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April 16, 2009
Transaction Analysis
NL Roster Roundup
Optioned RHP Matt Albers to Norfolk (Triple-A). [4/11]
Placed SS-S Jed Lowrie on the 15-day DL (sprained wrist), retroactive to 4/12; recalled INF-R Gil Velazquez from Triple-A Pawtucket (Triple-A). [4/13]
Here I was thinking that it would be the Yankees' problems with injuries that would be their great handicap this season, and the Red Sox are already down a top starter and both shortstops. Perhaps paradoxically, they can replace Dice-K readily enough in the immediate future; whether they run with Justin Masterson for a turn or two, or haul back Clay Buchholz, they've got people worth plugging in, and until we learn more about how long Matsuzaka's going to be missing, we can't know the full impact. In contrast, with Lowrie out at least a month, the danger at short is bad-Velazquez can't hit, and Nick Green is stretched at short, assuming he can hit well enough to replace one-but it also isn't that bad, since Julio Lugo's rehab should involve his being back in Boston before the end of the month. Given that Green and Velazquez aren't good enough to warrant keeping over something interesting that crosses the wire, I wouldn't be surprised if the Sox started nosing around to see if there's someone worth claiming.
Placed OF-L DeWayne Wise on the 15-day DL (separated shoulder); purchased the contract of OF-L Jerry Owens from Charlotte (Triple-A); signed OF-L Scott Podsednik to a minor league contract. [4/14]
It's easy to get hysterical, because a Podzilla comeback might be seen as some great disaster, but Wise was a perfectly solid representation of the kind of talent you can scare up from the free-talent pool, and as long as you're willing to fish your starting center fielder out of central casting, it doesn't make that much sense to get upset over whether you got a bluegill, a catfish, or a crappie, it's catch of the day until you land something worth bragging about. Wise had the virtue of more pop than Owens or Podsednik, but not so much that this strikes some sort of mortal blow to Soxdom on the South Side. Instead, it's just another bad break for a journeyman who's had his share, and while this represents a golden opportunity for Brian Anderson to redeem himself or for Owens to get back in favor, you can effectively count on the Sox being willing to keep an eye peeled on whatever else might come free in the days and weeks to come.
Placed LHP Scott Lewis on the 15-day DL (strained elbow); purchased the contract of RHP Vinnie Chulk from Columbus (Triple-A). [4/11]
With Lewis out of action, the Tribe gets to review the options in the rotation that they've already spent all spring sorting out. To some extent, I don't see this as Laffey vs. Lewis vs. Zach Jackson; it's still fundamentally an audition for who gets to replace Carl Pavano once Jake Westbrook's ready to get back in action later this season. Perhaps the greater source of horror is that, in their desperation for pitching help that pitches well, they've lurched over to 13 pitchers, meaning that the bench is down to Kelly Shoppach behind the plate, Tony Graffanino for the infield, and Trevor Crowe in the outfield, and while that's not the end of the world, I guess the more basic problem is whether or not they can spread the innings around enough to keep eight relievers sharp. Of course, if all of their starters keep struggling to get through five frames, that might not be their worst problem.
Outrighted OF-L Shane Costa to Omaha (Triple-A). [4/9]
Optioned LHP Brian Duensing to Rochester (Triple-A). [4/14]
Catching last Friday night's Sox game, I got to see Duensing's big-league debut. It wasn't especially remarkable, except in the usage-he got to toss three full innings, entering an initially tight game in a tandem-type assignment with R.A. Dickey, but then getting a true middle relief performance after the Twins exploded for seven runs off of Chicago's pen in the top of the seventh. He did pretty much what you expect a Twins pitcher to do, throwing strikes and working relatively quickly, with a Carlos Quentin jack to live down, but all in all, a nice way to be brought into a ballgame that wasn't just a mop-up situation, however much it ended up one. With Baker back in action, Dickey's bumped back to long relief, where he'll ideally do little harm, but with the lineup predictably struggling to plate anybody, technically speaking almost every pitcher's on the hook.
Outrighted RHP Chris Schroder and 3B-R Jeff Baisley to Sacramento (Triple-A). [4/10]
Optioned OF-L Matt Joyce to Durham (Triple-A). [4/12]
Placed RHP Jesse Litsch on the 15-day DL (forearm tightness); recalled LHP Bill Murphy from Las Vegas (Triple-A). [4/14]
Acquired the rights to Rule 5 pick C-L James Skelton from the Tigers for RHP Brooks Brown; outrighted Skelton to Mobile (Double-A). [4/2]
Initial Roster Shape: 13 hitters, 12 pitchers
Unhappy Roster Situation: Well, losing Webb isn't good news, of course, but it also isn't a disaster. They're being reasonably cautious with their ace, and with Scherzer coming off of the DL, this gets designated fill-in starter Yusmeiro Petit a pair of starts (one already made, last weekend) during that portion of the schedule when there are some convenient additional off days. Add in the virtue of the back-dating, and Webb could either take the mound on the 22nd against the Rockies, or get another two days off and face the Giants on Friday night on the 24th during their next homestand. Over the full-season marathon, sensible adaptations to a player's unique in-season needs make plenty of sense, and it's good to keep Petit sharp in case somebody suffers something worse than Webb's wing has. If there's anything to keep an eye on, it's whether the Snakes decide to play matchup games with Petit and use him on-turn against the Giants next weekend, or if they instead elect to take advantage of the off days and kick him to long relief in that series and then start him against the Rockies.
Beyond that, it's still a pen stocked with men waiting around to see who loses his job to Tom Gordon once the veteran's ready to come back at the end of the month. Korecky lasted more than 24 hours courtesy of his relative absence of failure by virtue of just getting here; his two chief rivals for a roster spot in camp, Juan Gutierrez and Billy Buckner, both weren't earning their keep, but Gutierrez is out of options where Buckner is not. Regardless, with Flash and Webb both on the way back, two more somebodies will end up going back to Reno at some point in May, pending the next injury, of course.
The fun thing to follow concerning the Snakes' roster is how they're distributing playing time in the corners. They're going to be very stable in terms of starts and starters up the middle-at least until or unless direct experience with Felipe Lopez wears out his charms as a second baseman-but in the four corners they've been alternating without strictly platooning. Consider the spread: Conor Jackson, six starts in left, one at first; Mark Reynolds, six starts, all at third; Chad Tracy, four starts at first, one at third; Justin Upton, four starts in right; Eric Byrnes, three starts in right and one in left; and Tony Clark's two starts at first. As much as one start against one left-hander tells you anything, they aren't initially strictly platooning Tracy (or Clark), but that's probably the near-natural outcome, as well as spotting Tracy at third for Reynolds against really tough right-handers to get the switch-hitting Clark in the lineup. While it's a reflection of the fact that the team lacks a superstar slugger at any of the four positions-and no, not Jackson or Upton, since the one has to deliver a repeat and the other has yet to develop-it's a series of overlaps and adaptations that might compensate well enough, even without getting into fanciful notions of moving Reynolds back to second. The real question is whether they'll end up shortening it up some to let Upton flower and reduce Byrnes to more of a platoon role and perhaps Clark to more of a spot-starting and pinch-hitting kind of gig. That would be the easy bit of reductionism, of course, but the additionally interesting element in play is the collection of parks the Snakes get to play in within their division, with their home mallpark and Planet Coors both representing great places to favor power strokes, where San Diego or San Francisco may be better places to play Byrnes.
It makes for a number of roles in which people will stay sharp with plenty of playing time, especially when backup backstop Miguel Montero's good enough to rotate in relatively regularly as well. The guys who might receive the least work are utility infielder Augie Ojeda and Ryan Roberts, an unexpected camp star (well, sort of, it was the Cactus League). As something of a defensively challenged second baseman, Roberts could have a difficult time sticking as somebody's utilityman, but he has experience with playing third (if not well), and limited exposure to short, first, and the outfield, and he covers the strike zone adequately with modest sock. Maybe something happens that helps him become an Augie-style fan fave; maybe the hitter-friendly park helps him stick as the early-game pinch-hitter and garbage-time guy. In the meantime, the more likely outcome is that he gets bumped as soon as something or somebody else captures the Snakes' fancy.
Optioned RHP Manny Acosta, LHP Boone Logan, OF-S Gregor Blanco, and OF-L Brandon Jones to Gwinnett (Triple-A); placed LHP Tom Glavine and C-R David Ross on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 4/2 and 4/1 respectively; purchased the contract of CF-L Jordan Schafer from Gwinnett; recalled C-R Clint Sammons from Gwinnett. [4/3]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Roster Situation Snapshot: One of the lovely things about the Braves is that when they commit, it's not just a fling; they virtually swear blood oaths on the bodies of their prospects. Schafer's talent was, of course, obvious; the drama of his Opening Day homer, a nice touch. By sending down Blanco, they've worked their way down to a bench featuring Matt Diaz (as Garret Anderson's platoon partner), the hope that Martin Prado's singlerifficness has some staying power, Greg Norton's standard offer to stand in any corner and deliver modest amounts of sock from either side of the plate, and Omar Infante's equal willingness to play second, short, or center in a pinch among the up-the-middle positions (and probably third, under orders). It's not a bad set-up, though there was the horror of a Prado start at first base to engender concern that somebody is mistaking him for the second coming of Pat Tabler or something.
On the pitching side of the slate, the news that Tom Glavine is probably done appears to put Jo-Jo Reyes on the spot as the team's new fifth starter. That might seem a bit odd, given that they have Jorge Campillo and Buddy Carlyle knocking around in the pen, and both would probably be fine stepping into the rotation, but since this isn't just a matter of awaiting Glavine's return, but of replacing him entirely, giving the job to Reyes makes sense as a matter of upside, and that's without getting into his also replacing Glavine as the one lefty in the starting five.
