the McDowells have the ability to administer Cruz's factor at home, a ritual they perform every other day and whenever he gets a bruise or cut.
"We treated him like glass," McDowell said of their life before the port. However, new challenges have filled in. "Now that he's more active, it's harder."
Head bumps can lead to CT scans. A day at the park rough-housing with other kids can be a nail-biting experience. "It's hard for me to handle. I'm learning as a mother how to deal with that."
Of course, there is more to Cruz — who turned 1 this past August — than the blood disease he carries. "He loves cars. He's just such a typical boy," said his mom. "He's loving. He's funny. He's really funny."
Researchers are hopeful that soon protein infusions will be more effective and some recent breakthroughs in gene therapy also look hopeful. The McDowells care about raising money for research and say it's just as important to raise awareness.
McDowell wonders what would happen if she and her husband were unavailable or incapacitated and no one else around was educated in how to administer the factor.
A silent auction will be the main fundraiser for the night at Sly's, where Jimmy McDowell is bar manager. A 50/50 opportunity drawing splits the pot between the person whose name is drawn and the benefit. And The Money Band will donate their sounds for the second year in a row to make it a true party.
This year's event is kid-friendly, with elves handing out reindeer antlers. There will be a toy drive for kids that have to spend the holidays in UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital. Stuffed animals will go to local emergency response vehicles.
Come early if you want to meet the man of the hour. Cruz will be there — until grandma scoops him off for bedtime.
More benefits
A handful of other fundraisers are planned for this weekend as well, two on the same day at different locations to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy victims. A third event benefits the Carmel Valley Historical Society and is the first big event of its type for the Carmel Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Here's a brief rundown of those events:
· Coast for Coast fundraiser for Hurricane Sandy victims, 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Museum of Monterey, 5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey. With the energetic Domingo Rivera of 102.5 KDON's Morning Madhouse hosting, this party will include live music from Matt Masih and the Messengers, DJs, wine, beer and tequila tasting, hor d'oeuvres and a food drive. All proceeds go to the American Red Cross. $25 at the door, no pre-sale. www.museumofmonterey.org.
· "Coast 4 Coast, A Hurricane Sandy Benefit," 2-5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, Sly McFly's, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. Hosted by lead singer Jill Childers and her band Cheeky Spanks, the event also features singers Bryan Diamond, Jaqui Hope and Lark Simmons; blues bands Rollin' & Tumblin' and Lorelei & The Groovehounds; and strolling magician Dale Mulhern. Suggested donation is $15 at the Red Cross table, where representatives from The Red Cross and Brooklyn Neighbors in Need will be present. All funds collected will go to Sandy victims. Info: Jill Childers at 277-9952 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.
· The Carmel Valley Chamber of Commerce's "Elegant Evening in the Valley," 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, at the Carmel Valley Historical Society building, Carmel Valley Community Park, Carmel Valley Road and Ford Road, Carmel Valley. $22 in advance, available at www.carmelvalleychamber.com; $28 at the door which includes one drink and a $5 donation to the Carmel Valley Historical Society. Dancing, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres donated by local restaurants and dance music by DJ Christo. Info at Carmel Valley Chamber at 659-4000.
Kathryn Petruccelli can be reached at email@example.com. GO!
What: The second annual Cruz McDowell Hemophilia Fundraiser
Where: Sly McFly's Refueling Station, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey
When: 4-8 p.m., Sunday, Dec 2
Tickets: By donation; silent auction, raffle
Information: email@example.com; 236-1501; www.facebook.com/CruzMcDowellFundraiserForHemophiliaResearch


text:
I'm thinking of investing in gold. The Buddha's chief patron had a lot of gold. The American and European Central Banks are printing money ("quantitative easing") and I need to diversify from just cash (I wouldn't touch property or shares - there is always dana too of course). I'm not saying gold is a sure winner but is a hedge against inflation and a devaluation of the Australian dollar after the mining boom ends.
One problem is that if things get bad the government might confiscate gold. The Australian government has already introduced a mining tax which basically confiscates money from shareholders.
Can you think of any other considerations I should think of before buying gold?
Thanks / dhammapal.
PS Does anyone know of any online discussion forums on investment options run by unbiased volunteers?