Released UT-R Esteban German. [4/4]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Odd Roster Situation: I've banged on anybody relying too much on Aaron Miles for anything often enough, so let's set that aside for now; they did keep Micah Hoffpauir, after all, and while he'll be hard-pressed to get at-bats when they've also kept Joey Gathright, that's an excellent power source to have lying around on your bench. No, the fun stuff involves the pitching. I'm more than a little surprised that they just flat-out ditched Gaudin; keeping a journeyman reliever like Luis Vizcaino, plus the injury-plagued Angel Guzman (who was out of options), and Rule 5 pick David Patton might seem more than a little risky. Add in that they're counting on Neal Cotts as the pen's token lefty, and that really begins to sound like a scary unit, and that's without getting into the drama over who gets saves this particular week. Not everything involved is mere wishcasting, of course; Sean Marshall should be a good big-league starter, after all, so committing to him makes sense. Aaron Heilman's capable of much more than he'd given the Mets recently. Guzman might finally enjoy some success and stay healthy left in a relief role, and Vizcaino could be a completely adequate filler reliever. It'll be fun to see if a division favorite can carry a Rule 5 pick on the active roster for most or all of the season; off the top of my head, I remember the A's doing so with Doug Jennings, and the Blue Jays did it with William Canate, and the Reds' selection of Tim Layana in December of '89 got him a World Series ring, so it isn't inconceivable.
Outrighted OF-R Norris Hopper to Louisville (Triple-A). [4/2]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Unhappy Roster Situation: It's not necessarily unhappy, just a little weird to see a team with Jerry Hairson Jr. and McDonald and Nix, look at your scorecard, look around again, and remind yourself that you're not in Oklahoma City or something. This makes for a virtual college of outfielders, where only Jay Bruce should get everyday play, and where it will be fun to see if Dusty Baker can spread enough playing time around to Hairston, McDonald, Nix, Chris Dickerson, and even Willy Taveras to take advantage of the virtues of each. Yes, I know, I'd rather have a Dickerson/McDonald or even Dickerson/Taveras platoon in center, and a left fielder with some sock, but we'll see what Walt Jocketty does in-season if there's enough offense in this outfit to support a pretty good rotation. They're trusting in Alex Gonzalez's relative readiness to play at short, but this may well turn into a situation where Hairston and Paul Janish end up getting chunks of playing time at his expense.
Purchased the contract of RHP Matt Belisle; designated RHP Juan Morillo for assignment. [4/10]
Nothing we didn't already know was coming, of course, and Morillo's career-long problem with finding home plate might be enough to deter almost any team. Still, in light of his occasional flirtation with triple digits on speed guns, it's worth remembering that this was how Bobby Jenks was sprung from the Angels; it will be interesting to see if Morillo winds up in Colorado Springs.
Optioned RHP Carlos Martinez to New Orleans (Triple-A); placed UT-S Alfredo Amezaga and RHP Scott Proctor on the 15-day DL, retroactive to 3/27; placed RHP Rick VandenHurk on 15-day DL, retroactive to 3/29. [4/3]
Roster Shape: 13-12
Weird Roster Situation: It's almost like a Honus Wagner team or something, where the best player in the game's at short, and then everything else isn't quite the way you expect them to be on a modern ballclub. A speed-and-defense guy at third in Emilio Bonifacio? A slugger at second? A first baseman who isn't close to being one of the team's best hitters? The decision to flip their starting outfielders in the corners, with Jeremy Hermida going to left and Cody Ross to right for random grits and shiggles? A solid, honest-to-goodness catching platoon? Maybe it's just me, but those are all things you would expect from the game before World War II, not after. Add in hanging-around veterans like Ross Gload, Wes Helms, and Calero littering the back end of the roster, and it's just a strange, interesting collection of talent beyond the big-name ballplayers.
Purchased the contracts of RHP Russ Ortiz and INF-L Jason Smith from Round Rock (Triple-A). [4/4]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Unhappy Roster Situation: Let's face it, any team that's going to make space for Russ Ortiz, start Geoff Blum, or trade for Jeff Keppinger is probably also exactly the kind of team that ought to fish minor league veteran Jason Smith out of the minors.
Optioned LHP Eric Stults, C-R A.J. Ellis, SS-R Chin-lung Hu, OF-L Xavier Paul, and OF-R Jason Repko to Albuquerque (Triple-A). [4/4]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Unhappy Roster Situation: Joe Torre's something of a set lineup guy who likes his scrubs extra-scrubby, so discarding DeWitt in the name of "more playing time" so that this team might boast Juan Pierre, Brad Ausmus, Minky, and Castro, among the worst-hitting players of the last decade in the outfield, behind the plate, at first base, and at shortstop makes for something special. More fundamentally, this was the logical outcome of the commitments to Orlando Hudson and Casey Blake, neither of which I'd consider all that regrettable, so putting DeWitt somewhere he might actually not waste away-again, given Torre's preferences-makes some sense. Swapping in Stults for Kuroda is a reflection of the reality that depth in the rotation only goes so far, but Stults is a solid sixth starter who affords the team the opportunity to be conservative with Kuroda.
Claimed 1B-L Joe Koshansky off of waivers from the Rangers; outrighted OF-L Tony Gwynn Jr. to Triple-A Nashville (Triple-A). [4/3]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Unhappy Roster Situation: I wouldn't begrudge them their choosing Duffy over Kid Gwynn. If anything, I'm surprised the Pads didn't claim Tony Sr.'s son, but another outfielder was probably the one thing San Diego didn't need. At any rate, if Duffy's healthy, he can provide a better OBP, run well, and chip in with early-inning pinch-hitting effectively enough to be a fine reserve. As much as the Brewers' lineup leans right, adding Duffy to Craig Counsell and Brad Nelson gives the bench a nice leftwards counterlean. I was glad to see Casey McGehee stick, because while he's not a great prospect or anything, he can seriously pick it over at third, to the point that he's genuinely fun to watch.
Outrighted RHP Fernando Nieve to Binghamton (Double-A). [4/2]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Amazin' Roster Situation: It's fun to think they've got 13 position players when one of them is a DH, and we're talking what's left of Sheff, not Rusty Staub. However, with Fernando Tatis able to play all four corners and hit well enough to merit the work, Alex Cora representing a decent backup in the middle infield, and Daniel Murphy a former infielder for emergencies, they didn't really need another infielder. Considering that between Murphy and Ryan Church their starters in the outfield corners both bat lefty, taking a spin with the former Yankee isn't the worst idea in the world. If you want to be extra-generous, you might even liken it to those late-career spins that Rickey Henderson or Bobby Bonilla made with the Mets in '99. Sadly, Sheff's in danger of being more Bonilla than Rickey in terms of playability; beyond his past rejection of first base and his near immobility in the outfield, you've got a slower bat to work with as well. Like Henderson, though, I can believe that Sheffield's going to be a good guy to have around on the team, and if he chips in with spot starts in either outfield corner, usually against lefties, and since the Tigers are footing the bill beyond the minimum, it's not the worst pickup to make, as long as little more than that is expected.
Placed LHP J.C. Romero on the Restricted List; placed LHP Michael Zagurski on the 15-day DL (TJ surgery recovery), retroactive to 3/27; purchased the contract of INF-S Miguel Cairo from Lehigh Valley (Triple-A. [4/4]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Unhappy Roster Situation: No point in huffing and puffing, we knew Cairo was going to stick for weeks, so now that he's here, as long as he collects dust or handles garbage time or low-leverage situation pinch-hitting chores, there's little harm done.
Purchased the contract of OF-R Craig Monroe from Indianapolis (Triple-A). [4/2]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12
Odd Roster Situation: I suppose the dispatch of Meek to the minors leaves the question as to when inheriting the Earth becomes part of the program; after so much hype over his opportunity this winter-and how many Pirates get hyped, ever, at all, for anything?-I'm sure there are a few people feeling moderately silly right around now. As much as I was prepared to like this bench because it started out with Eric Hinske and Ramon Vazquez, and involves a developmental role for Jason Jaramillo as Ryan Doumit's understudy behind the plate, there's something about a team carrying both Monroe and Luis Cruz that sort of sticks in the craw. I'm glad to see that they made a point of keeping Donnie Veal after picking him in last December's Rule 5 draft; the mystery is what sort of role will be fashioned for him, because he's the third lefty in a seven-man pen, behind veterans John Grabow and Sean Burnett. Suffice to say that those rumors about Grabow's availability can't be overstated, not so much for what it says for Veal's future, but because it's just as well that, by August, the Pirates are at least taking an extended look at what they've got and what they might be able to expect.
Claimed RHP Luis Perdomo off of waivers from the Giants; optioned OF-R Drew Macias to Portland (Triple-A); designated 2B-R Travis Denker for assignment (and lost him on a waiver claim by the Red Sox). [4/10]
Initial Roster Shape: It was 13-12, but now with Perdomo picked up, they're at 12-13, because some like to be special in that extra-special way, and because some people like pitching the way Mikey likes cereal-available, cheap, and easy to pour. So much for exploiting the home-field advantage; in Petco, every pitcher can look a little better, but when you're scraping up Perdomo, Duaner Sanchez, Edward Mujica, Kevin Correia, and Eulogio De La Cruz, it's clear that you're an organization that took the Cha Seung Baek experience to heart-replacement-level pitching is more easily found than necessarily paid top dollar for. I'm not put out by the grabbery as much as the nondiscriminating palate. Adding Mexican Leaguers like Walter Silva and Edwin Moreno can be considered a nice example of aggressive scouting, as can taking a chance on the ever-injured Shawn Hill, a valid risk for a team whose home park can forgive mistakes, shorten innings, and lower workloads. However, turning to Dessens or Correia is a symptom of an organization whose player-development problems cross over from problematic to downright illin'. Good thing they were talking up Wade LeBlanc just a few short weeks ago, I suppose, but what else are they supposed to do?
Unhappy Roster Situation: Wait, I just ranted on that, I guess. Hrm... well, to be fair, the Pads are compensating for Nick Hundley's inexperience by using Henry Blanco plenty-interestingly enough, not in either start by the perpetually baserunner-indifferent Chris Young-while they've also elected to keep Rule 5 pick Everth Cabrera as Luis Rodriguez's backup at short, rather than return him to the Rockies. Here again, that's the sort of thing a franchise like the Pads can afford; hot start or no, they won't be winning the NL West. Add in Cabrera's good-glove rep, and it makes that much more sense. It will be interesting to see how long they go with 13 pitchers; are they going to just to be a storehouse for other people's discarded moundsmen, or will they also be willing to nab the odd position player?
Optioned C-R Steve Holm to Fresno (Triple-A); designated RHP Luis Perdomo for assignment; placed LHP Noah Lowry on the 15-day DL (strained shoulder); placed RHP Sergio Romo on the 15-day DL (sprained elbow); purchased the contracts of RHP Brandon Medders, 1B/3B-R Rich Aurilia, INF-R Juan Uribe, and OF-S Andres Torres from Fresno. [4/4]
Initial Roster Shape: 13-12, with the decision to forgo carrying an additional catcher beyond starter Bengie Molina and starting third baseman/former catcher Pablo Sandoval; let us all bow down and honor what might be some form of institutional memory for the multipositional virtues of Bob Brenly in the '80s.
Unhappy Roster Situation: Losing Martinez the way they did points to what Will Carroll has identified as an industry-wide problem; replacing him-a homegrown product-with Miller illustrates the pluses and minuses of being an organization without a lot of upper-level talent. On the plus side, you can make space for veteran talent; on the minus, there's the matter of some of the talent made space for. Uribe as a defensive replacement for Sandoval at third, or Renteria at short? OK, sure. Aurilia as Travis Ishikawa's platoon partner at first? Cringe, OK, whatever. Miller and Medders? Well, some relievers go through the wash enough times, and every once in a while you get all the wrinkles out and have something you can work with. It's sort of cool that the well-traveled Torres-a near-miss for my list of Quad-A guys-landed a gig as the fifth outfielder, but if they're not getting at-bats to Nate Shierholtz, I fail to see why they might have enough to give Torres a chance to contribute much. That said, it's an amusing predicament to see the lineup with Aaron Rowand batting seventh more often that not, because it isn't as if the Giants are the '61 Yankees.
Optioned OF-R Joe Mather to Memphis (Triple-A). [4/2]
Roster Shape: 13-12
Resolved Roster Situation: John Perrotto touched on this yesterday, but effectively this adds up to a four-man rotation in the outfield where all four-the highly touted Rasmus and the recuperating Chris Duncan no less than Ryan Ludwick and Rick Ankiel-have been getting serious playing time, while they also run out a platoons of sorts at both second and third bases, where Brian Barden and Joe Thurston get spotted at both positions, Freese plays a goodly amount of third base, and Brendan Ryan filches a few starts at both middle infield positions, mostly second, but some shortstop on Khalil Greene's rare day off. For sheer creativity, it's hard to beat the solution to the twin roster pressures creates by Rasmus' arrival and Troy Glaus's absence. No wonder Mather was crowded out, though with only one righty-swinging outfielder (Ludwick) in the mix, you can understand how he might be back should the Cardinals elect to get less creative and lower the body count in the infield. For better or for worse-and insert a pro forma complaint about the relevance of spring stats here-that's going to have to involve his overcoming a cold camp by slugging some in Memphis.
The contrast with the pitching staff's situation couldn't be much more dramatic. Losing Carpenter is an obvious blow, and if it's mitigated somewhat by a better gaggle of alternatives than they had the last time they could really count on him-what with Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer going from discards to workhorses, courtesy of whatever tricks Dave Duncan dispenses, and Adam Wainwright settling in-there's still a slot that needs filling at some very near point. Turning to Boggs wouldn't be the ideal scenario, but maybe by the time the slot comes around, Thompson will be rested enough from pitching on Tuesday to step back up and into the rotation. Regardless, getting Carpenter back in short order remains a necessity for the Cardinals to keep up with the Cubs for any extended period of time, let alone stay in the mix for the NL Wild Card.
Placed MI-S Anderson Hernandez on the 15-day DL (strained hamstring), retroactive to 3/27; placed 1B-S Dmitri Young on the 15-day DL (hip, back), retroactive to 4/1; outrighted LHP Michael O'Connor to Syracuse (Triple-A). [4/2]
Initial Roster Shape: 14-11, bless their hearts, though how much of that is a matter of the mass spillover in the outfield as opposed to any genuine conviction that a half-dozen relievers will do is more simply resolved by the fact that they don't have their fifth starter-almost certainly Jordan Zimmerman-on the roster yet, and soon enough, they will.
Unhappy Roster Situation: The crowd in the outfield is the real issue, with the need to keep Austin Kearns on the field to find a potential buyer making him something of the major leagues' answer to that unwanted condo that'll sit on the market for the next decade or so, waiting for a buyer to be born, suckled, weaned, and handed enough money to embark upon some rash venture more complicated than getting too many gumballs. Milledge is the early loser in that press, but at least they've held onto Nick Johnson and played him, with Adam Dunn starting in the outfield after all. This might be Elijah Dukes' great opportunity, and a lineup with Dukes, Dunn, and Nick the Stick should deliver plenty of walks and power, however many runs employing Kearns might cost them. Carrying three catchers is a bit odd; Wil Nieves is a 31-year-old career backup with little offensive value, and really isn't a necessity when you have Jesus Flores to place your faith in, and Josh Bard to provide a younger, better veteran backup.
Carrying three lefty relievers may seem excessive, but they're three very different kinds of pitchers: Ledezma cooks with gas and can go multiple innings, which matters on a staff shy a few workhorses of any kind of stability; Joe Beimel is a relatively reliable asset late in the game; and there's no time like the present to see if Michael Hinckley's going to recapture a career by at least sticking around as a situational lefty. Add in that Manny Acta's a rather aggressive in-game manager when it comes to trying to milk as much value as he can from replacement-level pitching-nobody else found a way to get so much out of Saul Rivera, after all-and I can see him finding a way to use all of them. It's just that, at season's end, Hinckley could be the guy who's pitched 45 innings in 70 games, Ledezma will have thrown 65 in 50, and Beimel 70 in 65.
Christina Kahrl is an author of Baseball Prospectus.
20 comments have been left for this article.
BP Comment Quick Links
Uh, didn't you mean the absence of Troy Glaus in St. Louis, not Rolen? :-) Anyway, that was a very good analysis, and it'll be interesting to see if La Russa's lineup juggling pans out. Ludwick has been so good, and Ankiel so bad, so far this year that he may have to make a fish-or-cut-bait decision sooner than he wants to.
Apr 16, 2009 09:40 AM
Good observation on the Marlins roster, although Cantu is definitely one of the best hitters. Super solid.
Apr 16, 2009 09:53 AM
Matt Hunter
Yeah I came to say the same thing. He may not be a great hitter but he is doesn't warrant "a first baseman who isn't close to being one of the team's best hitters."
Apr 16, 2009 10:13 AM
Matt Birnbach
a few more thoughts on the Marlins
Apr 16, 2009 15:17 PM
All of this. Almost all of these changes were to improve a lagging defense which still is SEVERELY misinterpreted as one of the worst in the league.
Apr 16, 2009 16:59 PM
I'm just smiling that Christina called Nick Johnson, "Nick the Stick." He just doesn't get called that enough around DC, and people look at me like they don't know who I'm talking about when I refer to him as that. Well, I guess there's good reason since he rarely made a healthy appearance in the lineup for people to get to know him.
Apr 16, 2009 10:56 AM
It's worth noting that Evan Meek would have probably made the opening day roster if it was merely a matter of who was pitching best. But two factors were in play:
Apr 16, 2009 11:15 AM
The point I'm making here is that the people who rushed to tout Meek weren't the Pirates as much as the save-hungry types rushing to nominate their sleepers. As is, the Pirates are a strange team at present, but at least they're a work in progress; the joke phase was more the gallows humor that goes with the waning days of the Littlefield period during the lamentable second half of the Kid McClatchy Era.
Apr 21, 2009 09:58 AM
I feel like the "Nick the Stick" in the D.C. area should be reserved for Nick Markakis. He can rake, and he plays more than 40 games a year.
Apr 16, 2009 11:51 AM
I'm rooting for Mientkewicz to stick around in LA - his wife is really sick, and he needs four more months of MLB service time to get 10 years and vest in veteran health insurance.
Apr 16, 2009 11:57 AM
Paul Andrew Burnett
No comment about the resurrection of Ponson? No way to tie his (I presume) Dutch heritage into the fabric of 18th century political history?
Apr 16, 2009 12:44 PM
I'm a pretty close follower of the Padres, but you've got me beat if you can tell me what Elmer Dessens has to do with the Padres. The last I heard, Dessens was with the Mets organization.
Apr 16, 2009 15:00 PM
Robert Flaxman
The Gaudin thing was... unfortunate. Committing to Patton was obviously risky given that he'd never pitched above A ball, and it's pretty easy to argue that the Cubs simply put too much stock in the spring games. On the other hand, if you can't use spring as a barometer to decide who makes the team and who doesn't, they might as well not even play games then. And at least guys like Hart and Samardzija are waiting at Iowa should Patton turn out to be a waste of time.
Apr 16, 2009 22:01 PM
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Cole to make first rehab start on Monday
DENVER -- Pirates right-hander Gerrit Cole will begin his rehab assignment Monday following his hefty 60-pitch bullpen session Friday in Indianapolis as he works his way back from right lat soreness.
Cole, who hasn't pitched since the injury occurred on July 4, will make his rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis in Rochester and be on a pitch count between 80-85.
Cole felt fine physically after tossing a 70-pitch simulated game in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, a promising sign considering how his last return from the disabled list went.
Cole threw three simulated games after missing most of June with shoulder fatigue, but didn't go out on a rehab assignment. In his first start back, Cole tied a career-worst by surrendering five runs to the Mets. In his second start, Cole racked up five shutout innings before departing with his current injury.
The Pirates are playing it safe this time around and if all goes well Monday, Cole is expected to rejoin the rotation shortly after.
Cole owns a 7-4 record and a 3.78 ERA 14 starts into his sophomore season. He's also struck out 78 over 85 2/3 innings pitched.
Cody Ulm is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