text:
SWINDON Town Ladies boss Glyn Evans is confident his side can overcome the absence of leading scorer Abby Picton and make history in the FA Cup third round.
The in-form club take on Gillingham at Fairford's Cinder Lane ground tomorrow after Picton scored all three goals in the 3-2 second round win over Exeter, which earned them a place in round three for only the second time in their history.
But the striker was sent off late on and will be forced to watch from the sidelines, and despite Picton scoring 12 times in three FA Cup games this season, Evans is confident whoever he selects to replace her will rise to the occasion and help the club progress to round four for the first time.
"We are feeling confident, and we have trained hard and are seven games unbeaten so we are going into the game in good form," he said.
"The only downside is that we are missing our main striker Abby Picton after she got sent off in the last round, and she will be a huge miss. But we have players who can step up.
"She has scored 12 goals in three games and she also has pace to die for and people can't deal with it, but whoever comes in will be good enough because we have good strength in depth this year."
The last time Town reached round three they ended up suffering a heavy defeat to Doncaster, but Evans is convinced his side will put in a better display this time around.
"It is only the second time we have got there, and last time we lost to Doncaster and we were pretty much stuffed to be honest," he said.
"We have a better calibre of player in now, and I am confident we can do it.
"They are in the division above us, but we are in such a good run of form I don't think that will matter too much. The atmosphere around the club is great, and that is really going to help us.
"They are a good side, we know that, and we have seen a few videos of them and have identified a few of their players who are useful. I'm not worried about that, because if the girls win their own battles we can come out on top."
Sunday's game at Fairford kicks off at 1pm, with entry £3 for adults and under 16s free.
Swindon Town Ladies squad: Robyn Levett, Kelly Nightingale, Lisa Coe, Amy Baker, Alison Witts, Kim Reeves, Catherine Reid, Michelle Rich, Kirsty Shell, Chyna Collings, Ellie Maynard, Chantelle Lovell, Cara Stacey, Laura Morgan, Laura Stallard, Karyn Coombs, Natalie Evans, Sarah Wood.


text:
Prize Recipient
Matthew Acosta
California State University, Long Beach
I was born and raised in Whittier, California and will be entering my junior year at California State University Long Beach.
I originally did not consider physics as a career because I had such a bad experience in my first high school physics class. It was not until I took AP physics that I considered pursuing physics as a career. My AP physics teacher's enthusiasm for the subject made learning physics fun and I learned that physics was a subject that encompassed all other sciences, a quality which makes physics a versatile subject. I knew I wanted to do physics over any other career when my math and physics class began to describe the same physical phenomena. This convergence of math and physics becomes even more frequent as I take higher-level physics classes, enhancing my enthusiasm to discover more about these subjects. It is this general enthusiasm to discover how the world operates that makes me want to become a physicist.


text:
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text:
Interior Design Schools in Virginia
Schools that offer Interior Design Training in Virginia
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- Several campuses are designated as 2015 Military Friendly Schools by Victory Media.
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- Regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).
- Founded 160 years ago, it is one of America's premier private career colleges.
- Push Your Creativity To The Next Level.
- Full Sail's curriculum combines elements of creativity, art, business and life skills, technical prowess, and academic achievement.
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- SNHU has been relentlessly reinventing quality higher education since 1932
- Regionally accredited by the NEASC with many more programmatic accreditations
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- Liberty University's online programs ranked in the top 10 out of more than 2,100 colleges & universities for academic quality, affordability, and accessibility.*
- 100% online programs at associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral level.**
- Transfer up to 90 credits into an undergraduate degree program.
- Up to 50% of your master's degree can be transferred in to help you get the most out of your hard work and maximize the credit you previously earned.
- Accredited
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- Students are issued a new laptop at the beginning of their programs.
- All online services and study materials are available 24/7, with faculty available five days a week.
- All programs available online, with the MBA program offered on campus in Salt Lake City.
- Accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC), with programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CoARC).
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- Online Courses
- Flexible Scheduling
- Financial Aid
Latest Interior Design Articles & News
Second designer chosen for home decor competition
Teenlike.com, an ongoing online competition for young home decor designers, announced its second winner. Brandon Dover of Apply Valley, California, was this year's winner, as he created an abstract pen and inkwork design for a bedspread.
Interior design company sweeps IDEA awards
A Richmond, Virginia, based design firm, Visible Proof, has garnered many of the top honors during the IDEA awards luncheon.
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What Skills Will I Learn as an Interior Designer?