subset: commoncrawl


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Leyland lauds Tigers' fortitude
OAKLAND -- A day after a 35-degree first-pitch temperature, Tigers manager Jim Leyland's body and perspective had warmed up in sunny Oakland on Friday when he reflected on Thursday's 11-1, series-clinching win against Toronto in Detroit.
"I think that's as proud as I've been of a team on any particular day that I've ever managed," he said. "I mean that. Those conditions were absolutely miserable."
The misery had historical measure: It was the coldest temperature for a Tigers home game since 1996, according to STATS, with steady rain and strong wind.
Still, the Tigers used aggressive baserunning and offensive power to help erase Wednesday's tough defeat to the Blue Jays.
"I couldn't get over how our guys came out running the bases, ready to go," Leyland said. "Could have been a delay, tough loss the day before. The weather conditions were as bad as I've ever played in or managed in, or right up there. That spoke volumes about our guys yesterday. I was really impressed with that. Not just because we won. Obviously, that helped, but just the way they went about it. I thought that was pretty impressive."
Willie Bans is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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Lipscomb Live: Huntsville
Lipscomb Live: Huntsville is in the past.
Mark your calendars to join President L. Randolph Lowry
and Rhonda Lowry for Lipscomb LIVE in Huntsville!
Friday, March 8
Lipscomb Alumni & Friends Celebration
5 - 6:30 p.m. - Museum Tour
6:30 p.m. Reception
Huntsville Museum of Art
300 Church Street, Huntsville, AL 35801
Saturday, March 9
Faith:Next Seminar: "Reaching Emerging Adults: What We are
Learning about Reaching the Next Generation"
Scott Sager and Earl Lavender
8:30 a.m. to noon
Madison Academy
325 Slaughter Rd., Madison, AL 35758
For more information or to register, click here.


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text: UK 8 July 2013 I believe in trade unions but the Unite machine alienated me I joined the union as a fresh-faced student idealist but the camaraderie which I expected never materialised. Sign up for our weekly email * Print HTML As the fallout over Falkirk continues and Labour calls in the police to investigate its biggest financial backer, some sections of the media can barely contain their glee at Unite's troubles. The reactions of ordinary union members have, as usual, been excluded from the discussion. They cannot be heard over the cacophony of middle class media pundits and Oxbridge observers who lack a grassroots understanding of the problem. As a former Unite member, news of the alleged scandal was accompanied by a familiar sinking feeling. I left the union earlier this year under a burden of disappointment and anger. I'd joined Unite at the start of 2012 as a fresh-faced student idealist, one of the first to join under their pioneering community membership scheme, which embraces students, the unemployed, the disabled and others outside the traditional workplace. Before I hear you groan, I was not - and am not - a fair-weather student revolutionary. I was raised in a working class, trade unionist family. My father was a night sorter for the Royal Mail. As a child I watched my parents struggle under the financial burden of regular strikes, ensuring that my brother and I had dinner while they discreetly went without. We were brought up to believe in the justness of trade unions and the necessity of sacrificing short-term income for a greater collective good. When my brother was diagnosed with autism and his care requirements became clear, it was our father's union which helped him negotiate family-friendly hours. It was in this context that I joined Unite, with a childlike belief that unions could do no wrong. I was quickly disabused of this idea. Soon after joining I began to involve myself in Unite's activities. I attended a training weekend and later stood for election on a committee of young members. I planned to attend a conference and, in the time-honoured tradition of democracy, give a speech about my suitability for the role. When illness prevented me from attending at the last minute, I tried in vain to contact the appropriate union official to pass on a speech to be read in my absence. When nobody replied in time, I was angry that I had been denied the right to stand for the committee position. My anger turned to confusion when, weeks later, I received a letter congratulating me on winning my committee place and inviting me to the first meeting. How on earth, I wondered, did I win an election in which I was not present and had no speech? I now held some executive power over the youth policies of Unite's London and Eastern branch, without attending a single Unite conference. A little discomfited, I didn't attend the committee meetings. The invitations kept coming, and nobody contacted me regarding my absence. Looking back now, it seems extraordinary. There were murmurings of unease among other young members I encountered. Even the most strident muttered about the indifference they encountered from higher-ups regarding queries and problems. Such criticisms tended to be couched in the more gentle language of "communication difficulties" and the need to "update infrastructure", but their meaning was clear. These observations would be briefly acknowledged and quickly glossed over without progress being made. Unity was our watchword and we were all comrades in the good fight, but there was an unspoken understanding that being too direct about the union's problems would make you appear disloyal. Members quietly assumed that individual thoughts and opinions should automatically play second fiddle to a wider purpose. To criticise was to mark you out as an individual in an organisation deeply focused on the collective. Everyone, myself included, yearned for a place within this good and noble collective. To be an individual was, fundamentally, to be selfish. There were other moments of unease. One training day took an awkward turn when a young member dared ask why we were given an equalities monitoring form where everyone was lumped into either "white" or "BME" (Black and Minority Ethnic). The workshop leader simply ignored her and changed the topic. The girl who'd rasied the question was visibly disgusted. Greater disappointment was to follow. When Unite advertised an admin apprenticeship within their offices, I was keen to apply. Unfortunately the link to the application form was broken, so I notified the union. I did receive a reply, assuring me it was being looked into. As the days ticked by and the application deadline loomed, I emailed again and again urging them for answers before time ran out. There was no further reply, and the deadline passed me by. My point of contact never got in touch to explain her silence or apologise for the missed opportunity. I began to regard Unite as a vast and ponderous machine, rumbling on, regardless of its members' needs, in aid of some more obscure purpose. The camaraderie with which I expected my union to enfold me never materialised. With deep sadness, I cancelled my membership. After witnessing firsthand Unite's relaxed attitude to democracy, the accusation that it manipulated the selection contest in Falkirk is sadly not a surprise. I hope for the sake of the trade union movement that Unite is innocent of the accusation. Trade unions still have a crucial place in the modern world in helping people fight back against unscrupulous employers, low wages and poor conditions. If you believe that all employers will simply be saintly without checks and balances, then you are a far bigger idealist than me. All the same, it isn't hard to understand why unions might feel compelled to opt for underhand methods. Look at their relationship with the media: there isn't one. In a recent conversation with a friend who had worked for a national broadsheet, she complained that in her experience, unions had failed to reach out to journalists and put their side across. They were aloof and surly towards outsiders. As a result, a generation has grown up with a mainstream press that promotes ambivalence or hostility towards unions. Myths have sprung up: unions are bad for business, they are troublemakers and, that old chestnut, they promote "health and safety gone mad". We live in a country where many have never encountered a pro-union opinion in their lives and think of unions as a sinister cabal. The truth is that they have failed to do the legwork to secure support the proper way - by building relationships with the media and communicating with the ordinary people they claim to represent. It's no wonder that people are mistrustful. In perhaps the greatest irony of all, Unite continue to send me ballot papers for their referenda and leadership elections. It is a good thing, then, that I throw these away and do not choose to exercise the undue influence of which they stand accused. › Five questions answered on the new banking reforms Demonstrators take part in a TUC march in protest against the government's spending cuts on October 20, 2012 in London. Photograph: Getty Images. Subscribe from just £1 per issue More Related articles Here's what Theresa May could say to save the Brexit talks Leader: Boris Johnson, a liar and a charlatan As long as the Tories fail to solve the housing crisis, they will struggle to win Subscription offer 12 issues for £12 + FREE book LEARN MORE Close This week's magazine


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To coincide with the RED auction at Sotheby's New York on Valentine's Day, this range of t-shirts illustrates a selection of the artworks from the auction, designed by the donating artists. All profits from the sale of these shirts goes directly to the Global fund (recipient of RED funds) that finances programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Printed on American Apparel 100% cotton t-shirt and available in Classic Girl S and Men's S, M and L sizes.
Click here to view the size chart.
Damien Hirst was born in Bristol in 1965. He first came to public attention in 1988 when he conceived and curated 'Freeze', an exhibition of his own work and that of his contemporaries at Goldsmiths college, staged in a disused London warehouse. Since this time Hirst has become widely recognised as one of the most influential artists of his generation.
Through a varied practise of installation, sculpture, painting and drawing Hirst has sought to explore the complex relationship between art, life and death. Alongside over 80 solo exhibitions he has worked on numerous curatorial projects. In 2008, Hirst took the unprecedented step of bypassing gallery involvement in selling 244 new works at a Sotheby's, London auction entitled 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever'.
Hirst was awarded the Turner Prize in 1995 and his contribution to British art over the last two and a half decades has been acknowledged in a major solo retrospective exhibited at Tate Modern, London. He lives in Devon and has studios in Gloucester and London.
Text © Damien Hirst & Science Ltd., All rights reserved, 2012


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View From The Bridge
Saturday, December 7, 2013 @ 12:07 PM
Plumes of mist rise from the Nechako River this morning 250News photo
Prince George, BC – The scene from the Foothills Bridge this morning, as winter continues to envelope the region…
This morning's wind eased, giving the steam rising off the Nechako a chance to swirl above.
The polar temperatures of the past week have slowed the river's pace. While the river is remains open, the large chunks of ice bobbing their way downstream foreshadow the coming freeze.
Great shot! Gives a sense of serenity just looking at it.
Serenity heck! It looks cold in that picture!
Comments for this article are closed.


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Tips to Beat the Chi-Town Heat without Breaking the BankThursday, June 28th, 2012
It's getting hot – really hot – and it's only going to get hotter. As the temperature continues to rise, it's important for everyone to be aware of those around them and take action to keep your body cool. Follow these simple tips to keep everyone at the perfect temperature to enjoy everything in the summertime Chi.


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Fitz Bits: No Mere Honeymoon
OK, let's get to the charts.Michael Kors (KORS) Deckers Outdoor (DECK) Hovnanian Enterprises (HOV) Polycom (PLCM) Copano Energy (CPNO)
Each day, I'm featuring several reader requests for the current technical take on a stock. I can't assure you that I'll get to yours, but I will certainly make every attempt to do so, as long as the stock meets the following criteria....802 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
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Need a job? MTA Police Information Session
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MTA Police will be promoting their officer and cadet opportunities to students.
Run your pitch by a career coach before introducing yourself by calling 410.837.5440 to make an appointment.
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- Career and Professional Development Center
- Contact Email:
- email@example.com
- Contact Phone:
- 410.837.5440
If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please contact the person listed above at least 10 days prior to the event.


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Now that the election is decided, President Barack Obama and Congress are faced with the fiscal cliff. Social Security, which accounts for 20 percent of the U.S. budget, is the big target on the edge of that cliff.
The program's defenders are lining up to do battle.
Social Security Works, a coalition that urges increases in the program and fights cuts, has launched what it calls The Lame Duck Whip Count, which is keeping track of how members of Congress stand on cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
The number of members of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives who support this stance is unclear, but so far, nearly 30 mostly Democratic senators are on the Whip Count no-cuts list. At an early morning, post-election news conference calling for a quick fiscal cliff fix, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "We are not going to mess with Social Security."
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an Independent, is circulating an online petition at SignOn.org that calls for no benefit cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He already has nearly 100,000 electronic signatures -- and his effort has only just begun.
Social Security actuaries conclude that if we don't do something to control the cost of Social Security, by 2033, the program will only be collecting enough money to pay 75 percent of benefits owed. It may not look like it, but the political will to fix this problem is actually increasing, says Alison Borland, vice president of retirement solutions and strategies at human resources consultancy Aon Hewitt. But Borland doesn't see the fixes affecting people living in retirement or nearing it.
"There are easier things to stomach that impact people who are retiring 20, 30 or 40 years from now," she says.
She thinks that tax-saving tweaks to retirement savings plans such as IRAs and 401(k)s are more likely. Those changes could include eliminating some of the tax-deferred retirement plans, leaving only some version of a 401(k), probably a Roth 401(k) because it pushes the tax savings down the road. She also believes that it is likely that high-income earners will lose the ability to deduct much of their retirement savings.
In return, she predicts retirement planning will become more flexible with savers able to invest in a wider variety of options. "I think there is broad appreciation and recognition that retirement security is incredibly important, and you can expect the trade-off to any cuts to be a focus on getting more results from our investments," she says.


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Milestones do matter, if the milestones are reached based on something substantive, and there is nothing more substantive than healthy payroll growth, as we had today.
The actual number added, 157,000, plus the revisions, puts us in a solid position to go to all-time highs and beyond and I think we will do just that. And, we will do it much faster than most people, including many of the featured writers on our Special Super Bowl Weekend, expect.
That's OK. Real Money has never been known for its uniformity and I have always felt that its hallmark of duking it out and squaring off makes you a better investor.
As part of some longer-term work I am doing in conjunction with a review of Action Alerts PLUS for the last five years, I have been honing in on what data, what numbers, what pieces of evidence have staying power vs. what inputs are relatively meaningless, even as they seem to have terrific import.
I started with the presumption that there were dozens of indicators, numbers and quarters that could have meaning to the market. I tracked each one through the last five years to see if the moves subsequent to them had any real oomph behind them.
It was a shocking exercise. The only one, and I mean the ONLY one, that mattered was employment. Moves that began when employment turned up or seemed to turn up -- employment as expressed by the payroll numbers -- showed meaningful staying power.
Nothing else, not PMI, not retail sales, not durable goods, not consumer or wholesale price data, not Fed minutes and not any particular quarter or quarters, even from stocks we all track as bellwethers.
The consistency of it was astounding. The beginning of the unraveling of this market after we hit the highs came after the hideous payroll data, sharply worse than expected.
When subsequent numbers and revisions confirmed the weakness, we got hit again. And again. And again.
We did not get stabilization in the market until we saw a deceleration in the rate of joblessness. The bottom, literally, was put in when we got several consecutive payroll numbers that simply weren't as bad as the last ones.
The upswing began in earnest, again, in lockstep with better employment numbers. It was almost uncanny how simple it all was. You could tune out every other piece of data.
That's why I believe these Friday numbers will create a foundation that is built to last.
The conditions are about as bountiful as they were parched when we visited these levels on the other side last time. The multiples are appreciably lower and the earnings power tested in much leaner times. Try as the bears might say, the bond market's competition is nil. Some negativists are trying to say that the stock market will somehow be dinged by a takeout of the 2% level on the 10-year. I think that's fanciful. One hundred basis points higher won't damage a tape that is founded on employment growth.
I know there will also be people who are so Fed-centric that they will regard the employment number as somehow a negative because we might "lose the Fed."
Nonsense again. Sustainable rallies, at a certain point, don't need the Fed. We just need earnings and dividend boosts and a clear path for global growth. We are on the verge of that.
The one thing that is indeed different this time is the lack of stock available for large accounts to buy.
Many have tried to make heads or tails of retail investors coming back. To me, the nascent return, the one we have seen since 2013 began, means nothing. Because of the buybacks I don't think it will take that much additional firepower to take us higher. Companies will compete in a meaningful way with these buyers as the cash they have on hand doesn't really have another home.
I am sure to many this whole thesis is antithetical. The endless tarring and feathering of the bulls for not understanding either the tape or the macro doesn't disturb me. That's because the rejectionists will ultimately provide the fuel we need to go another 1,000 points in the Dow, if not more.
Let me leave our Super Bowl weekend extravaganza readers with one last thought.
Sure, we are supposed to bet against retail. That's ingrained. But you don't bet against them in one month. Maybe not even one quarter, or even a year. Yes, it has been that long since retail's been in stocks.
But the most negative cohort has been the analyst community. Stephanie Link, co-portfolio manager of Action Alerts PLUS, and I marvel almost every day at the downgrades. They downgrade on valuation. They downgrade on macro concerns. They downgrade on a revenues being light, even if the bottom line is terrific.
They downgrade on anything.
They are the ones who are going to be dragged back kicking and screaming. You want to know when to sell? When those who downgraded here begin upgrading.
Talk to me then.
Maybe then I will be the one who downgrades. But certainly not here. Not now. Not with this fundamental base at last in place. Built to last, people. Built to last.


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BERNHEIM - Stefanie Elizabeth Stillwell knew that there were a lot of beautiful girls she was competing against on Monday night as the Miss Bullitt County Fair Pageant kicked off the annual week long summer festival.
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DuPont Pioneer Names Keck Global Forages Communications Coordinator
Caitlin Keck has been named communications coordinator for the DuPont Pioneer global forages team. Keck will provide marketing and communications support for the Pioneer corn silage, alfalfa and inoculants product lines.
"Pioneer continues to grow and develop its forages program, showing the company's commitment to the dairy and livestock industry around the world," says Kyle Whitaker, senior marketing manager, DuPont Pioneer Global Forage Group. "We are excited to have Caitlin on board to ensure streamlined communication between our North American forages team and our international business units."
Prior to joining the global forages team, Keck was a Pioneer agronomist in York, Neb., with the Pioneer Emerging Leaders Program. Keck is a graduate of the University of Minnesota in St. Paul, Minn., where she received her bachelor's degree in agricultural education, leadership and communications with a double minor in animal science and Spanish.
Keck brings a solid agricultural background to the forages team. She grew up on a dairy farm near Owatonna, Minn., and was involved in several agricultural organizations during her university career, including National Collegiate Agricultural Ambassador Program, Gopher Dairy Club, Collegiate Agricultural Women, the International Collegiate Agricultural Leadership Program and the Minnesota FFA Association.
To learn more about the comprehensive Pioneer planting-to-feeding forages program ask a Pioneer professional or visit www.pioneer.com/forages.


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The Center of Excellence for Careers in Education provides support, mentoring, and advising to community colleges and their K-20 partners.