text:
Huperzine A in Alzheimer's Disease
This study has been completed.
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)
Information provided by:
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: May 26, 2004
Last updated: February 19, 2008
Last verified: February 2008
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
No Study Results Posted on ClinicalTrials.gov for this Study
|Study Status:
|This study has been completed.
|Study Completion Date:
|November 2007
|Primary Completion Date:
|November 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)


text:
Rockies stung by slow start, Dodgers' homers
Chacin's six innings marred by two long balls; bats stay cold
LOS ANGELES -- Sometimes a few big hits are better than a bunch of little ones.
Home runs by Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp and rookie Carlos Triunfel provided all the Dodgers' runs as the Rockies were saddled with a 4-2 loss at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night in front of 44,175.
The Rockies loaded the bases in the sixth inning with no outs and in the seventh with one out, but managed just a run in each frame in falling for the second straight night and dropping to 3-2 on a road trip that ends with Wednesday night's finale. The absence of big hits meant Jhoulys Chacin (1-5), who appears to have found his form after missing the first month with a throwing shoulder strain, had to pay for the two homers he gave up in an otherwise solid outing.
"I thought we had a nice approach offensively," Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. "We just couldn't get the big hit to have a big inning."
The opportunities the Rockies created in the late innings were reminiscent of their sweep of the Giants in San Francisco, where they won all three games in comeback fashion. But Colorado's 2-for-14 ledger with runners in scoring position was a stark reminder that a lineup without injured stalwarts Carlos Gonzalez, Nolan Arenado and Michael Cuddyer has a little harder time.
In the five games this trip, the Rockies have hit just three home runs. One of them, Brandon Barnes' game-winner in the ninth on Saturday, was an inside-the-park job. Only Troy Tulowitzki -- on Sunday against the Giants -- and Wilin Rosario -- Monday night against the Dodgers -- have hit the ball over the fence. Without power, the Rockies have to string together more hits.
"This road trip so far has been real good for what we're doing and the pitchers we're facing," Tulowitzki said. "In San Francisco, we got those big hits. These two games, we didn't get those hits."
Ramirez homered for two runs in the third inning on an inside sinker that stayed over the plate, and Kemp homered to lead off the fourth on a hanging outside changeup against Chacin, who gave up three runs on seven hits and struck out five in six innings.
Chacin held the Braves scoreless in seven innings in his previous start, earning his first win of the season. Despite Tuesday's loss, Chacin has returned to some of his past form.
"My sinker is working. I can throw my sinker down and away. I can throw my sinker down and in, and I can control it," said Chacin, who hadn't given up a homer at Dodger Stadium before Tuesday. "That's what I wasn't doing earlier. Everything was flat."
The other homer, the first of Triunfel's Major League career, came off Tommy Kahnle in the seventh and gave the Dodgers a two-run edge. Kahnle struck out four in two innings.
Clutch pitching by starter Zack Greinke and the Dodgers' bullpen kept the Rockies from the big inning they needed.
Greinke fanned Corey Dickerson to end the fifth inning with two on, then escaped bigger trouble in the sixth.
Tulowitzki singled, Justin Morneau walked and Drew Stubbs singled to open the inning, and Rosario's sacrifice fly cut the difference to 3-1. But Greinke fanned Ryan Wheeler. DJ LeMahieu extended an at-bat to nine pitches with the count 2-2 before Greinke forced a bouncer to the mound. It was the last of Greinke's season-high 117 pitches. The five times he's gone beyond six innings, he's not thrown more than 112 pitches.
"Definitely a tough game for me," said Greinke. "Guys on base it seemed every inning, a lot of foul balls, two-strike counts and guys fighting stuff off. A lot of pitches, tough pitches. It's a tough team to strike out."
Dickerson doubled with one out in the seventh, on a hard-hit ball that bounced off Ramirez's bare hand and into center field. The Dodgers' shortstop left the game with a right ring finger contusion. With two out, reliever Brandon League walked Morneau and watched Stubbs reach on an error on second baseman Dee Gordon. But Rosario grounded to third baseman Miguel Rojas.
Brian Wilson also worked a double-play grounder from LeMahieu in the eighth. Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen earned his 20th save.
Thomas Harding is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.