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Non-operative Management of Early Appendicitis in Children
- Full Text View
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- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Observational Model: Case Control
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:
|Non-operative Management of Early Appendicitis in Children
- Failure of Non-operative management [ Time Frame: 1 year ]The primary endpoints are: conversion to surgery (failure of nonoperative management), 30-day, 6 month and one year recurrence rate.
- Adverse Outcomes [ Time Frame: 1 year ]The secondary endpoints are: adverse outcomes, length of stay, days to return to school, costs of care and quality of life measures.
|Study Start Date:
|October 2012
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|February 2024
|Primary Completion Date:
|February 2014 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Non-operative Group
Patients and caregivers who agree to receive non-operative management with antibiotics alone
Surgery Group
Patients and caregivers who decide to undergo appendectomy that permit us to track their standard treatment course
Detailed Description:
Non-operative management of appendicitis with antibiotics alone has recently emerged as a viable treatment alternative to appendectomy. There have been several clinical trials in adults which conclude that antibiotics alone are a safe initial treatment for appendicitis; none of these studies included children.
The primary objective of this study is to determine: conversion to surgery (failure of nonoperative management), 30 day, 6 month and 1 year recurrence rate of appendicitis in children treated with non-operative management. Recurrence is defined as need for appendectomy. The secondary objective is to compare adverse outcomes, length of stay, days to return to school, costs of care and quality of life measures between the study group and those that receive standard of care.We hypothesize that non-operative management of early appendicitis in children with antibiotics alone will be successful in 80% of children at 1 year follow-up.
This is a prospective, non-randomized single-site trial measuring the feasibility of treating children (7-17 years old) with early appendicitis with antibiotics only (non-operative management). There will be two cohorts; those who agree to receive non-operative management (Non-Operative Group) and those that permit us to track their standard treatment course (Surgery Group).
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|7 Years to 17 Years (Child)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
|Sampling Method:
|Probability Sample
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age : 7-17 years
- Ultrasound (US) or CT scan confirmed early appendicitis (US: hyperemia, <1.1 cm in diameter, compressible or non-compressible, no abscess, no fecalith, no phlegmon; CT: hyperemia, fat stranding, <1.1 cm in diameter, no abscess, no fecalith, no phlegmon)
- White blood cell count (WBC) < 15,000
- C reactive protein (CRP) <4 (if obtained)
- Focal abdominal pain </= 36 hours prior to receiving antibiotics
Exclusion Criteria:
- English is not the primary language of either the child or parent/guardian
- Other significant co-morbidities: cardiovascular disease, malignancy, pulmonary disease, diabetes, obesity (BMI ≥ 95th percentile for age and sex), severe developmental delay
- Positive urine pregnancy test
- Diffuse peritonitis
- Fecalith
- History of chronic intermittent abdominal pain
- CRP>/= 4 (if obtained)
- Pain > 36 hours prior to first antibiotic dose or any evidence on imaging studies concerning for evolving perforated appendicitis including abscess or phlegmon
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01718275
|United States, Ohio
|Nationwide Children's Hospital
|Columbus, Ohio, United States, 43205
|Principal Investigator:
|Katherine J Deans, MD
|Nationwide Children's Hospital
|Responsible Party:
|Katherine Deans, Principal Investigator, Nationwide Children's Hospital
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01718275 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 29, 2012
|Last Updated:
|August 18, 2016
|Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
|Plan to Share IPD:
Keywords provided by Katherine Deans, Nationwide Children's Hospital:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Intraabdominal Infections
Gastrointestinal Diseases
Digestive System Diseases
Cecal Diseases
Intestinal Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


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He lied about his Navy SEAL credentials and the medals and honors he earned, apparently to get a leg up in the job market. He lied about the university he attended, claiming he received a business degree from the University of Kansas.
Local law enforcement say he even tried to mislead them about the cause of his death, which they had initially investigated as suspicious, and possibly a homicide.
Experts agree the case of Ike Densmore -- the Menlo Park man whose autopsy confirmed he committed suicide at Centerville Beach near Ferndale almost two weeks ago -- is a strange one.
"Some people actually believe their own lies; they tell them often enough," said Gregg Gold, a Humboldt State University psychology professor. "He may have lied up to the end because he believed those lies."
Gold said Densmore may not have been able to tell what had really happened to him, or things that didn't.
"He's building this detailed, powerful story that's benefiting him," Gold said, and at a certain point Densmore maybe couldn't tell the difference.
It is possible, Gold said, that the psychological "fantasy world" Densmore had built up for himself recently came "crashing down."
A November investigation by Bay Area TV station ABC 7 reported that Densmore falsely claimed he was a member of the United States Seal Team One, and that he earned a Silver Star, Bronze Star, three Purple Hearts, two presidential unit citations, and six Navy commendation medals. In the report, a TV reporter calls Densmore and goes to his home to ask him about his fake credentials, and why he had lied about them.
Family and friends told law enforcement he said he was on his way to Washington to seek medical help, and that he had been in the area for several days. There was no suicide note at the scene.
Sociology professor Josh Meisel, who also heads up the criminology minor at HSU, said he had not heard of someone like Densmore -- who committed suicide and apparently trying to mislead investigators. Usually, people are falsifying a crime scene to deflect attention.
"This is different," Meisel said.
Jonn Lilyea, a retired infantry platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army and blogger at the military blog This Ain't Hell, said over the years he has helped to uncover 96 people that faked military credentials and awards, including more recently Densmore.
Lilyea's friend Don Shipley -- a former SEAL himself, featured in the ABC 7 report -- first told Lilyea of his suspicions about Densmore.
The West Virginia resident said he has about 7,000 hits a day on his blog, and it's his readers who usually tip him off about people who might be posing.
"I guess it's pretty common to run into," he said. "We (veterans) kind of know each other."
Lilyea has been following the Densmore case closely on his blog.
"While we grieve for the family Ike left behind, we're still secure in our decision to bust him out," reads the latest post about Densmore on the blog.
Lilyea said he doesn't feel bad about outing Densmore, or any of the others.
"I don't see any culpability between me and the other people I work with," Lilyea said. "It is their own poor choices that led to their eventual demise."
Luke Ramseth can be reached at 441-0509 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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(AP) HARRISBURG, Pa. - Jerry Sandusky is distraught over the NCAA penalties issued to Penn State's football program for the school's handling of his child sexual abuse scandal and maintains his innocence as he awaits sentencing, his defense lawyer said Wednesday.
Attorney Joe Amendola told The Associated Press in a phone interview that Sandusky told him that even if people believe he is guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted in June, it would be "ridiculous" to think Penn State administrators engaged in a cover-up.
Watch: Penn State president on NCAA sanctions
Penn State slammed with sanctions over Sandusky
The NCAA imposed a multi-year bowl ban on Penn State, invalidated 112 wins, fined the school $60 million and took away future scholarships. The university leadership said the alternative could have been a complete ban on playing games and has acquiesced to the penalties.
Sandusky was convicted in June of 45 counts of child sexual abuse, including attacks on boys inside athletics facilities at Penn State, where he played college football and became a successful defensive coach under Joe Paterno.
"He said, 'To do what they're doing to Penn State is so unjust,"' Amendola said. "He loves the program and he loves the university."
Amendola said Sandusky has asked county jail officials to remove him from what is effectively solitary confinement.
"He continues to believe that the truth will come out at some point, and that he'll get another trial or another opportunity to establish his innocence," Amendola said.
Amendola said he expects sentencing will occur in September, although a date has not been set. Sandusky, who did not testify on his own behalf during the trial, has been writing a statement to read to Judge John Cleland at sentencing that will address all 10 sets of charges.
"Whether he winds up doing it despite what I tell him, is going to be up to him," Amendola said. "It's his life."
He said there may not be anything Sandusky can say to prevent an extended prison sentence, but Sandusky has "a fighting spirit" and is "cautiously optimistic."


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View Product Reviews
SPDLX - Nut-Free Deluxe Fruit Sparklers
< Return to product
|Product Rating: Date Posted: 2010-10-27 01:31:43
|Fruit Sparklers--Can I Give 'Em Ten Stars?
|Posted By: Kevin Beuret
|Location: Howe, IN United States
Words will fail you the first time you taste this wonderful confection. The fruit flavors are intense, and the texture is absolutely perfect. It's obvious that a lot of love and ingenuity went into the creation of Fruit Sparklers, and I can't recommend them highly enough.
|Product Rating: Date Posted: 2010-11-22 12:51:48
|Awesome candy
|Posted By: Ramon
|Location: Aguadilla, PR United States
Thanks to uncle Jose and Tia Ada for introducing us to this delicious treat. I promptly asked her for the catalog and put a reminder in my calendar for November 1st. This year I am sharing this with my loved ones. Everybody loves them! The 90th anniversary edition pack was awesome. My wife loved the new cupcake flavor. Thanks for such an awesome product.
|Product Rating: Date Posted: 2010-12-28 13:30:52
|fruit sparklers delight
|Posted By: Brenda
|Location: New Bedford, MA United States
great as a gift for dentureless clients that you love


text:
Signs of Exhaustion
Let me get this straight.
Gross domestic product growth came in lower than many had expected, and yet the market shrugged this off and rallied. Everyone thought this was terrific. Then, after its meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee told us nothing new -- that the Federal Reserve would essentially be pumping ever more money into the economy -- and the market went down. Yet that was good, too....428 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
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3+3=?Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.
LegalMumboJumbo was entered into a game show. If he answered one question correctly he would win one million dollars. If he missed the question, a buzzer would sound and Legal would have to donate $50,000 dollars to a local charity. The question was "What does three fluid ounces of water plus three fluid ounces of alcohol equal?" and Legal immediately said "Six fluid ounces!"
Did LegalMumboJumbo win one million dollars?
AnswerNo, he did not. This may seem odd, but when different liquids are mixed, the combined liquid becomes more dense. So, the liquid becomes more compact and takes up less volume in the container. It is a small but measurable difference.
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text:
Cobb tagged for seven runs as Rays fall
Maddon remains determined after loss, sets new goal of 50-50 record
ST. PETERSBURG -- Joe Maddon has laid it on the line to his last-place Rays: "50-50." Fifty wins and 50 losses.
"We have to set 50-50 as a goal," Maddon declared Saturday after the Rays reverted to their losing ways, succumbing to the Mariners and their rookie left-hander Roenis Elias, 7-4, to drop their season record to a Major League-worst 24-39.
"That's what I presented to the group [on Thursday]," continued Maddon. "That would be our short-term goal, not a long-term goal. That means we have to go 26-11. That's not out of the realm of possibility. We've done that standing on our heads at times.
"We've got to start winning series. Two out of three, three out of four. That's how we get back into this thing. We're not going to win 15 games in a row.
"We can't necessarily look at first place. We have to leapfrog teams one at a time."
"We're going to be 50-50 in a couple of days," Maddon vowed. "And we're going to be back in the playoff hunt by September."
After an emotional pregame ceremony celebrating the life of the team's beloved long-time advisor, Don Zimmer, the Rays lost for the 11th time in their last 12 games Saturday as Alex Cobb, whose ERA of 3.19 going into Saturday's game was the best of any of the Rays' starters, failed to make it through the fifth inning for the first time this season. Cobb exited after 4 1/3 innings, having served up a 10 hits yielding seven runs -- both season highs for him - in what was his worst start off the year. Cobb is now 1-4, having dropped three in a row.
"There's no worse feeling in the world than walking off the field and giving your team absolutely no chance to win the game," said Cobb.
"I never want to feel like that. And the only thing to do is turn it around next time out. You either figure it out, or you'll have a different job eventually."
"I know he's going to be hard on himself," Maddon said of Cobb. "But he's still rebuilding. He's still in that phase. He's going to be fine.
"We've had an emotional time, losing 10 in a row and losing Zim, but we have to get beyond emotion," Maddon continued. "We need to get our stuff together. I know Zim would say, 'You mourned for me today -- now let's move on.'"
Elias held the Rays to four runs on five hits and lasted 7 2/3 innings on Saturday.
"How old is that kid?" Maddon asked after the game, obviously impressed.
Told the Mariners' left-hander is 25, the Rays' manager said, "He's good."
Cole Gillespie homered to center in the second inning to put the Mariners on top, 1-0, but James Loney evened the scored with a solo homer of his own in the bottom of the second.
After Yunel Escobar walked and Logan Forsythe singled to put Rays on first and third, Ali Solis laid down a safety-squeeze bunt -- Zimmer's favorite play -- to give the Rays a 2-1 lead. That was also Solis' first Major League RBI.
Singles by Dustin Ackley, Brad Miller, and Willie Bloomquist, plus Endy Chavez's sacrifice fly made the score 3-2, in favor of Seattle, in the fourth.
The Mariners loaded the bases before Cobb could get anyone out in the fifth. Then Ackley brought all three runners home with a double to deep right center. A double by Bloomquist knocked in another run, marking the 39th time this year that the Rays have allowed at least three runs in an inning.
In the eighth inning, Desmond Jennings doubled off Elias, and with two away, Evan Longoria hit a home run to left, cutting the Rays' deficit to three runs, but Danny Farquhar and former Ray Fernando Rodney held Tampa Bay down for the rest of the game.
"We've got a long way to go," Maddon said later. "We've got plenty of time to get back into it."
Jim Hawkins is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


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REDDING - Shasta County authorities say an explosion of illegal marijuana growing operations in the area is taxing local law enforcement's ability to keep up.
The Redding Record Searchlight reports that the Shasta County Sheriff's Office expects citizen complaints about illegal pot grows to double from 300 to 600 in 2014.
Previously, authorities focused investigations on large illegal gardens on public lands.
But sheriff's Sgt. Barry Powell says there has been an uptick in recent years of people with medical marijuana cards illegally growing hundreds of plants for sale, often indoors where it's harder to see.
The county passed a new ordinance banning outdoor grows and placing a strict 12-plant limit on indoor grows.
But opponents gathered enough signatures to stop implementation of the ordinance, setting up a vote in November.


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JC Penney has a bigger problem than paid links
Yesterday I wrote an email to Darcie Brossart, the official spokesperson who was referred to in the original NYT article on the JCPenney link fiasco, inviting her to read my article. She sent me an email this morning in response, with a bit of insight into the JCP SEO currently in place as well as the official full length JCPenney response to the NYT article. It's a lengthy one so I'll need to carefully review it before I publish it here, as I would like to be able to address that response properly. Stay tuned…
I've gotten an email back from Ms. Brossart, giving me permission to publish her initial email to me. Today's a hectic day with clients so I'll do my best to find the time to carefully read that email and provide it here for you along with my insights as soon as possible…
I love when web sites get caught paying for links and end up feeling the Google wrath. JC Penney's the latest example. Yet it's happened before, and it will surely happen again. But there's a much bigger problem every time this comes up that nobody ever talks about. The fact that most of these sites have a much bigger problem than paid links. Their on-site organic SEO is either very weak, or nonexistent altogether. And believe me, that's an EPIC problem…
If you were paying attention today, you either saw the tweets about the manual slap Matt Cutts laid on JC Penney after the New York Times began an investigative article on the matter. Or you came across Vanessa Fox's article on the topic or perhaps you read the forum thread over at Webmaster World.
All the buzz is focused in on the issue of paid links, the fact that while they're not illegal, they do violate Google's guidelines, and all the usual noise specific to paid links.
What I haven't seen out there yet is anything about the very scary notion that in their response to the NYT inquiry, JC Penney's spokesperson discounted the problem based on the notion that they only get seven percent of their online visits from organic search. According to the article, Darcie Brossart, JC Penney's spokesperson stated:
Just 7 percent of JCPenney.com's traffic comes from clicks on organic search results, she wrote. A far bigger source of profits this holiday season, she stated, came from partnerships with companies like Yahoo and Time Warner, from new mobile applications and from in-store kiosks
IF that is a correct statement, JC Penney has an EPIC failure in place as far as their SEO is concerned. I don't care how big or small your site is – if you are only getting single digit percentage visits from organic search, all the paid links in the world are still failing to achieve the ultimate desire to profit from search engine listings.
Now, that may just be a red herring figure, used purely to deflect criticism, or it could be corporate arrogance pointing toward a complete lack of understanding in the potential value of organic SEO. We probably won't ever know. And that's okay. What it did for me however, was immediately cause me to have one of those "WTF" red flag shiny object moments…
As soon as that shiny object caught my attention, I went to the JC Penney site. And in under three minutes, I observed at least a dozen MAJOR problems. I'll outline just a few here, because I don't give away my expertise for free anymore. But let's take a look at just a few issues.
www.JCPenney.com redirects to http://www.jcpenney.com/jcp/default.aspx . (I won't even bother detailing why THIS is a problem. It's a rookie SEO issue). What I will say is that once you spend any time on the site, all of a sudden you get redirected to one of several JCP servers. In my particular review, I was redirected to www4.JCPenney.com/jcp/default.aspx.
Exactly how many WWW servers JCP has, I don't know at this point. That alone was enough to tell me there's a massive duplicate triple quadruple content problem. Such a 1996 issue, it blows my mind.
Let's examine the Women's Skirt's page. Google has communicated that they are fully capable of processing dynamic URLS. That's a very dangerous concept to fall for. Having clean URLS is a fundamental requirement as a signal to search engines that "this page is relevant to these keywords". Clean URLs are also now known to be very helpful to User Experience. I won't include a full URL example here, because they're ridiculously long, and pure code-monkey. The kind of URLs I used to generate back in 1999 when I was building ecommerce systems from scratch and passing all my parameter variable IDs in the URL.
On that same page, the Title is:
JCPenney : women : skirts
Attention world – the above title is almost worthless from an SEO perspective. First, placing JCPenney at the front of every URL might be ideal from a CMO's perspective. However it has no business being at the beginning of the title on very high value category pages. That's invaluable SEO real estate. At the very least, a properly optimized URL might instead be:
Women Skirts | Womens Skirts | JCPenney
Or for you hyphenation fanatics, just replace the pipe symbol with a hyphen.
God forbid you should actually attempt to do that though. Because it would give you three exact match phrases (women skirts, skirts womens, and womens skirts). And apparently the people providing SEO services (either the recently fired company or their predecessor perhaps), or someone in corporate, decided that the current page Title structure is "ideal". God bless their hearts…
While we're on this page, note how they've actually got a breadcrumb navigation implemented. Well good for them, they got something right. But actually, they didn't. Even the breadcrumbs are borked. Because the URL used for the Skirts page we're on is actually DIFFERENT than the URL I ended up at . Not from a www4 issue, but because the URL I ended up at has an extra parameter stuck on the end of it. Probably for click tracking.
And there's no canonical functionality going on, which would at least potentially mitigate this problem.
Let's look at the top level category Window Treatments.
Let's not even harp on the fact that this page's title is simply:
JCPenney : Window
Uh, excuse me, where's the CONTENT?
That's right – there's not one single bit of actual HTML readable content on one of the most important pages on the site. Because, like many retailers, their print media graphic designers are probably in charge of site design. So excuse me while I then ask, even if you get PROPER page titles, and human readable keyword seeded URLs, and you fix your quintuple content issues, how is a search engine supposed to know that this page is highly relevant to a search for window treatments, if there's no well crafted content describing the wonderful variety of window treatment products you offer?
IF, in fact, as I stated at the beginning of this article, JCP is only getting 7% of their traffic from organic search, they're missing a massive opportunity. No matter how many phrases they're found for from paid links. Every retailer I've ever dealt with that faced a similar situation (lacking on-site best practices), has seen phenomenal traffic growth from exponentially more long tail terms after they cleaned their on-site act up.
And if, after JCP somehow finds a way to clean up the current paid link mess, they get back in Matt's good graces, they end up on the bottom of the 1st page of Google, with proper on-site SEO, JCP might even jump to the top few results. Or even the top organic result.
But they are very likely going to need a LOT of work. And that would require the buy-in from corporate. So maybe somebody needs to let corporate know what REAL SEO is all about.
Here's the official response from JCPenney as provided to me in an email directly from Darcie Brossart, JCP's VP, Corporate Communications.


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LAKEPORT -- A symbiotic relationship between the city and county was the topic of discussion at City Hall Wednesday morning.
The Lakeport Economic Development Committee (LEDAC) discussed various outreach efforts to cooperate and form a stronger relationship with Lake County as a whole.
"When you have the mindset of ?don't take my ground,' progress is needed," Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira said.
LEDAC member Mireya Turner said there was conflict between municipal and local city governments, which should be eradicated, and there was a need for "regional cooperation."
Silveira said the county is looking into hiring an economic development manager part-time as a draft position.
"I'm really impressed that we're talking about it," she said. "We just need cooperation."
LEDAC members also suggested a countywide economic development committee, using Toulumne County as an example as one that created a thriving area.
Silveira said it would be important to have private businesses included in the committee as well.
LEDAC members also want to help facilitate new businesses coming into Lakeport, and retain existing ones.
"Businesses come and go," LEDAC member Carol Cole-Lewis said. Adding some businesses leave Lakeport when the opportunity arises.
"We can't just be prostituting the area until something better comes along," Cole-Lewis said. "We need to grow and inspire."
The committee also continued brainstorming possible uses for the Carnegie Library located on Park Street.
Silveira said the building needs some minor renovations because of deterioration from being out of use.
What the building will be is still uncertain, but the general consensus from LEDAC members is it the library should a public use facility, not an office space.
The committee talked about making it a joint-vendor facility.
LEDAC Chair Wilda Shock said Lake County Wine Association members have considered taking a look at the space.
Turner also mentioned the recent California legislation that allows for small, in-home businesses also known as a cottage industry, and suggested training for people interested to "give folks a game plan they can plug into."
The next LEDAC meeting will be May 1 from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Berenice?Quirino?is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. She can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 36 or at email@example.com.


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Browsing Geology & Geophysics Data Sets by Title
Now showing items 4-5 of 5
Shipboard ADCP profiles, central equatorial Pacific Ocean, 2003-2012 (2014-07-17)This data set contains 23 individual NetCDF files, each containing subsurface zonal and meridional velocity profiles (along with time/space coordinates) measured by shipboard ADCP.
Supplemental files from "Metazoans of redoxcline sediments in Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins" (Bernhard et al., submitted, BMC Biology). (2015-10-05)Link provides access to supplemental tables and figures to our manuscript regarding metazoans of redoxcline sediments in Mediterranean deep-sea hypersaline anoxic basins (DHABs). Specimens shown in supplemental figures are ...


text: With a mix of hard rock riffs and lush, driving harmonies, Heart emerged from the Pacific Northwest with one of the most original sounds of the 1970s. Behind Ann Wilson's powerhouse voice-one of the best in rock-and Nancy Wilson's percussive guitar playing, along with guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, guitarist/keyboard player Howard Leese and drummer Michael DeRosier, Heart recorded a series of albums that stand as the best mix of hard rock and folk rock of their era: Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen, Dog And Butterfly and Bebe Le Strange. All those records included hit singles that remain standards of rock radio: "Magic Man," "Crazy On You," "Heartless" and "Barracuda." Over their long career, Heart has released six Top 10 albums and twenty Top 40 singles. The first women to front a hard rock band, Ann and Nancy Wilson were pioneers, claiming the stage in a way that inspired women to pick up an electric guitar or start a band. When MTV transformed mainstream rock in the 1980s, Heart adapted and recorded some of the signature songs of the era: "Alone," "What About Love" and "These Dreams." In the 1990s, they returned to their roots with Desire Walks On and The Road Home, and in the last decade, they've released two of the strongest albums of their careers: Jupiter's Darling and Red Velvet Car.


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China sucks.
The Chinese government has branded a YouTube video, purportedly showing Chinese police viciously beating Tibetan protesters, as a fake. The film, apparently taken last March near Lhasa, was put on the video sharing site last Saturday and is believed to be what sparked China's renewed blocking of the site. The second part of …
China sucks.
i clearly see unarmed(some of them with clear tibetan dress) protester been beating up hard by military police/gestapo-like drones.
are you telling me that all that footage is fake?
Tibet free! ( from china and from the dalai lama, theocracy is shit too)
the chinese are much more violent than that
Tibet don't make cheap electronic gadgets.
Just films of unconfirmed authenticity.
...so I guess that mean's it's for real, fersure!
Might be more credible if they hadn't just censored YouTube.
Surprised the Chinese government is saying the video is a fake? That's like Dubya saying that the Americans won the "war" in Iraq.
If you knew anything about the Dalai Lama you would not say that. The man is universally loved by his people and with good reason. When your religion is your way of life, theocracy is just a word smart-arsed westerners use when they think they know better.
There's a huge campaign being orchestrated by the Chinese regime to paint events in Tibet in a way that is faithful to the party policy line. Much of it is blatant false propaganda.
There are frequent and blatently untruthful attempts to discredit His Holiness the Dalai Llama by claiming that he is a terrorist or the the instigator of a violent clique of insurgents - utterly ridiculous as anyone with an awareness of the pacifist Buddhist ideology and principles which holds non-violence and compassion among its central tenets.
The Pachem Llama chosen to suceed the Dalai Llama was kidnapped by the Chinese and is still being held hostage as the worlds youngest political prisioner.
All independant journalists and media are banned from Tibet and during the Olympic year access by any foreign persons was blocked to the so call Tibetan Autonomous Region, a deliberatly misleading label which is completely unrepresentative of the reality in Tibet.
Tibetans within the TAR region are discriminated against in a system of aparthaid that favours Han Chinese for jobs, housing, land and welfare. Anyone who takes issue with the occupying power is subject to the harshest dissproportionate treatment - expressing the wish for a return of the Dalai Llama or displaying the banned Tibetan flag can result in 10 years imprisionment.
Many have been tortured, killed or dissapeared.
Quite honestly the Chinese regime is brutal and unjust in its policy to Tibet and undeserved of a place as a respected member of the international community.
Is there a means by which a video being taken can be quickly and reliably proven to be realtime footage taken at a specific universal time and date and not altered in any way, thereby removing any possibility that the video was faked?
...Is the fakest of wounds, necrosis is nonexistant glorious peoples republic
Oh, sorry, liking the idea of free information is retarded and China's government is OK.
This is the "Harmony" that China espouses and would like to bring to the rest of the world.
Don't buy anything that comes out of china. Buy buying Chinese goods your are not only potentially poisoning yourself it seems, but supporting a tyrannical and oppressive government that regularly commits crimes against humanity. They should have been stopped long ago. But now their military abilities make and conflict a bad idea. The only hope is to change their ways by educating the people and hurting the Chinese government economically.
Claiming something posted on the internet is fake and then censoring it (and/or sending the police after the guy posting it) is an *Australian* idea, thank you very much... I think the Chinese should at least give credit where it's due. We thought of it first!
I think the Chinese are masters at "fake"
Such as fake:
- Goods
- Propaganda
- Freedoms
Free Tibet !!!
who took part in the Olympics or watched it on TV or took any interest in it is complicit in the torturous regime controlling that country.
Tianemen Square.
Any government working or in talks with China is implicitly giving their ok with the torture and wrongful imprisonment of their citizens.
Invasion of Tibet.
Sad face for the path we appear to be travelling.
Maybe you should make a bit of a studie yourself on tibet before the Chineese invaded on the request of the population in Tibet.
You forgot just one thing : China is respected as a member of the international community based on two things only : first, it can field an army of more men than most countries have people, and second, it has limitless market potential for capitalist money-grubbing CEO's to drool over.
Being respectful of people's rights has never been a criteria and probably never will be.
No doubt our 2nd Home Secretary & the Straw Man are watching this carefully - and seeking out ideas regarding how to implement it.
Ludicrous, you think?
In the 1970's & 1980's, the idea that a so-called Labour government would institute and implement the restrictions on our freedoms and privacy that the last twelve years have seen would have been laughed at, and anyone suggesting it would have been dismissed as a conspiracy-theorist paranoid nut.
We have been warned.
At least waterboarding keeps them nice and clean.


text: ConsultingThe best way to begin learning more about Consulting as a career option is to read "Getting Started with Consulting" under the Resources tab. Also under Resources is a Bookstore link that will take to a recommended list of books and resources on Consulting which you can buy online or find at your campus or local library. Below, in the Videos and Articles section, you will find information about the experiences of life sciences PhDs and MDs who have chosen to pursue consulting as an option and/or members of consulting firms who want to share insights specifically for people of your professional background on the consulting field.